eat like a cow

Miso - World Square, Sydney

2009-07-24T00:11:00.002+08:00

I can't believe that it took me close to a year to finally have a meal at this place. It's understandable, really - during its first months of operations, it's almost impossible to get a table straight away due to the hordes of people waiting to be seated. Nowadays, it's still crowded, but if you come at a time which deviates slightly from peak dining hours, you'll get a table quite easily.

This brainchild of the Masuya Group (their fifth establishment after Masuya, Musashi, Makoto City & Chatswood) is specializing in bentou and teishoku (set-meal) type of dishes. The whole experience dining in this place can be summed up as "glorified, pricey-ish obentous with freakishly saccharine service"

However, it can't be denied that any restaurant belonging to Masuya Group has pretty high standards. The ingredients are always very fresh, the food impeccably prepared, and prices are quite tolerable. Miso has a killer take-away menu, too (I especially love the look of their "Shinkansen bentou" - packed in a container that emulates the real thing sold at Japan's train stations (ekiben), and priced about the same, too (around 1000 yen / 13 bucks). Nice!

I have yet to try their famous tonkatsu (especially the miso-katsu). The reason being that I need sufficient mental preparations to try their hyped-up tonkatsu, remembering that tonkatsu is pretty much on my top 3 favorite dishes of all time.

Kukicha

-> A pot of tea, and a copy of Newsweek magazine featuring a person I freaking like and totally voted for, Indonesian President Yudhoyono on the cover. (lanjutkan!) <- his presidential campaign catchphrase, translated as "continue! (one more term!)"

Anywhoo, kukicha is a very nice green tea made from a blend of the stalks, stems, and pale tips of green tea - creating a wonderfully subtle yet tannic flavor. It's kind of lighter than normal sencha, but with a creamy edge to it.

Rating: 7.5/10

Hokkaido bentou

-> Looks really awesome indeed. I was immediately smitten. Look at that bentou lacquerware, I want to buy one just like that!! The rice was perfect, and it's scattered with ikura (salmon roe) and salmon flakes.

Okay, let's delve into the contents:

Seafood gratin

-> I adore gratins. Especially when the Japanese made them. Perhaps some purists would argue that the French are still the experts when it comes to gratins, but Japanese gratins are very edgy and it's always a surprise what lies beneath that cheesy-licious crust. This one contains kanikama, fish, broccoli, and tomatoes in cream sauce.

Rating: 7.5/10

The middle section

-> Contains (in ascending order of yummy-ness): tofu steak, seedless grapes, stewed broccoli with mayonnaise, kamaboko (fish cake), nasu dengaku (stewed eggplant with sweet miso), teriyaki salmon, dashimaki tamago (rolled omelette), and tsukune (yakitori-style chicken meatball - YUM YUM)

Salmon sashimi

-> Really fresh - as expected from Masuya Group...

Deep-fried soft shell crab

-> The piece de resistance, and perhaps, the reason why this dish is called "Hokkaido bentou" (Tokyoites mostly go to Hokkaido to eat crabs, LOL) I don't usually go crazy about soft shell crabs, but this one is a yum-yum.

Rating: 8/10

Chong Qing Restaurant - Haymarket, Sydney

2009-07-23T22:42:00.003+08:00

Don't judge me, but I almost NEVER visit any of those Chinese restaurants on Dixon St. Chinatown - not so much because they're kind of tourist traps, but because of those annoying waitresses who stand in front of their respective restaurants calling on and shoving menus to unwary potential 'victims' (which are always Caucasian, non-Chinese, or touristy-looking customers).

I also bear a personal grudge against these waitresses, as they always, always assume that I'm not Chinese and shout stuff like "SIR, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME NICE DINNER?? TWENTY FIVE-FIFTY PER PERSON, VERY GOOD VALUE! COME AND LOOK AT OUR MENU!!!"
This bugs me a LOT. How can they tell that I'm not Chinese? I look like a Chinese - but that's not the main point. The main point is, I AM Chinese, I just didn't grow up in China nor speak the language proficiently (okay, I lied. My Chinese is lousier than a fifth grader).

I always complain about this to my friends, but they didn't believe me. They thought that I look VERY Chinese (which bugs me a bit as well, as I love being racially ambiguous, LOL). So, one day, I dared them to do a little experiment.

'twas Monday night, the restaurant strip part of Dixon St was reasonably quiet, so imaginably, restaurants started to get all worked up to fish some wayward customers walking on the street. Therefore, they placed their prettiest, most alluring and seductive waitresses, some even clad in (surprisingly) pretty nice qipaos. Their faces are covered with make-up which are thicker than that of Singapore Airlines' flight attendants. So there they stood, carrying several menus, prepared to pounce at any given time.

My 2 friends and I (one from Hong Kong and another from China) stood near the Chinatown paifang (the Chinese gate thingy) and we had planned to proceed walking along Dixon St one at a time, at the same pace and speed, and see which one of us gets called by the waitress(es). First to go was the Hong Kong guy, and as he walked along the street decked with waitresses standing on both sides of the street, he got called by no-one. Second to go was the Chinese guy, who ALSO walked along the street, passing many waitresses with no-one calling or offering him the menu.

Then came my turn. I walked confidently, in focus and looking straight ahead, creating the illusion that I have a sense of purpose and direction and have no interest on having dinner anywhere. But ho-ho, surprise surprise, the very FIRST waitress I approached SHOVED me her menu and informed me that they've got "Special offer on set menu! STIR FRIED CHILI KING PRAWN only 10 dollars!". I immediately felt irked. But then, stir-fried king prawns for 10 bucks in a restaurant is a pretty good deal, an....wait a minute, *FOCUS, erique, DO NOT GIVE IN! Just keep walking*. Then, after walking past a couple of idle waitresses, another one shoved me a menu AGAIN! "NICE DINNER, SIR! FORTY DOLLARS FOR TWO PEOPLE, COME IN AND TAKE A LOOK!!". Damn. I was seriously pissed. I mean, if I can speak Mandarin, I would tell them to save their sweet-talk to some tourists or Caucasians!

But at least I proved my point to my friends that apparently, as ridiculous as it seems, people CAN tell that I'm not Chinese-Chinese. China-Chinese. Whatever you may call it.

So, we decided to go to this place, Chong Qing Restaurant instead (they DON'T have waitresses standing in front of their establishment shouting menu items, which I very much appreciate)

Pickled gingers, steamed peanuts

-> The free stuff (or rather, the prices of these stuff are built-into the non-free items). I love steamed peanuts. It's very common in Jakarta, where I come from - basically any crowded area has at least one steamed peanut peddler.

-> The two-way steamboat - mild chicken soup and hot soup. The hot one is ridiculously delicious and saliva-inducing. It's tongue-numbing hot as well (lots of peppers), however, you can choose your desired level of hot-ness from the menu (this one was MAXIMUM)

Beef tendon ball & Pork sausages

-> It's just beef balls & sausages, but when cooked inside the hot soup, they becomes freaking awesome. If I don't have a weak stomach, I would eat these hot stuff every single day!

Beef roll & lamb roll

-> Imagine these bad boys soaking all the aroma and flavor of the hot soup...mmm, it doesn't get any better than this...

Enoki & oyster mushrooms

-> These are great, but the real reason why we ordered these is just to show the world that we aren't some greedy, gluttonous carnivores who only eat meat, meat, and meat.

Northern-style pancakes

-> Okay, this thing is indispensable. It's quite crisp on the outside, and soft on the inside, so when you soak these pancakes with the spicy soup, it soaks up the liquid, creating that incredible yet momentary texture of crispiness and moistness, coupled with some pretty intense and glorious flavors and aroma....this is truly the food of Gods. (too hyperbolic?)

Be wary, though - as this is an all-you-care-to-eat restaurant, they tend to shove this a lot to you so you would fill up on carbs and consume less meat. Amateurs might fall for it, but not us here at eatlikeacow!

-> Dessert. Okay, can someone tell me what this might be?? it's kind of like a fungus or algae or aloe vera or something - anyway it's delicious...

Rating (for the whole experience): 8/10

The Rocks Aroma Festival 2009 - Sydney

2009-07-20T01:24:00.006+08:00

I have to admit, I'm a The Rocks Aroma Festival (henceforth 'TRAF') virgin. Well, not exactly a virgin, depends on how you look at it - let's just say that I went to 'second base' *wink wink* with TRAF last year. Okay. That's confusing - and rather disgusting. Anyway, last year, I didn't explore this fantastic festival thoroughly - just a sip of hot chocolate bought around the starting area of the festival. This year, I think it might be fun to explore and exploit around a bit.

A wee bit of warning before ye proceed, though - this post is image-intensive. Probably the most images in a post in eatlikeacow history. But regardless, you have to see it all because taking these photos (plus editing, tweaking, and arranging them) was pretty laborious indeed! FYI, these photos are the result of selection from almost 400 photos I took yesterday. I know to most experienced bloggers and photographers this number is nothing (NOTHING!), but for me, it's a freaking nightmare. So, do enjoy!

Let's get to it, shall we.

Basic thing about TRAF for you foreigners and aliens joining us tonight: TRAF is a food festival dedicated to, well, aroma - more specifically, aromatic drinks and desserts such as coffee-based, chocolate-based, and tea-based products (yum yum).

The festival occupied most part of the touristy strip of Circular Quay from The Museum of Contemporary Art, stretching to the area around the Overseas Passenger Terminal, Campbells Cove, until the roundabout somewhere near / after the Park Hyatt. The festival is cleverly divided into four different "land" a la Disneyland-The Magic Kingdom kind of thing. Each "land" represents a geographical (and cultural) area of the world, namely: The Latin Quarter, The Continent, The Orient, and The Oasis.

Supposedly, each land contains stalls which offers food items pertaining to its name. E.g. The Orient district should contain stalls that sells Chinese teas, Japanese teas, etc. However, there are lots of irregularities everywhere. E.g. chocolate fudge stall located in The Orient district, etc. It's very annoying. Well, it's nothing big, really - it's just that the purpose of creating these "lands" are to make sure that visitors get the sensation of being whisked away from one continent to the other (again, a la Disneyland - God, I miss that place), and when they misplace stalls here and there, the sensation is just not there anymore. Anyhoo, let's grab our boarding pass and hop into the plane, 'cause the tour is about to start!

THE LATIN QUARTER
Erique's catchphrase: "¿Donde Esta la Biblioteca?"
(Where is the library?) - Spanish
*sorry - that's about all the Spanish I remember from my high school year...I'll do better for the other continents, I promise*

-> Various chocolate Tejas from Tejas Del Solar. This Peruvian confectionery is made from chocolates filled with dulce de leche and nuts. Gotta love Tejas.

-> The entertainment in The Latin Quarter. Each "land" has its own stage and performers, which I think is a brilliant idea.

-> Authentic, ancient Mayan statue believed to grant the person who touches it fertility and potency. Nah, I'm kidding. I don't even know if this is Inca, Mayan, or Aztec (but I know tha it's made of an ancient, sacred substance known as Styrofoam).

-> Crowd shot in the Latin Quarter. The festival started at 10 am and this photo was taken around 10.30 and look at all those people crowding the place already! I'm not a very outdoorsy person (okay, I lied. I hate the outdoors) and seeing these enthusiastic crowd enjoying the wonderful world of outside really makes me crave the air-conditioned, shady paradise that is my bedroom. (Sorry to be such a spoilsport)!

-> First cupcakes encounter - the Sparkle Cupcakery. Look at those stylish boxes! BTW, I encountered a LOT of cupcakes on the festival - they should call this thing The Rocks Cupcake Festival)

-> The Sparkle Cupcakery menu + color scheme. Wow.

-> Another crowd shot *stupid police car is in the way*

-> First bounty: Casa Sabor Portuguese Orange Chocolate Mousse. It's cream-free (can you believe it?!) For me, this is exactly my perfect kind of mousse - not too sweet, light & airy, and intense in flavor. I'm not actually sure what made this thing Portuguese, though. LOL

THE CONTINENT
Erique's catchphrase: "hor auf, so laut in dieser nervigen sprache zu reden"
(please stop talking loudly in that annoying language!) - German
*isn't it annoying when someone does that?? Really!*

-> The entertainment: a ragtag-ish, random-looking music performers housed in a caravan. How wonderfully kitschy (yet predictable). I just LOVE the Florence Broadhurst-y wallpapers!

-> Yet another crowd shot. Notice those people going upstairs? No, they're not going to see the free domestic coffee machine expo (as per the sign), they actually climbed the bajillion stairs to see...

-> ...this. Okay, time to zoom out:

-> Ta-dah! Behold, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa constructed entirely from various shades of coffee in cups. I don't know if they did this (or something similar) last year, but I just can't get over how fascinating the people who created this thing are! I don't know how they do it. They don't seem to have any sort of guide etched on the floor. And notice that little girl? YES, she's doing it too! She's actually contributing to the whole effort and she always places the cups in the right positions! I mean, wow!

-> Okay - show-off shot. The skyline, the crowd, and the coffee-cup Mona Lisa. Totally Flickr-worthy.

-> Mouthwatering chocolate drinks and chocolate stuff molded in various forms from I Love My Chocolates.

-> Yet ANOTHER crowd-shot. If you squint, it somehow looks like a haphazardly-structured bier garden somewhere in Vienna or Hanover.

-> Oh my Lord, not another crowd shot.

-> *Said in the style of 30 Rock's NBC page Kenneth Parcell* Hey, look everybody, it's Pony Dining's awesome chef, Damian Heads whipping up his famous Argentinean-style woodfire-grilled treats! Hi, Damian!

-> Lord help me. I would've gotten two - nay, three orders of whatever this is if it wasn't for the fact that I'd just had dinner at Pony last week. *slurpp*

-> Hands down, the most fragrant and aromatic non-chocolate / coffee / tea stall in the whole festival. I heart Pony Dining!

-> Whoops. Can't miss this shot. I love The Rocks. Never get enough of The Rocks. It is one of the prettiest places in the world, IMO.

THE ORIENT
Erique's catchprase: "Aa! Onara suru tsumori datta kedo, unchi ga dechatta!"
(Oops! I meant to fart but poop comes out!) - Japanese
*Is this based on my personal experience, you ask? I'm going to leave it to your imagination!*

-> This band is AWESOME. They just rock the whole place. The one playing the Dizi (Chinese flute) is the ringleader of the band. Before playing each piece, he beautifully introduces the next music piece they're going to play along with a short history and origin of the particular song. He's just fantastic.

-> This Guzheng-plucking auntie is so pretty and mesmerizing. Totally my type.

-> Yaay, more cupcakes. These ones are from The Cupcake Bakery.

-> The Cupcake Bakery's piece de resistance - a gigantic frise poodle-like muffin that's not for sale *darn*!!

-> More cupcakes from The Cupcake Bakery. After looking at that fantabulous gigantic cupcake, these ones look so...muggle-born.

