Life is 2 Mu(n)ch

Le Monde, Surry Hills

2011-06-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

Last friday I had brunch with Cleony from i eat sweet. We didn't know where to eat but a Sydney Morning Herald article on the best coffee in town, had Le Monde on it. Since we needed to go to the CBD afterwards, we made our way there. She picked me up and we drove to Surry Hills, little did I know that the cafe is actually so close to my flat that it would have been faster if we were walking there. Oh well, now I know where to go for a quick coffee run.

You're not crazy, the letters are the other way around... I took this picture from the reflection in the mirror

2 skim mochas

I really liked the cafe and on Friday morning, not many people were there so we got a table right away. We made it easy for the waitress as we ordered 2 skim mocha and 2 mushrooms sauteed in garlic and lemon with toast and ricotta.

Close up of the mushrooms and garlic lemon sauce

Side view

The mushrooms were perfectly cooked through but it wasn't soggy and it was still firm. Oh and the portion I love the garlic lemon sauce but after a while it tasted a bit too sour. The ricotta was smooth and subtle. I felt healthy... hahaha I don't want to think about the butter there... The coffee was nice too. Its cafes like this that makes me really enjoying Sydney.

Le Monde

83 Foveaux st

Surry Hills, NSW 2010

9211 3568

Mama Sita, Melbourne

2011-06-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

If you know that I'm going to Melbourne and you really need to catch me but can't reach me, chances are you will have a good chance to see me at Mama Sita. I discovered this amazing Mexican restaurant on my 2nd trip to Melbourne, introduced by my high school bestie, nicknamed Babian. She knows her food. That is one of the reason why she is my friend. I don't think I have friends who don't love and know their food...

Their homemade salsa is one of the best things in life. On my second visit, I think we had about 3 or 4 of these... The staff thought we were behaving badly... But they were just TOO good!

Anyway, three things you MUST order when you are here are: elotes callejeros (street style chargrilled corn with cheese, chipotle mayo and lime), tostaditas de pollo (fried tortilla topped with chargrilled chicken, avocado, fresh cheese and chipotle mayo), and tacos de camarones (soft taco with marinated prawns, habanero chillies and chipotle almond salsa). Ohhh God, I am drooling as I typed those!

Nachos dip: red salsa and guacamole

I raised my eyebrows when Babian raved about the grilled corn on the cob that we just have to order - but she said to trust her and despite my doubts I did and was totally blown away. It is simply the best chargrilled corn on the cob ever. I think it has to be the combination of the chipotle mayo and the cheese. Sweet, sour, savory with that crunchy corn.... yummmm

elotes callejeros (street style chargrilled corn with cheese, chipotle mayo and lime)

Babian ordered me (she did not let me order) tostitadas de carnitas, which was slowly braised pork shoulder, encurtidos and jalapeno. I liked it, it was spicy, but my favorite was tostitadas de pollo. Considering chicken is my least favorite meat ever, it's definitely amazing. On my second visit to Mama Sita, we ordered 2 servings of tostitadas de pollo and a mixture of others as we had new people. I made sure I had 2 of the chicken one tho hahahaha, benefit of hindsight ;)

Tostitadas: pork (left) and chicken (right)

Here, they only serve soft tacos. So don't go in ordering crispy tacos. Again, I never had prawn tacos. I usually go with beef or pork. And again, I was blown away. The prawn tacos were simply the best kinds of tacos I've ever eaten. Light and fresh, it killed my hunger without making me feel like I just stuffed myself with a whole cow. On my second visit, the boys and Babian ordered a 2nd round of the prawn tacos... I would too if I didn't have such a late lunch that day. It's that good, trust me.

Pulled pork tacos

(i heart) prawn tacos

On my first visit, I had the sangria which was yum. However, on my 2nd one I had margaritas which was also amazing. I had 3 of those. I can't decide which one is better, I think it will depend on what you feel like having. I didn't bring my camera with me on the 2nd visit, but we tried the helado de maiz (sweet corn ice cream cone and caramelize popcorn) and frituras de manzana (apple fritters and vanilla pear sorbet). Both were yum.

Sangria =)

All I can say is that I am currently plotting another trip to Mama Sita... that's right, NOT Melbourne, but to Mama Sita. Oooooopa!

Mama Sita

Level 1/11 Collins St

Melbourne, VIC 3000

+61 3 9650 3821

Click here for website

Pasteur, Haymarket

2011-06-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

Our spread at Pasteur

What could be more soothing and comforting than a bowl of teeming hot pho on dreary, rainy, cloudy winter days that we have been having lately? Well, curling up in bed with a good book or watching a good movie I suppose.

Veggie for the pho, tea and dipping sauce for the spring rolls

Pasteur is my go-to Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney because its close proximity and my family recommendation. I need to check out Cabramatta soon though. So anyway, my recommendation for these winter days: meatball and sliced beef pho with a side dish of spring rolls.

Sliced beef and beef ball pho

I love the fact that the sliced beef were so tender and just nicely cooked as it was sliced raw and cooked just as the hot soup is poured to the bowl. I love how the broth is fragrant, nicely balanced and not oily nor fatty.

Spring rolls

The spring rolls, in my opinion, are the best in Sydney so far. I love the mix of flavors and texture inside: minced pork and prawn, mushrooms, yummmm... These kinds of food definitely make this wintry days bearable...

Pasteur

709 George St

Haymarket, NSW 2000

Brunetti, Carlton (Melbourne)

2011-06-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

People watching and drinking coffee is the best way to catch up with an old friend

With 2 weeks away from my first exam, I went on a study break to Melbourne. I thought about this long and hard, pondering if I would have enough time to study, procrastinate and if it's worth the stress. Then I remembered my 2 years stint working where my vacation days were limited to 20 days a year and at the mercy of my boss. That decided it. Hello Melbourne.

Cakes, cakes, cakes and oh, more cakes!

A friend gave me a list of a top 5 must go places for coffee but I only managed to go to this one with a childhood friend. I was blown away when we first enter the shop. Rows of cakes, everywhere my eyes could see! Did I die and go to heaven? Did I go to Wonka's chocolate transformed into cake factory? Thank God I didn't lose my cool and drool.

Our two mochas

I love the expansive space, windows, and choices of cakes in Brunetti. We decided on a couple of mocha while we wait for our lunch to settle and make room for dessert. We sat facing the street to people watch and play a game. The mocha was really nice and balanced. I love it when I don't have to add sugar. I think that is how I judge the baristas' skills - if they can make coffee that is just right where I don't need to add anything. I always take my coffee as is, so if I don't like it, I don't go back.

A nice sweet stuff that I forgot the name of...

An hour and a half later - almost fully caught up with our lives stories and had fun at playing our game, I trawled the cakes display in search for our dessert. Still feeling my lunch up to my neck, but feeling guilty as one of the shop lady already explained every single cake to me, I ordered this canolli like dessert. I apologize I forgot the name! If you show this picture though, I'm sure they can tell you what it is hahaha... It was tiny but good. The custard has some rum in it (love it!), the pastry light, crumbly and savory. And! There was some cherries on it! I love cherries.

The space inside

I really wish they have this in Sydney. I could soooo see myself having regular coffee with my books and people watch when catching a break. Oh we also saw Chelsea from Masterchef when we were people watching. We saw this girl walk by and we were like, why does she look so familiar? 3 seconds later it dawned on us that she was from Masterchef. A quick phone call to my Masterchef fanatic friend revealed that Chelsea is supposedly working in Lygon st, just a stone's throw away.

Brunetti

194-204 Faraday St

Carlon, VIC 3053

Click here for website

Diving for food

2011-06-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

Amazing viz, underwater landscape and a cute seal

I've been MIA for a while. I realize that and I do feel guilty about it. It's a good thing that I went to Chocolatesuze's birthday party/food blogger gathering last May 21st as I got to meet new food blogger with whom I could go eat out with and enforce me to actually blog. Fingers crossed this will work. Thanks for the invite btw!!

Lately, I've been into scuba diving and underwater photography (click here if you wanna check out my photos). So that has been taking up my spare time. Also, this year thus far I have received 6 or 7 wedding invitations. Hence the pressure to fit on my dresses and keep the calories away are on. Anyway, I'm gonna share with you the food related part of scuba diving.

Last Easter, I went on a dive trip with a group of photographer divers, one of them is a food diver or hunter gatherer diver. Whatever the term you prefer, it basically means he dive, he takes food. Good right? Fresh seafood! Mmmm.... Mind you, if you do wanna try this make sure you have proper fishing license and know your catch limit. You don't wanna get in trouble with the department of Fisheries.

We wanted some crabs, but there were none. So we ended up with abalone (black lipped) and sea urchins. Yay uni sashimi! It was definitely one of the freshest uni I've ever had. I am so glad that I didn't have to crack it open though haha...

Sea urchins in their original form

Collecting the roes

And the final products!!

Plated... Not the best, but it's not Masterchef here! We just care about taste, taste and taste!

The abalone was so fresh too. It was boiled for a bit, sliced up then sauteed with butter, salt and pepper. We had some thinly sliced grilled eggplant to eat it with. To say it was really good would be an understatement. Freshly caught and prepared, enjoyed with some good cider and cool people...

Sauteed abalone in butter, salt and pepper

Mmmm... I wish I can turn back the time...

Grilled eggplants that we used to wrap the abalone before unceremoniously plonking them in our mouths!

Tomislav, Darlinghurst

2011-06-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

My fave

Tomislav is one of my favorite restaurants in Sydney for a few reasons. The two that stand out are: 1. it introduced me to Blackstar Pastry last October's Just Dessert and 2. because of it's amazing steak. So when I saw a deal on Spreets a while back for 2 entrees, 2 mains and a bottle of wine for $69 for 2 people - I jumped on it.

Rice crackers with vinegar spray at the top, and 'roo tartare with basil, mint and crackers

Sourdough bread with butter sprinkled with brown onion

So there I was cashing in my deal. First up we have the rice crackers with sea salt and vinegar. Crispy, light and crunchy - just nice to whet our appetite. Then we had the kangaroo tartare. I had this earlier in the year and was dying to have it again. Fresh, juicy with no smelliness of a gamey meat. It was served with crackers. At 50gr a dish, I could have eaten it all to myself and more. Love it.

Scotch fillet with bone marrow - goodness

Then the mains - my favorite Scotch roast fillet with bone marrow, smoked potato cream and beetroot cranberry sauce. FYI: the sauce changes every 2 weeks or so (the nice host told me). Tender, succulent and juicy the steak did not disappoint. Well, maybe the fact that I had to share made me sad a little.

Basmatti risotto with grilled Yamba prawns, chives, lemon zest and nori

The second main is the basmati rice risotto with grilled Yamba prawns, tons of chives and lemon zest. I noticed some nori (dried seaweed) on it as well. Its different than other risotto as this one used basmati rice - more commonly used for Indian food - but the chef definitely deliver on the taste. I was a happy camper. The downside? I had to share...

Aerial view

Close ups

After successfully saving some room for dessert, we ordered milk chocolate cream cake with toasted macadamia and smoked banana ice cream. I don't normally eat milk chocolate, but this one was to die for. The sweetness was just right, the cream so smooth and silky. The highlight? Has to be the smoked banana ice cream. I could have a tub. Oh fyi: the dessert was not included in the deal.

Happy J with her wine

At the end, as the host bid us adieu, he said to me "see you soon" because he found out that I still have another voucher. (Hurrah for another round of these goodness). So I told him I need to find someone to go with. His suggestion was quite cheeky and probably hard to deliver: "find a cute boy on the street and ask him to come with you". So yea, I'll be on the lookout but if one of you knows Cory Monteith, could you ask him if he'd like to fly to Sydney to have dinner with me?

Tomislav

2/23 Kirketon Rd

Darlinghurst, NSW 2010

+61 2 9356 4535

Earl grey tea cookies and truffle fries with parmesan

2011-05-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

Earl greys cookies are lined up to report for duty

Today was a baking day. My first exam is 15 days from now and so far I have been procrastinating 2 days straight. Not good. Although... today has BEEN quite productive if at all in different ways. These days I really like baking cookies, they're so cute and simple, the process destresses me, and it makes me happy to see people happy when I give them and eat my cookies. Oh, and I don't pile on the calories. 'Happy days' as Jamie Oliver would say.

To explain the truffle fries, it started because a week or so ago ieatsweet and I were at Westfield on Pitt St. Mall where we ended up having Charlie & Co.'s truffle fries and parmesan. It costed us almost $20 and it dawned on us that we could make this our own! Sometime at the end of last week I got this message from ieatsweet that she already gotten the truffle oil and sent an invite for me to come bearing parmesan cheese and fries. Well, it didn't happen last week, but it did today. So to make your own truffle fries and parmesan? Simple, get these ingredients, oven bake the fries or fry depending your preference, drizzle the truffle oil, grate the cheese - and enjoy =D

Here's the recipe for the earl grey tea cookies:

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 tablespoons finely ground Earl Grey tea leaves, (from about 8 bags)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 (8 ounce) sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

Instruction:

1. Whisk together flour, tea, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Put butter, sugar, and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; slowly mix in flour mixture until just combined.

3. Divide dough in half. Transfer each half to a piece of parchment paper; shape into logs. Roll in parchment to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log and force out air. Transfer in parchment to paper-towel tubes; freeze 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Space 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.

