Review: Ajisen Ramen, Chinatown

So I've been working non stop and I needed a quick bite after university so the boy decided to meet me after class and we wandered down to Chinatown. What better chance than to try a new ramen joint? Hell I've walked past Ajisen a thousand times it was time to walk in. It's a chain ramen restaurant but it's from kyushu and has 4 decades of success so I figure it's got to be pretty good to stay alive in Sydney where ramen joints abound.

From the outset it wasn't great. I order drinks, they don't have diet coke. Oh okay I think, they have Grape Calpis, no no, they're out of that too, in fact they're out of anything I drink, they're also out of the boy's juice.

We order, a kind of standard order for us. Tofu and gyoza, tan tan ramen for me and karaage ramen for the boy.



Tofu with bonito and spring onions $5.90

The sauce the tofu is in is almost non existent, the ginger that usually comes with such a dish is actually non existant and I dig sadly through multiple layers of bonito before discovering this and put soy on my tofu which is required to give it some flavour.



Gyoza $6.50

The gyoza don't actually arrive until after we receive the ramen and they were without anything except for the smallest amount of ponzu but really they were the best part of the meal so I don't really complain about them.





Karaage Curry Ramen $10.90

We were very intrigued by the curry addition to this ramen. Sadly the additions weren't great. The egg was a strange texture and the cabbage was quite wilted. The karaage was obviously prefrozen and contained a great deal of fat and gristle, enough that the boy didn't finish it and I didn't want to :o(



Tan Tan Ramen $11.90

The tan tan ramen was equally disappointing. The soup was separated on arrival and I think it was either powdered or made some time ago and stored. It wasn't particularly rich or hot enough for my tastes. The noodles were obviously dried and not made fresh. There was no egg in my soup and there wasn't really enough vegetables. The pork was quite nice though, but didn't dissolve into my soup in the way that I like.

We left quite disappointed and I didn't actually finish my meal which is extremely unusual in a ramen restaurant. I comment to the boy that the quality is about the same as the tan tan ramen I ordered at a Denny's in Tokyo for breakfast, and really that says it all... the quality is akin to what you get in an American chain restaurant in Japan... at breakfast time.

Ajisen is a fast food chain and really it shows. To be honest if I lived somewhere else it wouldn't have been that bad. Given the comparative quality and the sheer volume of ramen in Sydney and with Ramen-kan almost next door with much better quality food for much the same price I feel no need to return and I wonder that they don't lose a lot of business. I suspect that the main drawcard is that they're open late in the city.

Still they can't all be positive reviews right?

Ajisen Ramen
94 Hay Street
Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9211 8380

No booking required
Limited drinks menu, no alcohol

Taste of Sydney: Sweets and drinks

Balzac: Bread and Butter Pudding $8

Being a fan of comfort food and an incredible sweet tooth this dish was pure heaven; warm sweet and soft. The custard was caremalised and I suspect they've used a brioche or other similar sweet bread to complete. A simple classic done very well, the perfect wish for any true food lover, this is a real winter's delight. Would order again (and again).



Jonah's at Whale Beach: Vanilla panna cotta with lavender honey and fresh pomegranate $8

I'm not sure this dish was the best idea for a warm outdoor festival. The dessert quickly took a slightly wobbly texture reminiscent of a nude beach on mother's day, eventually my "nipple tip" came off to the delight of those around me on the walk back to my seat. The texture and taste were well worth the giggles. Smooth rich panna cotta heavy with vanilla bean and wild honey. I don't think the pomegranate was needed - it really is the ingredient du jour in Sydney but it certainly didn't detract.



Centennial Parklands Dining: Goat Cheese Marshmallow with strawberries and basil $8

Goat's cheese is one of those items that is very much part of the adult palette. As a child I could never stomach it but as I've gotten older and wiser, and my Lactose intolerance has worsened my appreciation of goats cheese has grown. This soft sweet and very neutral dessert was well matched with the basil gratin and sweet berries.

And of course it wouldn't be my blog if we didn't pause and have a drink or 5....




Longrain: Ping Pong 42 Below Vodka cocktail $12

Freshly shaken 42 Below (pure glacial water New Zealand vodka highly recommended) with fresh passionfruit pulp, lychee and lime



Assiette: Strawberry Bellini with strawberry & cinnamon donut $8





Chandon NV Free with VIP ticket

Aaaah endless sparkling wine, and of a label I quite like, excellent.