-> Impossibly breathtaking fudges from Fudge Fabulous Fudge.

-> Bounty #2: Chocolate Macadamia, Rum & Raisin, and my personal favorite: Baileys Irish Cream fudge. BTW, I finished 2 of them on the way home. Damn, should've bought 10 instead.

-> Chinese teas from Valley Green Tea. My mouth really craved for the Mao Feng tea, but unfortunately, I had to restrain myself from drinking too much tea (as per doctor's recommendation)

-> I want that tea set! I've always wanted a terracotta tea set - the ones that you can pour tea all over the tiny teapot itself and making it all wet. It looks sooooo good. Why do they do that anyway? What's the significance of that practice? Anyone?

-> Chai tea from Chai. I'm kind of obsessed (again) with Chai recently. These days, I always seem to order Chai whenever I'm in a coffee shop (instead of coffee). I'm seriously afraid that I'm becoming a middle-aged hippie.

-> Australian-owned, environmentally ethical, AND solar powered? Wow, what more can you want? Truly a hippie company.

-> Bounty #3: Rainbow Chai. Wait - you mean you CAN make Chai latte at home? man alive! I thought Chai is something you have to buy (and no way else) like Char siu / Siu yoke or Tonkotsu ramen! LOL

-> Another set of mouthwatering teas from Toby's Estate Fine Select Teas. They're a little stingy on samples, though.

-> Alice-in-wonderland-ish dessert creation from www.flowerfruits.com.au

-> Damn expensive stuff, people. Those chocolate-covered strawberry skewers are like, 6 bucks each! Worth every penny, though.

-> Definitely the most ooh-and-aah-ed food item in the whole festival. Wonder how much this one costs.

-> Bounty #4: A box of chocolate-covered strawberries for 20 bucks. Gonna save it for mummy who's coming to Sydney this week. She'll go nuts over these pretty strawberries. When she goes nuts. she'll shower me with love and attention. Therefore, on her next shopping trip to Castlereagh st, I can tag along and perhaps slip a...oh, I don't know...a little black Taiga leather Vuitton man-clutch so she can pay that together with her shopping items with her nice credit card? (my dad checks my credit card spending but not my mom's)

THE OASIS
Erique's catchphrase: "Yemeğin salçalısı, kadının kalçalısı"
(Food is good with tomato sauce, women is good with its tush) - Turkish
*Hey, I didn't invent the phrase, so feminists, direct your anger somewhere else!*

-> Turkish Coffee gizmo. looks complicated, and slightly bigger than your average espresso machine, LOL

-> No idea what these are. I guess they're some kind of pudding. Anyway, it's from Gourmet Taste Buds.

-> The entertainment on The Oasis district - male belly dancer. On close inspection, that is NOT Akmal Saleh, unfortunately. Gosh darnit.

-> Another performer in The Oasis district. Thank god he didn't attempt a rendition of Hadise's "Dum Tek Tek" (those who never watch Eurovision will never understand what I'm talking about)

-> Probably the biggest temptation on the festival - sweet pastry drenched with sugar syrup that is the Baklava. Considering my family's long history with Diabetics, I need to resist this one - it is, after all, the mother of all sugary treats.

-> ...oh God...not the BIRDNEST Baklava... *EVIL*!!!

-> A selection of Turkish pide and pastries from the Turkish Coffee House

-> Ah, the Gozleme ladies. Reliably found in all festivals, night markets, or any sort of open-air festivities across Sydney regardless of how much or little they have to do with Turkey or the Turkish culture. (I'm not very sure if it's the same group of peddlers or not, though - seeing that all Gozleme stalls I encounter never sport any sort of shop / restaurant identification and simply label their stall "Turkish Gozleme")

-> Last bounty of the day: Cheese, spinach & beef Gozleme. What can I say, I love all things Turkish. Not the prettiest food around, for sure - but it's so addictive and absolutely sumptuous.

-> Definitely not something you see everyday.

Phew! all those photo-captioning really made me hungry!
That's about all from The Rock's Aroma Festival 2009 coverage, proudly presented by eatlikeacow. It has been a great day, everything was so well-organized and the weather couldn't be better. So, final thoughts about the festival: can't complain! I'm really looking forward to next year (but they REALLY have to update their poster, I've seen that same coffee-snorting lady for years and frankly, I'm getting tired of her)

Okay, maybe one more crowd shot and I'm done, I promise!

Midtown Cafe - Sydney

2009-07-12T20:56:00.003+08:00

A chic cafe located just next to the George St. cinemas. The main appeal of this place is its convenient location and they open till quite late, so if I'm feeling peckish after watching such blockbusters as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen or Eatlikeacow: the Movie (oh, ha ha very funny. I'm soo creative), you can bet that I'll drop by.

Oh, wow. What a cool effect, huh?

It's actually a photo of chandeliers in the cafe taken with a very, very shaky camera. How did I achieve this cool effect? I won't reveal how. Sorry. Amateur photographer's code. (note to self: it's not like I'm a magician with magician's code). Oh, okay - I'll speak, I'll speak.
Actually, my camera was broken and it vibrated a lot. So, when it vibrated like crazy, I used the opportunity to take this like, totally super awesome shot.

Okay - enough randomness and let's get to the food ASAP!

Okay. Maybe a couple more non-food photos and THEN I'll get to the food!!

Bruschetta

-> This is simply the BEST bruschetta I've tasted in a long time (time to go to Italy, I guess?) LOL. Anyway, it has a kick-arse avocado salsa and very high butter content (which equals total yum-ness). It's such a satisfying treat

(BTW, "kick-arse"?? "yum-ness"?? what happened to my vocabulary? A few months of not writing a blog really takes a toll on my fantabulous vocabulary. Oh my. How utterly derisory and farcical. THERE! I can still remember a few big words!)

Rating: 7/10

The artworks and posters on this cafe is so delightful and amusing. It's really my kind of stuff. Just look at this poster by Mauzan. Impressive! Very 1920s. Very Art Deco.

-> My oh my. I don't even remember what this dish is called. Okay, let me explain it to you instead. It's basically a firm-fleshed fish (Barramundi or John Dory) baked inside layers of mashed potato, mozzarella, and what tastes like either Bearnaise sauce or slightly savory Bechamel. This is a VERY piping hot dish (because it's baked, duhh). The texture is a delight, but taste-wise it's a tad bland because as you can see there's no strongly-flavoured ingredient in this dish. After a few bites, this dish does get a little bit tedious on the stomach.

Rating: 6/10

Guylian Cafe - The Rocks, Sydney

2009-07-12T18:06:00.004+08:00

Hello, world!

After a gazillion months living in seclusion (no, not in a deserted yet uber-luxurious resort 300 miles north of Bora Bora), I'm making a soft comeback! Anyway, it's partially because I hate seeing Cla so lonely being the only contributing contributor at eatlikeacow and I realize it's time I start bringing cameras back to restaurants and snap some pics for you nice people to ooh and ahh and look at (hopefully).

...just FYI, taking a break off from eatlikeacow was like a vacation for me. I really enjoyed not lugging my camera to restaurants and having nice dinners with my friends without yelling "HEY! DON'T TOUCH THAT YET! I HAVEN'T TAKEN THE PICS YET!" to my friends every now and then.

Okay, back to the subject at hand. Guylian Cafe at The Rocks.

As far as I know, Guylian Cafe at The Rocks is still one of the top 10 posh patisserie-slash-coffeehouse in Sydney. It really has that European feel to it. Plus, I love Guylian. It's kind of the affordable alternative to Godiva or Valrhona, LOL. Let's face it, unless you're a Greek shipping magnate, who can afford to stock up on Godiva pralines in your big fridge?

The good thing about Guylian Cafe is, you can get fancy schmancy desserts that they serve in three-star restaurants without having to pay $200 for the preceding junks they serve (ha ha just kidding)

Mango Catalonia

-> This was their special of the day thing so I'm not sure if I get the name right. This thing looks pretty (reminds me of my late turtle Tupples, may he rest in peace), but rather hard to enjoy. The crust is very attractive, but it isn't the easiest thing to swallow. However, on the up-side, the mango mousse is to die for.

Rating: 7/10

Enjoy In

-> Hazelnut dacquoise enveloped with raspberry mousse. What can be better than that? Simply stunning. It's food like these that made me really really want to become a patissier (although I might end up flunking the course and become a patisserie eater, instead)

Rating: 8/10

Guylian Original Belgian Chocolate Praline Spread

-> The takeaway. This thing is crazy delicious. Think Nutella but much better texture, slightly less sweet, and infused with that magical Guylian aroma. This thing is supposed to be used as a spread for your sandwich, toast, cakes, etc...but I said to myself, screw it - I'm eating it straight from the jar.

Rating: 8.5/10

Novus - National Museum of Singapore

2009-06-19T22:37:00.004+08:00

Went to the museum and had ~~lunch~~ dessert before Karesansui class..

'Love Tank' by S. Teddy Darmawan

Pear + Apple + Mint

Orange

Skinny Cappuccino

Aglio Olio

Tiramisu

and later in class...

Genmaicha

Pierre Herme

2009-06-16T16:44:00.004+08:00

in case some of you were not aware that the selby featured Pierre Herme house a while ago...

click here

and i've just bought ...

recipes are relatively simple... but i've just realized i have nothing to bake with other than an oven.... ( anyone wants to donate a Kitchenaid?? :p ) for now, it will just serve as a coffee table book

Congee for idiots

2009-06-16T15:38:00.004+08:00

1/2 cup rice
4 cup water
thinly sliced pork rib (boneless)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp sesame oil
crushed ginger
crushed garlic
cracked black pepper to taste
dunk everything in the rice cooker put on porridge setting... 1 hour later... voila!
(stir in between if you like the thicker consistency)
slice some spring onion to top it off

note: still cant chew... *tear

Sun with Moon - Wheelock Place

2009-06-16T12:45:00.002+08:00

Iced Yuzu Tea

Seafood Kamameshi

Skin nourishing Collagen Hot Pot & chicken cucumber ume salad
that white blob is the collagen ball!

Rating: 9/10
this place is my new "tonkichi"...

The White Rabbit - Dempsey

2009-05-05T22:04:00.006+08:00

a renovated chapel on the hill

What's Up, Doc?
Carrot and Orange Juice + Ginger
mum loves it but me hate ginger

Mixed Berry Smoothies
ugh, brain freezeeee!!!!!
wanted another rhubarb drink, but waiter said the rhubarb went rotten... :S

The White Rabbit Mac & Cheese
served with spring vegetables and an indulgent truffle sauce
looks small, but really quite filling. and that truffle sauce is making me sick by the end of it... sauce is too thick and lumpy? need to be more smooth~

Grilled Salmon
served with seasonal vegetables and orange Maltaise sauce
too normal... overcooked by my standard and mum hate the sauce...

Eggs Benedict
standard, salad has a nice dressing though...

Rating: 6/10
I really want to like the place (have a thing for anything rabbit, being my chinese zodiac explains my spoilt nature perfectly) but seriously, it's very disappointing and insignificant...

visit the website instead! its beyond cute!!! very Alice in Wonderland and typical Asylum...
click here

Azur - Crown Plaza Hotel, Changi Airport

2009-05-05T21:44:00.005+08:00

went to the new (but not that new) airport hotel to have brekky and raid the room...

Rating: 6/10
other than the waffle, nothing else stands out and definitely lacking both in quantity and quality...

Mango Tree - Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok

2009-05-05T21:06:00.004+08:00

last meal at the airport

Iced Coffee

Spicy Grilled Chicken Strip

Beef Ball Noodle

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Tom Yam Noodle

Mango Sticky Rica
they finally got stingy with the mangoes...

Rating: 8/10

thai food taste pretty much the same all over bangkok...mouth watering! in fact, the uglier and cheaper the place, the better it taste... the swankier ones are usually catered to foreigners and less authentic, i guess... still, after 8 straight days, i havnt had thai since and that was more than 4 months ago...

Hua Hin Beach

2009-05-05T15:45:00.003+08:00

spent the day at the beach...
we're no beach people (my mum went fully covered head to toe plus wide rimmed hats) but it seems the thai isnt either...
the beach is super crowded with beach chair and no sand left uncovered, yet there's about ten measly people in the water.... XD

i expected to get sick from the food, but didnt.. so that's a good thing...

Thomson - Rama 1, Bangkok

2009-05-03T14:25:00.004+08:00

If you dont like to do the touristy thing in Thailand, at least come see the Jim Thomson house (beautiful traditional house + intriguing missing person tale + antiques) !
If you cant be bothered with museums, then you still have to come for a meal in the restaurant...
If you cant make it to Thailand, they just opened in Dempsey, Singapore... how convenient... :D

Rosella Iced & w/o
the latest anti-oxidant craze...

Iced Lemongrass

Iced Coffee
what coffee is it that the thai used?? a lil different from vietnamese coffee, a lil like japanese iced coffee...

Grapefruit Salad
whenever in Thomson, you have to order the salad!

Chicken Curry

Salmon Spring Roll

Tom Yum

Ice Cream
its like a chendol ice cream... with jackfruit, chendol and coconut... yum yum

Rating: 8/10

Floating Market - Damnoen Saduak

2009-05-02T21:44:00.006+08:00

"floating market = floating tourist rubbish" (LUXE city guides)
XD

well, if anything, you get to sit on the James Bond - that long tail boat (not recommended of you have a bad back), see how their village people lives & see how they juggle a tray from the middle of the canal all the way to land... (but it is quite a long way from the city and you have to set off before the sun rises...)

with all the food there, am not going to complain....

Parking Lot Snacks

2009-05-02T21:07:00.002+08:00

we see food, we see steam, we drool, we wantttt!!!!!
our day guide buys us a whole bundle of these stuff because we look super excited and interested... but one bite and we all turn silent... XD... its practically sticky rice + black bean and that's it............................ not sweet, not salty. ??!?!??!?!?!??!?!

Ban Khun Mae - Siam Square

2009-05-02T20:35:00.004+08:00

*as recommended by Sa's colleague

Siam Square is very happening at night; walking around in the evening there was probably about 3-4 different live performance going on... pity the shops were closed :(

Larb
spicy glass noodle salad
most people are more familiar with som tum/ papaya salad when it comes to thai salad... this is spicy glass noodle usually with a choice of meat/seafood... very very spicy. it's awesome... i tried my first one in sydney (that crocodile thai place on the chinatown end of george st!) have been hooked since... :D~~~~

Mixed stir fried veggies
nothing special, we simply need the fiber... we each put on 3kgs from the week long stay... :P

Chicken in Pandan Leaves

Tom Yum
there's 2 type of tom yum, red and white... white despite looking safer, is much more potent so proceed with caution! its less spicy, more sour and tongue-burning....

