First launched in Taiwan in 1992, Easy Way Tea is an international, multi-award winning franchise specializing in tea, with an extensive range of unique tea related beverages.The EasyWay Tea beverage range includes:
- Milk Tea
- Relish Tea
- Blended Ice
- Soy Punch
- Hot drinks (in winter months)

All of which you can add your favourite flavours and toppings in to make your EasyWay beverage unique and special."


Location

Shop 2, Ground Floor,
166 Keira Street
Wollongong, NSW, 2500
02 42442088



Trading Hours
Monday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

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Caveau

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One of my favourite restaurants of Shellharbour, La Marina Tapas Bar and Restaurant has moved to Keira St, Wollongong. If you like Spanish food then you'll love La Marina.

Below are some of the meals we enjoyed at La Marina when they were still located in Shellharbour. I hope to visit their Wollongong store very soon. Don't forget to buy a carafe of their sangria. It makes the Spanish dining experience even more authentic!

It was Australia Day and we were also celebrating a friend's birthday. We had a table of four diners and decided to start with Parilla de Mariscos, a BBQ'd seafood platter A selection of grilled seafood including fish, scampi, king prawns, squid, pippies, and mussels served with chips and salad on the side.($36.00 - Min. 2 persons). Next, several tapas were chosen including tasmanian scallops, pippies, whitebait and a very enjoyable chorizo sausage in dry sherry. Delicous! It almost makes you want to scream out 'Ole!'

After we were seated, we were presented with some free almonds, nicely spiced and a great start to a wonderful meal.

Free almonds

Parillada de Mariscos (Min. 2 persons) - BBQ'd seafood platter.
A selection of grilled seafood including fish, scampi, king prawns, squid, pippies, and mussels served with chips and salad on the side. 36.00pp

Seared Tasmanian Scallops - In chilli & roasted sweet paprika with garlic & white wine 11.90

Everyone had a taste of the scallops which were superbly cooked and the sauce was amazing.

Almejas - Pan cooked pippies with white wine, garlic and parsley 11.50

A very morish dish which we all enjoyed a sample off. It brought back memories of collecting pippies on the beach, looking for the tell-tale bubbles in the sand. A definite favourite.

Chanquettes - Lightly floured white bait deep fried, served with lemon wedge 10.50

Not really to my taste but the men at our table really enjoy the crispy whitebait, although after sampling the scallops and pippies I can't see the attraction.

La Marina Tapas Bar and Restaurant
130 Keira St, Wollongong NSW 2500
Phone: 02 42 271033

http://www.lamarina.com.au/index.htm


Photos by Vanessa Pike-Russell for Illawarra Food Reviews
http://illawarrafoodreviews.blogspot.com/


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So you're in Amigos Mexican Restaurant and can’t decide what to buy? Try the tapas plate- 4 tijuana toritas, 4 buffalo wings, 4 Monterey prawns, 4 battered mushies (mushrooms), olives, deep fried tortilla chips, guacamole & dipping sauce... Yumm! Enough for four people as an entree or a main meal for one. Costs $24.90


Need something to wash it down? Try a midorita


Other alternatives include the Gringos Plate (left) and Oaxaca plate (right)

Oaxaca plate- a chicken enchilada, chilli verde, beef taquito, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, salad & rice. $19.90
Gringo plate- chilli con carne burrito, fiesta chicken, beef flauta, rice, salad, guacamole, sour cream & salsa. $21.90

There are many tasty meals to choose from.

Phone: 02 4229 8181
Fax: 02 4225 8547

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I was in the mood for Yum Cha so we headed down to a favourite restaurant of ours - Oriental Expression on Keira Street, Wollongong. Our first visit was on Valentines Day, for their set banquet menu and second on Chinese New Year, both very memorable experiences. Today would be no different. We were escorted to our table and given the Yum Cha menu. Meals ranged between $3.50 for 3 pieces to $9 for a large serve.

After looking the menu over we settled on

• Thai Duck Spring Rolls (3 pieces for $3.50)
• Crab and Spinach Dim Sim (3 pieces for $4.20)
• Scallop and vegetable Dim Sim (3 pieces for $4.20)
• Prawn Meat Dumpling (3 pieces for $4.20)
• Beef Satay Sticks (3 pieces for $5.50)
• Salted Chili Pork Chop (large serve for $5.50)
• Egg Custard Bun (3 pieces for $4.20)

All meals were shared three ways, perfect since most of the dishes had three pieces.

After ordering our yum cha banquet I saw the 'Super Value" Iced Bubble Green tea for $1 extra with any purchased meal and thought 'why not!' I love green tea but until now had not liked iced green tea which is usually sold in a can and contains preservatives. As I watched our waiter put ice, green tea, syrup and bubbled water together I began to get excited. When I tasted it I was in heaven. It has a very fresh taste and reminds me of the flavour of green tea icecream. It was sweet but not sickly, refreshing and very easy to drink. I will definitely order it again.

Our first course was the Thai Duck Spring Rolls which were very tasty. The duck meat flavour was subtle but definitely discernible. A very nice start to the meal.


Next was the Crab and Spinach Dim Sim (or dim sum in the USA).
The flavours of crab and spinach blended well with crab flavour subtle
but unmistakable. All dim sims were served in a bamboo dish with a layer
of leaves.

