Tenkomori Ramen House, Sydney

Tenkomori how-to

I was sad to hear that Ton Ton in Regent Place was closing since I had eaten lots of tasty karaage there. However, I was also pleased to hear that it would be replaced by another ramen place from the same people who run Menya Mappen and Oiden. For those of your unfamiliar with these places, they are cheap and cheerful self-service udon and rice bowl eateries respectively, where you choose a main dish and supplement it with all sorts of add-ons, including salads, drinks, side dishes and deep fried goodies.

Clockwise from top: Tenkomori menu; The production line; Karaage - one of the many toppings available

Tenkomori Ramen House is no different. You can choose from a range of ramen dishes with a shoyu, miso, or tonkotsu soup base, such as corn butter ramen, pork kakuni ramen, or karaage ramen - to name a few. Place your order and then move along the production line to select toppings ranging from a tub of sweetcorn (80c) to pieces of karaage ($2.20). The cashier will add up all your items at the end and you pay while you wait for your bowl of ramen to be made up.

Pork katsu ramen with shoyu base - $6.50 (regular size)

Deck Bar & Dining, Dee Why

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you all had a relaxing break and made the most of the awesome beach weather that Sydney had over the new year. I love nothing more in summer than to soak up some rays on the sand and occasionally go for a dip in the ocean on really hot days. All this lying around on the beach works up an appetite, so it's always handy to have some tasty lunch options when hitting the beach.

Daybeds, lounge seating and restaurant seating at Deck Bar and Dining

Dee Why is a beautiful beach situated north of Manly, and when Manly Beach gets too crowded, I like to head here. It's got a relaxed, family-oriented atmosphere with a strip of cafes and restaurants directly opposite the beach to feed hungry bellies. Today, we checked out Deck Bar and Dining, a newly renovated casual restaurant which was packed with beachgoers. While the downstairs area has more of a casual bar feel, upstairs there is restaurant seating as well as lounges with colourful cushions, daybeds and hanging egg chairs which are perfect for chilling out.

Agave Margarita - $15 (left) and Velvet Vulva - $16 (right)

We start with some cocktails - an Agave Margarita for Sir D and an embarrassingly named drink called Velvet Vulva for me. Is it wrong to say that it was delicious?

Instead of ordering individual items from the menu, we decided to let head chef Nicholas Baldwin take the reins and send out whatever he wanted to us. The menu features food inspired from his travels through Asia and South America, so don't be surprised when you see satay skewers alongside pulled pork tacos. We sampled a tasting plate of some of the Asian street food shared items, so the portions in the photos may not reflect the portions of the individual items ordered separately.

Thai fish cakes - $15

2012 Roundup

First of all, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I mentioned in my previous post that I was hosting a Christmas meal at my place, so here's a few snaps of some of the food that was devoured.

Clockwise from top left: Prawn, mango and avocado salad (made by mother dearest); Roast prime rib of beef with glazed carrots and beans; Chocolate cherry pavlova; Strawberry and mint tiramisu

It's hard to believe that we're already at the end of another year. At the start of 2012, I remember thinking how long this year was going to be, but looking back now, it feels like it's flown by. I've finished off my Masters degree, learned to ski and fell in love with it, and bought our first car (and learned to drive manual!). It's been a busy year so at times this blog got a little neglected, but that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of delicious food!

Christmas Shortbread

Only 4 more sleeps til Christmas! The lead up to Christmas can be stressful and crazy - especially when shopping centres are packed and it takes half an hour to even get into the carpark - but I think it makes me appreciate Christmas even more, since it's usually quite a relaxing time for me.

The thing I love most about Christmas is the gathering of family and friends to share a meal and exchange gifts. This year, I'm hosting a Christmas Eve dinner at my place, which is sure to involve lots of mayhem in the kitchen! I've tried to be organised though by making some things in advance, like this Christmas shortbread.

This recipe is super easy to make, and are perfect as little treats to go with a tea or coffee after a meal, or wrapped up as take-home gifts for guests. I took a regular shortbread recipe and injected some festive cheer into it by turning half of the dough into cranberry and white chocolate shortbread, and the other half into green tea shortbread.

I love the contrasting colours of the two shortbreads together. They also have quite different flavours with the cranberry and white chocolate being sweeter with pops of tartness from the cranberry, and the green tea shortbread being ever so slightly bitter. Regardless, they are both delicious, and I think they will become part of my regular Christmas baking routine from now on!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas! May you stuff your bellies full of tasty food and may Santa make all your Christmas wishes come true :)

Dulce Luna Viennoiserie, Sydney

Sponsored by Nuffnang

Pastries. Delicious, buttery pastries. I have this dream of going to Paris and eating a freshly baked pastry from a different patisserie every day. I don't think my waistline and arteries would approve, but I'm sure my tastebuds would! Until I can make it to France, I'll have to seek out pastries and croissants in Sydney.

Dulce Luna, a hole-in-the-wall store on York St definitely fits the bill, dishing out thousands of gorgeous, glistening pastries every day - just like the ones above. I attended the launch of Dulce Luna, where we were able to find out more about the pastries on offer, and do a bit of taste test as well.

So what is a Dulce Luna? Gus Mendez, founder of Dulce Luna, explains that they are a product influenced by many different parts of the world, including the French croissant, the Italian cornetti and the Argentinean media luna (half moon) from where the product gets its name.

Clockwise from top left: creme patisserie - $3; raspberry - $3; ham, cheese and bechamel - $3.50; dulce de leche - $3