Category: Cities

This is a category for cities. All about food have reviewed restaurants in cities like Sydney, Singapore, Bali Island, Surabaya, and Bandung.

Izakaya Masuya

Review:

Izakaya Masuya is located at the very heart of Sydney CBD. It is a nice place to wind down after a hectic day at the office. There are quite a lot of varieties at Izakaya Masuya… and quite a few dishes were uncommon in Japanese restaurants in Sydney.

Oden – $1.80 each – Naruto and Chikuwa

Oden was probably the cheapest dishes in the restaurant – depending on how many you actually ordered. On this occasion, we tried Naruto and Chikuwa as those were the two kinds I enjoyed the most.

Izakaya Hot Pot – $48.00 – Snow crab, prawn, scallop, salmon wing, chicken, Gyoza, sausage, seasonal vegetables with Dashi soy soup

By contrast, the hot pot is one of the more expensive dishes in Izakaya Masuya. It came with a few legs of snow crab – justifying the price tag. If I weren’t in a large enough group, I probably wouldn’t have ordered this. It is so much more fun to pick and choose a variety of dishes!

Chicken liver – $6.80 – cooked in ginger soy sauce and mirin

Probably not a lot of you would order this, but we love trying dishes that are pretty uncommon. The chicken liver at Izakaya Masuya was perfectly cooked. I loved how the sauce and mirin kept it from drying up.

Wagyu Robata

It wasn’t the best wagyu I have ever tasted. It was a tad overcooked to my liking.

Salmon Aburi – $14.80 – 8 pcs

Our opinion was a bit divided for this. I liked slightly charred salmon aburi. However, the little one wasn’t a big fan of it – and he usually likes nice salmon.

Roe Rice

Simple sushi rice with fish roe and seaweed flakes. It is perfect if you need to fill your tummy a bit more.

Originally we only ordered the dishes from the list above. However, we were still curious and hungry enough to order some more!

Duck

These duck fillets are not part of the regular menu. We ordered it out of curiosity as duck isn’t a staple in Japanese restaurants.

Karaage Chicken – $6.80 – Japanese style deep fried marinated chicken

Karaage chicken was the ‘substitute’ dish for the little one’s salmon aburi. It is one of those dishes that can’t go wrong in a Japanese restaurant.

Bonito Tataki – $9.80

Picked bonito tataki purely out of interest and the fact that I was still not full.

Desserts

Zenzai – $5.80 and Green Tea Ice Cream – $5.80

It was actually my first time trying a Zenzai. Zenzai is a porridge of azuri beans with mochi.

The final verdict for Izakaya Masuya

If you work in Sydney CBD, Izakaya Masuya is a good place to wind down. They have quite a large selection of Japanese food and drinks.

Did you know?

I must admit that I actually made the wrong booking for this one. I was supposed to go to Masuya Japanese restaurant that are located just next to it. Somehow, I dialled the number for Izakaya Masuya.

Masuya Japanese restaurant is the more upmarket version in the group.

Rating for Izakaya Masuya:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $1.80 – $48

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

Ground Floor, 12 O’Connell Street, Sydney 2000

+61 2 9233 8181

http://www.masuyainternational.com.au/en/izakayamasuya/

Mar 30, 2016
Salmon and Bear

Review:

There were a few distractions around the area that prevented me from trying Salmon and Bear. The restaurant is located in one of the newest shopping precincts in Sydney, Zetland – and I had a few places I wanted to try. I also thought that it was a chain restaurant that I have never heard of.

When I eventually went to the restaurant, I was surprised that the restaurant was 100% seafood restaurant. I thought the ‘bear’ bit refer to meat. So, yeah no other meat but fish here!

Salmon Poké – 21 – Raw cubed salmon in a soy and sesame dressing served with corn salsa and avocado on coconut rice

I ordered poké out of curiosity as this was my first time ordering it. The description resembles chirashizushi with a little twist of tropical influence. Poké is said to be the next big food trend according to Business Insider. It is originated from Hawaii.

It was quite a colourful plate! The salmon was already dressed in soy and sesame so you don’t need to add more soy (a la sushi). To top it off, the dried seaweed garnish gave us the crunchy texture.

One of a few salads that I actually enjoyed eating!

Fish and chips – 18 – crisp battered hoki served with chips, lemon, and tartare sauce

It was quite a simple-looking fish and chips. The portion was quite generous that my friend couldn’t finish it.

Tacos – 6 –come in a soft corn tortilla with cabbage, salsa verde, pickled pink onions, corander, lime and sriracha mayo

They have three different tacos that looked pretty similar with only a slight difference in the filling. On this occasion, I tried the sticky soy glazed salmon. It was nicely done.