For those who don't know the Chandon NV range is the work of the Domaine Chandon vineyards in California, USA and Victoria, AU using French vines imported from the Champagne regions but using the staff, techniques and climate of the newer warmer vinting lands. By using the traditional methods with a new world flair this has really made a shining example for what Australian sparkling can be. For my money I consider this better than Moet & Chandon, but that is potentially fuelled by years of Australian wines giving my palette a distinct bent. At ~$25 a bottle you should definitely give it a try because it's well worth seeing past the label and wondering where the "moet" went. It's a fairly standard Pinot/Chardonnay blend, aged on yeast for 15-18 months. Crisp finish with strong yeast, excellent with rich food.



Beechworth Sparkling Honey and Ginger soft drink 250ml $2.50

This fresh light and sweet all natural soft drink was a treat on a hot day, and even better later that night with a shot of vodka. I don't generally drink non diet drinks but this was too good to pass on. There was also a plain honey variety reminiscent of a sparkling mead and their website notes a honey and lemon version which I am very keen to try.

Taste of Sydney: The savouries

The Taste festivals have been started in Sydney and Melbourne to show case local food suppliers and restaurants. had a spare VIP ticket and so off we went to foodie it up. The tickets came with $30 of Crowns, which they insisted on using as some form of gourmande Itchy and Scratchy Money. For the purpose of this blog though I will use dollars as the crown to dollar value was one to one.

To be honest I will definitely be coming back, it gave me a great chance to try some restaurants I haven't been to in Sydney yet as well as sampling some gourmet ingredients from the local area. The VIP tickets were of questionable value as the VIP marquee didn't have enough spaces to sit nor did it have air conditioning. If I had been less tired and more inclined to take advantage of the endless Chandon NV this would have made it worthwhile but I had slept for 2 hours after working an overnight shift and knew that too much alcohol would send me straight to sleep.

The prices on the dishes was a little high for the size but not necessarily unexpected given the quality of the restaurants involved. My largest complaint though has to be the timing. It was about 34C most of the day and the entire festival was outside with very little seating in the shade. The entire festival would have been vastly improved by being held 6 weeks later. I am told that the dinner session got rained out.

My highlight for the day (apart from the mouthgasmic beef) has to have been the hungry eyes of foodies everywhere unashamedly dashing up to you and squealing "where did you get *that*!?" while pointing gleefully at your plate. I love that shared obsession.

We ate a great deal on the day so here are the savoury dishes only to start with...



Plan B: Wagyu Beef Burger $12

I'd been hearing about this burger via the blogosphere for quite some time so I was really looking forward to it, it seemed so were the rest of the festival. The line was about 5 deep when I got to the stall and seemingly everyone was carrying one and eating while rolling their eyes in pleasure. For the sake of it I've been trying to remember a better burger that I've ever eaten but I can't even with a standard bun in place of the brioche loaf used at the restaurant. Plan B is the cafe that hangs off of Becasse restaurant in Clarence St in the city, and worth a trip for the burger which is on their standard menu at $10.



Danks Street Depot: Pastrami of Kingfish with Smoked Oysters and a Cucumber and Apple Salad $14

Danks Street Depot is a particular favourite of and a large supporter of the slow food movement.



Bird Cow Fish: Braised beef cheek and roasted onion & Jerusalem artichoke pie; red wine jus (sour cream and Careme Puff Pastry) $12



Assiette: Loin & crumbed belly of lamb with basil mayonnaise & a tomato olive jus $12



Berowra Waters Inn: Arancini Of Truffle Risotto & Buffalo Mozzarella, Spinach & Fennel Sauce $10



Balzac: Wagyu Beef Bourguignonne' with Truffled Cauliflower and Onion Rings $10

The rich beef and crisp pastry of this dish came with a truffled cauliflower foam and fried onion rings, the meat was so rich and tender it melted in the mouth. I literally could not stop thinking about this dish for days.

The entire Balzac menu is that particular form of rich European style food that reaches out and strokes my brain into paroxysms of pleasure. Enough that I went back for second servings, spoke to the staff for several minutes and then insisted the boy book us for dinner for our anniversary... so keep an eye out for the upcoming blog entry.

More to come with sweets tomorrow... in fact now that my project release is in expect a swathe of "catching up" entries of food over the last fortnight now that I have free time to blog once again

Recipe: Beef and red wine stew

It's starting to get cool in Sydney, and long stressful nights have meant plenty of comfort food.