Fried Fish with tamarind and spice

Yam ball with coconut milk served warm
this is that thai desert that came with egg yolk... we ordered ours without, for obvious reasons... its really nice this way..i dont think i have the stomach to try one with eggs...

Steamed Cassava with coconut milk

Mango with Sticky rice

Rating: 8.5/10
i believe this is more northern thailand cuisine, much like Chat Thai in Sydney

ps. i've noticed they're really stingy with the sticky rice

Cafe de Tu - Siam Paragon

2009-05-01T19:57:00.002+08:00

simply needed a place to rest the feet and people watch, and they had cute chairs...

Cafe Ice - Chatuchak Market

2009-05-01T19:01:00.003+08:00

*bit unsure of the name

so it's that market on every guidebook out there
we spent hours walking around and bought one weaved basket... yes, that's it...
there's a pet section where they sell tiny little rabbits - absolutely adorable
point is, there really isnt a need to get to the market at all... except there's....

Mango Smoothies
-wouldnt let me take a picture without him in it... !@#$%^&*&^%$#@

Fresh Coconut
we finished like 4-5 of these along with the other massive drinks... its perfect for the weather! you'll find these all over the city... and with the advance agriculture, it taste way better than ones back home....

Thai Iced Tea

Pad Thai
have stoppped ordering pad thai a long time ago since everywhere i go seem to serve a soggy mess. This one is by pasta standard, al dente!
Rating: 10/10!!!!!

Mango sticky rice
why is there so little sticky rice????? *boo

Baan Khanitha - Sathorn

2009-05-01T17:15:00.007+08:00

from 1st day in Bangkok
ordered "the usual" - tom yum, som tum, pad krapao, steamed fish with tamarind sauce...
www.baan-khanitha.com

Rating: 7/10
good, but Dusit Thai in Perth and Chat Thai in Sydney is still on par... i expected better since we're in the capital... yea?

ps. if there's a thai reader out there can you please explain to me what's that first dish i had?? lots of raw stuff stuffed in a leaf...

Central - Selegie Rd

2009-05-01T15:56:00.003+08:00

supper after watching "Black Balloon" (there's Gemma Ward!!) at the National Museum...

Beef Brisket Noodle

French Toast

Kaya Toast

Chrysanthemum Tea with Honey and Salted Lemon

Hong Kong Milk Tea with Grass Jelly

IT LIGHTS UP!!!!!
(somehow only mine does... hahahhaha)

Rating: 7.5/10
food and drink is somehow very comforting and tempting...
(doesnt look it on the pictures, i know)

Nectarie - The Cannery, Clarke Quay

2009-04-22T21:31:00.003+08:00

Chocolate Truffle Cake
The ultimate chocolate mousse with Valrhona dark Chocolate

Rating: 9/10

www.nectarie.sg

Happy Birthday, Cla!

2009-04-22T19:12:00.002+08:00

To our big boss Cla: have a hap-'piet mondrian' birthday!!
Corny? No? ....*sound of cricket chirping*
Save us two slices of your overpriced designer gourmet cake okay!!

Happy Second Birthday, Eat Like a Cow!

2009-04-19T00:01:00.003+08:00

Today, it's been exactly 2 years since Cla posted our very first entry on this blog and we can honestly say that our lives - or at least our eating habits - have changed ever since. Gone are the days when we can stroll casually into a restaurant and eat our food immediately after the waitress place the dish in front of us without frantically searching the best angles to photograph them!

Thanks to this humble blog of ours, we've made lots of new friends - some dear ones and some very dear ones - and we believe that's the most fulfilling aspect in keeping a blog. We've started this blog initially as a private forum between us co-writers - old friends separated by continents - to be in touch with each other through sharing of photos of food we eat - and now this humble blog has actually attracted small but intimate amount of readers from near and far, and we sincerely thank you for your support these two years.

We hope that what we do here in our blog would be of use to all of you dear readers, and hopefully, generate some tiny smiles along the way. Thanks again, and here's to another year!

...aaaand now, for a little commemorative cartoon on this joyous occasion:

Hahaha. Ha. Funny? No? .....*awkward silence*.....

...oh by the by, we've also made some freebies for all of you (yayy freebies!)
Well, don't get TOO excited, it's just desktop wallpapers, LOL - eatlikeacow 2nd anniversary special limited edition commemorative wallpapers, to be exact!

click click:

eatlikeacow 2nd anniversary wallpaper - Black (1024 x 768)
eatlikeacow 2nd anniversary wallpaper - White (1024 x 768)

Cla, Erique, Moo Moo

The Canteen - Shaw Centre

2009-04-13T23:23:00.003+08:00

Lunch.
25% off during RECESS-ion. XD
management by Les Amis. (basically mean you get a chair pulled up just for your handbag... )

Iced Teh
"teh" as in the local lingo for milk tea. too watery for my liking.

Bak Kut Teh with White Pepper
massive serving with plenty of meat. but i find white pepper "smelly"...

Hanbaagu
12 minutes wait, but i dont really mind it... only thing, they could have gave a lil more sauce...

Rating: 7/10
it's ok but there's so much other things to eat in the area... eat here if you want courteous service. you know its rare...

Novus - National Museum of Singapore

2009-04-12T19:11:00.004+08:00

At the Museum for the Christian Lacroix the costumier exhibition.

Death by Nuttella, Iced Mint Tea & Flat White

Yoshimaru Ramen Bar - Holland Village

2009-04-12T18:43:00.004+08:00

Fresh from Hakata, Kyushu.
Serves the "Hakata Ramen" which is distinctively ultra thin, not dissimilar to Marutama Ramen.

Tan Tan Mian & Tan Tan Tsuke Mian
can someone explain to me why they would have two version of tan tan men? all i can think of is that tsuke men is there for the more fickle person.. hahahha
noodle is pretty good, springy and has a bite to it. the broth is excruciatingly salty, but more manageable in the tsuke men version. soft boiled eggs were perfect!

Rating: ~~6/10~~ 0/10
note: we got mild case of food poisoning from it... ew..

Sydney Theatre Bar - Walsh Bay, Sydney

2009-04-05T23:59:00.004+08:00

Okay - I know, I know, these pictures were taken like, a couple of months ago and it has VERY little to do with food (just hang in there - scroll down and I promise you, you'll see some food there), but I just can't help posting this thing.

So, I was always out of town when the Sydney Festival is happening, but fortunately, not this year - this year I attended the SF in full force. However, due to some unforseen circumstances, I couldn't prepare for the festival very well, so I missed out on some very important tickets as they were completely sold out. Luckily, they still give us a chance to grab some 'leftover' tickets (actually, it's more like tickets purposely set aside for last-minute purchases rather than leftovers) at discounted prices - but here's the catch - you've got to queue up for your desired tickets on the day of the performance. Tickets for each show playing on that day are VERY limited (usually just about 10 - 20 tickets per show) and it's on a first-come-first-served basis. Since shows on SF are always hugely popular, and there are so many penniless college students and unemployed art enthusiasts out there, as you can imagine, there's always a loooooooooong line (I hope the number of 'o's give you a good picture on how long the queue is) in front of the solitary ticket booth on Martin Place.

The last minute ticket booth (dubbed 'tix for next to nix') opens at 8 am (if I'm not mistaken) daily, but people start to queue up as early as the previous midnight (they camp out in front of the booth). Based on some insider information, however, if you live in the city (like in my case), coming to the booth to queue up at 5 am is early enough. That's exactly what I did, and it turned out to be right - there's only like, 16 people queueing in front of me.

The show I was watching here is the Sydney Theatre Company's production of "The War of the Roses". It's a 'compilation / medley' of Shakespeare's plays (the Henrys, the Richards) starring one of my absolute silver screen idol, the goddess herself, Ms. Cate Blanchett. I've been to several other STC productions, so there are many actors in this play that I recognize as well.

Surely, Ms. Blanchett's presence will definitely attract lots of interests - that's why the shows are always full-house. To be honest, I'm not a Shakespeare mania - I've read most of his important plays (and was forced to study a couple of them during my school years) but I decided to watch this partially because it's not everyday that you see Ms. Blanchett live on stage - despite her close ties and involvement with the Sydney Theatre Company. Anyway, the show was absolutely a feast of senses. Visually, it's tremendously stunning - especially when the curtain opens to a stage colossally and entirely showered with tons upon tons of glittering (almost blinding) golden confetti while the actors act for a solid hour or so. (after the confetti shower finally stopped, the entire stage floor was covered with quite a thick layer of golden confetti!)

I won't bore you with the play review, but overall, it was a GREAT eight hours of Shakespeare. I just wished I brushed up on my Shakespeare plays before watching the play. Ms. Blanchett was absolutely stunning and compelling as King Richard (yes, king). I adore everything - from the great cast, experimental costumes, gold confetti, and the theatre itself. Can't wait to come back there for the rest of this year's season.

PS: The food? Well, it's a sandwich. And a glass of wine. Both are okay. Nothing much to talk about, but okay. The sandwich is good - it has mustard seed, dijonnaise, very nice.

Rating (food): 7/10

Ichiban Boshi - The Galleries Victoria, Sydney

2009-04-05T23:04:00.004+08:00

Salmon Roll

-> In Japan, a ramen restaurant is a one-person-one-dish type of restaurant. At least that's what I've noticed anyway. You're supposed to come in, state which type of ramen you want, be served a glass of water, eat your ramen, pay up and leave. That's how the Japanese do it anyway. However, outside Japan, there are plenty of side dishes to accompany your ramen. This is because ramen is considered an exotic food outside Japan, and therefore a ramen restaurant should offer a complete dining experience. Ergo, there's a need for lots of embelishments such as variety of side dishes, drinks, non-ramen items, etc - more so than in Japan. In Japan, it is very unusual for a ramen restaurant to serve sushi. Well, that's what so great (or not, depends on what kind of person are you) about ramen restaurants outside Japan. In Jakarta, Indonesia for example - they even serve 'Japanese' spring rolls and 'Japanese' triple choc brownies in one of the ramen restaurants I've been to.

Even though I'm not Japanese, I always feel that ramen restaurants are supposed to be one of those quick eat-and-go kind of place. To me, eating ramen in a place full of waiters in a proper restaurant-type seating & tables are just a tad weird. It's like, a kebab shop - surely it would be weird to find somewhere out there in another country, kebab is served in a proper restaurant with proper ambience and lots of waiters on tableclothed tables. You know what I mean?

Rating: 6.5/10

Hiyashi chuuka

-> Some people in the know would be able to tell straight away that I've been putting off posting this entry for awhile now just by looking at this food. Yup, this is one of the two absolute BEST summer dishs out there (the other one being cold somen). Not the best one I've tasted (and I've tasted quite a fair share of hiyashi chuuka around the globe), but considering that there aren't many places in Sydney that serve this thing, it's quite a pleasant experience.

Rating: 7/10

Melon soda float

-> I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm a total artificial fruit drink freak. The faker it taste, the better. I hate real juice. Well, I actually don't hate real juice, but I just hate things that even has the slightest bit of acidity to it (i.e. sour). Fake fruit flavorings are usually either 'trying to be real' or 'trying to be fake'. In the West, fake fruit flavorings are desperately trying to be real. That's why even those arificial fruit drinks, jellos, etc you find on your local supermarkets STILL taste sour-ish, because let's face it, most real fruits are sour and Western food scientists always strive to create artificial flavors that are closest to the originals.

In the East, however, artificial fruit flavorings are always 'trying to be fake' - e.g., things like mango lollies do NOT taste anything like real mangoes - but somehow, through some pre-installed information somewhere in our brain, we know that that flavor IS supposed to represent mango. Odd, isn't it.

For me, living in Australia is rather frustrating in the sense that even artificial fruit flavors are trying so hard to taste as close to the real thing as possible. I know, you're thinking "what kind of logic is that??" - but in my opinion, if I want to eat something that taste like real mango, or real melon, I would get some real mangoes and melons and eat them. When I see "mango cream biscuits" or "mango soda", I'm expecting something that taste ARTIFICIAL. I don't know - maybe it's an Asian thing. I grew up eating Japanese & Asian candies, lollies, confectionary, cordials etc that taste particularly artificial - that's why I crave those flavors every now and then.

Also, I think artificial fruit flavors that are trying to be real are just plain pretentious.

Rating: 7/10

Chashu ramen

-> Definitely a must-order. This is pretty authentic-tasting. The soup is infused with all kinds of Cantonese delights. A true representation of Chinese-style Japanese dish. I like this with loads of menma (bamboo shoots) added to it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Gastronomia - Paragon

2009-04-04T21:30:00.002+08:00

Lemon Cupcake

still cant figure out how to transfer the photos from the new phone... i can twit from it though :D

Whisk - Wisma Atria

2009-03-26T12:46:00.004+08:00

Sa suggested a cat themed cafe... *in shock*
we found out the reason why during sunday brunch where theres a massive line outside PS and a reservation list in Marmalade, this place is completely deserted while staring out the window to the ION construction site...

Mint & Lime Soda
there's hardly any mint at all in this... the tiny slithers of mint leaves on top is simply pathetic...
5/10

Chicken and Corn Soup with poached egg
tried and tested combination.. their version is better than most i've tried...
8/10

Timmy's Fish & Chips
crispy beer battered fish and chips. "so fresh you can almost hear the flapping waves of the sea".
superb and came in huge servings...
8/10

Rhubarb Pork Noodles
this could be so far the only dish that look better in photos than in person... the color is dull, taste no sign of rhubarb, noodles too thin and overcooked.... the only saving grace is the pork itself... extra tender, but swarmed in weird tasting sauce... ew
2/10

this place seems like someone's hobby... they need a real chef! although located in such a deserted corner of the mall might not have help either...

Simon Johnson - Pyrmont, Sydney

2009-03-19T19:44:00.007+08:00

If one day you wake up from your slumber and think, "hey, you know what I'm feeling like eating? freshly poached wild goose eggs with slow-cooked porcini mushrooms, drizzled with 10-year La Vecchia vinegar and hand-picked Welsh sea salt, dusted with some Périgord Truffle!" - but your fridge only has a pack of Kraft Singles and a can of Red Bull, then you might want to head to SIMON JOHNSON to stock up.

Yessir, grocery shopping has never been more exorbitant with shops like Simon Johnson - perhaps Australia's answer to the likes of Dean & Deluca or Zabar's in NYC. Blame it on the import tax, or the general lack of imported items in a self-sufficient country like Australia, but fine imported foodstuffs are indeed costly in this side of the globe.

The key when visiting Simon Johnson is: RESTRAINT. Even the unwisest of human beings are wise enough not to step into this shop with an empty stomach. You'll end up buying everything - from the tiny tub of French salt (hand-reaped by real French maidens, I'm sure) that cost 20 bucks, to those mouthwatering Spanish family reserve anchovies and foie gras that almost cost as much as pure gold in weight.

