Posts by tammi

Ramen O-San, Haymarket

Review 2 Comments
Tonkotsu Ramen from Ramen O-San

Tonkotsu Ramen from Ramen O-San

Sydney is truly in the grips of pork fever – and I mean the good kind. From crackling, to rolls, to bacon, we are truly all about that pig, bout that pig, no treble.

And right smack in the middle of all the swine craze is the tonkotsu ramen. Believed to have started in the Hakata/Fukuoka region in Japan, this ramen begins with a thick, rich soup made with pork bones simmered for hours, and creamy with emulsified pork fat and gelatin. The thickness and richness of the soup may vary from store to store, but there’s no doubt that the tonkotsu is a signature of the Fukuoka prefecture.

Which is why the first recommendation off the menu at Ramen O-San – the 7th store internationally by Chef Kazuteru Oh after gaining much recognition in Japan – is the Tonkotsu, followed closely by the Sumo Ramen, which is a pork and chicken mixed broth base.

Sumo Ramen from Ramen O-SanSumo Ramen, $12.80

Now this bowl of Sumo Ramen was HUGE. Like this bowl could double up as a sailboat for fictional children’s shows characters. I guess that’s why they call it..sumo.

Never mind, I’m a bit slow on the uptake.

Sumo Ramen Noodles from Ramen O-San

A mixture of pork and chicken broth (vegetarian and Jewish friends, look away) is ladled over thick straight noodles and topped with a heaping mound of bean sprouts and cabbage, and 2 rectangular pieces of kakuni pork – pork belly stewed in a soy based sauce till lip smackingly savoury and fall apart tender.

Like Asian bacon almost, except not fried.

The kakuni pork was a delight for me – salt is my kryptonite, or so says my doctor – and the soup was very manageable, since the chicken broth thinned out the pork broth considerably. I wasn’t, however, as big a fan of the amount of cabbage and bean sprouts in the bowl. I know I know, 5-a-day and all, but it got to the point where there was a bitterness from the veg that overwhelmed the whole bowl like a crew in the midst of mutiny.

Tonkotsu Ramen from Ramen O-SanTonkotsu Ramen, $9.80

I guess I’m a bit more of a simple girl who likes a simple bowl, and the Tonkotsu Ramen in all its porky glory really brought me to a happy place.

Not to mention the slightly more practical size.

Tammi holding a bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen

See? Much more manageable.

Tonkotsu Ramen Noodles from Ramen O-San

The ramen for the Tonkotsu was also much thinner. All the better to slurp up that soup with my dear. says the wolf. The noodles here are slightly softer than I’m used to – it could be the photo taking but I take photos everywhere – but the broth came swinging with the flavours. It was a pure, unadulterated pork flavour, complete with the luxurious finish of pork fat. Texturally not as thick as say, Gumshara, but as I’m informed by more than one Japanese friend, NO ONE makes it as thick as Gumshara. And the thin slices of pork belly on top had just the right amount of tenderness to fat, making this my favourite for the day.

And what does Sam think?

Sam slurping up ramen soup

He says while finishing the rest of the soup in the bowl.

Well, there’s a reason why he’s not a food blogger.

I’d be very interested in trying the other menu items on my next visit – I think I can hear a tsukemen – dry noodles dipped in a thick seafood sauce – calling my name.

Insatiable Munchies dined as guests of Ramen O-San.

Ramen O-San
Shop B01, Dixon House Food Court
Cnr Dixon & Little Hay St
Haymarket, NSW 2000
Website: http://www.facebook.com/osanramensydney

O-San Ramen on Urbanspoon

Easy Tom Yum Fried Rice

Lunch Pantry Quick Recipe what i ate 4 Comments
Tom Yum Fried Rice with Vegetables and Shrimp

Tom Yum Fried Rice with Vegetables and Shrimp

Even the most eager of home cooks come to a point in their week when they get a bit lazy, and because I’m a night eater (ooh that should be my Super Villain name!) my laziness always comes in the form of not entirely having fresh ingredients at the end of the week, and not wanting to rush to the shops to buy last minute ingredients in the final 5 minutes before they close.

