Setsugetsuka (Kobe Japan)

At Kobe, it was only natural for us to look for a place to sample the famous Kobe beef. We chose Setsugetsuka, a 1 Michelin star teppanyaki restaurant, in the shopping district near Sannomiya.

We thoroughly enjoyed the skills displayed by the chef at the teppan, but the steak was the star. Every bite created the melt-in-your-mouth sensation. The stir fried vegetables with the remaining fat was brilliant with rice. Foie gras teppanyaki is also worth a try – but do order an extra serve of beef if you have room!

Details:
Kobe Setsugetsuka
神戸牛ステーキ 鉄板焼雪月花
４丁目-８−１９
Kanocho
KobeChuo Ward
Hyogo Prefecture 650-0001
Japan
http://www.kobe-setsugetsuka.com/

Kinzan (Arima Japan)

One of the most anticipated events of our trip to Japan was staying at the Kinzan ryokan in the hot spring region of Arima. In this 1 Michelin star resort, we got to enjoy natural hot spring, our own ‘suite’ (the smallest in the resort) with its own breakfast room, and a wagyu kaiseki dinner using the famous Tajima cattle.

Dinner lasted 10 courses and we experienced 6 different textures of wagyu beef: jerky, sushi, grilled, soup, mini-teppanyaki, and shabu shabu. All the dishes utilised the marbling of the beef to create sensational flavours.

Details:
Arima Onsen Hotel Kinzan
1302-4 Arima-cho, Kita-ku
Kobe
Hyogo 651-1401
Japan
http://kinzan.co.jp/

Bona Fides Café Restaurant (Sydney)

We walked past Bona Fides next to the Queen Victoria Building often and decided to have dinner there on a Thursday night. The dinner menu had a wide range of pasta and risotto dishes, as well as some ‘Balkan style’ dishes from the grill.

My beef and vegetables soup of the day was generous and was followed perfectly by the rigatoni pasta with pancetta and ricotta cheese. It was a satisfying meal on a cold rainy night.

Details:
Bona Fides Café Restaurant
Next to Queen Victoria Building
70 Druitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://bonafidescafe.com.au/City/About-Us

Ashcrofts (Blackheath Blue Mountains)

After a whole morning of driving and walking around the national parks in the Blue Mountains to observe the autumn leaves on a Sunday, we dined at Ashcrofts Restaurant at Blackheath for lunch.

The friendly staff (of one) made us felt welcome and quickly settled us with a glass of locally sourced apple juice. My cauliflower soup was smooth and hit the right notes on a chilly day. The beef tenderloin was nice and rare, perfectly complimented with the ox tongue jus. I recommended the vanilla bean custard dessert – it is worth the 15 minute wait. Portion size was huge.

Details:
Ashcrofts Restaurant
18 Govetts Leap Road 
Blackheath
NSW 2785
http://www.ashcrofts.com/

Aria (Sydney)

We made an impromptu visit to Aria Restaurant on a Friday night, craving a nice meal while watching the Harbour Bridge in front of us. The pre-theatre menu offered a good variety of dishes.

I enjoyed all my 3 courses – a nice fat pork belly with crispy crackling, perfectly cooked barramundi with pumpkin bisque, and the refreshing black currant jelly with poached pear. My partner also enjoyed her meal, especially the lamb main course.

Service seemed very quick, probably because of pre-theatre hours, but we never felt rushed during the night.

Details:
Aria Sydney
1 Macquarie Street
Circular Quay NSW 2000
http://www.ariarestaurant.com/