Yakitori Yurippi - Crows Nest, NSW

I really can't believe that it's been almost a month since my last blog post...I mean, how did they time pass so quickly? I guess life for us has just gotten that hectic that I hadn't had the time to sit down and reflect but I now find myself in a position where I can sit quietly and reminisce about the most AMAZING (I mean amazing) dinner I had for my birthday. Despite claiming not to have planned anything in celebration of my birthday, the Mrs had actually booked a table for the two of us to go to a place that I've wanted to go to for some time now: Yakitori Yurippi.

I love places like Yurippi...humble, homey and welcoming small eateries that offer amazing food for relatively little money. The decor is like any authentic Japanese izakaya and the eclectic crowd shows it...a family out for a nice dinner, a group of old friends catching up over drinks or a young couple (like us) flirting and enjoying each others company. Everyone is welcome and everyone will be able to find something they enjoy. We arrive relatively early for our booking and are one of the first guests seated. Immediately, I notice the extensive menu of drinks (I'm a sucker for Japanese whisky) and the small but concise list of savoury items you can order. At $2.90 per skewer (most skewers), every item is an absolute steal!

I start off with a glass of Mars on the rocks whilst the Mrs chooses to have the Oolong high. My Mars is crisp, sweet and oh-so-refreshing! I love the fact that so many places are stocking and appreciating Japanese whisky nowadays and it's even better when they serve it with an ice sphere. The Mrs Oolong high is still a bit too strong for her but it is very mellow. The distinct taste of the Oolong tea really helps smooth over the alcoholic content and brings out a very lovely characteristic.

 

Shortly after our drinks came, our food quickly started to arrive at the table one after another. First to come was the chicken karaage. Seriously, I kid you not, I've had my fair share of karaage but this, hands down, has to be one of the best. So juicy and flavoursome on the inside yet crunchy on the outside. It may have soaked up a bit too much oil in the fry but you don't really care because the marinade penetrated the meat so well that you are just overwhelmed by how moreish and delicious the chicken is. No mayo or citrus needed...just pure poultry indulgence.

Then after that came our dish of small oden items. To sample as much as you can, it's always best to order a little bit of everything and we definitely did not hold back. Eggs, chikuwa fish cake and radish with a rather nice broth, all of which were nice to have with a smidge of Japanese hot mustard.

As I said earlier, the items came quick, hot and fast and before we finished our first bite of the oden, our gyoza and first plate of kushimono came! The gyoza had just the right amount for sharing and as you can see in the picture below, had an amazingly crunchy skirt. The crackling-like skirt almost stuck to your teeth as you chewed which makes me suspect they used rice flour instead of plain flour for the gruel.

For the kushimono, we ordered pork belly, chicken cartilage and chicken skin. When ordering certain items, you have a choice of two flavours: salt or soy. We decided to try one skewer of each flavor for the pork belly and to be honest, though the soy was really nice with it's sweet yet savoury attribute, the salt really, really stole the show as the salt helped bring out the natural rich porcine flavour of the belly fat. The cartilage was a great snack as it offered a nice contrast of textures before moving on to the most desirable skewer: the chicken skin. Charred to a perfect crisp yet supple in some parts, each stretch weaved over itself to capture the oils and flavours in the nooks and crevices...if you visit, it is imperative that you order this.

On our second plate of kushimono, we had another skewer of the pork belly, some miso ox tongue and two skewers each of the chicken thigh. The miso ox tongue was really tender and beefy though it could have done with a bit more of the sauce. The way it was applied made it hard for the sweet and nutty miso sauce to stick to the meat. The chicken thigh was cooked really, really well: tender, juicy and so amazingly savoury...I could go all night, skewer after skewer and not be bored.

Then we had something that was surprisingly delicious and I seriously regret not ordering more: the pork jowl. Charcoal grilled until the exterior is crispy yet yielding a gelatinous snap, the three pieces of meat almost taste like pork flavoured butter when eaten as it melts and seaps into each of your tastebuds, overwhelming them with a sense of elation and momentary bliss before you realise...there's no more. Mental note to self: order more next time.

Another interesting skewer we had was the bacon wrapped mochi. Tasted like torched, unsweetened marshmallows wrapped in salty, smokey bacon. Though not my favourite item that we ordered, the Mrs thoroughly enjoyed it for which I am glad.

Another skewer that I had high expectations of but didn't exactly satisfy was the wagyu beef. Very, very tender and rich but...slightly lacking in meatiness and char.

