However, to see such a restaurant in Hong Kong is a peculiarity, given the Hong-Kongese penchant (especially for younger generations) for not cooking at home and opting to eating out.
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| Outside of Restaurant |
Thursday, 30 November 2017
Okonomiyaki Dohtonburi, Quarry Bay
Okonomiyaki - a grilled Japanese savoury pancake topped with sweet okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, bonito flakes and seaweed flakes - can be easily found freshly made by the occasional food stall at events/markets, along with the token takoyaki and deep fried chicken stalls. If you're lucky, you can find speciality restaurants within the Kansai region of Japan that allow you to cook your own okonomiyaki. I tried this on a previous trip to Osaka but SissyG and I were way too noob to figure out how to do things on our own so the waiters took pity and ended up cooking everything for us 😆.
However, to see such a restaurant in Hong Kong is a peculiarity, given the Hong-Kongese penchant (especially for younger generations) for not cooking at home and opting to eating out.
However, to see such a restaurant in Hong Kong is a peculiarity, given the Hong-Kongese penchant (especially for younger generations) for not cooking at home and opting to eating out.
Sunday, 23 July 2017
Taisho Japanese Restaurant, Zetlands
In celebration of
FCBA's second anniversary, a special lunch
event was held at Taisho's new store in Zetlands. For those that have never
ventured to Mascot, you wouldn't have heard of Taisho's flagship store (join
the boat, guys), which specialises in BBQ wagyu beef.
The restaurant is located on street level of the East Village shopping centre, close to the car park entrance so you can't really miss it. Lined with double-storey windows, the restaurant provides ample natural light inside and the interior decor naturally draws the eye from the ground floor to ceiling.
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| Outside Restaurant |
The restaurant is located on street level of the East Village shopping centre, close to the car park entrance so you can't really miss it. Lined with double-storey windows, the restaurant provides ample natural light inside and the interior decor naturally draws the eye from the ground floor to ceiling.
Friday, 26 August 2016
Uncle Tetsu's, Sydney CBD
The Japanese cheesecake craze hit fever heights when Uncle Tetsu's opened the doors of its first store in Australia and people reported wait times of over an hour just to grab their hands on one of these babies.
Fast forward several weeks, the store is still super popular, especially among Asians. On this particular night, the lines were surprisingly rather short (perhaps up to a dozen people in the queue, compared the hundred or so that I saw the last time I was in the city) so as a last-minute surprise for PapaBear on his birthday, I decided to bite the bullet and line up.
Fast forward several weeks, the store is still super popular, especially among Asians. On this particular night, the lines were surprisingly rather short (perhaps up to a dozen people in the queue, compared the hundred or so that I saw the last time I was in the city) so as a last-minute surprise for PapaBear on his birthday, I decided to bite the bullet and line up.
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| Cheesecake Sign |
Monday, 23 May 2016
Manpuku, Chatswood
I've been meaning to visit Manpuku ever since it came across my radar after a recommendation for their Karaage Chicken by @Al on Zomato. It took weeks of logistics planning to determine how to get there since the restaurant is ~15min walk from Chatswood station. I once tried walking towards it from the station at night but Victoria Street appeared dark beyond Chatswood Chase and I chickened out... but then I found out that the 267/343 buses operated through Crows Nest and basically stopped just past Manpuku. Score!
Manpuku can be distinguished by its white cartoon-like window stickers:
Manpuku can be distinguished by its white cartoon-like window stickers:
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| Entrance of Restaurant |
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| Inside of Restaurant |
Friday, 6 May 2016
@ Restaurant, Crows Nest
The @ Restaurant is rather non-descript from the outside - you could easily pass by without noticing it:
However, once inside, you enter a traditional Japanese restaurant with wooden decor and floorboards. When I first arrived for lunch, the waitress wasn't even sure if they could fit one diner, even though the restaurant wasn't even half full at the time... Anyway, having confirmed that it was possible, I was then asked to sit in a spare seat.
