The Tuckshop + Jack's Newtown - Glenhaven & Newtown, NSW

Compared to my Saturday, my Sunday was far busier than I could have ever anticipated. As with our annual tradition, the Mrs and I headed to Glenhaven to attend the yearly Christmas get together with her girls. This year though, rather than cook ourselves, we simply decided to head to The Tuckshop for a quick breakfast/brunch. It just seems so much more logical since within the last year, four members of our little group became parents (yes, we're old now).

Since our last visit it's been awhile since we last visited Tuckshop and the menu's changed a bit...not complaining since most of the menu items were right up our alley in terms of flavor profiles. I ordered the cold drip for myself and a large skim latte for the Mrs (it was particularly early) while we waiting for everyone to arrive. It was a little scary at first since we got an outside table and I was rather worried the weather wouldn't hold up since I felt a couple of sprinkles but luckily, it didn't rain at all!...it just maintained a steady, sticky humidity.

Our friends slowly started arriving and as everyone got settled, we went up and ordered our food. The Mrs and I decided to share a beef brisket burrito and a southern fried chicken burger.

To be honest, after tasting the burrito, I was somewhat disappointed with the beef brisket. The last time we came to Tuckshop, we had a beef brisket roll that was not only fatty but tender and moist. The brisket in this burrito was bland tasting and didn't even compare to the last brisket dish we had here. There wasn't any defining or outstanding features as the salsa was just rather mediocre...the flavours just didn't meld very well. 

In comparison, The Mrs' burger was much better. A well spiced and crunchy southern fried chicken fillet wedged between a pillowy burger bun served with the usual salad options. The fries were also quite delicious as they had a nice crunch to it and were seasoned well. 

Although we didn't get to try anyone else's food (we don't get to share food...sad face), our generous friends still allowed us to take many happy snaps of their various items!

Breakfast Smoothie

Tuckshop Breaky Box

Group shot!

Croque Madame?? I expected it to be more indulgent.

Breakfast Taco

Soft Shell Crab burger

I always look forward to any opportunity we get to see the Mrs' friends. Times change and everyone gets busier and more stressed but year on year, we've continued to form a bond more akin to family than friends. That is something that will never change or fade and with each new addition (whether they be newborns or boyfriends) I'm thankful that we have the opportunity to grow closer and closer.

But that's not the end of my day...For the last week and a half, the Mrs and I have been racking our heads over a particular matter. You see, we recently purchased a rather oversized television...and I drive a Corolla hatchback. Immediately, you can see that equation doesn't really work out. So for fear of my safety and wellbeing, the TV has been sitting in the garage at the Mrs parents place for a while now. Just when we were out of ideas on what to do, the B.R.A.D crew (minus the D this time) offered to help ferry the TV back to the apartment! Happy days! Conveniently, I'd also been task with going to Annandale to pick up our pre-wedding canvas from our photographers...and what's next to Annandale? Newtown! And what's at Newtown? Jack's!...perfectly sensible logic right?

The Mrs needed to stay at home to do work so I extended the invitation to the B.R.A as thanks for driving the TV to the apartment (not gonna lie...I had a vested interest in this trip). Being located right on the corner of Missenden road and Princes Hwy/Kings St, Parking can be little hard to find but I am notoriously lucky when it comes to finding street parking so I got parking right outside the restaurant with no issue.

Fitted out like any hip and trendy diner, they definitely do take a less-is-more approach. The tables are walls aren't overcrowded with random graffiti and everything is clean and crisp looking. This really makes the massive neon burger standout as the defining feature of the room. Word of advice: if you don't like being in a hot, enclosed environment, I'd suggest visiting at nighttime when the temperature cools down. I don't think they have air-conditioning yet and the open kitchen really makes it feel warmer than it needs to be.

The burgers tend to come in waves but when they do arrive, they arrive one after another in quick succession. The boys and I got our food within 7-10 minutes of ordering which in my opinion, is actually really quick. We did go mid afternoon on a Sunday so that might have contributed to the quicker service times but as you can see above, still packed with hungry burger lovers.

