Instafoodies Event - Glebe, NSW

We're back! Back again! And this is true in more ways than one! It really has been more than a while since our last blog post and there's very good reasons for that: unfortunately, our computer needed to be re-formatted. With the recent release of Overwatch, my old tower wasn't capable of running the game so I had to spend weeks figuring out how to update my computer to the point where I could play the game. No regrets though since it's been heaps of fun playing online with my friends and in the heat of the new game, I've completely forgotten to write anything about our recent adventures!

So we're back on the blog again! and this time, we find ourselves back at Hem Nine Nine! See, we had such a blast at Hem Nine Nine last time that when we got an invite to come back and attend an instafoodies event (organised by Robbie from it'd be rude not to), we knew we just had to come back. On the day, there were no markets on so parking was a bit easier to find than the first time we went. As we walked in, Robbie was there to greet us and it was so great to finally see him in person. The magic of social media is that you will get to know people rather intimately without ever having met them at all. I'd followed Robbie on Instagram for some time now but the event was the first time I'd actually met him. This becomes this sort of reoccurring theme throughout the event as I come to see a lot of people I follow of Instagram as well.

So as the place quickly starts filling up again, we found ourselves back on the table we sat at the last time. Since there were so many invitees and space was becomes scarce, we were seated with other instagramers and attendees (who we quickly got acquainted with...nice to meet you Erika, Mandy, Vee, Susan, Lily). As we get to know each other, the food starts rolling in dish by dish (which at that point was really exciting since we were starving!). Better still, we were presented with dishes that we didn't get to try last time! (we're only two stomachs...couldn't order that much even if we wanted to). Now, we were given a LOT to eat (we were SO full by the end of it) so I can't go into too much detail about each but I will give you a good run down of each dish (further descriptions can be found on our Instagram):

1. The duck rice paper rolls. Tasted like peking duck but with a little Vietnamese influence. I liked the addition of pickles!

2. Fish balls! you would not believe how happy I was when this arrived at the table. So reminiscent of my childhood trips to the home town of Hong Kong. Spicy, springy and delicious!

3. Wagyu Bo Luc Lac skewers. I mean, I love Bo Luc Lac (shaking beef) already but to make it with Wagyu and then put it on skewers? Ingenious! Super tender cubes of beef, char-grilled and served with sweet capsicum and slaw on the side.

4. Ox tongue: very tasty and savoury sauce that glazes these slices of tender ox tongue. A good squeeze of citrus really helped cut through the rich, beefy flavour and sauce.

5. A platter of soft, toasted bread rolls serverd with roasted bone marrow, chopped fresh chilli and pickled onions. Sort of like a...decadent and buttery do-it-yourself sandwich. Very delicious.

6. The grilled lemongrass pork skeweres we had last time. Still just as good! Still just as flavoursome and fatty.

7. Pork belly Baos. I believe these are also served on their "Mama Linhs" food truck and whilst the serving of pork belly in a Chinese bun is nothign new, Hem Nine Nine's rendition really stands out from the rest in that they pack in the sauce and the pickles that come with it are fantastic.

 

8. Crispy skin chicken! I mean, how can you not love this perennial Vietnamese favourite? Very crunchy deep fried skin that sits on top of the juicy chicken meat. It's really great how they chopped it all up and it had no bones in it at all so it makes for a great drinking snack.

9. Bo Kho...I can never pronounce it right whenever I try to order this at a Vietnamese restaurant but I love it all the same. Less sweet than most other versions I've had out there but definitely packing in the rich, meaty flavour. Love the addition of other cuts of beef and the general omission of the tendon (not a big fan of tendon).

10. By this point, I was well and truly stuffed...could not imagine handling more food. Then someone mentioned that the last dish was gonna be Pho...I almost freaked out! Luckily, it was Pho but not as we knew it. What we got was the Pho Banh Mi which was this bread roll stuffed with tender, fall apart beef that's been cooked in Pho spices and then served with generous amounts of sriracha mayo and other veges you typically find with pho. Very ingenious way of modernising one of my favourite noodle dishes.

Finally, after all the food that we gorged on, Robbie comes out to address the crowd. Kudos to Robbie for organising such a successful event! Additionally, for dessert, we got treated to a slice of the amazing cake from Desserts with Lynda! I've been a massive, MASSIVE fan of hers for a while and it turns out that she reads our blog too! Such a wonderful delight to know that someone you follow on Insta reads your content as well and it was amazing having met her...such a humble person for the amount of success she's accumulated in such a short time.

The cake was super moist and I loved the addition of the pandan cream! Would 10/10 love to eat something like this again! Overall, the Mrs and I had a blast attending this event. If I haven't said this before, I'll say this now: Hem Nine Nine serve up a fine Vietnamese fiest I'm honoured and glad to have been able to dine there twice already. I'm certain that things will only get better for them from now on and I do recommend giving them a try when you can! Thank you to Mama Linh, Chef Peter, Hem Nine Nine for the wonderful food and hospitality and thank you for inviting us to celebrate the birthday of the food truck! A special thank you to Robbie for organising as well!