By sitting at the bar table, you get to see the sashimi chef at work in front of the vast display of fresh seafood:
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| Outside of Restaurant | Table Water |
However, once inside, you enter a traditional Japanese restaurant with wooden decor and floorboards. When I first arrived for lunch, the waitress wasn't even sure if they could fit one diner, even though the restaurant wasn't even half full at the time... Anyway, having confirmed that it was possible, I was then asked to sit in a spare seat.
By sitting at the bar table, you get to see the sashimi chef at work in front of the vast display of fresh seafood:
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Hakata-Maru Ramen, Chatswood
To be honest, when I first came to visit Hakata-Maru Ramen, I got lost. This inconspicuous restaurant is not visible from Chatswood station and you would be lucky to notice it if you caught a bus from the bus interchange directly outside or opposite the restaurant. Also, the corner of Victoria St (i.e. directly across from the
Chatswood Interchange/The District) is numbered 457 and to its right is 465 (The Avenue) - hence one would assume that 475 would be to the right of
The Avenue. However, once you cross Brown Street, Victoria St turns
into Railway Square and the street numbering changes. I ended up wandering around the area for over 10 minutes before double-checking with Google Maps (Zomato: your restaurant place-marker is incorrect!) to figure out that I had to go the other direction (to
the left) before you hit 475... I was so happy when I finally found it!
This is probably one of the more authentic Japanese restaurants that I have been to - pre-made ramen is stored inside a wooden box, waiting to be boiled and served to customers:
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| Outside of Restaurant |
| Cutlery and Sides Available at Table |
This is probably one of the more authentic Japanese restaurants that I have been to - pre-made ramen is stored inside a wooden box, waiting to be boiled and served to customers:
Friday, 18 March 2016
Makanai, Chatswood
Inside the newly renovated Hawker Lane in Chatswood Westfield, Makanai draws the eye with the abundance of autumn leaves that decorate the exterior of the restaurant. The menu is rather extensive (several pages long) so it took some time to look through the options before ordering at the cashier.
There are only a few booth seats inside the actual restaurant but there are heaps of communal tables located just outside. There was a free booth after I made my order so I was able to sit under the faux light decor:
Within 15min, my ramen was ready - I ordered the Makanai Ramen, which contained a slice of Cha Shu pork, chicken karaage, a whole ajitama egg and various vegetables:
Interestingly, the ramen was served with a nori (seaweed) sheet with the restaurant name printed on it:
This was a turn-off for my friend, and she subsequently didn't eat the seaweed (yay to me!).
I'm not sure whether the air-con was too strong, I was just sitting under the air vent, and/or perhaps the ramen soup wasn't hot enough, but within minutes, the soup started to congeal across the surface and was luke-warm by the time my friend finally received her ramen. I thought the ramen itself was rather average - the chicken karaage was crunchy but soggy where it dipped into the soup; Cha Shu pork wasn't of a fatty, melt-in-your-mouth texture; soup was flavoursome but contained MSG so I were thirsty (and cold) by the end of the meal.
Makanai is ok if you're looking for a quick ramen fix but considering the price and quality, I'd recommend taking a hike to Ryo's in Crows Nest for a better meal.
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| Outside of Restaurant |
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| Viewing Window to Kitchen |
There are only a few booth seats inside the actual restaurant but there are heaps of communal tables located just outside. There was a free booth after I made my order so I was able to sit under the faux light decor:
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| Ceiling of Restaurant | Udon Donut!??? |
Within 15min, my ramen was ready - I ordered the Makanai Ramen, which contained a slice of Cha Shu pork, chicken karaage, a whole ajitama egg and various vegetables:
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| Makanai Ramen ($16.90) |
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| Seaweed with Restaurant Name |
I'm not sure whether the air-con was too strong, I was just sitting under the air vent, and/or perhaps the ramen soup wasn't hot enough, but within minutes, the soup started to congeal across the surface and was luke-warm by the time my friend finally received her ramen. I thought the ramen itself was rather average - the chicken karaage was crunchy but soggy where it dipped into the soup; Cha Shu pork wasn't of a fatty, melt-in-your-mouth texture; soup was flavoursome but contained MSG so I were thirsty (and cold) by the end of the meal.
Makanai is ok if you're looking for a quick ramen fix but considering the price and quality, I'd recommend taking a hike to Ryo's in Crows Nest for a better meal.
