Manpuku Ramen - Kingsford, NSW

My father-in-law said during dinner that "Manpuku means immense happiness in Japanese". I can't exactly verify that as a fact (I'd studied Japanese at UNSW for three years, kanji was always my worst enemy) but based upon the intense satisfaction I felt during consumption...I'd say he was pretty on track. When I was studying, I'd never ventured previously to try this ramen joint... mainly because one of my closest friends (and occasional ramen buddy), Zhen said that this place wasn't worth the visit. That was when they'd first opened and years later, after the second shop in Chatswood opened up, their popularity steadily grew as you could undeniably see the jump in instagram posts. So, when I knew we were all heading to Randwick on Tuesday night, I'd quickly jumped on it and made the suggestion to take everyone there.

Upon entering, the server greeted us with a lovely, cheerful hello and as we made small talk, he asked us if we were Indonesian as we'd come in in a large group but I mentioned that the Mrs and their family were Filipino. He then broke out into many Filipino words (most of which I still hadn't learnt) and that, I believe, endeared him very much to my in-laws. It wasn't too busy and we weren't in any particular hurry to order so we took our time in deciding and boy...I really needed it. My choice should have been obvious as I have one rule when visiting a new ramen restaurant: always try the miso ramen. But ever since I was lucky enough to try Chase Kojima's first gyoukairui tonkotsu...I'd been addicted to gyokai style ramen (pork bone stock mixed in with fish stock). Naturally then, I'd picked the gyokai with the most: the manpuku mk II.

The whole package is a sight to behold....droplets of flavoursome black garlic oil sits in this milky white broth that's barely viscous. On top are bean sprouts, sliced wood ear mushrooms and not one, but two eggs and two sheets of nori. And then...the piece de resistance: tender, fatty and decadent pieces of braised pork. I am not lying when I say it's incredibly delicious....it can't not be. The broth lacks the finesse and layering of Sokyo's gyoukairui but that doesn't matter, because it's own charm is how well it owns the flavour. The pork is a definite highlight of the dish...you don't even care that you don't get chashu as each bite brings you to a transient state of porcine enjoyment. The noodles aren't my favorite yellow, wavy variant but that's hardly a detriment.

My mate, Preston who joined us for dinner that night ordered the tsukemen. A thick layer of oil hides this opaque and aromatic hot broth which by itself is rather intense but when mixed with the thicker noodles is simply divine. Amongst the other condiments provided, the most notable is the sheet of branded nori and a chunky slab of the same tender, braised pork I got in my soup.

The brother-in-law chose to have the miso ramen (we'd ordered it before he arrived just so it'd we could save some time) and luckily for him, it's arrived not long before he walked through the door. The magic of ramen is truly a wonderful thing...it can turn an exhausted and agitated man into a calm and collected individual through the meditative and therapeutic slurping. As he took each spoonful of soup and each strand of noodle, you could see the grin of utter satisfaction grow on his face. The soup of the miso is nutty and filled with umami. Have a big enough spoonful and you'll taste the slightest hint of a kick for what I assume is the chilli bean paste mixed in with their house blend of miso. The two slices of chashu are torch seared slightly to give it a charred, smokey ambient flavour which works really well in this dish.

The Mrs reaaally missed out as she was on a no-carb diet (faux pas on my part...taking her to a noodle bar) so she stuck to salad but she did order an interesting item which were these two pancakes (at the time, she didn't realise they were made with flour) which were served on sticks and topped with aonori, bonito flakes and kewpie mayo. The filling had bits of seafood and cabbage so basically...an okonomiyaki on a stick....delicious. The father-in-law also order teba gyoza or chicken wing dumplings which were these two chicken mid-wings stuffed with dumpling fillings and then deep fried.

Although we all agreed that Menya was our preferred ramen establishment, Manpuku definitely has it's place on my list. The soup is thick but still drinkable and plenty flavoursome and the ramen is actually a pretty solid and satisfying bowl. If I was ever in the hood again (or in Chatswood), I think I'd certainly return for a bowl of the ramen with the unbelievably hard to pronounce name.

Thievery - Glebe, NSW

Kleptomania...the urge to steal, usually without a need to or consideration of personal profit. I seriously had a intense case of this last night when the Mrs and I went to celebrate our 68th monthsary (yes, we celebrate the day we met each and every month). I'd been setting up this dinner for the better part of a month now and it's been really, really hard to keep a secret from the Mrs. However, I stood my ground til the end and as we walked through the doors of our chosen restaurant, I just couldn't contain the excitement I had for what we had ahead of us. 

