Sydney Food Bloggers Christmas Party 2015 - Sydney, NSW

Comparatively,  the Mrs and I really haven't been blogging for long. Prior to starting this food blog, I regarded the food bloggers I followed as heroes and celebrities. Whenever I'd see Chocolatesuze, Ramenraff or maybe i-Fat around, I'd always freak out like a little fangirl but always be too shy to strike up a conversation with any of them. I admired and respected them so much for their courage to speak their minds and share their love and fascination for the wonderful food scene of Sydney. We started our blog as a joint side project with the intention of expressing our mutual love for food and sharing our many food related adventures and each day, I'm thankful for the encouragement we got to take the step that we did. This year, when we got our invitation to come along to this year's Sydney Food Bloggers Christmas Party 2015...you would not believe how happy and excited we were!

I'd spent the whole night and the morning after preparing my dish. I wasn't gonna let this one opportunity pass me by as I felt I just had to make something super impressive. What made things even more stressful was the fact that after the move, the kitchen in the apartment was rather poorly stocked with very limited resources and even less room. What I ended up with was slider sized Chinese steam buns (inspired by Little Bao in Hong Kong) which sandwiched thick slices of beef rib that's been marinated in Saikyo miso overnight and cooked sous-vide for 1.5hrs at 72 degrees. I then chose to serve this with a bit of wild roquette and aioli. If I had prepared better and had given myself more time, I would have liked to cook the beef at a lower temp for slightly longer and it would have been better if the beef was glazed more but for the time and effort put in...I think I managed to pull off something decent.

The venue this year was Studio Neon in the middle of Redfern/Waterloo which was a fantastic place to hold the event. The chic and cooky furniture, abundant neon lighting and graffiti really helped highlight how special this event was. When we arrived, the table was already packed with delicious looking food! Along with the overwhelming amount of food were many familiar and unfamiliar faces all happily snapping away at the items on the table...at that moment, it was clear to us that we were amongst people who understood us. Once everyone had just about gotten their pictures and started mingling, ChocolateSuze smashed the smash cake and that was our signal to start digging in!

Oh hai David! The ever dapper Frosticle

Here are some of the pictures I managed to snap before all the food got demolished. In all seriousness, I actually felt really out of depth with the photography as almost everyone had a DSLR to take their pictures with and all I had was my Galaxy S6 Edge....I should really get into the practice of bringing along my DSLR again.

Part 1 of the platter set up by Angela/The Walking Advertisement.

Part 2

Part 3

Food! So much food!

Food overload: Macarons by Ramenraff, Smash cake, Rice paper rolls by Foodisourreligion and Green Tea Madeleines by Eat Your Teacup.

I'm usually not a big fan of Sagot...this though, was absolutely knockout delicious.

Spinach & Cheese Puffs by the Brunch Bandits.

El Jannah...always good in any circumstance.

Smoked Salmon Blinis

Baked Ricotta by Alanabread

Summer Berry Tiramisu in a cute jam jar by the Newlyfeds! Kindred spirits!

Brookies...half brownie/half cookies brought by Simon Food Favourites

The most delicious Lemper made by Irene's getting fat! 

And that wasn't even all the food...as some people came sometime later, there was food added to the table after (mash and mushroom sauce by whatemdid...was the first to smash that). We also played a nice game of kris kringle where the Mrs and I nabbed a great dish set for the new apartment! The Mrs and I honestly had so much fun talking and mingling with all the Sydney based foodies and bloggers. We managed to meet and make so many new friends and I managed to meet my heroes. Overall, I'd say that was a weekend well spent. Special thanks to grabyourfork and chocolatesuze for organising! the Mrs and I are definitely looking forward to attending again next year!

Shoutouts to the wonderful people we met and mingled with:

foodisourreligion, adobodownunder, whatemdid, thewalkingadvertisement, Rachfongxx, newlyfeds, maddielovesfood, Frosticle, chewyourchow, msjayemm, twohappybellies, khismosa

Lets keep in touch!