Beef and red wine stew

2 cups stock
1 cup red wine
400g beef
100g bacon
2 large carrots
5 baby potatoes
1 medium sweet potato
1 large brown onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tspns smoked paprika
oil for frying

Method

Use a large stock pot or pasta pot with a good tight lid. Use marbled or medium fat beef, lean beef will become too tough in the stew.
Heat the oil in the pot and dice the onions, then sweat the onions.
Cube the beef and add to the pot, stirring occasionally until the meat is browned. Then add the bacon and brown.












While the meat is browning peel and chop the vegetables; cut the baby potatoes into quarters with the skins still on, the other vegetables should be a centimetre or so thick or they will lose consistency.




Any vegetables can be used, Vegetables should be cooked in the order of 'firmness' to ensure all items are ready at the same time. In this case we add the carrots first. Cook the carrots until they are bright and slippery with the meat juices, then add the sweet potato. Stir fry until the edges of the sweet potato pieces are slightly translucent, then add the normal potato and do the same.



Add the diced garlic and paprika and stir to coat the meat and vegetables.



Add the stock, here I have used a mix of home made chicken stock and commercial beef stock. The recipe is best with darker stock if you have it.
Then add the red wine, the liquid should reach the top of the stew ingredients. If they do not add more stock or wine to taste.



Leave to simmer on low - medium heat for at least 40 minutes or until the meat is at the desired consistency.
Service with crusty bread, perfect on a rainy day.

Recipe: Corn fritters

For all of those feeling a little worse for mardi gras, here's a little fried morning after treat.



Corn Fritters

1 cup sweet corn kernels
1 large red capsicum
1 medium brown onion
3 large eggs
1 cup milk (or soy milk)
1.5 cups self raising flour
Oil for frying

To Serve

Sour cream
Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce or Mexican Salsa

Method

• Dice the onion and capsicum into centimetre square pieces and place in a large mixing bowl


• Add the corn kernels and mix the vegetables through until evenly distributed


• Add 1 cup of flour and mix through until all the vegetables are well coated


• In a small bowl whisk the eggs and add half the milk, mixing well


• Add the egg and milk mixture to the vegetables stir through until a batter is formed, use the remaining milk and flour to meet the desired consistency; thicker batter will result in thicker fritters that require longer moderate heat for frying


• In a fry pan heat a palm sized pool of oil and add a large serving spoon of batter, when the batter begins to bubble flip over.


• Turn down the heat to a moderate temperature and fry evenly on each side, flipping regularly. The fritter is cooked when the middle springs back to the touch


• After cooking transfer to paper towel to soak off any excess oil; repeat the cooking process until all batter is used


• Serve 2-3 fritters warm with two spoons of sour cream and salsa or chilli sauce to taste

Review: Din Tai Fung, Sydney CBD

If you haven't discovered the sheer mouth heaven that is Din Tai Fung then I bid you go straight to dumplings, do not pass go, make sure to grab that $200, spend it all and clutch your stomach. Being honest it's a little bit trendy and the prices are quite high for the kind of food, but honestly I'm willing to pay for quality and the convenience of location.



Started from a small backstreet Taiwan family business Din Tai Fung has expanded into a delicious worldwide phenomena and now Australia has one tucked into the upper floor of World Square in downtown Sydney.



Din Tai Fung make high quality dumplings day round that are so good you'll squeal a little when you eat them. Fear not if you're one of these people that can't eat prawns and ergo goes starving at Yum Cha, there's a range of noodles, soups and meat based dishes that are almost as good as the heavenly dumplings.



Lychee Mint Frappe $3.90

This mocktail is so good that not only does the boy drool just talking about it but has even gone to the lengths of making me emulate the recipe at home. The mint is fresh and set off by the sweetness of the lychee, improved only I think by a shot of vodka that doesn't seem to be available.



Tofu and Pork floss with Century Egg (not pictured) $11.90

I might be a dedicated Egg (yellow on the inside, white on the outside) but I draw the line at eating century egg, and so I order this dish without. The tofu is fresh and sweet but not as good as some other restaurants in the area, I don't think they make it themselves or if they do they don't use high quality soya. The pork floss and soy though is so good that I gleefully swallow mouthfuls.



Won ton with 'tangy' sauce $8.80

The sauce that comes with this dish appears to be just the condiments on the table (vinegar, chilli oil, soy) however it is some magic ratio of each that I cannot determine and is so good that I drink the leftover sauce when the wontons are gone. The wontons themselves are slippery and light with fresh scallions and tasty pork filling. I could easily order another bowl if I didn't know we'd ordered other dishes.