The other two are: Crispy fish (hoki NZ) and Crispy prawn and corn

Salmon Bearger – 18 – A smoked and fresh salmon patty with cos lettuce, tomato, pickles, salsa verde and aioli

This is the only menu that has salmon and bear on its title. It was quite big and came with sweet potato fries (they are very nice!). The burger itself was pretty good, but clearly overshadowed by the poké.

Grizzly plate – 28 – choose your fish, your sauce and any 2 sides/salads

This is supposed to be the main attractions at salmon and bear. However, I wasn’t quite convinced. It was clearly the third wheel behind poké and salmon bearger.

The first time we were there, my boss got a really small salmon and tuna. But in our second visit, the size of the salmon was more decent.

Individually, the grizzly plate is priced as follows:

$18 fish– Ora King Salmon, Barramundi, Tuna, Catch of the day

$2 sauce – Salsa verde, lemon herb butter, yogurt & dill, peri peri, tartare, oyster & sesame

$5 Sides – Chips, Chive mash, sweet potato fries, coconut rice

$8 Salad – All beans, asian greens, slaw, corn salsa, Moroccan salad, roasted beg, corn cob, garden salad

The final verdict for Salmon and Bear

Salmon poké was the clear winner for me at Salmon and Bear.

Did you know?

Salmon and Bear sourced all of its fishes from a certified fisheries with sustainable practices.

Rating for Salmon and Bear:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $18+ for main

Place: 7.5 / 10

Details:

6 Defries Avenue, Zetland 2017

+61 2 9662 8188

http://salmonandbear.com.au/

Mar 8, 2016
The GoodLife

Review:

Coffee is usually the last thing I look for when I was in Bandung. Partially it is because I have grown to accept that there are no good ones and settled for flavoured ‘coffee’ like the ones sold in Starbucks – a lot of people love the sugar-induced coffees and a few appreciate the actual quality of the coffee there.

A friend of mine from Bandung took us to this little café at the heart of Bandung called The GoodLife. When we first arrived, I had to check with her to see that we were in the right place. The café is part of a small office house and is quite obscured from the outside. I wouldn’t blame you if you thought it was the office’s garage – but, hey, there are famous companies started off in a garage!

Drinks at The Goodlife

Cold Brew Coffee – 15k

The GoodLife’s cold brew coffee was already pre-chilled for our convenience. It is believed that cold brew coffees have lower acidity and lower caffeine content when brewed in equal volume.

The coffee also came in a nice little pre-packaged bottle… so that you don’t need to wait for it to be processed.

Hot Matcha Latte – 20k

Latte – 20k

The food menu

Dutch Pancake – 50k

It can be said that Dutch Pancake is the ‘signature dish’ at The GoodLife – we ordered three of them!

It was quite a wait because they actually made it from scratch… and also the fact that they only had one oven at that time (you might need another one soon ^_^).

However, I must say it was definitely worth the wait and it was quite a decent portion for me (read: very big for an average Indonesian person). The pancake itself was (obviously) freshly served and the blueberries were the ‘icing on the cake’.

The thing that amazed me from the café was the ad hoc menu. At one stage, the owner told us that she bought this beautiful bocconcini and asked us whether we wanted a bocconcini pizza. She also offered us something that was only described as ‘savoury rice’. It’s exciting and almost felt like enjoying dishes in a fresh-produced, fine dining place -> except that it is still a garage ^_^

Bocconcini pizza – 30k

Savoury rice – 30k

Lebanese Bread – 30k

Panini with extra egg – 25k

The final verdict for The GoodLife

It was a nice experience having a sip (okay, maybe ~~slightly~~ a lot more than that) of coffee at The GoodLife.

Details:

Jl Anggrek 15, Bandung

+62 813 2208 8104

https://www.facebook.com/thegoodlifebdg/

Mar 2, 2016
The Hub House Diner

Review:

We went to The Hub House Diner because of the ads that they put up in their facebook page. It was for their weekly promotional “Bang for Your Buck Tuesday burgers”. Every burger on their menu is $10 and there is a special weekly burger. They have a special burger every Tuesday after 5pm.

That week, the special was Buttermilk Spicy Fried Chicken Burger.

Buttermilk Spicy Fried Chicken Burger – 10 – with gherkin, butter lettuce and spicy chipotle aioli

This was the special for the week that we visited The Hub House Diner. The interesting bit about this burger was that the aioli was properly spicy.

