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