Ramen Ikkyu, Chinatown

Although this epiphany has been a long time brewing, I came to the final conclusion in Tokyo (after some particularly porky ramen soup) that Ramen doesn't quite agree with me. I'm often left feeling a bit gurgley in the stomach, which sucks as I really love eating ramen.

This is probably not the end for moi and ramen though, don't you worry!  Of course, I'm willing to suffer for my food blog as I just had to try Ramen Ikkyu which opened in Chinatown last year to much fanfare (and long queues).

As with most places in Sydney if you wait long enough the queues will die down and this food stall, which is tucked away in the corner of the Sussux Centre Food Court in Chinatown was blissfully not crowded when I arrived for an early after work dinner.

There are so many different types of ramen broth that I find it really really really confusing - salt, soy, miso, chicken, pork, chicken AND pork, chicken and pork with seafood. Wikipedia has been no help so I have NFI what's going on. I *think* that ramen broth/stock is some varation of chicken/pork/whatever and then that broth is flavoured with salt, soy or miso. If I'm wrong let me know...and if you know the deal again, PLEASE let me know.

Ooooh, touch screen ordering! Fun!

The base stock here is a mixture of pork and chicken (aka Paitan) and is described as having quite a "rich mouth feel". This should've been a warning to me that I was going to get "the gurgles" but I went ahead anyway (I'll give you 10 guesses at how this meal ended for me *gurgle*). It looks SO good though, doesn't it?

I ordered the "Chef's Special" ($13.50) which comes with black garlic oil and chilli. I just LOVE the slightly burnt, smokey flavour that the black garlic oil gives the broth. It's quite addictive.

The ramen here is HUGE and comes loaded with egg, bamboo shoots, pork belly, seaweed, shallots, bean sprouts etc etc. As soon as I saw the bowl I instantly knew it was a mistake to order an extra serve of pork on the side but for $3.00 it's hard to resist all the little extras you can buy to top up your bowl.

Needless to say I couldn't finish my meal...even with the extra serve of pork it was WAY too big. Lord knows then how anyone takes up the free offer of "kaedama" - an extra serve of noodles to go with any leftover broth you have left. Gurgle.

Ramen Ikkyu is at Shop F1A - Sussex Centre, 401 Sussex Street, Haymarket. Call them on 9281 0998.

Chinese Noodle House, Haymarket (Chinatown)

It's not long before The BFF and are back at The Prince Centre to try "the other" Chinese Noodle joint nestled in this little complex - Chinese Noodle House.

As far as I can tell Chinese Noodle House is pretty much the same restaurant as its doppelgänger, Chinese Noodle Restaurant.  There's just a few shops separating these two eateries - but that's about the only thing that seems to separate them. The menu seems the same, as does the decor - inside and out.

The Mapo Tofu is served with rice and is a steal at just $9.50.  This dish is excellent.  It's my first time trying Mapo Tofu and I'm IN LOVE! The silken, soft tofu that had a really good savoury, salty hit and as I ate each spoonful I was already anticipating the next.  I've heard that this Mapo Tofu is often served with mince pork, but I honestly don't know how that could make the dish any better for me.

I would've been happy to continue with the vegetarian theme for the night, but The BFF was in the mood for something meaty - enter the Spring Pancakes with Beef ($8.80 for two rolls). These rolls were beyond ENORMOUS - each being the size of an Indian Dosa and stuffed to overflowing with a filling of beef, beanshoots and other veggies.  They were also enormously messy and impossible to eat with chopsticks - definitely finger food. I really enjoyed this dish.

Pork + Chive pan-fried dumplings ($8.80 for a dozen). Sometimes dumplings like this can be quite oily with the filling being a bit...insipid BUT I'm glad to report this was not the case here. Each dumpling had a lovely, crispy bottom and the filling was moist and flavoursome. Two hoofs up from me.

I had a great meal at Chinese Noodle House.  Best of all it was filling AND cheap. All up we spent just over $27 for two people (AND I got to take one of the spring pancakes home to have for lunch the next day).
 

If I had to choose between Chinese Noodle House and Chinese Noodle Restaurant would I? Could I? No way, why choose when I can go to both. What would you choose "dear reader"?

Chinese Noodle House is at 8 Quay Street, TG2 Prince Centre, Haymarket, Chinatown.

Chinese Noodle Restaurant, Haymarket (Chinatown)

The first time I’d ever tried handmade Chinese noodles was at the minuscule Chinese Noodle House which is nestled on the ground floor of Chinatown’s Prince Centre. I’d walked past a few times since then with the plan of ducking in and having a plate of the fat, chewy noodles but each time I walked away from the Prince Centre totally bamboozled.

You see there are TWO restaurants in this complex...just a few doors apart...that look the same. Same same but different. Chinese Noodle House vs Chinese Noodle Restaurant. What’s the difference? I have no idea? They look the same. Their signage is the same...same colours + same font. The both have picture menus on the store window with smiling waitresses outside who try to coax you inside to partake of their noodles (and other goodies).  Both restaurants have the same tables and chairs. The plastic grape vines hanging form the ceiling are the same in both restaurants. I assume they are owned by the same same people too?

