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La Mesa – Philippine Cuisine

WP_20160422_20_47_16_Pro WP_20160422_20_47_54_ProLa Mesa is a Filipino restaurant located in Haymarket Sydney. It isn’t a hugely poular cuisine in Sydney, so naturally I went and tried it.

WP_20160422_21_11_12_ProBistik – Beef strips marinated in soy and lemon juice. I found it to be pretty salty, but bearable when paired with plain rice.

WP_20160422_21_12_22_Pro WP_20160422_21_12_42_ProSizzling Sisig – sizzling dish of pig head parts. This was easily one of my favourite dishes on the night. Nice balanced flavours.

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CRISPY PATA – “signature dish; Tender pork leg deep fried to make its skin and meat crispy, served with a sauce of vinegar, soy sauce and…” Nice texture and crispiness.

WP_20160422_21_19_25_ProCHICKEN ADOBO – “A most popular Philippine dish of tender chicken fillets cooked in sugar cane vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and black pepper” I was pretty keen to try this but was unfortunately disappointed. The chicken was cooked pretty well. But in terms of flavour, it just tasted like plain chicken with soy sauce – literally.

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HALO HALO – “Sweetened exotic fruits, topped with shaved ice, milk and ice cream.”

I expected this to be overly sweet as I saw it arrive at the table. But surprisingly it is well balanced. You taste something different with each spoonful. Reminds me of other Asian influenced deserts – similar flavors.

 

 

 

 

Scorpion: BugShop

On a recent trip to the Good Food & Wine Show I stumbled upon an array of delicious food: cheese, cured meats, chocolates, and more.

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There was one stand though that peaked the interest, and raised eyebrows of those passing by. a little stand with an array of -Bugs. Not for the food fussy or the feint hearted. I was warned of the strong taste, but still went against any logical thinking.

 

scorpion

 

So what does Scorpion taste like? To me it tastes like fish. Strong fish. It isn’t as gross tasting as it is gross psychologically. Would I try it again? Probably not.

Steak on the Rocks Canley Heights

Steak on the Rocks

 

Steak on the Rocks opened in Canley Heights, Canley Vale rd a few months ago, and has been gaining a good flow of customers. A good change from the pre-dominant asian restaurants around the area.But does the food fair?

 

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Garlic Pizza. Was very hard. This is what was left of it. Pretty disappointing.

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The Steaks are served on sizzling plates.  Served very hot as you could imagine. Unfortunately it does cause you to eat very fast if you like your steak medium rare-rare etc.

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The chips would be improved immensely if they weren’t so oily.

A little video

Overall I found the experience to be a little under. The staff were friendly,  but the communication level was poor. There was only one staff member who understood our request. The restaurant definitely has potential to do great things.

Pho Hien

Sugar Cane Pork DIY rice paper rolls. Everything comes pre-cut to make exactly 6 rice paper rolls.  Very fresh ingredients.

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Pho Hien can be found on Canley Vale Rd, Canley Heights and is open super late.

At home: Pan fried Gnocchi with Spinach and Mushrooms in garlic butter.

Pan Fried Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Spinach in Garlic Butter

Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli – Leura

On our recent visit to the Blue Mountains we took a short day trip too Leura. One of the cafes we decided to eat at was the Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli.

Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli

 

From the outside it just looks like a regular deli. You can’t see much from the outside. There is a small door entrance with the deli forming the front entrance area of the cafe/deli.

Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli

 

Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli

 

However, as you venture towards the end of the shop – you start to notice that there is a long line of people waiting, and an array of tables, lime green walls, and a beautiful view overlooking the forest. A very unexpected surprise.

Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli

 

Fresh Juice is available.

Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli

 

The food is pretty mediocre though. Not the best presented and best cooked food.

Leura Gourmet Cafe and DeliAbove is the Leek and Chicken Pie. The Crust was nice. The filling was nice. But it would have been better if they added a little more cheese to the sauce to make it thicker. A little more pastry would have been nice too. Overall the dish was satisfactory.

I would recommend this cafe purely for the ambiance alone. A pleasant surprise, and discovery. This cafe is located in Leura Mall.

 

Jacky Chan Restaurant in Tamachi, Tokyo/

We found a series of restaurants wandering towards an off-street in Tamachi, Tokyo. About 2-5 minutes walk from the Tamachi Station you will find an array of restaurants.. Not sure what this place is called since I don’t understand Japanese. But I will post a video to give you guys an idea of the location.

The first night we discovered this place, we ended up eating at this Jacky Chan Restaurant. Not sure if it is Jacky Chan, but it does look like him.

Jacky Chan Restaurant

 

1. Crispy Tofu in a Beef(I think) Broth. Very tasty

2. Was not Takoyaki. Dissapointned.

3. Salted Edame Beans. Nice 🙂

 

Jacky Chan Restaurant

 

4. Spicy chicken Wings. These were okay. You can get better chicken wings in Australia.

5. What was inside the Takoyaki looking balls.

6. Cheese Sticks? Very creamy. The Cabbage actually works well with it.

Jacky Chan Restaurant

 

How can you not go to Japan and have a Sashimi plate? In order from left to right:  Salmon, Octopus, Tuna, Not sure what the last one was. It was my first time trying octopus. It was ok.

Jacky Chan Restaurant

 

If you are a non-smoker make sure you ask for the non-smoking section 🙂 Sounds obvious but you tend to forget these things as a non-native speaker/visitor.

Tamachi Station is on the JR Yamanote line 🙂

Breakfast in Kyoto

Following up from the previous post. Here is our breakfast the next day.

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Traditional Kyoto Cusine

On our 6th night in Japan we stayed in a traditional Ryokan located in Old Gion, Kyoto. With Ryokans you are commonly charged for the whole service/stay and dinner. We were treated to a lovely traditional Japanese dinner which featured an array of seafoods.

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For those who have never had a traditional dinner in a Ryokan before. Basically what happens is that you sit in your room on the tatami mats, and someone comes to your room and serves you dinner in your room. I highly recommend it as a must-do Japanese experience.

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Lotteria: Fast Food in Japan

One thing I recommend doing in Japan is eating at a fast food restaurant. You know – just to compare.

Lotteria is a fast food restaurant found in many places around Japan, especially Tokyo. Ordering is really easy if you don’t speak any Japanese. Just point to the picture and say “this please!”.

I ended up ordering the “Hangover” series Prawn/Shrimp burger meal .Wow!

Lotteria: Prawn Burger Meal

Prawn Burger ( Hangover series)