Indeed, for you gourmets and gourmands out there, you'll be lucky to walk out of the store spending less than 100 bucks on impulse purchases alone. Anyway, the shop is breathtaking - it's what a gourmet emporium should be. The Pyrmont shop is their first outlet - an old refurbished firehouse beaming with character. The centrepiece - a walk-in temperature-controlled fromagerie (cheese chamber / shop) fantastic enough to be locked in.

Again, restraint is the key. Although you know that resistance is futile when you sample those wonderful Gruyere and Gorgonzola. Kids, leave your credit cards & debit cards at home, just bring 50 bucks in your wallet and STICK TO YOUR SHOPPING LIST - because this place is like the island of temptation. Enjoy yourself but avoid bankruptcy!

Mary Quickes 2.5-Year old Cheddar
(Devon, UK)

-> The reason I came to the shop. I wanted to try a recipe that calls for a small amount of good, aged English Cheddar - but after actually sinking my teeth onto this beauty, I immediately realized that this thing is just too good to be cooked - and this cheese should never be appreciated with anything more than a sliver of water cracker.

Apparently, this particular Cheddar is produced by the famed 450-year old Quickes Family farm in Devon, England - and Simon Johnson stocks this as per Will Studd's advice. Will Studd is, as many of you know, one of the greatest authorities on Cheese in the Southern Hemisphere (I kid you not), and the only ambassador to France's Guilde des Fromagers. He has his own TV shows, award-winning books, etc - to make long things short, he's the Master. The big cheese.

Taste-wise, I absolutely love it. I am by no means a cheese expert (I just started to dabble in cheeses a couple of years ago), but I would describe the taste as crumbly, strong, earthy with a hint of grass. It's absolutely fantastic - no wonder it's considered the Best Cheddar in England.

Rating: 8.5/10

Silver-coated almonds
(Italy)

-> Very pretty, no? I actually never had any of these although I've seen them at my friend's wedding (they look so un-food like I thought they're decorations!). This stuff costs an arm and a leg for such a small quantity. Suitable if you're feeling like you've got some extra wads of cash in your pocket and have no idea what to spend it on (uhh, try staple food that actually contributes to your survival and well-being? LOL). It's kind of unessential, and the taste is pretty much imaginable, but look how pretty! This is exactly like sugar swizzle sticks, you know what I mean? Pretty, pricey, but kind of useless.

Rating: 7/10 (taste) 10/10 (appearance!)

Couscous
(Morocco)

-> At first, I thought that this thing is like, really really cheap in Morocco (they've got loads upon loads of them on Marrakech's souks!) - but my friend who actually lives in Morocco said that good couscous can be expensive. I haven't actually tried this, but I can't wait to!

Check out these sites:
http://www.quickes.co.uk/ (Quickes Cheese)
http://www.cheeseslices.com/ (Will Studd)
http://www.simonjohnson.com/ (Simon Johnson)

Roof Bar - Skygarden, Sydney

2009-03-19T19:23:00.003+08:00

The yuppie bar on top of Skygarden in Pitt Street. The open-air area is quite hip and cosy - it's a very city-ish hangout. Perfect for a long drink. The food selection is kind of lame, though.

Seafood vol-au-vent

-> Meh. Too bland. Not very exciting but not bad either. I'm more annoyed by the fact that there's only ONE piece of scallop (yes, ONE).

Rating: 6/10

Cascade Sparkling Premium Apple Juice

-> Don't ask me why, but this just feels...fancy. I honestly have no idea why. It's like those cute bottles of Orangina you only find in a Hotel room's mini bar but rarely on supermarket isles (especially in Australia). I always consider Orangina a 'fancy' drink (probably because most hotels charge 8 bucks a pop for those) and this sparkling apple juice is somehow similar.

Rating: 7.5/10

Max Brenner - Paddington, Sydney

2009-03-18T01:08:00.006+08:00

One day, my mom (who's visiting me from the Big Durian, this time sans her annoying tai-tai friends) and I went shopping in Paddington. It's her second visit in three months (thanks for the headache, mom).

After mere 3 hours of wandering around swiping (her) plastic cards in exchage of goodies and items to fill the massive voids in our lives, mom looked fatigued as she started to drag her "shopping shoes" (which are Sergio Rossi flats, FYI - she said that she can last for hours walking in those. BTW she also has "shopping tops" and "shopping jeans/pants" which are essentially outfits that are super comfortable yet stylish enough, and can be taken off within seconds without ruining her hair too much in fitting rooms, thus are suitable for strenuous, full-forced shopping days) along the pavement.

She said that she's tired but we're just halfway through the shopping area, and wondered if we should call it a day. Right then, I know just the thing that we good mother-loving sons should do in that situation - take her to Max Brenner.

Within seconds after sipping chocolate and munching crepes, my mom felt utterly refreshed, pumped, and ready for round two of plastic-swiping (The sugar was enough to sustain her for another 3 hours of fun!). 'Twas a remarkable day, even though she almost got a salesperson fired at a certain shop with a big horse in it (you should know which one if you're a Sydneysider)!

Toffee Milk Chocolate Frappe

-> A staple drink. What I love about this is that this is actually THE only chocolate drink that is actually thirst-quenching without much of that unpleasant aftertaste that makes you crave for a glass of water.

Rating: 8.5/10

Look at that wonderful, wonderful machine. Kind of willy wonka-ish, no? I bet half of you would just dunk your hand inside that and lick the chocolate off your palm. The other half of you would just drown your heads and suck the machine dry.

Anyway, while most ladies out there probably have weaknesses towards chocolate, my mom is quite remarkable in the sense that the only word she uttered when looking at that machine was "Ew". Yup, my mother is completely chocolate-resistant. She's probably one of the first women in our family who politely reminded my dad not to waste money on bringing her chocolates from his occasional overseas business trips in the early nineties and bring her the coveted Moschino Chocolate Bag instead. Remember the early nineties, when everybody owns at least one Moschino item? Anyway, the said bag is now a rare, vintage item - but my mom stupidly donated the said bag, in near-mint condition, to our church several years ago!! (all of her bags, vintage or not, are near-mint - it isn't because she takes good care of them, it's because usually, after using them several times, she gets a new one, and the former one would be retired into the depths of her closet and remain untouched for decades. Too bad she's not tech-savvy enough to set up an eBay store, she can make a fortune out of those old bags).

Nowadays, every valentine's day, she always urge members of our family not to waste money on buying her chocolates - she doesn't care much for them AND it's bad for us because our family has a long history of diabetes. Instead, she politely (always, always politely) urges us to waste even MORE money by getting her the kind of chocolates she would enjoy, such as the Mulberry dark chocolate bayswater or the ULTIMATE 'white chocolate bar': the white quilted Chanel 2.55.

Banana Praline Crepe

-> I'm not even going to talk about this. It's heaven on a piece of triangular plate.

Rating: 10/10

Ajisen Ramen - World Square, Sydney

2009-03-18T00:17:00.003+08:00

I'm officially running out of places to have a quick, hassle-free, cheap Japanese lunch in the city. At times like this, I wonder why don't I live in places like Hong Kong instead - where you can find even the most appaling examples of Japanese food (wafu beef stroganoff at Tsim Sha Tsui, anyone?). Even in a city as cosmopolitan as Sydney which is blessed with diverse and abundant culinary choices, VERY demanding people such as myself often wonder, "where can I find a good taraba crab rice doria a walking distance away from Pitt Street mall?"

That said, I took a surprisingly un-me step one day and decided to eat at Ajisen Ramen. You know, that ubiquitous, seemingly-mediocre Japanese ramen chain. It seems that you can't escape Ajisen anywhere you go - It's practically the first restaurant you see when you stepped out of the customs area in Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok, it's in every major shopping mall in Singapore, it's crowded with schoolkids in Jakarta, and a couple of years ago it opened its door in our very own Sydney.

In fact - I'm so sick of looking at that min-min (or min-may or any quintessentially-Chinese name according to the Japanese) mascot I want to literally scald her face with hot ramen broth (okay, that might be too cruel). Not to mention that the said mascot's image has been identified with any product that has anything to do with noodles - so in China, the image has been unlawfully used on lots and lots of noodle products. It's like, slap that mascot's image on a product and you know that it's a noodle.

Chicken Katsu Ramen

-> Too heavy on the oil. The tonkotsu soup is essentially made up of FAT, so I see no reason why they should add extra layer of oil by drenching that freshly deep-fried chicken cutlet on it. So in conclusion, this ramen is BAD for your heart. And your figure. Which means that it's delicious.

Rating: 7/10

Beef Teriyaki Set

-> Another surprisingly good dish. No wonder Ajisen is very popular worldwide - their food is actually not THAT bad. I actually define this dish as "good but I won't be craving it anytime soon"-type of dish.

Rating: 6.5/10

TWG tea - Takashimaya

2009-03-16T19:28:00.002+08:00

Finished my 15 teabags, went back for more...
french earl grey for me and superior sencha for mum...

... and chocolat macaron... i'm totally sold on the color alone...

Wakashachiya - The Central

2009-03-08T15:17:00.004+08:00

The import from Nagoya specialising in curry udon. They do serve other things but the menu isnt that extensive and since we're there might as well order what they're famous for...

Chicken Karaage Curry Udon

Curry Udon

Deep Fried Salmon Curry Udon

Renkon Chips Curry Udon

Rating: 7/10
its not that bad but its not that good either...
udon is thick and chewy but the gravy is a lil too "thin"...
i dont find it spicy at all... but one of us was actually sweating profusely trying to gobble down the bowl... hahahhaha

note. get a seat near the tv monitor... they play the company jinggle over and over again... featuring a turban-wearing-butt-wriggling mascot... its beyond cute! XD

Bakerz'in - Vivocity

2009-03-08T14:58:00.004+08:00

needed something sweet after watching "my bloody valentine"...
i'm not one for the gore... was there for the wayfarer-like 3d specs.... ;D
(i didnt get to sneak it home though... *boo )

Rating : 5/10
layers and layers of chocolate, yet only passable... but theres better option out there...

Rating: 9/10
cookies and cream cheese cake
non-baked... all gooey, not too sweet not too salty...

Rating: 8/10
warm chocolate cake
i wonder if i've ever not order this when i'm in the shop...

Latte
the table went all ooh-ahh for the heart shape foam... haha

Poporo - Market City, Sydney

2009-02-24T07:41:00.006+08:00

The other day, I was showing this friend of mine from overseas (I wouldn't say which country, but if you keep on reading, I guess some of you would be able to tell anyway) - he's an exchange student doing his PhD and he'll be spending a couple of years in Sydney. One day, he asked "where's the center of Asian civilization in Sydney?" and I said, "what in heavens name do you mean?" - to which he replied "you know, the largest Asian shopping mall in Sydney".

He spent his undergraduate and postgraduate years in Toronto, Canada, and as some of you might know, there's this really big Asian mall called "Pacific Mall" in Toronto (well, big for a non-Asian country at least) - and this guy wanted to find out if there's something similar in Sydney. At first, I thought, uh-oh, the closest thing we have is Market City in Chinatown, and it's nowhere as big or lively as Pacific Mall in Toronto (or at least that's how I remembered it when I went there about 10 years ago).

So I said, "There IS this thing called Market City in Chinatown, but don't expect much, it's kind of small-ish and there's nothing much in there but some outlet-type shops and a food court". Anyway, I almost NEVER go to Market City except for the supermarket part (can't be helped - it's the largest Asian supermarket in...Sydney, I guess?).

So, the guy expressed his enthusiasm and we headed for Market City to get something to eat. Look, I almost never eat in Market city - I think their food court is kind of lame (the food, not the place), but oh well, might as well check it out, who knows there's something new in there (the food court is located on the top floor, and I never go beyond the first floor on Market City, LOL)

Suddenly, I stumbled upon this restaurant, Poporo, which slightly reminds me of those cute-ish cafes in Shinjuku that Japanese schoolgirls hang out in all the time - so I got excited and I immediately suggested for us to eat there. HOWEVER...this guy - this friend of mine took a gander of the place and soon realized that it's a Japanese Western-style cafe run by Japanese people and he immediately said "no".

Soon, it became apparent that this guy doesn't like Japanese food, or Japanese-style food, and basically shun everything from Japan. (well, one thing for sure, this guy CANNOT become my friend. Ever.) LOL. So, we went to the food court to have our meal.

The VERY NEXT day, I went straight back to Market City to grab a bite at Poporo. Alone.

Chicken Cutlet with Mushroom Cream Sauce

-> Oh, HEAVEN...this is SO my kind of food. And look at their food arrangement, it's very Japan. Especially the consomme in the cup thingy (well, the consomme sucks, but the rest are good!). The cutlet is actually served with 2 types of sauces, there's this shoyu-type sauce on the base, and then topped with creamy, fragrant mushroom sauce. My tongue is definitely happy.

Rating: 8/10

So, this place kind of incorporates kitschy Japanese 'technology' into their ordering system - you're supposed to order your food at the counter before being seated. Kind of like Hong Kong's Cafe de Coral but you're supposed to operate the touch screen monitor yourself.

Blue Soda

-> Calpis based. I'm a sucker for blue-colored drinks. Interestingly enough, the Japanese serve a LOT of blue-colored drinks. I couldn't help but remember my very first blue-colored drink which was "Blue Cola" I had at Crepe House in Singapore (not the current Bugis Junction outlet, but the one at...Paragon, I guess? Anyway, it was like, 17 looong years ago). Crepe House is a Japan-based, very cute, very nice crepe cafe. It's such a 'moe' food (you'd understand what I'm talking about if you're a Japanophile).

Rating: 8.5/10 (yum yum)

Just so you could feel better about your own eating habit...

2009-02-23T10:27:00.001+08:00

This is why you're fat

Sun with Moon - Wheelock Place

2009-02-21T11:40:00.002+08:00

early & light dinner last night...
was waiting for sa for two hours in Borders (where i stalked a girl wearing collier de chien belt *drool* and read the super potato book cover to cover) and got hungry but not really...

Red Breeze (watermelon and mint) and Vitamin Tea (tasted like acerola)

Sa had Salmon Sashimi

Me had Chirashi Kodon
tiny, but everything was real fresh and the prawn was notably sweet...

Rating: 9/10

note: what's "kodon" ????

Morning...

2009-02-21T11:20:00.002+08:00

breakfast deliveries...

top to bottom: soy milk, u-tiao n red bean fritter (?), egg tarts n bbq pork pastry, big pao (chicken).

awfully traditional of the locals and the kind of food that will never get the heart foundation tick but we like it anyway... :)

note: i have no idea where its from... one of the plastic bag says 'Tiong Bahru Pao and snacks"

TWG tea - Takashimaya

2009-02-18T15:00:00.007+08:00

"the finest teas of the world"

so the grocery store shelves had two option for earl grey, twinnings or lipton... hmmm... was hoping for, at least, waitrose... but nah... grabbed a box before i saw the line..*whooaaa* not a good idea to go grocery shopping in town at lunch hour.... so i ditch the box and head to minamoto kitchoan where the peach mochi is not in season and no, i'm not about to buy a dollop (50cents coin size, sg! not oz!) of the season's mochi for $8.... was heading for royce (time out has a good review of their truffles) before i was stopped by the sa with a plate of macaron... tried the strawberry (suckers for fuschia) and i'm sold... this is many times better than bakerzin or lindt's... looked up... its TWG, and had always wanted to go to their tea salon in republic plaza but didnt have "kaki" to go with...