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
Marukame Udon, Chatswood
Catman from work visited Hawaii last year and raved about an udon
restaurant over there so I was surprised when the exact same restaurant
had decided to open up a (franchise?) branch in our humble city months
later. Located between the two major shopping centres along Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, lies Marukame Udon - a popular Japanese udon restaurant that faces intense competition from the nearby eateries:
The pretense here is similar to the Mappen Japanese Noodle Bar in the CBD - udon/rice with self-serve tempura toppings - but the point of difference is that Marukame makes their own udon onsite in their open kitchen:
I found it a little weird that they cooked their udon and then drained it in massive plastic trays (staff literally lifted the tray out of water, which ultimately went onto the ground during transfer...).
When you enter the restaurant, you place your order for an udon or rice dish from the menu, collect a tray and slowly shift down the aisle in a cafeteria-like fashion to pick from a selection of deep-fried tempura items, poached/soft-boiled eggs, sushi, iced green tea, etc.:
Once you reach the end, staff at the cashier will tally up the items on your tray and you pay for what you've selected. Just past the cashier, there is a section where you can get water, cutlery and additional toppings (shallots, tempura scraps leftover from their cooking, and sesame seeds) and various sauces.
In an attempt to stick to dinner meals under $10, I ended up with the below:
The kamaage-style udon is served in a small wooden container along with a salty soy-based dipping sauce. To me, the udon is actually reminiscent of the Japanese kamaage udon that I get from the frozen section of my local Asian grocery (I seriously can't tell the difference) but slightly thinner and therefore nothing spectacular. The poached (onsen?) egg was good - golden gooey yolk but surprisingly has little egg white. The pork cutlet was moist and juicy but constructed using a combination of diced and processed pork so the variances in meat colour (ranged from pale to dark) was a little disconcerting.
The whole experience felt more like a novelty/fad where you can create your own meal based on your appetite and/or budget. Some of their menu items are rather cheap (e.g. the curry rice bowl) but personally, I'm happy to stick with my frozen udon.
On a cold Autumn night, I decided to visit Marukame Udon again to give their menu another go:
At first, I wanted to order their aburi salmon bowl ($6.90), which I thought would be a decent-sized, warm bowl of freshly seared salmon, but it turned out to be this tinnnnyyyy bowl of pre-seared salmon with rice (soooo not worth the price), placed at the end of the serving aisle. Hence I went with my next (hot)option - their bukkake udon:
In order to provide consistent servings, the chef measured the udon by weight by teasing/playing with the udon from a large basket and into a small bowl. Then the measured udon is transferred it into a net basket that is dunked into hot water/soup, before being placed into the serving bowl. I'm not quite sure whether dunking the serving bowl into a vat of (hot?) water beforehand will do much though...
This time round, the udon wasn't fresh batch and turned out slightly overcooked. The biggest disappointment was the vegetable stack - it was composed of 90+% of sliced onions (along a few pieces of spring onion/shallot and carrot) and therefore tasted like a never-ending stack of deep-fried, greasy onion rings. I only ate half of it.
*sadface*
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| Entrance of Restaurant |
The pretense here is similar to the Mappen Japanese Noodle Bar in the CBD - udon/rice with self-serve tempura toppings - but the point of difference is that Marukame makes their own udon onsite in their open kitchen:
 |  |
| Chefs Cooking the Udon Noodles | Chefs at Work Cooking the Additional Toppings |
I found it a little weird that they cooked their udon and then drained it in massive plastic trays (staff literally lifted the tray out of water, which ultimately went onto the ground during transfer...).
When you enter the restaurant, you place your order for an udon or rice dish from the menu, collect a tray and slowly shift down the aisle in a cafeteria-like fashion to pick from a selection of deep-fried tempura items, poached/soft-boiled eggs, sushi, iced green tea, etc.:
 |  |
| Selection of Toppings | Udon Topping and Tempura Sauce |
Once you reach the end, staff at the cashier will tally up the items on your tray and you pay for what you've selected. Just past the cashier, there is a section where you can get water, cutlery and additional toppings (shallots, tempura scraps leftover from their cooking, and sesame seeds) and various sauces.
