Prepping for the cold with some hot, steamy udon

The day I put away my Rainbow flip-flops is a sad one for me.  The cold is coming and it is only emphasized when the socks are finally taken out and put on.  But looking on the brighter side of things, it also means getting to slurp some soups, broths, and eat more noodles.

When I mentioned to my foodie friend that I was craving some Japanese udon, he knew just the place to take me.  Finding a satisfying bowl of udon can be a bit like hitting the jackpot, a rarity but still possible and boy, I lucked out with Menya Noodle Bar Mappen:

What's going to hold me through the autumn and winter here, pictured left.

Aside from serving their hearty and filling udon, they also offer soba and curry rice dishes.  They've got 3 branches around Sydney, with each of those specializing in something different.  Here at the Menya Noodle Bar in Town Hall, they've got 2 types of soup:

Kakedashi Soup: Made from combining premium soy sauce with a stock of delicious flavors of carefully selected fish (bonito, mackerel etc) and dried kelp.

Tsukedashi Soup: Kakedashi soup from a stock of selected fish (bonito, mackerel etc) and dried kelp made thicker and richer, making it like a sauce.

The interior of this casual noodle bar houses some old-school movie posters plastered on the concrete walls.

 

I already went back a second time within the same week and I'm bound to go back as well as check out the other 2 branches.  They've definitely got a regular customer out of me.  Just hop in the line, read the directions on how to order, place your order, hop into the self-serve tempura line, and you're ready to eat! Oishi!

Menya Noodle Bar Mappen (Town Hall)

537-551 George St, 

Sydney NSW 2000

02 9283 5525

Hours: 11:30am - 10:00pm, 7days

Songkran - Thai New Year

With the Thai New Year (Songkran) starting today (April 13-15), I felt it was only appropriate to write some things about the Thai culture so enjoy!

"Arroy dee."  It's how you say "[It's] delicious" in Thai, a simple phrase you should learn to compliment your (home or professional) chef/server.  The good thing about being here in Australia is that there is no shortage of good, finger-licking Asian food with Thai food being one of the genres up there.  Hallelujah!!!

Here's one from the popular Chat Thai restaurant.  I've heard plenty of good things about it that I had to give it a go one day.  A Gaeng Keaw Gai (green curry with chicken) for my friend and a Pad Grapao Gai Sup (spicy stir-fry of ground chicken, Thai/holy basil, fresh chili, and green beans topped with a fried egg) for me.  Boy, my dish was kicking and I'm glad that they didn't hold back on the fresh chilies.  Though it's no hole-in-the-wall and you could end up waiting for awhile to get a seat, it's worth checking out.  The interior is a neat 2-story space and their food is tasty from what I've tried so far.  Their desserts, which are prepared in the front of the restaurant, are a great way to end the meal.  A little coconut milk in my dessert never hurt my spicy mouth. 

With Sydney having the highest Thai population in Australia (an estimated 100,000), I'm glad I can walk down the streets in Haymarket/Chinatown/"Thai-natown" and almost feel like I'm in Thailand, minus the humidity. There's a ton of Thai restaurants around each corner all over the city, and a variety of little Thai markets along Campbell Street that provide me with the essential ingredients to cook at home.  Happy Thai New Year!

Chat Thai Haymarket
20 Campbell St. 

09211 1808
Trading Hours:
Lunch: 10am-5pm
Dinner: 5pm-10pm
Supper: 9.30-2am

Better late than never - Taste of Sydney

Last month I was fortunate enough to attend the Taste of Sydney, a 4-day food festival held at Centennial Park.  I'm a fan of food festivals but they're definitely something you have to learn how to maneuver through.  It's a bit like a music or film festival in the sense that you need to plan ahead, find out what you want to get out of it, research the vendors, chefs, and restaurants that are attending. I brought my cash, credit card, hunger and taste palate ready to tackle this.

This was part of a series of demonstrations from Sydney's culinary masters.  Here, Romeo Baudouin from Victor Churchill Family Butcher's teaches the audience about charcuterie.  An (almost) whole pig was brought out, divided, and cut.  As he was doing this, Baudouin explained what each part was used for.  It was definitely very informative and a great learning experience.