At Jack's, they only have two burgers to select from: the cheeseburger (bacon optional) and the vegetarian burger. You can then go on to make small adjustments to your meal like doubling the meat or ordering some (super crunchy and potatoey) crinkle cut fries and/or a soda. We're actually really lucky in that right now, the Sydney burger scene is full of great burger contenders. What this means is that if you've eaten enough burgers (and I have) you can really see the strong and weak points of this burger. For me, Jack's definitely ranks as one of the top burgers in Sydney (4th...1st being Mistergees, 2nd: Mary's 3rd: Five Points)..what's noticeable with this burger is how chewy and doughy the bun is. Soft and pliable yet texturally magnificent, the bread is definitely a highpoint of the burger.

I wasn't originally supposed to get bacon with my burger but having accidentally taken someone else's burger, we decided to stick with it anyway. The bacon really adds some depth to the flavor of the burger as it gives it a really nice smoky, porcine richness that you'd miss out on with the standard offering. Now, where Jack's can improve....I have a preference of having my patty pink in the middle...which mine wasn't but that wasn't too major an issue. You still get a grisly, beefy mouthful when you bite into it so no harm done. The outside of the patty though could benefit from a little bit more maillard reaction. I found myself looking for more little pockets of crispy exterior only to be left mildly unsatisfied. Finally, the sauce was delicious but at times, reminded me of big mac sauce...no idea if that was intentional or not but, if it could exceed the level of deliciousness and decadence that is big mac sauce...that'd make a heavenly burger.

A's burger...drowned in sauce...with extra sauce.

Although a spectacularly busy day, I don't regret any part of it since I got to hang out with group after group of lovely, fun people doing the thing I love most....eating. Things will steadily become busier and busier over the next month so please stay tuned! I'll try and blog as much as I can!

Me enjoying my Matcha Softcream from Zuzuzu while the B.R.A walk ahead.

The Mister's Fantastical Ramen Weekend - Sydney, NSW

Hello everybody! Apologies for the small hiatus, the Mrs and I had a few things which had recently kept us rather pre-occupied so as result, we didn't get much time to blog. But that doesn't mean we didn't have time to eat though...oh no, we ate plenty. I recently had the most wonderful weekend packed with bowl after bowl of my absolute favourite noodles: Ramen.

So the Friday night before last, the Mrs and I headed to Newtown to attend a friend's birthday party. As the festivities were scheduled at a later time, we took this opportunity to go grab a bite to eat. Surprisingly, the Mrs allowed me to choose what to eat so I chose this small ramen shop on King St which looked relatively new. Tokyo Noodle Bar Zu Zu Zu looked exactly like what I was craving so without hesitation, we went in and ordered our noodles. I typically order a Miso ramen (if available) as that was the first flavour I had back in Japan and I use it as a benchmark for how good a place is. Soup wise, this place did the dish right. The soup was thick and held a lot of umami from the miso. The noodles were of the straight white variety and the toppings were rather standard. The disappointing thing was that the Chashu (roast pork) wasn't nearly as thin or tender as it should have been and the eggs weren't marinaded but overall, a great bowl to stave of the winter chill.

The next day, I was lucky enough to be able to grab lunch with my mum and sister where we went to a local favorite: Manmaruya. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of their original store in Campsie but as Hurstville was closer, that's where we decided to go. Mum went for the Spicy Miso Ramen which is typically what I order. The Chashu here is also not as tender as it should be but compared to the bowl I had at Zu zu zu, this has more character. The fresh chillies and ra-yu (japanese chilli oil) give the already flavoursome miso a good heat and kick which makes every slurp of slightly wavy noodles all the more exciting.

I saw a special called the Samurai Ramen and intrigued, I order that as my ramen and I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed. As is the more popular variety now, Manmaruya seems to also have embraced Gyokai fever by adding a spoonful of powdered bonito to their standard tonkotsu ramen. A small difference goes a long way as the flavour of fish really layers the soup and adds a level of complexity to it. I also appreciate how as opposed to their standard ramen, they serve the egg in the Samurai whole.

