Harajuku Gyoza

Hope everyone had a fantastic New Year's Eve! It is 2014 now, can you believe it???

On this particular night (still in 2013 ><), me and Bun walked pass this restaurant called "Harajuku Gyoza" at Potts Point. What comes into your mind when you thought of "Harajuku" (a place in Tokyo)? The first thing come up to my mind is fun, a place that's full of creativity and vibrant culture, and somewhere with loads of unique surprises. So when we saw this huge Kawaii ("cute" in Japanese) dumpling character on its exterior wall, we thought it would be cool to check it out!

The restaurant is actually in "Izakaya" style (a casual Japanese place for after-work drinking, usually attended by businessmen), with a bunch of bar chairs surrounding the centre (cooking area) and a few tables scattered around the room. The whole restaurant was mainly decorated in black and red colours, giving that modern and mysterious feeling. The staffs were very friendly and attentive (notice the kitchen staff doing the "peace sign" in the last picture? LOL), and the food actually came pretty quick.

We found those photos printed on the plates :)

Here are the sauces of soy sauce, vinegar and chilli oil. I prefer to use these separately although you should combine all 3 together to get the best flavour.

Pork Belly Kakuni $13.00

This is one of their popular dishes, and it came in 4 chunky pieces on the plate. Our first impression of this dish was...SO JUICY! It was absolutely fulfilling. We loved how the fat took up half or more of the proportion, yet the whole bite didn't feel too oily at all. It was a really good dish to accompany a bottle of beer too!

Pork Gyoza (poached) 5pcs $8.00

Since we were getting the Lobster Tail Gyoza as grilled, we decided to pick a poached set of Gyoza. This little dish of Pork Gyoza certainly allowed us to enjoy and appreciate the ultimate combination of the sauces. Personally, my favourite is still the chilli oil ^^

Lobster Tail Gyoza $12.00

The name attracted our attention, as we were curious of what it would taste like. We found the lobster tail was a little bit light in terms of flavours, although it was nice and chewy. To us, we probably still preferred Gyoza with whole loads of meat + vegetable inside, so we actually liked the pork Gyoza more than this one.


This will be a pretty cool place to hang out after work for drinks, or for those who don't have too much time and just wants to fill the stomach in a rapid speed. I loved how they can incorporate such a cute dumpling character to be the logo of the restaurant and how creative their Gyozas were. For a personal comment: I think the grilled Gyoza always tasted more interesting than the poached version!


PS: For our next post, I will write about my first home-made Gyoza with recipe (Yes, thanks to the inspirations from Harajuku Gyoza!!!) ^^


Address:
9-15 Bayswater Road, Potts Point NSW 2011

Phone number:
02 9356 3834

Opening time:
7 days - midday to late for lunch and dinner


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Dog Dog Japon

We saw a cute lady standing outside the Skyview Shopping plaza the other day, waving a board with pictures of different hog dogs. This certainly caught our attention when we were having difficulties deciding what to eat at the time. So we walked into Skyview Shopping plaza where the other popular Japanese cuisines located such as Pepper lunch and Menya Mappen. Then we saw this small and colourful shop, presented almost like a doll house with the cute name of "Dog Dog Japon". Seeing how Japanese hot dogs eventually gained its popularity in USA, this new place in Sydney is definitely worth a try (Another place at Chanoma Café also had a small selection of hot dogs).

Dog Dog Japon had a small amount of tables and chairs for a quick meal or snack, although most probably prefer take away. We thought it was going to be easy to decide what to eat, until we saw the menu board and ended up seeing hallucinations of hot dogs swirling around in circles. The range of selection at Dog Dog Japon was absolutely great, we felt like trying out every single one of them!!! Reluctantly, I landed on Cheese hot dog while Bun had a Beef Hamburger dog, along with our chips with chilli tomato salsa topping and a coke.

Chips with chilli tomato salsa topping ($4.90)

It seems like we have seen a lot of chips with topping these days, such as Lord of the Fries and Batch Burger & Espresso. Both of us really liked this one at Dog Dog Japon as we love Mexican style toppings. It wasn't as chilli as we thought, but rather with that bits and pieces of sourness and sweetness from the tomato.

