Fujimi Dorayaki, Burwood
Star of the Burwood Chinatown family
Located at 133 Burwood Road, Burwood NSW 2134
A new dining precinct, Burwood Chinatown, is the latest hot spot for locals in quaint suburban Burwood. The dining hub is revolutionising the traditional conception of the “food court”. Instead of the typical food courts you see in busy Westfield malls, Burwood Chinatown is styled like a street market and exclusively offers the very best of Asian street food.
Many liken Burwood Chinatown to Chippendale’s Spice Alley as both establishments play with the theme of hawker markets in a tasteful and refined manner. The kiosks start along Burwood Road and end at Clarendon Place. There are a few tables and chairs littered around the kiosks, though it’s not enough to cater for the traffic. The food is best enjoyed standing up, in and around the alleyways of Burwood.
Burwood Chinatown offers snacks that cater to any preference. There’s over five milk tea stores in the district, all with their own collection of unique flavours and creative toppings. Other notable spots include the Diajianchen (specialising in Hong Kong egg waffles), Yang’s Dumplings (specialising in Shanghainese pan fried dumplings) and Lovin’ Lamb (specialising in grilled lamb skewers).
We checked out Fujimi Dorayaki, which is located along Burwood Road right next to Chatime. The kiosk was packed with patrons, all waiting to get their hands on the beloved Japanese dessert. Dorayaki is a Japanese fluffy pancake and is generally filled with sweet red bean paste. The folks at Fujimi Dorayaki have expanded the collection by offering a whole raft of other fillings including nutella, crunchy peanut, purple yam among others.
Along with classic dorayaki, the stall also offers dorayaki ice cream sarnies. The sandwiches may look small, but they are incredibly dense. They are filled with four different layers of flavours — given the individual fillings from the two dorayaki along with the ice cream sandwiched in between the pancakes. We opted for the mango ice cream and chunky peanut dorayaki combination as well as the vanilla ice cream and banana dorayaki.
The mango ice cream and chunky peanut dorayaki was the most surprisingly tasty of the lot. It’s an odd flavour combination, but it complemented quite nicely. The mango ice cream offered a sweet and refreshing tang and the chunky peanut contributed to the overall creaminess and nuttiness of the confection. The banana dorayaki also deserves a mention as the rich creaminess from the use of real bananas balanced the light fluffiness of the pancake.
Fujimi Dorayaki also offers a range of healthy all-natural drinks. Their two most popular beverages are the mango and carrot juice and red cabbage, kiwi and pineapple juice. The taste of the carrot was quite prominent in the first drink, while the red cabbage flavour was ever so slight in the second. My friend remarked that the second beverage was a good option if you wanted to get your daily dose of vegetables without having to deal with the unpleasant (or some would argue bland) taste of cabbage.
Overall
The exciting development, Burwood Chinatown, is really putting Burwood on the map as the hottest foodie haven in the Sydney area. The variety at Burwood Chinatown is arguably even more extensive than Sydney’s OG Chinatown. After all — it’s a rarity to find over five different milk tea stores within one block from each other! The dorayaki at Fujimi Dorayaki is a star of the Burwood Chinatown family, given the tasty flavour combinations and the fact that it’s made fresh to order. It’s the perfect after dinner snack, especially now in the colder Autumn and Winter months.
Overall rating: Yummy in my Tummy
Service: 3/5
Cost: Gourmet Gumbo and guests were invited by Burwood Chinatown