The sister wasn't all too hungry so she went with a Salmon Sashimi Donburi (which I didn't remember to photograph) and Takoyaki. As a special, they had blue fin tuna available so without hesitation, I ordered a plate of that as sashimi. I didn't get what all the hype was about blue fin tuna before but after eating this, I'm sold. The decadent slices of fresh fish marbled so magnificently makes for a tremendously satisfying treat. For the premium that this dish demand, I can't say I'd be making this a regular purchase (I'll just stick to my Salmon belly) but you definitely can't deny how pretty each slice is.

On the Sunday, the Mrs and I decided to go shopping and upon remembering that Ippudo had also opened up at Macquarie Centre, I demanded that we go there for lunch. Unlike the city branch, the Macquarie Centre branch is much less busy, possibly due to the fact that this place has a diminished menu...sorta like Ippudo express. The Mrs and I both chose to have the lunch set where I chose the Akamaru Shinaji and Gyoza, she chose the Karaka men and Karaage. Ippudo really is famous for a reason: you can't go wrong with their Shinaji. I was a little disappointed that my order of additional egg was missed but it really didn't detriment the bowl of noodles all too much. The combination of spice from the bomb and the hit of garlic from the black garlic oil really works well with the viscous, milky pork bone soup.

The Gyoza was another delight as I had never tried a place which offered Yuzu Kosho as a condiment. When mixed in with the dipping vinegar, the gyoza had a slight but refreshing bitterness and pepperiness which made it really nice to eat. The karaage was....different which is what I believe they were going for. The crunch and flavour was decent but not nearly as good as other places which offer that standard starchy crunch. I think in this case, I ordered the better side. She did order the better ramen though...

Overall, I'd have to say that I had a wonderful weekend (obviously at the expense of the Mrs) but I'd say I earnt it, what with all the brunches I take her to. We'll return to our regular content regularity very soon once we get a few things sorted this month but stay tunes for more coming this week!

Brewtown - Newtown

The week starting the 20th of October was a rather eventful week for me: I worked my last day at my previous employer, bid farewell to some good friends and got some quality time off before I started the next exciting phase of my life. With all the free time I had, the Mrs and I decided we would cross a name off our ever-expanding list of cafes and restaurants: we went to Brewtown!

Our expectations of this establishment were high, so high that we sang many songs about it all the way there. Lucky we went when we did because there was literally no line - definitely a good thing when you're super excited to try a place.

Quickly seated and with a quick glance at the menu, we decided to place our orders. Our drinks came first: the Mrs deciding to stick to her usual and ordered a soy latte. I found that I had recently acquired a taste for filter and cold drip coffees (for health reasons and the fact that you get all the coffee taste and very little acidity), I decided to order the cold drip. Perfect choice for a warm day.




Our dishes came quickly after (much to our excitement) which was good because at that point I was getting a little hangry - yes, hangry. I ordered the eggs on toast with an additional side of blood sausage and mushrooms. The only criticism I had for the dish was that the toast was cut rather thickly which made the process of eating it quite cumbersome.

The large jagged pieces of toast were rather hard to cut in the curved dish  on which it was served, meaning that it took more effort to compile a perfect bite however I was quite pleased with the blood sausage.

Fun fact: When the Mrs and I eat out, we order based of two items that she fancies. In the circumstance where she doesn't appreciate her dish quite as much as she thought she would (which in my opinion is about 50% of the time... She likes to be a bit adventurous) I would be able to switch with her, thereby making us both happy. In this case, I can say that her order trumped mine ten-fold. Squid Ink pasta with prawns, kale and a hint of lemon. 

The succulent, plump pieces of prawn complimented the perfectly cooked pasta and kale and the sauce...don't get me started on the sauce.










And of course, if you ever go Brewtown, could you even fathom leaving without trying their signature Brewnut? I think not. (We most certainly didn't) 

Would we return? Definitely.

Recommendations? That pasta is a must order. Cold drip was also quite impressive as well.

Areas of improvement? None as far as I'm concerned. Well, parking in the narrow streets of Newtown can be trying at best but they can hardly be blamed for that.