Then came the thing that blew everything out of the water. A few years back, I'd visited Hong Kong and went to Yardbird. I was keen to try their chicken meatball (tsukune) but it was so packed that we couldn't get a table and it didn't work out. Since then, we've been fortunate enough to have many places borrow that formula and open up in Sydney. That said, until that night, I had still yet to try the famous chicken meatballs on a skewer. But when I did, oh man, there was no going back. Soft and juicy chicken mince (with some cartilage thrown in for good texture and measure) that's charred and smokey on the outside but so mellow and crazy delicious on the inside...served with this umami packed dipping sauce that has a 63 degree egg gently floating on top of it. Mix it all up so that the yolk, white and sauce cling onto the meatball...take a bite and literally ascend into chicken heaven. It was so, so, so good that I ordered seconds.

By this point, the Mrs and I were quite full so we ordered some last snacky items to round off the meal. Unfortunately, as they were getting quite busy, we had to vacate our table soon (we were part of the first round on a Friday night) but no biggie! We had so far thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the service was so fantastic that we didn't care. I do admit though...I would have wished I could have spent my whole evening there gorging away. But alas, our last few orders came and it was time to wrap up. The scallops with kombu butter were tasty but could be something saved for the seafood lovers and the veges (although cooked perfectly) could have been substituted for more chicken thigh and meatballs...ok, I admit it, the other items were amazing as well but I just wanted more time to enjoy the meat. The Japanese omelette though is a must order....so warming. Literally, the perfect way to end the dinner.

As I reluctantly left the establishment, I noticed that the outside had quickly formed a rather large line. Whilst I'm unsure as to whether or not the line was for Yurippi or the yakiniku place next door, I'm convinced that if I had such an amazing time there, the line must have been for Yurippi. I have never been more impressed with the decor, service, staff, quality of the food and the value that we recieved. Inclusive of the drinks and almost 40 items between the two of us, our bill only racked up to $140 so in retrospect, I should have gone HAM. No worries, after this experience, I'll take any excuse and any invite to go again *wink wink nudge nudge*

Chaco Bar and Belle's Hot Chicken - Barangaroo, NSW

Sometimes, I find myself thinking that I'm glad to be alive during this time of culinary vibrancy in Sydney. When I was much younger, good food just wasn't a priority to people (at least the ones I knew). It was often hard to say that we had any really good food offerings unless you were happy to pay exorbitant amounts of money for a meal. That's all changed in recent years as we've come to put much more emphasis on good food and wine. Generally speaking, we're still a bit slower than everyone else in importing new ideas but luckily, it seems that ideas are very happy to come to us! Take for example: Belle's hot chicken, Melbourne most famous fried chicken joint. A short walk from Wynyard station, Belle's is a great place to go and grab a bite to eat, especially since Chaco Bar had opened their ramen pop up right next door!

It's been some time since they've set up shop at Wulugul Walk in Barangaroo but they're still as popular as ever as the Friday night we decided to go, so much so that we could barely find a spot to sit and eat! Tip for those planning a visit: Don't go when all the office workers are there grabbing a bite to eat and drink...TGIF is a very real thing. Fortunately, we came early so whilst a lot of office workers had just started drinking, a lot of the late-to-midday session diners have just started finishing up. Since it was cold and I care about ramen more than I care about anything, we decided to start on Chaco bar's ramen.

We ordered as soon as one of us were able to find a tiny spot to sit down at. We were rather hungry at that point but fortunately, the ramen came out really quickly. I'd wanted to try Chaco's ramen for ages since there's been rave review from when they started serving Ramen at their proper location. After tasting the ramen that night, I can definitely understand why. I've been fortunate enough to sample most of the ramen shops in Sydney and I have to say, I'm definitely loving Chaco bar's rendition. I ordered the Fish Salt which was the lighter of the two we ordered: light and viscous but holding a smooth and delicate flavour, the broth had a really nice peppery kick to it...I really, really liked the simplicity of this bowl of noodles. The roast pork was thinner than I've had at other places and therefore was slightly underwhelming but the noodles...oh.dear.lord the noodles were GREAT. Long, slightly wavy and vibrantly yellow...they had the best snap I've had in Sydney...very toothsome.

The Mrs got to have the Fat Soy ramen which I have to admit would have been my preferred option (but I gave it to her cause I love her). The soup wasn't thick like the other popular ramen spots in Sydney but still had a deep, rich, umami packed flavour...especially with the abundant pork fat that sat on top of the soup like a thick blanket. If I had one gripe, it was that I didn't get my ramen in a proper bowl but an enviro-disposable cardboard bowl...loses a bit of the heat and effect if you don't dig in straight away...but not a huge deal since it'll return to their proper store soon and I can go have it there!

We also had the gyoza as well which was actually really nice! Big, juicy and plump dumplings with a nice curry-like spicy kick to it.

