Chinta Ria Mood for Love (Sydney)

On a busy Thursday night leading to the Christmas shopping week, we caught up with a friend from Canberra for a meal at Mood For Love in Westfield Sydney – a new venture of Chinta Ria. We got seated outside of the rather dimmed dining room.

The excellent fried chicken entrée gave us an exciting start of the meal. The reputed beef rendang was available – meat was tender and the sauce went very well with the fragrant coconut rice. The cassava cake was simple and not too sweet.

Given its prime location, the girls went straight to shopping after…

Details:
Chinta Ria Mood for Love
Westfield Sydney
Level 6, Shop 6009
188 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.chintamoodforlove.com/

Daruma (Sydney)

Daruma is a Japanese restaurant up on the first floor in a commercial building at the edge of Chinatown. It is a popular place among the Japanese locals in Sydney, shown by restaurant full of diners.

The quality of food reflects its popularity. Prices are tiered from $2.90 to $9.90. A good variety of dishes are available from sushi, sashimi, okonomiyaki, and noodles. The fried dishes and gyoza were particularly good. With a whole table of food, dinner cost less than a visit to the sushi train for us.

Details:
Daruma Japanese Restaurant
Level 1, Prince Centre
8 Quay Street
Haymarket 2000

Pony Lounge & Dining (Neutral Bay)

We visited Pony at Neutral Bay for breakfast, our second visit to the group after our dinner at Pony The Rocks earlier this year.

The food was flawless and innovative. We definitely found the dishes to be a step up from the typical big breakfast served at many cafes in the north shore. The Spanish omelette was perfectly seasoned and well balanced by the rocket leaves, while the toasted brioche worked perfectly with the poached berries and custard curd. Service felt slightly rushed considered the need of a slow Sunday breakfast.

Details:
Pony Lounge & Dining Neutral Bay
Shop 2, 19-25 Grosvenor St 
Neutral Bay
NSW 2089
http://www.ponydining.com.au/pony_neutral_bay.htm

Azuma (Sydney)

We took a friend on a business trip to the original Azuma restaurant at Chifley Tower on Friday night. Conveniently located in the CBD and right opposite the hotel in which our friend was staying, the restaurant still provided the attentive service and had quite a few business diners that night.

The highlight food-wise was the stirred fried abalone and scallop which was perfectly complimented by the mushroom absorbing the sweetness of the seafood from the butter sauce. The tender pork belly was also excellent and went well with rice.

Details:
Azuma
Chifley Plaza
Level 1, 2 Chifley Square
http://www.azuma.com.au/chifley/home.php

Prime Steak Restaurant (Sydney)

Prime Steak Restaurant is my favourite steakhouse in Sydney. Situated at the corner of the basement at the GPO building, I always find the secluded dining room the perfect place for a dinner for two.

On a Friday night we decided to go all out and have the $295 full blood 9+ wagyu chateaubriand for two. The steak was amazingly soft yet full of flavour. It was not as fatty as we anticipated but still good. I would suggest the 6+ F1 wagyu chateaubriand to be better value. Make sure you have the silky smooth potato puree on the side.

Details:
Prime Steak Restaurant
GPO
Lower Ground Level, 1 Martin Pl 
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.gposydney.com

Bavarian Bier Café (Crows Nest)

We went to the newly opened Bavarian Bier Café at Crows Nest, at the former Counter Burger site, for a weeknight dinner. The newly refurbished restaurant matches the décor of the rest of the chain, with a bar at the centre anchoring the long benches and roomy booths. Service was polite and attentive.

The food was consistent to my other experience at Bavarian – generous portions of sausages, pork knuckle, schnitzel and other German fare. The pork knuckle was huge, not too salty (which we liked) but the meat was slightly dry. We will come back for the schnitzel challenge…

Details:
Bavarian Bier Café Crows Nest
118 Willoughby Road
Crows Nest
NSW 2065
http://www.bavarianbiercafe.com

Yama (Sydney)

Queen Victoria Building is a place where I frequent for shopping, but never dining. Recently we visited Yama, a Japanese café hidden among the jewellery stores on level 2, for a bite to eat.

While the menu presented a large variety of Japanese dishes, the food served is rather westernised. Tempura was done well and portion size generous. However, my katsu curry was on the mild side – even in Japanese curry standards. Service was polite and it was nice to get a free bottle of wine from the credit card dining program.

Details:
Yama Japanese Cafe Restaurant 
2/455 George St 
Sydney NSW 2000 

Longrain (Sydney)

Overseas visitors and gathering of 8 people involving high school friends prompted me to bring them to Longrain in Surry Hills as this Thai restaurant only takes bookings for large group. Large groups were seated in the comfortable oval tables that were great for conversations.

The food was of high quality. The reputed deep fried pork hock was crispy on the outside while still gelatinous inside. The lamb curry was also excellent. And make sure you ordered one of their signature cocktails. Service was rather inconsistent – too rushed in the beginning yet missing in action during the meal.

