Cafe Sydney

Don't be deceived by the name. It is absolutely one of the best places that you can go to for wonderful unpretentious seafood dining in Sydney.

Set on top of the old Sydney Harbour Customs House. You can't beat the view.



It's beautifully modern and airy in the restaurant.

Sshhhh... I also heard that it is a favourite hiding place for secret rendezvous...

Cafe Sydney

Fifth Floor, Customs House

31 Alfred Street

Circular Quay, NSW

02 9251 8683

Ata tombo - “Red Dragonfly”

One day last year, my family and I had the pleasure of going to aka tombo sushi bar in Prahran.
As usually, it was after a long discussion of:
Who’s hungry now?
When will we be hungry?
What do people want to eat?
Where should we eat?
How are we going to get there?

….we settled for aka tombo…I say settled because we called a number of places prior to aka tombo before we thought of it and reserved our table.

In the end, I am sure we would not have enjoyed ourselves at another restaurant as much as we did at aka tombo.

We arrived at 6pm, while the chef was still preparing his shiu-mais (scallop dumplings with crab roe). They looked delicious so we ordered them. They were absolutely scrumptious, better than any shui-mais I have ever had… so fresh and delicate!

We then received our sushi and sashimi combination for 2 people. Kingfish, salmon, squid, prawns and tuna (and unagi temaki)…. We ate all the daikon radish slivers, cucumber slivers, pickled pink ginger as well :P We also had kingfish sashimi with plum sauce and rocket . The flavours really complimented each other. Everything was just so fresh and complimented each other. We also ordered a plate of tempura moriawase. The tempura batter was fried to perfection, very light and crispy. Have you ever had tempura with sea salt? This is what I prefer, some places will also serve you green tea salt. Ask for it if you want to try it… completely different taste and it preserves the crispy and crunchiness of tempura.

I watched chef Kageyama prepare the sushi, the shiu-mai, tempura and sukiyaki. This guy can do everything really well… rare quality. We also saw him making a take-away teriyaki chicken on rice. It smelt divine! The aromas immediately told my stomach to make room. We promised ourselves to come back to aka tombo if ever the need for take-away arises.

We ended a beautifully crafted meal with brown sugar ice cream…. Delicious and so good for you :P Makes me want to buy an ice cream machine even more!

This place has been reviewed by a lot of websites and blogs… I know I know… but I never got the chance to go there until know. I’m grateful for my sister, always reminding me of these places at the right time :)

The story about aka tombo, luckily, doesn’t end here….

I caught up with a good friend of mine, who was Japanese. She and I have never been to the newly opened aka tombo tapas and sake bar in the city, so we made an effort to go there.

Its concept is completely different to the aka tombo sushi bar as its name suggests. If you like sake and/or sho-chu (Japanese vodka) you will love this place. This place is quaint and great for lone diners as well.

Service is paced so you get to enjoy your chosen liquor. Prices are reasonable… but serving is essentially tapas style ranging from $7 to $10. Lots of variety.

Between the two of us, we had:

• Two delicious slices of mentaiko with our Northern Japanese beer (can’t remember the name) and Peach Shu-Hai
• Jaki and Rocket salad with yuzu sauce
• Something similar to Takoyaki with a clear broth as its dipping sauce
• Pork giblet and gobo stew
• Kurobuta (black skin pig) katsu with mild BBQ sauce and mustard... By this time, our beer and chu-hai was replaced by sho-chu and cold sake. (Many sake can be drank cold or hot, as the season goes, hot is usually drunk in winter and cold is drunk during summer)
• Ebi tempura with green tea salt
• Yakisoba

They have really transformed the place from the previous restaurant. The space is now elegant, yet funky and spacious. I love the “art work” on the wall, great DIY idea.

Both restaurants are highly recommended.

Aka tombo Sushi Bar
205 Greville St
Prahran VIC 3181
(03) 9510 0577

Aka tombo Tapas & Sake Bar
17 Liverpool Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9654 6727

All out for Indian

Source: www.bismi.com.au

My husband has been away on holiday and as he is not a fan of Indian, I decided to go all out for Indian food, while he was away. Luckily, I had a few willing foodie partners-in-crime.

