Author: Ardi

Manpuku Sydney

Review:

Unlike in the city, ramen restaurants are pretty rare in the Eastern Suburb. Manpuku Sydney is a small restaurant in Kingsford that sells ramen, almost exclusively! You can also get a small bowl of rice but it’s hardly a main course and more like an add-on if you are still hungry or need to finish the soup.

There are not a lot of varieties in the ramen, but here are a few that you need to know:

“Kono Deaini Kanshashite Aijyou to Jyounetsu Komete Issyoukenmei Tsukutta Uchirano Icchan Sukina Manpuku Shiawase” Ramen or Long Name Ramen – $12.90

I kid you not, that’s actually the name written in the menu. I usually refer to it as ‘long name’ ramen… it is easier to remember!

It is a ramen with soy-based pork soup, pork belly, egg, shallots, bamboo shoot, beansprout, and seaweed sheet.

Manpuku Red – $13.90

It is a ramen with soy-based pork soup, pork belly, sliced mushroom, beansprout, shallots, seaweed sheet, egg, dried shrimp powder… and hot chili flavour!

A word of advice: The ‘normal’ spicy level is already pretty hot.

Shio Gara – $11.90

It is a ramen with salt-based chicken soup, pork belly, beansprout, bamboo shoot, shallots, seaweed sheet, and egg.

Shio Gara is quite different when compared to the rest of the ramen. Instead of a thick soup, it is a clear soup with the usual ramen stuff. It is a lot lighter than the rest of the menu.

The next two ramen dishes are part of limited time menu. Although it seems to always be available, you might not be able to order it when you were there as they sell out quite quickly.

Double Impact – $15.90 – Heaps of shredded cha-shu, 2 eggs, beansprouts, shallots, mushrooms, 2 seaweed sheets.

This is the ramen that you must order when you have the chance! Instead of getting a sorry-looking piece of cha-shu, you are actually getting heaps of it. You also get double the eggs and seaweed sheets… and all of those are only $3 more expensive than the long name ramen.

Shinku-Hado Buta – $14.90 – Heaps of shredded cha-shu & 2 eggs

Shinku-Hado Buta is pretty similar to double impact. They just have a different soup and slightly less stuff in it.

The name is pretty similar to the big ball of energy from Street Fighter, isn’t it?

Manpuku Bowl – $2.90 – Cha shu, rice, egg, bean sprout, cabbage

Manpuku bowl is actually pretty small. It is the perfect addition when you are still famished after devouring the ramen and still have some soup left.

The final verdict for Manpuku

Double impact or shinku-hado buta are the two ramen you should be aiming for when eating at Manpuku Sydney!

Did you know?

This is the English translation for the long name ramen: Thanking to this wonderful encounter, this is our most favorite Ramen we make with our whole heart with lots of love and passion into it, so happy with being full.

Rating for Manpuku:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $12 – $16 for a bowl of ramen

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

482 Anzac Parade, Kingsford 2032

+61 2 9662 1236

Manpuku on Facebook

Jul 13, 2015
Jamie’s Italian Sydney

Review:

Jamie’s Italian restaurant is probably one of the most reviewed restaurants in Sydney. It has been almost four years since they opened their doors in Sydney (2011), but we just got the chance to visit it last weekend. As we arrived at Jamie’s Italian Sydney quite early (around 5.30pm), we got the table straight away.

When you walked into the restaurant, you were welcomed by a wall filled with different pasta (and Jamie’s books of course!). From this ‘hint’, we know that we should order some pasta.

Italian Bread Selection – $2.25 – Homemade rosemary focaccia, Italian grissini, crispy music bread & ciabatta from our bakery. All served with Rylstone extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic.

I was going to say that this dish might probably be the best-valued item in the menu, however when I read old reviews they used to give this for free. Since quite a lot of items on the menu is carbs-heavy, you might want to think about adding some more into your system.