Details:
Longrain Sydney
85 Commonwealth Street
Surry Hills
NSw 2010
Australia
http://www.longrain.com.au/sydney_intro.htm

Cotton Duck revisited (Sydney)

I can't believe it has been more than a year since my last visit to Cotton Duck. Fortunately I was able to enjoy a quick dessert on a Friday night.

The quality of food was excellent again. The poached berries was surprisingly sweet and well balanced by the milkshake shot. Chocolate fondant was moist and runny, exactly the way it should be!

Details:
Cotton Duck
50 Holt Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
http://www.danksstreetdepot.com.au/page/cotton_duck.html

Fudouguchikan (Osaka)

The purpose of the trip to Osaka was a 2 night stay at an onsen ryokan (hot spring hotel), where we got to totally wind down and relax.

The experience began as soon as we checked into the Fudouguchikan, half an hour from Kansai Airport. Upon return from an afternoon soak in the onsen, our room was set up for the kaiseki banquet.

The revered matsutake mushroom was the feature of the night and the smell was fantastic. All the delicate dishes were well balanced and delightful.

And off we went for another relaxing bath later that night…

Details:
Fudouguchikan 犬鳴山温泉 不動口館
大阪府泉佐野市大木7番地
7，Ogi，Izumisano-sh
Osaka 598-0023
Japan
http://fudouguchikan.com/

Chibo (Osaka)

Osaka is where the famous okonomiyaki started – a savory pancake containing cabbage, noodles, and all kinds of filling cooked on top of a hot grill. So of course we had to sample some during our visit in Osaka. And we visited Chibo along the Dotonbori.

In the dining room we can see the chef preparing the pancakes before being transported to the little grill on the table. Our signature Okonomiyaki Dotonbori was soft and runny on the outside and stuffed with pork and seafood. For two people it was wise to share just one rich okonomiyaki with a side salad.

Details:
Chibo 千房
1-5-5 Dotombori Chuo-ku
Minamai
Osaka
Osaka Prefecture
Japan
http://www.chibo.com/

Taiwan Selections

In my 3 days in Taiwan, I have also experienced the local delicacies on top of the fine dining experience.

Beef noodles is a given. Noodle stalls and shops are everywhere and the quality is consistent. The Taiwanese ‘yellow cows’ produced flavourful beef with a rather tough texture – great with noodle soup.

Make sure you pay one of the night markets a visit (or two). A huge variety of local foods is available: rice with a pork mince and soy sauce, oyster omelette, mixed veg and offal, deep fried chicken fillet… the list goes on.

Cuisine M! (Taipei)

During the Taipei visit, we were recommended by Cuisine M for a Japanese meal. The restaurant, situated at the ground floor of a bank’s office building, had a rather dark dining room which gave diners as sense of privacy – perfect for a business lunch.

For less than TW$3,000, we had a full Japanese banquet with all the fresh seafood: melt in your mouth toro tuna sashimi, juicy grilled crab legs, sweetest geoduck from the hotpot. And for main course there were wagyu steak and foie gras. The variety excited our taste buds and made an excellent lunch.

Details:
Cuisine M!
台北市松智路1號1樓
1F, No.1, Songzhi Road
Xinyi District
Taipei City
www.mitsuitaipei.com.tw

Danny & Company (Taipei)

On my first night in Taipei, I was taken to Danny & Company for dinner. Prior to the visit, I didn’t realise such restaurants exist – a full French menu served in Japanese teppanyaki style.

The food was awesome with taste and presentation rivalling Michelin-starred restaurants. It was high quality from start to finish – crusty warm bread, porcini soup, seared foie gras… and the dual beef of Australian 9+ wagyu and USDA prime cap certainly lived up to the ‘king of steak’ reputation by head chef Danny Teng.

Mr Teng’s generosity in sharing his knowledge of food was a bonus. Thanks!

Details:
Danny & Company
台灣台北市四維路52巷33號
No. 33, Ln. 52, Siwei Rd
Da'an District
Taipei City, 106
http://www.dannyandcompany.com

Old and New of Singapore

In my brief visit to Singapore, I had the chance to sample the new and the old.

We went to db Bistro Moderne, owned by Daniel Boulud, at the brand new Marina Bay Sands complex for a late supper. At S$55, the home made pasta with 3g of white truffle was on the expensive side. However the fragrance of the dish was obvious and quality of service was excellent.

Upon leaving I visited Yet Con Restaurant, an institution serving Hainan chicken rice for 70 years. The traditional dining room didn’t offer much room. But the chicken rice was top notch.

Details: 
db Bistro Moderne 
B1-48, Galleria Level 
The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands 
2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 
http://danielnyc.com/dbbistroSingapore.html 
http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Restaurants/Fine-Dining/DB-Bistro-Moderne/ 


Yet Con Chicken Rice Restaurant 
25 Purvis Street, Singapore
(Opposite national library, next to Raffles Hotel)