First stop, the Bismi Golden Fork, on Elizabeth Street, near the corner of La Trobe Street. Unfortunately for me, the café was not air-coned so I couldn’t stand to sit there and have their thali meals. Believe me they looked delicious. Instead, I had to make do with the take-away menu and ordered a spicy eggplant curry (my husband doesn’t eat eggplant), very spicy…and two freshly made plain roti… I ordered the plain roti before I saw that there were many other types of roti, like onion roti, garlic roti – doop!

Source: www.yourrestaurants.com.au

Second stop the following day, we went for dinner at the restaurant of the same name in Brunswick. Oh boy, I was so excited when I got there that I was jumping up and down and clapping with joy. The restaurant reminded me of the Malaysian mamaks (Muslim Indian cafes) that I liked so much in Kuala Lumpur. Dark and a little dingy but the food on the counter looked and smelled tasty.

I highly recommend the savour dosai, lamb masala, and the roti tissue… (although it could be thinner).

Source: www.bismi.com.au

They’re having a Valentine’s Day special : 20 dishes per person for $20. That’s pretty good!

If you love your Indian or is homesick for Malaysian mamak, try Bismi.

Bismi
848, Sydney Road,
Brunswick, VIC 3056
(03) 9386 8611

Bismi Golden Fork
380, Elizabeth St, Melbourne 3000
(03) 96501834

Gingerboy

Source: www.cubeme.com

Do you believe that things are meant to be the way they are….. and sometimes you just have to go with the flow? Strangely enough this happened to me at Gingerboy.

We were asked to wait at the bar for a few moments prior as they were preparing our table.. we were pretty early… 6pm. The cocktails were lovely and potent… great for a hard day.

Then we were ushered to our table in the empty restaurant, right at the windows looking out to the laneway. The sight was really interesting, like a scene from the movie “In the Mood for Love”. I don’t usually like sitting so openly next to the windows; it makes me feel like my meal is on display. But this time, I didn’t complain, I just frowned.

It was funny to see the waiter explaining the menu to us with the hanging red tassels in his hair :) The tassels were from a jumble light fixture dominating the ceiling. The décor is rather interesting…contemporary and very vibrant. After we ordered, we sat contemplating whether we liked the décor or not.. Then as I looked out the window, I caught a familiar couple walking down the lane. It was my ex-colleague from Hong Kong, with his wife! I knocked on the glass to get their attention, and they came into the restaurant to have a chat. That was really a nice surprise! If we were sitting elsewhere, we wouldn’t have been able to see them… Our paths would have crossed but without each other knowing it…. I wonder how many times my husband and my paths have crossed in the past without each other knowing it…. It’s quite exciting to think about the possibility.

While I am writing this, I am looking back at what we ate. The two dishes that stood out in my memory were the prawn entrée and the corn cakes sides. Brilliant. The mains were interesting – sophisticated hawker style dishes… Rich but very tasty. However, sometimes too salty. I do prefer this restaurant to Ezard’s (same owner) asian-fusion. Gingerboy, brings it more back to the roots… retaining the basic Asian ingredients and adding complementary twists to the dishes.
As the night progressed, the room got noiser…more like a market and people getting happier… great atmosphere… I heartily recommend this restaurant if you like South-East Asian food….

Gingerboy Restaurant and Bar
27-29 Crossley Street
Melbourne
(03) 9662 4200

Claypot, St Kilda

Source: www.yourrestaurants.com.au

I’m not a huge fan of seafood, as some of you may know. But that hasn’t stopped me from going to Claypot in St Kilda again and again, and again. It’s just so yummy!! I love it! I’ve never sat in the courtyard area but I love the front of house area where you get the street light shining in and it feels like a cozy little area.

We usually get a mix of seafood on a huge platter to share… the flavours are just amazing. Be careful, don’t sit next to someone who’s sloppy and order some delicious entrees while you wait for your platter.

Last but not least, if you’re happy to wait then get there at after 6:30pm. If you’re not, best bet is to get there at 6pm. If it’s sunny, get there early and get a seat in the courtyard.