Crispy Squid – $12.90 – Fried squid, garlicky mayo & lemon

Despite its tiny portion, everything else was perfect for this dish. The squid was crispy on the outside and easily chewable on the inside. The mayo was also incredibly smooth and really punchy.

Potato and Truffle Tortellini – $24.95 – Delicate pasta parcels stuffed with ricotta & potato, tossed with butter, truffle & parmesan

This is the best dish of the day for me. I love the sauce… better yet, I can still imagine how good it tasted! The dish was both filling and yummy!

Prawn Linguine – $16.25 – Juicy pan-fried garlicy prawns served with tomatoes, chilli, rocket & fennel

The little guy ordered this dish (entrée size). The waiter actually warned us that there were chilli inside the dish. At first, he was reluctant to eat it, but we explained that the chilli here was nowhere near as spicy.

Fish in a bag – $29.50 – Baked sustainable fish, clams, mussels, chilli with Sicilian cracked wheat & pine nuts topped with our fiery arrabiatta sauce

Now, this dish’s fiery taste was real (although still not as spicy as some dishes I’ve tried in my life). They actually served it still wrapped in aluminium foil and baking paper. However, the fish was cooked perfectly!

Ice Creams – $9.00 – Three delicious scoops of Serendipity ice cream (vanilla and salted pistachio) served with smashed honeycomb and seasonal fruits.

Despite not having their own ice cream, they managed to combine this delicious ice cream with smashed honeycomb and fruit compote perfectly!

The final verdict for Jamie’s Italian Sydney

It was definitely a nice experience dining at Jamie’s Italian Sydney restaurant. Despite its busy environment, the people are still very friendly and the food was very nice!

Did you know?

Jamie’s Italian got its name from Jamie Oliver (that famous chef from the UK, but not the pissy one) but you might never see him at ‘his’ (practically owned by a different entity) restaurant in Sydney.

I am actually not a big fan of al dente pasta and prefer one that has been cooked thoroughly.

Rating for Jamie’s Italian Sydney:

8.0 / 10

Taste: 8.0 / 10

Price: $20 – $48 for main dishes

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

107 Pitt Street, Sydney 2000

+61 2 8240 9000

Jamie’s Italian Sydney

Jul 7, 2015
Daisy’s Milkbar

Review:

For a few months before we finally managed to visit this restaurant, its signboard ‘milkbar’ had caught my attention. There was that sense of old-fashioned / retro look to the restaurant. The restaurant’s name is Daisy’s Milkbar.

On a Sunday afternoon, the restaurant was buzzing with people. One thing that made us happy was that the staffs were all lively and cheerful even when the wait was actually quite long.

Salted Caramel Milkshake – $7

Being in a milkbar won’t be complete without actually drinking milkshake. As an added bonus, the milkshakes from Daisy’s Milkbar were said to be one of the best ones in Sydney… and it was spot on! As a comparison, we tried three salted caramel milkshakes for the last couple of months, and this was the best one!

Pot of Sticky Chai (brewed with milk) – $5

It is a drink that I ordered out of curiosity. The sticky chai latte had a very strong taste. It is only recommended for people who are passionate about chai!

Avo Toast – $9

Seasoned smashed avocado served with garlic toast and grilled cherry tomatoes. I am actually not a big fan of the ingredients’ combination, especially savoury avocado – I am used to Avocado being juiced with condensed chocolate milk and coffee. However, my partner seemed to be loving the dish.

Pesto Eggs – $15

Scrambled eggs served with pesto and Persian feta on toast. This pesto eggs is the dish that I actually ordered.

It was quite a heavy breakfast dish and was the perfect size for my brunch.

Breakfast Burrito – $12.50

The breakfast burrito might look pretty simple, but the fillings really packed a punch: scrambled eggs, bacon, chorizo, potato, chilli, coriander, jalapeno, chipotle sauce and cheese.

This is the breakfast dish that looked the most attractive from the ones we ordered. You can also have the vegetarian option by swapping bacon and chorizo for beans.