5. Bake until edges turn golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

This recipe is taken from Martha Stewart's book but is also available here. So far, I really like the earl grey cookies because it's so simple, yet so fragrant both from the tea and the orange zest. It also has a lightness to it that makes me less guilty than eating other cookies such as the dark choc sour cherry biscuits I made previously.

Awww... broken hearted cookie (for the record: I thought this was cute, despite ieatsweet's initial [or maybe still] disagreement)

For some lucky people, these little sweet hearts are yours to devour

Shenkin, Erskineville

2011-04-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Shakshuka by Cafe Shenkin

This past Sunday, I was completely wiped out. Saturday was exhausting: woke up at 5:45am to send my dad to the airport, got back at 7am ish, went to pilates at 8, groceries at 9, then got picked up to go to the Easter Show at 10:20am ish. If you remember, it rained the whole day. Yet, we ended up staying till 6:30pm. So when I woke up on Sunday at 8:30am despite sleeping at 10pm the night before - a total of 10.5 hours. I was still exhausted and hungry.

Mocha and Soy cap

A quick message to a friend scored me a breakfast buddy and a ride to Shenkin cafe in Erskineville - her idea, as I didn't even know where Erskineville was.

I liked the way the cafe was very open, it gave a very welcoming sense. I was also promised great poached eggs - so that held its appeal too. We ended up getting a table at the front. Towards the end, I realized that my chair was actually a pew. That was real cool.

Hot pot of goodness

Though at first I was tempted to order egg Benedict with smoked salmon, I ended up ordering shakshuka with eggplant and haloumi. Apparently shakshuka is a traditional Israeli breakfast dish where egg is poached in rich tomato, paprika and onion sauce base. It came with a couple of warm pita bread too. It was so good, perfect for such a lethargic cloudy morning that screamed for comfort food. It reminded me of my mom's goulash, but different. The eggplant was soft and melted in my mouth. The portion was so big, I ended up taking it home and having the leftover for dinner. And I have been thinking about it since....

Eggs Benedict

My ride who already decided what she wanted the moment she texted me, had the egg Benedicts with bacon. I tried it, it was really good. I love hollandaise sauce' texture and consistency. Next time, I will be having a hard time what to get for sure: shakshuka or egg Benedicts.

Cafe Shenkin

53 Erskineville Rd

Erskinville, NSW 2043

+61 2 9550 5511

Cooking lesson with i eat sweet

2011-04-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

Sour Cherries Dark Chocolate Cookies Bourke St Bakery Style

One morning at the beginning of the semester, I managed to talk Cleony from i eat sweet to have a morning sugar rush at Zumbo. The story of my first ever Zumbo experience after a year living in Sydney would have to wait for another post. Then on the way home, somehow, I got talked into spending the day with her baking.... because I really suck at baking and she wanted to transform me one recipe at a time into a domestic goddess? Whatever the reason, I ended up making 2 recipes that day. Under close supervision of course.

The ingredients

So the first batch is Bourke St Bakery's sour cherries dark chocolate cookies, my favorite cookies of all time. I have been meaning to bake this well, August last year... Before you shake your heads, listen: I broke my foot last year in September, remember?

Cleony has the book with the recipe, but if you're interested you can access it from Almost Bourdain's blog. I was really proud with the results. They were really gooey on the inside. A perfect hybrid of brownies and cookies. I can't wait to bake the next batch. Must wait for the baking mistress to come back from her overseas travel though...

Piglet face muffins

Then, we tried out her new muffin pan which I brought back from Hong Kong. We decided to make blueberry muffin. Wrong decision!!! The blueberries burst during the process and deformed some of the piglets' faces.

Muffin piglets

Baking turns out to be fun, provided I have an expert beside me. At the end of it I had so many food I didn't know what to do. So some lucky people got some muffins and cookies.

Thanks Cleony for the flour, sugar, equipments, your time and patience ;)

Matee Turkish Grill, Newtown

2011-04-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

You know how people say, don't judge a book by its cover? We totally judged Matee by the way it looked. We just loved it's Turkishness, blue tiles everywhere and cozy looking tables and sofas, just so inviting. Turkish food is one of my favorite food in the world. Not only that Turkey is also on my number one place to visit. I guess I just love the fact that this country straddles both Asia and Europe at the same time. It's like being in two places at once. Cheesy perhaps, but the traveler in me just can't help but loving the idea.

Meze dips: best on hot sunny days, but I'll take it rain, hail or shine

I haven't had much exposure of Turkish food in Sydney so when I stumbled upon this Su, I had to give it a go. We ordered way too much, I had been deprived of Turkish food for so long. We ended up ordering a platter of dips (hummus, tahini, beetroot, carrots, babaganoush, salsa and tzatziki), kofte (meatballs) and this chicken dish that I can't remember (Sorry!!!).

Izgara Kofte Meatballs

And the food? Mucuk mucuk! Kisses in Turkish. The only thing I remembered from my Turkish friends' Turkish lesson from my times in the States. It was so great. We loved the dips. Our favorite was the beetroot dip. I've been contemplating a visit back just to have this dip. Kofte? Yummmmsss.... the rice pilafs were so soft, warm and savory. The kofte itself well seasoned and well... perfect. The purple cabbage and salads were fresh and lemon-y that gave the whole dish such a sync.

Su's chicken dish

I didn't really try the chicken dish, because I was too busy with my kofte and saving some room for dessert. Su liked it though. My recommendation, however, to definitely go with the kofte.

Matee Turkish Grill

528 King St

Newtown, NSW 2042

+61 2 9565 2815

Brunch at Toast, Surry Hills

2011-04-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time, I know. So let me tell you about my latest brunch discovery. I walked passed Toast a when I was having dinner around the area. Finally, I made it a couple of weeks back with my friends from high school. I love how very close by it is from where I live and technically I could have breakfast here everyday if I want to. I also love how the whole street is lined with many different cafes beckoning my name. Sorry guys, there's a list but fear not I shall make it there sometime ;)

One of the tea pots and my soy cappuccino

My friends ordered tea which came in this cute pot which came in different shapes and forms. We have another one that looked like a box, but yeah, I forgot to take a picture (and that includes their meals as well... ugh...). I also love how the tea just never ended. They really wanna make sure that their patrons are hydrated, I suppose.

Sweet corn and kaffir fritters

I ordered their specialty which is sweet corn and kaffir fritters with poached egg, grilled halloumi, salsa, avocado and chilli jam, which is glutten free. I was torn between ordering this and the risotto, but I did want some eggs so this dish won. It reminds me of Bill's sweet corn fritters, but this one is different. I love the grilled halloumi on it. The poached egg was runny and gave creaminess to the fritters. The chili jam contrasted with the buttery-ness of the avocado. I definitely made the right choice.

....bidding my time to come back to try their other stuff and just hang out....

Toast Cafe

45 Reservoir St

Surry Hills, NSW 2010

Sydney

+61 2 9280 2615

Click here for website and opening hours

Back in Sydney Baby!!!

2011-02-28T17:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Foodies,

How have you been?! I know I have been missing in action in 2011, but I am back in Sydney now, for the long haul this time. So far 2011 has been filled with great promises and potentials to be a good year. My best blackberry messenger friend forever who lives in London and I believe that the Chinese Rabbit will be smiling down on us this year.

Here's a recap on what I have been doing while MIA and I will work on my backlog asap too. You know about my Hong Kong trip... well I also went to Macau. Then I was back in Jakarta though I didn't really eat out that much, but I will check my camera and see if there are any home cooked meals that would be interesting to be posted. I came back to Sydney in late Jan so that I can head to Melbourne to check out the competition. Nah, just kidding, I went there in the hopes of seeing my tennis idol, Rafael Nadal on Australia Open. Unfortunately he got injured so instead I got to see Murray vs. Ferrer on the semi final. Amazing times! Melbourne, expect me to be back next year. So I will have a couple of post on Melbourne.

Then I was back in Sydney for one night and off to Perth I went for my 2 weeks backpackers roadtrip tour from Perth to Broome. Yes, it was hot and humid and the flies were madness. I survived the insect bite attacks, the sunburnt and got home with some bruises, new friends, and tons of awesome memories - will post some pictures up.

So now school is starting again, and by school I meant my master course... It's been great being back in Sydney: Monica from Love my food and sugar and Oni from i eat sweet treated me for a birthday dinner at Tomislav - one of my favorite restaurants in Sydney now! Got some baking lessons from Oni too who is determine to domesticate me somehow hahaha... She also accompanied me to my first and ever pilgrimage to Zumbo's after a year of living here! Oh and I also made it to Blackstar Pastry!

And I just got an email from my high school bestie who is now based in Melbourne with an excel spreadsheet detailing our gastronomic plan for my visit to Melbourne next week!

I hope that you share my enthusiasm for 2011! It hasn't been glass half full for me all along as well, but right now at this moment, it is what it is. Here's to 2011! (even if it's 2 months into it already)

A taste of Hong Kong part 3

2010-12-27T21:37:00.000-08:00

After we ticked off dim sum from our list, we were on a quest for the infamous Hong Kong wonton noodles. We were looking for a local cafe that serves wonton noodles whose patrons are locals. That's also what I told the concierge who promptly pointed out Hing Fat on the map, a mere 7 minutes walk from our hotel. Provided you don't get lost of course.

Assorted roast meat

The menu shows that there's more than just noodles and roast meat, such as seafood and other Cantonese dishes. It took me a while to find where the utensils are!

We were greeted by the assorted roasted meat hanging on the open kitchen glass window. Mouth-watering huh? Well, for some definitely. I can't help but remembering this random guy's comment one day when I was waiting for a friend back in Sydney. I was standing in the corner of Goulburn and Sussex street, opposite BBQ King, when all of a sudden this guy who was standing there walked up to me and said "gosh, look at that (pointing to BBQ King assorted meat)... doesn't it look like house of the dead? Carcasses hanging like that". His comment, however random it was, made me realized that cultures are so different and if you don't grow up with these kinds of food, it must look kinda weird... Anyway, I liked his different point of view and appreciate his directness in approaching a stranger and said that. Hahaha, ok maybe it was a little overshare, but still it was kinda funny.

Hot and sour pork noodle

Shrimp wonton noodle

Back to Hing Fat, soon we were seated inside and given menu to peruse. Cg decided on the wonton noodles and while I was tempted, I don't really like soup on my noodle - unless they are ramen. So I decided to have the diced pork in hot and sour sauce noodle where the soup is separated. The egg noodle was super thin but flavorful. I quite like the hot and sour sauce as the topping. I think what would make the dish better is if wontons were included.

Suckling pig and crispy roasted pork

Since we're already at a roasted meat restaurant, we also ordered a combination plate of suckling pig and crispy roasted pork. I confirm that they are as delicious as the look on the picture above. Crispy, juicy, and tender. Oh and value for money too. We spent less than AU$20 for everything including drinks.

Hing Fat

10 Ashley Road

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Hong Kong, China

A Taste of Hong Kong Part 2

2010-12-25T02:25:00.000-08:00

Characterized echina dim sum HKD 30

On our first day in Hong Kong, we decided that we were going to have some dim sum for brunch. After all, it would be a cardinal sin to go to Hong Kong and not have some dim sum! The concierge recommended us to cross over to the Hong Kong Cultural Center to have dim sum at Serenade. Once we were inside, we discovered such opulent decor that bespoke of Hong Kong style. The restaurant is overlooking the Star Ferry terminal, over the Victoria Harbor, still on the Tsim Sha Tsui side.

Sorry about redness here, I forgot to change the white balance till later...

Unfortunately we didn't get seated near the windows, but soon after we saw the menu we got uber excited nonetheless. Why? Because Serenade offers characterized dim sums that are shaped in cute little animals! The animals are: goose (baked pastry stuffed with mushrooms & goose meat), goldfish (shrimp & bamboo pith dumplings), garoupa crystal dumplings, jumpie bunny marshmellow, echidna (deep fried creamy yolk buns) and cuttlefish (baked pastry with mashed red beans). They had "Dim Sum in the cage" for HKD 188 (approx. AUD 24 with 1AUD:7.8HKD) which includes cuttlefish, goose, echidna, goldfish, steamed abalone and pork dumplings and steamed shrimp dumplings (all 3 pieces each). No, we did not order this as we wouldn't be able to finish and we wanted to pick and choose. However, if M from Love my foods and sugar and O from ieatsweet were my travel buddies at the time, I would not have a say this decision-making process and we would have dim sum in the cage on the table pronto. If there's enough interest, I will scan the menu once I'm back in Sydney, so let me know if you want to see the menu.

Staging #1: Echidnas in the garden

Staging #2: fish pond and the creative director herself

So what did Cg and I ordered? We got the echidna (on my insistence as they look way too cute!), goldfish, garoupa, BBQ pork buns, and conpoy (dried scallop) with chives dumplings. The echidna was the first to arrive and we almost squealed with delight. To have the scenes replayed in my mind right now we must have looked like lunatics as we busted our cameras and shot these echidnas paparazzi style. Cg being her creative self got the idea to rearrange them so that they are kissing each other, then making an echidna garden on a separate plate. Yeshhh, we did the same with the goldfish and the garoupa. No, not so much with the other two non characterized dim sums.

Garoupa crystal dumplings HKD 35

Goldfish HKD 35

Conpoy and chive dumplings HKD 18

Now, taste wise, I know you are curious. I have to say that for the characterized dim sums, as expected they looked better than the taste, especially with the goldfish and the garoupa. I liked the echidna though, the buns were sweet and the egg yolk inside was quite nice. The BBQ pork buns were standard and so were the conpoy but since conpoy are not readily available in Sydney, I was a happy camper. We drank a lot of tea then, they kept on refilling our pot and Cg really loved the taste of the tea. I appreciate the service and the waitresses restraint in not laughing over us when we were staging the characterized dim sums. I think they are used to the patrons uber excitements by now.