In an attempt to stick to dinner meals under $10, I ended up with the below:
 |
| Kamaage Style Udon (M: $4.30) with Dipping Sauce, Poached Egg ($1.50) and Pork Cutlet ($3.80) |
The kamaage-style udon is served in a small wooden container along with a salty soy-based dipping sauce. To me, the udon is actually reminiscent of the Japanese kamaage udon that I get from the frozen section of my local Asian grocery (I seriously can't tell the difference) but slightly thinner and therefore nothing spectacular. The poached (onsen?) egg was good - golden gooey yolk but surprisingly has little egg white. The pork cutlet was moist and juicy but constructed using a combination of diced and processed pork so the variances in meat colour (ranged from pale to dark) was a little disconcerting.
The whole experience felt more like a novelty/fad where you can create your own meal based on your appetite and/or budget. Some of their menu items are rather cheap (e.g. the curry rice bowl) but personally, I'm happy to stick with my frozen udon.
Visit #2:
On a cold Autumn night, I decided to visit Marukame Udon again to give their menu another go:
 |
| Chef Playing with Udon |
At first, I wanted to order their aburi salmon bowl ($6.90), which I thought would be a decent-sized, warm bowl of freshly seared salmon, but it turned out to be this tinnnnyyyy bowl of pre-seared salmon with rice (soooo not worth the price), placed at the end of the serving aisle. Hence I went with my next (hot)option - their bukkake udon:
 |
| Vegetable Stack ($2); Bukkake Udon with Slow-Cooked Egg ($6.80) |
In order to provide consistent servings, the chef measured the udon by weight by teasing/playing with the udon from a large basket and into a small bowl. Then the measured udon is transferred it into a net basket that is dunked into hot water/soup, before being placed into the serving bowl. I'm not quite sure whether dunking the serving bowl into a vat of (hot?) water beforehand will do much though...
This time round, the udon wasn't fresh batch and turned out slightly overcooked. The biggest disappointment was the vegetable stack - it was composed of 90+% of sliced onions (along a few pieces of spring onion/shallot and carrot) and therefore tasted like a never-ending stack of deep-fried, greasy onion rings. I only ate half of it.
*sadface*
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Tounoya Japanese Restaurant and Karaoke, Eastwood
As part of the recent revamp along Rowe Street, Eastwood, a new Japanese restaurant has emerged (replacing the old Direct Shoe Warehouse store). The exterior (and interior) is covered with distinctive wooden planks so it's hard to miss the store when walking along the street.
As you enter the restaurant, you'll notice the large eating booths that span along majority of the right-hand side of the restaurant. At each of these booths, there are touch screens for ordering:
A friend previously visited Tounoya and raved about it so my dinner companions were eager to test it out. We booked an eating booth a day or so in advance and were lucky to get one.
The sukiyaki was served in a clay pot - filled with beef, tofu, mushrooms, spring onions and onions drowning in soy-based broth - placed over the smallest (and cutest) gas stove I have ever seen! A raw egg was also provided on the side so you can cook (or not cook) the egg to your preference. We ended up ordering two extra servings of udon to go with the sukiyaki and make use of the broth.
The chicken karaage was hot when it arrived at our table, and cooked well - the meat was juicy and tender, encased in a thin crispy layer of batter. Two dipping sauces were provided as well - the wasabi flavoured mayo sauce was definitely interesting and exactly a combination that you would put with chicken but it worked.
Realistically, the sushi was rather mediocre - there wasn't much filling in either and the salmon wasn't very fresh. Considering the price tags for both, you would expect something bigger and spectacular...
The Takana Chahan fried rice (with picked vegetables, topped with seaweed) tasted better than the Kimuchi Chahan fried rice (with pork and kimchi, topped with seaweed) - mainly because it tasted like it had more.. "wok air" (i.e. flavour from being cooked in a wok).
Nothing out of the ordinary for this noodle dish - soba noodles stir fried with chicken and vegies.
The drink was full of green tea flavour (as you would expect), topped with a large scoop of green tea ice cream, but half the cup was filled with ice, which is sort of an overkill but I guess refreshing on a warm night.