"is it a gift?"
"nah... it's for myself"
"do you want it wrapped?"
"....yes, of course"
i'm all for going green... but i'm not about to give up gift-wrapping...

they had three option for earl grey, "earl grey buddha" which is made from green tea instead of black, "french earl grey" with with deep blue cornflowers and the classic. settled for french since er, well its french and there a slithers of navy flowers... *heart*

cotton teabags... the box says it's "hand-sewn"... O.O

now, my job search will include one more criteria: "within 50m radius of republic plaza" XD

ps. been away for a whole month without any decent internet connections, so look out for posts of my thailand trip food photos... should be up in no time... :)

www.TWGTea.com

edit: i think i may have just screwed up the site setting.... ooppsss...

Ton Ton - Regent Place, Sydney

2009-01-31T21:54:00.006+08:00

Spicy chicken donburi

-> One word: SALTY! I have no idea if the chef accidentaly spilled salt onto this dish, but it's wayy to salty for me. This dish would be very good otherwise.

Rating: 5/10

Salmon mayonnaise onigiri

-> A perfect onigiri. Absolutely flawless. Nice texture, balance of flavor, blah blah blah. Definitely one of the best I've ever had.

Rating: 10/10

Gekikara ramen

-> Errr....weird. The soup is tonkotsu-ish, and it's bombarded with different kinds of chili, including a heavy dusting of togarashi on top. The leek is shaved too coarsely, so it's kind of hard to digest.

Rating: 6/10

Note:

This brainchild of the fabulous Azuma group of restaurants already received some oohs and ahhs from local foodies, but I find it a little dissapointing. While Azuma is an excellent restaurant, this second-line eatery of theirs is mediocre at best when compared to other ramen places in Sydney (based on what I had).

I really love Azuma, so I'll give them a benefit of the doubt and try some of their other dishes some other time.

Happy Chinese New Year 2009!

2009-01-26T01:08:00.000+08:00

Wagyu. Tokujo karubi. Hokkaido milk. Matsuzaka beef. Wu xiang niu rou. Mongolian beef. Shimofuri sukiyaki. Fillet Mignon. There's so many ways to celebrate the year of the Ox (although I'm unsure if you're supposed to feast on or restrain from beef in the year of the Ox, LOL).

In any case, this year is especially meaningful for us since this is OUR year here at eatlikeanox.blogspot.com (...and the corniness continues). And we'd like to share this wonderful, enriching Chinese celebration with you, dear readers - may this year be filled with prosperity, loads of hongbaos (for those to-die-for Marni fur coats, Goyard trunks, and maybe those are-you-f***ing-kidding-me Bottega Veneta cushion bags, if that's your cup of tea), and of course, food glorious food.

Gong xi fa cai, kung hei fat choy, keong hee huat chye.
Book a table at Hong Kong's Peninsula or Singapore's Fullerton, toss the yusheng and shout something auspicious!

Happy year of the cow...er...ox, everyone!

Mr. Curry - The Central, Clarke Quay

2009-01-13T17:21:00.002+08:00

Mr. Curry was a chef from Curry Land.

Together with Mango-nyan,
they traveled the world in search of curry dishes.
They stumbled upon the finest curry in Japan.

With the passion of sharing,
they wanted the whole world to experience the wonderful "Japanese Curry"
And so they decided to bring you "Mr. Curry"

They hope that all will enjoy the experience
and that these lovely curry flavours will bring satisfaction
and cheerful smiles to their guests.

Please enjoy the wonderful journey of "MR. CURRY"

mango salad dressing
this is bordering disgusting... haha... and that cat is "mango-nyan" ... the ...er mascot...

Calpis Water and Cold Green Tea (free-flow)

the curry - extra spicy & creamy
there's choice of non-spicy, spicy or extra spicy and original, white/creamy, red/fresh or black/rich!
instead of the usual apple and honey, here they used mangoes in the gravy and other secret ingredients, of course!

onion consomme??
i think it should have tasted okay if it was hot enough, instead it was room temperature... ew..

Spicy Cod Roe Omelette Curry
omelette is fluffly and sweet... but they really couldnt be any stingier with the roe... its like a garnish...

Minced Beef Curry Spaghetti

spaghetti - al dente, curry - yum, soft boiled egg - cherry on top.... all together, not sure it works... lol i liked it enough to finish it though...

Rating: 7/10
If you feel like having the kids meal.. come here... cause everything do feel kiddy and happy... which could actually be just what you need from time to time...

2009-01-10T22:16:00.001+08:00

R.I.P
Gaston Lenotre

Happy New Year 2009!

2009-01-01T13:50:00.002+08:00

Happy new year, everyone! Thanks for visiting and reading our blog in 2008.

Here's to another year!

Anyway, here are some pics from the fabulous Sydney's new year's eve fireworks that Erique took earlier today:

Lotsa love from everyone here at eatlikeacow, Cla (Singapore), Erique (Sydney)

and Moo Moo (San Diego)!!

Oomisoka no hanabi taikai bentou (*) by Erique Fat Owl

2009-01-01T12:41:00.003+08:00

Bentou box #1

(Clockwise from top left) Chicken teriyaki, cherry tomato gratin & Korean style beansprouts & carrot cold appetizer, Sakura onigiri covered with sakura denbu, stir-fried garlic prawn and paprika, rolled ham & cheese chicken katsu, tamago yaki & stuffed chikuwa.

Bentou Box #3

Selections of sandwiches (ham & cheese, egg, and tuna), Steamed pork-mushrooms-and-chives shuumai, spiced tofu, cherry tomatoes cups stuffed with egg salad, steamed broccoli, ebi fry.

Bentou boxes #3 and #4

Salad, more stuffed chikuwa, horenso (spinach) tamago-yaki, stir-fried beef with worchestershire sauce served with steamed carrots and french beans, steamed koshihikari rice.

Ten hours of preparations. 80 gigantic dollars spent. A sleepless night.

That's what it took for a complete amateur like me to prepare these bentou boxes. All I can say is phew! I have never enslaved myself in the kitchen to such degree before. Ever! For those experienced bentou makers, this bentou spread might look simple, but for me, it was hell to make. Thank goodness everything went as planned.

This rather lavish bentou boxes were made in the occasion of the big Sydney new year's eve fireworks-watching in Sydney harbor. I haven't watched this famed best-in-the-world fireworks display in 11 years (the last time being 1997), so I was excited to prepare everything to ensure the enjoyment of this experience.

So, my brother and I, along with some people went to Sydney harbor (Circular Quay, near the Opera House) at 10am, because we wanted to secure the BEST seats possible to view the magnificent fireworks. When we got there, some of the best seats (well, there were no seats per se, people sat on the floor) were taken, but we've managed to get a pretty good spot. It was a long, arduous, and not to mention burning HOT wait (the sun was like, an INCH away from our faces for 10 hours!), but it was somewhat worth it. There were 2 firework displays, one was the smaller one on 9pm ('family fireworks' - especially designed for families so that families with children can leave earlier so that the kids can be at bed by 10 or 11pm), and the gigantic one on 12 midnight.The fireworks were absolutely stunning, Sydney really showed the whole world how fireworks should be done.

The downside is, I've got some pretty severe SUNBURN! My skin still aches and burns as I typed this entry! I was so preoccupied with the bentou preparations I forgot to pack the sunscreen. Bad news is, none of the irresponsible people in my party remembered to bring some sunscreen, too! That's because I'm the responsible one in the group and everyone thought I've taken care of everything! Darn.
Also, I've got some really bad muscle sores because of the 12 hours+ sitting on the hard floor. Ouch.

Anyway, back to the bentou boxes...

I had to carefully design the contents of these bentou box, taking into consideration the sizes of each ingredients against the sizes of the boxes. After which, a 'blueprint' was made, and then followed by a general flowchart of cooking the ingredients. Then, more detailed flowcharts were made, as well as shopping list and schedule. Careful preparations and timings were assigned so that everything can be ready by 8am, on the 31st of December, 2008. This is what happens when an OCD sufferer like myself attempts to prepare a big bentou, LOL

The order in which the dishes were cooked also played a big part in ensuring the success of this bentou box, because some dishes can be packed into the boxes straight away, while some needed to cool down first so that they don't produce steam and dampen the whole box. Dishes such as the ebi fry and katsu were cooked last (but prepared the night before) so that it will be as crispy as possible when consumed.

Anyway, the bentou boxes attracted so many peoples' eyes. Some passer-bys even took pictures of these boxes (some without my permission! Grr!). I'm not kidding! It was so embarrasing, especially for my brother and friends who felt awkward eating while people were looking at us and commenting! LOL

So, will I do this again next year? The answer is absolutely NO. I don't even want to watch the fireworks again next year. The wait was simply too hard. I have all these sunburns to remind me! And even if I decided to go for it again next year, I'll do it sans the self-made bentou boxes and just pack some big macs and nasi goreng bought from chinatown like everyone else.

Anyhoo, have a happy 2009, everyone!

(*) Oomisoka no hanabi taikai bentou = New year's eve fireworks lunch box.

Steersons - Bridge St, Sydney

2008-12-30T14:05:00.011+08:00

Christmas dinner at Steersons (formerly Kingsleys). Actually, I planned to cook some stuff for Christmas eve, but when I found out that I'll be the only one who would be cooking the feast, I backed down, LOL.

Christmas eve in Sydney was almost dead-silent - everyone must've gathered home for dinner. Only lazybones like myself dined out. Well, to be fair, there were lots of Asian and Italian families dining at Steersons that night, too. The place was quite festive, but instead of the restaurant making the effort, it was the guests. Everyone dressed up (especially the Italian family) and taking photos, etc...quite a pleasant atmosphere.

2005 Irvine Merlot, Barossa Valey, SA

-> Smooth, complex, and my amateur tongue detects a hint of plum and citrus. A very interesting drink.

Rating: 7.5/10

English cheddar souffle with crispy bacon & sage

-> Yum. It really is what a souffle should taste like. Smooth, warm, and the crispy bacon is just heavenly. Everything melts in your mouth, delightful.

Rating: 8/10

Chicken liver pate with botrytis jelly, cornichons, & toasted brioche

-> The pate has quite a strong taste, and so does the jelly and cornichons. Overall, I'd say that everything is too powerful, and this creates a poor balance of flavors.

Rating: 6.5/10

Grilled spatchcock with asparagus, fennel, field mushrooms, truffle & parmesan

-> Oh, joyful. The spatchcock is cooked to perfection, and the aroma is just heavenly. Certainly beats dry, overcooked turkey that I attempted last year, LOL

Rating: 9/10

Australian Angus beef top sirloin, served with chips and port jus

-> Quite excellent. Steaks are, after all, Steersons' speciality.

Rating: 8.5/10

Pre-dessert chocolate-covered coffee beans

-> YUM YUM. The bitterness of the coffee beans contrast beautifully with the sweetness of the chocolates. Addictive.

Rating: 9/10

Chocolate fondant with lavender & honey ice cream

-> A tad too sweet for me, but blisfull nontheless. A great dessert.

Rating: 8/10

Liqueur affogato - espresso with vanilla bean ice cream and frangellico

-> It's good, especially the vanilla bean ice cream, but the coffee liqueur is a tad too strong in my opinion. I ended up just using 1/3 of the coffee.

Rating: 7.5/10

Yakitori by Erique Fat Owl

2008-12-29T02:46:00.003+08:00

Went for a quick trip to Northbridge Plaza's Tokyo Mart to stock up on some foodstuff, and decided to do yakitori for supper. I actually wanted to make the sauce from scratch, but after finding out that it's twice as troublesome as making teriyaki sauce, I decided not to. Well, not then, really - I actually found this amazingly authentic yakitori sauce recipe from this Japanese food blogger. I had no idea that making yakitori sauce involves using weird ingredients such as chicken feet and dried chilli! (shockingly Sichuan-esque for a Japanese sauce)!

I don't have a hibachi or anything sophisticated to grill the yakitori, so I just bought this disposable household-type fish griller thingy (also from Tokyo Mart). Ideally, yakitori should be grilled over charcoal, but I couldn't bother. However, let me tell you this: the most common mistake non-Japanese make when making yakitori is to grill them on conventional BBQ, grill pan, or even pop them inside the oven. This just wouldn't do. Yakitori has to be grilled over charcoal or open fire to achieve the desired color and aroma.

There are no exact types of meat / vegetables to use when making yakitori, but chicken works best (it is, after all, yakiTORI, 'tori' means chicken). You can add some vegetables to pimp up your yakitori. The most traditional choice is negi (spring onion / leek), but asparagus works, too. I used asparagus because I have lots of leftover. Also, make sure that you choose green-colored vegetables, because that fulfils the traditional color scheme of yakitori.

I used ready-made yakitori sauce from Ebara, which is IMO the best one out there. It's nice and thick, and you don't even have to marinate the meat. Seriously. Just dip the yakitori in the sauce, grill it straight away, and baste ocassionally with brush. Easy peasy.

Japanese and avid Japanophiles might notice that I use the half-wide teppou kushi ('gun' skewer) for my yakitori. This type of skewer is more commonly used for dango (dumplings) and grilled tofu. A thousand apologies for doing this - but since it's nice and ornate, I thought there's no harm on using them. Yakitori is traditionally served using normal round bamboo skewers.

Anyway, I'm quite satisfied with the results, and maybe next time I'll try some more challenging ingredients such as enoki wrapped in beef or chicken skin.

...and now for something totally different...

I'm very excited to announce that there's yet another reason to visit Jakarta. Well, for me, at least. LOL. Japanese tonkatsu restaurant "Katsu-sei" has just opened for business in Jakarta's vast & glittering Grand Indonesia Shopping Town (GIST) on Christmas day. This is indeed a good news for foodies in Jakarta, since Jakarta really needs an authentic tonkatsu-ya. Speaking of authenticity, this place is pretty much as authentic as it gets in Jakarta - it's a branch of the renowned Katsu-sei restaurant in Utsunomiya city in Tochigi prefecture (they've only got 2 restaurants in Japan, both in Utsunomiya city). Cla, moo moo and I are such HUGE tonkatsu enthusiasts, so I really can't wait to go back to Jakarta next month and check this place out.

