Ippudo, Westfield Sydney

Ippudo is a famous Japanese ramen franchise, and its first store in Australia is proving very popular among the Sydneysiders. We dined here 3 weeks after its grand opening, and clearly the hype was still there, because there was a queue when we decided to dine there for lunch. There were about 10-15 people in line before us, but the wait wasn't too bad. The staff was courteous, and we were given menus to browse through and decide what we wanted to order. Then after about 15-20 minutes, we were brought into our table. (Note: we were a group of 5, so it took a bit longer for us to get a table, compared to individuals or people in groups of 2 or 3, who could more easily be seated at the communal table or smaller tables).

Say cheez!! :D

The lighting of the place was rather dim, with polished wooden furniture and a cool, wavy ceiling, creating an intimate and somewhat "fancy" dining environment. But I guess this is to be expected, since it's located in Westfield Sydney, a shopping centre that pretty much screams "classy".

Ippudo pork buns ($4 each)

Jamie's Italian, Sydney CBD (2nd time)

Hi everyone!
So this post will be about our 2nd dining experience at Jamie's. (For our 3rd one, click here. As for our first time, we won't be blogging about it since we didn't take proper photos that time *oops*).
To be honest, I am writing this post a few months after our actual dining experience, so my memory of the food is quite hazy. Therefore, this post will be more pictures, and less words. :)

ANTIPASTI

CRISPY STUFFED RISOTTO BALLS

CRISPY SQUID

LNC Dessert House, Sydney CBD

Just a quick post about the dessert that me and JL had at LNC Dessert House :)
So this place is located next door to Takeru Japanese restaurant, and the decor of the place is nothing fancy - a simple glass wall to one side (facing a quiet laneway) and furniture made of hard plastic and in a bright red colour.

They had quite an extensive menu with a variety of Asian desserts, as well as some generic western ones, like sundaes, or fruit/ice-cream combinations.  We settled on a more Asian dessert that sounded interesting (honeydew "snowflake") and looked cool in the menu photo.

Honeydew snowflake with durian ice-cream (~$7? Can't remember the exact price)

Hehe, I love a dessert with a "wow" factor to it - doesn't it look awesome? Like a fruit explosion if you ask me. Taste-wise, well, the fruits tasted like fruit (duh!) ... refreshing, sweet, good but nothing special.

The honeydew snowflakes however, were pretty special! I'm writing this post in 2013, and nowadays, snow-ice desserts are more common, but back then, in 2012, they weren't that common in Australia, and it was my first time tasting it and I've never had anything like it.
The shaved ice had a sweet, condensed milk taste to it, as well as a refreshing honeydew flavour, and it just melted as soon as you put it in your mouth. It made me think of gelato, but "fluffier" because it wasn't all in a block, but rather the shaved ice maintained its individual strips/texture. It was more creamy/milky than it was icy, and the scoop of durian ice-cream on top was delicious too (with small pieces of durian fruit mixed in it).

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LNC Dessert House
Shop 12, 339 Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Ph: 02 9283 3823

Thai Yindee, Newtown

Going to a university that is within walking distance to Newtown, I have long heard about the vast number of Thai restaurants that are clustered along the bustling and vibrant King St. I was promised "cheap and good" Thai food and indeed I was spoilt for choice when I finally set foot in that marvellous dining precinct.

Stir fried chilli jam pumpkin and chicken with vegetables and rice (Lunch special ~$7)

For me, the highlight of this dish was the pumpkin - soft and mildly sweet, it tasted superb stir fried with the chilli jam (more sweet than it was spicy) and oyster sauce. The chicken and the other vegies were good as well, albeit a little average. 

Stir fried eggplant and chicken with vegetables and rice (Lunch special ~$7)

From what I can recall, the eater of this dish liked the eggplant but overall thought the dish was okay, nothing too great.

However, we both left feeling very full and satisfied, and the lunch special is really great value for money. It was relatively quiet when we had our lunch, so it was a relaxing atmosphere and we didn't have to wait for a table nor feel rushed to vacate the table for the next hungry diner, which is good :)

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Thai Yindee

186 King St Newtown, NSW 2042

Ph: 02 9565 5111

Website: http://www.thaiyindee.com.au/thai_yindee

Le Pain Quotidien, Bondi Junction

Whilst shopping at Bondi Junction, we randomly decided to eat at this cafe which is located on the bridge connecting the two sides of the shopping centre together (convenient for hungry shoppers :D)

Here's a photo of Coral-Ma enjoying her generous plate of salad.

Coralie enjoying her tuna, egg and avocado salad.

