Nikko

Nikko was so serene, beautiful and intensely cold. I was wearing two socks but even so, I could feel my feet quickly turning into blocks of ice in a matter of moments without my shoes within the temples and shrines. I was really grateful that M warned us how cold it would be and we at least had the foresight to wear our snow jackets. So note to anyone visiting Nikko in the winter: dress warmly, wear super thick socks (possibly with one of those heater pads inside), be wary of ice (cramp ons are a safe bet) and be ready to print out information on the places you visit as there are very little English translations of why something is so important. (I really feel like I missed out there).

Outside Junkadelic

We’ve passed Junkadelic several times on our way to the Metro, it’s cheery exterior (and it being Mexican of all things) piqued our interest. Also, M mentioned in passing that they served pretty decent Mexican fare, so we felt that we should at least try it before we left.

Nachos (Regular, 750 Yen) and Empanada (700 Yen)

The nacho chips were wonderfully crunchy and I loved the abundance of melted cheese. There was not, however, enough of that awesome guacamole. We had to ask for some more, which we also polished off. I still rave on about that guacamole – it was just simply fantastic: bright flavours, not too salty and dreamily creamy.

The empanadas looked a bit different to what we were used to and it tasted a bit different too. However, the description on the menu should have tipped us off that it was a bit different: seafood in bechamel sauce rolled into tortillas and fried.

Inside Junkadelic

Junkadelic was pretty cool, being so cheery outside and in, and the staff was really friendly. It’s a pity we didn’t get to try more dishes (it would appear that when you’re tired, the appetite is also affected – who would have thunk), I would love to come back and try their quesadillas!

Junkadelic
2-21-2 #102, Akasaka
Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Ph: 03-3224-0750
Web: junkadelic.jp/

Outside Akasaka Ittenbari

On our first day in Tokyo, M insisted that we try his favourite ramen place, which he touted to be the best in Tokyo. Best ramen in Tokyo? I was instantly sold.

Spicy Miso Ramen (750 Yen)

Unless it’s a meat dish, R would most certainly pick the spiciest dish on the menu. It looked pretty spicy too! I was told that the ramen was deliciously spicy and had a pretty decent kick to it.

Look how big that bowl is! That’s the standard bowl ramen comes in – there’s also “jumbo” bowls available as well and they are unbelievably huge. Who can possibly eat all of it?! Crazy. But I digress.

Awerse Ramen (700 Yen + Men-ma, 200 Yen)

I’m not sure why, but the rest of us ordered the same ramen – we differed in our toppings though. There’s quite a few on offer such as bean sprouts, more meat slices, seaweed and pickled bamboo (but I think they’re pretty staple add-ons?) for a few bob extra.

The broth was pretty rich and hearty, though a touch too salty for myself, but the noodles were perfect and the meat so wonderfully tender. It was however, surprisingly spicy. There wasn’t a lot of heat to it, but the heat built up as I ate and I found myself gulping down lots of water. My friends looked on with amusement as they didn’t think it was spicy at all. Sigh.

Inside Akasaka Ittenbari

Akasaka Ittenbari is a tiny, tiny restaurant where the ramen is dished out by a no nonsense wait staff and made by quick and efficient chefs. It seemed like one of those places where you order your usual, eat and then leave. No loitering, no shenanigans. A place where you go to sate you ramen craving and leave very well sated indeed. I think I need a ramen fix after this!

At Pierre Herme

On our last day, I dragged R to Pierre Herme. I was determined to visit his Tokyo store, as I missed out when I was in Paris a couple of years back. Determined as I was, when we got to Shibuya I quickly realised, despite looking at the map for a whole week, I had forgotten to write down the directions on how to get there. Geez. It took us a while, but we finally found it and it was like finding gold at the end of a rainbow.

We weren’t allowed to take photos inside (sadness, our waitress came out with this massive silver platter with the entire pastry range arranged just so that made our eyes pop), so sadly I had to make do with this shot.

While R went for a pastry that was accompanied with a chocolate mocktail concoction, I had two pastries and oh my goodness, it was like we had died and gone to heaven – they were so amazing! You could taste all the individual components, delicious on their own, but made perfect harmony when eaten together. Nothing was out of place or seemed unnecessary.