The entrance looks quite dramatic, in keeping with the glamorous interior scheme of GIST. It is, after all, located inside Indonesia's most luxurious shopping center. Photo credit goes to VRS from Skyscrapercity forum.

Newspaper scan from Miyashoku's website. Miyashoku is the F&B company that owns Katsusei, among many others. The headline reads "Katsusei tonkatsu restaurant opening - primarily targetting Japanese customers". Hm, weird. Granted, there are lots of Japanese expats in Jakarta, but I wonder why they don't prioritize local customers. (does this mean that they serve non-halal items as well? Anyway, in the end of the day, it IS weird to open a tonkatsu-ya which doesn't serve pork!)

Katsu-sei Jakarta has no website yet, but here's their Japanese website:

http://www.miyashoku.com/katsusei/

2008-12-25T01:00:00.002+08:00

Happy Holidays!

p.s.
i'm off again
(where? to join Kate Moss!)
so, till next year!
xx

Pluck - Haji Lane

2008-12-23T22:28:00.002+08:00

"we do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"

toffee sundae
lychee martini + red bean and gula melaka ice cream + crunchy cookies + cream + toffee sauce
*sluurrrpppp*

little home-made ice cream shop seem to be popping up everywhere... all with unique self blended local flavour... hmm... what haagen-dazs???

this one comes with a view of old man smoking shisha

Rating: 8/10

Nasi Lemak - Holland Village

2008-12-23T22:13:00.003+08:00

more than double the price of your usual nasi lemak but definitely wayyyy better... :)

the place also sells katong laksa... and when you're done dont forgt to cross the road to "Provence" - a japanese-french bakery.

Rating: 9/10

Chocolate Research Facility - Millenia Walk

2008-12-21T21:01:00.006+08:00

what greets me in the fridge when i got back...
(in fact, it was about the only edible thing in the house... *geleng2x*)

there was lychee martini, earl grey and rose with rose petal...
all of which taste uncannily like what it says it is...
clinical retail space, pop art packaging, unique blocking system...
as if we need more reason to buy chocolates...

impressive range that could satisfy the serious chocolate connoisseur type to the hopelessly sweet toothed...

last minute x'mas gift shopping maybe?

http://www.chocolateresearchfacility.com/

Garden Buffet - Star City, Pyrmont, Sydney

2008-12-05T18:11:00.004+08:00

"The starter plate"
Green mussels in black bean sauce & southern-style chicken wings

Okay. First things first. Maybe some of you wonder why on earth would I go to Star City's Garden Buffet - the very restaurant that has been applauded and ridiculed fluctuatingly since its opening decades ago. It's not that I am a big fan of buffets anyway (I'm one of those weird people who think that all-you-can-eat buffets are just a tad of an embarrassing place to be seen at). Moreover, the image of overweight Americans gorging on chicken wings and ranch sauce which will forever be synonymous to buffet dining doesn't help either.

I have managed to stay away from Star City's Garden Buffet ever since i first stepped foot on Sydney's soil ten years ago. (Well, technically, the first time I stepped my foot on Sydney's soil was more than 20 years ago, but Star City hasn't been built then). Suddenly, I felt somewhat left out. Despite most of my hoity-toity friends constantly burning and condemning the said restaurant with scalding criticisms, you can't deny that the place is STILL ever so popular. Even on weekdays, people come early to avoid long queues. And you can forget immediately getting a table at 7.00pm on weekends - it's an hour minimum wait, I reckon.

Okay, let's talk about this dish first - my starter platter. The mussels is AWESOME. Really. The next time I'm there (if I decide to come back at all - and that's a big IF), I'll eat nothing but these green mussels and prawns (see below)

Ratings: Mussels -> 8/10 Wings -> 6/10

"The main platter"
Ocean perch with garlic & roast beef

Continuing my rant - my friends and I went early, since it was a weekend. The place opens at 5pm for dinner, and we're among the first people who went in. Within I'd say 30 minutes, the place was packed and there's a bee-line at the entrance. By this time, I've scouted around the buffet area and honestly, I didn't find anything interesting among the selection. However, the food that I decided to have are all decent enough to restrain me from complaining. I'd say that most of the food are very savory (it's a well-known industry trick to make all the food very savory so that people wouldn't be able to eat much).

This ocean perch is quite decent - juicy and fresh. The roast beef is pretty mediocre, but it's juicy and moist too, which is important.

Ratings: Fish -> 6.5/10 Beef -> 6/10

The salads

-> I took these pictures of salads just for fun. People who profess to know about the joy of eating wouldn't be stupid enough to actually eat cheap SALADS on buffet (well, unless they don't eat meat, of course). I always stand by this principle when going to buffets: no carbs (potatoes, rices, noodles, flour-based food), no vegetables (salads, etc), and no cheap fruits. You want to solely fill up on the good, pricey stuff like meats, seafood, cakes, etc. LOL

"The Indian platter"
Chicken Tandoori, curry samosa, dal, and roasted vegetables

The Tandoori is yummy yummy. Tender and a tad spicy. Actually, this might be my favorite platter. I have to confess that I'm not such a big fan on Indian food, but this one is un-authentic enough (tweaked to suit general Western taste) I actually quite like it. LOL
The samosa is very nice, but too savory (can't eat a lot of it)

Ratings (all): 7.5/10

"Bottomless" prawn

...in the sense that it's all-you-can-eat and the "prawn well" is constantly re-filled so you can eat prawns until your face turns orange and you don't feel like looking at prawns ever again. This all-you-can-eat prawn is very heavily advertised, and seems to be the restaurant's main attraction. I must admit that I was kind of disappointed to find out that it turned out to be those cheap Vannamei prawns you can get for 7 bucks a kilo. (and I thought that they would serve better stuff like tiger prawns or something!). Bah humbug!

Regardless, the prawns are really fresh and nice.

Rating: 7/10

"The German Platter"
Contains all types of Bavarian bounties such as varieties of wurst (sausages), ham, and gherkins.

Granted, Oktoberfest was months ago, but that doesn't stop me from indulging in some German delights - which is an occasional favorite (LOL)
The sausages and hams are allright, but I'm more interested in the gherkins. Sure, it's not from Spreewald, but they're delightful anyway.

Ratings (all): 7/10

"The Italian Platter"
Baked Agnolotti, Spaghetti Bolognaise, and Tortellini salad.

-> The baked agnolotti (or was it ravioli? hmm...have to consult the pasta bible) is quite nice, but the others are passable at best. I know, I know - I said that I avoid pasta on buffets, but a teeensy bit is okay, I guess. Some of these pasta are so good-looking you can't help but sample them.

Ratings: Agnolotti -> 7/10 Spaghetti -> 5.5/10 Tortellini -> 5/10

"The Dessert Platter"
Strawberry mousse, black forrest, passionfruit cake & chocolate cream cake

-> All of them are too damn sweet (with the exception of the chocolate cream cake which is quite delightful), so I'd say avoid most of them. And oh, do you notice that I was trying to pretty up my platter by drizzling some mango & strawberry sauce, which turned out to be horrendous and disastrous? LOL

Rating: Chocolate cream cake -> 7/10 The rest -> 5/10

Conclusion:
Is this buffet worth going? Well...it's hard to say. It's not exactly cheap (37.90 bucks for weekend dinner), and food selection isn't exactly fantastic, but it's not exactly disappointing. You just have to be able to select the good food and focus on them. Don't forget to make a membership card (for free) to get a 7 bucks discount. Alternatively, go on weekday lunches which is a lot cheaper at 23.90 bucks for members (hopefully they have the same food selection for lunch)

Anyway, if you're from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, or Indonesia (also known as the lands of fantastic buffets), don't expect much on this one. Anyway, most buffets in Sydney are kind of lame compared to those in Southeast Asia.

Takeru - Haymarket, Sydney

2008-12-05T17:45:00.004+08:00

Ebi sarada
Prawn salad

-> This salad alone is worth coming back for. Made with two dressings (God bless multiple salad dressings) - wafu (Japanese) dressing on the base and mayo + togarashi (chili powder) on the top. For those of you who thought that the ordinary shrimp cocktail is so last millennium, this one should please you.

Rating: 7.5/10

Ikasumi Pasta
Pasta with squid ink sauce

-> Basically a pasta al nero di seppia tweaked to suit Japanese tastebuds. I am very pleased with this dish. Why? simply because it's so pretty. Let's face it, squid ink is tasteless. Well, not entirely tasteless, but when cooked with cream etc you won't notice the flavor. It's the color that makes this dish so desirable. Kind of like a black Chanel caviar quilted bag (It's so irresistible even guys secretly wish they can carry one of these around) I have this unexplainable fetish on black-colored food. That's the exact reason why I enjoy Jajangmyeon (Korean noodle with black soybean sauce), Guilinggao (herbal jelly), and caviar so much. LOL. Gothic food.

Rating: 8/10

Chicken nanban

-> Best in town. Although, I notice that Azuma restaurant has this on their menu, too, but since I haven't tried Azuma's chicken nanban, it's safe to say that this one from Takeru is the best I've tasted so far.

Rating: 8/10

Suminoya - Sydney

2008-11-14T22:50:00.007+08:00

One word: FEAST!

Ready...set...stuff your face!!
Fill up 'till the food reaches your nose! Stuff 'till you sweat meat broth!!

Okay, enough with the corny hyperbole. Earlier today, my friend had this brilliant idea that we should skip breakfast, lunch, and in my case, afternoon tea... (Gotta have afternoon tea. Can't help it. Habit from upbringing. My mom is one of those interesting creatures that religiously have to have afternoon tea every day when the old Junghans longcase clock strikes three. She's practically the frickin' Duchess of Bedford for all we know. And when she's having tea, she drags us, her children, with her. Afternoon tea is compulsory in my house. That's why, I'm pretty sure that among all the households in my area, mine is the most well-stocked with Lapsang Souchong, Pickwick Blueberry tea from Holland, Earl Grey, etc along with selections of Harrods all-butter shortbreads, M&S Jam-and-cream biscuits, Dutch almond fingers, Speculaas, Fortnum & Mason's Chocolossus Biscuits, and many more artery-clogging diabetes-inducing treats. Even instant Teh Tarik mix! Funnily enough, my mom always STRICTLY forbids me to eat anything sweet because my family from my dad's side has a long history of diabetes!!)

...and go STRAIGHT to dinner at Suminoya! I was excited, I mean I actually vowed to singlehandedly bankrupt the place by inhaling as much food as possible in one night!

Suminoya is part of the I'S holdings, a group that owns several popular Japanese restaurants across the country including Menya, Rengaya, and Koh-Ya. These restaurants serve good quality, authentic Japanese food, and therefore one of my favorite Japanese restaurant group along with the likes of Masuya group (which owns Masuya, Musashi, Makoto, etc)

The good thing about Suminoya is that they use charcoal hibachi. In fact, charcoal is a very prominent theme in the restaurant (heck, the place is called "Suminoya" - lit. "house of charcoal"). There's even a very busy (and sweaty) ojisan constantly preparing charcoal in a huge brazier. Very nice - kind of puts you in a good mood.

The place is very scarcely decorated - but still tasteful. The thing is, decoration doesn't matter in Suminoya - I bet a hundred bucks people won't even bother to look around the place, they're too busy eating! Atmosphere meant almost nothing in this place - as long as it's air-conditioned, bright enough, and have nice seats, everything else is kind of moot. Food is the main focus - and what a focus it is. Hordes after hordes of mortals seem to be hypnotized by those red, juicy, bloody fresh cuts of beef, and before you know it, you've probably eaten a whole cow by yourself.

Service was excellent - prompt, friendly (thank the LORD for the Japanese - bless their hearts, they do know a thing or two about hospitality), and unlike other order-type all-you-can-eat establishments, Suminoya is quite generous and does not resort to cheap tricks and gimmicks to make customers eat as little as possible. Food comes very quickly and promptly, doesn't matter if you order 10 plates of beef and 10 plates of sashimi at a time. Iced water constantly re-filled. We were very delighted. Also, as you will see on the reviews below, they serve quality food, too. All in all, it's hard to look for faults in this restaurant.

Gyu-tan shio
Beef tongue with salt

-> Ooh, blissful. Note that there are two different all-you-can-eat packages, the cheaper one (basic items only) and the more expensive one (basic+sashimi, etc). The cheaper package only allows one order of beef tongue per person, but the more expensive package allows unlimited order. I would highly recommend the more expensive package (it's only 8 bucks difference), in order to have unlimited beef tongue!

Rating: 8/10

Ebi no ninniku yaki
Garlic prawns

-> Oh, joyful. Succulent tiger prawns marinated in butter and garlic sauce, slowly grilled on the hibachi. Very fragrant, highly addictive.

Rating: 9/10

Gyu-fire (note: pronounced 'fee-ray')
Beef fillet

-> Must-order. Juicy and plump. The good thing about this cut is that you can really really cook it to your desired level of done-ness.

Rating: 8/10

The Sashimi: Sake (salmon), maguro (tuna), hamachi (kingfish), and gyuniku (beef)

-> I had doubts at first, but their sashimi is good and fresh. Very good value for your money. Tip: to save time and energy, when ordering sashimi at Suminoya, order like, 5 plates at a time, as one plate only consists of 3 slices of sashimi.

Rating: 7/10

Ika
Squid

-> They've got a sauce to marinate the squid which is different from the rest of the menu items. It's tender and juicy - best eaten with a splash of lemon.

Rating: 7.5/10

Yukhoe
Korean-style spiced raw beef

-> The Japanese simply pronounce it as "yukke". A very popular Korean dish in Japan - this one from Suminoya is just delightful. The original Korean version is somewhat stronger in the spice department, but this one is somewhat milder and therefore you can eat LOTS of 'em. LOL

Rating: 8/10

Ebi sarada
Prawn salad

-> Actually, it's prawn plus salmon salad. It's very nice. They've got lots of different types of salad at Suminoya, but being a kiasu Asian (wikipedize the term ye who are not in the know), we tend to choose items that are worth the most money. LOL

Rating: 7.5/10

Saamon fureiku gohan
Salmon flake rice

-> Don't look at me. I didn't order this one. Rule number one in an all-you-can-eat restaurant: Avoid your carbs (rices, potatoes, pastas, breads, etc). No, no, not because everyone should be in a low-carb diet, it's because carbs are fulfilling but CHEAP - you don't want to fill up your tummy with cheap stuff!
Anyway, apparently, one of my friend is so dependent on rice, it wouldn't feel like a meal without having some rice. Oh well.

Rating: 7/10
(I tried just a teeeeeny tiiiiiny piece of rice plus a speck of the salmon. Definitely want to make the most room for the good stuff, a.k.a. beef and sashimi)

Nakaochi karubi
Beef rib finger

-> One of my favorite yakiniku cuts. Fragrant, good fat-to-meat ratio, slightly chewy in the middle. Excellent.