I forgot to take a picture of my meal, but I had their Soup of the Day (split pea soup) which I happily slurped down. Too bad I didn't get to try any of their bread which they are apparently well known for, but nevertheless I was quite satisfied with my soup alone.

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Le Pain Quotidien

403/500 Oxford St (bridge) Westfield Bondi Junction, NSW 2022

Ph: (02) 9386 0840

Coco Noir, Westfield Sydney

I've walked past this cafe a couple of times while strolling through Westfield Sydney, and what drew me to it was its nice looking chairs and mouth-watering display of cakes and desserts.

Macarons (can't remember the exact price, but it was on the expensive side)

Their colourful display of macarons looked extremely tempting, but it was at a premium price so me and a friend settled for one macaron each. Although the taste was not bad (it tasted like how a macaron should taste - firm, crunchy outer layer that quickly gives way to a softer inner layer upon first bite, and with sweet buttercream filling), the flavour and taste was nothing special, and I felt I could get the same sort of macaron for a cheaper price elsewhere.

Spinach muffin and small side salad

I think we ordered the spinach muffin because it sounded and looked interesting (and healthy!) but the taste was okay/average, nothing to rave about.

Iced chocolate frappe with whipped cream

A friend ordered this drink, and although I didn't get to taste it, it certainly looked very appealing! She seemed content with it as well, so it must have tasted pretty good.

Overall, it's a cute place to relax and hang out with friends, have a coffee and a small lunch or dessert although the food is nothing spectacular and a little on the pricey side (but for its location, I guess it's to be expected).

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Coco Noir

Shop K201/2 Westfield Sydney (Level 2)
Cnr Pitt St Mall & Market St Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 8072 7788

Menya Oiden, Sydney CBD

Did somebody just say "cheap, self-serve Japanese food"?? My hobo heart flutters in excitement as there is so much that I like it that sentence: cheap (all meals are under $10, unless you get a lot of extra sides and drinks), self-serve (this is half true, as you still need to order and pay from the staff, but at least you can self-serve the tempura and side dishes - less human interaction, yeahhh) and Japanese (one of my fave cuisines!).

Menya Oiden specialises in rice bowl dishes, and like Menya Mappen next door, you line up at the counter with your tray, order your bowl (rice for Oiden, noodles for Mappen) with toppings like chicken, tuna, beef or curry etc., then you can self-serve your own tempura from the hot food bar and side dishes from the fridge if you choose to.

(from left) Takoyaki, small rice bowl with ontama and potato salad (Total cost: under $10)

I'm the type of person who likes to eat a little bit of everything, instead of a big bowl of one thing, so getting a small bowl of rice with different toppings and side dishes (all for under $10) made me a happy girl :-) The rice served with the ontama (soft-boiled egg), flakes and spring onion tasted quite nice. I enjoyed the takoyaki (octopus balls) which had small, chewy, real pieces of octopus inside as well as the potato salad, which was soft and creamy, with small potato chunks mixed in with the mash.

Prawn salad and Japanese curry with rice (small)

Small rice bowl with tuna flakes and ontama egg

Calpico strawberry soda, takoyaki and small teriyaki chicken rice bowl

Overall it was a satisfying meal, and everyone was happy with the food and even happier with the value!

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Menya Oiden

537-551 George Street Sydney, NSW 2000

Ph: (02) 9267 1368

Azuma Patisserie, Sydney CBD

Tucked inside the Regent Place arcade on George St, this little Japanese cafe offers a quiet and peaceful haven for one to sit back, enjoy a cup of coffee with a delicious assortment of cakes.

(Clockwise from left): Vienna coffee, strawberry layered cake,  green tea latte, froyo, chiffon cake.

My first Vienna coffee experience was in this very cafe, and I admit, I was initially drawn to this coffee because of the wonderful serving of whipped cream on top of the coffee (sadly not captured in this photo). The coffee itself was quite strong but the cream helped to offset the bitter coffee taste.

The chocolate chiffon cake was an absolute delight to consume. The cafe offers chiffon cakes in many flavours, including Earl Grey, Black Sesame etc. However, strangely enough I did not pick my cake based on flavour, but on which one was the tallest (because tallest = fluffiest in my book :P) and fluffy it was! I love the incredible softness and lightness of the cake, something which I know takes skill and experience to achieve (having attempted to make chiffon cakes myself). The outside crust was slightly dry but the inside was lightly moist and embedded with flavour - I could eat multiple slices if I had the money because it's so light that it doesn't feel like you're eating TOO much!