I gamely bought 6 macarons to take home for F, hoping that it would last the two days of being in transit. (It did, much to my relief and our tastebuds.)

Pierre Herme
5-51-8 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Ph: 03-5485-7766
Web: http://www.pierreherme.com/content/FR/EN/boutiques/index.cgi?&cwsid=6463ph0A000108ph6824407

Pastries and Bagel from Pompadour

We could not believe just how many pastries and bakeries there are in Tokyo. It’s like there’s one on every corner! And of course, we found it hard pressed to not go in and sample a little of their wide selection.

In the end, our favourite bakery was Pompadour. We were lured in with all the bread and pastries in the display window, then we were made giddy with the wonderful, sweet, warm smell of freshly baked bread and cakes.

Pompadour was not all show and no-go: the sour cherries in custard danish, the flaky and sweet pear and (what we think is) rhubarb pie, and the slightly sweet blueberry bagel were absolutely amazing. The flavours were just spot on and the pastry! Oh.. so good. Just so you know, we had gently heated them in the grill for breakfast the next day, but managed to burn a bit of the pie – so it wasn’t their dodgy baking skills, it’s more like ours haha.

We also had a gooey chocolate-centered brownie-muffin top hybrid topped with chocolate chips, but we kind of ate that deliciousness before I got around to taking a photo of it (sorry).

Pompadour
6-2-35 Roppongi
Minato-ku, Tokyo
Ph: 03-3401-5695
Web: http://www.pompadour.co.jp/

From Monjya Izakaya Smile Kojyo Shinjuku Nishiguchi branch

On our last night in Tokyo, we squeezed in a quickie dinner with some friends before dashing off for a midnight flight back to Sydney via Singapore.

Monjya Izakaya has a massive range of food (which I can’t detail here because I had no idea what we ordered), either a la carte or as a set menu. One of the set menus is an all you can eat for 3,500 Yen. You get an appetizer, salad, 3 types of teppanyaki, okonomiyaki, monjya, dessert and all you can drink. That’s right… All. You. Can. Drink. This includes alcoholic beverages, which my friends most certainly took advantage of.

It was my first time having okonomiyaki and it was so much fun to make, as well as eat! I can’t wait to do something like this in Sydney (if we even do have an okonomiyaki place that is).

Monjya Izakaya is a cheerful restaurant with enthusiastic and friendly wait staff. The food was quite delicious and with an all you can eat and drink set menu for 3,500 yen I know I’ll be back to properly take advantage of enjoy such a feast.

Monjya Izakaya Smile Kojyo Shinjuku Nishiguchi branch
Atlas Nishishinjuku building 5F,
1-15-8, Nishishinjuku,
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023
Ph: 03-5339-7277
Web: http://r.gnavi.co.jp/g622511/lang/en/

So, here ends my brief foray into Japan. It’s more like a toe-dip than anything else, I know, so I just can’t wait to go back to try more scrumptious food, snacks and take in the history and culture that Japan has to offer!

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2011. | Permalink | 16 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, pork

Yes, I’m still alive, just been MIA for a little while. The end of 2010 and early 2011 involved separate trips to Vietnam, Chicago and London, Thanksgiving, Christmas, NY and CNY celebrations and snow blizzards. Oh those snow blizzards were painful! Although the falling of snow is extremely beautiful, wearing 5 layers of clothing and walking through 12 inches of snow hoping I don’t come across any nasty “surprises” underneath is not too great…

So what will 2011 entail for “Hello from NYC”? Most posts for one! More on food-related life in NYC in general. So first up is something I’ve come across lately and wanted to highlight.

The Evolution of Gastropubs

Is this the next trend? Is pub grub becoming more gourmet? From Chicago to London to Sydney, pubs are not longer just pubs, they’re now called Gastropubs. In my opinion, I love this evolution. I’m not saying this is a new concept, I’m saying this is now a popular concept. A type of fine dining along with a pint. No longer can you get $10 steak and chips, but now you get $20 Angus beef burgers with foie gras and truffle shoe string fries. On my recent trips to Chicago and London, I came across a few delightful Gastropub places. In fact, I only dined at these places in those cities (not that I was there for that long).