Thievery is a modern take on middle eastern fare run by the guys who also pioneered the Sydney food truck scene, Eat Art Truck. I had dined with the truck before on two separate occasions and was thoroughly impressed on both occasions so I was expecting quite a bit from them. Their menu is also supposedly "stolen" from a very famous chef so that must mean they're good. The setup is like a middle-eastern themed wine bar which is really great because the small, cosy space lends a lot to the intimacy of the diners...almost like you're conspiring to commit a crime. The bar and the bartender was also legitimately in the room with you as there was no bar table separating diner from the establishment. The Mrs also really,really loved the background music (90's R&B and the like) which set our night off to a great start.

Upon arrival, each table is provided with a small dish of lupin beans which our waitress advised was "kinda like firmer edamame beans". The menu also clearly states that they can kill you (if they aren't cooked properly)...nothing like a little adrenaline from the fear of imminent death to spice up date night right? But, in all seriousness, it was a great snack albeit a bit harder to ngaw out of the skins than edamame is. 

The Mrs and I also ordered two cocktails: the Mo-Money Mojito and the Hotel Georgia. I had the Hotel Georgia which I found to be surprisingly good. Surprising because I liked all the ingredients when I read it on the menu but as the drink came, I smelt a strong whiff of almond. Now, the ingredients didn't say it had almond in it but I smelt it and usually, I can't stand the smell of almond but in this case, I was really taken aback by how great the drink was. Sweet yet tart, I could help but keep drinking away at it. The Mrs had the Mojito which she claims "is the best mojito she's ever had". Can't argue with her at all as the drink was really refreshing and well balanced.

The first dish to come was the Baba Ghanoush which was a smoked eggplant dip with pine-nuts, sheep's milk yoghurt and burnt butter. I was originally going to order the Hummus (as the menu clearly stated it had burnt butter and I'm obsessed with that stuff) but I did some research before hand and according to notquitenigella, the Baba Ghanoush also came with burnt butter. This had to be one of the best decisions I made that night as the dish was amazingly good. The smokey eggplant works really well with the nuttiness from the pine nuts and burnt butter but that sheep's milk yoghurt just wins. It is to die for...so intensely creamy and moreish.

We had almost succumbed to the suggestion from our waitress for more flatbread but we abstained which was a great decision because it gave us a small window to cleanse our palates for the next delectable arrival: the LFC or Lebanese Fried Chicken with Squid Ink Toum. The Mrs asked me what was so special about this chicken, to which I told her that this chicken was made with 72 spices. Yes...72, and you can almost taste all 72 flavour profiles as you bite into that crispy yet succulent and juicy chicken. The amount of spices may sound overwhelming but it really isn't. It's so well balanced that you can enjoy the taste of the tender fried chicken and still comprehend and feel the impact of the spices. The squid ink toum was lacking some impact (the Mrs and I are used to EJ's toum) but was added to the overall experience when added to your chicken.

To round off our dinner, the last dish to come was our orders of the Slow Roast Lamb Kebab and wagyu beef sharwarma kebab. The lamb kebab was really well packaged as the richly fatty roast lamb was complimented really well with that creamy sheep's milk yoghurt and the pickled garlic really helped cut through that creaminess and fattiness. It can get a little intense for those not accustomed to the taste of lamb which is why the portioning really helped keep it all in check. The beef is a entirely different case as I felt as though there just wasn't enough. The portion size was exactly the same as the lamb but because the beef was so damn good that I just wanted more. I cannot even put into words how good the beef was...the Mrs said I had a moment where I was in pure bliss and in all honesty, I genuinely felt like I was brought to tears with just how great it was. That spice from the harissa and smoked garlic, the kick from the pickled pepper and that herbaceous flavour from the coriander all compounded by the intense meaty flavour of the beef and complemented by that doughy flatbread....just heaven.

Sorry if this looks different from the other photos, other pic just didn't look great.

You get the idea that Thievery is a great place to dine and it really is. They execute each dish with so much finesse and balance that you find yourself wondering if you'll eat anything else as good. I can honestly say that I won't be able eat another mediocre beef kebab again...I wanted to steal that beef recipe from them so badly but alas, we'll have to wait till the next time we dine there. 

Buttermelt Cafe - Strathfield, NSW

The Mrs and I really haven't had the chance to spend any quality brunching time together this week. She's been pretty inundated with the planning of a very special event we have coming up. Normally, I'd be a lazy one and just stay home cause my food buddy isn't with me but today, I decide to get off my butt and go out for a nice bite to eat and a haircut and boy, am I glad I decided on that. I will only ever get my haircuts from two locations within Sydney and since today, I'm not inclined to head into the CBD, I decided to head to Strathfield as see what was on offer.

