Ichi-ban Boshi, The Galeries Victoria

Judging from the queues I see everytime I walk past, I think it's safe to assume that Ichi-ban Boshi is one of the most popular ramen joints in Sydney. Due to it's obvious popularity, I had pretty high expectations on my first visit here and sadly I don't think the food lived up to the standards I'd set and since then I have been reluctant to return. However, on Fi's request I'm back again tonight for dinner before watching Avenue Q at the Theatre Royal.


Having an early dinner at 5.30pm means that we a) get a table easily for 6 of us and b) avoid the horrendous queues that have built up by the time we leave. Fi and I have still yet to try the tonkotsu ramen and we ask the waitress whether they have any left. Sadly they have run out so I go to my plan B and order the karaage ramen. Everytime I order this I have the intention of asking for the karaage chicken on the side but as usual I forget and it arrives with the batter semi-soaked in broth. Fail.

Karaage Ramen - $10.90

Jimini's, Hornsby

Around a corner on the Aldi level of Westfield Hornsby is an unexpected little cafe away from the busy-ness of the food court area. Jimini's serves cafe-style food with friendly service and good coffee. Today I'm here for lunch with my mum and grandparents and we order some coffees and 3 dishes to share between us.

Mocha served in mug - $4.50

We're here on a Friday lunchtime and although they have quite a few patrons the service is efficient and we're not waiting too long before the food arrives.

Roast pumpkin risotto with rosemary and rocket - $14.90

The roast pumpkin risotto looks like a small serving but is actually quite adequate since the risotto is quite filling. The rice isn't cooked as well as I would have liked since it's a bit gluggy. The roast pumpkin however is delicious and sweet and the other flavours are more subdued to let the pumpkin flavour really shine through.

Cordon-bleu open-faced chicken burger: pancetta, caramelised apple butter and brie on sourdough, served with fries or salad - $14.50

Brown Sugar Pavlova

After eating the glorious brown sugar pavlova from MuMu Grill and seeing Not Quite Nigella's success at recreating it, I had to try and make it at home. I wanted the pavlova to be the main attraction so I decorated it simply with some sweetened whipped cream and some strawberries. Sir D also likes his pavlova with less of that gooey, spongy interior so I left it in the oven for a bit longer so that it dried out a bit more.


And although I must admit that it wasn't nearly as good as the pavlova from MuMu Grill, it was greatly enjoyed by Sir D and myself. It turned out superbly crunchy on the outside with a bit of the spongy, airy meringue on the inside, and along with the strawberries and cream made for a fantastic home-made dessert. And for once, my pavlovas didn't collapse when I added the cream and fruit so yay for that!

Bravo Trattoria and Gelato Bar, Crows Nest

I'm no expert on gelato but I have yet to find better gelato on the North Shore than the gelato at Bravo Trattoria. This, I think, can be confirmed by the queues at the gelato bar on Friday and Saturday nights, even in the midst of winter!


There's quite a large range of flavours available, with the friendly favourites such as hazelnut, chocolate, and mango being consistently good whilst some of the more unusual flavours like yoghurt and taro changing quite frequently.

Had to Happen, North Sydney, and all-you-can-eat fajitas!

One Saturday night in August, a large group of people clad in pink for Fi's pink-themed birthday turned up at Had to Happen in North Sydney, with empty bellies ready for a Mexican feast! An all-you-can-eat fajitas feast as well! And who should I bump into there but FFichiban from Here Comes The Food who was more than ready to participate in said Mexican feast ;)

Chile con Queso: Melted cheese dip with a rich tomato flavour (house specialty) - $10.80 or included in the $28 party menu

We arrive to a very colourful room complete with faux cacti and sombreros, and friendly waitstaff who take drink orders and orders from people not participating in the all-you-can-eat fajitas. Whilst we wait for everyone to arrive, we snack on Chile con Queso - a house specialty dip made of melted cheese with tomato flavour.