Enter this Easy Tom Yum Fried Rice, made entirely out of ingredients that I keep stocked at home! You’ll notice that my frozen prawns and veg is cooked straight from the freezer – no thawing time! And it works, too, because the prawns are small and the veg is bite-sized. If you have larger pieces of meat that are frozen, they may require a little bit of thawing, unless they were cut before freezing, in which case, substitute away!

But the whole point of this recipe is that it’s more of a guideline: feel free to mix and match ingredients that you might keep on hand, and create effortless deliciousness!

Tom Yum Fried Rice with Vegetables and Shrimp

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Godzirra Sushizilla!

Review 6 Comments
Prawn Roll from Suzhizilla

Prawn Roll from Suzhizilla

There’s just something about sushi trains that are just so fascinating for me: the lights, the colours, and the endless varieties of small bites smothered in mayo and teriyaki sauce.

Yeah, I think it’s the mayo that’s got me.

But sucking mayo straight from a Kewpie bottle aside, there’s so much more to a Japanese restaurant than just a sushi train, and Sushizilla in Central Park has become a new favourite in my household not only because of their $2.90 sushi train happy hour (5-9pm every day), but also because of their standout a la carte menu.

Clockwise from top left: Grilled oysters, Chawanmushi, Chippendale Roll, Eel Hamburg, Prawn RollClockwise from top left: Grilled oysters, Chawanmushi, Chippendale Roll, Eel Hamburg, Prawn Roll

I was a bit disappointed that on the day that I go back with my camera there wasn’t any black cod available, but I still maintain that their Miso Black Cod ($13.50) is rocking. Rice essential though, because unless you’d like salty miso flavour that makes your face screw (in which case, high five!), then you might need to temper the miso a little with some steamed rice.

The Prawn Roll was also a standout for me – panko-crumbed prawn is rolled into an inside-out maki roll, and topped with mayo and blowtorched. Mmmmm mayo. The Chawanmushi is also a regular order for me: silky savoury egg custard is studded with edamame, crabmeat, chicken and salmon roe.

Sushi train order

They sushi train, while not as stellar as their a la carte, also feature fresh ingredients and satisfying bites. And at $2.90 per plate during happy hour, this place is packed with students from around the area at dinnertime. 

Go for the cheap sushi, stay for the a la carte! And with extra incentive this time, since Sushizilla is offering 20% off all a la carte menu orders till the end of February 2015!

And you know we love a good discount around here. =)

Sushizilla
Central Park
Shop 204 28 Broadway
Chippendale, NSW 2008
Phone: 0438 689 119
Website: http://www.sushizilla.com.au/
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 9:00am-9:30pm

Sushizilla on Urbanspoon

Keeping My Cool with T2 Cool Sorts

Product Review 7 Comments
Peaches and Cream Iced Tea from T2 Teas

T2 Cool Sorts Peaches and Cream

I’ve always been fascinated by cocktails and iced teas, probably because the delicate mixing of flavours to me is like alchemy, and that promise of absolute gold at the end of you get it right.

Well this summer, T2 has come up with fruity iced tea mixes, ready for your teapot and a bit of hot water.

T2 Cool Sorts Peaches and Cream

In the T2 Cool Sorts box ($22), you get 5 flavours to try: Banana Riot, Juicy Ginger, Mango Twister, Melon Head and Peaches and Cream.

I really bought the whole box because of the mango – it’s sweet without being too cloying, and refreshingly light and fruity, exactly what you want an iced tea to be. The peach brought similarly refreshing notes, but with less sweetness straight out of the box.

The rest of the tea though, were a bit average for me. The melon did truly tasted like honeydew, and since I’m a bit more of a rock melon sorta gal, it wasn’t quite my thing. The banana had really nice caramel notes, but wasn’t as refreshing as I wanted my iced teas in summer to be.

And the ginger. It may be because I grew up in a culture that likes our flavour strong, but I barely got a hint of ginger, and then not that much else unfortunately. If I feel like ginger, I think I’d stick to my Apple and Ginger Green Tea.