CeCi Korean Restaurant - Strathfield, NSW

Moving out is tough! You have to pack your belongings, move and transport the items across the city, clean stuff...and then clean some more stuff! I honestly thought I could pack my whole life into a suitcase and move on but clearly...I was very mistaken. My one suitcase turned into racks and racks of shirts, jackets, t-shirts and a couple of round-the-city trips to ferry my stuff from old home to new. In amongst all the uprooting of my life, I've been neglecting my diet lately (literally been surviving off of cup noodles for a week and a bit now). Without proper sustenance, my body began craving proper food and so being the ever loving partner, the Mrs took me to Strathfield and fed me a proper meal.

I've been going to CeCi's for a while now and whilst there's really nothing remarkable looking about this store, this place is a little gem hidden in the middle of Strathfield. The walls are plastered with the usual Korean soju posters as well as various in house specials (such as the flavoured soju...great for a night out). Order any items from the menu and the usual Korean side dishes are shortly brought to your table. This time, we got kimchi, cucumbers, buckwheat jelly, bean sprouts and marinaded potatoes. These little dishes are all delicious in their own right but even more so when you're starving and anticipating the meal you've ordered.

Despite going to a Korean restaurant, my first instinct was to order something that was deep fried. Which to me could only mean one thing: Donkasu (the Korean version of Japanese Tonkatsu...which I believe is a Japanese take on German schnitzel). Served with a side of rice, cabbage salad and a squizzle of bulldog Tonkatsu sauce, this dish is the perfect thing to have when you're craving a sense of belonging and home. Crunchy but not overly greasy, the meat is best served cut up into little bite sized pieces with rice.

The Mrs made the sensible choice and ordered the soft tofu hotpot. There is literally nothing more comforting than mouth-burning tofu swimming in a moorish seafood soup...the searing sensation of the heat and the spice numbs away any sense of homesickness which is ever so slightly mellowed out by eating it with the rice provided. The dish is kept consistently warm from the earthenware pot it's served in and won't be able to stop having more and more until you notice that you have nothing else but a few spoonfuls of soup left...well worth it though!

Since that meal, I've been reinvigorated in my mission to successfully transition from my old place to my new home and so far...I'd like to say it's going well. According to the Mrs, I still have a long, long way to go before I'm completely self-sufficient and responsible for myself but I've got (not a lot) of time to learn and well...least I've got Messina less than 10 minutes walk from me.

Moving out! - Peakhurst, NSW

There's been a slight slowdown of posts lately and there's a very good reason for this....it's because I've just moved out of home! For the first time in my life, I've branched out on my own and started living independently from my family. Aside from not initially having electricity, gas or internet for the first half of my first week...I think I did well! Just before I moved out though, the parents decided to give me a proper send off by cooking all of my most requested dishes. Although they didn't explicitly specify that it was for me, when every dish is your favorite, it's pretty obvious.

The way my family interacts is weird one: we don't really verbally show any affection towards one another. Instead, you learn to take in little hints here and there and slowly, you pick up how to interpret each other's true feelings and motives, That night, it was very obvious that my family loved me very much and were feeling sentimental. My dad cooked up a storm as per usual but he made sure that each and every dish was one that I would thoroughly enjoy and remember...I'd always appreciated that about him.

As with most Chinese banquets, there's no particular order in which things come out. Instead, everything is laid onto the table as they become ready and you just dig in when we all come to the table. With that in mind, I'll speak about the dishes in no particular order. Firstly, dad prepared oysters two ways: deep fried and steamed with ginger and spring onions. I love oysters in all shapes, sizes and forms but I have to admit, fried is probably my number 1 most beloved way of consuming these bivalves. A super crunchy exterior coats the piping hot and creamy oyster flesh which makes each bite a hazard and a joy. The steamed oysters were also amazingly fresh tasting and delicious...the aroma and taste of fresh spring onions and ginger complements the oysters so well.

Aside from the oysters, dad also made XO sauce pipis served with a side of crispy egg noodles. On a normal day where my appetite has been piqued, I can single handedly down a whole dish of these with no issues...that's how much I love XO sauce pipis. Adding in the carby, chewy noodles makes the experience so much better as the crispy exterior clings to the sauce and makes it easier for you to sop up that hot and spicy gravy.