Source: www.yourrestaurants.com.au

Claypot Seafood Restaurant
213 Barkly St
St Kilda 3182 VIC
03 9534 1282

Kappaya Japanese Soul Food

Source: Hradcanska's Flickr photostream

If not for the food, you need to visit the place for the vibe. This is what Japanese soul food is all about. Amongst the glitz, brands and gadgets, this is also the other side of Japan that I often crave. This rustic yet rich style is becoming more and more prominent now in Japan.. and it’s good to see that the younger generation is craving the “Simple Life”…

Kappaya
233 Johnston Street
Abbotsford
(03) 9419 6350

For more info:
Matt Preston’s Epicure Review August 2007
More photos at Ponzu's Flickr Photostream

Michelin Starred Restaurants in Hong Kong

"In 2008 The Michelin Guide extended its reach into China with a new edition ranking dining destinations in Hong Kong and Macau for the first time. The guide, featured 251 restaurants and hotels in the two Chinese cities, is Michelin's second guide outside Europe and the United States. The debut Tokyo edition was published in Nov. 2007, with eight restaurants receiving Michelin's highest three-star rating.

Michelin awarded 40 stars to 28 restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau, and two venues got the top ranking.

Lung King Heen in Hong Kong's luxurious Four Seasons Hotel received three stars, while the hotel's French eatery Caprice won two stars." Source: Usatoday.com

Now we did manage to get a table at Lung King Heen last December during our annual end-of-year trip to Hong Kong. It was pleasant enough with sweeping views of the Hong Kong famous harbour, refined setting and elegantly presented cuisine. However.... although good, none of the courses stood out for me.

I really believe that there are restaurants in Hong Kong, that can provide better food, but I guess those places won't have the same waterfront and glamourous setting. It reinforces my thinking that the Michelin guide is not only about food but you have to have everything... You have to have the ambiance and service to go with the food.

Some would say that they don't really understand Chinese food.... Perhaps... Sometimes simple things are the best.... I guess no wonton noodle or sweet tofu pudding place is going to make it into the guide... Here are some downright favourites of mine:

• Brunch / lunch at Kowloon City Market food court (top floor)
• Islamic food in Kowloon City
• Tofu pudding in sweet ginger soup and ginger sugar in Kowloon City
• Kiku, B13-16 Basement,The Landmark, Central (Tel 2521 3344)
• Yumcha at Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant, Star Building, Tsim Sha Tsui (or Lei Garden is pretty good I've heard)
• Roast goose in Sham Tseng, New Territories (I think it's better than Yung Kee, Hong Kong) Some say it's because it is closer to the San Miguel brewery that is why the geese tastes better :P
• Live seafood in Sai Kong, you have to try the uni fried rice!

Hong Kong Michelin Guide 2008

Three Stars

• Lung King Heen, Four Seasons, Hong Kong
• Robuchon a Galera, Hotel Lisboa, Macau

Two Stars

• Amber, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
• Bo Innovation, Hong Kong (heard this one is really good - but you got to like fusion)
• Caprice, Four Seasons, Hong Kong (very romantic place but bring a fat wallet)
• L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, The Landmark, Hong Kong
• Shang Palace, Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong
• Summer Palace, Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong
• T’ang Court, The Langham, Hong Kong
• Tim’s Kitchen, Hotel Lisboa, Macau

One Star

• Fook Lam Moon (Wanchai branch), Hong Kong
• Forum, Hong Kong (nice funky place; great place to meet people too)
• Hutong, Hong Kong (Interesting place and food with great view)
• Imperial Court, MGM Grand Hotel, Macau
• Lei Garden (both the IFC and TST branches), Hong Kong (great yumcha as well)
• Ming Court, Langham Place Mongkok, Hong Kong
• Petrus, Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong (people do rave about this restaurant.. go French, go Petrus)
• Pierre (as in Gagnaire), Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
• Regal Palace, Regal Hongkong Hotel, Hong Kong
• Shanghai Garden, Hong Kong
• The Eight, Macau
• The Golden Leaf, Conrad Hotel, Hong Kong
• The Square, Hong Kong
• Tim’s Kitchen, Hong Kong
• Tung Yee Heen, Mandarin Oriental, Macau
• Ying, Crown Macau
• Yung Kee, Hong Kong ("World's best roast goose")

Lau's Family Restaurant

More and more I'm less inclined to go to posh restaurants, because nowadays there are so many great restaurants that don't have the fuss. Also, I prefer the atmosphere where the crowd is more friendly and relaxed. That's what I like when I'm having a meal, it helps me digest when I'm in a relaxed and happy mood...