But that being said, I’m still quite happy with my purchase. It gave me a chance to get some ideas and try some new stuff. And that mango, oh that mango!!

Each pack roughly 10 cups, so it’s enough to keep me hydrated for say, a week?

Shame that you can’t get the pack of mango by itself, but you take what you can get, hey?

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Stark Raving…Mad Fo’ Chicks, Eastwood

Review
Spring Onion Korean Fried Chicken

IMG_5105

I’m glad I live in a world where Korean Fried Chicken joints pop up like daisies in the summer. It means variety, choice, and a horizon filled with battered and fried juicy morsels.

And it saddens me when I see what I thought was a busy restaurant all boarded up and closed.
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Lunchbox ideas: Leftover Pizza Scrolls Recipe

Recipe 16 Comments
Homemade Pizza Scrolls Recipe

Pizza Scrolls

It’s back to school and back to work for most of us, and time to refresh that lunchbox! Inspired by a couple of magazine ideas that I’d read, I’ve created a recipe that produces fluffy scrolls filled with your delicious pizza toppings, and uses up leftover ingredients in the fridge!

And it’s no harder than rolling up your favourite pizza.

Leftover Pizza Scrolls Recipe

 

Leftover Pizza Scrolls
Recipe Type: Kid friendly, Easy, Freezer Friendly
Author: Tammi Kwok
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 24 scrolls
These pizza scrolls are a perfect way to involve the kids with making their own lunches AND use up leftovers in the fridge! It’s also freezer-friendly, which means that you’ll also get easy breakfasts on the go, if it even lasts that long!
Ingredients
  • [For the bread]
  • 2.5 cups strong flour, plus extra for adjustments
  • 1 tbsp dried yeast
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1.5 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • Water
  • [For the pizza]
  • 4-5 tbsp tomato paste (about 140g)
  • 1.5 cups pizza cheese
  • toppings of your choice, I used leftover ingredients I had in my fridge:
  • 200g bacon
  • 80g ham
  • 100g olives
Instructions
  1. [For the Bread]
  2. Place all the ingredients for the bread into the bowl of a food processor, If you don’t have one, you can mix it in a bowl instead. It’ll just take a bit longer.
  3. With the motor running, stream in about 275mls of water. The amount of water you actually need varies depending on your flour and climate, but I add enough water to make a very wet dough, so it sticks to the spindle slightly. If you don’t add enough water, the dough will be hard to handle, and the gluten won’t form.
  4. After a minute or so, add 1 or two tablespoons of flour through the chute, just so that the dough balls off the side of the bowl, and makes a slack ball of dough.
  5. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl or container, and cover with a wet tea towel or cling wrap. Place in a warm draught-free place for 40min or till the dough has doubled in size.
  6. Sit back and have a cup of tea.
  7. [For the Pizza]
  8. Prepare your pizza topping ingredients: chop bacon, ham, “taste test” some salami…whatever you have to do.
  9. Split the dough into two portions. Roll it out into a rectangular shape, about 0.5cm thick. I find that it’s easier to roll with a non-floured surface, helping the dough stretch, but you’d then require a pastry scraper or plastic spatular to help you roll up the scrolls later on.
  10. Spread with half the tomato paste, top with half the toppings. Make your pizza!
  11. Starting with the long end, roll up the pizza into a long log. With a sharp knife, cut into 12 pieces. Place loosely into a deep roasting tray.
  12. Repeat with other ball of dough.
  13. Cover with a damp tea towel and heat your oven to 180C.
  14. The pizza base will prove and expand again, filling the tray.
  15. Bake for about 20-30 mins, or till golden brown and delicious!

 

Battambang, Cabramatta

Review 1 Comment
Phnom Penh noodles from Battambang in Cabramatta

Phnom Penh noodles from Battambang in Cabramatta

Cambodian food has always been a bit like Filipino food to me: familiar, but not familiar enough. It wasn’t as commonplace as Thai food growing up, but most of the flavours just seem so familiar when I taste it.

And it tastes utterly delicious.

Off the recommendations on Thang’s blog, I decided to drop by for some Phnom Penh noodles on the afternoon that I found myself in Cabramatta.