I know there are lots of opinions out there on even the over-use of the term “Gastropub” by establishments. According to Wikipedia, a Gastropub refers to a bar and restaurant that serves high-end beer and food, originating from England. So has the term “Gastropub” been used too often and the meaning is now lost? I don’t know! But… I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

However, here is a preview of the Gastropubs I’ve visited in…

Chicago

I’ve heard Chicago is best in summer, but for some reason, I always end up visiting in the colder months of the year. From what I’ve experienced, Chicago IS the windy city!

The food culture in Chicago is ginormous. I’ve seen Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods – Chicago episode 3 times in the last 2 weeks (it’s always on travel channel). If you get a chance, definitely check it out! The Chicago-style hot dog is something from a difference world; the Mexican food is far from what we get back in OZ; and I don’t need to explain the work of Grant Achatz at his Alinea restaurant… two words: Bizzaro chemistry. But the growing trend in Chicago is what pubs are putting on their menus. Roasted bone marrow, eaten straight from the bone, dolloped on some bread with a sparkle of the finest sea salt. Dessert of Foie Gras Torchon w/ Apricot jam, Pine Nut Fritter and Powdered Licorice Root. This is just a brief intro to the food at Longman and Eagle.

Clockwise... (1) Seared Maine Scallops, (2) Foie Gras w/ short rib, (3) Roasted Marrow Bones, (4) Foie Gras on bread w/ chocolate dipping sauce

Longman and Eagle, presented with it’s first Michelin star in 2011, is an old-style pub hotel, serving some of the finest creative foods I’ve ever encountered. They even have rooms available for overnight stays. Each room is uniquely designed with a modern feel, far from the pub-hotel style of the whole complex. The service was super-friendly, the food creatively tasty and a great selection of beer to chug down with the delicious grub. If you’re in Chicago, this is one place to visit. So the question is… is this a Gastropub or a variant of one with hotel rooms upstairs and the fine-dining pub establishment downstairs?

Longman and Eagle

Another restaurant, more in the center of Chicago located on “The Magnificent Mile”, is The Purple Pig. Voted Bon Appetit’s one of 10 best new restaurants in the US for 2010 and awarded a Michelin “bib-gourmand” award in 2011, this place is reflects its tagline “Cheese, swine and wine“. With a half-communal style setting, The Purple Pig serves up some of the best Mediterranean-esque food in Chicago. Apologies, I really shouldn’t put this in the “Gastropub” category because this isn’t really a pub at all, but the food served here reflects a Gastropub-style. Also, I really wanted to showcase this place. Being on Michigan Avenue, you’d think this was another tourist trap. But The Purple Pig is far from that. It’s a destination for the food-tourist.

At The Purple Pig with Clams, Chorizo Stuffed Olives, Fried Devilled Egg and Panino con Nutella.

At The Purple Pig, the menu ranges from Fried Brussel Sprouts with Thyme, Lemon & Chili Flakes (one of my favourites) to Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette and Fried Devilled Egg to Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs. There is something for everyone.

Clockwise... (1) Fried Devilled Egg, (2) Jamon Serrano w/ fried egg on toast, (3) (4) Roast bone marrow

London

At the beginning of January, I took a quick 3-day trip to London. Being only 6 hours from NYC, London has been on my “want-to-visit” places. London is known for it’s pub culture, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to me that at least one of my meals would be at a Gastropub. Unfortunately, on this trip I wasn’t able to go for Sunday Roast (big sob!) but there’s always next time!

The Princess of Shoreditch, located in near London’s Old Street, is known for it’s sunday afternoon roasts but I so happen to come here for dinner instead. This place reflects the true meaning of “Gastropub”, pub on the lower level, fine-dining restaurant on the upper level. I opt to dine on the lower level, to sample London’s finest and famous pub-style food. So what do I think about it? D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

The Princess of Shoreditch, London

After being away from Sydney for nearly a year now, I’m introduced again to a pub-style pie and an angus steak burger with hand-cut chips. Boy do I miss pies an hand-cut chips (and a whole lot of other foods…), so I felt some of my cravings were satisfied in London.

The food-scene in London really does do Gastropub-styles the best. Well I guess the term did originate from England, if they can’t do it well, noone else can.

New York

Unfortunately, New York’s gastropubs are really far from it’s meaning, or maybe I just haven’t come across the right ones. The Spotted Pig, a gastropub in the West Village, is probably the closest, but still lacks the “fine-dining” factor. They do, however, do a mean and tasty Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings. (It was basically pitch black, so no photos).