Enchiladas Rancheras: Corn tortillas wrapped around shredded chicken, smothered in red sauce, garnished with sour cream and cheese - $18.90

New Shanghai, Chatswood

I had read numerous blog posts about the myriad of Shanghai dumpling places in Ashfield. Cheap and delicious xiao long baos as well as the crunchy, burnished bottoms of the pan fried pork buns. Ashfield was a bit far for me but I was willing to travel the distance until, like magic, New Shanghai opened up in Chatswood!


This has slowly become Sir D's favourite place to eat in Chatswood (any mention of dumplings will see his face light up with enthusiasm) because you can get quite a lot of tasty Shanghainese food without leaving a hole in your hip pocket. Admittedly the service is not so great in that during peak times they really do not have enough floor staff and can come across as being very inattentive, but the food and cheap prices make up for it.

Famous New Shanghai pan fried pork buns - $8.80

When Sir D and I come here we either order the xiao long bao or the pan fried pork buns and tonight, it's the pork buns. These have a bread-like exterior which is nice and brown on the bottom. Inside is a ball of pork swimming in delicious soup. Be careful when you eat these - the first time I bit into one I managed to squirt soup all over Sir D! I probably should have read Not Quite Nigella's instructions on how to eat a soup dumpling beforehand.

Pork and chive dumplings - $7.80

Gratin Dauphinois

I have a friend who is obsessed with potatoes. I mean sure, I love potatoes but MB is on the brink of pathological obsession. And when I started this blog I promised I would post about some potato recipes in honour of that obsession - so here is yet another potato-based recipe for you, MB.


Potatoes are fantastic on their own - but combine them with cheese and cream and you've got a whole different story. I love potato gratin for the crunchy cheese layer on top and the creamy (and still cheesy!) layers hidden underneath. It gave me great satisfaction to pull this out of the oven to reveal a golden layer of cheese and potato... and suddenly all the pain from grating cheese and slicing potatoes with a knife disappeared.


I've tried a couple of different gratin recipes and this is the one that has been most consistently successful with just the right amount of cream and milk to be absorbed by the potatoes in the cooking process. This means that you don't get a puddle of liquid left at the bottom after you take the layers of potatoes out and instead you have nice creamy sauce to go with the potatoes. Delish!

Mamak, Haymarket

Why is it when you can't have something you just want it even more? This is what happened when I found out that Mamak had closed for renovations, which made me crave the flakiness and puffiness of their freshly made roti more so than usual! Luckily they reopened in July and so off we went to satisfy my roti craving.


We head there around 8.30pm on a Thursday night hoping to avoid the queues and although there was a queue it was relatively short and we are seated within 10 minutes.


While we wait we watch the roti chefs flinging dough around and stretching out til it's paper thin, then wrapping it up again to make the roti. Then the roti is placed on a hotplate where it puffs up and becomes golden and flaky. Mmm...

Tokyo Ramen, Hornsby

Living quite close to Westfield Hornsby means that it is often a place we go to for a weekend lunch in between shopping for groceries and other things. One of my favourite places to eat in Hornsby would have to be Tokyo Ramen.


On the surface it looks like a normal Asian food stall with fried rice and sweet and sour pork sitting in bain maries, but grab a menu and go inside and you'll find that they serve various kinds of ramen, udon and Japanese rice bowls. But be warned: it is a small shop which only seats about 20 people max, so you may find yourself having to wait a while on weekends.

Menu

Today I'm eating with the family and we are quite lucky only having to wait about 10 minutes for a seat. We aren't very hungry today so we order three dishes - a plate of gyoza, a yaki udon and a ramen.

Gyoza (5pcs) - $5.00

MUMU Grill, Crows Nest

I am one of those unlucky people who have never won a competition based purely on chance. You know the ones that I'm talking about: raffles, lucky draws, and those ubiquitous "Describe in 25 words or less..." competitions. So boy was I glad to read on Not Quite Nigella that I could get a free lunch at MUMU Grill (up to $35) simply by signing up to their newsletter.