A full bowl of Phnom Penh noodles from Battambang in Cabramatta

They come in soup or dry versions, and are basically rice noodles, topped with various bits of offal – pork liver, intestine and blood – as well as pork meat. A savoury brown sauce is then ladled over the top, and a bowl of soup served on the side.

Rice noodles getting lifted out of the bowl after being tossed in sauce and chilli

Jars of chilli sauce and pickled chillies are available at every table, meaning I get to make things get nuclear, and relive some childhood comforts.

It’s amazing how something that burns so much can be comforting in times of heat.

The noodles were slick and springy, and the offal was well, clean. Many places in Sydney don’t thoroughly clean their offal, leaving a bad aftertaste. Here it was just porky, as pork should be, and the mixture of brown sauce and chilli just made me never want to stop eating.

If you do decide to make the trip, it’s located inside a shopping arcade and not visible from the street, so keep that GPS handy, and look for the banner hanging off the ceiling that points you in the right direction.

Battambang Restaurant
15/73-79 John St
Cabramatta, NSW 2166
Phone: 02 9754 2120

Battambang Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Of Mice and Menya *

Review 1 Comment
Dragon Jya Jya Men from Menya Noodle Bar

Dragon Jya Jya Men from Menya Noodle Bar

*No mice were hurt in the making of this post.

So it hasn’t quite been the weather for ramen, but sometimes it’s nice to pretend, and sometimes the craving for noodles just take over!

Menya is part of one of the largest group of restaurants I know: the same people own Tenkomori, Chanoma, Mappen and Oiden.

Menya RamenMenya Shoyu Ramen

They offer up two basic broths as bases: tonkotsu (pork bone broth) and torigara (chicken bone broth).

In this broth goes springy yellow noodles, and a variety of toppings like chashu (sliced rolled pork), ni-tamago (soy marinated egg), bamboo shoots, and so forth.

Tontoro ramenTontoro Miso Ramen

Besides the hot steaming bowls of ramen – some of which come in a mini, regular or large size – they’ve also got the usual suspects, uh, I mean sides.

GyozaGyoza

Or if you wanna try everything, the value sets offer a bit across the board – ramen, rice, and gyoza.

Mini value ramen setMini Ramen Value Set

The thing about Menya Noodle Bar that keeps me coming back is really the consistency. While nothing on the menu is particularly innovative or mind-blowing, you always know what to expect when you go in. And, with a comfy restaurant to sit in, it is a nice place to bring family, and a change from the underground food court ramen stalls. The only thing that’s a tiny bit of a let-down is the ni-tamago – the eggs are a bit over-boiled, leading to a distinct lack of a liquid oozing yolk.

If you’re not feeling so much like hot, soupy ramen, I would recommend the cold tsukemen option – cold noodles dipped in a rice miso broth – or the Dragon Jya Jya Men (pictured in the header) – drained ramen noodles tossed with blanched bean sprouts and spicy miso pork.

What is your usual order at a noodle bar?

Menya Noodle Bar
Shop Tg8 8 Quay St
Haymarket, NSW 2000
Phone: 02 9212 1020
Website: http://www.menya.com.au/chinatown/index.html

Menya Noodle Bar on Urbanspoon

Shira Nui, Glen Waverley

Melbourne Review Travel
Chirashi Zushi

Food guides used to be released every year, telling people where’s the best place to eat at, drink at, or generally be seen at. But there’s one that’s becoming more powerful than the rest, and gives you to-the-minute updates.

And that guide, is called Instagram.
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You pho, Me Pho!

Review
A fork digging into a bowl of pho amongst a table of food that includes grilled chicken

There’s been major changes down Eastwood’s Rowe St recently – shops vacate and restaurants move in (Bao Dao and Tounoya, to name a few), which can only mean good things for a glutton like me.

And it seems that just because a restaurant is popular doesn’t mean it’ll stay: Pho Gia Hoi was always pumping, but seems to have been replaced by Me Pho, a small, quiet Vietnamese restaurant, serving up more varieties than your average pho menu.
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