Hub Cheese Burger –10 – Signature Beef Pattie, American Jack, Frilly Lettuce, Tomato, Fresh Spanish Onion Ring, Gherkin, Cheeseburger sauce

Normally, this burger would cost you $16… and I think it was a bit over my comfortable limit for a burger. However, for $10, it was a good burger to have!

Pimp My Fries with Truffle, Manchego Cheese – 11

I ordered this out of curiosity. It turned out to be the one I liked the most that night. There was a generous serving of Manchego Cheese and truffle.

Kiddie Popcorn Chicken – 11 – Panko Coated Balls of Chicken Breast, with fries, ketchup

It feels quite weird when the kid’s menu item is more expensive than yours. However, knowing that the little one really loved this dish really paid it off!

The final verdict for The Hub House Diner

The Hub House Diner is a nice venue to have a dinner on Tuesday… especially with its $10 burger!

Rating for The Hub House Diner:

7.0 / 10

Taste: 7.0 / 10

Price: $10 burger every Tuesday

Place: 7.0 / 10

Details:

410-412 New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill 2203

+61 2 9518 1887

http://www.thehubhousediner.com.au/

Feb 23, 2016
The Little Snail

Review:

I have known The Little Snail for quite some time, but I’ve only managed to visit it the other day. The Little Snail restaurant is located in the iconic Darling Harbour, Sydney.

I was actually quite surprised when learning that for 3-course lunch menu, they ‘only’ charge $38. I think it’s quite a decent price given the location of the restaurant. They also have a 2-course kids menu for $18 that comes with a choice of soft drink or juice.

Escargots de Bourgogne – dozens snails marinated in herb-infused court bouillon, oven baked in garlic butter

For my first course, I chose Escargots (aka snails), my go-to dish when I visit a French restaurant. The 12 rather large escargots were not deshelled. It was quite a spectacle!

Pate Maison – Armagnac flavoured duck liver pate with marinated champignons, date chutney and port vinaigrette

The other ‘must have’ dish from a French restaurant was ordered as my wife’s first course. It was quite a generous serving of duck liver pate with curious spots of mushrooms around the plate. The date chutney complemented the pate beautifully.

We had to order extra slices of baguette because we wanted to eat the pate to the last piece! It was very nice!

Crispy Fried Calamari and Chips

This was the first dish for the little kid. The calamari was crunchy on the outside and not chewy! It was pretty good!

Kangaroo Fillet – (recommended rare) on garlic pommes puree with a seasonal greens

Cooking a kangaroo is notoriously hard. You overcook it and it would render the meat inedible. Since the recommendation was rare, that was what I ordered.

The kangaroo was already pre-sliced to a bite size (mind you my bite size might be different than yours). It was perfectly cooked with a nice accompanying sweet sauce!

Citrus marinated Tasmanian Salmon – served on sweet peas risotto and sauce vierge

Another well-balanced dish with perfectly cooked salmon. I had to ask google about sauce vierge, literally translated as ‘the virgin sauce’. It was made from olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomato and chopped basil.

Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberry topping

The kid’s menu ice cream (that was actually the same size as the grownups!) was very pleasant to look at – or in my son’s case to dip his hand into. They use sable Breton (aka shortcrust bread) to give that extra kick to the ice cream.

Classic Crème Caramel

It is a very simple and classic crème caramel… as expected.

Chef churned hazelnut and praline ice cream on sable breton and Grand Marnier caramel

It was actually quite similar to the kid’s ice cream in terms of quality. However the adult-version came with liquor content and the sugar ornament at the top.

The final verdict for The Little Snail

Darling Harbour is probably the next best thing in Sydney after Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Having a three-course lunch for $38 at The Little Snail in Darling Harbour is such a steal!

Did you know?

You can get a 25% discount when dining at The Little Snail restaurant if you have the Entertainment Book. Entertainment Book is a book used in fundraising campaigns for fundraising companies like Cancer Council and RSPCA. It contains a lot of discounts for a lot of restaurants!

Upon researching about The Little Snail, I came across an expired Groupon link. It would’ve been nice to get an even bigger discount for the restaurant!

Rating for The Little Snail:

7.5 / 10

Taste: 7.5 / 10

Price: $38 for 3-course lunch

Place: 8.0 / 10

Details:

50 Murray Street, Pyrmont

+61 2 9212 7512

http://www.thelittlesnail.com.au/

Feb 17, 2016
The Caffeine Dispensary: Where Cofee Enthusiasts Experience Coffee Appreciation

On a bright Sunday morning, my friend, Mieke, and I stood in front of The Caffeine Dispensary door with great excitement about the coffee cupping event that we were going to join in.