Initially, I jumped in, anxious to try the food from the restaurants after scanning the menu.  I decided to start out with a salad accompanied by grilled salmon on skewers but it turned out to be a disappointment.  It looked better than it tasted, unfortunately.  I moved on to the vendors, sampling wines, liquors, cheeses, meats, and various snacks.  It worked out a lot better because you were able to taste before actually deciding what you wanted to buy.  In the end, I ended up with some treats that left me satisfied for a couple days:

• Milawa Cheeses
• King River Gold: a small round, washeed rind cheese that had a soft, smooth texture (cow's milk).  Mmmm!
• Milawa Camembert: another cow's milk cheese that is a velvety, white mold made in the Normandy style that develops a mushroomy aroma and a mild salty flavor.
• Regal Smoked Salmon
• Wood roasted (hot smoked) Pepper Salmon

For those who would like to attend a food festival, there is one coming up in June in LA (other locations and dates discussed below) called Taste of the Nation.  What's great about Share Our Strength, the organization that runs this festival, is that 100% of the proceeds/ticket sales goes towards ending childhood hunger.  Tickets can be bought here or you can also volunteer so mark your calendars and get involved--someway, somehow:

Taste of the Nation Los Angeles
June 12, 2011
1:00 - 4:00 PM
Media Park in Culver City
9070 Venice Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Other dates and locations are also available such as 4/7 San Francisco (CA), 4/14 Boston (MA), 5/22 Laguna Beach (CA), 5/23 NYC, and many more.  Check their website for more info: http://taste.strength.org

Keep eating!

Snack time!

 Pears, figs, dried cranberries, cheese and nuts. Yum!

Because I'm a dork and a foodie

Welcome my new set of wheels:

His name is Paddington.  Yes, after Paddington Bear because of his similar colors and slight name resemblance of where he comes from: Paddy's Market, a complete and hectic market, especially if you're getting produce on Sundays, the last day they're opened each week with lots of good deals.  Secretly, I've always wanted one of these trolleys (American English: shopping carts) that you often see grandmas wheeling around and well, it was time I made this happen.  Paddington is a great companion and helps me keep the fridge stocked!  Isn't he adorable?

Pappa, can you hear me?

I'm a fan of desserts.  If you've dined with me, you may have noticed that order doesn't matter so much and by eating my dessert before or during my meal, it really doesn't spoil my appetite...thank goodness!

Having foodie friends is essential.  It helps me discover places like Pappa Roti which houses these wonderfully, ooey, warm BUNS! They opened in Australia, with their first location in Sydney back a couple months ago but have other branches in Malaysia, Dubai, China, Vietnam, Korea, and the Phillipines.

Their signature bun consists of a slightly crisp and fragrant coffee-cream coated exterior over a light and fluffy dough interior.  I decided to top (bottom?) my bun off with taro ice cream.  Its sweet flavor nicely balanced out the buttery filling and my mouth waters just looking at the pictures.  I've got my punch card ready to go!

291 Anzac Parade,
Kingsford, NSW

042270 4429
Mon-Fri: 7am-7pm
Sun-Thur: 7:30am-10:30pm
Fri-Sat: 7:30am-11pm

Goodbye Aussie Summer

Did you know the seasons begin here on the 1st of the months? That means that summer ended back last week. But I'll be in denial of the season change for a couple weeks. Until then, enjoy some summer:

Roast duck pizza (upper left corner) and Pepper KANGAROO pizza at the Australian Heritage Hotel in the Rocks. The duck was good, the kangaroo was even better! Mmmm tasty! Definitely have to go back for it.

Mexican dinner at Missy Foxall in Mona Vale (northern Sydney).

The Boathouse in Palm Beach and more of Missy Foxall (street tacos).

The Boathouse beef burger: egg, mixed lettuce, fresh tomatoes, caramelized onions, beetroot tapenade, and tasty cheese.

Salad in the city.

Various Sydney.