Coke $2.50, Cheese hot dog $6.60, Beef Hamburger dog $6.90

I was staring at the melting cheese, lying lazily on the top, smiling right back at me. I loved everything about this, although I do find it a little bit hard to eat at first due to the size and width LOL. It was very satisfying to swallow every bit of it, and the ingredients were fresh and tasty. The Beef Hamburger was less complex in its flavour, and Bun loved the juicy Beef Hamburger as always.


Dog Dog Japon is somewhere we will definitely go back to, and it might be a good idea to drag more friends next time and share the flavours. There are just way too many choices, and we are totally going to try them all! (This is like when you played Pokémon and you have that mission to accomplish...*grin*)


Address:
Shop 6, 545 - 551 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000 (Skyview Shopping plaza)

Phone number:
02 9261 8814


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How to make Takoyaki

Ingredients:
1 spring onion
3 crab sticks
200g of Takoyaki flour
2 eggs
3 cups of water
Takoyaki sauce
Mayonnaise (or Japanese Mayonnaise)
Bonito flakes

Serving:
About 24

Level:
Easy


I have always been a super fan of Japanese cuisine, and I always wanted to try to learn how to cook them. On this lazy afternoon, I decided to give a shot on cooking my very first set of Takoyaki. So I have got most of the ingredients from a Japanese grocery store in the city called Maruyu.




(Left to right: Bonito flakes, Takoyaki sauce, Takoyaki flour)


It's really hard to find a proper Takoyaki pan in Australia, so I bought this pop cake pan from Kmart instead.




I am only a beginner, so I have only included 2 very simple ingredients as fillings. That was 1 spring onion, and 3 crab sticks (proper ingredient is actually boiled octopus, but I ran out of them so I have decided to use crab sticks that I found in Asian grocery store instead) being chopped up to small pieces (I have seen many people adding tempura pieces and Japanese ginger into the fillings as well). I like to separate each ingredient into different bowls, that way makes it easier for me to pick them up and start cooking.




To start off, I have measured 200g of Takoyaki flour into a large bowl and cracked 2 eggs into it, then mix with 1/2 cup of water.




Afterwards you can add in 1/2 cup each time and mix well until it all finishes, then the mixture should turn into a watery state.




You can then get a brush to brush oil evenly into each hole on the pan, and then pour the mixture into each hole. Then quickly add on the chopped up spring onions (leave a little bit left for garnish later) and crab sticks into each Takoyaki. After the edge of the Takoyaki is cooked, use 2 sharp sticks (or tooth picks) to turn each of the Takoyaki about 90 degree. Repeat the rotating step until all Takoyaki are cooked (turning into golden brown colour).




Place each Takoyaki on a plate and squeeze on the Takoyaki sauce and Mayonnaise, then add on the Bonito flakes and the rest of the spring onion pieces (you can also choose to add on seaweed flakes instead).

TA-DA! It's all done and time to enjoy the Takoyaki!!


PS: Feel free to drop me any comments or suggestions on the recipe, I would love to learn from all of you guys :)

Pancakes on the Rocks - Canterbury

Situated at the busy intersection of Beverly Hills, Pancakes on the Rocks seemed to be forever popular here since its opening. The line usually started to built around 6pm, so we decided to arrive slightly earlier to avoid the crowd.

Potato wedges $6.95 (With sweet chilli sauce add $1.50, with sour cream add $1.50)

The wedges were cooked to the perfect golden brown colour with a crunchy edge and soft core. Every time we loved it as a little side dish, especially with the sour cream and sweet chilli sauce. They were chopped to the right size to just fit into the grasp of 2 fingers.

Mexicana $15.95

Our favourite savoury pancake from Pancakes on the Rocks has got to be this one, the Mexicana. As one of their top sellers, it contained the mouth-watering filling of Mexican style beef, tomato salsa, spicy tomato sauce, tasty cheese, guacamole, sour cream and shallots, together served on a bed of lettuce and 2 pieces of Nachos. The burning sensation from the chilli slowly crawls from the tip of your tongue down to your throat, and then you get a chance to cool it down with a satisfying gulp of guacamole.