Of course happiness at a restaurant comes from good company, good service and good food: Bring a good crowd and go to Lau's.

Lau's is owned by the former owner of Flower Drum. You can see Mr. Lau there most of the time and he personally attends to each table to make sure you are happy. Like the staff, he seems genuinely concern about your happiness. Their attitude really reminded me of the old Flower Drum...

The menu is simple Cantonese food but oozes quality and control. By control, I mean, it's not too salty, not too spicy, and never too oily. 

I suspect everything is good, so I won't make any recommendations :) Remember though, you will need to book and there are two dinner seatings: 6pm and 8pm.

Lau's Family Kitchen

4 Acland Street

St Kilda

8598 9880

Mirka at Tolarno Hotel

Source: Gourmet Traveller

This restaurant is fantastic, the service is attentative, the atmosphere is relaxing, and best of all, the food from beginning to end is superb. Mirka is becoming one of our top favourites in Melbourne.

We always always order the Prosciutto di Parma (This restaurant is becoming one of our top 10 restaurants in Melbourne is fresh Parmigiano Reggiano with fresh pear) and Mussels Marinier (mussels in white wine, leek and saffron veloute) for entrees. For mains, those that I recall were Wagyu Hanger Steak, with truffled potato puree and onion rings; Beef cheek bourguignon with mushrooms and potato gnocchi. Both incredible.

Mirka at  Tolarno Hotel

42 Fitzroy Street

St Kilda

03 9525 3088

Sukiyabashi Jiro - Best Sushi in Japan

Photographs of the three chefs of Sukiyabashi Jiro restaurant in Tokyo, voted as having the best sushi in Japan, awarded three micheline stars:

• Craig Mod Photography
• Photographs of Sukiyabashi Jiro sushi dishes

"The Tokyo Michelin Guide 2008 awarded Sukiya-bashi three stars, recognizing it as one of the absolute best in the world. Its basement location underneath a business building in Ginza should not suggest anything less of a restaurant that can deliver the ultimate sushi experience. The chefs make their way out to Tsukiji every morning to find the best ingredients, which are then kept at different temperatures in special fridges to ensure that they are at their best. The interior is clean and elegant with lots of wood. Only ten counter seats and three tables are available, which makes for a cozy environment. The atmosphere is surprisingly quiet, which has led more than one person to compare the dinning experience at Sukiya-bashi to participating in a tea ceremony." Source: Sunnypages

Sukiyabashi Jiro

Tsukamoto Sogyo　Bldg.,

B1F, 4-2-15, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
03-3535-3600

Vinh Vinh

Source: Your Restaurants.com.au

There are so many Vietnamese restaurants to choose from in Victoria Street, some are good for noodles, some are good for broken rice dishes, others are great for spring rolls etc etc …
Not often is a place good for everything and not because of the MSG content…

Unlike many of the restaurants, Vinh Vinh doesn’t require dressing down. It is bright, cheery modern and very clean. A few fish tanks dotted around the restaurant gives it a vitality.

Last week we went, my husband ordered crab claws for entree (highly recommended), a bowl of well-cooked noodle soup while I ordered the charcoal-grilled pork chop with broken rice. My husband commented that the soup stock was really good. But they didn’t give him the prawn pappadum that traditional is served with the noodle that he ordered. He left the remainder of the soup for me (to accompany my meal) and he didn’t allow the waiter to take it away while I was still eating. The pork chop that I had was juicy and grilled just enough for the lovely aroma to hit you as you bite. We were served complimentary prawn crackers as well. Yum!

However, when we looked around, we felt we were missing out on the shared dishes that patrons on other tables were consuming. There was one dish that I definitely want to try next time and I would like to call it the flaming beef in a bowl.

