Archives for : vegetarian

Romdeng – Phnom Penh

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Romdeng is a restaurant in Phnom Penh Cambodia which is part of the “Friends” alliance which staffs former street kids and teachers. Set in a beautiful colonial style setting with tables, chairs, lights, and wooden carvings all made in Cambodia.

However, this restaurant was also chosen for its ‘interesting’ menu.

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Sorry for the squirmish people. For the adventerous – please keep reading.So, most people ask what is it like eating something so many of us have phobias of?

Taste:  Close to fish

Texture: Wasn’t hairy tasting. Not as crunchy as the one I had on the streets in Siem Reap though. I prefered that much more.

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Hot Lemon Grass Tea. Very refreshing.

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Tree ant and beef stir fry. I didn’t think much of this, it just tasted like another regular beef stir fry, and nothing unique. My friend did note a licorice type taste.

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Ice-cream with fruit. Very refreshing.

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Overall with the experience. The food was okay (what I chose anyway). The decor is lovely, the service is on point, and the swimming pool looks tempting.

Loving Hut #3

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Heavenly Salad. Very evident South Eastern flavours. The prawns (vegan) actually taste like prawns. Served with Vegan Prawn chips. yummy. Quite a lot of salad for a side dish.

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Sweet and sour soup. A light style of dish. I recommend to have it with rice.

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Braised fish pot. I quite like this. Tasted a lot like fish. The only criticism i have is that it should have been a little more flaky to mimic the texture of fish. Otherwise a nice dish.

IPPUDO – Sydney

A couple months ago I was approached to do a review at Ippudo Sydney. Unfortunately due to busy schedules on both our ends – it didn’t end up taking place.

Now, skip a couple months forward, and here I am – ready to stuff my face with Ramen.

Ippudo Sydney is located at Westfields on Pitt St, Sydney.

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Simply, take the lift up to level 5. Conveniently named Food on Five.

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We went for dinner on a Tuesday night, and since Ippudo is situated amongst other restaurants, and a Food Court that operates during the day – you could imagine the area to be a little lifeless at that time of night.

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However, Ippudos presence is made obvious as the sound of restaurant patrons talking, and music playing fills the atmosphere. There was a little bit of a line-up for a Tuesday night. I can imagine it being chockers on a friday and saturday night.

Ippudo Entrance

Bar area near the entrance, and singular stools for the lone diner.

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The restaurant space inside Ippudo is not really designed for prams, but the Ippudo staff were definitely more than accommodating to our needs.

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Nice parking job by the Pram Valet.

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We were seated at one of the tables outside. Not as much going on out here. But with a energetic one year old, the quieter area was a good choice.

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I did manage to grab some snaps of the inside though.

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Cool spoons for the little man. Why don’t they make stuff like this for adults?

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Well designed minimalist style menus. Typical of the Japanese aesthetic.

Ippudo’s origins go as far back as 1985 in Fukuoka. Its first international outlet opened in 2008 in New York and has been expanding globally ever since.

Enough with the history lesson. We are here for the food.

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Steamed bun with braised pork and IPPUDO original sauce

I quite enjoyed this. Full of flavour and the pork was perfectly tender. The sauce creamy and almost Caesar-like. The bun, although nice, was a little on the verge of sogginess. A little more fluffiness/sponginess, and we would be looking at a cracker of an entree.

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CAMEMBERT TEMPURA

Camembert cheese dipped in batter and deep-fried

Holy clogged arteries – look at that amount of rock  salt on that cheese. I was a little concerned seeing the amount of salt on it to be honest, but thankfully it wasn’t. The Tempura Camembert alone is a little too oily and too cheesy, but the greens and vinaigrette  help balance the dish. I recommend stacking the greens on top and eating it like that.

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I think I was a little too hungry, and way too eager to eat Ramen that I didn’t realise I hadn’t taken a photo of the star dish. Doh!

I ordered the Spicy Black. A seasonal dish.  Good spicy kick, and nice heat from the sesame and black oil. A nice springiness to the noodles. Probably would go a little better with some extra bean sprouts. I think I will get the extra Ramen toppings the next time I go!

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VEGETARIAN NOODLES $13

Topped with avocado, cherry tomato,
cucumber, yogurt, mandarin, corn flakes,
mixed nuts, and a side of greens.
Noodles mixed with special sesame
based sauce and topped with balsamic vinegar.

Wait what? Mandarin? Cornflakes? Strangely enough though, my partner did enjoy her food, and actually does want to go back for more.

It would be interesting though to see if  Ippudo does create a soup based Ramen  that is Vegetarian friendly in the future.

gettingreadyfordessert

Getting Ready for dessert.

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Matcha Anmitsu

Vanilla ice cream served with shiratama mochi, matcha, and milk kanten (jelly cubes), sweet black and red beans with Kinako (roasted soy bean flour) 

Not a bad dessert. You can taste a slight bitterness that pairs well with the sweetness from the vanilla ice-cream. I grew up eating desserts like this all the time.