View of the harbor from Tsim Sha Tsui promenade

View from the Peak

Lonely Boy, my friend who works in Hong Kong, recommended us to go to the Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong - a scenic point. As we were pleased with his earlier suggestions so far with Sevva and Wagyu, we decided why not take up this advice. So we took the MTR to Admiralty and head to the tram station. I love the old school-ness of the tram. Riding the tram to the Peak felt like riding the roller coaster slo-mo. The steepness gradient was between 4 and 27 degree. It was really cool and I felt like I was transformed back in time as the tram was very colonial-esque. Usually I'm always a bit skeptical about going to touristy places, but I had to commend Lonely Boy again on his choice, the view from the Peak was spectacular! We were lucky that the weather holds up that day as well. The sky was blue, the air crisp with early winter chills and breezy without being too cold. Vertigo people beware! I'm not afraid of height, but standing too close to the railings definitely gave me the chills.

After taking enough pictures Cg and I wandered back down to the mall and to the back where we found ourselves at New York Fries. I had to laugh at Cg when we ended up here as she originally said she wanted ice cream and the choices I laid out to her were hagen dazs, some gelato shop or movenpick. Long story short, we ordered one small "The Work" to share. The fries were awesome, it tasted like a combination of wedges and fries, tasty on the outside and soft on the inside. What impressed me the most was the condiment bar where you could get all sorts of toppings to add to your meal. I was happy to see cajun seasonings there and decided to get some despite all the toppings that were already in our fries. Cg is a convert of cajun seasoning now.

The condiment bar

The Works: fries with green onions, real bacons, sour cream, cheese sauce and chili

Around 4pm, we made our way back to our hotel as Cg was to meet her relatives and I could use some rest before meeting a friend for dinner that night. After much debate, I decided to left my camera for dinner as my shoulder were aching from carrying my dslr all day. Dinner was amazing and I was sorry I left my compact digicam at home. If you find yourself in Hong Kong, you might want to try this little tapas restaurant called Enoteca on Elgin street in SoHo area. The best way to find it is to find the mid level escalators and take it all the way up to Elgin road and turn right, walk 15 steps and the restaurant should be on your left. My recommendation would be the chicken pesto risotto balls and the beef sauteed with garlic and chili. The food was amazing, but service was a different story. If you are looking for a place to relax and talk for a while, the host won't be happy. She let us ordered dessert then after we had a bite, she came to tell us that we need to finish up as the next seating party has arrived. Well, lady... if that was the case perhaps you should have told us before we ordered dessert - no? Anyways, that was my rant.

From there, Cg joined K and I. Then, still on Elgin street, we hop in to a Greek restaurant and got a half jug of sangria while we waited for D to join us. Too bad K was leaving for her vacation the day after, but luckily D promised to take us out for the weekend to this private club called Prive. Didn't I tell you how I didn't know that Hong Kong could be THAT much fun?

Serenade Chinese Restaurant

Hong Kong Cultural Center (1st Floor)

Restaurant Block

Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, China

+852 2722 0932

New York Fries

Shop 1B, Ground Floor

The Peak Galleria, Hong Kong, China

+852 2849 7968

Enoteca

47 Elgin street

Hong Kong, China

+852 2525 9944

A taste of Hong Kong part 1

2010-12-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

Harbor view from our room; view from Sevva

I have a confession to make, I am a chronic traveller. I can't seem to stop traveling, even if I was already on vacation. This trip to Hong Kong, was one of those trip within a trip. I got sick once on this trip and I was so tired as this was my second mini trip on my overall summer (Australian summer) vacation, but I did not regret it one bit. I didn't know that Hong Kong could be THAT much fun.

We arrived in Hong Kong pretty late, the dusk was settling already but it was perfect as we discovered that our room was facing the harbor overlooking Hong Kong island from Tsim Sha Tsui. At 8pm sharp, we were entertained by the symphony of light with synchronized song from a radio. I was happy to have brought my tripod!

A quick phone call to a friend who lives locally gave us a couple of destinations for the night: a drink at Sevva, a rooftop bar at Prince's Building and Wagyu where we will get some food for supper. Off we went to the Star Ferry terminal to catch a ferry to Central, where we only paid HK$ 2!!! So cheap! I can't help but reveling how pretty Hong Kong is at night and how I was hopping from one harbor city (Sydney) to here.

Cg's mojito like drink and my dark chocolate martini - check out those shredded chocs!

The walk to Prince's Building from Central ferry station took a good 15 minutes, but we didn't mind, we needed to burn the calories anyway. Once we were at Sevva, we were surrounded by bankers and financiers locals and expats alike whom you can tell from their full suit. We sat by the bar first to absorb the atmosphere and read the menu. Cg decided on a mojito like mixed and I couldn't resist their dark chocolate martini. If you love chocolate, you MUST order the dark chocolate martini if you're at Sevva, it was totally loaded with not only liquid chocolate but also shredded chocolate. From the balcony we could see the view of Central at night and it was very cosmopolitan. What struck me the most was the fact that we were on the top of a 25th floor building and yet, it didn't seem that tall because we were surrounded by other higher buildings with 50, 60 or even 70 floors! I don't think we have those in Sydney! To describe Hong Kong in a few of words would be, Asia's New York City.

Scenes from Sevva's balcony - you can see other buildings towering us on the 25th floor!!! The last one is the view of Tsim Sha Tsui harbor from Hong Kong island

After we finished our drinks we made our way to Lan Kwai Fong, the fun/expat district for dinner at Wagyu. We got lost for a bit but managed to find our way there. As we waited for our table then our food, we were amazed at how crowded it get as the night goes on even though it was a Wednesday night! Anyway, by this time we weren't that hungry so we ordered a salad and appetizer - which unfortunately I cannot remember what! Sorry! I loved the appetizers, the shredded beef were cooked with some almonds and dark sweet sauce, and you eat it wrapped in lettuce. I could still taste the juiciness of the beef even though it was coated in the sauce. The salad was good, but we would have been happier to have more meat in it.

Here we also ordered some drinks, Cg got the watermelon martini which was absolutely delicious! I tried the pimms mix which was good, but if I could do it all over again I'd go for what Cg was having.

To "Lonely Boy" in Hong Kong, thanks for the insider tips!

Sevva

25 Floor

Prince's Building

Central, Hong Kong - China

+852 2537 1388

Wagyu

60 Wyndham St

Hong Kong - China

+852 2525 8805

Dinner at Nippon Club, Sydney CBD

2010-12-17T06:52:00.000-08:00

Chirashi Sushi

I first came across Nippon Club when I was walking along Macquarie St to meet my tea ceremony sensei and I was reminded of this again when I received the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Association end of the year party (which I unfortunately was unable to attend). When I walked in that night, I noticed that there are two parts of the establishment: the bar at the front and the restaurant at the back. As it is still an RSL like club, I had to fill out a temporary membership form. Don't worry though, it took me only 5 seconds.

The place has that cozy kind of feel with a sushi bar which reminded me of an izakaya (Japanese tapas bar). The menu though told me that it wasn't really an izakaya. L and I settled on the chirashi sushi plate and mentaiko pasta to share. I was really impressed with the chirashi sushi, it really looked appetizing and was filled to the brimmed! The pieces of raw fish were fresh and succulent. If I was hungrier I would have been sad that I had to share that.

Super yummy mentaiko pasta

At first we were told that the mentaiko pasta was small, but when it came, we were surprised at how big it was. Unless you are really hungry, do not order this to eat by yourself! The pasta was firm! I was happy. The sauce were creamy, salty and spicy from the mentaiko. I was really really happy. It was the best mentaiko pasta I've had in Sydney so far! I long to return there already...

Oh and the price was quite reasonable too, between the two of us I think we paid around $30 each.

Nippon Club

229 Macquarie St

Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9232 2688

Max Brenner at Paddington

2010-12-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

Ever since I watched that final episode of the Australian Junior Master Chef where the two finalist kids had to recreate Adriano Zumbo's pear perfection, I had been planning to stop by Zumbo's patisserie in Balmain. So I dragged a friend who was visiting Sydney to Balmain and everything was so easy, I didn't get lost, got a parking space near the shop and even got in the parallel parking spot on 3 turns! I should have been suspicious! It was TOO easy, when we got to the shop... there were no more cakes! We were too late.

So E wanted her sweets and as such we decided to drive to Paddington for Max Brenner. Chocolate could never go wrong could it?! So I order what I always order, fresh strawberries with melted chocolate and E got the waffles. Going to the Paddington shop and ordering what I ordered reminded me of the first time I've ever been to Max Brenner in 2003. Back then there were only 2 shops: Paddington's and at David Jones' basement. Now, there are gazillions of them spread all over the world, which is kinda good when you are craving them from other countries, but I can't help but feeling a bit sad that it's getting more and more like a chain shop. Anyway, the strawberries were still finger lickin' good and from the way E was devouring her waffle, hers were too. It's good to visit a familiar place once in a while and I hope it stays good.

Max Brenner

Shop 437 Oxford St

Paddington, NSW 2021

+61 2 9357 5055

for opening hours and other locations click here

Chicken karaage lunch at Hoya

2010-11-29T19:15:00.000-08:00

Chicken karaage set at Hoya

Remember my post on Nazimi's chicken karaage not too long ago? If you haven't tried it, you should and then you should compare it to Hoya's chicken karaage - just a few shops away from Nazimi on the same side of the street. To be honest with you, I can't pick which one is my favorite out of the two as they are both different. What I love at Hoya is that the salad dressing, it's home made and I can't really tell what it's made out of. What I do know is that it is very refreshing.

The lunch set for $12

The set at Hoya is more basic than at Nazimi's bento style. In Hoya you get the chicken karaage set, with rice and salad. So if you like variety you might want to try Nazimi's but if you want plenty of chicken karaage, I'd say hit Hoya. For me though, I divide my time equally between the two, and at $12 for the lunch set, it's definitely value for money.

Hoya Japanese Restaurant

119 York St

Sydney, NSW 2000

+62 2 9267 0822

Did I hear "$10 steak?" - pub grub at The Fringe, Paddington

2010-11-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

You know that feeling right? The one you felt after you have been stuck at work for weeks for projects, or gotta stay out of your social life to study for exams, or worse because you broke your foot... Well, I had one of those moments last week. Social life had been put on hold due to school projects, exams and a recuperating broken foot. So I tried to sweet talked ieatsweet into going to Absynthe Salon with me and I guess my suave didn't work. Anyway, we ended up at The Fringe at Paddington.

I eat sweet and her liquid of happiness of choice

I've heard of this place before from my brother who raved about how good their $10 steak was. So in the name of a little celebration, taking back my social life, and saving money, we both had the steak which generously include chips and rocket salad, all for $10. It kinda made me wonder if I had been paying way too much money for my other steak? Hmmm... We even got to choose the sauce! Mushroom, pepper or red wine. I was totally impressed, cheap doesn't make it awful for sure! ieatsweet had a glass of stella and I opted for a bulmer's apple cider.

300grm 100 day grain fed rump with fries and rocket salads in pepper sauce

Up close and personal

The steak wasn't bad at all. It was quite good, though don't expect Morton's or the sort. They were also very filling, I couldn't finish mine. I totally love the atmosphere of the Fringe, eclectic chandeliers gave the red brick walls a city feel. Then, the bathroom's waiting room? A total funk with a 70s feel. The staff were also very friendly and hospitable. I can envision many more of these 10 bucks pub grub sessions in the future

The Fringe decor and atmo

The waiting room outside the bathroom, downstairs, totally 70 ish

The Fringe Bar

106 Oxford St

Paddington, NSW 2021

+61 2 9360 5443

Open daily Sun-Tues till 12am, Wed-Sat till 3am

Sydney's best udon thus far.... Mappen!

2010-11-25T12:59:00.000-08:00

On-tama bukkake udon (small)

Allright, hands up if you haven't been to or heard of Mappen? Yes, I suppose many of you haven't but if this place has created quite a buzz in the Sydney food blogosphere around September. I have been there numerous of times and in its early stage as much as 3 times in one week, with 2 of them in a row. Hahahaha, I should go to Mappen anonymous huh? Well, I haven't had time to write about this earlier since I was dealing with my broken foot, school works and exams.

Anyway, I was there last week and I ordered my favorite thing: on-tama bukkake udon: udon with par-boiled egg and concentrated sauce. Then as I walked along the line to the cashier, my faith is not strong enough to resist those tempura temptations... Not that I want to anyway! I ended up getting mixed vegetable kakiage tempura and the shrimp as they stopped serving chikuwa for a while now. Mappen management if you are reading this, please bring back the chikuwa tempura!

Vegetable kakiage and shrimp tempura

What I love about Mappen is, not only the interesting concept: noodle and tempura bar, but also the cheap (relatively) price and it's quality. It's a rare feat for any shop to serve cheap and good quality food, but Mappen definitely achieved that. For udon, the most important thing is its texture, what is it's chewiness factor? Mappen's udon is definitely good, the only better ones I've had was sanuki udon from Koya san in Japan. The onsen tamago (par boiled egg)? I've been there many times and it's always on the right consistency.