Rating: 8/10

Buta karubi
Pork rib

-> Surprisingly good. Also, it's definitely not as fatty as a Korean Samgyeopsal. It's lightly seasoned with salt, and combined with the dipping sauce, it's just heavenly. The pork is so tender and sweet.

Rating: 8/10

Hotate
Scallops

-> Plumpy scallops that burst in flavor and juice as you sink your teeth in them. I love to grill them until they're just half-cooked, to preserve the juice inside. Add a dash of lemon juice and you're good to go!

Rating: 7.5/10

Unagi no kabayaki
Grilled eel

-> You have to grill them yourself, of course. It's heavenly. And considering that unagi is rather expensive when you order them ala carte, it's a good chance to stuff your face with as much unagi as possible, at least until you're sick of them that you don't crave for them for at least two months! LOL

Rating: 7.5/10 + 0.5/10 = 8/10
(extra 0.5 points because it's freshly grilled above a charcoal hibachi. Heavenly!)

Tori no nankotsu
Chicken gristle

-> Apparently, lots of people like it. I, for one, thought that it's quite appalling at first. However, when I tried it, I get the idea why some people like it so much. It's not about the flavor (it's a gristle. It's like, soft bone - it's tasteless), but it's about the texture.
Still, it's somewhat a weird part of chicken for me. (but who am I to talk - I do love more disgusting parts of chicken like the feet and tail)

Rating: 5.5/10
(just because I don't particularly like gristle)

Maccha aisu
Green tea ice cream

-> Another surprising delight. At first, I didn't expect much on the dessert department, but this maccha ice is probably one of the best among all the all-you-can-eat restaurants. Nice, thick, and clearly homemade.

Rating: 7.5/10

Koohii zerii
Coffee jelly

-> The 'holy' chalice is a bit, er, dodgy (why can't they use normal glasses???) but the jelly is delightful!! Nice, strong coffee aroma.

Rating: 7/10

Lemon Sorbet

-> Only available on the more expensive dinner package. And for a reason, too. Very nice sorbet, just the way I like it (not too sour). Will make you crave for more and more (tip: order 2 per person!)

Rating: 8/10

Epilogue:
It's been a hell of a 'battle'. We ate so much, beads of beef broth practically ran down our necks. LOL. But still, my friend L.Y.C. the economist, calculated that the restaurant still makes a profit of $60 even after having a greedy, kiasu customer like ourselves. LOL

Scruffy Murphy's Goose Garden - Sydney

2008-11-14T21:47:00.004+08:00

Uncork the Dom Perignon, Krug, and those 1980 Châteauneuf-du-Pape you've been saving for when the POPE drops by, lovely people!!! It's time to CELEBRATE - for Erique finally caved in and tried his FIRST EVER $6 steak in Sydney! Huzzah!

Yes, you heard it right. After years and years of being a pretentious a-hole ("$6 steaks are NOT food!!") ("$6 steaks aren't made from beef, they're just grilled dirty used flip-flops!!") ("If it's not wagyu porterhouse or aged fillet mignon, it's not beef!!"), I finally had my first taste of a true-blue (albeit not uniquely) Sydney dish, the $6 steak!! (on some places, it's $5 and on others it's $9, but usually no lower than $5 *shudderr*)

The venue of choice - Scruffy Murphy's. A Sydney institution, a beloved Irish bar. The very venue which has seen many, many drunken St Patrick's days. Don't be shocked - during my 6+ years in Sydney, I've never even once stepped into this famed establishment before this time. When I'm in a mood for some Guinness (or to accompany Mark my drunken Irish chum), I always go to Paddy Maguire's (another Irish bar in the City). The idea of going to Scruffy Murphy's always scared me. I mean I'm just a vulnerable Asian kid (oh, boo-hoo!) - what if I get taunted by those brash, intoxicated 7-feet tall Irish lads? What if they want to make conversations? What if some guys ask me stuff about er, football (or rugby? whatever you call it?)?? I can't even distinguish between the Sydney Swans and St. Kilda! I mean, I'm practically Niles Crane from "Frasier"!

But ho-ho-ho. What a surprise. The place was, at the time of visit, packed with mostly ASIANS. Koreans, to be exact. I mean, there were no drunken, brash, 7-feet lads! And it was a footy night! Just some occasional roars and screams not more than...I'd say...80 decibels or so.

I love Sydney.

Guinness

-> Pint o'Guinness. Ireland's greatest gift to the human race. A sip of this wondrous concoction will make life not worth living without it. If there's just one type of beer I am allowed to drink for the rest of my life, it'll be this one. As my lips touched the thick, creamy head, the unmistakable aroma of hops, malt, and barley enters my nose, and when you thought that it doesn't get any better than this - a refreshing, bubbly, delicious liquid streams from your throat and gets straight to the heart - truly a blissful, unforgettable experience.

Rating: 10/10

Rump Steak with Mushroom Sauce

-> Here we go...the verdict. Hm...what should I say, what should I say. Hmm. Oh, all right, I LIKE IT, okay!! There, I SAID IT!! It's NICE! Please don't make me come back there! (or make me. I mean, whatever). *scoffs*

Rating: 7/10

Rump steak with Diane sauce

-> Slightly better than the mushroom sauce. Grilled perfectly to my order (medium rare). Rich, tasty Diane sauce which is heavy on the garlic

Rating: 7.5/10

Tenda - Haymarket, Sydney

2008-11-14T20:24:00.004+08:00

A new-ish Indonesian restaurant just a teeny tiny bit outside Chinatown (I honestly have no clear idea of the exact boundaries of Sydney's Chinatown - as far as I'm concerned the whole Sydney City CBD is in fact, Chinatown) LOL. Anyway, I really think that the term "Chinatown" should be gradually phased out and changed into "Asiantown". It's kind of unfair to call them all Chinese since there are so many Asian ethnicities in Chinatowns...LOL

Any new Indonesian restaurants in the City should be warmly welcomed, IMO. Most Indonesian restaurants in Sydney are concentrated in the Randwick-Kingsford-Kensington-Maroubra area (also known as the Indonesian Colony or Indonesiatown). Kind of make sense, really, since most Indonesians live in those 4 suburbs in Sydney. However, for us City / downtown kids (what the...how corny and ostentatious) it's such a hassle if we have to travel 30 minutes just to grab a bite of ridiculously overpriced, somewhat fake-tasting Tempe (soybean cake). Note: Tempe in Sydney costs a whopping 15 - 20 times more expensive than in Jakarta.

Gado-Gado
Steamed vegetable salad with peanut sauce dressing

-> Words cannot describe how BAD this Gado-Gado is. I'm really sorry, but even I can make a much better Gado-Gado. Heck, even my servant in Jakarta (who's notoriously bad at cooking) makes a better Gado-Gado. To make things worse, this dish costs 9 bucks. Oh well, I guess rent in the City is expensive.
BTW, this is a Gado-Gado Siram (a type of Gado-Gado in which steamed vegetables are arranged on a plate, then splashed / covered with dressing) as opposed to the IMO superior Gado-Gado Ulek (the whole dish, including the sauce, is prepared on a large stone mortar and the sauce is made from fresh peanut & herbs / ingredients ground with a pestle)

Rating: 2/10

Mie Ayam
Indonesian Chicken Noodle

-> A quintessential Chinese-Indonesian dish. The original fusion food that preceded any fusion Indonesian food. Whatever. Served with a tiny bowl of bakso (meatball) soup. Funny thing: on the menu, this dish is described as "Indonesian Ramen". What the?? Well, even though it's TECHNICALLY correct, I don't think they should use that description. Kind of SAD, really - Indonesian food is so unpopular in Sydney they have to use that sort of description to attract customers.

Rating: 7/10

Bakso & Pangsit Goreng
Fried meatballs & fried wontons

-> Comes with the noodle set. My foreign friend was so reluctant to try the meatball thing because it resembles nothing he's ever eaten before.

Rating: 6/10

Sate Ayam, Sate Sapi, Sate Kambing
Assorted satay (chicken, beef, lamb)

-> Ah, finally a decent dish. Averaging at around $1.70 per stick, I STILL think it's a tad pricey (sizes are small-ish). But it's good nevertheless. I especially like the lamb satay - I almost NEVER eat lamb in Indonesia because for some people...Indonesian lambs can be very strong in aroma (or should I say odor). That's why some Indonesians consider lamb as 'dirty' meat.

Anyway, that's not the main point. The main point is, Australian lamb comes from those cute fluffy and not-so-odorous-depending-on-the-situation SHEEP. Indonesian lamb comes from those skinny, dirty, catastrophically-odorous GOATS. Sheep's meat tend to be more tender and less odorous than goat's meat. Also, Indonesian goats have bad image compared to Australian sheep, and let me explain why. You see, the only chance you can see a live goat in Jakarta is around the Eid-al-Adha, which is an important festival in the Muslim calendar. During this celebration, people would buy a hewan qurban, which are live animals for offering, usually goats (for the middle-class people) and cows (for the moneyed). These livestocks are displayed on various spots in the city, usually near market complexes or open fields transformed into makeshift livestock display areas. Every Eid-al-Adha, whenever I'm driving around the suburbs passing at those poor goats waiting for sembelih (to be slaughtered), I can't help but feel terribly sorry for them. I can't bear looking at those melancholic eyes, and looking at their skinny bodies, it's not like they've had a GREAT life, they should just die naturally, I reckon.
Whereas in Australia, the only chance I get to see live sheep is at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, a festival in which farmers from around Australia compete to show their fattest, greatest, cutest, plumpest, stoutest, most beautiful and prized livestocks. Looking at those cute, fat, smiling sheep makes me feel hungry. They've had a great life. It's okay to eat them.

Rating: 7.5/10

Ikan Goreng
Fried fish

-> Someone please ID this fish...this...overpriced tiny fish. It tastes okay, but look at that face! So annoying...

Rating: 6/10

Caliniere Cafe - World Square, Sydney

2008-11-01T01:08:00.002+08:00

Been going to Caliniere Cafe a lot lately (usually just for coffee) - might as well do a food review now. So, Caliniere Cafe is one of the three establishments by Vbar (and all three are located in World Square) - the other two being Caliniere Restaurant which offers fine French dining, and Vbar itself, which is a bar. I've been to Caliniere (the restaurant) a couple of times, and I love their food - and their restaurant concept. I thought it's very chic. But anyway, we're talking about the cafe now, I'll do the restaurant review some other time.

Classic Burger

-> Where do I start. I'm very excited about this dish. And surprised, too. I'm a big fan of wholesome, simple food (although I do indulge in pretentious food every now and then, heh heh) - and this one is a pretty good example of it. Delicious, aromatic and juicy beef patty with a definite aroma of nutmeg and perhaps a dash of thyme. It's very moist and tender. The burger is complemented with a nutty and robust aged (I believe) Cheddar which is just delightful. The only disappointment is the fries, which are too flimsy and not crisp enough. Otherwise, this is a wonderful, very appetizing dish.

Rating: 8/10

Canele Patisserie Chocolaterie - Shaw Center

2008-10-28T14:15:00.002+08:00

extremely tired from the morning flight and too much napping... but managed to drag myself out anyway... a tad excited to find the right time to wear that dc pants out... haha... been meaning to try out the place for a while.. someone that i asked previously thought the place is a scam... still i'm a sucker of modern marketing...

Iced Honey Lemongrass
cant taste the lemongrass....

Salade "Canele"
crab meat, hard boiled egg, tomato, mesclun salad, sunflower and pumpkin seed with citrus vinaigrette

needed something light after all that pigging out back home plus after the flight and spending the day napping, my tummy is an acid mess... the greens were a balance of the normal crunch with a lil of the spicier bitter leaves which paired perfectly with the tangy dressing.. it gets better on the odd mouthful with salty seeds... if i have to complain... there was to much crab and dressing... yes, i'm actually serious...

Eggs Florentine
Poached eggs with hollandaise, sauteed spinach, paris ham on toasted brioche

how someone could have eggs florentine for dinner still amaze me... i took a bite anyway, and it was pretty good... presentation wise... well, the neighbour cant stop staring.. he even ignored the menu and went straight to pointing at the plate for his order...

Earl Grey
earl grey ice cream with raspberry jelly and milk chocolate shards

we were extremely dissapointed when the plate came... for a place that specializes in dessert, i believe they could do better in presentation... still, the tongue loves the earl grey ice cream and raspberry combi

the takeaway
the only words the pops up were "david jones".... lol

Tarte Citron
almond tart filled with lemon cream, torched italian meringue and candied lemon peel

Cafe Caramel
milk chocolate coffee mousse, chocolate genoise with espresso, salty caramel and hazelnut feullitine

Rating: 8/10
thumbs up for food and decor... the concept of al fresco on the side of orchard rd (ok, fine... scotts) need to be revised... at least, they need to change the fan to something more cooling... finally, how was it that they had 4-5 waiters for the mere 12 tables (mostly for two) outside and i still need to wave like a mad person to get a new straw???

Mad Mex - Darlinghurst, Sydney

2008-10-27T20:46:00.003+08:00

¡Arriba!

I don't know why I said that.

Anyhoo, grabbed a little Mexican for quick lunch today. If there are American readers out there, do pardon me for posting this entry, for you see, Mexican food is not a common sight in Sydney. I'm sure you're bored with Mexican / Tex-Mex food, as I'm sure that I'll be bored when you blog about eating Turkish Kebabs (very common in Sydney). LOL

This small cantina is actually not Tex-Mex, it's more like Cal-Mex food (the owners are from Baja California). This affects the overall taste and 'spectrum' of the food, as I understand it. Indeed, it's quite unlike the usual Mexican food I consume (which are usually Tex-Mex). I notice that Baja California cuisine use a lot of black beans and they cook their beef in a different way - although most of the yummy staples are there (guacamole, salsa, etc).

The place is really eccentric - just look at the Corona bottle 'chandelier' and the luchador wall mural. Muy Mexicano! They also use chairs that are made of recycled street signs. In fact, their restaurant is so professionally designed, it kind of looks like they're a part of a big restaurant chain, but as far as I know, this darlinghurst outlet is currently their only one.

Barbacoa Quesadilla with Salsa Tomatillo

-> Yum yum. Tender beef with black bean and guac. Highly addictive.

Rating: 8/10

BTW, I can't wait to someday re-visit lovely Mexico. I've only been as far as Tijuana in the past, and I resolve to visit Chichen Itza before I turn 30!
(moo moo!! let's go!! you drive!!)

Anyway, for now, Adios, charolastras!

Wagaya - Haymarket, Sydney

2008-10-27T19:36:00.006+08:00

A few days ago, I realized that I was probably the only Asian in Sydney that have never been to Wagaya before. Well, I've BEEN there five times, but I never got to actually DINE there. For you hikikomori-s (shut-ins) out there, Wagaya is that immensely popular, always packed, uber hi-tech (in Sydney's standard anyway) izakaya in Chinatown that opened their doors for business in the beginning of this year. Cla has been there before, and on her post, she mentioned that one should get a reservation when one wishes to dine there - even on weekdays - but silly me, I decided to ignore her tip. Five times.