Sir D and I are (very) late risers, and consequently we usually don't end up eating lunch until about 2pm. Today we arrive at MUMU Grill at about 2.45pm, and although it says that their kitchen closes between 3pm and 5pm, the staff are welcoming and they let us know that we don't need to hurry. Excellent.

Fresh baked wood fired bread with dips - $6.50

Being food-obsessed, I have of course looked at the menu beforehand and chosen the MUMU Chicken Club from the Express Lunch menu, and Sir D decides on some tapas. We also get some wood fired bread to start (since we are quite hungry) which comes with dips. The fresh-out-of-the-oven bread is soft and dense and is accompanied today by a tomato relish and a white bean and parmesan dip - both of which are delicious. I particularly like the white bean and parmesan which is incredibly smooth and creamy.

Organic chicken liver and mushroom pate with mini toasts - $11.00

Potato and Leek Soup

In winter, my idea of a perfect lunch would probably be a bowl of steaming hot noodles or a bowl of warm, creamy soup. Potato and Leek soup is definitely up there on the list as one of my (and Sir D's) favourite soups - full of creamy carb-y goodness =)


The recipe is my mum's recipe which I've grown up with, and I believe there is some inextricable link between a mother's cooking and comfort food. The thick, creamy soup never fails to warm and comfort me and always has me asking for seconds! If you're not keen on the cream content by all means decrease or omit the cream, but it's just not quite the same without it.

Melody Markets, Chatswood

Some of the best things about Thursdays is that it marks the end of my uni week, and also the Melody Markets are on in Chatswood! Every Thursday there are stalls of food and crafts along outside Westfield Chatswood on Victoria Ave and of course I always go for the food.

Chorizo Roll - $5.50

Kuali, Lane Cove

If any of you have seen the above Youtube video, then the words "I want Shark's Fin soup!" will be very familiar to you. Unfortunately the video is in Cantonese and has no subtitles, but it involves a woman throwing a full-blown tantrum and shouting "I want Shark's Fin soup! Why do you not have any Shark's Fin soup?!" repeatedly, when she is told that the restaurant has run out. A much more subdued version of this from Scrambled Eggs (replacing Shark's Fin soup with Hainan chicken rice) led us to dine at Kuali, a Malaysian restaurant that does serve Hainan chicken rice.


Kuali is located upstairs in the Lane Cove arcade, and although it has received good reviews in the Sydney Morning Herald, we came with some apprehension as reviews on eatability had not been promising, mostly regarding the service. We were however pleasantly surprised as the waitstaff were friendly and accomodating, and not pushy at all.

Kajang Satay: Original Kajang recipe skewer of chicken or beef with delicious peanut sauce and condiments (5 per serve) - $11.00

Peking Inn, Pymble

Hot and sour soup (Peking style) - $5.80

The great thing about big family dinners at Chinese restaurants is that you end up ordering lots and lots of dishes and getting a taste of everything, which is the way I like it. Sharing is caring, after all ;)

Pigs' ears

Being new to this whole foodblogger thing, I went to dinner with my camera but also with some trepidation about taking photos of food with half my extended family waiting for me to finish before they could eat. I told Mum about my hesitations and upon arriving she annouced to the whole table, "Everyone, Jacqui said to not eat the food until she's taken photos of it!". As such, I did manage to get my photos but not without someone asking me every 10 minutes or so whether it was ok to eat yet. Ah, the life of a foodblogger.

Vegetarian bean curd rolls

Strawberry Eton Mess

After eating a delicious Strawberry Eton Mess at Assiette, I was singing its praises to anyone who would listen. And listen they did - Queen Chu's mum knew that I was thinking about making it myself at home and kindly gave me a giant slab of leftover meringue! I was a happy penguin indeed =D

Giant slab of meringue courtesy of Queen Chu's mum!

I didn't have strawberry sorbet as they had as Assiette, and I don't really like berry coulis so instead I substituted it with a simple sugar syrup that I used to macerate the strawberries. And even though it wasn't a "winter warmer" kind of dessert, it was nevertheless oh-so-satisfying!