Hem Nine Nine - Glebe, NSW

Momentum is a fickle thing...some days, you're on a roll and you feel like nothing can stop you while others, you've lost all motivation to continue. The task that you previously found fascinating and enjoyable has become monotonous and you find yourself procrastinating again and again. That's how I've been feeling lately with food blogging. I love eating and I love spreading news of delicious food and amazing restaurants but lately, that love has fizzled a bit and it's really reflected in the frequency in which I post content. It had gotten to the point where I'd actually considered quitting and just when I'd come close to calling it, something comes along and you're reminded again of why you do what you do. For me, this came in the form of an invitation to dine at Hem Nine Nine.



I'd first seen Hem Nine Nine's photos float around on social media and I'd always been intrigued by their food and I had personally set out to try their food one day but I hadn't gotten around to it. Lo and behold, an invitation reaches the Mrs and I sent from Hem Nine Nine themselves, asking us to come and dine with them! You would not believe how ecstatic I was when I received this email as not only had I wanted to try this place, this was also the first time we'd received and personal invite from the owners to come try their food! Of course, I booked us in immediately and anxiously anticipated the day we would go and try their delicious Vietnamese fare.

The name Hem Nine Nine or laneway 99 is a reference to the lanes in Vietnam where you can find delicious Vietnamese street food and their decor definitely reflects this. As soon as you walk in, the vibrant red walls and beautiful looking asiatic decor make the place really inviting and an interesting place to dine at. As soon as we sit down, we order two Vietnamese iced coffees to sip on as we casually study the menu. Whilst not as extensive as the Vietnamese restaurants you might frequent, from reading the description, you can really tell how special each dish is from the amount of thought put into the ingredients and the innovative ways in which they've been able to re-invent these classic dishes.

The first thing to come was our appetiser of grilled lemongrass pork skewers and boy, was this something to be excited about! You're served three skewers of lemongrass pork skewers with a side of slaw made of bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, spring onions and this spicy sauce. The sauce that glazes the pork is sweet, savory and full of umami which really helps compliment how delicious the pork itself is. The outside of the meat is grilled to a perfect char and the aromatic lemongrass flavour permeates each bite. The meat is also super tender and juicy which makes it a joy to eat.

Soon after that, the Mrs order came: Squid ink bun rieu! As soon as this dish arrives at our table, my mouth starts to water as the smells coming off that hot, steaming bowl of soup is simply irresistible! The Mrs had never had bun rieu before but being more experienced with Vietnamese fare, I was actually really excited to see how this dish turns out. Squid ink can be a bit of a daunting ingredient to work with and even more so to eat (black is considered a rather ominous colour in relation to food) but it's a flavour that really works here and it's impact is very evident. The soup is warm, aromatic and flavoursome and you can really taste the umami that the squid ink adds to the soup. This is all made even better by the bits of crispy and softened noodles that cling to the sauce-like soup, the fried soft shell crab and the flying fish roe. A really interesting and delicious thing to eat and definitely a must try!

Shortly after the Mrs dish arrived, my order of super pho came! Hem Nine Nine have several pho items on the menu and I had originally been planning on ordering the special pho but when a dish is limited to 20 orders, you just have to get in on that action. When you're presented with a giant bowl of noodles topped with beef brisket, rare wagyu, herbs, onions and oven-roasted bone marrow all contained in this masterfully brewed beef stock...there is no way you wouldn't be impressed. I do consider myself a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to pho and I must say, I am very, very impressed with their rendition of the classic noodle soup. The stock had a bit of a stronger tartness (even without the addition of the citrus) which is instantly noticeable when you first sip the soup but as you continue to consume the noodles and soup, the tartness really comes in and helps cut through and bring balance to the whole dish. The soup is super, super rich in beef flavour...what I imagine it would taste if I ever took my love of beef and decided to make pho myself. The brisket and wagyu are tender and the delicate globs of toasted bone marrow just make it a delight to dine on.

While we would have loved to continue on to dessert (they have a unique Vietnamese coffee flavoured ice cream specially made for them by Hakiki Turkish ice cream) the both of us were so stuffed at the end of our meal that we just could not fit it in (pretty good indication of how much value you get for your money). Despite being invited to dine as guests, the Mrs and I were so impressed with our meal that we were perfectly happy to pay for our meal ourselves! I kept saying to the Mrs and even without the invite, I would have taken her there sooner or later and now that I have, I'm so, so glad that I did. Their wonderful hospitality and amazingly delectable food made it a wonderful experience for me and I'd love to return again and again in the near future!

Sashimi Shinsengumi - Crows Nest, NSW

My deepest apologies to everyone. In the middle of outfitting our apartment with new furniture, I've come to neglect this blog a little. Actually no, that's only half true...I've allowed myself to use that as an excuse to avoid blogging for a little while. I've recently had a dining experience that left such a deep impression on me that I may have been a bit too afraid to blog about. I was afraid that my writing skills would be inadequate, so much so that the wonderful and eye-opening experience I had wouldn't have been able to be translated through to my readers. So, with that in mind, I've kept it to myself for almost a month. But now, I need to tell you about the time we ate at Sashimi Shinsengumi.