Right after we had finished our ramen, we wasted no time at all and went to order our fried chicken! And then again, in no time at all, we were seated with hot, freshly fried poultry in front of us. The Mrs and I decided to share a portion of the chicken wings at medium spice with a side of fries and Mississippi comeback sauce. The chicken was really, really juicy and as you bite down on it, the hot chicken juices encased in the crispy coating starts dribbling down making it a very messy (and potentially dangerous) yet fun eating experience. Though very, VERY delicious...I can't say that it's something I'd pine over. I think Sydney has well and truly caught up in our fried chicken game and we have our own competitive offerings which I think are equally as good. For me, though the chicken was very crispy, I found my wings a bit lacking in that I was looking for the crispy protruding nubbins of goodness as you would find in KFC's Hot and Spicy or BUTTER's fried chicken only to find a rather flat surface area. I think we also picked the wrong spice level...Medium was a little bit too mild for us. Not to mention, I found myself very dehydrated after which suggested to me that it was over seasoned. I almost felt like the spice powder coated the back on my throat in a thick layer of dry seasoning.

Wanting to complete the MUCHIES night, the Mrs and I (along with her younger brother who I neglected to mention was with us the whole time) headed to Regents Place for some dessert. Being a Friday night, the place was already packing but we still managed to find a seat at Choc Pot. I personally think that after all the delicious food we had, there's no better way to end the night than to blow out and have a decadent chocolate banana crepe. Overall, I really do think we had a great night...Wurugul Walk is a great place to go to grab a bite to eat though I would suggest going when no one else is there (during the day). There are just more options open during the day (Short Stop donuts...) and you're not competing for a spot to sit. I can't wait till ramen goes back to the Darlinghurst location so that we can go and grab a nice, proper bowl of noodles!

Night Noodle Markets 2015 - Sydney, NSW

A couple posts ago, I did say mention that I liked avoiding the crowds...I may have lied. Can you really blame me though? When one of the biggest foodie events comes around, you don't really say no. I really didn't think I'd be attending the Night Noodle Markets this year but miraculously, the Mrs made the suggestion when her friends all decided to go. So, soon as the both of us finished work, we met up in the city and proceeded to Hyde park before the crowds formed. Being that it was the final week, the amount of people visiting has already decreased but I'm still really glad we decided to head into the markets before everyone else. This way, the Mrs and I could sample all the delicious offerings with minimal wait times before everyone came.

The Mrs and I started our night off with a couple of skewers from Daniel San, which I assume is a new addition to the line up since I didn't notice them last year. We bought one pork and one chicken skewer so that we could sample both. I personally liked the chicken better (I love chicken yakitori) but the Mrs thought the pork was better. I do agree that the pork did take on the marinade and glaze better but I'll always like chicken better...there's just something about smokey, grilled chicken meat on a stick which makes life amazing.

Seeing that the traffic had started to slowly trickle in, the Mrs and I thought it'd be a good idea to grab a table. We quickly found a large enough table and sat down in preparation for the arrival of our friends, which I took as an opportune time to scope out the other goods. By now, it's no secret that the Mrs loves Malaysian food so I quickly ran up to Mamak and ordered two servings of Roti Canai (one for me, one for her). Mamak's roti is always amazing...super doughy, fluffy and crispy, this combination is best served when dipped straight into that vibrant and fragrant orange curry....tear apart, dip, devour and repeat for maximum enjoyment.

I noticed that next to Mamak, Harajuku Gyoza had set up stall and being the mad gyoza fanatic that I am, I just couldn't help but order some for myself. For me, this was the biggest surprise of the night as I didn't really expect much from the gyoza...but it was absolutely, positively delicious. Gyoza is one of those commodities which is so readily available that it's hard to differentiate one from the other but this one...leagues above the competition. The crisp, crunchy bottom covers the juicy dumpling's filling which explodes with flavour as you bite into it. My experience was something straight out of a certain food-related manga...the nuanced and delicate flavours of this particular dish brought me to heaven and back...this is the one dish I legitimately wanted to go back for seconds for.

As our friends arrived, we were able to leave the table behind and go explore. The Mrs and I settled on Bao Stop as our next stall (the Mrs was interested in the fried chicken whilst I was more interested in the Peking Duck fries). I didn't actually order the fries in the end but I did order a trifecta and the chicken which was just as good. As we were in the line, the rain slowly but surely started to pour which was really not pleasant but for the sake of food, we (I) stood resilient as we waited. After we received our orders, I quickly dashed back to the group, making sure to shield the food with my body on the way. Unfortunately, it took us all a while to get to a comfortable spot and the sad thing about baos is that they tend to stick to the cardboard if you leave them there for too long. This made the whole eating experience rather messy but that was in no way detrimental to the food. The baos tasted great but I have to say the chicken stole the show...I'd say, rather ingenious the way they turned the distinct taste of XO sauce into a sweet and tangy glaze.