A place with a very Gastropub-esque feel is The Fat Radish. The English cuisine establishment reflects the pub-style atmosphere, serving food like Brussel Sprout & Collard Green Bubble and Squeaky, or Eggs Purgatory with toast. The main concept of The Fast Radish is to serve simple and healthy dishes made from well-sourced, seasonal ingredients. The interior reflects London’s Convent Garden marketplace feel. The Fat Radish do not call themselves “Gastropub, but with their interior reflecting London’s Convent Garden marketplace feel, it definitely feels English.

The Fat Radish. Clockwise... (1) the English interior, (2) Full English Breakfast, (3) the table setting, (4) Collard Green Bubble and Squeak, Bacon and Poached Eggs

Brunch @ Nolita House

There’s a “Boozy Bluegrass Brunch” on every Saturday and Sunday from 10am-4pm (12pm-4pm on Sundays due to NYC law not serving alcohol before 12pm on Sundays) and they claim to have the “best” macaroni and cheese. Brunch in NYC mainly involves alcohol, that being mimosas or bloody mary’s, so with brunch at a pub, what an awesome mix!

So that’s the end of a quick look at Gastropubs in 3 major metropolitan cities. What are your thoughts on this trend?
And don’t worry, I’ll be back with more New York City eats!

Longman & Eagle
2657 N. Kedzie Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60647
Unfortunately, no reservations
Web: http://www.longmanandeagle.com/

The Purple Pig
500 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Ph: +1 312-464-1-PIG
Web: http://www.thepurplepigchicago.com/

The Princess of Shoreditch
76 Paul Street,
London, UK EC2A 4NE
Ph: 020 7729 9270
Web: http://www.theprincessofshoreditch.com/

The Fat Radish
17 Orchard Street,
New York, NY, 10002
Ph: +1 212 300 4053
Web: http://thefatradishnyc.com/

Nolita House
47 E Houston Street,
New York, NY 10012
Ph: +1 212 625 3242
Web: http://www.nolitahouse.com/

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Hello from NYC

Happy Belated Independence Day!

Yes I know it was back in July and now it’s August. Independence Day in the US reminded me of how we spend Australia Day. It started off with a breakfast of homemade margaritas (with my new blender), sitting on the rooftop with my feet burning on the hot roof, beer and rice paper roll lunch then a night of burgers, cheese, wine and fireworks! As you see in the photo above, it feels like NYE in Sydney.

So for the past few months, I have been hard at work eating my heart out. Luckily I don’t own scales so I cannot say whether my body size has been affected by this, but I’m pretty sure it has. That’s one thing to watch out in NYC… the heaviness of the food!

Happy Independence Day!

(...)
Read the rest of Hello from NYC #2 – My Food Trail (1,898 words)

© teresa for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Hello from NYC, Momofuku

With the constant fantastic food that always seems to find its way into my stomach, the lack of exercise and a thin wallet, it seemed unlikely that we would have a big breakfast any time soon. Unlikely, but I guess not improbable… hence our fattiness on a sunny, but chilly Saturday morning.

Carcade - Egyptian Hibiscus Tea ($3.80)

(...)
Read the rest of Kazbah on Darling, Balmain (Round 2) (1,006 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, pork, Seafood

When we got there, I was thankfully more my sunny self but we were both disappointed to find out that the cafe was closed! For a moment we were at a bit of a loss at what to do until an idea struck me. “What if we went to Kazbah?” I asked. “I’ve been meaning to go there for ages! Come on, let’s go… pleeeeease?” I was wheedling at this point and I didn’t care, but as F didn’t have a back up plan, he shrugged and said “Why not?” Woohoo!

As we turned up without a reservation on a supremely busy Sunday morning, the next available timeslot for us was about an hour. We were about to decline the booking when an awesome looking dish went by and we simultaneously asked the waiter to book it in for us.

I have to admit that this post is a bit of a mixed bag, as waiting an hour for a table at Kazbah on Darling enabled us to check out what’s around the area.

Random Stuff

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

I needed a weekend out of the house, and not just on the soccer field. After a few days of emails, we decided to go for a bushwalk in the Blue Mountains. It was 29 degrees and hot in Sydney, but 20 degrees and raining in the Blue Mountains. Factor in humidity, wet surfaces and leeches, some of us wished we had stayed back at home.