If you are after traditional Vietnamese fare with some class, this one is for you :)

Vinh Vinh
387 Victoria St
Abbotsford 3121 VIC
03 9429 5260

Yoshii @ Good Food Month, Sydney

Source: Yourrestaurants.com.au

It's the Sydney Herald Sun Good Food Month in Sydney, and there are great lunch deals to be had at some fabulous restaurants.

For lunch yesterday, I took my team to Yoshii for a two courses + wine meal. You don't get a choice but the courses were:

1. Five flavoured tofu gnocchi served with Japanese consomme (Shiso and Japanese plum, black sesame, Nori seaweed, Green tea, Ginger)

2. Slowly braised Wagyu beef cheek in red miso and Brown Brothers Pinot Noir reduction

The $35 lunch menu also includes a bowl of rice, red miso soup, and your choice of a glass of Brown Brothers wine, Coopers beer or a 500ml bottle of S.Pellegrino Sparkling Mineral Water.

The slow braised Wagyu beef cheek was absolutely delicious. This has definitely enticed me to go there to try their degustation dinner meal in the future :)


Yoshii
115 Harrington Street
The Rocks
02 9247 2566

Seamstress

I went to a wonderful little restaurant for lunch today, called Seamstress. What great comfort food for lunch! The menu is broken up according to portion size, so you order according to your appetite. Of course, you can order lots of difference items to share, and I think that would be the way to go for me next time.

But today we were presented with a delicate sake cup of clear chicken broth to cleanse our palette then came our shared entree: Dumplings by the tailor. That was followed by two mains: Wok n' Roll (seasoned horfun noodles, green beans, abalone mushrooms and thinly sliced grain fed beef fillet; and Braised oxtail wrapped in sesame leaf, with tempura shitake, tomato tea and jujubes. A little container of rice came with our (Medium) mains. We couldn't stop praising the food, as it was so delicious and light.

The decor was really cute focusing on the theme of Seamstress of course. Although the decor didn't really tell you much about the food style but tells you that it's going to be a little bit unusual. Yes it was a little bit unusual but most of all it was rewarding.

Don't tell many people! Because I want to be able to just drop in for lunch. ssshhhhh

Seamstress

113 Lonsdale Street

Melbourne VIC 3000

9663 6363

Oyster Little Bourke

I should be all over the Food and Wine Festival this year, but I'm not. I found out that it was on through a colleague who wanted to organise a Lunch Express $30 deal. We took advantage of the Lunch Express one Friday at Oyster Little Bourke and were not disappointed.

For $30, you get a choice of two courses, a glass of Mandala Semillon or Pinot Noir, tea or coffee. There was a great variety of dishes, and we took awhile to decide on our final section. There were a great variety of dishes from the set menu, and we took awhile to decide on our final order. Between us, we had half a dozen fresh oysters with a shallot and lemon sauce, salmon gravax with grilled vegetables and rocket leaves. For mains, we had the grilled butterfish, minute steak with crumpled pea and a interesting red wine sauce, and grilled pork cutlet.

My oysters were fresh but rather small, the steak was more well-done than the medium and saltier than I would have liked. None the less, I finished everything! My colleagues ate his grilled pork cutlet rather quickly, so I am guessing that it tasted as good as it looked.

One dining partner was Vegetarian and they were able to offer a few nice choices, gnocchi and risotto. The gnocchi dish got the nod of approval.

I have to get more organised next year if it leads to meals as enjoyable as this!

Oyster Little Bourke

35 Little Bourke Street

Melbourne

9650 0988

A week in the life of ....

These few weeks have been hectic. After our holiday in Hanoi in February, we really needed to catch up with our friends. I realised that I don't really talk about what I eat on a weekly basis... Let's give it a try and see if it is interesting for you or not.

Here is a brief of where we've been in the last week:

Monday: Lunch was a sashi don from Don-Don on Swanston Street. For dinner, I made a beef stew using Harumi Kurihara : Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking cook book. It was a little bit salty, so I think I will cut down on the soya sauce a little.