Toastie – $8.50

It was a simple sourdough toast with cheese, ham, tomato and mustard mayo

The toastie is almost as simple as the egg and soldiers below.

Egg and soldiers – $5

For the kiddos… toasted slices of bread dipped in soft-boiled egg.

The final verdict for Daisy’s Milkbar

Daisy’s Milkbar has quite a simplistic presentation for their dishes. Their milkshakes were one of the best ones in Sydney.

Did you know?

After talking to some people, apparently Daisy’s Milkbar is famous for its desserts as well. Unfortunately we did not order them this time around.

Rating for Daisy’s Milkbar:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $9 – $15 for main dishes

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

340 Stanmore Road, Petersham 2049

+61 2 8065 3466

http://daisysmilkbar.com/

Jul 3, 2015
Surjit’s Indian Experience with EatNow

For this week, I was invited by EatNow to try their online takeaway and delivery services. This will also be our first take away review ever! As we feel like eating Indian cuisine, we made an order from Surjit’s Indian restaurant from their Sydney CBD Food delivery page. We also order a few starters and drinks from Cellarbrations.

Surjit’s Indian Restaurant

We made the decision to go with Surjit’s as it was one of the better ones according to some of the review sites. The good thing about having Indian (or to some extent Thai) food for takeaway is that you can simply reheat the food without losing too much of the beautiful texture and flavour.

After around half an hour wait past the scheduled delivery, the food arrived! For our entrees we ordered Surjits Onion Bhajia and Vegetable Samosa. The entrees were complemented by cucumber and mint raita. I love how the raita soothed the rather spicy taste of the samosa. The Bhajia is not as crunchy as I would have hoped for.

For our main courses we had Murg Mumtaz Begun (Butter Chicken) and Korma Zaffar Shahi Beef. I wanted to try the mild option, for obvious reasons! The takeaway containers were a bit messy but the taste was nice for the price that they are charging.

Obviously, you need naan to accompany your Indian dishes. There are quite a few options available, and for the day we had Garlic Naan, Keema Naan, and Plain Naan. Keema naan was probably the only thing I haven’t tried before. It was a lot heavier than the other types of naan.

The overall taste of Surjit’s dishes was quite spicy but it was still something that I can enjoy.

Drinks and Starters from Cellarbrations

If you want to spice up your evening (pardon the pun!), there are quite a few beverages and starters ordering options in EatNow.

Capi Blood Oranges, Duck pate, Camembert, Sun-dried tomato and Baby Octopus

I actually find this service to be pretty useful, especially when you need the items ASAP but you do not have the time to actually go to the shop yourself. Obviously for alcoholic delivery, you have to be over the age of 18.

Jun 29, 2015
Shalom Indonesian Restaurant
I have been going to this Indonesian restaurant since they opened their doors in Kingsford! The name is Shalom Indonesian Restaurant. To be honest, it is quite an unusual name for an Indonesian restaurant.

The menu is pretty much everything you see on the wall above the counter and you have to order and pay the food at the counter. Despite the number of pictures, the menu can actually be divided into four sauces:
- Rujak sauce: This is the default non-spicy sauce
- Hot & sour sauce: Despite the three star logo, this sauce only has a fleeting hint of hotness. I said this as a person who doesn’t like spicy sauce!
- Balinese sauce: This one is probably best suited for people who enjoy occasional hot food.
- Shalom sauce: This one is for the hard core chilli lovers!
Btw, if you are unsure about any of it, just ask to separate the sauce from the dish.

These are the four dishes that we ordered almost 90% of the time.

Beef / Fish Ball Soup – Bakso Sapi / Ikan Kuah – $5

It is a very simple beef balls in a soup. We usually order this for the little one. Add some sweet soy sauce to the warm rice and you got yourself a decent dish to feed your kid!

Deep fried tofu with peanut sauce – Batagor – $5

Although the description said ‘batagor’ (the famous fish-based dish from Bandung), it is actually not that batagor. It is just deep fried tofu that was coated with flour. I’m pretty sure there is no fish involved in it (or probably very little, hardly-visible amount).