Beef and spinach soup $8.90

This is the perfect dish for the unadventurous eater in any party; the soup is a rich beef broth which tastes like a thin gravy. In it are large lumps of tender broiled beef and fresh baby spinach leaves that are perfectly wilted and fresh in the mouth.



Pork and prawn shao mai $9.80

When you think that many Australians refer to the thick cheap "dim sims" sold in corner stores and supermarket freezers are these delicate items it makes you weep. These shao mai are of the Jiangnan style, the thick chewy dumpling skin houses a perfect tiny prawn, the pork and vegetable filling disintegrates and forms extra 'sauce' on the inside. These are the best shao mai I've eaten to date and if someone can find me better I may just marry them. I like to eat the prawn and then stuff the space with vinegar and ginger before eating.



What Din Tai Fung is famous for are their Xiao Long Bao (Soup dumplings) with paper thin skins that explode with delight into your mouth; here are instructions on how to eat them for the rare Westerners dotted around the room.



8 Xiao long bao $11.80

The xiao long bao here manage to have the thinnest skins I've ever seen and are each perfectly formed 18 fold dumplings. They appear fresh as a daisy and steaming hot, it is best to blow on them carefully after releasing the liquid filling. Excellent with vinegar and chilli the boy says of them that their only fault is that they are so good that they "somehow manage to make the shao mai seem boring." They've started selling them in a steamer of 8 which is good because 6 isn't enough but 12 is really too many.



Zhi ma bao $2.90

We are 'saving' ourselves for ice cream next door but we can't pass up at least one black sesame zhi ma bao, the soft white bread is fresh light and fluffy but it is the inescapable texture of the recently ground black sesame seeds that win us over every time, the pre-frozen variety do this dish no justice. For those who are unsure black sesame is somewhat like a rich nutty paste making this rather like a warm smokey peanut butter sandwich.

At $67 for two it's not the cheapest Asian restaurant but it's certainly the one that we make fond noises about and vow to come back to every time we drop by; and really we've ordered food we can't finish as we abandon the soup and the tofu in favour of dumplings. It's a bit trendy these days, and given that you can't book as with many Asian city restaurants my advice is that you get there before 7. You can order food while you wait in the line and the turnover in the restaurant is fast, you can come after the rush closer to 9pm but doing so will generally mean that things you want to eat are sold out. Being willing to share a table will definitely get you in the door faster and most groups are speaking in different languages (our table had Japanese, Malay and us honkies) so you don't feel like the conversation is being overhead/don't get distracted by the other diners.

The service is fairly prompt but somewhat impersonal, but it's a rare Chinese restaurant that I can say differently to. They greet you at the door and they whip away your empty plates, the food is hot and fast and the order is always correct. Besides the food is so good I could be served by automatons and still be happy.

Din Tai Fung Sydney
http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/index.asp
Shop 11. 04 Level 1
World Square Shopping Centre
644 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9264 6010

Bookings not taken

Lunch: 11:00am-2.30pm
Dinner: 17:00pm-22:00pm (last order 9.15pm)

Review: The Great Bagel and Coffee Co

On the rare occasion I get a lunch break long enough to be away from the office I eat at this place in Macquarie Park; The Great Bagel and Coffee Co. The premise is fairly simple, a large range of bagels and schmears and bagel sandwiches.

Once upon a time places like this were on every second corner in Brisbane but the low carb diet fad killed off every Bagel place I knew about. This made me rather sad as bagels are one of my favourite foods due to my carb junkie status. The impression I get is that this is an American chain but I've never seen another (though Google claims there are more in Bondi and Waterloo) and the entire place is run by bustling Asians. Due to their nebulous age I can't tell if they're international students who attend the local university or if they're the owner/managers who have bought into a franchise.



The menu contains a number of filled bagel sandwiches, from just a bagel and cream cheese, to classic American sandwiches, Bagel Burgers (I'm never game because they look amazingly filling) and Australian/Californian fresh salad fillings. You can choose from any of 14 bagel varieties and a glass cabinet full of fillings or one of their pre-compiled suggestions. A standard "bagel and schmear" with freshly mixed cream cheeses will set you back $4 but they're well worth it and they don't skimp on the cheese. Most of the "gourmet" filled sandwiches run from $7 - $10 which is on the high but not unheard of side of lunch prices in Sydney.



Turkey bagel, onion rings and glass bottled Diet Coke $15.70

Here I've ordered a fairly classic sandwich combination; Roast Turkey, Avocado, Brie, Cucumber and Cranberry Sauce on an Italian Herbs bagel. When it arrives it comes with a huge knife to cut the bagel in half. This is probably the smallest I've ever seen the filling and it's still enough to stuff you to the gills.

