Night Noodle Market, Sydney - Hyde Park

 Night Noodle Market is an annually event held in Sydney, usually held in the Hyde Park. It was really like a festival! There were lights and musics everywhere. A lot of people were there, looking for something to eat. Even though the name is night NOODLE Market, there was not only noodles there. There were a lot of stalls, selling foods from a lot of restaurants, even from community e.g. Japanese community.

 Me and my brother were there, going around the venue and we were confused of what to choose because there were just so many of them! So we looked around and found this unique Spanthai restaurant. Guess what Spanthai is... It is a Spanish-Thai restaurant. It was very unique. The pad-thai and paela were cooked in a very big pan, just like ala-Spanish cooking. So, we got that for $12 (it was quite expensive) and enjoyed it. We ordered the half plate pad thai and half plate paela. The pad thai was pretty average but I think the Paela was beautiful.

 Then, we looked around again and we found a Japanese Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese omelette with fillings inside (normally it has cabbage and shallots for sure). There were 3 choices of fillings, but we chose spicy beef and cheese. The girl in the stall was wearing Kimono, really felt like I was in Japan for a second. Then, waiting abut 5 minutes, the okonomiyaki came out. It smelled so good. With the seaweed and dried octopus at the top, it looked even more yummy.
Then, we tucked in and it was very good! The cheese was melted in my mouth; however it was not spicy enough for me. It was quite expensive though, $12 for a small plate of okonomiyaki which you can normally buy for $6.

Well, overall, if you go in a big group, it would be even better because you can share and TASTE all the foods! The prices are quite expensive though. It costs you $5 for only a bottle of water. So probably it is better to bring your own bottle. The entrance is free and the festival will be still on from 15-19 October 2012, from 5 - 10 PM. To look more, visit the website at http://www.cravesydney.com/content/night-noodle-markets/gjoc54.

Wagaya Restaurant, Sydney

 Hi Everyone!! More about Japanese restaurant here.
So, last Friday I went to Wagaya Restaurant at Sydney, in Chinatown. It was not the first time I went to this restaurant. However, the feeling of Japanese in this resto is so "Japanese".. With the Japanese people serving, the feeling cannot be even more Japanese. With ordering the menu, it uses an electronic touch-screen where the visitors can just order foods and drink by touching it.

Eel tempura

So, that night, because there were 24 people in the dinner, we can tried a lot of menus. We ordered eel tempura, soft-shell crab salad, dragon roll, aburi salmon cream cheese roll, aburi salmon and scallop roll, beef tataki, sashimi and some ice creams. The eel tempura was very nice. It was so crispy outside and so tender inside. The sauce used also contributed a lot to the dish.

 The soft-shell crab salad was pretty good too. The dressing for the salad was very good. It has lettuce, tomato, corn, cucumber and the soft-shell crab of course. However, the soft-shell crab was not as crispy as I thought it would be. It still tasted good though. Then the beef tataki came out, I thought it was so average. I thought they overcooked the beef. It was pretty strange as well as there was no sauce on the beef tataki. We had to dip it into the sauce instead. Probably just a different way doing it.

Aburi salmon cream cheese roll

Soft shell crab salad

 Then, the rolls came out. There were three rolls that we ordered. The first one was the dragon roll. It had eel at the top with the fried lotus seeds at the very top. It was very very delicious. The next roll was very good too, the aburi salmon cream cheese roll.. It was heaven. The cheese was just melt in my mouth. With the combination flavour it got, it was a gold. Also, the scallop and the salmon roll were very good as well. Who does not like grilled scallop and salmon on their roll? With a little bit of fish roe, it was a perfect simple roll.

Dragon Roll

The sashimi was alright, I did not think it was very good. However, when I visited the restaurant the first time, I thought the sashimi was much better. I had the scallop on Friday and it was not as good as a year ago when I went to this restaurant. The other components were quite average, except the tamago (eggs). I thought the tamago was quite exceptional.

Black sesame roll

Then, who does not like Japanese ice cream with its unique flavours?? There are green tea, black sesame and vanilla that the guests can choose. However, do not choose vanilla!! You can get vanilla ice cream everywhere.... So, I tried the black sesame.. I was VERY VERY GOOD! I liked it so much, rather than the matcha/ green tea (especially if you have trouble sleeping at night after having green tea).