When we walked in, we found this simple yet lovely industrial-look cafe. Several food bloggers were already inside. We were welcomed by one of the owners, Aji. He was making a drip coffee. Aji also owns a coffee shop in Singapore, called The Revolution Coffee. The other owner are Rio – the roaster – and Andri, the store manager.

When we asked why the barista area was so spacious, Aji kindly explained that they wanted to make a difference in coffee sipping. They encouraged coffee appreciation and wanted to be more than just a regular coffee shop. Here, the coffee lovers can also participate in making their cups of coffee!

The Caffeine Dispensary serves various kinds of coffee from all over the world and specialises in in-house roasting of their coffee beans.

Rio, the roaster, explained that after roasting, coffee beans only lasted for about a month. While the un-roasted beans would last longer, about a year when kept inside a sack. The roasted beans will bloat but the mass will decrease due to moisture loss. As you can see below, behind me there was a roasting machine, which could produce 1 kilogram of roasted beans in each process.

After we picked our seat, they gave us the menu. The price is very reasonable, and worth the coffee appreciation. They don’t have many choices of food for now, because they want to focus on serving the coffee.

I chose 5oz Espresso White, equaled as Cappuccino, while Mieke ordered Iced Latte Gula Jawa, one of their signature drink. Mine used the Kenya Mugaga beans, and Mieke’s were Aceh Gayo.

Tadaaaaa….our orders arrived. I immediately gulped mine. It was very good! It turned out the Kenya Mugaga coffee had the perfect combination of bitterness and sourness, very aromatic, and overall it tasted well-balanced. I also took a sip of Mieke’s Iced Latte Gula Jawa. I really loved the taste! Aceh Gayo had a floral aroma and you could really taste the flavor of Javanese brown sugar that they used. Not the kind of Iced Latte you’d easily find elsewhere.

They also gave us complimentary sweet treats, one Carrot Cake and one Banana Bread with Chocolate Chip. Both of them satisfied me as a cake lover; Rich in flavor, but not too sweet and had smooth textures. I actually ate both slices, since Mieke wasn’t a fan of sweet cakes. Lucky me!

Upon finishing them, the coffee cupping session began. First, we were given the acknowledgment about The Caffeine Dispensary, the basic theory of coffee and the process of making a good coffee. Then we had a quite interesting Q&A session afterwards.

Afterwards, we moved to the cupping table, where they had prepared 6 different kinds of coffee. They were Nicaragua Misael Sauceda, Toraja Sapan, Kenya Nyeri Mugaga, Sunda Arumanis, Brazil Formoso, and Aceh Gayo. We were given raw beans, roasted beans, and two cups of ground coffee for each type. We carefully sniffed the different aroma between roasted and ground beans. All of the raw beans smelled like grass, so we could ignore those for a while.

The two cups of ground coffee were now poured over hot water. We had to wait for about 4 minutes before we could break the crust. Using 2 spoons, carefully we scooped together the crust from one side to another. If you were an expert, you could do it in just one attempt. After the crust was clear, we could sniff the real aroma of the coffee.

We then began to taste the coffee. We had to loudly slurp a spoon of coffee. I found it difficult as I couldn’t be fast and loud. At least I tried my best and ended up looking silly, haha… We had to taste from the coffee cups for each kind, to test for consistency.

After that, we needed to fill the Cupping Form, which looked like the picture below. We scored from 1 to 10 of the aroma, acidity, body (thickness), flavor, etc. I got a tie for the highest scores between Brazil Formoso and Kenya Nyeri Mugaga, which I scored 9.

They knew that our mouth had gotten a bit bitter after the cupping, so they offered us something from the menu. I picked the Lavender Lemonade, another signature drink. It was so refreshing! A nice twist between the sourness of lemon and the good smell of lavender.

The fun carried over to lunch! They already prepared croissant sandwiches for us. I picked the Beef&Cheese Croissant and loved it! The croissant itself was very buttery, good crisps and soft inside. The filling was perfect, rich in flavor. I really loved this croissant. Mieke said that she loved her Smoked Chicken croissant too.

The final verdict for The Caffeine Dispensary

As a coffee lover, I definitely would love to get back here. I am excited for the new kind of coffee that will arrive every month.

Did you know?

There is lemon-infused water available for free if you need refreshment after drinking coffee. Don’t hesitate to refill your glass! It’s compliment from The Caffeine Dispensary for you, the coffee enthusiasts.

Details:

Jl Kelapa Kopyor Raya Blok 1 No 16, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta

+62 21 452 0109

http://www.caffeinedispensary.com/

Feb 12, 2016