The onion rings here are potentially the best that I've ever had. I find most onion rings in the breaded style far too heavy, these however have been lightly dusted in flour only before being deep fried. They are crisp, sweet and fresh; though they are somewhat oily so I never make it past half way through the bowl. At only $3.50 for the bowl though I never mind, and they're so good that every time I order them some put upon parent glares at me as their child demands they get their own bowl immediately.

I also really like that they have classic glass bottled diet Coke as I'm trying to reduce the amount of plastic bottles I buy and only buy softdrinks in glass or aluminium where possible. Besides Coke just always tastes better in glass... it's something to do with the level of carbonation maintained.

It's not really the cheapest take out meal for lunch but it always makes me feel better when I'm feeling down. I always feel at home on the big long benches in the store as they're filled with other like minded corporate types reading the paper and pawing over laptops. Highly recommended.

Recipe: Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Another repost from my personal blog () the original recipe is taken from the Edmond's Cookbook a "family favourites" type cookbook which is a must in all good New Zealand homes. It's edited somewhat through years of abuse.



Carrot Cake

3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
3 cups of grated carrot
1/2 cup of walnuts roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of grated orange rind
1/4 cup of crushed pineapple

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius


• Use a large mixing bowl, metal is best due to the oilly consistency of the cake.


• Start with the eggs and oil, for best consistency you want large eggs of 68g or more. For oil I use olive oil however for lightness it is best to use canola. Beat eggs until thick and stir in the oil.


• Sift the flour and spice into the egg mixture and mix the sugar in at the same time.


• Grate the carrot and fold into the cake mixture with the pineapple. If crushed pineaple cannot be found then dice tinned pineapple well; pineapple in juice rather than syrup is better for the sweetness of the cake.


• Fold through the orange rind and walnuts, try and evenly mix the nuts through the cake.


• Pour the mixture into a tin, the nuts make deep tins inadviseable as they settle in the mixture. A ring tin allows even cooking and nut distribution.


• Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.


• After baking leave the cake in the tin for at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove as this prevents sticking and gives the cake time to shrink.


• Turn onto a cooling rack and leave until cool enough to ice.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 teaspoon butter
4 tablespoons cream cheese
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

• Beat butter and creamcheese together until a cream consistency


• Add sugar slowly and mix well


• Towards the end add the lemon juice and enough sugar to retain a frosting consistency


• Once cake is cool spread the icing over the cake and cool to set

Recipe: Greek Salad Batard

Okay so everyone knows how to make a sandwich but this is just one of my summer favourites and I was making one for lunch so I thought I'd photograph the process.



Greek Salad Batard

1/2 batard or baguette loaf
3 cherry tomatoes
1 inch of sliced cucumber
1 large slice of Spanish onion
1/2 cup butter lettuce leaves (washed)
1 tbsp olive tapenade
30g feta

Method

Cut the loaf in half and then slice open. Any good quality baguette or batard will work, this works nicely with a sourdough olive bread but I have a weakness for wholegrains so this is a soy and linseed with wheat germ.



Spread one half of the loaf with the tapenade, then cut the feta and place on the tapenade. Sometimes we use marinated feta, but in this case you will wish to crumble the feta into the tapenade and eat the sandwich straight away as the oil makes the bread rather moist. Keep in mind this adds about 150 calories to the meal so should be avoided by the weight conscious.

Pictured here is a smooth Danish feta which is less sharp and crumbly than a Greek feta; I find it far more suitable to sandwiches.













Cut all the salad ingredients into small pieces so that they may be easily piled on the baguette. Make sure to sharpen your knife before dicing the tomatoes; here I have used Nectar Tomatoes rather than Cherry, they are baby Roma tomatoes which are sweet and well textured for sandwiches.



Pile all the salad ingredients on top of the tapenade and feta then pile lettuce on to taste. Close the two halves of the bread and consume happily with a glass of sparkling mineral water.

This is a perfect lunch meal, filling but healthy and full of fresh ingredients that don't leave you feeling "heavy" afterwards. This sandwich can easily be made the night before and holds up well as an office lunch, earning any number of jealous looks from co-workers.



Some will know that I struggle to maintain my weight especially given my love of food and so I keep a regular food diary when maintaining my weight; I thought it may be of interest to others to get the nutritional totals for recipes where I have calculated them.