Tuesday: Lunch was at Groove Train, Melbourne Central. My colleague recommended the smoke salmon salad there, and indeed it was fantastic. Roasted potatoes in a smoke salmon salad - yum!! For last minute dinner out, we were recommended to go to Olive Tree Bistro in South Melbourne for steak. It's near Tempura Hajime. We cheekily went to Hajime to see whether there were any spots before heading to Olive Tree. No luck... The steaks at Olive Tree were not bad... 400g steaks!!! .

Wednesday: Lunch was at Tokio, in the city. Love their ebi-don! For dinner, we ate at home, not very healthy but had roast chicken drumstick, Vietnamese style stir fried mung beans with onion, bean sprout, and mince pork, with fluffy rice. Made a mojito but didn't have soda or lemonade so substituted it with white wine... hehehe

Thursday: Lunch was at A1 Cafe on Russell Street, one of my favourite Chinese cafe. I had the lemongrass chicken and pork on rice. Delicious! For dinner, I had a work function at Centro Ristorante, South Melbourne. It was nice to catch up with my colleagues socially. I had the fish of the day, which was grilled ocean trout. That was followed by banana souffle. I liked to banana souffle better than my main.

Friday: I usually have home-made dumpling in my fridge when we don't want to eat out... So Friday night dinner was simple, boiled pork and shrimp dumpling and edamame with a little twist - sprinkling of sesame seed, dried sea weed and sea salt ... Best edamame so far is from Fuji Mart.

Saturday: Lunch was at Aka Tombo Sushi Bar in Prahran. My sister ordered the Sushi & Sashimi Bento, and I had the Tempura Bento. Aka Tombo can do no wrong :) I think next time I really want to try the special bentos that you have to pre-order... For dinner, my sister was kind enough to cook for me. We bought mussells and other ingrediants from Prahran and she cooked a lovely batch of steamed mussells with a chili coconut tom yum sauce to go with it. She's got magic hands :) I made rosemary and garlic roast potatoes to go with it (following Stephanie Alexander : The Cook's Companion recipe) and some roast corn corbs. Why I made rosemary potatoes for an Asian dish, I don't know. *Sigh*

Sunday: I love the weekend, don't you. Yummy food all day long.... We had yum cha at David's, Prahran. The tea there is really nice. We had the Jasmine and Pu-Er tea. Sometimes the dumpling can be over steamed... but the atmosphere there is just so inspiring. After that my cousin bought a roll for his sister at Amici Bakery Cafe (-love their breakfasts) while I went to look at a few houses around the area before heading off to a baby's 1st birthday. H was very cute and endearing.

That was all for last week.... this week also promises lots of yummy food, good company and good wines.

Have a great week!

double aka tombo

Recently, my family and I had the pleasure of going to aka tombo sushi bar in Prahran.
As usually, it was after a long discussion of:
Who’s hungry now?
When will we be hungry?
What do people want to eat?
Where should we eat?
How are we going to get there?
….we settled for aka tombo…I say settled because we called a number of places prior to aka tombo before we thought of it and reserved our table.

In the end, I am sure we would not have enjoyed ourselves at another restaurant as much as we did at aka tombo.

We arrived at 6pm, while the chef was still preparing his shiu-mais (or scallop dumplings with crab roe). They looked delicious so we ordered them. They were absolutely scrumptious, better than any shui-mais I have ever had… so fresh and delicate!

We then received our sushi and sashimi combination for 2 people. Kingfish, salmon, squid, prawns, tuna and unagi temaki (eel handroll)…. We ate all the daikon radish slivers, cucumber slivers, pickled pink ginger as well :P We also had kingfish sashimi with plum sauce and rocket . The flavours really complimented each other. Everything just so fresh and complimented each other. We also ordered a plate of tempura moriawase. The tempura batter was fried to perfection, very light and crispy. Have you ever had tempura with sea salt? This is what I prefer now, some places will also serve you green tea salt. Ask for it if you want to try it… completely different taste and it preserves the crispy and crunchiness of tempura.

I watched chef Kageyama prepare the sushi, the shiu-mai, tempura and sukiyaki. This guy can do everything really well… rare quality. We also saw him making a take-away teriyaki chicken on rice (whatever that's called). It smelt divine! The aromas immediately told my stomach to make room. We endeavoured to come back to aka tombo if ever the need for take-away arises.