My only foe here is the tempura bar... it is way too tempting! I can never resist. Beware though, don't eat too much, you'll hate yourself for the amount of food you forced yourself to eat. Or hey, maybe you don't have that problem hehehhe... I like the way they always keep just enough tempura on display so that it never stays there for too long, keeping it fresh so to speak.

Menya Mappen

Shop 11, 537-551 George St

Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9283 5525

Tacos and Nachos from Guzman y Gomez

2010-11-24T19:41:00.000-08:00

The other day I had to go to Martin Place to run some errands around lunchtime and I got so hungry after it finished. So as I was thinking of what to eat, I remember that there's a Guzman y Gomez at MLC Place. Keen to skipped yet another Asian meal, I made my way to MLC Place food court.

Triple tacos

There I ordered 3 tacos for $10: one barramundi, pork chipotle and the spicy steak; 2 on crispy tacos and one on soft taco, and nachos filled with beef, salsa, re-fried beans, cheese and guacamole. These were to share guys.... the portion there is quite big so careful what you order especially since Mexican food can be filling too. It's so easy to over order but just be careful not to.

Nachos topped with lovely green guacamole, the only thing missing is sour cream... totally forgot to ask for extra

I loved my steak on soft taco. I didn't try the pork chipotle or the barramundi, but my mom seemed to enjoy them. The nachos, well beans and cheese? Yummm... The only thing that I would like better would be ground beef rather than chunks on the nachos. I love the fact that the guacamole on this nachos meal is included in the price as opposed to other place where you have to add it as an extra.

To be honest, I think I still miss the Mexican places in NYC, but it's good knowing that there's Guzman y Gomez here to turn to. Oh and I do really like that steak taco.

Guzman y Gomez

MLC Centre - Level 6, Shop 14 at MLC Centre Food Court

Martin Place (corner of Castlereagh st)

Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9221 1777

Chicken karaage lunch set at Nazimi

2010-11-07T03:55:00.000-08:00

Nazimi's chicken karaage lunch set

Nazimi is one of Sydney CBD best kept secret restaurants that serves good quality Japanese food with good value for money. So far I've only gone for dinner and today was the first time I went for lunch. I was meeting a friend of a friend of a friend. Yes, 3rd degree of separation, who just moved to Sydney from New York, one of my favorite cities in the world. Originally we planned on going to Cafecito, a Brazillian cafe in Town Hall that got good raving from the Sydney Time Out magazine. After getting lost somewhere in Kent St, with both of us entering the address as 473 Kent St into google maps, we found it inside Town Hall Square, CLOSED! *Gasp* I quickly opened my Time Out mag that I brought and it said "open Mon-Fri 7am-5pm". Well, mistakes happen I suppose... So we were hungry and had no idea where to eat... so we walked to QVB and decided to go check out the two Japanese restaurants on York St and settled on Nazimi as Hoya was closed.

We had to wait a few minutes before they opened at 11.30am and we were definitely their first customers. After looking at their menu, both of us decided to go for the Chicken karaage lunch set for $15 which included; miso soup, sushi, entree of the day, rice, salad and of course chicken karaage. A good deal. We were famished and luckily we got served the miso soup right away which helped me from having to deal with a riot in my stomach!

Wasabi, sushi, fruit and veggie salad, and entree of the day

It came in this cute bento box, not unexpected since it's a Japanese food characteristics anyway but it's always nice when your food is presented nicely. I love how the wasabi was piped into a flower shape. The karaage was bite size, crispy and tasty. There were a house karaage sauce that you get with it where I could taste a bit of wasabi in it... or maybe I accidentally mixed some in there.. Oh well I truly enjoyed the karaage. I found some eggplant on the entree of the day corner as well as shrimp salsa and tiny agedashi tofu. The vegetable and fruit salad was in sesame dressing and we both got one piece each of unagi roll and tuna mayo roll. I love it.

Good food, good company... what else could you possibly want for a Saturday lunch?

If you come here for dinner or want to order other things from the normal menu, I'd say go for it. I don't think you can ever go wrong. I've tried many other things and always find myself wanting togo back for more.

Nazimi

141 York St

Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9283 2990

Getting bubble tea fix

2010-11-06T03:37:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I found out from my cousin that apparently Cha Time has opened a new branch in World Square, just in front of Coles. Good news as this shop is really my favorite bubble tea place as they have good selection of tea and nice tapiocas that have just the right chewiness. If you want the tapioca pearl, remember to ask for it at the register as the tea doesn't automatically come with the bubble (despite the pictures that makes you think so!). Anyway, topping is $0.50, so it's not that bad.

To make the news even sweeter, they are having a buy one get one deal till Nov 7, which is tomorrow. So this is why, I am sharing the news with you guys. Get your bubble tea fix for a good deal by tomorrow. If you do decide to go, remember to bring your patience! The line will be long....

Cha Time

World Square Shopping Centre

George st/Liverpool st/Goulburn st/ Pitt St block

Revisiting Chairman Mao

2010-11-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

Celery in chili oil to start

Back to Chairman Mao again! After I introduced my mom to this spicy restaurant, it has became one of her favorite. So here we are again. I attempted to ordered different dishes than last time but of course I cannot pass out on the eggplant. Without the eggplant dish, it would be like we never went to Chairman Mao in the first place!

Prune drink to put out the fire in your mouth

Eggplant with green chillies

We decided on the white baits, eggplant with green chillies, lamb and celery soup, and steamed baby taro. At first we were going to order something entirely different which I cannot remember now, but then we saw the table next to us having the baby taro which looked very interesting, you'll see.

White baits Hunanese style

A closer look

If I am incoherent, please bear with me as it is 2am and I couldn't sleep! Insomnia attack... ugh, not my favorite at all, so I decided why not blog? Anyway, back to Chairman Mao, the eggplant - do I need to say it again? Love love love this dish. Love the texture, black bean saltiness and the chillies. So comforting when eaten with steamed rice and yet full of flavor at the same time. The white baits were nice and I was so thankful that they took out the heads! I wouldn't be able to eat in peace with those eyes staring at me... I thought that the fish were a bit tough, but then again, do take into account that I am not really a fish fan overall.

The lamb and celery came in a big bowl...

Closer look, check out how the lamb is bacon-like!

The lamb and celery soup really made my night. I fell in love. The lamb were shaved thinly, bacon-like, which made it so tender. The soup reminded me of Japanese shabu shabu and conjured wintry image. The celery, a simple vegetable was appropriate to complement and balance the richness of the lamb. The soup itself, rich with lamb and celery stock. Delicious! I could see myself ordering this dish next winter, or even earlier! Maybe on these rainy Sydney nights....

Steamed baby taro

If you decide to order the baby taro, take note that this dish takes longer than the others. We were warned that it would take 20 minutes to prepare. It didn't come till we almost finish the other dishes over 40 minutes later. My advice? Remind them ;) The baby taro were so soft and buttery. Dip it to the chili oil it came with for best effect. As always, a trip to this restaurant never disappoint.

Chairman Mao

189 Anzac Parade

Kensington, NSW 2033

+61 2 9697 9189

Open for dinner only

(Booking is highly recommended as the place is always packed)

Marie Antoinette High Tea

2010-10-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

Lime curd meringue tart with Marie's portrait, macaroon with fresh blueberries, beetroot and cherry cupcake and the upside down portrait of Marie.

It's exams period at the uni(versity not uni as in the sea urchin... I wish!!!) and I am getting stressed out. So, if this entry sounds kinda choppy and short, I apologize in advance. If you remember the Guylian episode, I learnt from it by not expecting too much from the Marie Antoinette high tea. The result? I was happy with the outcome.

Mask for the theme, water and the chandon rose with J on the background

J was already waiting for me when I got there and right away the waiter gave us both water without being asked. The same when my other friend arrived. That... is good service. Then we got our chandon rose. I love a good bubble, especially after not having any alcohol for since I broke my foot...

The whole shebang: quite overwhelming!

The two tiered plates came next and we were speechless at how many food there were. I was pre-warned after I saw it on love my food and sugar's blog and checking it out on google, but still that was a lot of sweets on the top plate!

Slow roast beef with cream cheese stuffed baby belle pepper, the savory platter, deviled egg on heart toasted brioche and kiwi and orange croissant with mascarpone

Avocado and shrimp tartar and deviled egg on heart toasted brioche

I ate all of the savories and my favorite was the kiwi and orange croissant with mascarpone. The sweets though, I truly struggled! I liked the lime curd merengue tart, and cheated with the blueberry macaroon and chocolate cream with exotic fruit caramel and candied walnuts. I only ate a bite each... I managed to eat the scones which were warm and savory, served with their version of clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam: a high tea isn't one without some scones...

I chalk this up as a successful Sydney International Food Festival 2010 =)

The Westin Sydney Hotel

No. 1 Martin Place

Sydney, NSW 2000

Click here for the complete menu

100 Mile dinner at Bistrode CBD

2010-10-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

Bistrode CBD Menu

Last week's Wednesday (Oct 27), I went with love my food and sugar to Bistrode CBD's 100 mile dinner. The idea is to have a meal where the ingredients involved were gathered from within 100 mile radius of the restaurant. Sounds like an interestingly green and support your local economy concept. I was quite curious as to what the food would be like as well since it has changed its chef. I also wondered if the charming Irish host, Howard would be there. Turned out, he is still there. He stopped by to say hello after noticing love my food and sugar's big ass dslr.

My slice of sourdough

I was famished when we got there and was quite happy that they started serving. The sourdough was perfect to stifle my stomach from rebelling. I truly enjoyed the Diamond Creek Olive oil as it tasted so fresh and delicious with a pinch of salt that I added, I was so tempted to request for another slice of bread but refrained from fear of over eating later.

Salted blue eye croquette and tomato ketchup

Twenty minutes later we got our first dish: salted blue eye croquette and tomato ketchup with rockets on the side. My first thought was, OMG it's so tiny! What it lacked in size it made up in taste, it was delish. However, the croquette was a bit too salty so after I cut out mine into smaller pieces I smothered them with the ketchup on the side :)

Sand whiting , Sydney rock oysters, young leeks and peas

Thirty minutes later, we got our third dish: sand whiting , Sydney rock oysters, young leeks and peas. This is what quintessential English food is in my head. I took a bite of the oysters first and was surprised that again it was a tad too salty... The fish was nice though and the best part of it all was the peas. I am not a big fan of peas, but on this dish they were bursting with sweetness and crunchyness. I am a convert pea fans now.

Warm Thirlmere duck salad

It took us less than 10 minutes to devoured this and thirty minutes later, our duck salad arrived. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that: 1. the duck was smoked and 2. there were different parts of duck being used including liver or maybe it was gizzard. The greens were fresh, sweet and crunchy, balancing the saltiness of the duck. So far this was my favorite dish.

Three ways pork with black pudding

Then the much awaited main dish: three ways pork. There were shoulder, loin, and crispy thinly sliced ears. Yes, ears! I was so surprised! I would expect that from a Chinese restaurant but not from a bistro. I couldn't wait to taste them. The shoulder and loin were tender and the ears? Crispy and savory. It wasn't enough... When Howard came along to take our plates, he noticed that I hadn't eaten my black pudding and he threatened not to give me dessert if I didn't try. I didn't, but he showed mercy and gave me my dessert hehe...

Mulberry soup and Paesanella Mascarpone Sorbet

The dessert was the best of it all. That saying "less is more" is so true. The mulberry soup was soft and understated but surprisingly leaving you wanting more. The mascarpone sorbet was plain enough but not so plain that sweeten the whole dish. I would love to have more of that.

It was a nice English meal experience and hopefully the mulberry soup is here to stay on the menu as a regular.

Bistrode CBD

Level 1 Corner of York and Kent St

Sydney, NSW 2000

+61 2 9240 3000

Open Mon-Fri for lunch and dinner

Guylian Cafe's Sugar Hit

2010-10-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

Grand Forest by Guylian

If you remember from my post last week, the way I've been approaching life these days is to "expect less" so that when things don't turn out the way you wanted it you're not too disappointed and if they turn out better than you expected it, you are nicely surprised. What I forgot to mention is that this is one of those things that are easier said than done.

A closer look

I finally went to Guylian Cafe last night for Sugar Hit. I was really looking forward for the Grand Forest, the specially designed cake for this year's Sydney International Food Festival (SIFF). That was my first mistake, "looking forward" means expectation. Although I have to admit there were many other factors at play that might have distracted me from the actual taste. Long story short, I was rather disappointed as the cake was too sweet for my taste and the whole thing rather fell short of my expectation. The inside was better especially with the grand marnier strawberries and kirsch cherry, as the sourness cuts the sweetness therefore balancing the taste. I am sad to admit that I wasn't able to finish the cake!

The Brown Brothers' "cienna" wine was nice, a little bubbly on the sweet side but not too sweet. It softened my disappointment. I suppose that's what I get from letting my expectation get ahead of me. Although, it could also be the fact that prior to this, I had a dinner thing with my group from a uni course where I had pizza from Pancakes at the Rocks... and I think I ate way too much. If only I could have a do over...

Chicken Tandoori Pizza from Pancakes at the Rocks

I'd still recommend the Guylian Cafe's sugar hit as the cake was quite nice. If you don't have an overly sweet tooth, just try not to eat the chocolates on the plates. Oh before you go, don't eat a heavy meal, get a salad or something light.

