Sometimes, dinner is such a mission.
After hearing so much about the Jazz City Diner and its decadent Southern goodness, I was chomping at the bit (literally, I was that hungry!) to get to this hole-in-the-wall delight that everyone’s been raving about.
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I’m not usually a soup person. As a child, I used to order noodle soups and then fish the noodle out, so that I get all of the flavour, but have the noodle cool much faster because it wasn’t sitting in soup getting soggy.
But experiencing winter – Singapore has no winter, only rain – in Australia actually inspires me to have soups. Noodle soups, rice soups (ochazuke anyone?), creamy soups, vegetable soups, bone soups…it’s all good to me. There’s something comforting about wrapping your hands around a warm boil of steaming food when your fingers are nearly numb from the cold.
Or you could have a cup of tea. Or coffee. But I like noodles.
And so I went to Zenya Ramen Bar in Eastwood, hoping that it would be a good local ramen bar that I can visit regularly. It being my first time, I decided to go with the Mini Set Menu, where you get a mini version of a couple of things, which allows you to try dishes across the menu! I specifically chose the Mini Ramen and Mini Donburi set, and from that I chose to have the Pork Ramen and the Karaage Don, with dessert and drink. ($16.80)
The ramen came first, and to be honest, it was pretty average. The egg – and you know that the ni-tamago can make or break a bowl of ramen for me – was slightly overdone and under-seasoned for me, the broth was average, and the noodles had a nice bite, but were also average. I did like the serving size though – it was actually the serving size of the meals I would have at home – and the price was not bad for the food, considering the amount of food you get for it.
Interestingly though, for a ramen bar, I much preferred the Karaage Don.
The fried chicken was crispy, not too greasy, and didn’t have a strong chickeny smell that you can get sometimes. Biting into it, it was juicy, fresh, crisp on the outside. My favourite bit though, was the mayo. Sweet, tangy, and just slightly spicy, the mayo completely made the dish for me. This set was actually ordered to share between two people – and there was more than enough to share – but I think I stole the lion’s share of this chicken.
Not knowing that the mini set was actually not entirely too mini, I also ordered a medium plate of mixed sashimi.
The seafood was fresh, and cut so that it was a pleasant mouthful – not so much that I can’t fit in my mouth, but not so small that I miss it completely and am left wanting more. Not the most unique dish, but great quality, and better than I expected.
In all, the food was only slightly better than average, and a good value for money. The service is truly special though, and though the staff might not speak perfect English, I really appreciated the way they interacted with us. For example, when they had to interrupt our conversation to ask if we had any last orders (it was a late dinner for us), they actually hung back till there was a break in the conversation, and then apologised for the interruption in a very gracious way.
I would (and have been) keep going back to Zenya, not so much for the ramen, but for the Donburi and the excellent service.
We ate at:
Zenya Noodle Bar
+61 2 9874 2122
217 Rowe St, Eastwood NSW 2122, Australia
My stash: (Clockwise from left) Scarmoza Blanca from La Latteria, Colgate tea flavoured mouthwash, Kumquat spread from St Dalfour, Truffle Tapenade from Wine and Truffle Co., Flavoured salts from Smoke and Roast, Smoked garlic from Smoke and Roast, Porcini salt from Salt Meats Cheese.
FREE FOOD. Need I say more?
The Good Food and Wine Show is one of the bigger food expos that I attend every year. Beyond the aforementioned free food, I love the opportunity that I get to have a chat with small producers whom I might not otherwise get a chance to talk to, or might have to travel far to meet.
For example, meet Larry.
Larry is, in his own words, “the truck driver, the harvester, the everything” at the Handorf Hill Winery. Not having that much experience with wine – and not being very good with alcohol – I had many questions, and Larry patiently and eloquently explained to me the intricacies of the flavours and aromas of wine, and especially how the weather and microclimates affect them. The most interesting thing I learnt from Larry was the effect of the cool weather on tannins.
Tannins are compounds that are present in things like tea and wine, and contributes a certain kind of astringency that gives you that slightly dry feeling in your mouth. Because tannins are found in the grapes, the rate the grapes ripen will affect the amount of astringency that you get in your wine. From what I understand from Larry, the cooler Adelaide climates allow the grapes to ripen slowly, allowing the tannins to mellow out, resulting in a gentler wine. How cool is that?
There were also plenty of other producers:
ChocoMe had the most beautifully presented bars of chocolate I’d ever seen.
Robinvale estate, with their adorable graphics adorning their myriad of flavoured oils and vinegars.
Salumi Australia had a MASSIVE and impressive display of cured meats in every shape and form. And had these little cones at $5 a pop, besides the samples that they had on display.
Smoke and Roast had a very energetic spokesperson, and had the most beautiful-smelling smoked garlic and flavoured salts. He was sharing recipes left, right and centre and inspired me to try out his salts on a slow roasted pork belly. He said to different salts on different sections, to create a sort of rainbow of flavours, depending on which piece you eat.