We ended a beautifully crafted meal with brown sugar ice cream…. Delicious and so good for you :P

Makes me want to buy the ice cream machine even more!

This place has been reviewed by a lot of websites and blogs… I know I know… but I never got the chance to go there until now. I’m grateful for my sister, always reminding me of these places at the right time.

The story about aka tombo, luckily, doesn’t end here….

Thursday night I caught up with a good friend of mine, who was Japanese. She and I have never been to the newly opened aka tombo tapas and sake bar in the city, so we made an effort to go there.

Its concept is completely different aka tombo sushi bar as its name suggests. If you like sake and/or sho-chu (Japanese vodka) you will love this place. This place is quaint, and great for if you want to dine alone as well.

Service is paced so you get to enjoy your chosen liquour. Prices are reasonable… but serving is essentially tapas style ranging from $7 to $10. Lots of variety.

Between the two of us, we had:

-Two delicious slices of mentaiko with our Northern Japanese beer (can’t remember the name) and Peach Shu-Hai
-Jaki and Rocket salad with yuzu sauce
-Something similar to Takoyaki with a clear broth as its dipping sauce
-Pork giblet and gobo stew
-Kurobuta (black skin pig) katsu with mild BBQ sauce and mustard
By this time our beer and chu-hai was replaced by sho-chu and cold sake. (Many sake can be drank cold or hot, as the season goes, hot is usually drunk in winter and cold is drunk during summer)
-Ebi tempura with green tea salt
-Yakisoba

They have really transformed the place from the previous restaurant. The space is now elegant, yet funky and spacious. I love the “art work” on the wall, great DIY idea.

Both restaurants are highly recommended.

Aka tombo Sushi Bar
205 Greville St
Prahran VIC 3181
03 9510 0577

Aka tombo Tapas & Sake Bar
17 Liverpool Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
03 9654 6727

Full Tummy

Although I've been to a few fantastic restaurant, I have not been able to review them here as I've just been swamped at work. Well I think I'm just not used to working so hard, having been in semi-retirement for 6 months.... It shows.. and I envy the younger people around me... *sigh*....

Instead of full reviews, I thought I would blog a little about the notably ones that I've been to lately:

Da Noi

Oh my gosh, what great food.... Although we didn't go for the degustation, which is a menu of 4 dishes, we really enjoyed our roast pork loin and perfectly grilled pork chop. I had the pork chop, so I can tell you in detail, how juicy it is and so full of flavour. It's not a good idea to go early as they were still preparing the menu and preparing some of the slow-cook dishes when we arrived at 6pm. We had to, as we didn't make a booking... We had lovely entrees as well, I had a kingfish carppachio and antipasto. Absolutely tasty. It's charming how they write out the menu by hand everyday... It's like eating at someone's house... someone who cooks well.... I think there are a lot of regulars there as many come through the door and are greeted by their first name... Nice personal touch. Definitely worth going again. Maybe next time I will be brave enough to try the degustation menu :P

Da Noi

95 Toorak Road

South Yarra

03 9866 5975

J-Cafe

The days that this place is open is erratic and I am absolutely madden by it. But finally we went there when it was opened and loved it. They have this fantastic original dish called Mentaigo udon (in soup)... Some of you may know that I absolutely adore mentaigo.. and of course I had to order this.... Mentaigo in soup taste very milky... and it's an interesting taste with udon... like having udon in savoury milk tea...weird but it's actually really nice! They also have the "sushi burger" which is only available there. It's basically rice paddies with your choice of filling, i.e. tempura, beef paddy, deep fried fish, chicken fillet, teriyaki chicken, crab croquette, grilled beef (Yakiniku), spicy tuna, and the list goes on.... The dinner set is good value, at around $20. I ate too much, yet again, need to cut down.. or I'm not going to fit into my suits anymore....

J-Cafe

167 Exhibition Street

Melbourne

03 9650 9877

Have been copying successfully Murasaki's miso pork hot pot....it is unbelievable how miso can go so well with pork! Delicious!

Have I blogged this already?? I will leave it here for now.. I will hopefully blog more before we leave for our belated honeymoon....