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Jockey glass man reveals  that his feelings towards the dish is satisfactory.  I agree.
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Winter in Sydney

Deep fried green tea ice cream tempura served with fried noodles, topped with cream and fruit

Not really a aesthetically pleasing dessert. (The fried noodle decoration is quite nice though). Pretty tasty overall.

Overall

Overall I enjoyed the experience. The staff were very  attentive, friendly, and accommodating to our requirements. However they were perfectly aware that I was there as a reviewer, which makes me wonder what it would have been like if I was just a regular patron?

The Ramen is definitely amongst one of the best I have tried in Sydney. And I have tried some pretty good Ramen all over Japan.

I do  think the average of $20 for a bowl of Ramen is a little on the dearer side – as it is considered to be a quick, and affordable street-style food. It is pretty on par with the pricing of other eateries, and the general demographic of shoppers within the center.

They do say however, that you get what you pay for. Whether that statement holds true or not, that is a subjective matter, and for you to decide for yourself.

We will definitely be back.

A new store will be opening in Mid september…
New store address: IPPUDO SYDNEY Central Park
Level 1 RB07, 28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW2008

Cooking at home: Vegetarian Risotto

Vegetarian Risotto

 

Made some Vegetarian Risotto at home. 🙂

Loving Hut: Canley Heights – Revisit.

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Vegan Dim Sims.

I found these to be Mushy and flavourless unfortunately.

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Steamed Vegan Buns.

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In contrast to my previous visit, I did not enjoy the food quite as much as the last time. Generally I do like the food at Loving Hut. As always the staff are very friendly.

As always I intend to provide more reviews in future.

 

The Bentley – Vegetarian Tasting Menu

I took my partner to The Bentley on the weekend for her first mothers day. The lighting is very dark, and the photos don’t really do the food justice.

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Sour Apple Mocktail

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Beetroot + Purple Carrots + Raddish + Salad Burnet

 

Beetroot + Purple Carrots + Raddish + Salad Burnet

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Zucchini + Borlotti Beans + Squash + Nasturtium

White Asparaagus + Salsify + Charred onion

White Asparaagus + Salsify + Charred onion

Baby King Edward Potatoes + Green Garlic _ Amaranth

Baby King Edward Potatoes + Green Garlic _ Amaranth

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Eggplant + Leek + Shemiji Mushrooms + Rye

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Charred Pumpkin + Blackrice + Broad Beans

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White Chocolate + Apple Sorbet + Fennel

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Aerated Chocolate + Fig Leaf Ice Cream + Lemon Aspen

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Honey Comb Chocolate to finish.

Many Vegetarian/Vegan menus out there focus too heavily on mimicking various meat dishes. The Vegetarian tasting menu at Bentley truly highlights the essence of the vegetable.

The Zucchini + Borlotti Beans + Squash + Nasturtium was definitely a highlight.

If I could be slightly picky – the Eggplant + Leek + Shemiji Mushrooms + Rye was a little on the salty side. Otherwise a fantastic menu.

 

 

Ungaro Raw

Found this place in Rozelle on the weekend.

 

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So we popped in.

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One of their Green Juices. It was a little warm. A little ice would have made it better.

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Raw Vegan Lasagna. They used Zucchini slices instead of pasta sheets. Very nice.  The dressing/sauce is what makes this dish.

 

 

 

Ainsley Harriott: Sundried Tomato & Garlic Cous Cous

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Found this in the supermarket today. Costs about $2.50AUD and contains two packets in it.

Basically you empty the contents of the satchet into a bowl, pour some hot water, wait, then fluff it up. Pretty easy. Pretty average tasting. But good if you are after a cheap and easy meal at work.

 

 

 

Vegetarian Nachos

Nachos Jan 2013

Loving Hut: Vegan Restaurant

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Went to the Loving Hut: Vegan Restaurant for Dinner.

 

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They serve Vietnamese influenced Vegan cuisine, which is the predominant style of food around the area. The menu does contain things such as chips, and vegan burgers though.

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Duck (fake meat) wraps with pickled cucumber and carrot with coriander to start. Very delicious. Didn’t realise I wasn’t eating meat.

 

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Vegan Pho Noodles with copious amounts of bean sprouts served on the side. Normally I get the “special beef” Pho noodles, and in comparison the Vegan alternative doesn’t quite match up. They are o.k but not quite as good. I think they tried to intensify the flavour by adding heaps of cardamon which was quite off putting.

 

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Vermicelli Noodles with spring rolls and shredded pork.

Quite tasty. A little dry. Which is offset by some sauce served on the side. Maybe some extra vegies/salad to offset it would be better?

I will be conducting more reviews on this restaurant in the future. 🙂