Since I missed my partner so much, I decided that I wouldn't be boring and have what I always had (the deluxe set from Tomoya). No, instead I walked around a bit to assess my options and I stumbled upon Buttermelt cafe, situated in the old "Moochi" location. Upon walking past the cafe and seeing the outfit and staff, I decided to head in and grab some lunch...best decision I've made today. The cafe is small and in typical cafe-fashion, has an industrial outfit which lends to the simplistic atmosphere. the cafe if very open so you get to see all the action whilst still being detached and sheltered from it all in one of the cosy tables inside.

Although I missed my other half very dearly, I can't say I didn't enjoy myself because one of the benefits of not eating with your Partner is that you don't need to be considerate of her and you get to order what you truly desire. In my case, I'd spotted another cafe-goer eating a delicious looking mushroom pasta and that pretty much told me what I needed to order and trust me, I was definitely not disappointed. Aside from looking absolutely on point, the dish tasted delightfully fresh and was delicious to boot. I loved the fact that they included two slices of buttered bread to help you soak up all the sauce and I was really pleasantly surprised when the buttered bread turned out to be mildly sweet which helped enhance the moorish and creamy flavours of the pasta.

I'm a die hard carnivore and even I didn't miss the meat in this dish because the addition of the chunky king oyster mushrooms added a really nice textural bite to the whole package. The pasta was cooked al-dente and the bits of cheese and stringy enoki mushrooms made it a delight to eat. 

The coffee was also unexpectedly and amazingly good. Buttermelt stocks Sensory lab beans and whilst I'm not a big bean snob, I know good suppliers when I see them. After a deliciously satisfying meal, I'd normally just gulp down my coffee like it was water but the aroma and taste of the beverage actually managed to slow me down to little sips as I'd enjoyed it so much I subconsciously just wanted to sit there and enjoy the moment.

After my meal, I went off to grab my haircut and on the way to collect my car, I stopped by again to grab a drink for the road. I settled on the green tea smash which I saw someone else have earlier and again, was thoroughly impressed with how well they did it. A bit on the pricier side in terms or iced drinks but definitely well worth it, an intense matcha flavour permeates the whole drink and is well complemented by the mild sweetness of the vanilla ice cream. If you let the flavours just roll in your mouth, near the end, you'll notice a slight bitterness which helps round off the whole drink.

I actually cannot wait to bring the Mrs back to Buttermelt, not just because it's so accessible to the both of us but also because I can't believe that such a little gem was hiding under our noses the whole time. A sincere thank you to you guys at Buttermelt cafe, you'd given me a lovely lunch experience and set my weekend off to a great start.

Family Potluck - Bexley, NSW

Earlier today, the Mrs and I posted an entry about our visit to Cafe Oratnek, well...that's not all we did (ate) over the weekend. Aside from enjoying a beautiful brunch, the Mrs and I had been invited to attend a potluck hosted by one of my close family friends. For the uninitiated, a potluck is an event or meal where each guest is in charge of contributing one dish. I quite enjoy our semi-regular potlucks as our families have always been close friends (our fathers all worked together at the same restaurant for many, many years) and as a result of being so close to the dining scene, our love for the culinary is equal to each others.

I decided that I'd take this opportunity to try an idea that's been floating around my head for a while: yakiniku tacos with radishes pickled in rice vinegar and asian inspired chimichurri. To make the dish, I marinated a couple of beef flank steaks in a house made yakiniku marinade overnight. The marinade is just equal parts cooking sake and soy sauce cooked with onions, garlic, sugar and honey (next time I might even try to add some fruit like apple or nashi pear in for some acidity). For the pickles, I sliced radishes on a mandoline slicer and pickled them in a rice vinegar pickling liquid overnight. Finally, I made the chimichurri out of the white parts of some spring onions, some garlic cloves, italian parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a green chilli. Overall, I was very pleased with the result. I would have preferred to use a more tender cut (such as harami/skirt steak) and maybe marinade it for less time but the interplay of the sweet and crunchy pickles and the spicy, herby sauce made for an excellent party dish.

My friend decided to make ribs and takoyaki (a weird combination I know, but it worked). The ribs were very tender and flavoursome which really reflected the amount of effort he put in to make the ribs. It would have been even better if it was warm enough to have a backyard barbeque where he could have put some smoke and charcoal on it. My friend also took the opportunity to try out various ideas for takoyaki flavours. My two favorites of the night were the XO takoyaki and the truffle aioli takoyaki. Being that the takoyaki was already very creamy inside, the addition of the tobiko and aioli really pushed it to a new level of decadence....a must try for any truffle fan. The XO was also really nice as the chilli oil from the XO sauce melded with the batter to create a ball of spicy goodness.