I've known about Sashimi Shinsengumi for a while now (they are pretty famous on the insta foodie network) but I'd never really had an excuse to go. But in conversing with my best man, Simon (before the wedding), he mentioned that he wanted to go too! So I jumped on that immediately and made a booking for 8 people the next day. I didn't exactly have 8 friends to dine with but I made the booking then extended the invitation to everyone hoping 6 other people would join us...which worked out! Seriously, we wouldn't have been able to dine there otherwise. Our booking was on the 30th of March, 2016 and I made my reservation at the end of November, 2015...that's how long the waiting list is for this place.

Sashimi Shinsengumi is situated inside a small shopping complex in Crows Nest so it's rather easy to get to. I'd still try and get there early anyway because although there's parking in the back, it can get taken up rather quickly by people dining at restaurants within the area. Enter into this unassuming local business centre through the back and the restaurant will be immediately to your right. And unassuming is really the best word for it since the store is quite literally to stainless steel islands fitted out like tables and a kitchen in the back. As you enter and sit down, you get the feeling that you're about to become audience to a spectacular theatre act. You're encouraged to go next door to fetch drinks or to go to the local bottle shop and buy alcohol (BYO with no corkage).

Before the meal starts, each diner will have a plate of appetisers waiting for them. This is, I believe, seasonal as each item is altered for each instagrammer I've seen dine at this restaurant. For our time, we had marinaded vegetables, karaage tuna fin, fried prawn and a fresh, raw oyster served with ponzu sauce. Each item is made with meticulous care and is well balanced in flavour and impact. Certainly, a great way to start a spectacular dinner.

As you and the other guests slowly finish your appetisers, Matsui san steps up to his station like a lone actor on an elaborate stage. All attention is immediately drawn to him and his hands, his speed and his knives as he quickly but precisely prepares morsel after morsel of delicious nigiri. I can't even begin to describe how technically amazing it was to watch Matsui san at work, and what amazed me more was that he could find the time to converse with me and my broken Japanese (that I spent 3 years studying mind you) and still dish out fantastic food. In keeping with tradition, I do away with the chopsticks and pick up each piece with my hands, making sure to only dip the tip of the neta (sliced fish) into soy sauce if needed. The whole 18 course meal starts off on the lightest fish and then moves through different stages and textures. about a third into the meal, Matsui san takes a small break to attend to the other table of guests who've also chosen to have an omakase meal that night.

When I said that this meal was like a theatre act, I really wasn't joking. As diners, you're given an intercession to breathe, talk, laugh and discuss amongst yourselves the progression of your dinner. Quite literally, none of the other diners had much of a chance to make conversation whilst eating as all of our attention was solely on the chef and his art. After Matsui san returns to our table, he picks up the pace again effortlessly and moves back on to the heavier flavoured fish. This time, our courses are much more distinct and pronounced. The more memorable pieces were the mackerel and the anago eel. The mackerel had a very strong flavour from the little dab of freshly grated ginger it was served with. This was most likely to help balance the intense and potentially overwhelming flavour of the fish. And the anago...oh man, that eel quite literally melted in our mouths. I've never in my life had another piece of eel sushi that was as good as this.

About two thirds of the way through, Matsui san again departs to tend to the other table and you and your friends are again left to reflect on the meal so far between yourselves. Despite having been a month ago, I still vividly remember the profound impact this meal had on me....it was everything I could have hoped for and more. I'd always, always wanted to eat a proper Japanese omakase sushi meal but I'd never had the chance to in my previous visits to Japan. So being able to dine at Sashimi Shinsengumi and share that with my friends...it was a life changing experience. As Matsui san returns to our table for the final act, you feel the meal really hit a climax as the flavours of each fish steadily becomes fattier and more moreish. The very last piece I had was the most memorable for me...despite my experience and research into sushi, I couldn't identify the last nigiri...all I knew was that it was overwhelmingly, mind-numbingly good. The torched smokiness melds together with this barely cooked flesh that melts away in your mouth with absolutely no difficulty. The perfectly cooked rice then carries and and helps the flavors linger for just a bit longer before your mind reluctantly returns to the dining room.

Overall, I can say with absolutely certainty that my very first omakase meal was my favorite sushi experience so far. I'm sure that I'll have many more chances to experience more expensive and exclusive omakase experiences in the future but it's this humbling experience that truly earns Matsui san my respect as one of Sydney's most valuable sushi chefs. Unfortunately, if you're planning on going soon, they won't be able to accommodate as their current location will be torn down in May/June for renovations. From our conversation, Sashimi Shinsengumi still has yet to find their next location but when they do, I guarantee that word will spread and they will be booked out again immediately. No matter how long the waiting list is, I implore you...try to get a booking. You will not find a more humble yet gratifying sushi experience anywhere in Sydney.