By the time I'd gotten around to gorging on the third item, I was most definitely getting full. Still, my stomach will always make room for Peking Duck. I recently had an experience where I had authentic Beijing style Peking Duck with my friends and for some reason...it just didn't taste right. It's something about how Cantonese chefs do this dish that make it so, so good...it's probably the grease but I'm not complaining. Juicy, succulent slices of duck in the perfect ratio of meat to crispy, spiced skin wrapped in a chewy, doughy chinese flour tortilla and consumed with slices of cucumber and hoisin sauce. When I was a kid, there was no greater joy to me than to eat out with friends and family and be able to get parental approval to eat the two or three extra plates of Peking Duck wraps. I still feel the same nostalgic happiness when my dad decides to make this for me.

Not to disappoint the other family members, dad also decided to make steamed fish (his favorite). There's something rather elegant about this dish's simplicity: it really is just a fresh fish that's steamed and then served with ginger, spring onions and special soy sauce but it's just irresistibly good. I'd never really learned to appreciate this dish until I started dating the Mrs...fish can sometimes be very hard to appreciate (especially for picky eaters) since they can be "fishy" and boney but when you have something as fresh and delicious as this...you learn to get over it.

As if there wasn't enough food already, dad also decided to make Chinese style braised pork as well as a dish of woodear mushrooms marinaded in a chinese chilli vinaigrette.  The pork was tender and fall-apart which made it wonderful to have with rice. The accompanying veggies were also great in that they soaked up all that braising liquid and added a layer of flavoring. The woodear mushrooms were crunchy and fresh and the vinaigrette was super appetising which worked really well since it cleansed the palate and allowed you to consume more delicious food.

When reminiscing about this meal (that occurred a week and a half ago), I find that I'm filled with a sense of regret and sadness. Regret in that in my time at home, I'd never been able to verbally show or even just tell my family how much I appreciated their support, kindness and care for me and sadness in that although I can always head home and have the same kind of meal every Tuesday, that familiar care-free feeling will forever be lost to me as that chapter in my life closes and a new one starts. But with that sadness, I'm also filled with a sense of excitement and renewed energy with the upcoming events that are about to unfold. For now: I'm proud to announce that chopsticks headquarters has officially moved and settled into North Parramatta. 

Jian Tai Zi - Castle Hill, NSW

I recently read an article about how Shanghai-nese food is taking over the food scene in Sydney...which, in my opinion isn't entirely true but we're definitely seeing the impact that this distinctive cuisine is having. Areas where there are a larger demographic of Chinese people (Chatswood, Hurstville, Eastwood, CBD) seem to be benefitting the most from this with places like New Shanghai, Taste of Shanghai and Chef's Gallery opening their chic new eateries. But even with new Shanghainese restaurants opening up, I've still always found it difficult to find a good xiao long bao in the West...that was until the Mrs introduced me to Jian Tai Zi at Castle Hill.

Located in a small arcade just outside the Piazza, this restaurant looks like it could seat no more than 20 people but if you stumble upon this little gem and decide to dine in, you're in for a treat. Their menu is short, sharp and sweet with anything to you'd typically find in your local Shanghainese restaurant to satisfy your cravings. Trying to impress the Mrs, I tried to order with my limited Mandarin only to confuse the staff serving us (he understood what we wanted but I was so bad that it took him a much longer to register it all)

After a short wait, our orders arrived one after the other, the first being the Sliced beef noodle soup. Tender, fall apart slices of five spice marinated beef sitting on top of a sweet yet savoury broth with abundant noodles to slurp down. I really loved how appetising the soup was and how well it complimented the springy noodles. If you like a bit of spice, add some of the chilli bean paste provided as a condiment.

The second dish to come was the chilli oil dumplings. These are the Mrs favorites as no matter where we go: if this is an option, she will order it. They certainly do it well here: the dumpling skins are the moderately thick meaning they give a bit more bite and spring. The filling is really well seasoned and compliments the vinegar and chilli oil really well...there so much to be enjoyed in the simplicity of this dish.

At this point, the Mrs and I were already getting very full but when the last dish arrived at the table, we just couldn't help but demolish it. The pan fried pork buns are normally quite hazardous to consume as they contain scolding hot soup inside which may squirt in a random direction if the bun is not opened up and allowed to cool down. Our favorite way to eat this bun is to open up the top of the bun with our chopsticks and to pour the black vinegar directly into the middle. The combination of dough, meat, soup and vinegar makes each bite more delightful than the next.