Didn't mention these...Korean style tacos

Apologies for the shaky focus...hard to hold still trying to dodge the rain.

Our friends saw our food and decided to venture off to the same location for their share. I was fortunate enough to be able to still try the Peking duck fries which they brought back. In retrospect, kind of glad I didn't order them because whilst I do love deep fried shoestring fries, the taste of gamey duck and hoisin only reminded me of the real deal therefore making me want that more.

Again, sorry...the rain really doesn't contribute to high aperture photos

At that point, the rain had started to clear up which signalled the continuation of the festivities. The group decided it'd then be a good idea to go and grab some ramen burgers from ONE tea lounge's stall. I abstained from this venture because I was very full at that point but nonetheless, we headed over and surprisingly quickly, ordered and recieved our food. I have to say, I am slightly disappointed in the ramen burger this year. We had the full ramen burger last year and that was absolutely delicious but as per their restaurant's menu, this year's offering was made in slider form. I think my preference is still for the mess that is the full sized burger though.

Additional to the sliders, one of our group members also purchased the fried ice cream baos. They came in various asiatic flavours (green tea, red bean and black sesame). I managed to get a taste of the green tea and I'll be honest, I wasn't really a fan. The deep fried bao just seemed a bit too bland for me and whilst they did pair it with ice cream and other sweet treats, the matcha flavour really wasn't as intense as I would have liked meaning the whole package just came across as mildly lacking.

At the end of the day, as much as I don't appreciate crowds...I'm still really glad that I got to go enjoy the Night Noodle Markets. The stalls only come around once a year and with the abundant selection of delicious samplings, you really can't go wrong if you spend a night out with great, fun people at the markets.

Mister's Test Kitchen - Gyoza Night

Now I know, I know....I couldn't keep my promise.

Although I have a very good reason! My long time phone: the Samsung Galaxy S4 died on my over the weekend so I spent it organizing a replacement and what better replacement than the newest Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge! So convenient that the latest version comes out just as my old one gives out on me. So with this brand new smartphone and a decent 16MP camera, expect better quality photos from now on!

So first post tonight will be from the backlog. A while back I was craving dumplings and since I had recently depleted my supply of gyozas, it was time to restock! Now make no mistake, making gyozas is no easy task. All the prepping and wrapping takes one full day so if you're going to make them, commit and make a LOT. The rest can be frozen and cooked up whenever your cravings hit.

So we start by shopping for ingredients, most of which can be sourced from your asian grocers. luckily, I live in a predominantly asian area so ingredients were easy to get. For this recipe, I chose to go with a more traditionally Japanese approach (though the dumplings did originate from China anyway but that's besides the point) so I chose to use pork mince, cabbage, spring onions, garlic and ginger....oh and round gyoza wrappers.

For the seasonings, I used sake, soy sauce, sesame oil a pinch of sugar and a dash of salt and pepper. Important point to remember: chop the cabbage roughly and salt it to bring out the moisture. Afterwards, wring out all the water and you'll make sure the gyoza doesn't end up too wet on the inside. Do NOT blitz it....whatever you do, do NOT use a food processor for the cabbage, if it gets chopped up too much, it'll be heaps gritty and detriment the texture. And don't mix the mince too much!! If you do, the meat will clump up into a meatball once it's cooked and you don't want that. What you want is a loose and moist filling that doesn't stick to the wrappers. You'll know what I mean when you cook it.

Fill the wrapper with a little more with a teaspoon of filling, tab a little water on your finger and wet one side of the round wrapper then fold in half.

Now comes the hard bit, pleat on one side. I'd LOVE to describe how to do it but you learn by watching. So either find yourself a Chinese grand-mama and learn off her....or Youtube it, much easier. Repeat until you run out of wrappers. Also make sure you place them onto a nice floured tray or plate. Separate them and put them in the freezer once you've finished one plate. The freezer will firm up the dumplings making them much easier to cook later on.

To cook, heat up some oil in a non-stick frying pan and line the pan with the dumplings (flat side down). Pan fry them a little until the dumplings brown a bit on the bottom. Once they've been browned sufficiently, pour water into the hot pan until the dumplings are half covered and then cover the pan with a lid. Turn the heat down to medium and let it steam until fully evaporated. Afterwards, its just fry them some more until they're crispy again and voila!

                                                                Dumplings for days.