Tounoya utilises technology for simplifying the ordering system and creating a novelty aspect for the diners, but personally fails to deliver on the food. I would much prefer to make the effort to go out to the city and visit Wagaya or Mizuya, which have a similar concept of touch screens, Japanese food and karaoke rooms (for Mizuya) but provides better quality food for similar prices.
If you decide to visit Tounoya, it's best to make a reservation for the eating booths, especially if you're part of a large group and/or are planning to drop by during peak times.
There are limited karaoke rooms (one of which is decorated in pink and filled with Hello Kitty!) at the back of the restaurant so I would book ahead for those as well. The karaoke rooms are sound-proofed well - the sound is LOUD when people open the doors to enter/exit the rooms but reduces to a low/unnoticeable hum once the doors are closed.
As you enter the restaurant, you'll notice the large eating booths that span along majority of the right-hand side of the restaurant. At each of these booths, there are touch screens for ordering:
 |
| Touch screens for ordering |
A friend previously visited Tounoya and raved about it so my dinner companions were eager to test it out. We booked an eating booth a day or so in advance and were lucky to get one.
|
|
The sukiyaki was served in a clay pot - filled with beef, tofu, mushrooms, spring onions and onions drowning in soy-based broth - placed over the smallest (and cutest) gas stove I have ever seen! A raw egg was also provided on the side so you can cook (or not cook) the egg to your preference. We ended up ordering two extra servings of udon to go with the sukiyaki and make use of the broth.
The chicken karaage was hot when it arrived at our table, and cooked well - the meat was juicy and tender, encased in a thin crispy layer of batter. Two dipping sauces were provided as well - the wasabi flavoured mayo sauce was definitely interesting and exactly a combination that you would put with chicken but it worked.
|
|
Realistically, the sushi was rather mediocre - there wasn't much filling in either and the salmon wasn't very fresh. Considering the price tags for both, you would expect something bigger and spectacular...
|
|
The Takana Chahan fried rice (with picked vegetables, topped with seaweed) tasted better than the Kimuchi Chahan fried rice (with pork and kimchi, topped with seaweed) - mainly because it tasted like it had more.. "wok air" (i.e. flavour from being cooked in a wok).
 |
| Yaki Soba (Chicken) ($12.50) |
Nothing out of the ordinary for this noodle dish - soba noodles stir fried with chicken and vegies.
 |
| Green Tea Iced Drink ($3.50) |
The drink was full of green tea flavour (as you would expect), topped with a large scoop of green tea ice cream, but half the cup was filled with ice, which is sort of an overkill but I guess refreshing on a warm night.
Tounoya utilises technology for simplifying the ordering system and creating a novelty aspect for the diners, but personally fails to deliver on the food. I would much prefer to make the effort to go out to the city and visit Wagaya or Mizuya, which have a similar concept of touch screens, Japanese food and karaoke rooms (for Mizuya) but provides better quality food for similar prices.
If you decide to visit Tounoya, it's best to make a reservation for the eating booths, especially if you're part of a large group and/or are planning to drop by during peak times.
There are limited karaoke rooms (one of which is decorated in pink and filled with Hello Kitty!) at the back of the restaurant so I would book ahead for those as well. The karaoke rooms are sound-proofed well - the sound is LOUD when people open the doors to enter/exit the rooms but reduces to a low/unnoticeable hum once the doors are closed.
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
Ryo's Ramen, Crows Nest vs Manpuku Ramen, Kingsford
Uncle G may eat a lot of meat, but don't confuse that food group with his single favourite food of all time. RAMEN! So I intend to dedicate a number of posts to Japanese noodles which we love.
It's nothing fancy, but it keeps us coming back.
Not to be mistaken for ramen's on the 'special's board'. Regular patrons ask the waitress' (or Ryo the man himself) directly for the off menu "special ramen". Its the perfect blend of #1 (salt flavoured tonkotsu base) and #3 (spicy tonkotsu). You will find it less spicy & oily than #3, but more 'umami' & flavoursome than #1 alone. This is our staple ramen of each visit.
This is one of my personal favourites because I love a sour tangy zing to everything! The broth is also lighter and less sticky than most of the other menu items, so perfect when you feel like something less heavy! And loaded with chinese cabbage, which makes me feel its health(ier) - hehe.