I'm really rather glad the Mrs introduced this place to me as I'd always been looking for a great dumpling joint in the west to indulge my occasional cravings but I'd never been able to find one that lived up to my standards. It's great to know that if I'm ever in the area and I'm craving dumplings, they won't be too far a drive for me to get to anymore.

Malay Chinese Takeaway + Cafe Cre Asion + J's Kitchen Steak house - Sydney, NSW

I got in BIG trouble with the Mrs over the weekend. Story was that the Mrs was rather preoccupied with organising our major upcoming event and I just so happened to have a free parking pass in the city (donated by my generous younger sister). logically then, what better time for me to go and eat all the things I want in the city, right? Wrong. So very wrong. But more on that later. I didn't initially have a plan on how my Saturday was going to work out but I just thought I'd go park my car and see what was available. After a bit of walking around, I happened upon my favorite Malaysian Laksa restaurant, Malay Chinese Takeaway. Furthermore, they were open...on a weekend? Sold.



Despite not having their usual office worker lunch queue, the place was still packed out with a crowd of hungry diners. Obviously then, this place must be legitimately good (not that I didn't know that already). I briskly waltzed up to the counter and ordered my usual: skinless chicken laksa. Not even a couple minutes after I stepped aside, my order arrived at the collection counter...that layer of ominous yet enticing chilli oil that hides the creamy, golden broth of assorted aromatics, spices and coconut milk. Now, listen to my instructions very carefully: add a spoon or so of the communal sambal (at your discretion) and proceed to quietly and reverently take your bowl to an empty spot. Slurp, sip, repeat, wipe away sweat....then smile like a dork (it really is that good). I guarantee you, if you consider yourself a laksa connoisseur, you will not be disappointed with this place...I personally rank it one of Sydney's finest bowls of Laksa.

Being all hot and flustered from consuming the laksa, I decided to explore the CBD and find a suitable place to calm down and "zen" out. Logically then, was there a more appropriate location than Cafe Cre Asion? With my mind made up, I decided to make the long trek over to Alberta Street. This is where I made my mistake: the Mrs had wanted to visit Cafe Cre Asion for the longest time but hadn't found the opportunity amongst the ever-growing list of things she had to prepare. I had then, committed a big taboo for foodie couples...I'd visited a new venue without the company of the other. I got reprimanded really badly later than night. But at that moment in time, I couldn't think of anything better than to sit down and enjoy a nice green tea (matcha) latte.

It did take me a while to find my way into Alberta street but once I laid eyes on this small little cafe, I was smitten. Look at the chic and modern designs...the aesthetically gorgeous furniture, how could you not want to sit down and chill out? So then, I ordered a delicious looking matcha swiss roll and the house matcha latte, sat outside on one of the temple looking chairs and enjoyed the wonderful afternoon tea. Everything at Cre Asion is distinctly "zen" focused, from the bitter yet sweet drinks and cake to decor, tables and location. You're separated from the hustle and bustle yet, close enough to watch the cars zoom by like a keen yet detached observer. In that moment in time, I had achieved what I sought in that afternoon: peace.

The Mrs and I had dinner with family that night so we met up later that night at Cabramatta for J's Kitchen Steak House. When I initially told the Mrs I had visited Cafe Cre Asion without her, she was furious with me (and rightly so) but being the patient, loving and forgiving saint that she is, she saw past my transgressions and forgave me...for now. In the meantime, we focused on enjoying the company we had and the delicious (and cheap) food we were provided. I must say, I am deeply impressed. Where else can you spend $11 and still get a massive plate of chips, salad (doused in dressing) and a thin but tender piece of steak..all covered in a generous mushroom sauce? Not only that, for an additional $4, you can go to the drinks bar and get 4 fruits of your choice blended into a refreshing, delicious fruit shake. If I lived any closer to Cabramatta...I'd be here all the time.

Overall, my weekend can be summed up as absolutely satisfying.  I got all the food that I wanted all on the same day. I do have to apologise to the Mrs though...I feel horrid for visiting Cre Asion without her. Since I suffered minimal repercussions formy screw up, I can certainly say that I've learnt my lesson and that I'll make sure that next time: I'll try to help her out a bit more so she has more time to venture out and explore with me.

*Sorry lovely, I'll take you to Cre Asion next time*