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe

91 George St, The Rocks, Sydney

'Sugar Hit' (1-31 October 2010, 9pm-11pm daily, $20)

+61 2 8274 7500

Annual Tea Ceremony at Eden Garden

2010-10-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Chabana (flower arrangement for tea ceremony) and the tea ceremony time

The annual Chakai (tea ceremony gathering) that I have been waiting for was finally here! I was helping out at the reception so that means I had access to backstage areas that would have been off limit to any other normal participants. A little power trip once in a while is good, I'd say ;)

Misonodana presentation, cleaning the bowl, hantou (helper) serving tea to VIP guests, and my bowl of matcha

The chakai was held at Eden Garden near Macquarie University in the northern Sydney. Despite the weather, we had a great turn out and everyone seem to be very happy to be a part of this event. The chakai was in two parts, honseki which was the formal tea ceremony and misonodana which was the more 'modern' as the host is seated at a chair and prepared the tea on a table rather than on sitting on his/her foot, seza style on tatami. Misonodana was first presented when the current Japanese emperor was a prince, so it is quite recent in its development.Fear not! You don't have to sit on your foot, folding your knees seza style at any time during this event. If anything you are seated on a chair! (as you can see from the pictures)

The Honseki: cleaning chashaku (tea ladle), explaining the rituals and its meanings

The other style presented was honseki, the more traditional one. Here you can see that everything is done on a tatami mat. On the right, the lady in pink kimono was explaining the different rituals and meaning of the ceremony. On the previous picture, you could see the misonodana host cleaning the bowl, and here the host is cleaning the tea ladle. All utensils are cleaned before guests entered the room, however, any chakai host will always clean the utensils again in front of the guests to show their respect, care, and hospitality for the guests.

Yuzu and matcha sweets, bubbles on top of the tea

Summer camellia (Nerikiri: moist bean cake)

The sweets were all handmade by the Chado Urasenke Tankokai Sydney Association members. The summer camellia was made from lima beans and naturally colored with matcha powder to make it green. The yellow pieces on the top was dried mango. I forgot what the other ones are called, but they were also handmade by the members, from yuzu (Japanese citrus) and matcha.

Sweets used in chakai are chosen to represent the season. This is tied to the zen idea 一期一会 (ichi go ichi e) literally translated as "one time, one meeting". It's basically the idea that life is transient, and that every moment is fleeting, everything its 'once in a life time'. So the host commemorates the preciousness of this moment in time with his/her guests by choosing the right sweet that represent the moment in time, the season.

Chasen (to whisk the tea) and the chawan (tea bowls) prepared for the guests

The tea powder is made from whole tea leaves, it is therefore rich in antioxidant, vitamin C and caffeine. During the chakai, it was explained that these are the reasons green tea was so popular amongst Buddhist monks who needed to fulfill their discipline in chanting sutras and meditation late into the night. In the olden days tea was used for its medicinal properties as well. Unlike our everyday tea that we chuck out of our tea cups after steeping, with these tea we drink the leaves, and this makes it a lot richer with antioxidant, vitamin C and caffeine.

My chawan

Chawan used for tea ceremony are also seasonal, another representation from the zen idea i explained above. The host will always ensure that the prettiest side of the bowl will face the guests to honor them, and the guests to show their thanks and humility to the host's hospitality will turn the cup twice to drink from the less pretty side of the bowl. After the guests drink their tea, they are welcomed to inspect the bowls. In the tea ceremony tradition this practice is not rude. The host invites the guests to inspect to show that the host has taken great length to ensure that everything used to entertain the guests are the best quality.

Mizusashi (fresh water container) with bamboo ladle on the top and the hot water kettle; clementi chabana (flower arrangement for tea ceremony)

Some people might think what a tedious way to have a cup of tea, but I really love the whole thing. It's very zen and with everything that's going on in life where our minds are constantly in the race for the next thing that we need to do, it's good to just be in the moment once in a while. To appreciate the moment and your companies, instead of trying to do a gazillion things at once, typing frantically on our smartphones while with out family or friends. I admit, I am guilty for this crime at times...

If you're interested to join the event next year, stay tuned, I post the info closer to the date. Also some flowers tips from the Ikebana and Chabana master from the chakai: if you want your clementi to last longer, bite the end of the stem with your teeth; and for wisteria, put it in an alcohol solution and not just water.

Annual Japanese Tea Ceremony Gathering

Presented by Chado Urasenke Tankokai Sydney Association

Just Desserts at Tomislav

2010-10-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Expect the unexpected for less disappointment and more nice surprises

As of late, my motto has been "set low expectation" so that when things don't turn out nicely you're not overly disappointed and when things turn out nicely, it's a lovely surprise. So when food enthusiast (read: food obsessed) love my food and sugar asked me if I was interested to go for Tomislav's 'Just Desserts', I said "sure, why not". I didn't really think too much of it till she happened to mention that Tomislav worked with Heston Blumenthal from Heston's Feast. OMG. I felt my expectation rising up... ugh not good! Luckily, my slow recovery of my broken foot and college assignments kept that expectation in check.

Table and the restaurant's surrounding

Less than 15 minutes after arriving at the restaurant, I was in an invariably good mood. I was pleasantly surprised (read: rather blown away) with the staff hospitality! First, the hostess was really lovely and asked me about my foot without being overly nosy. She asked me if the table they had allocated for us was convenient for me. Then she remembered that love my food and sugar is allergic to alcohol and informed the kitchen so that when the Delamotte champagne and violet granite were served, the kitchen staff had replaced her champagne with lemonade. How's that for awesome hospitality?

Delamotte champagne and violet granite & how to mix it - look how pretty the color is!

Totally loved the champagne and violet granite. Aside from the fact that purple is my favorite color, the taste was really refreshing with just a hint of sweetness. Oh and it doesn't hurt that it reminded me of my fantastic holidays in the lavender fields of Furano! Maybe it was the champagne, maybe it was the company, or the staff or everything, but I think I fell in love with Tomislav then, or in the process of.

Grilled strawberries with white chocolate and mint

The first course was grilled strawberries with white chocolate and mint. When it was brought out, I couldn't stop the Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever to start playing in my head as I marveled at the powder converted white chocolate and mint. Hell's yeah molecular gastronomy! Love love loveeeeeeeeeee the white chocolate and mint powder! It totally reminded me of eating milk powder during my childhood. Another score for Tomislav. The mint?! Gosh, lovely lovely flavor and texture. Embarrassing as it is to admit, we were both scraping the plate... WE WANT MORE!

Goat curd cheese cake with elderflower and pistachio

The second course was this goat curd cheese cake with elderflower and pistachio. When I read that after I first sat down I was like... goat curd... hmm hope it's not stinky. Thankfully it came stinky free in a shape of a snail's house. I absolutely adored the whole plate. It was so pretty! It looked like a little garden with a snail surrounded with pretty flowers. Presentation? CHECK! The goat curd cheesecake was light and fluffy and below there was this other thing that I suspect was vanilla something. Absolutely delicious. All my pain, frustration over my foot, stress over my assignment were gone in this euphoric moment. I love the elderflower jelly, sweet and sour to counter the cheese. The pistachio added a crunchylicious factor too! The catch? None, but there were these little leaves that baffled us at first as it taste like lemongrass but for sure it wasn't. The staff informed us that it was lemon balm. Fancy that. If you can't tell, this is my favorite so far.

Caramel ice cream with toasted peanut

Soon after, came the caramel ice cream with toasted peanut. The unexpected factor? POP ROCK!! I kinda knew or hoped that pop rock will be incorporated somehow into the degustation menu and oh soooo delighted! This whole dish could be overly too sweet, caramel and all, but it wasn't and for that I was grateful and content.

Warm chocolate mousse with sea salt and olive oil, plus mulberry sorbet with horseradish topping

Then came the warm chocolate mousse with sea salt and olive oil that I had been anticipating. Ever since my trip to Barcelona's Alkimia late last year I look forward for any dessert that incorporates olive oil. The chocolate mousse was dark chocolatey, my favorite kind, salty with the sea salt and fresh from the olive oil. Did I die and gone to heaven? It came with mulberry sorbet and horseradish topping. Yup, you heard that right. Weird huh? Thought so too, but the whole combo worked perfectly.

Beef mince pie with grilled onion and de-re-constructed tomato sauce

Rice crackers and vinegar spray

Sad as we were that the desserts were done, we were looking forward for our beef mince pie. Once again, it did not disappoint. The pastry was yum. We asked the hostess to convince Tomislav to keep this as a regular menu. *Fingers crossed* Then for not so dessert 'dessert', we received rice crackers with vinegar spray. For some reason, I could not use the spray... love my food and sugar had to do it for me...

We were so sad that it was over... BUT!!! Tomislav and Black Star Pastry gave us a Black Star Pasty take away box! (see the photo at the very top) What a great way to finish! It was genius. We were ecstatic. And guess what?! Each box has NOT one but FOUR different pastries! I was in cloud nine. Tomislav and Black Star Pastry are now my favorites in Sydney.

Chef Tomislav and Black Star Pastry, will you be my BFFs?

Tomislav

2/23 Kirketon Rd

Darlinghurst, NSW 2010

+61 2 9356 4535

'Just Desserts' degustation was A$125 per person - but with amazing food quality and great hospitality, I am not complaining.

Day 5 of Japan trip: Kushiro, seafood heaven

2010-10-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Morning in Bibaushi

It is time to say goodbye to the lavenders in the heart of Hokkaido and continue our journey east to Kushiro where we would base ourselves to see the famous marimo at Lake Akan and horse ride in Kushiro marshland. We were really sad to leave Bibaushi and its surrounding as we felt so at home at our hostel. Since I woke up real early that day, a combination of jetlag and the fact that the sun rises at 4am in Hokkaido.... It was kinda surreal actually to wake up at 4 am and see it's sunny outside already. These surreal moments are one of the reasons why I love traveling. Anyway since I was awake, I decided to walk around with my camera to absorb moments when the town was waking up.

Various scenes from the Bibaushi train station

Life around the rolling hills of rice paddies in Bibaushi

Signs of spring and summer, the hills were alive with flowers!

We arrived in Kushiro at around 1pm and we were hungry. The city, one of the major hub in the eastern part of Hokkaido was decidedly more close to foreign visitors than the other places that we have been. It was amazing, because I just felt like we were amongst the first people to discover this city. Even if you don't speak Japanese, I truly recommend Kushiro. The people, the climate, its tranquility and the seafood are definitely worth our while. Unlike Sapporo and Furano where the humidity almost killed us (I'd still go back though!), Kushiro was very cool and dry with ocean breeze.

The cute ramen-ya near our hotel

Uni Ikura Donburi set - JPY 600 (~USD6)

Shoyu ramen, Kushiro style - JPY 500

We found this cute little ramen place near our hotel where we ordered ramen for JPY 500 and uni ikura donburi set for JPY 600. Yes!!! No typo there! Really! The total was JPY 1,100. No kidding, totally dirt cheap. The taste? One of the best I've had, SERIOUSLY. We shared the shoyu ramen which had light broth but full of taste. The noodle was just right, not over or under cooked. I finished the soup and I rarely do that. That's a testimony on how good it was. The uni ikura donburi set? The buttery sweetness taste of uni combined with the bursting in your mouth savory salty ikura were a match made in heaven. The sushi rice was still warm which was really nice. I always prefer warm rice than cold. We didn't even need to add soy sauce as it was soooooo fresh. I want to go back!

Unfortunately I cannot give you the shop's name and address as I forgot to get their name card. However, if you wander to Kushiro Palude hotel which was where we stay, if your back is facing the lobby you will be able to see this ramen-ya just one block ahead of you.

Spicy thrills from Chairman Mao

2010-10-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

Chilli pickles - varied with each of my visit

The real Chairman Mao rocked the world with his ideology, this Chairman Mao rocks your mouth with chillies. I first spotted Chairman Mao through the window of the bus that I took to uni one summer afternoon earlier this year. Then I read about it on Time Out Sydney mag March or April edition and it then entered my "to try" list. Since then, I have eaten there 4 times and I still want to go back. It's that good. If you are interested to go, make sure you make a booking or you might not get a table.

Eggplant with chilli

One "Must Order" dish here is the stir fried eggplant. Be careful though, it's spicy. It doesn't explode in your mouth kind of spicy, its the kind that builds up slowly and by the time you realize it, your mouth is already begging for mercy. Trust me though, it is sooooo worth it to order. The eggplants are sliced thinly and stirfried with fermented black beans and chilli. Perfect combo with rice. Each time I visit, I always order this... Ugh, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

On this visit, I ordered 3 other dishes one is the diced chicken with cashew nuts, river shrimp with chives-like veggies, and beancurd with home made smoked pork. These three dishes did not disappoint and we never ordered them before!

Diced chicken with cashew nut and broccoli

The diced chicken with cashew nut was not spicy, we asked for it not to be spicy so that we wouldn't have to "suffer" so much. The chicken was coated in oyster sauce-like sauce which was savory with a hint of sweetness but still dry-ish. The cashew nut gave it a crunchy nutty flavor, obviously... On its own the flavor is strong, but with rice it's a perfect combo. It's also a nice balance for the eggplant chilli dish.

River shrimps with green vegetables

The river shrimps was a little spicy, we asked them to down tone the spiciness with this one again as the last time we were there everything was truly spicy. So we thought to give our tongue a break this time. The chive-like veggie was crunchy and tasted sweet. The flavoring was simple so it brought out the veggie flavor. The shrimps were smaller than I thought they would be and seemed to be lightly fried whole with their shells. Though at first I was skeptical, I understood why they included the shell, it made it crispy and crunchy with just enough sweetness of the shrimps' meat.