The Wine and Truffle Co. had a great array of truffle products, and an impressive piece of truffle protected by a glass cloche. I was impressed that they could tell me off hand when the truffle was harvested – it’s very important to ask when buying truffles because truffles tend to go stale after about 10 days – and I loved the truffle tapenade so much that I bought one home for myself.
Kikkoman had a genius way of getting people to try their soy sauce – rather than getting people to dip crackers in (I’ve seen this happen, who gets people to try soy sauce with crackers?), they actually had little pieces of salmon and cucumber sushi for people to try with their sauce! I know it sounds simple, but I don’t think that I would’ve thought of that.
This is the most exciting bit of the day for me. Bohemian Delights had wild mushrooms out for sale, and there were samples of Slippery Jack mushrooms (right) which were simply sauteed with salt, pepper and some caraway seeds. SO DELICIOUS! There was also a man at the stall – the owner’s father – who told us that his wife uses Pine Nut mushrooms (left) in her goulash, instead of meat, before saying (with a wink in his eye) that Czech women make the best cooks.
And that was my Good Food and Wine experience. Did you go? Which were your favourite stands?
I’ve heard many recommendations to try the Yum Cha at Prince Restaurant in Parramatta, and one Sunday, I decided to walk down there to get my Yum Cha fix.
It was extremely busy, and the hustle and bustle of ordering families and trolley ladies really got me excited for a great meal!!
A large hotplate of various delights greets you near the entrance, and I really love the look of the food being fried/cooked in front of you. It gives me a great feeling of immediacy of the hot steaming food.
The first thing that I absolutely have to order is the selection of rice noodle (Cheong fun) dishes. As previously mentioned, I have a certain thing for the steamed silky mouthfuls of prawn stuffed rice noodles. What I’ve recently discovered, though, is that I absolutely adore the fried version too! The fried version here came with a sesame/sweet dipping sauce, and each springy mouthful was an absolute delight.
I also ordered from their selection of dumplings.
The dumplings were all okay, but nothing absolutely fantastic. But then again, I have been spoiled for choice. The fried dumplings that they had here were okay, but I much prefer the ones my mother makes.
I know, spoiled right? 😉
Finally, no Yum Cha experience is complete without the order of Mango Pancakes!
Mango flavoured pancakes are wrapped around a soft filling of sweet, ripe mangoes and smooth creamy ice cream. Yum.
Considering that it’s a walking distance from home, it was an experience I would definitely repeat. The service, while sometimes slightly inattentive due to the business of the joint, was largely not bad! The food must also have been better than I remember, since most of the stuff I’ve eaten I seem to have forgotten to photograph! Goes to show how much a hungry tummy and make me slightly irresponsible in the food blogging department. =)
We ate at:
Prince Restaurant
(02) 9891 5777
100 Church Street
Parramatta NSW 2150
I’ve long had a love affair with crustaceans of all types. And carbs, I love carbs too. So when they come together in something called Crabmeat Linguini, I am just about as close to heaven as I can get.
When I first heard about The Marmalade Pantry, I didn’t peg it for much of a savoury place. After all, the name to me conjures up image of scones and tea on a lazy afternoon in Autumn.
Well, I’m happy to admit that I was wrong. The Crabmeat Linguini is a must-order every time that I’m there, and the relatively large serving – my friend Yina and I shared a plate – means that you get to try other things on the menu as well. Chunks of mud crab are folded through a rich, tomato based sauce that is flecked with chilli and topped with a scattering of grated parmesan. It’s incredibly moreish, and you could very easily find yourself stuffed to the brim and on the brink of a food coma.
We also tried the Sticky Date Pudding. Warm, moist pudding, drizzled with caramel and paired with classic vanilla ice cream serving as a cold foil. It was definitely rich enough that I wouldn’t have finished a whole serve by myself, but it was fantastic to share.
The Marmalade Pantry is a great place to meet up at, and the service, while not drop dead fantastic, has always been consistently good. The savouries seem to have made more of an impact for me, but the sweets have always been decent enough. Worth dropping by for lunch if you’re spending a day shopping at Ion.
We ate at:
The Marmalade Pantry
Unit 03-22 ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn Singapore 238801
T: +65 6734 2700
F: +65 6734 2279
enquiry.city@themarmaladepantry.com.sg
Stone grill, coal grill…I think we can pretty much agree that meat + intense heat = AWESOME POWER OF DELICIOUSNESS! It’s a formula that has worked since caveman days, and it’s not about to stop working now.
Which is probably why Ritzy Gritz in Kiama is so popular! Sitting on Collins Street in Kiama, it is by far the busiest restaurant on that street on any given night. There was a good hour and a half wait on a Sunday evening for a table, because I didn’t think I needed to make a reservation. Even when we were seated at about 8.45, the restaurant was still packed to the brim with families and tourists alike.