Well, they say sixth time is a charm, so on the sixth occasion that I visited Wagaya, I actually get to eat there, too. It sure helped to book a table in advance (I don't believe in luck. In my life, I've never been significantly lucky).

It was a full house, with superfluous amount of people waiting to get a table. After smirking smugly at those poor, hungry and hopeful potential diners *suckerss*, my companions and I proceeded to our table. Well, I'm sure all of you dear readers have heard about their fabled automated ordering system using touch-screen computers (if not, refer to Cla's Wagaya post). Press a picture of a sushi boat, and the said item will be delivered to you in no time. Press a picture of a glass of water, and a nice, smiling waitress would be ready in front of you holding a pitcher of iced water in a matter of seconds. You get the drill.

It's all fun and novel, and apart from the fact that one of my companions kept on talking and talking about the OS (Operating System) behind their automated touch-screen device *yawn*, I'd say that my dining experience was moderately pleasant. Pleasant, but a little bit impersonal. I don't know...I mean, call me an old grampy, but it's as if I was dining in a restaurant operated by robots. I'm all for technology (in fact, that's my line of business), but I much prefer a human being taking my orders, thank you very much.

Chicken Karaage

-> Standard. Predictable. But not bad. In fact, I often order chicken karaage in a restaurant I've never been to before because I know there's little chance a restaurant can screw up a karaage. You know, in case the other dishes are bad, at least there's a standard-tasting karaage.

Rating: 6.5/10

Sukiyaki

-> Err...hit-and-miss. The beef is good, but somehow the rest of the ingredients fail to 'cohere' with each other. In nabe (skillet) dishes, it is important that different ingredients are used, but there must be some sort of 'cohesion' between them. I especially object to the over-mushy tofu and the fact that they add carrots and bean sprouts to the dish - which IMO do not cohere with the rest of the ingredients. It is also worth noting that carrots and bean sprouts are almost never used in cooking a traditional sukiyaki.

Rating: 6/10

Ox Tongue Nikomi

-> A nice, innovative dish. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth ox tongues combined with a pleasant medley of curry-tomato-ish sauce, topped with grated parmesan. No wonder they recommend this dish.

Rating: 7.5/10

Chicken Nanban

-> Not the best I've tasted in Sydney (that distinction belongs to Azuma's and Takeru's delicious chicken nanban), but okay. I love how the tartar sauce is light airy.

Rating: 7/10

Ishikari Nabe

-> A typical Hokkaido dish. Very nice, especially for me who just LOVE eating 'difficult' portions of a fish. By difficult, I mean fleshy parts of fish that are obscure and requires a skill to actually extract the meat part and eat them. Think fish head curry (love 'em).
Anyway, the soup is delightful. It's kind of like akamiso, but slightly sweeter.

Rating: 7.5/10

Grilled Salmon

-> Nice. From the texture, I can tell that it's slowly grilled in open fire.

Rating: 7.5/10

Tokyo Ramen

-> Slightly below average. Be careful when ordering ramen, especially when you're not in a ramen restaurant.

Rating: 5/10

Turquoise

-> Minty, sprite-y, and turquoisey. Can't complain. (better still if it is spiked, LOL)

Rating: 8/10

*Burrrrrp*

Da Paolo Gastronomia - Paragon

2008-10-27T19:22:00.002+08:00

Tiramisu
arguably one of the best... although would be better if it's alcohol infused... :P

Strawberry Tiger Roll
best roll cake ever.... nyammm.... mind you.. its hugeeee...

Rating: 9/10
despite the gloomy fridge display where you pick your cake from... (didnt help that everything is all boxed up in plastic) gastronomia's cake is top notch...

Marigold - Haymarket, Sydney

2008-10-23T21:38:00.002+08:00

Fried sticky rice with char siu bits and dried shrimps

-> I'm not really sure what this is, actually. It's kind of like a lor mai fun (sticky rice with Chinese sausages), but it's drier and less sticky than that. Anyway, quite nice.

Rating: 7/10

Shrimp cheong fan

-> ...with big fat juicy shrimps inside.

Rating: 7/10

Shrimp gau ji

-> My favorite deep-fried dim sum item! Served with sweet mayonnaise.

Rating: 8/10

Yue peen juk
Fish congee

-> I always order congee when doing yum-cha. There's something about the warm, soft texture of congee that I find very fulfilling. Also, I love century eggs (which is usually served with congee)

Rating: 7/10

Siu maai

-> Must-order item. Best eaten with a big dollop of chili sauce. I've mentioned before how I hate Sriracha chili sauce, but since that's the only kind of chili sauce they serve at yum-chas in Sydney, I had no choice.

Rating: 8/10

Char siu baau

-> It wouldn't be a yum-cha without having at least one type of baau (bun).

Rating: 8/10

Ngau juk kau
Steamed meatballs

-> My and my dad's favorite. Too bad he's in Jakarta, where less and less restaurants are serving ngau juk kau nowadays. This one is quite excellent - served with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and some fu juk (tofu skin) - just like it's meant to be served.

Rating: 8/10

Dan tat

-> Flaky-type egg tart. We were early enough to get the piping hot fresh-from-the-oven ones!

Rating: 7.5/10

Hang jan dau fu
Almond jelly

-> a perfect desert to wash it all down.

Rating: 8/10

Shalom - Broadway, Sydney

2008-10-23T21:23:00.002+08:00

Ayam bakar bumbu Bali
Balinese-style grilled chicken

-> One of the two must-try chickens at Shalom (the other one being ayam bakar bumbu rujak). This one is spicy and savory - very addictive. Served with a fried egg.

Rating: 7.5/10

Pempek
Palembang-style fried fish cake

-> One of Indonesia's most iconic dish. Unfortunately, this one from Shalom is kind of just so-so. The fish cake is not crispy enough on the outside, and the cuko sauce is not aromatic enough. However, Shalom is probably the nearest place from the CBD area to get Pempek - unless I'm mistaken.

Rating: 6/10

Es campur duren
Shaved ice with durian and mixed fillings

-> Current addiction. It's really good, at least for Sydney's standard. The durian is soft and fragrant, and the syrup is just delightful. Really reminds you of home if you're Indonesian.

Rating: 8.5/10

...and oh, haven't been to Shalom for awhile, lo and behold, they started charging for water (used to give water out for free). This blows. Although, to keep prices to a minimum, they did manage to produce their own bottled water.

NB: Shalom is opening soon at World Square in the CBD.

Emperor's Garden Bakery - Haymarket, Sydney

2008-10-23T20:49:00.002+08:00

Emperor's Puff

-> Yeah, like these stuff actually need an introduction. Soft, fluffy custard-y goodness that's dangerous to boot. Why? Well, it may be just warm on the outside, and any unheeding mortals would just pop one whole custard puff into their mouth, and before they knew it, their tongue would be brutally scalded by the molten lava-like hot custard interior. The bakery had to put up a sign, "be careful, inside is very hot" as many have fallen victims to this heavenly yet ruthless, blistering treat.

There's something industrial-ish and mass-producey about these puffs - they're made using a big, scary iron puff machine. Quite a common sight in East Asia, but one-of-its-kind in Sydney. This machine emits a ginormous amount of heat and despite its automated nature, needs constant manual attention. That's precisely why the mortal unlucky enough to man this thingamajig (and also serve the customers) is always in a foul mood - uncommunicative, barely a sliver of smile or a word of thanks to the customers.

Anyway, Emperor's puff is still a gem of Sydney's Chinatown - attracting a bee-line especially on a cold night.

Rating: 8.5/10

Madono - Haymarket, Sydney

2008-10-16T21:12:00.004+08:00

Post-theater dinner. *watched Billy Elliot at the Capitol*

Anyway, the entrance to this restaurant looked convincing enough - the mini Japanese zen-ish garden concept is nice, but the actual inside of the restaurant looks somewhat detached from the entrance decor scheme. The inside interior is simple and minimalist, with so-so lighting and rather boring furnitures. It's okay for casual dinner, but definitely not for a night out.

Service lacks smile, but is prompt enough. Water glasses refilled without asking (for me, that's really important because I drink like a camel storing water in the desert when I eat). There's a serious lack of ambient music inside the restaurant, which really dulls up everything. However, everything was forgiven because the food was quite nice (with some exceptions). Prices are reasonable, too - I'd say it's good value for money because similar dishes in other similar restaurants can cost more.

At the time of dining, the place was half-full, with a big table consisting of very noisy Hong Kong kids. Their sheer volume (especially when they laughed) literally blew the roof - and remember, there was no music inside the restaurant, so all we could hear was their raucous jibberjabber. At some point, I even heard them laughing while banging their chopsticks to their glasses. Seriously.

Salmon maki

-> Surprisingly nice. Everything you'd expect from a nice salmon roll. I love how they roll the avocado outside the rice - it's hard to get this right.

Rating: 7.5/10

Sukiyaki set

-> Nice. the tofu is very fresh and just the right firmness and texture, good fat ratio on the meat, and the sashimi is fresh as well. A good, solid dish

Rating: 7.5/10

Katsudon

-> This one, however, is a joke. The crumb is too fine, it's not warm enough, the eggs overcooked, and the whole dish is not moist enough. Avoid it like you'd avoid being seen carrying Anya Hindmarch's "I'm not a plastic bag" tote.

Rating: 4.5/10

Anyway, this place is kind of nice if you want to have different types of Japanese food at a reasonable price. Based on the few dishes I've tried, it seems that their sushi is quite OK. Too bad the place is kind of depressing and too sterile.

Tomo Izakaya - Clarke Quay

2008-10-16T16:03:00.004+08:00

cranberry lemonade, mango calpis soda, cranberry juice

gindara teriyaki
the oiliness of the cod and the sweetness of the teriyaki was just all a bit too much...

kimchee ramen
not bad... though ramen is a lil too soft (then again i like my noodles to be chewy and with bite).. kimchee somehow taste a lil different to the normal korean ones, but i cant really put a finger on it...

Stewed pork belly with cabbage in miso
i like this dish the most... pork belly was not too fatty and cabbage adds crunch...

vegetable tempura
boring boring... i never like tempura in the first place... i think its the ginger...

chicken ball

Spider roll

soft shell crab... mm.. full flavored... dont even try dipping it with soy sauce...

Rating: 7.5/10
will go back with someone who drinks... :P
before nine they play cheesy j-pop... after nine, its live jazz...
tables were huge, mostly for 8... so if you'd most likely have to share a table with strangers...

http://www.tomoizakaya.com/

Koryojung - Haymarket, Sydney

2008-10-16T11:58:00.002+08:00

Red bean soup and daikon vichyssoise

-> I'm no expert in Korean food, but I've never tasted this kind of red bean soup before. It's actually more like a paste than soup - it's quite thick. I expected it to be sweet, but it's salty instead.

Rating: 6/10 (both)

Banchan

-> Quite a nice variety, somewhat not so boring compared to other restaurants.

Rating: 6.5/10

Denjang chigae

-> Korean tofu miso soup. It's nice - a little bit spicy and rich.

Rating: 7/10

Dinner at Koryojung is kind of pleasant - provided if you're a big fan of extreme privacy. What is extreme privacy, anyway? Well...think of going to the cinema to watch a film and finding out that you're the only audience inside the theater. How does that feel? Now my experience at Koryojung is precisely like that - my friends and I were the only people dining at Koryojung around 7pm on a Saturday night. The place is quite huge - there's about 30 tables that seat 4.

This place is recently-opened. About 3 months ago, to be precise. Understandably, business is still slow, but never in a million years would I expect it to be THIS slow. I've never been to an empty large restaurant at peak dining hour before. Actually, I didn't expect the restaurant to be empty when I reached the entrance - after all, loud Korean pop was blasting from inside the restaurant and the place looks bright. However, when we actually stepped into the restaurant, we were shocked to discover a huge, spacious place with no customer. We initially wanted to leave, but since we were very warmly greeted by the staff, we felt kind of bad to do so, LOL

I was totally nervous - because an empty restaurant can only mean two things - either it's very, very recently opened, or the food is extremely bad. Considering that this place has opened for a reasonable time, that would only mean one thing - bad food.
The reason why I was nervous was because my friends, who dined with me, are the harshest critics I know and I would surely get a huge bashing if the food turned out to be bad (since I was the one who recommended to dine there)

Bulgogi

-> Staple order when it comes to Korean restaurants. Simple, predictable dish. A little bit on the salty side (instead of sweet, which I prefer)

Rating: 6.5/10

Pajeon

-> Seafood pancake. This one is delightful. It's light (very important property of good pajeon) and tasty. One of the best I've tasted in Sydney.

Rating: 8/10

Tangsuyuk

-> Sweet and sour chicken. It's okay, but not great. The crumb is soft and chewy instead of the usual crispy texture. The meat texture is also kind of weird.

Rating: 6/10

Anyway, I was somewhat relieved to discover that their food aren't bad - it's not fantastic, but definitely far from being bad. We left the restaurant in an endless wonderment on why the restaurant was THAT empty. Perhaps they lack on advertising? Perhaps it's because of their very obscure entrance at a somewhat quiet street? Perhaps they should build more internet presence? (literally no information on this restaurant is available in English by the time I wrote this entry).

Anyway, for those who are curious to try this place, I'll give you the address (see below). I don't normally give out addresses of restaurants unless anyone asks. However, I'll make an exception for this one because I simply think that this restaurant deserves more customers.

Koryojung
Level 1, 8 Dixon Street HAYMARKET 2000

The Patissier - Ann Siang Rd

2008-10-14T14:02:00.003+08:00

Rectangle: Chai
Earl gray flavoured chocolate with almond sponge and butter cream

Triangle: Chocolate Fudge
A very dense and rich chocolate cake made from Valrohna chocolate

Round: Empress Dowager
Layers of vanilla sponge filled with strawberry mousse and fresh raspberries

Rating: 9/10
just order your next cake from here! beats any other cake shop on the island...

http://www.thepatissier.com/

Golden Pillow 933

2008-10-14T13:45:00.002+08:00

Sa had this in the office for lunch...
then i have to have it too...

Rating: 8/10
it really was "soft enough to sleep on" as it claimed on the website...

www.goldenpillow933.com.sg

Ben & Jerry's - The Cathay

2008-10-14T13:35:00.002+08:00

Cookie Cookie Sundae
most pathetic sundae... hahahha... ice cream were naturally good (well, it is ben and jerry's after all...) but placing a cookie underneath two scoops of ice cream does not make it a sundae!!!! cookie was terrible.... i saw them pop the cookie in the microwave.. probably to make it softer?? but it turned out hard as a rock....

Rating: 5/10
take a tip from subway for the cookie please people...