Devils delight $14.95

As another one of the popular pancakes from Pancakes on the Rocks, the Devils delight consists of 2 spongy chocolate pancakes placed on the plate with surrounding strawberries. The scoop of chocolate ice cream sits comfortably on the layer of cream, along with the dancing patterns of chocolate sauce. It was a great dessert to share between 2 people, we loved every single bits of it.


For some reason, both me and Bun found the pancakes at this chain to be more fresh than all others. It also seemed that the staffs were more friendly and attentive, and the orders arrived at a reasonable timeframe. We loved the fact that Pancakes on the Rocks has always seemed to be full of energy, and the kids truly enjoyed their meals here with lots of smiles and laughter.


Address:
Cnr King Georges Road and Stoney Creek Road
Beverly Hills NSW 2209

Phone number:
02 9580 7200

Opening time:
Sun - Thu 7am - 12am
Fri - Sat 7am - 1am


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Lord of the fries

The moment we walked into this small takeaway shop, we were overwhelmed by the size of the crowd. Yes, this was "Lord of the fries"! They were fresh and not frozen, with less fat, skin on, and cooked in quality oil. Started as a food truck venture in Melbourne all the way back in 2004, they have then arrived at one of Sydney's busiest street, George Street, just a little while ago.



Before we even visited here, I had my eyes locked on the "French Canadian" deluxe sauce. The sound of shredded CHEESE and hot GRAVY was just too hard to resist, we could almost picture it with drools coming out of our mouth.

Large fries $6.95 + French Canadian sauce $2.50 (Shredded cheese + hot gravy) Total $9.45

When we finally got it...well...I don't know. Shall I say it was a little disappointing? The fries didn't taste that special to me, it was like something in between hot chips and hot wedges. Not too crunchy and yet not too soggy, and we didn't taste much of the skins. As much as we loved the magnificent sauce combination, this box with a price tag of $9.45 in total could still be quite overpriced in comparison.


Every time we walk pass by, there was still a line outside waiting for the freshly made fries. With people smiling and laughing everywhere, we still believe a lot of them indeed loved the fries. However, we just can't really see ourselves going there over and over again just for the fries. Perhaps we can try something else next time??


Address:
537 George Street, Sydney

Opening time:
10am - late



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Yebisu Izakaya

"An izakaya (居酒屋) is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. They are casual places for after-work drinking." (Wikipedia)



Most people probably already heard of this term "Izakaya", you can probably see lots of business men gathering up in such places after work in Japan. It's a good place for quick snacks, drinks and catching up with casual conversations. When "Yebisu" opened up in Regents place in Townhall, I was amazed of how much this corner has become so similar to what's really in Japan. There were huge paper lanterns, quirky graffiti (there was a giant Totoro!), neon light as shop signs etc. All of these attracted many people to surround this place over the weekends and evenings.

There was a long bench right outside with customers sitting there for a few drinks, just like the setting in Japan. The interior was tidy, and full of wooden furniture just like the traditional designs. Although with all these traditional looks, don't forget the high-tech aspect of touch-screen ordering menu, just like Japan, there will always be a mixture of the olds and new. The waiter and waitress are as polite as always, and they will always make sure the plates would be cleared away as soon as they are finished.


Sapphire Blue $6.80 and Tequila sunrise $8.80



Pork & Kimchi (Salt) $4.80

This is probably one of the best skewers we tasted so far, the combination was perfect in terms of taste and texture, and the sauce was incredibly flavoursome. I love how they rolled the Kimchi inside the pork, so that you get this layer of juicy fat pork and then the crunchy bits of Kimchi.




Pork belly (Teriyaki or Salt) $3.00

Both of us love Pork belly! However when this was compared with the Pork & Kimchi skewer, it seemed less appealing. They were still a nice little dish, and one thing I love about Japanese skewers is that they are never too oily.