I can't comment much on the other items in the photo, except that they definitely looked good, and satisfied their respective consumer as well :-)

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Azuma Cafe & Patisserie 
Old location: Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping, 501 George St. Sydney 2000 NSW
New location: 580 George Street  Sydney NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9267 7701

The Little Snail, Pyrmont

Another birthday and yet another reason to eat somewhere fancy. This time its French cuisine at The Little Snail. The option we had for lunch is a set 3 course menu (entree, main and dessert) for $36 per person with a variety of seafood, vegetarian, red meats and many more to choose from. This was actually quite worth it considering a average price of mains on the A la carte menu was in the thirties.

Entrées

Paté Maison
Armagnac flavoured duck liver pate with marinated champignons, date chutney and port vinaigrette

The pate was served with both soft baguette slices and toasted garlic slices. The tangy vinaigrette and champignons complemented well with the pate and I personally like the toasted garlic baguettes more as the crunchyness of the toast was a perfect match for the soft pate. Also, the hint of garlic and butter provided more flavour as I found the pate slightly underseasoned and there wasn't enough sauce on the plate. Overall, this was an enjoyable entree.

King Prawns
Fried king prawns with lemon mayo, sweet chilli and petite mesclun

I didn't have this dish but judging by how it was devoured in a minute, it must have been an absolute delight :)

Vegetarian

Crepe filled with baby mushroom, leek, chives, and cauliflower puree served with Breton sauce
The smell of this crepe when placed before me was enough to make my mouth water. The soft, creamy fillings of the crepe complemented the sauce well. The cauliflower puree is an excellent and much healthier alternative to using cheese and is a must-try for all vegetarians or health freaks! However, I would personally prefer more mushroom in the filling rather than just leeks and chives. Overall, a great start to the meal!

Escargot de Bourgogne
Dozen snails marinated in herb-infused court-bouillon, oven baked in garlic butter

Time for the oh so famous snails~! Ok... where do I start.... it was out first time having snails and it was definitely an interesting and unique experience. The texture of it was soft and mushy and it had a "snail taste" (I'm not really how to describe it >.<) exotic? For those that are adventurest and looking for something new, this is the thing for you!

Mains

Seafood Plate
Of grilled salmon, garlic prawns, salt and pepper squid, chilli mussels, beer battered soft shell crab and mesclun salad

This wonderful plateful of seafood delights was definitely worth its value. The grilled salmons and prawns were cooked to absolute perfection. The salt and pepper squid and soft shell crab were lightly fried till golden and had a lovely crisp. Personally, the mussels weren’t a favourite of mine but that’s only because I have never been a fan of mussels - no matter how they’re served. Not only did the generous serve of mesclun salad create the perfect finishing touch to this platter, it was delicious as well, drizzled with a tasty dressing. Who said you couldn’t enjoy eating your veges? :P

Satang Thai Exclusive, Haymarket

Conveniently located across from Central Station, a 3 minute walk from UTS and ~10 minute walk for USYD, this little Thai restaurant is the perfect place for the hungry uni student on the go. Their menu consists of a range of authentic Thai cuisines with salads, stir-fry noodles and rice served with your choice of vegetables and tofu, chicken, beef or pork.
We, once again, had some difficulty in deciding what to get so we started off with a nice, refreshing drink.

Iced Red Tea with Lemon
Ice cold, sweet, refreshing with a hint of lemon - great for cooling off in the afternoon after a long, hard day of lectures and tutorials. :P

Vegetable and Tofu Pad See Ew
To be honest, this dish wasn’t as I expected. Ordering a vegetarian dish, I had expected to see a variety of colourful vegetables stir-fired with my noodles. Unfortunately, only the usual carrots, asian veges, one piece of broccoli(?!) was served. However, the hefty serving sizes made up for this! :)

Some pork dish…
Ok… I don’t really remember what this was called but apparently it had some really “kungfu-ish” name like pow pow pork or kapow pork? o.O Anyways, it was basically crispy pork belly (which was deep fried) stir fried with some green beans and onion with a chilli/garlic/sweet-ish sauce over a bed of steamed rice. It was a very appetizing dish and I loved the sauce mixed with the rice but the so called “crispy” pork belly was fried until it was hard and was a bit difficult to chew.

Chicken Drunken Noodles
Thick rice noodles stir-fried with bean sprouts, asian greens and basil. Once again, this dish was very appetizing and definitely very filling.
Overall, the prices were quite reasonable and the meals were satisfying enough. However, I think anyone who has tried the cheap and tasty Thai restaurants at Newtown…well, this doesn’t quite make the cut.
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Satang Thai Exclusive
203-204/107-121 Quay Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000
Ph: (02) 9212 5885