Another friend also took the time to make a pot of spicy napolitana penne. Although she did indicate that it wasn't her intention to make it as spicy as it was, we were all really glad that it came out the way it did because it was deliciously appetizing. As with any good chilli dish, the heat built up with each mouthful which made you want to eat more. Additionally, some other friends made quiches in potato cups. The quiches were perfectly contained in nice, crispy and carby cups which made them rather delectable treats.

For dessert, we were served lemon curd cupcakes and a chocolate tart. The lemon curd cupcakes were amazing and had a perfect balance of creaminess to tartness. It really was a wonderful way to cut through the intense flavours we had earlier in the dinner which was great because it gave us the ability to kick on and eat the decadently rich chocolate tart. Topped with sliced strawberries and shavings of white chocolate, this chocolate tart was all manner of lovely. Honestly, I probably hoarded half the tart to take home because it was that good.

I truly love the way our families have remained so close and still somewhat regularly find the time to get together and enjoy some great food. I genuinely hope that even as the Mrs and I move further to the west, our ties will remain strong and we still find the time to get together and cook up a storm.

Catalina - Rose Bay, NSW

You probably might have gotten the idea by now (what with us being food-bloggers and all) but the Mrs and I really like to dine out. Sadly, we haven't really had the chance to go out and enjoy a really nice meal lately because we've had to save some money for a special event we have coming up. That's why I was so excited when a major milestone of ours came up and I used this opportunity to go and book a restaurant that the Mrs had been wanting to try for a while, Catalina.

A little tip for would-be diners: don't fret too much about needing to beat the traffic and find parking. They have ample parking outside the restaurant and you won't really encounter the typical sydney traffic trying to get there. Upon entering, we were seated at a rather ideal table located right by the water, perfect for setting up a romantic evening. Service was also impeccable from the moment you sit down, but is expected of a dining experience of this calibre....still, major points to the staff.

Despite there being sushi and sashimi available on the menu, the Mrs and I fought our temptations and stuck to the regular entrees and mains. For our entrees, we decided to share an order of the crispy whitebait and duck-egg as well as an order of the pan-seared scallops. When the dishes arrived, we were fascinated by how the dishes were presented and served as the duck egg was cut up and tossed before being placed onto the table. To say that we were impressed by the whitebait dish is an understatement. The crispy texture of the whitebait was complemented by the delightfully moorish duck-egg which made the dish extremely tasty. Despite sounding heavy, there was a slightly citrus-like element in the dish which cut through the flavours making it really appetising.

The scallops were also pretty good but I have to admit that in this case, the Mrs did pick the tastier entree. The scallops themselves were cooked perfectly but I can't say there was any other element of the dish which was memorable. That said, I do have a palate that craves heavy and distinct flavours so that's why when we ate the whitebait and the scallops back to back, the scallops wouldn't have had as much impact as the whitebait did. The dish was good in it's simplicity and the freshness of the ingredients.

Quickly thereafter, our main dishes arrived at our table and boy, were we impressed. The Mrs ordered the pan-seared kingfish from the daily menu which was served in a seafood bouillabaisse. Kingfish is possibly my most favoured type of fish when cooked which is great because this piece of fish was cooked beautifully with crispy thin skin and an almost steak-like texture of the fish being just cooked on the outside but still a bit raw in the centre. Just underneath it was refined and elegant seafood bouillabaisse which was smokey and savoury in all the right ways. The dish also had clams and mussels which made it just so much better. For me, this was definitely a highlight of the night.

The star of the show had to be my dish though, the lobster and fettuccine nero with tomato and chilli-infused lobster oil. The dish was magnificently presented with vibrant colours and a smell which was well indicative of how good this dish was. The pasta was cooked to an al-dente snap and was tossed with an abundant amount of plump and juicy bits of lobster meat. The sauce itself was absolutely moorish but had an acidic tang to it which made it irresistible. It was a shame that halfway through I had to give the pasta to the Mrs...the things I do for love. In addition to all this, we also ordered a side of mash just in case the mains weren't enough.

Normally, we'd end the night there (neither one of us is big on dessert) but since we hadn't been out in a while, we thought it'd be a good idea to order a sweet treat just this once. I naturally gravitated to the most chocolatey dish available and the Mrs obliged. We ordered the caramel-centred dark chocolate mousse with feuilletine crumble and valrhona milk chocolate ice cream to share which was a great decision because the dish was so amazing but so rich and decadent. A must order for any chocolate fan.

