Archives for : Japanese

Fat Panda- Canley Heights

Been a while sine my my last post. To be honest, I’ve been kinda lazy…

Anyway this post doesn’t require much explanation. Just your standard Japanese dishes.

Fat Panda is a Japanese restaurant located in Canley heights. It’s usually pretty busy, and the quality is usually top notch.

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Tetsuyas – Tasting Menu

WP_20140905_20_13_02_ProTetsuyas can be found in the Sydney CBD behind giant iron gates, and within a massive house. From the moment you enter it is all very posh. But for $220 per person for the tasting menu you would expect that.

WP_20140905_20_15_43_ProPart of the menu (I will need to upload the rest of it when I find it)

WP_20140905_20_10_49_ProSome Oysters they upsold me at the start. Were they good? mm, they were ok.

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The service was great, the staff were very attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. However I do feel as though the service style does lack character and personality.But in saying that, it’s understandable. Working in a world renowned fine dining restaurant with the occasional snotty customer would be like walking on egg shells.

Unfortunately I can’t accurately recall how each meal tasted since this was around fathers day last year.  However I do remember really enjoying the food, and would definitely recommend it .

 

 

 

 

 

Mini Hamburger Meal : Kracie Kits.

Hello all,

I have been really slack with posting for the past few months now, but will try to post a little more frequently the next few weeks.

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Todays post is a little weird. Here is one of many mini food items you can make by Kacie.co.jp – the mini Hamburger Meal.

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Utensils are provided in the packet so all you need is a Microwave. To be honest the instructions did confuse me a little, since I can’t read Japanese but there are plenty of tutorials online.

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And here is the finished product. Pretty cool huh?

Did a taste taste. Verdict? Horrible. But for the novelty of it all, it is worth getting.

Sabu: Contemporary Japanese and Sushi.

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Sabu is located within the main food precinct of Parramatta.

WP_20140511_13_08_40_Pro WP_20140511_13_05_07_ProQuite nice looking inside.

WP_20140511_13_09_24_ProJames Ninja -mixed berries  and sweetened apple juice.

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GREEN TEA COOLER 
A summer infusion to refresh the body with apple
juice, green tea, mint, strawberries and cucumber.

I liked this one very refreshing.

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CHERRY BLOSSOM
This lush blend of fresh pink grapefruit and
cherries served tall with orange and mango nectar
will help you kick those shoes off and unwind.

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Mixed Vegetable Tempura
Mixed seasonal vegetables with blue cheese espuma.

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Scallops
Seared scallop with pickled seaweed, shiitake and rich dashi espuma. 2

I think the sauce was overbearing. Way too much of it. The scallops were okay, but would have been better if they were a little more seared/browned on the outside.

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Mushroom Skewers
Mushroom and zucchini skewed with truffle mayonnaise and tarragon.

Sauce was nice. Vegies were a little overcooked though.

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Pork Belly
Slow cooked pork belly, carrot purée, pop pork skin, cumin crumble and ginger
glaze.

The carrot puree has quite a sweet flavour, which is quite a common pairing when it comes to Pork Belly dishes. In this instance, it did not work for me (subjective). The Pork Belly was okay.  It could do with some sides to balance to dish a little better.

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Kasuka

Crispy brick pastry with strawberry Ice Cream, chocolate soil, assorted nuts and rasberry anglaise shot.

Quite a unique and pretty looking dessert.  Could do with a little more strawberry ice cream, to compensate for the generous chocolate soil provided. Could do with a little more fresh berries.

Overall

The staff are super friendly and helpful, however unfortunately I do find the food does need a little refining. I think simplicity is the key in this instance. I would rather eat something basic and well cooked rather than something that is confusing and complicated…

Perhaps my experience will be different next time round, but for now it was just okay.

 

 

 

 

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

More Japanese Confectionery.

Delicious! I don’t know what these things are called. They sell them at the convenient stores in Japan.

 

 

Hot Lemon Tea. Way too sweet for my liking.

 

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These were pretty tasty. I think they are like noodle snacks? A little Spicy.

 

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Green Tea Cafe – Tsujiri Honten

During my trip to Japan this was one of my must-do places to visit.  This place in located within the Main Streets of Old-Gion , Kyoto. The place is pretty easy to find because around lunch time you see a massive queue  of people lining up –  extending from upstairs to the outside of the cafe.

 

Tsujiri Honten

 

This had green tea soft serve, normal green tea ice cream, kiwi, green tea biscuit, glutonous balls,  green. tea jelly, and bananas.

 

Tsujiri Honten

 

The Green-Tea Noodles!

 

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How pretty is it? I think that is how far it got with me. The desserts were all very nice to look at but they all had an odd sour taste to it. Maybe I chose the wrong one? The Green-Tea noodles were lovely though. Especially on a really cold day.

 

Worth visiting for the novelty of it though. 🙂

 

Tsujiri Honten

 Location:

573-3 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 605-0074, Japan

 

Dezzatto

Dezzatto

 

Buying dessert in Japan is really a special experience. We found this place inside a large supermarket/ Myers type place in Hiroshima not too far from the JR station. From what I remember there is a  whole section of different vendors, dedicated to sweet stuff. It comes served in  heart shaped   crockery. Cute!

Ice cream :)

Ice-Cream!

Ice cream

Kagome: Grape Juice and Strawberry Juice

Kagome Juice