Beancurd with home made smoked pork

The bean curd and home made smoked pork was the most interesting texture of them all. It's quite different to find smoked pork on a Chinese dish, maybe this is the normal thing in Hunanese dish - I'm not so sure. I really like this dish though, very savory and the choice of vegetables complimented the dish as the veggies were sweet.

Chairman Mao is definitely one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in town. If you're scared of chilli, don't! "Take heart chilli heads. It's not dumb to eat the fire, it's a sign of high intelligence." From the article "A Perk of Our Evolution - Pleasure in Pain of Chillies" from the New York Times. Click here for the full article.

Chairman Mao

189 Anzac Parade

Kensington, NSW 2033

+61 2 9697 9189

Open for dinner only

"Let's do brunch" at Cafe Ish

2010-10-03T02:03:00.000-07:00

Karaage Soft Shell Crab Omelette

A few days ago I came across a tweet by @atablefortwo via RTs about Cafe Ish and Shoot The Chef competition that is part of the Sydney International Food Festival (SIFF) [click here for official website]. When I opened the link and saw the photo of Cafe Ish's take on eggs benedict with soft shell crab... I got really curious. Then by chance when I was checking out the SIFF website, I found the "Let's Do Brunch" promo (weekend only) at Cafe Ish: A$25 for karaage soft shell crab omelette (their specialty), breakfast triffle - yoghurt with native berry compote and muesli, and a cup of wattle macca-cino (another specialty of theirs). Not a bad deal I'd say. Talking to a friend, it turned out that she was planning a trip for this promo on Sunday and so I tagged along.

I set up my alarm for 8am as my friend as sent me an email reminding me of the time and that daylight saving started Sunday 3rd October. Morning came way too quickly as I had a real long day on Oct 2nd doing a charity fundraising for Youth Off The Streets - check out Race For The Youth on facebook if you're interested. Anyway, we got there early and it was raining. I really couldn't wait for the coffee, alas we were waiting for some people.

As we waited, I took out my camera and my friend told me to be careful and ask permission first before taking any picture as the owners are reputedly quite particular about people taking pictures in their cafe. Hmmm... okay.... Anyway, the next time the waitress was there we asked her if it's ok to take picture and she said yes. So that's done, but still I couldn't shake the weird feeling off. Another friend told me at the table that there has been some arguments between the owners and some Sydney bloggers regarding what the bloggers write on their reviews. Another weirdness..., but then the coffee arrived then the food started to arrive and we were busy taking pictures and stuffing our face.

Wattle Macca-cino with tiny cookie

I loved the wattle macca-cino, I drank it just as is with no sugar added. It tasted just right, balanced - just enough sweetness that compliments the solid coffee taste. I loved the cute cookie too. The waitress informed us that the cafe does all you can eat ribs every Wednesday for A$35 and I have a feeling that I will go back. Oh and maybe another visit to try the crab benedict.

The breakfast triffle - yoghurt, muesli and native berries compote

The native berry that was really sour if you eat it as is... interesting experience though

The breakfast triffle was interesting as well, it came with all these weird shaped dried berries that puzzled me at first. That is till my friend told me that the menu said "native berries". I tried eating one of the interesting looking native berries as is and it was really sours. So word of the wise, if you don't like sourness mix it well.

Salt: pink salt, green tea salt and chilli salt

Tasmanian pepper berries - didn't add any as the sauce delivered interesting flavour as is

Close up of the crab omelette - yum

After that, came the most anticipated dish - crab omelette. I couldn't wait to eat it and see if the raves were true. The chilli sauce on top was interesting. When the waitress told us at first that the omelette comes with a special sauce I was thinking Japanese-ish sauce. However, the chilli sauce tasted like Malaysian sambal belacan - chilli with ebi (dried small shrimps) base and then fried to take off the heat. I like the avocado, soft shell crab and shallots combination inside the omelette. It was like eating sushi but have the rice and seaweed replaced with omelette. The sweet and spiciness of the sambal belacan-like sauce went well with the sushi-like omelette. Halfway through the dish, however I started to feel that it was getting too salty. Overall though, I thought it was really creative to use soft shell crab on a breakfast dish.

Cafe Ish

82 Campbell St

Surry Hills, NSW

+61 2 9281 1688

Opening times varies so please contact the cafe directly

Cupcakes Nostalgia from Kambala Days

2010-10-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Cupcake with Strawberry Icing

It was a mid September afternoon, merely hours before I broke my foot. Yes, I broke my foot and this is why I have been AWOL from blogging... well that and my school work. Anyway - stories on how I broke my foot can be re-told if there's demand. Now back to the cupcakes, I have been waiting for this moment since ages. One of my fond memories of my Kambala days was this cupcakes. I was so happy when a Kambala girl friend of mine told me that I can still have this cupcake! She told me where to get them but the last time I went there on a Sunday they were closed and I hadn't had time to return till that fateful day on September 17.

Loving the lettering of the shop's name - so 80s!

It was a step back in time, like going back in the 80s if you're looking at the store from the outside. It's nostalgic and so simple amongst all these new foodie craze in Sydney where cafes, bakeries, chefs compete to create the most innovative new thing, almost like an art design where you kinda just want to look at - so afraid to bite as you might just ruin a piece of artwork. At Dobinson, cupcakes are just cupcakes. There for your eating pleasure. Simplicity is key here with cake bases such as vanillas and chocolates.

Choose carefully - don't let your waistline hate you

Vanilla base cupcake with vanilla icing

Of course I just had to have the vanilla base cupcake with strawberry icing. Expect simplicity, there's nothing too strawberry other than the pink-ish colour, but as I bite into it, I felt like I was transported back to a time where everything was so simple. My partner in crime of the day who doubled as my informant in tracking down this place J, had the vanilla icing. We then got the mini cupcakes each. I also ordered 2 more normal size cupcakes to go. I just had to! It's been 10 over years since I had these cupcakes!

Chicken Mushroom Cheese pie

As it was lunch time and I can't just have cupcake for lunch, J and I ordered a cheesy chicken mushroom pie to share. I am in looooove... So soft and gooey, the chicken pieces were full of flavour - oh so savoury. We also ordered a cappuccino each, which came in this big glasses that I forgot to take a picture of. A total of 4 cupcakes, 2 junior cupcakes, 1 small cupcake, 2 cappuccinos and one savoury pie was around A$20! Love the reasonable price here... I really can't wait to get back. Unfortunately that afternoon I broke my foot - the right one. So doctor say no driving till cast is off. So lesson of this post: don't take your foot for granted and go get those cupcakes and live it up for me.

PS: It is said that the famous Adriano Zumbo once worked here.... Now, aren't you curious?

Dobinsons Cake

10 Newcastle St

Rosebay, NSW 2029

+61 2 9371 7334

Closed on Sundays

A tribute for Rafael Nadal - the greatest tennis player ever

2010-09-14T05:58:00.000-07:00

I know this is a food blog and I know I haven't written for a while. It's been super hectic with school lately and I wasn't having the best day either today. The best thing that I've heard today was when I checked my twitter and saw that Nadal had won the US Open 2010.

Women thinks he's hot, men's are divided between him and Federer. For me, he is the greatest tennis player ever. Not just for his sportmanship and the games, but also for his character. Sure, a friend said to me that it's all just for show, and it could very well be. I beg to differ though. You just need to see the way he comforted Federer in Melbourne 2009 who couldn't believe that Nadal won the slam title. Click here for the video. Not just this one time, each time, he always has positive things to say to his opponents, even if he lost. To have this kind of consistency, I don't think it's for the show. It's admirable. Even when he lost the French Open last year, he didn't blame anyone or made any excuses. Even if later on we all find out that other than suffering from tendonitis, his parents were in the process of divorcing. Read this - a tribute for him from the official US Open 2010 website.

To find out today that he has finally won the US Open made me very happy. I don't even know him personally, but his achievement got me all emotional. I never had idols or be a fan of someone before. Nadal, however, is an exception. I truly admire him, not for the looks though it's not bad at all, but for his character. Congrats Rafa!

Day 4 cont'd: Affogato at Sugiyama Cafe and the Cheese Factory

2010-08-07T06:47:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Sugiyama Cafe - Furano

As I was preparing photos for this post, I am quite aghast at how many food we consumed that particular day. To recap from the previous post, so far on the same day we have had: lavender ice cream, lavender calpis jelly, lavender cream puff, various soba and grilled mochi. This post picks up where we left off... after lunch, we had some time to kill before our bus to the wine and cheese factories (yes more food I know!!). So we walked back to the station when we came across this cute cafe. The signs were all in Japanese, but if you walk in, you will be rewarded with great coffee and super cute cafe.

Check out the tablecloth's pattern: coffee cups!!

The menu - Affogato for JPY 400! (+/- US$4.00)

I was so excited to find such a cute, cozy cafe and at the same time felt sad because I only had that time to enjoy it. As soon as we stepped in, we could smell roasted coffee beans wafting in the air. The furniture were so retro but at the same time very cozy as there were lots of wooden furniture and chocolatey color that made the atmosphere felt so warm. The AC was full blast, such a cool refuge from the midday heat outside! I absolutely adored the tablecloth, it has coffee cup pattern! I really wish I can transport this whole cafe here to Sydney, or wherever I happen to live.

Check out the retro chairs and the fan... too cute!

The special blend of coffee drip

Waiting for our order and taking a break from the heat

Affogato - perfect cure from the hit and to ensure that we stay after a morning of eating, eating, oh and eating!

There were two baristas and they were very friendly even though we don't speak the same language. This is what I call hospitality service! Well, my broken Japanese don't really count... Anyway, the lady barista spoke English as she lived in New Zealand before. She has the cutest accent! It was so unusual for me to hear Japanese speaking in a non American accent. Anyhow, she explained to us that they have a special brew see picture below - where it takes about 7-8 hours to drip the coffee and yields only 15 cups of coffee per day. Of course we had to try it! We decided to have the affogato. I am also sure that Ginko chan was happy I got the same as her, this way she didn't have to wait for me to take pictures of her orders! I think she got used to it though ;)

Closer to the bus departure time we head back to the station and waited for it to come. First and stop: cheese factory. We planned on going to the wine factory afterwards but it rained so hard that we decided to head back and enjoy our cozy hostel. Bibaushi and Furano area were so tranquil and peaceful, we felt so sad to leave the next day. But hey, it's always better to leave when you still want to stay than being stuck when you just can't wait to leave. I've been on both places and this is way better.

Furano Cheese: you could tell which one is the one with cuttlefish ink, couldn't you?

Unfortunately the cheese factory was closed on the weekend. However, we still get to taste the their specialty cheese which is black cheese made with cuttle fish ink. It wasn't fishy at all but you could taste the squid ink very subtly, the slight pungent taste cuts through the creaminess that would be too much for me. Ginko chan though, preferred the normal cheese. So really, it all comes down to your taste buds and preference.

The emblem, which is kinda funky as it fused Italian and Japanese elements, how they make the pizza and an angel pizza!

The end product and my Hokkaido Milk Ice cream...

This little guy kept us company while we were having ice cream outside, isn't butterfly a sign of good luck?

Remember to get your tickets here first, then give it to the people on the counter.

Then as if we hadn't had enough to eat for the day I had the Hokkaido milk ice cream and Ginko ordered a slice of pizza. Are we crazy? Yeah, I think we were... But then again, we WERE at a cheese factory so how can we not try the dairy products there?! They were really yummy, definitely worth our stomach getting angry at us. Will I do it again? I'd probably try to space all the eating out on a couple of days!

Sugiyama Coffee

〒076-0025 富良野市日の出町12-1
+81 167 23 5277

Opens 10am ~ 7pm

Click here for map

Day 4: 2nd round of Lavender ice cream and soba lunch in Furano city

2010-08-05T04:36:00.000-07:00

Lavender soft ice cream Round 2!

At first it was definitely the rain that made us decide that we just had to go back to Tomita farm. However, I confess as you all probably have guessed that it was the Lavender ice cream that really tipped the scale. So it was day 4 in Japan, day 2 in Bibaushi and another visit to Tomita farm. Getting up early, we caught the train to Naka Furano and walked the 20 minutes walk to Tomita farm. The weather was as sunny as it was raining the previous day. By the time we reached Tomita farm, we needed to sit down under the shade and get something cold, yes we got lavender ice cream. Seriously though, it was the heat.

Lavender calpis jelly with poplar trees in the background

I then decided to try the Lavender calpis jelly and Ginko chan got the cream puff, also in lavender flavor. No surprise there eh? The fields were just so beautiful. I couldn't stop snapping pictures. I wish I had a whole week just to spend wondering around this area.

I wish I could have brought my late German Shepherd here, I miss him so much!

Norokko Go Train - Sightseeing train on operation in the spring and summer

Kodamaya front entrance, very summery

The sun was really shinning that day, as if to make up for its lack thereof the previous day. It exhausted us. So we made our way to Furano to get lunch and wait for the bus that will take us to the cheese and the wine factory. The tourist information recommended us this soba place about 7 minutes walk to the north of the station. We were lucky we got table right away because after that, people had to wait for quite a while. There were so many kind of soba to choose from too. I was tempted to get the Anago soba at first, but then saw the kinoko (mushroom) soba which I never see on any soba place menus. That settled it then. Ginko chan opted for the set and we waited for our food to come. We were super hungry.