To start with, we ordered Chorizo Tortilla Melt, $10. It’s quite a simple dish, really – a round of flat bread wedges is covered with oozy cheese, chorizo, seasoned tomato salsa, sour cream and then grilled to tasty perfection. It was a great start to the evening, and was just enough to whet our appetite.
And you can’t go to a stone grill without ordering a stone grill! Our Reef and Beef Stone Grill, $32 seemed like the best of both worlds because I could not in good conscience order both the meat grill AND the seafood grill. Although I totally would. Yes, I would.
IS THAT A CHALLENGE? I ACCEPT!
Sorry, I’ve been watching too much New Girl. Gotta love Schmitty.
Anyway.
Your meat is placed on a screaming hot piece of stone, and salt dusted over the top. The stone retains its heat amazingly well, and gives the steak a fantastic sear. You do have to season the meat further upon flipping it – meaning that you need to have some level of cooking know-how – and you need to also know how far you like your steak done, because you’re in charge of the cooking process. It’s quite smart, really – the restaurant doesn’t need to take responsibility for how well the dish is cooked because you’re doing the cooking, and it’s a lovely novelty and fantastic flavour because, as I mentioned before:
Meat + Intense Heat = AWESOME POWER OF DELICIOUSNESS.
It was a little on the pricey side for what we ate, but the food is tasty, and it is Kiama after all, and there’s not much competition. The service is decent and I really like how they were honest about how long you had to wait for a table. The food was fairly prompt for a busy night, and it was a nice vibrant atmosphere. Worth going to if you’re ever in Kiama.
We ate at:
Ritzy Gritz New Mexican Grill
40 Collins St Kiama NSW 2533
(02) 4232 1853
Sydney, especially in Chinatown, has a fair few decent Yum Cha places. The Phoenix chain of restaurants are especially reputable, with many restaurants dotted throughout the busier suburbs in Sydney.
Sky Phoenix isn’t particularly outstanding, but it’s got decent food, and decent enough service.
It’s definitely consistent, and it’s a great option in the city, especially if you’re meeting friends for a shopping trip, and feel like going for some dim sum.
We ate at:
Sky Phoenix
77 Castlereagh St
Sydney, NSW 2000
I got invited by Lindt to the reopening of their Chocolate Cafe at Martin Place, and to try out their new Lindt Creation Blocks! I took the opportunity to grab a chat with Thomas Schnetzler, Master Chocolatier and Chocolate Ambassador for Lindt Australia, and learn more about chocolate.
Tammi from Insatiable Munchies was invited as a guest of Lindt and the Trish Nichol Agency.
More stuff in the mail! The lovely people from Beyond the Square has sent me more interesting product to try, and this time I’ve got fruit curds from Anathoth! Now I’ve already blogged about their amazing jams, and I’m a big supporter of preserves, because it gives you a little taste of summer when the fruits are no longer in season!
So with the passionfruit curd I thought it might be interesting to make a filled muffin, because I think that provides the best muffin-to-curd ratio with every bite!
Basic Muffin Recipe
Makes 12 regular muffins or 24 mini muffins
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable or other bland oil
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups self raising flour
Preheat your oven – 180C for regular sized muffins, 200C for mini muffins
Simply pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix till a batter forms. The batter will be a little lumpy, so don’t succumb to the temptation to keep mixing it till it’s smooth! It’s better to have a slightly lumpy better but a muffin with a beautiful soft crumb.
Simply partially fill the muffin tray with batter (about 1/2 full), then add a heaped teaspoon of passionfruit curd (1/2 tsp for the mini muffins) in the middle – it will sink slightly – and cover with just a little bit of batter to bring the muffin cup to 2/3 full. It may seem lopsided, but the muffin batter will rise around the filling, and the filling tends to sink, so it’s better to have more batter underneath it methinks.
Bake till golden brown on top.
With these filled muffins you can’t exactly do the skewer test, but at those temperatures, I got a crispy top, fluffy insides, with a gooey filling. I much preferred popping the whole warm mini muffins into my mouth, but be careful, because it’s really hot!!
I think it’s great having products like these around during the colder months because I absolutely hate shopping out of season if I can help it, and this gives me the opportunity to have summer flavours, like passionfruit and lemon, during the winter months. And there are so many recipes out there that can provide winter comfort! =)
What are your favourite recipes to use fruit curd in?
Once again, a big thanks to Beyond the Squareand Anathoth for giving me some inspiration for some weekend baking.
I haven’t forgotten you, I promise! How has your long weekend been? It’s been a great Easter for me, and it all kicked off with a short holiday to Kiama.
I’m not quite the outdoorsy kind of girl, but I must say that Kiama has been idyllic. I’ve had a fantastic time strolling by the water, sampling the local cafes, and trying out some night photography!
What do you think?
I also really liked the quaint Scoops Ice Creamery, even if the service was slow. The ice cream though, was delicious!!! Just what I needed on a hot day.
How about you? What did you get up to over the Easter long weekend?