We were looking forward to the scallop and vegetable dim sims.
You could really taste the scallop within the dim sim casing.
The flavour was amazing and left me wanting more

Followed by a most delicious prawn meat dumpling.

Here they are together on the one plate to show size


Next was the beef satay sticks . I have to say that I have never experienced anything quite like it. The meat was fried rather than grilled and had a lovely texture to it which was complemented by the tasty satay (peanut sauce).

The Salted Chili Pork Chop course was very tasty. We were just in the middle of saying that the chilli wasn't very hot when I swallowed a chilli seed and had a burst of heat in my mouth very different to t he gentle warmth of the rest of the meal.







Around this time I was very close to being full but there was room for dessert of egg custard bun. Make sure that you remove the paper layer or you will be eating it. It was nice but a little too doughy for my tastes. Stan liked his, and ate Philip's as well!

An amazing meal shared by three very pleased patrons. It was our first yum cha at Oriental Expression but it won't be our last! Our bill came to $47 including three beers, two green teas and the meals. Very reasonable prices and great service with a smile. What more could you ask for?

Oriental Expression
157 Keira Street Wollongong NSW 2500
(02) 4227 4222 Fax: (02) 4227 4772
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday 8.30am to late
Sunday 8.30 - 5.00pm
Licensed/BYO: Both

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It had been a while since we last visited Baan Krua Thai. On our last visit we sampled the amazing Deep-Fried Soft-Shell crab from Baan Krua Thai in Wollongong. It was so good that we decided to go back and order it again. I also ordered the garlic seafood stir-fry which was amazing. The quality of food and wonderful service makes Baan Krua a favourite for dining in Wollongong.

Mixed Entree $6.50

Garlic Seafood Stir-Fry $14.50

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As an early birthday celebration I invited my Sister for lunch at The Metro Grill in Keira Street, Wollongong. We had read about their 'buy one main get one free' deal on the Rewards Club website and thought it was a great excuse to try out this new restaurant on Keira Street Wollongong, Opposite the lovely Baan Krua Thai Restaurant.

The Metro Grill is offering $15 lunches which includes a glass of wine or soft drink.

Lunches
with glass of house wine or soft drink $15.00

Pan Fried Prawn Salad
Pan fried prawn tails tossed in a special Metro Grill salad

Rump Steak
Prime Rump Steak char grilled to your order and served with a side of fresh salad and chips

Chicken Breast with Polenta
Succulent chicken breast char grilled and served with a citrus infused polenta served with a fresh salad

Chicken Breast Schnitzel
Good old fashion tender chicken schnitzel served with chips and fresh garden salad

Salmon Patties
Our specially blended salmon Patties served over a light tomato sauce Served with a side of fresh salad

Chicken And Mushroom Vol Au Vent
Delicious chicken and mushroom filling in a light pastry casing served with a fresh salad

Sun Dried Tomato and Bacon Risotto
A light risotto with sun dried tomatoes and bacon finished with rocket and parmesan cheese

Spaghetti
Tossed with bacon, leaf spinach and fresh cream

Char Grilled Octopus
Tossed with a little olive oil, lemon,
garlic and a touch of chilli served over rocket salad with balsamic vinegar

I had the Rump Steak and paid an extra $5 for some seafood in garlic sauce - making it a 'Surf and Turf'.

Rump steak with garlic seafood (king prawns, mussells and scallops)
The steak was juicy and tender. It had a great flavour and the garlic sauce from the seafood really enhanced the meal. I haven't had scallops that fresh since returning from Tasmania in 2002. A wonderful meal at a great price. The servings size was more than generous. I found it difficult to finish all of my meal and left some of the salad.


My Sister chose the Chicken Parmigiana with salad and enjoyed her meal, also struggling to finish. It smelled amazing and I will definitely be trying it when I visit The Metro Grill again in the near future.


The staff were friendly and were able to accommodate my request for the seafood topping without notice - something I rate them highly for. The decor is simple and relaxing. It would be suitable for a candlelight dinner or to celebrate a birthday or event. If you register as a VIP member you may dine for free! It is a short walk from Wollongong City Mall or Collegians Rugby Football Club if you wanted to continue your night.

Phone: (02) 4227 1033
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On Friday March 9th I went back to Chefs Choice. It really is an amazing restaurant and the prices are the most reasonable in Wollongong. Every table receives a big thermos of green tea and most meals include free rice.

Chefs Choice
Address: 166 Keira Street
Wollongong 2500
Phone: (02) 42284811
Fax: (02) 42284811

Opening Hours: 10:30am- 10.00pm Mon-Sun
Licensed/BYO: Byo
Number of Seats: 90
Disabled Access:
Reservations: Yes


Steamed Pippies with XO Sauce - $13.50


Pork Ribs with Hong Kong sauce $8
Crispy pork (on the bone) was very tender. The sauce was very tasty. The Hong Kong sauce was a spicy sweet and sour. It went well with the deep-fried tofu below.


Deep-fried tofu $5
The tofu had a very interesting texture and tasted amazing when dipped in the sauce from the pork ribs. I'd definitely recommend you buy them together. Some of the tofu were creamy whereas others were firmer. The serve was quite large and made a nice entree.

Chicken with Chinese Mushroom hotpot $8.50

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