Aside from ramen, Ryo's does a mean jap curry! The curry gravy is wonderful and flavoursome - the katsu itself has always been a little dry unfortunately. I love this dish except it leaves the ceiling of my mouth sore after each time I've eaten it.
My favourite side dish. Gyoza!! These are especially juicy, lovely when dipped in vinegar. Sometimes I just eat a plate of these and a kids ramen.
If you have a small appetite, kids ramen is terrific too (same as #6 Tokyo style soy sauce chicken stock based but with corn) but you can also try asking for other ramen flavours in a kid's size. The special ramen is definitely available in kids' size.
For big eaters; refill of noodles available for $3.50.
I wanted a light option on this day so I ordered the Gara Shoyu, and it was delicious! And check out the customized seaweed - how cute! But the REAL deal here is there chicken wing gyoza. At almost $7 for just 2 wings, its not cheap but its a crunchy deep fried chicken wing, deboned, stuffed with pork & vegetable gyoza filling then covered in tonkatsu sauce & mayo (with optional spicy dip). Meat stuffed in meat!!! How can you not be excited? Admittedly I was so excited I forgot to take a photo. Sorry guys - you'll just have to take my word for how amazing it is.
When Manpuku says "extreme" spicy, they mean it. So its not for the faint hearted! Uncle G gets this everytime and loves it. The noodles here are a different texture to Ryo's but the overall meal isn't compromised.
You will find Manpuku soups are less heavy but still full of flavour. They also have a wider variety of choices on their menu - although some of them are a bit of hit & miss. Ryo's menu may be smaller but they've really perfected each item.
Manpuku is probably more reasonably priced. If you have a student card, you can also get a free noodle refill, great for hungry students! But the prices haven't stopped the queues outside Ryo's. It may be nostalgia? But Ryo's is hard to beat in our books.
So dear readers, what's your favourite ramen joint? Care to share?
Ryo's (Ryotei) Ramen, Crows Nest.
If every restaurant in the world closed down and Uncle G could only choose to keep one, this would possibly be it. Rain, hail, shine, through the good times (and the bad), despite queues and random 'closed periods', this little joint keeps us coming back. |
| Modest decor you would expect with authentic ramen |
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| Special Ramen [mix of #1 & #3] $13.50 |
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| Ramen in sour salt flavour soup with fried prawn balls and vegetables $14.50 |
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| Japanese style beef curry rice with chicken cutlet $16.00 |
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| Gyoza $7.00 |
Tips:
Other favourite menu items (tried & tested numerous times): #3 Ramen in spicy hot flavoured tonkotsu; #12 Cold dipping noodles (great for hot summer days); #18 Roast pork rice ball (highly recommended); #24 Karaage chicken (fresh fried, one of the best kaarage chicken's around). Also you must have the soy sauce flavoured eggs (comes with some ramen, can also side order).If you have a small appetite, kids ramen is terrific too (same as #6 Tokyo style soy sauce chicken stock based but with corn) but you can also try asking for other ramen flavours in a kid's size. The special ramen is definitely available in kids' size.
For big eaters; refill of noodles available for $3.50.
Manpuku Ramen, Kingsford.
Business isn't as easy as 10 years ago, when there were little contenders for good ramen spots. Another one of our favourite ramen places to visit is Manpuku Ramen in Kingsford (near UNSW). This joint has more modern decor, order at the counter than eat system and a nice selection of complimentary condiments. |
| Gara Shoyu $11.90; [background] Chicken wing gyoza $6.80 |
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| Manpuku Red $13.90 (choice of normal or extreme spicy) |
You will find Manpuku soups are less heavy but still full of flavour. They also have a wider variety of choices on their menu - although some of them are a bit of hit & miss. Ryo's menu may be smaller but they've really perfected each item.
Manpuku is probably more reasonably priced. If you have a student card, you can also get a free noodle refill, great for hungry students! But the prices haven't stopped the queues outside Ryo's. It may be nostalgia? But Ryo's is hard to beat in our books.
So dear readers, what's your favourite ramen joint? Care to share?
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