Barca

We had the privilege of being invited to the Sophie Lui boutique opening on High Street, Armadale yesterday. So prior to that, we decided to have dinner around Armadale. Using the Your Restaurants website to search for a good restaurant around the area, we came across Barca Food & Wine. I haven't had Spanish food for awhile so we chose this restaurant.

It was quite an unexpected experience actually. All the Spanish restaurants that I have been to so far have a cottage feel to it. This place was slick and loungy, which completely threw me off. The spanish influence is very understated but the atmosphere - refined.

There are grazing platters to nibblies available for entree but we had the oysters and crayfish ravioli to begin with and finished with their signature dishes - the paella, with Moreton Bay bugs, pipis, prawns, calamari, chorizo, peas and fresh herbs; and the crispy-skinned duck breast served on creamy shallot and truffle-infused potato mash with broccoli and blackberry sauce. The duck was absolutely delicious but the paella, although filled with seafood, was more like a saffron risotto rather than a paella.

Being a Spanish restaurant, I was surprised that there were no Churros!?! How can this be?? But there were strange desserts include the 'Barca bomb' - a blend of Jagermeister or Belvedere vodka and Red Bull sorbet.

On a very very full stomach, we throttled along to the Opening for more sugary champagne. Always a great night when there's good food and alcohol.

Barca Food & Wine
1007 High St
Armadale 3143 VIC
03 9822 8515

Toko toko toko…. 'room within a house to relax'

Taken from www.yourrestaurants.com.au

The interior design of Toko might be a rip-off of Longgrain’s but its food is distinctly special.

Long communal benches for “Dap-Toi” table-sharing cut the length of the restaurant. Wax paper table lanterns allow flexibility in lighting… During our meal, I realised that the 8 of us were hogging about 3 or 4 of these lanterns, and I guiltily pushed one of them to where the neighbourly couple ate cheerfully in the dark… Wood panels, dedicated open kitchen for sushi making, yakitori and all other dishes. You can also sit at the open kitchen benches and watch them make your food. However, I would not recommend sitting in front of the yakitori grill, if you want to wear your clothes the next day.

Toko serves Modern Japanese with an emphasis on quality local seafood. The menu is great for sharing and had many varieties. There are around 19 varieties of fresh seafood, and a good mix of sushi and maki and hand rolls to choose from. Main meals were plentiful…. We couldn’t decide so we asked for a Degustation to be provided. We ate and ate until we could eat no more… even the delicious looking tempura whole fish that nearly made it to the table but was sadly waved away….Amongst the ensemble of dishes that we devoured, there were sashimi tartare, sushi was Tokyo style with warm slightly vinegary rice and delicate slices of fish upon them, they provided us with their signature dishes miso-marinated baby chicken and braised wagyu beef with ginger sauce.

Toko Restaurant and Bar
490 Crown Street
Surrey Hills
02 9357 6100
http://www.toko.com.au/

Picnic Brunch

Picture from YourRestaurants.com.au

After dropping off and picking up our dry cleaning on Sunday mornings, we usually go to Krakatoa for brunch but I'm a bit sick of people staring at me for ordering my lemongrass chicken with rice, or my nasi lemak.... Yes it is oily but when it's on the brunch menu, they make poached eggs and bacon look bland. Anyways, enough is enough... I want to enjoy my brunch where the people are more open minded. So last Sunday, we headed over the road to Picnic for brunch and I was nearly brought to tears by the contrast ...(Hubby wrote: "Bit of an exaggeration don't you think?") .

Everything was healthy no doubt, but there were so many things on the menu, you already start planning your next trip when you're looking through it. After I ordered my eggs florentine, and my husband ordered the breakfast with the lot. I started looking around and thought damn, I should have ordered the lovely glass of fresh organic orange juice that the people sitting next to us were having, instead of my boring skinny hot chocolate. People at picnic were groovy, young and old, optimistically dressed for a wonderful new day. My eggs florentine wasn't too creamy nor too salty... and muffins toasted just enough to be crunchy yet fluffy. My hot chocolate came and my frown turned to a grin when I tasted real chocolate... yum! Would have liked it stronger, next time.

Picnic
Shop 2 / 60 Toorak Rd
South Yarra
03 9866 7988