However, I still enjoy the dish and have always been my staple when coming into the restaurant. I love the peanut and sweet soy sauce!

Fried beef ball with Hot and Sour Sauce – Bakwan Penyet – $8

This is another extremely simplistic dish. You get sliced and fried beef balls and a boiled egg with the sauce and a plate of rice.

I particularly love to combine this dish with the tofu dish above. It reminds me a lot of food in my hometown.

Grilled beef ribs with Balinese sauce – Iga bakar bumbu Bali – $12

The grilled beef ribs is probably the most decent-sized option in the menu. There are not a lot of places in Sydney that served grilled beef ribs for only $12.

Happy Soda – Soda Gembira – $3

Happy soda is actually just a combination of soda water, condensed milk and rose syrup. But when I was younger, it is pretty much my top three drinks (along with Durian and Avocado juices).

Indonesians love sweet drinks and happy soda is no different. They usually put quite a lot of condensed milk and rose syrup. However, happy soda is served unstirred. So you can adjust the level of sweetness to your liking.

The final verdict for Shalom Indonesian Restaurant

Whenever I need an Indonesian comfort food, I usually go to Shalom Indonesian Restaurant. They may not have the best décor or the fanciest of dishes, but it is the one restaurant in Sydney that felt closest to home for me.

Did you know?

There is another Indonesian restaurant that everyone in Sydney seems to love going to, called Ayam Goreng 99. It is located three shops down the road from Shalom.

Rating for Shalom Indonesian Restaurant:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $9 – $15 for main dishes

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

Shop 2 / 458 Anzac Parade, Kingsford 2032

+61 2 9662 4455

http://www.shalom-restaurant.com/
Jun 23, 2015
Green Gourmet Kitchen

Review:

This week we are reviewing our first ever vegetarian restaurant in Sydney. In a couple of previous occasions we dined with a group of friends who opted for the restaurant’s vegetarian options. However this time, we went to a ‘true’ vegetarian restaurant.

Everyone in my ‘inner circle’ knows that I am not a big fan of vegetables with borderline hatred to some of them. But on the other hand, I am also an admirer of beautiful and delicious food regardless of ingredients.

On this occasion, we went to Green Gourmet Kitchen in Newtown. The restaurant has the Chinese restaurant’s style with the buffet bar on the side.

Green Gourmet Buffet Dinner – $2.60/100gr for dinner or $9.90 for up to 700 gr for lunch

Green gourmet offers a buffet selection for lunch and dinner. It is actually a better option if there are not a lot of people in your party, especially for lunch time. There are quite a few options to choose from on the buffet bar!

‘Honey’ & Lemon King Prawn – $17.80 – by substituting the original honey with maple syrup and lemon

Our first dish of the day is a ‘honey’ that was actually maple syrup and mock king prawn. The king prawn was quite tasty and the texture was pretty similar to the real king prawn.

Ling Zhi Mushroom in Clay Pot – $24.80 – Stewed in a clay pot with broccoli and fried tofu

The Ling Zhi mushroom dish was supposed to be the one that impressed us the most. However, the priciest dish for the day didn’t quite live up to our expectations.

It was quite ordinary even when compared to the fried rice.

Green Gourmet Fried Rice – $14.80 – with shredded green vegetable, vegan prawn, BBQ Not Pork, bean sprout & soy & wheat protein

They gave quite a generous portion for the fried rice. It is actually nice to eat your dishes as a share plate (i.e. put everything in one plate!).

The final verdict for Green Gourmet Kitchen

For just under $10, Green Gourmet Kitchen’s buffet bar is a pretty good lunch option in Newtown. The waitress was pretty friendly and it is pretty good for an everyday dining.

Rating for Green Gourmet Kitchen:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $15 – $25 for main dishes

Place: 6.5 / 10

Details:

115-117 King St, Newtown 2042

+61 2 9519 5330

http://www.greengourmet.com.au/

Jun 19, 2015