In addition to the dessert, the staff also provided us with a little gift for our special occasion which the Mrs and I were very appreciative of and thought was a great gesture. That last bit pretty much adequately describes our experience with Catalina, Perfect. The staff provided some of the best service we've had with their attentiveness and care which only made the food and the night even more spectacular. This has to be one of the most memorable dinners we've had and we're both so glad we chose to celebrate at Catalina.

Mama's Buoi - Surry Hills

As winter comes into full swing, we find ourselves at the end of another school term. What this normally entails is a fun filled celebration with the Mrs and her education posse. Last week was no exception as we all got into our 'end-of-term' best and headed out to the Sydney foodie's mecca, Surry Hills. One of the Mrs workmates had suggested we check out Mama's Buoi (which was a very welcome suggestion, always up for some Vietnamese food).

What I neglected to remember was that it was Friday....at one of the most popular restaurants in Surry Hills. As soon as I had parked my car, I headed over early to the already packed out destination and tried my luck. My request for a 6 person table was answered with a playful laugh from the maitre d' which pretty much answered my question, but our story didn't end here as the same party member who made the suggestion had recently enjoyed a lovely 40 pax function there (and she says that's what got us the table)...score!

After being seated at one of the open air tables in the back which really wasn't that cold at all despite what we were warned about. We were promptly served by a delightful service staff member (who we later learned ran the place!). She even offered to get our orders out quicker which was a lovely gesture. I can honestly say I haven't had service nearly as good as at Mama's Buoi. Our drinks came first and then not long after, our food. Our night was off to a spectacular start.

For drinks, the Mrs and I decided to be fancy and order cocktails. I chose to have the Lychee and Watermelon Martini and the I chose the 'A Day in Ha Long Bay' for the Mrs. The Martini was refreshingly sweet yet didn't smother the taste of the alcohol but instead made it a much easier drink to sip and enjoy. I have to admit that on this occasion, I chose the better drink for the Mrs (...as I had intended). The Ha Long Bay had ample tartness from the green mango and lime which was complemented rather well by the green apple liqueur and from memory, a slight fizz that drew out the drink. The Mrs and I were thoroughly impressed with our drinks.

Our friend had ordered Thit Ko which was a pot/bowl of caramelised pork belly and eggs braised in a coconut juice. I unfortunately couldn't bring myself to ask if I could try any (the Mrs and I ordered a lot of food) but couldn't stop myself from staring at it as he ate it. The layered and fatty cubes of pork belly sat in a gravy-like sauce which I could only assume would have been heavenly what with it's abundant amount of aromatics floating around.

The Mrs ordered a Mixed Skewer platter which came with three skewers of beef, pork and chicken. This was also served with lettuce cups, pickles and a dark, savoury sauce called Nuoc Mam. The beef wasn't my personal favorite and judging by which skewers were left till the end, it wasn't the Mrs favourite either. It was tender but lacking in a bit of fat which meant it wasn't really that charred and didn't have a potent flavour of beef. The pork was better though with it's fatty bits of soft meat and delicious lemongrass marinade. The best was definitely the chicken which was grilled to a perfect char on the outside. The meat was delicately sweet and juicy which accentuated the whole dish. I was a really big fan of the sauce (big flavour hit of liver pate in it) but as the Mrs doesn't like liver, she opted to avoid the sauce.

I ordered the Pho (as I typically would...noodles anytime, anyday) and I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much from the Pho but the broth was really aromatic which was a delightful surprise! The Mrs also enjoyed the thickness and the snap of the rice noodles. I would have preferred to have the broth hotter in temperature but overall, it was a decent package. For the price they charge and relative to the size of the bowl, a regular Pho connoisseur might be a little disappointed but take it as an interpretation of the Vietnamese classic and you'll be able to take it for what it is...a great bowl of noodles.

As a side, the Mrs and I also ordered the pork spring rolls which I have to say, were absolutely delicious. The wrapper/skin almost had a dumpling-like consistency with it's springy and chewy texture. This is probably due to the conscious choice of using rice paper is the spring rolls wrapper. This really helped in contrasting the crunch from the fried exterior and also helped to bring out the savouriness of the pork and fillings. 

I won't really go into the details of the rest of the night because frankly, it was just a great night out. But it wouldn't nearly have been as good if we didn't start it off with the delicious culinary delights we were able to have at Mama's Buoi. Absolutely brilliant service paired with amazing food and home-style Vietnamese food done really well makes Mama's Buoi a MUST return destination.