Ippudo Sg

A quick post from Singapore, stopping over for 2 nights before flying to my hometown for a-three-week holiday visiting families and friends. 

Ippudo Singapore is quite famous for ramen lovers in Singapore and decided to try the one in Mandarin Gallery Orchard (they have another shop in UE square), got there around 12 noon and I had to queue for about 20 minutes before finally got the seat. It might be the best ramen in Singapore but still you can't compare to the ones in Sydney such as Ryo's or Ramen Genki, but if you happen to be in this city and craving for some yummy ramen to slurp then this Ippudo is worth a shot.

(Shirotama ramen from Ippudo sg)

(cucumber with sesame)

(Ippudo Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Singapore)

The shirotama ramen I ordered wasn't a disappointment but nothing special though, while the cucumber with sesame side dish is quite refreshing and gives a pleasant after taste for my taste buds after slurping  the rich tonkotsu broth of Shirotama ramen.

Goshu Ramen Tei

One of my favorite dishes in winter is ramen, I could go to ramen restaurant every weekend plus 1-2 bowl of instant noodle I cook at home, just couldn't resist slurping hot noodle in a chilly weather. Despite the name 'Goshu Ramen Tei', this down-to-earth Japanese eatery in York St Wynyard, my favorite dish is not the ramen. Almost every time I ordered their teriyaki, either beef or fish, my favorite one, but this time I just wanted to try their ramen and wagyu steak. 

(Wagyu steak)

(Miso ramen)

(Japanese green tea)

The miso ramen is not the best one and the wagyu steak is very tasty but not as tender as I expected, a bit chewy actually but overall I am quite happy with their wagyu steak. Their prompt service, great hospitality with smile has never disappointed me.

Matsuri Perth

Two weeks ago I was enjoying Japanese food at Masuri in Adelaide and couple days ago I was having dinner at another Masturi, this one located on the ground floor of QV1 building, corner of Hay and Milligan st Perth.

Matsuri Adelaide is more traditional and has a homey interior while Matsuri Perth located in a modern building with glass wall and the staffs ready with palmtops to take you order, kinda modern and hi-tech. Both are authentic Japanese restaurants with great service but I prefer the one with traditional and cozy ambience  with personal touch on serving, the staff would come to your table pouring the green tea for you and asking if everything is good. Yes, the modern and hi-tech ordering service is more classy and looks elegant but somehow it may lose its personal touch and friendly atmosphere I guess? Here are my experiences, when I asked the  waitress to refill my green tea with hot water she smiled and tap on the palmtop to re-order the green tea and then I waited for another 3 minutes or so to get another hot green tea served (and yes my bill was charged). It might be the rule for them to do so, but on another occasion I was more happy when the waitress smiled then took the pot and refilled it in less than a minute! (without charge)

(Chirashi sushi from Masturi Perth)

(Seafood salad from Matsuri Perth)

(Umeshu)

Nazimi

Nazimi Japanese restaurant at 141 York st (lower ground) just behind the Queen Victoria Building is more like a small  hidden gem around Town Hall precinct. I had passed by this authentic Japanese restaurant many times, nothing fancy from outside, never had the chance to get myself into their homey dining room but today I eventually made it!

 (Tasmanian salmon steak)

The succulent salmon steak served in a light yet tasty sauce is the best salmon steak I've ever had. Also ordered a combo set of chicken katsu and sushi. The juicy yet crispy chicken katsu served with rich sauce and fresh salad with sesame dressing which is my favorite dressing. Most of the dishes served using old Japanese ceramic bowls, plates and cups which give a delightful touch. As I always mentioned, every restaurant has its special and best dish, and Nazimi is on my favorite list for salmon steak. 

(Crispy chicken katsu)

(Aburi salmon) 

 (Aburi salmon roll)

(Aburi salmon roll and nigiri sushi)

Tokyo Ria

Tokyo Ria on level 1 World Square is a 'sister restaurant' of Seoul Ria, so you can tell that it's a Korean-Japanese restaurant, but I am always open to try something new in town. It's a nice place to dine out with friends with excellent service, the touch screen menu make it easy to browse and order while the staffs are always happy to assist you. We didn't wait too long for our first order of sashimi to be served. The salmon, tuna and king fish sashimi are really fresh beautifully presented. The seafood nabeyaki (hotpot) was a perfect pick for winter time and our favorite dish of the night was grilled calamari served with sweet chili sauce. 