(...)
Read the rest of Megalong Tea Rooms, Blue Mountains (1,094 words)

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2010. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cake, coffee, tea

After a bit of agonising I decided to go ahead with the New Zealand trip having already organised the majority of our routes and not wanting to let down my friends. After all, I’ve been to Singapore before and the only thing I knew about New Zealand was that:

• They have a lot of sheep (delicious, delicious sheep).
• Skiing is popular, snowboarding too.
• A small trilogy known as The Lord of the Rings was filmed there.
• Strange accents. I would soon learn that my pronunciation of ‘Six’ would instantly out me as an Australian.

In the end I didn’t regret going to New Zealand at all, it’s next to impossible to regret going on a holiday regardless of where you end up.

I also would have never have had the opportunity to eat an amazing dinner at Fleur’s Place in Moeraki, followed closely by an equally awesome breakfast the next day.

(...)
Read the rest of Fleur’s Place, Moeraki, New Zealand (2,287 words)

© Minh for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 19 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Dessert, Dinner, favourites, New Zealand, Seafood

Despite the seemingly crazy tactic to alleviate my need to snowboard, I do get to be deliciously fuelled for the day at Serges Cafe and snack on freshly made doughnuts after.

Bacon and Egg Roll ($6.90)

Breakfast

Serges Cafe is a tiny store-in-a-wall place in the heart of Jindabyne. Despite the early hour we would get there, there’s always a line out the door of hungry customers – waiting to order or get their order.

Bacon and Egg Roll ($6.90)

The fresh, un-buttered roll is usually lightly toasted and filled with juicy, tender bacon (complete with rind) and the over-easy eggs with the yolk broken by quickly swilling the egg shell in it. Generously sauced (served up with your choice of sauce), the bacon and egg roll is F’s perfect breakfast to have before hitting the slopes.

(...)
Read the rest of Eating at the Snow, Jindabyne (280 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bacon

If I was asked to name a suburb starting with B, Banksmeadow probably would be the last one I would think of. To many, it is also an unlikely destination for a very popular bakery and cafè which knows a thing or two about making good bread. The queues don’t lie though, however when I got to Brasserie Bread at 8am on a Saturday morning with my partner there was only one other person sipping away at her coffee while reading the paper. Fast forward 30 minutes at 8.30am and the place is packed to the rafters and you would be hard pressed to find a spare seat in the cafè if you arrived any later.

On first look, Brasserie Bread attracts a wide demographic. I see new Mum’s and Dad’s sitting down with a coffee and reading the paper, with pram on the side with their new love and joy. I also see middle aged couples still dressed in their gym gear, buying freshly baked bread for a breakfast back at home while dodging kids which are running into the cafè. Next to our table is an elderly couple wondering what I am doing with a big camera at this time of morning taking photos of my food, life as a food blogger is tough. It seems Brasserie Bread appeals to the masses, they make bread cool again.

(...)
Read the rest of Brasserie Bread, Banksmeadow (669 words)

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bakery

Breakfast has never been so good

I know this might sound like a bit of a daft thing to do, but on discovering it was a long weekend, we bought tickets to fly down to Melbourne… to eat. And I know this is a bit late in coming, but the subsequent posts from me will be detailing our gastronomic weekend in Melbourne.

I’ve never had eggs benedict before and thought that I couldn’t go wrong having my first taste of it in Melbourne, being the supposed food capital of Australia and all. I found European on Breakout Melbourne and their review made it sound quite promising.

I think we came at the height of the breakfast period at 10:30 am, as there weren’t many free tables left and we were seated near the back (I was so sad! It was gorgeous outside and the photos would have turned out so much better).

My lamentations stopped when I realised we were seated right next to the service window. We could see the (seemingly disembodied) heads of the chef and kitchen hands busily working away, with the chef tersely asking for things to be done or if it was done.

Glimpse into the kitchen

It was kind of cool to hear the chef gently berating his cooks for not communicating and one of the waitress for taking plates all willy-nilly.

Eggs Benedict ($17.50)

(...)
Read the rest of European, Melbourne (338 words)

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 17 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Breakfast, egg