Ginko chan's set, tempura soba, ikura soba and nama soba - fresh fresh fresh!

Look how fresh the egg is!

Mushroom soba with chicken

Yaki Mochi (grileld rice cakes) - my absolute favorite Japanese snack!

The soba, was really fresh. We ordered the cold kinds perfect remedy for such hot days. Honestly, I'm not really of a soba person, but I was happy here. Service was awesome, food quality was great and the price was friendly to my wallet too! Seriously, I heart Japan. There are so many affordable great quality food there.

Kodamaya

Click here for website

Click here for map

Day 3 cont'd: Aunt Stella's cookies

2010-08-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is what got me interested in the first place. It had a watermelon scent, but it was rather chocolate chip-py for me. I was amused.

On the way back to Bibaushi, we passed by the basement of one of the department stores nearby and long story short, we ended up getting all sorts of cookies from Aunt Stella's Cookies. It was the first time I had ever seen such a wide variety of cookies. I was so impressed with their creativity. Tell me if you're not impressed after seeing all these pictures!

My favorite was the corn flake cookies. Hopefully soon I will attempt to recreate this. If it works out, I might just share the recipe with you. Or you just have to order it through IEatSweet who will give me commission ;)

Aunt Stella's Cookies

Click here for website

(It's only in Japanese... Sorry! Really I am, I wish I could put through an order)

Day 3 cont'd: Flowers of Bibaushi and Ramen Dinner in Asahikawa city

2010-08-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

Mural of the local scenery at the Asahikawa station

Disheartened by the continuous rain that day, Ginko chan and I decided to take the train to Asahikawa city - 40 minutes away from the Lavender Batake Station. Unfortunately we go there around 4pm which means that many attractions were closing down soon or too far away for us to catch the next train back. The tourist office directed us to the little sake brewery nearby and after that we walked around the city center till dinner.

The view from the Lavender Fields Station - Naka Furano

The rail tracks after the rain

View of the surrounding farms

Fresh lavender for sale

The sake brewery was not too far from the station, and I really can't remember the name. Sorry! However, if you can read kanji then you can probably figure it out. Ginko chan wanted to get some sake for her dad but since we still have quite a journey, she decided to get it in Tokyo. So we got sake ice cream instead. It tasted like.... fermented rice. Very sake-ish, as sake is made by fermenting the rice. The sake taste was soft and subtle, so you could still taste the milk. The first time I ever had sake ice cream. Very unique.

For dinner, we had 2 options: izakaya or ramen. We ended up with ramen. It was on a little alley, but there were so many people inside. So I had a feeling that it had to be somewhat good. On the walls there were tons of autographs of what I think should be famous people otherwise they wouldn't bother putting it up. We ordered butter corn ramen, I had soy and Ginko chan had miso based soup. I removed my excess butter and Ginko chan kept hers. Yeah, we're different that way. Anyway, we were in Hokkaido and we were having ramen. The verdict? Good of course! But if I were given a choice, I probably won't go back. I'd rather go to the ramen alley in Sapporo. When we left, I figured out that it was Baikohken ramen, surprise surprise. They have branch in Singapore if that is closer to you. Here are some reviews on the Singapore Baikohken, in contrast to my so-so liking, they quite like it: ieatishootipost, camemberu, the travelling hungry boy.

See the signature collections?

Soy based corn butter ramen

Miso based corn butter ramen

Down Town Asahikawa

Anyway, as promised. Here are some pictures from Bibaushi, a small little town between Furano and Asahikawa where we stayed. I love our hostel, it was so cute and cozy. Breakfast there is also good and healthy. They always give us some kind of veggies, hard boiled egg, a warm side dish (one day it was curried beans) and sweet breads. It was a scenic little town with charming views. I could so have a 6 months sabbatical and rent a house there. I'd be so zen...

Liberty Youth Hostel, Bibaushi - our charming hostel. We were really sad to leave.

Around Bibaushi

Wild flowers of Bibaushi or the correct term that I learnt at the Botanic garden: herbaceous plants

The fields were just exploding with flowers, I wanted to spend the whole summer here

The Bibaushi station - it was really small! The first night we got here, Ginko chan had a moment of doubt of what have I gotten her into!

Baikohken

住　所：	〒060-0003 札幌市中央区北3条西4丁目日本生命札幌ビルBF
TEL：	011-281-2305
営業時間：	11：00～21：00
定休日：	不定休

Day 3: Furano & Everything Lavender

2010-08-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

Lavender soft serve ice cream

On day 3 in Japan, we got to eat what we came to Hokkaido for: Lavender soft ice cream. Yuppers, you read that right. L.A.V.E.N.D.E.R. taste soft serve ice cream. Oh, allright... we came here for the lavender fields that Hokkaido is so famous for, but upon investigation I found out that Tomita Farm in Furano not only have fields of lavenders and make lavender perfumes, potpourri and what not, they have all kinds of lavender taste food too!

Where we got the ice cream from, they also have Melon soft serve ice cream. I passed tho...

Farm Tomita: Tomita sama, thank you for inventing Lavender soft serve ice cream!

Fields of poppies, lavender and other flowers I have no idea what their names are. Idyllic scene nonetheless.

Rows of poplar trees separating the flower fields

Lavender on Lavender

Sure enough it was purple in color. I had mine in cone cause it just taste better. It was a hot summer day, granted it was almost raining, but nothing and I repeat, NOTHING, can stop me from having that soft serve ice cream. It was lavender scented and made with Hokkaido milk. Two birds killed with one stone in that one there. Lavender ice cream and Hokkaido milk ice cream all in ONE cone! The lavender taste was soft and very subtle, you'd miss it entirely if you're not careful. The milk was just perfection: fresh and light. I can't really describe it with words, but trust me on this, there is just nothing like Hokkaido milk. It is so rich and soft all at the same time.

The Lunch. In total we didn't spend more than JPY 1,000 for these. Cheap and tasty. What a combo

Croquette Burger

Croquette Curry rice with fried brocolli

Where you place your order

Since it was raining soon after, or pouring rather, we decided to have lunch and waiting for the sky to clear up. I had the croquette and curry while Ginko chan opted for croquette burger. I don't know what it was, but it was simply the best curry I have ever had. It was spicy but balanced at the same time. It came with few fried broccoli too! At first I was really skeptical on how that would taste, but that old adage that 'anything fried is good' (taste wise even if it's not healthy) is so true! Combined with the curry, best thing ever! The croquette was crispy on the outside and soft as fluff on the inside and combined with the curry, all my worries about the dent that my travel was going to put on my bank account was all gone. Actually it was gone the moment I had the lavender ice cream. But if there was any doubt after that, this erased it.

The dynamic duo: Strawberry juice with Hokkaido milk and Lavender Calpis

Up close and personal with strawberry juice and Hokkaido milk. Can you see the milk? Yummilicious!

After seeing so many people getting the Lavender calpis drink and the strawberry juice with Hokkaido milk, we caved and ordered one of each. I have to say I hogged the strawberry juice with Hokkaido milk. I'm obsessed with Hokkaido milk if you haven't figured that out yet by reading this post so far. The calpis smelled of Lavender as the name tells you. It was refreshing too, but I think the fresh strawberry juice and Hokkaido milk won all the way. It's an interesting combination, sour and milk, yet it really worked.

Rastafarian little guy ;)

More lavender field

Unfortunately, the rained continued on till late afternoon and we couldn't see much of the fields. So we head out to Asahikawa for the remainder of the afternoon and to get dinner. I will post what's on dinner and pictures of Bibaushi, where we stayed on the next post.

Tomita Farm

Hokusei, Naka-Furano

Click here for website

25 mins walking distance from Naka Furano station

7 mins walking distance from Lavender Batake station (during lavender season only)

Day 2 cont'd: Flowers of the Sapporo Botanic Garden

2010-07-31T05:08:00.000-07:00

As promised from the last Japan post, here are more pictures on the flowers! Sorry if it's too much, like my friend was saying, I went banana on these flowers.

Ginko chan wandering with her not-so-backpackers handbag ;)

Ajisai! Or Hydrangea in English. It was in season and I will have more pictures later from Taki, Mie Ken. I fell in love with this flower.

I really wanted to take this home for my flat... Although I don't think I could smuggle it from the Aussie custom... and I certainly don't want to be featured on Borders Patrol!

Insect eating plant, I love the little sacks. They have such pretty forms.

The green house

Humongous roses on the Rose Garden

Check out the butterfly on the middle rose

A walkway with roses surrounding it

My favorite find, well one of them anyway: dropping onion blossoms!

Dandelions ready to fly away, so cute and fluffy, so glad my allergies didn't flare up tho ;)

Ginko chan sheltering under the rhubarb plant, did you find any koroppoku?

Hokkaido University Botanic Garden
Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi

Day 2 cont'd: Mont Blanc and Morimoto cakes

2010-07-31T03:04:00.001-07:00

Mont Blanc!

By the time we got back to Sapporo station, we were wiped out and our feet were crying for mercy. So we decided to hunt for a delicious looking cafe to sit and get some sugar boost. We found a cute delicious looking cafe in Apia, one of the shopping arcade in Sapporo Station.

Ginko chan ordered a roll cake and I being in Japan of course must maximize the opportunity to order Mont Blanc! Mont Blanc is originally Italian meringue based cake that is lavished with pureed chestnut. Japanese, however, perfected the art of any form of chestnut cream cakes. More on this on my Tokyo posts on later days. Anyway, back to this Mont Blanc, it was so good I could cry. So soft and sweet, yet not too sweet. Just perfect. Can someone please open a Japanese pastry and bakery in Sydney???

The cream inside wasn't too sweet at all, I could happily eat 2 back to back.

After that, we went to Daimaru department store to hunt for food for our take out dinner that we would be eating on the train ride to Bibaushi where we would be staying that night. It was food heaven! I wish I hadn't been too wow-ed out and remembered to take pictures, but sorry to say I was really distracted. Don't hate me yet, I did manage to take these pictures on this Hokkaido milk and strawberry daifuku that Ginko chan got for dessert.

Display of the Morimoto cakes on the Daimaru's basement, I regret not eating as much as I could...

Well, do you feel the urge to move to Japan now?

BBQ Baby Octopus at home

2010-07-31T01:41:00.000-07:00

Grilled Mediterranean style Baby Octopus

Inspired or rather haunted by the memories of the yummy BBQ baby octopus from Capitan Torres last Monday, I made a trip to Sydney Fish Market yesterday to get some fresh baby octopus. Imagine this, 500 grams (approx. 12 pieces) of baby octopus cost me a mere A$5 compared to the 8-10 pieces for A$16 ish at the restaurant.

However, because there is nothing more I hate than cleaning I improvised a few things so that I have minimal dirt in the kitchen. I lined up the pyrex with baking paper so that I don't have to scrub the dried crusty olive oil later as you can see below.

Pre-grilled marinated baby octopus

Here's the recipe. Let's call it Mediterranean style BBQ Baby Octopus.

500 grams of baby octopus (cleaned)

Marinade:

4 cloves of garlic (chopped finely/pressed)

5-6 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 a lemon

salt (to taste)

black pepper (to taste)

2 small/medium sized tomatoes (not baby tomatoes - if using this you might need 8-9)

1/2 bunch of corriander (chopped)

1 medium spanish onions (sliced finely)

5 tablespoon of apple vinegar

1. Get a small bowl and mix sliced spanish onions with apple vinegar. Make sure that the onions are submerged and leave it be till step

2. Put finely chopped garlic in a small bowl with olive oil and salt. Mixed together and press the garlic so that the olive oil is infused. Add lemon juice, taste and add salt or olive oil or lemon accordingly.

3. Mix the spanish onions some more, then take it out while squeezing out any excess vinegar in it. In other words, take out the vinegar.

4. Get a container and put baby octopus, diced tomatoes, garlic infused olive oil, spanish onions and black pepper all inside and mix thoroughly.

5. Add chopped coriander on top, close the lid and let it marinade in the fridge for 4-5 hours, half a day or even better a night.

6. Heat your oven to 220C.

7. Lined your pyrex with baking paper (or you don't have to if you don't want to), put everything inside and popped the dish in the oven.

8. Let it grill for about 20-30 minutes and check them once in a while.

And now you should have a fresh off the grilled Mediterranean style baby octopus. I love the freshness of the lemon, tomatoes and olive oil.

Remember: always buy fresh seafood and not store them in the fridge for too long. Try to use it within 2-3 days.

Sydney Fish Market

Pyrmont Bridge Rd.

Pyrmont, NSW 2009

Day 2: Sapporo Sapporo! Sashimi Sashimi!

2010-07-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

The legendary Hokkaido Hairy Crab

The Hokutosei arrived in Sapporo station at 11.15 am exactly. If it so happens that your watch is off, you can set it back right on time by comparing it to the departure or arrival time of a train. It's that on time.

After storing our luggages at the locker at the station, we left in search of sushi, sashimi, Hokkaido milk ice cream and ramen. Sightseeing was our second objective, because really, we are in Sapporo to munch! Hence, we head out to Nijo Ichiba Fish Market by taking the subway to Susukino subway station and walking from there. It was a hot day and we were sweating like we were in a sauna. We got a little lost, but a nice lady from Lawson convenient store helped us.

Various shellfishes. Yummilicious....

Dried cuttle fish. For dashi maybe?

Wandering inside Nijo Ichiba

Cuttlefish! So cute, but I still wouldn't not eat it... Sorry for the double negative...