Overall, the experience I had here was very nice. The service was very good and quick as well, with the touch-screen technology helping the serving process. However, booking is necessary as this restaurant is very crowded.

Zenya Restaurant, Eastwood

Sho-yu Ramen

Gyoza

 Hi Everyone!!!

Ever tried Japanese Ramen before? Of course probably most of you have. What I like about Japanese Ramen is about the deepness of the flavour of the soup which is so different with any other soup.
In Zenya Restaurant at Eastwood, the soup of the ramen is very very deep. It tasted really nice. I just had it tonight, the sho-yu ramen with gyoza as its side dish. I think the ramen was clever. I think the gyoza quite average though.

Crispy Skin Salmon

The crispy skin salmon looks very nice too. I did not taste it though. But my friend said that it was very very crispy and really nice.
However, the service was quite average.
Overall however, looking at the prices, it is quite worth it. So I will be back next time..

Oiden,Townhall Sydney

 Whats so different about this restaurant that it is worth to mention in the blog you may ask. But it is definitely worth a suggestion as it is the only Japanese restaurant i had been so far with the most interesting way of purchasing food from it. At first you line up in front of the place where they make different kinds of food, then you take a tray and order the main food that you want and they will give it to you straight away. After that you keep moving forward and along the way there are snacks/ side dish of any kind that allows you to choose and the price of those items are not expensive either. So this is worth a mention in this blog.

Little Asia, Macquarie University

Fantastic little shop located with in Macquarie's own food court.

Ordered the Curry chicken and black pepper chicken with fried rice for $9.50.

A reasonable meal for a reasonable price, and didn't have to wait for longer then 1 min for the food to be ready.

MING-HAI, Sydney

 Have you ever tried Asian food? Or havc you tried some Vietnamese cusine? In this restarant they offer both and comes with a relative cheap price! Even though the decoration of this restarant is not as appealing as other high class restaurant but the food supply is still decent for those who is not willing to spend big money on expensive food, therefore this place is worth a mention!

Löwenbräu Restaurant, The Rocks, Sydney

Attraction

Beer

Guten Morgen!
This restaurant is called Löwenbräu a German restaurant located at The Rocks, Circular Quay, Sydney. When I got in, the atmosphere really reminds me of being inside the dining room of a castle where the armies are drinking beers, chanting and eating; it maybe because of the walls are made out of big bricks..We all went in and ordering the foods. All the waitresses were dressed in a German's traditional clothes. So you really get it, ok, German..

Schlachtplatte 

Then, we order the German Pretzel, Schlachtplatte which is the platter which consists of Löwenbräu’s Selection of Bavarian Specialties - Sausages, Chicken Schnitzel, Meat Loaf and Roast Pork Belly, Served with Mashed Potatoes, Sauerkraut, Braised Red Cabbage, Bread Dumpling and Bier Gravy Double the Size and get a Roasted Pork Knuckle on Top. It says that this will serve two. The pretzel came out for the appetizer. When I tried it, I thought it was a bit tough and flavour was not so amazing as well. I reckon I will not order that again next time, or it can just be my taste, maybe it actually tasted good as a German Pretzel but I just do not like it. Then, the platter came out, it was quite big, I think for my tummy, it can be for 3-4 people. I think the pork knuckle is the best! It is their speciality. The second best is the chicken Schnitzel! Other components were very nice too. So, this platter is highly recommended.

What I like about this restaurant is not just about the foods, but also the attractions. There are some entertainers at the little stage they have. They played trumpets, danced, and sang. They also invited the guests to step to the front and danced with them! When I went there, they had this beer drinking competition. So who could finish first and he/she won. It was quite funny to watch.

Thus, it was a very nice experience going to this restaurant. Also, I think the price and experience we got were worth it. However, booking is necessary as this restaurant is quite crowded, especially during the weekends and if you go with a big group. Please also note that because there is alcohol in this restaurant, for under 18, they cannot get in, for over 18, please bring your ID card/passport.