Chicken meatball with Porched egg (Teriyaki or Salt) $4.80

This was something new to us, and it looked interesting. I couldn't quite figure out the correct way of eating this, but I tried eating the meatballs alone and as well as soaking it in the Porched egg. The meatballs actually didn't taste too much like chicken, but it was very fulfilling. The Porched egg was very cold, and fully slipped down my throat like a kid on a slide at the playground. Funny little dish I must say, and I'm just so obsessed with the bursting moment of Porched egg these days.




Takoyaki

We always seemed to have picked a Takoyaki dish whenever we eat Japanese food, it's becoming like a habit. The Takoyaki was extremely hot (always becareful when biting them!!) but full of octopus, it has always been a nice Entrée dish for us.

Yebisu Omelette rice $14.80

Mmmm...the scent of this dish has always been amazing. We loved how fresh the ingredients were and the perfect mixtures. The egg was a little bit runny, and I must say that is probably the perfect state to go with steamy rice. We quickly finished this whole bowl and it still felt like we needed more...mmmm....



Ice cream with Daifuku $3.80

Daifuku is a mochi (sticky rice cake) which is usually filled with red beans. But in this case, it's filled with ice cream!!!! Before I go into details, I must mention the purple fluffy candy floss on the top. We ate this and then found out there were those exploding lollies hidden inside the candy floss (I forgot what you call them, but I'm sure we all had one when we were kids), this made us laugh instantly and as well as having a bit of nostalgic moment. The combination of ice cream and mochi is a genius idea, and the Daifuku was extra soft and stretchy!



Cream puff ice cream chocolate $3.80

Comparing to the Daifuku, we didn't enjoy this as much. The texture of the puff and the cold ice cream didn't seem to go very well together. It was like eating ice cream with bread or toast, which diminished the taste of the ice cream.


The dining experience was wonderful, and we were impressed by their wide range of beverage selection especially the cocktails. We loved the atmosphere and surroundings, and it can get pretty crowded around dinner time. However, it was a little pricey comparatively, but a few skewers and a drink here would definitely be worth the visit.


Address:
Shop 7-10
501 George Street, Sydney

Phone number:
02 9266 0301

Opening time:
Sun to Thu  noon - 3pm, 5 - 11pm
Fri and Sat  noon - 3pm, 5pm - midnight


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Charlie & Co Burgers (Sydney Westfield)

Burgers. Mmmm yuuuum! Both me and Bun love burgers (not to mention how addicted we were with McDonald's lamb burger awhile ago), so when we heard about Charlie & Co Burgers inside Sydney Westfield, we got very curious.

Coke $4.50

This place was quite big with bright lighting, a little different to what we thought. We found a seat near closing time and ordered an icy coke first to relieve the exhaustion from walking around. They gave us one of those buzzers to wait for our order...



Charlie's Hangover Burger $12.00 (prime Angus beef patty, hash brown, cheddar cheese, fried egg, prime back bacon and BBQ sauce) + Sea salt fries $6.00 (side dish)

Ta-da! Bun and I decided to share a burger and some sea salt fries! The reason we picked the Hangover burger was because...

1. Somehow it sounds disturbing and entertaining at the same time *cough* we love odd names like these.
2. It included ALL the ingredients we would ever wish for to be inside a burger, especially the hash brown. Mmmm..




Gosh the burger was huge! I'm glad we actually decided to share one beforehand...Bun said it was almost the size of his face!

We both totally loved every single layer of this burger, from top to bottom! The combination of hash brown, beef patty and bacon was such a genius idea. The beef patty squeezed out its juice everytime when you bite into it, along with the flavoursome bacon and the soft hash brown...not to mention the heat slowly melted down the Cheddar cheese, and the fried egg that came with a splash of awesome BBQ sauce!!! We were happy about everything, except maybe the bread was a bit too chunky and perhaps this burger was more suitable for breakfast.



Address:
86 - 100 Market Street
Westfield Sydney, Sydney NSW

Phone number:
02 8072 7777

Opening time:
Sun - Wed 10am - 6pm
Thu 10am - 9pm
Fri & Sat 10am - 8pm


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