A shop inside. Can you see the melon on the left? Thats another delicacy here in Japan. One melon could cost approx. US$ 50!

7 minutes later we were at the fish market and were impressed by the fresh seafood on display. There were such a wide variety and sizes. There were small sushiya (sushi restaurants) throughout the market, but we were looking for a particular one. I forgot the name, but if you find yourself at Nijo Ichiba, you really can't go wrong even if entering random shops. Regardless, I ordered the uni (sea urchin), kani (crab), and ikura (salmon roe) donburi while Ginko chan ordered the uni, salmon and ikura donburi. The rice was warm which made my day. Everything was so fresh we barely need the soy sauce. The uni just burst in your mouth with velvety buttery taste, complimented with the salty ikura. I was in uni heaven. Ship me back to Hokkaido, right now please.

At the sushiya recommended by the tourism information at Sapporo station.

The menu and Ginko chan's Japanese phrasebook. Not that she used it a lot if I may say...

She just made me a walking phrase book...

Ta-dah! My kani, uni and ikura donburi! Argh, my mouth waters at the memories!

Ginko chan's order of salmon, uni and ikura donburi

Across the shop, there was a Hokkaido milk soft cream stall. Unfortunately for us, it was close at the time. So I had to wait for my Hokkaido milk ice cream. After satisfying our taste buds and stomach, we made our way to the Hokkaido University Botanic Garden. We made stops at a cute coffee shop and at the TV Tower on Odori park.

TV Tower at Odori park

Local scene along the Odori park

The biggest horse I have ever seen in my life... almost as big as a mini bus!

An entrace fee of JPY 400 applied but it is so worth it. Inside they displayed the different kinds of plants and their different habitats ranging from grassland to herbaceous to alpine. Many of the flowers were in bloom and according to IEatSweet, I went gaga taking pictures of the flowers, especially the small ones. In my defense, I really can't help myself. It was all so beautiful. If only I can transform my balcony to something even a quarter of what it was there.

Cute purple flowers, but please don't ask me what it's called

And some kind of lilies.

Around 4.30pm we went back to the station to get food and get ready for our train ride to Bibaushi where we would stay for the next three nights. Stories on the cakes that I have that afternoon, more photos from the Botanic garden and our train ride to Bibaushi will be on the next post. Patience is a virtue. One that I don't have much of to be honest but maybe you are blessed with more.

Nijo Ichiba Fish Market (Sapporo)

South 3-jo, East 1-2 chome,

Chuo-ku, Sapporo-shi, Japan

Open daily 7am-6pm (varies by shop)

Curing Monday Blues with Sangria at Capitan Torres

2010-07-28T04:23:00.000-07:00

Chorizo La Plancha, Garlic Mushrooms, and Gambas alla Sevillana

Still reeling from the fact that my Japanese vacation ended, I suggested Spanish tapas for my catch up session with IEatSweet and possible liquid of happiness moment. Thinking of sangria here. So, Monday night after my night class I ended up in Capitan Torres.

The Wine and Bread, biblical enough? Even God wants us to be happy...

The question was whether or not to get half a litter or a full jug of sangria. Checking over to the table over confirmed that we could do well with a full jug. It was fruity and happiness. Not too sweet, most importantly for me.

Garlic Mushrooms

BBQ Baby Octopus with Lemon Wedge

We ended up ordering Chorizo La Plancha (grilled chorizo sausage), Tasmanian Scallops, Gambas alla Sevillana (prawn in onion, tomato and garlic), Garlic Mushrooms and BBQ Baby Octopus. We probably ordered too much, but I was famished so I dug in the seafood. My favorites were the chorizo, mushrooms and baby octopus. The prawn was good and so was the scallops but somehow I imagined the scallops to be bigger. I'd come back for the baby octopus though. So delicious.

Tasmanian Scallops with olive and garlic

Gambas alla Sevillana

Overall, we paid around $50 each and the plain bread was free of charge. Which wasn't too bad in my opinion. Or perhaps I just had too much sangria.

Capitan Torres

73 Liverpool St.

Sydney, NSW 2000

+ 61 2 9264 5574

click here for website

Still the first day in Japan: Hokutosei Night Train from Tokyo to Sapporo

2010-07-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

The train man and Hokutosei

Ever since I left Japan last week's Sunday, I have been so tired and exhausted. I realized now that I have been going on adrenaline the whole time I was there. After reading this post you'll know why.

The view from the moving train, Somewhere in Hokkaido

After my little outing at Narita city, I came back to Narita airport to collect my travel buddy, Ginko chan. It wasn't hard to spot her. Her red giant backpack gave her away. Together, we picked up her railpass, get reserved seats for our train to Tokyo station, and then we took a shower. FYI, it was JPY 500 for 3o minutes shower at the airport. Once we were in Tokyo station, we had to take the local JR train to Ueno station where we get on board Hokutosei, the night train to Sapporo. We were lucky to get tickets considering we couldn't book overseas and had to get it once we got to Japan. This is another reason why I arrived early that day. We got a double cabin which was really cute. The bed were already made and it come with a JR motived yukata. I was so tempted to take it as a souvenir, but I resisted.

Our carriage

Our compartment for the journey. Thank God we're quite small people

otherwise we don't know how we would have fit!

The view from our table at the dining carriage

I love trains. Night train is also super cool. I love sleeping on it, it was like being gently rocked while you were sleeping.

Our table where we were served orange juice, water and food

The next morning, we decided to venture out to the dining carriage to have our breakfast. While we waited for our table, we waited at the lobby. I felt like I was in one of those old movies and the world's color turned to sepia. Exhausted as I was, functioning on adrenaline, I was glad to have taken the night train to Sapporo.

The Morning Menu

There were only 2 options: Japanese or Western set. We opted for the Japanese which turned out to be the same thing with the Western but we were given rice and miso soup instead of bread and corn soup. There is nothing much more relaxing than eating on the train and see the scenery passes by. Absolutely love it.

Fruits and Yoghurt were served first to prepare our stomach

The main dish: salad, sausages and potato salad, soft scrambled eggs with ketchup

and grilled fish with tsukemono (Japanese pickles)

View of our table after everything came out

The miso soup with flower shaped fish cakes

After, we got to choose between coffee or tea. I chose milk tea.

As the train moved toward Sapporo and the trees running passed by us, I could just feel that the zen that I was looking for was coming towards me. Surrounded by the greens, the lulling sound of Japanese language, their mannerism and politeness, I couldn't help but to smile. I felt slowly at peace again. Gone were the hectic life that I've led for the past five years, it's just me, Ginko chan and the wilderness of Hokkaido. So to speak anyway.

Hokutosei - is a limited express train operated by Japan Railways that runs through Ueno Station (Tokyo) to Sapporo. The duration is approximately 16.5 hours. Passengers are accommodated with rooms where they can sleep. The train also have a dining carriage for dinner and breakfast.

First day in Japan: Unagi at Narita city

2010-07-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

Naritasan Shinshoji

There were a couple of reasons why I decided to take the night flight to arrive in Narita airport in the morning. One was to get tickets for the night train and two because I just couldn't wait to be in Japan. So there I was bright and early in Narita airport. After storing my luggage and getting the tickets for our Hokutosei Tokyo-Sapporo for that night, I decided to make full use of my Japan Rail Pass and head out to Narita city.

Turtle pond at Shinshoji

All the guides for Narita city claimed that unagi is their specialty. Thus, while I wonder through the city on the way to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. It took only 15 minutes by JR train from Narita Airport terminal 2 to Narita city station. The walk to the temple was fun as I get to see the shops on both side of the street and of course making a mental note on where I should get my unagi lunch.

View of the garden from the main gate

I thoroughly enjoyed the temple and the garden behind it. My Japanese failed me after 5 years of absent use but I felt like I could find my zen again. I wish I could just sit there for ages, but I had to get lunch and get back to collect my travel buddy, let's call her Ginko chan, from the terminal later that same day as she was flying from New York.

The inner garden with small creek, so green and peaceful

I decided to get my unagi lunch from this cute little traditional inn and restaurant operated by a local family. My unagi set consisted of an unadon (unagi on top of rice), bamboo shoots, pickles and clear soup. So simple, so deliciously good. This is what I love about Japanese food. The ingredients are there to enhance the original flavor of the dish, not overpowering it.

The shop from outside

The ladies waiting for customers

My unagi teishoku

Unadon close up

Close up of the soup

The ladies of the restaurants were so hospitable and gracious. It was heavenly. I cherished it more now that I've experience the hellish customer experience in Singapore, where waitress and shopkeepers are just plain rude. When I got in, they greeted me and ushered me in while telling me to sit at the table by the AC as it was hot outside. They gave me tea and set down my meal gently while giving me a warm welcoming smile. Heaven!

Back in Sydney: Japan Withdrawal Syndrome

2010-07-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Meotoiwa (Marriage Rocks), Ise - Mie Prefecture

Tadaima! Back in Sydney after almost a month a way, 7 days in Jakarta and 18 days in Japan. Severely suffering from Japan withdrawal syndrome. I just really wanna go back to Japan. I wasn't ready to leave. Come to think of it I wasn't ready to leave Japan 5 years ago either. Everything there is just wonderful. From the landscape, the culture and of course the food. Food are so affordable and high in quality standard. Again, if I ever have to choose just one cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, it would be Japanese. Side road food, kombini (convenient store) food are just simply good and cheap!

Grade A4 Matsusaka Beef - it simply melts in your mouth *drools

Soy Donut

Anyway, since I just got back yesterday morning and started class last night it'd be some time before I posted all my culinary adventure in Zen Land. I will give you these preview though. These pictures were taken by my friend and host in the middle of nowhere Taki - Mie Prefecture, Chuborama san - click here for his blog.

Akafuku kakigori, Ise - Mie Prefecture

A lone mushroom sprouting out from the moss in Ise Jingu, Ise - Mie Prefecture

P.S. I did find my zen and lots of small but cute serendipities.

Off to Zen Land

2010-06-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

Running to Zen land

Do you know where this is?

Sorry for MIA. Exams are done now and I shall be off to J-town and Zen Land. Uber excited. Planned my meals for Japan already. I shall report when I get back. In the mean time, check out my twitter as that's where I'll try to give updates.

Gion-Pontocho area, if you're super lucky then you might just get a glimpse of a maiko san, beware of geisha-wanna-be though...

Fushimi Inari at dusk

Breakfast at Book Kitchen

2010-06-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

Book Kitchen really does have books... and you can browse them while you eat. Just don't stain the pages ;)

It's that time of the semester where school is done, but students are restless and stressed out with the impending exams that are yet to be taken. I am one of those students. Headaches and hunger pangs come much more frequently these days and I get a little depressed at times thinking about my exams and how much they weight. Really still not used to the Australian nazi-esque grading system. I miss the American grading system, at least I know what I would be getting and understand how it works.

Mocha, to ward off the cold and the early morning sleepiness

So I decided that I would get some flowers from the Sydney Markets at Flemington to brighten my flat and get some lavender for my bedroom as lavender scent is believed to have calming effect. So I drove to Flemington at 6.30am with my cousin and we went a little bezerk at the cheap flowers there were. She got tulips (2 bunches for $10), I got lavenders (5 bunches for $10), jonquils (2 bunches for $3) and tiny roses (a bunch for $5). Then we head for breakfast. At first we wanted to get pork fennel sausage at Bourke Street Bakery, but the sausage rolls weren't done baking just yet. So we crossed the street to Book Kitchen.

Roast pumpkin omelet on sourdough

I ended up getting the roast pumpkin omelet on sourdough while my cousin ordered bacon and egg roll. Of course I had to order the banana bread with passion fruit butter. The roast pumpkin omelet was a very comforting, or maybe I was just too hungry. But I really did like the roast pumpkin, its a different twist with a soft and sweet taste than the usual ham or other breakfast meat.

Bacon and egg roll with tomato chutney

The bacon and egg roll came out and we were surprised at how big it was. It looked really yummy though. The tomato chutney gave it a gourmet taste. The banana bread... moist, succulent and toasted just nicely. Dollops of passion fruit butter contrast the sweetness of banana bread with fresh tanginess of the passion fruit. I was so full, halfway to my banana bread toast, but I had to finish it... it was too good to be left uneaten.

Banana bread with passion fruit butter

The Book Kitchen

255 Devonshire Street

Surry Hills, NSW 2010

+61 2 9310 1003

Open Mon-Sun 8am-3pm, Plus Wed-Sat 6-9.30pm

Cooking garlic shoots

2010-06-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

I have just recently discovered garlic shoots and I love it. It has become one of my favorite vegetables. It's super easy to cook too and especially delicious for stir frying. It's crunchy and sweet, and its fiber! It's also nice to have a home cooked meal on this winter days. Here's my recipe if you're interested.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of garlic shoots - cut in 4 cm length

3 cloves of garlic - minced

100 grams of minced pork (or substitute it with meat/chicken/tofu)

2 table spoon of oyster sauce

2 table spoon of Worcestershire sauce

1 tea spoon of sesame oil

3 table spoon of olive/vegetable oil

1. Heat olive/vegetable oil on a frying pan and enter the minced garlic, still till browned and you can smell the fragrant

2. Put in the minced meat and stir till browned, then throw in the garlic shoots, mix them together

3. Put in the oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sesame oil in the pan, mix them together. What I usually do is put a the lid on and shake everything to make sure that everything is mixed in together. It also ensures that the meat cooks faster.

Then, just serve yourself a nice meal with freshly steamed rice. Buen Provecho.