(Grilled Calamari)

(Seafood hotpot)

(Salmon and King fish sashimi)

(Salmon and Tuna sashimi)

Matsuri Adelaide

It was the first time visiting this beautiful 'city of churches', not much time though since it's only a one-night-weekend getaway. Taking picture and enjoying Japanese food are two hobbies that can't be separated when I travel, I'd try to find at least one local famous and one best Japanese food in town. 

Matsuri Japanese restaurant is one of the top recommended ones in Adelaide, an authentic Japanese restaurant with excellent service and great food, I am happy did choose the right one!

(Salmon steak served with wasabi mayo) 

(Tuna sushi)

(Matsuri on level 2/167 Gouger street Adelaide)

Here are some shots around the city of Adelaide, a city of churches.

(Macadamia Chocolate from Haigh's Chocolate)

(The Pancake House on Gilbert Place, Adelaide) 

(Russian Blints from The Pancake House, Philadelphia cream cheese and raisins rolled in French crepe served with blueberries and vanilla ice cream)

Zakura

Yesterday was the warmest day over the past few week, plus the clear sky it's a perfect time for a day out. Hanging around Bondi Junction mall and decided to have lunch at Zakura in Oxford Street.It's one of the best Japanese restaurants in Eastern suburbs with authentic Japanese cuisine, good ambiance and great service. They serve from fresh sashimi & sushi to hot nabeyaki udon, from a small plates of crispy calamari tempura to the complete bento box served with rice and miso soup. This time I wanted to try their special home made teriyaki sauce so we ordered one teriyaki salmon bento box and a salmon carpaccio. The salmon teriyaki set also comes with salmon sashimi, pan fried gyoza, agedashi tofu and salad. I know that carpaccio normally served as appetizer but the thinly sliced salmon in olive oil and mayonnaise comes in generous portion also yummy enough for a main meal.  

(Salmon teriyaki set)

(salmon carpaccio)

(Zakura in Bondi Junction mall)

Miso Bolognese Ramen

Ryo's Noodle House in Crows Nest is one of my favorite Japanese eateries in Sydney, this down-to-earth ramen house has a complete range of ramen from shoyu to tonkotsu. This relatively small place with Noren door and menu written in Japanese on paper scrolls all over the wall give the authentic feeling of a Japanese shop.

Normally I stick to my favorite tonkotsu flavor but today picked something from the menu that I had never tried before, ramen with miso bolognese sauce. The name says it all, the ramen served without soup like a usual ramen  instead it served with  minced pork, bamboo shot and mushroom in a thick miso sauce, garnished with spring onion and topped off with shoyu tamago (soy sauce egg). 

(Ramen with miso bolognese sauce)

(steamed veges for fresh topping)

Free Comic Book Day

Free Comic Book Day, the first Saturday in May each year, when the participating comic book shop around the world give away comic books for free to anyone comes into their store. It was the first time I heard about this event when I run into Kinokuniya Sydney store yesterday and joined the queue to get a free comic book.

Some cosplayers didn't miss the opportunity to show-off their costumes and the shop's staffs were dressing up in fabulous costumes too!

Izakaya

I had been quite busy over the past couple weeks, on top of that the unusual rainy days made my days 'busier' than expected. Eventually we got a bit of sunshine on the weekend and decided to dine out at Musashi in the city (corner of Pitt-Campbell st), an Izakaya style Japanese restaurant in Sydney.

Now talking about Izakaya, in Japanese i means 'to sit' and sakaya means sake shop, Izakaya evolved from a sake shop to a drinking and dining place with casual atmosphere yet has great friendly service. Every city in Japan has its own local famous Izakaya and here are some of best Izakaya in Tokyo I'd definitely recommend:

Yamariki Izakaya, an Izakaya in 'East end of Tokyo' (Morishita) run by 4th generation owner. Yamariki offers its famous Nikomi, beef guts stew cooked in miso for 8 hours and your could try this Nikomi with garlic bread. 

Mimasuya, claimed to be the oldest Izakaya in Tokyo (opened in 1905),  it offers beer-battered fugu (poisonous blowfish) which can only legally be prepared by licensed chefs. It's located at 2-15-2 Kanda Tsukasa-cho, Chiyoda-ku. 

Wish we had those Izakaya in Sydney, we do have some izakaya down here but none of them is as good as the ones in Japan. Musashi has good dishes but for me it's a bit too elegant for an Izakaya and a bit pricey.

(Japanese kir, a cocktail from Musashi)

(Salmon teriyaki from Musashi)

(John dory with garlic butter sauce from Musashi)