I’m SO confused. It’s like a bizzaro world of Chinese food.

I drag The BFF to The Prince Centre one night to help me figure out where I’d eaten my first dose of handmade noodles. We work out it was Chinese Noodle HOUSE but end up eating at the Chinese Noodle RESTAURANT for some reason unbeknownst to me.

Chinese Noodle Restaurant, just like its doppelgänger Chinese Noodle House, is TINY! The restaurant only seats about 30 people and we are packed in tighter than sardines. The staff run the place with the military precision akin to so many cheap and cheerful eateries.  The goal is get us in, feed us and get us out to allow more people from the line outside to get their fill of dinner here. If you go to a restaurant like this knowing what to expect, which is brisk + efficient service usually without a smile you'll have a great + tasty time. Go in expecting to be treated like you're in a three star restaurant with the staff pandering to your every whim and you'll walk away wondering WTF just happened.

The meal starts as most do in a cheap + cheerful Chinese eatery – with complimentary tea and me asking for a fork! My constant request for a fork in eateries like this always brings a smile to the face of staff (probably as they think to themselves "this girl's an idiot").

As well as handmade noodles, these restaurants are well know for their dumplings - both the pan-fried + steamed varieties. We kick things off with a serve of Light Pan-fried Dumplings ($8.00 for 12 dumplings). The filing of pork and chives is moist with a good hit of garlic and the thick pasty is deliciously pan-fried until the bottoms are brown + crisp.  We each make ourselves a little bowl of vinegar and soy from the condiments available on the table and happily dip our dumplings.

Our next dish is the Special Braised Eggplant ($11.80). It's a flavoursome dish with a rice sauce coating the eggplant.  The eggplant is lovely and tender, although our plate of eggplant is a smidgen too oily.

The Xinjiang style stir fry noodles ($9.80) is the last dish to arrive at our table. If I gave the impression that dishes are being delivered to us one at a time then I'm sorry! Within 10 minutes ALL our food is on our tiny table and we gobble things up to make room for the other plates.  The noodles are wonderfully plump + chewy and super l-o-n-g so that slurping is required (think Lady and The Tramp). Our noodles come with beef (though you can choose whatever you like) and thick chunks of capsicum and tomato.

As we leave the Prince Centre and head to Central Station the BFF points out another same same restaurant, Chinatown Noodle Restaurant. Now I'm more confused than EVER!

Chinese Noodle Restaurant is at TG7, Prince Centre - 8 Quay Street, Haymarket Chinatown. Phone them on 9281 9051.

Petaling Street, Chinatown

This post has been a L-O-N-G time coming! I first went to Petaling Street, a Malaysian hawker-style restaurant in Chinatown, as I was desperate to try Asam Laksa...whatever that was. The plan was to duck into Petaling Street, try a bowl of Asam Laksa one night and then come back to work my way through the menu in order to right a decent and well-rounded blog post.  Yep, never happened.

It's amazing how much I've learned about food since I started blogging. The most wonderful thing about the blogging community is that there are so many people all from different backgrounds - Australian, Polish, British, Indonesian, Filipino, Malaysian...just to name a few. This great big blogging melting pot means I'm always hearing about food that is totally new to me.  Take Asam Laksa for instance.

I noticed a lot of talk on twitter about Asam Laksa but had no idea what it was. At first I though it was just a generic Malaysian phrase for "Laksa"...wrong.  When I think of Laksa I think of that coconut milk based soup that we're all familiar with from our lunchtime food court visits. You know the one - a huge steaming bowl crammed with noodles, tofu puffs, chili paste, coconut milk and topped with bean shoots and coriander. For people "in the know" this is referred to as "Curry Laksa".  It's lovely and for the longest time I was ADDICTED. But now I've developed a new addiction.

Asam Laksa is incredible - a thick, potent tamarind based broth that is both sour and slightly sweet from the various garnishes like pineapple.  The noodles are thick, chewy and perfect for slurping - this is not a dish to indulge in whilst to be wearing a white t-shirt. The broth is dotted with shredded mackerel which lends the soup a lovely chewy texture and the garnishes of cucumber, mint, pineapple, red onion are a nice crunchy counter-balance to the soft noodles. It's like a soup and a salad all in one dish.

I've been back to Petaling Street quite a few times now and I can never EVER order anything but Asam Laksa. It's THAT good. 

On one hot day I did manage to order myself a Lychee Drink - just to prove I'm not totally boring. It's sweet and refreshing and I always think that eating lychees is so exotic.

I dragged The BFF along on one visit and he kindly ordered something other than Asam Laksa...for the blog, bless him.  The Pork Hock is flavoursome but there's not a lot of meat on it so it's a bit too much hard work after a long day at work. There is a generous serving of noodles and greens...but I'm thinking he should've ordered an Asam Laksa.  I mean, why wouldn't you?

Petaling Street is at 760 George Street,  Haymarket. Try the Asam Laksa - you owe it to yourself.

Hana Hana, Chinatown

Move over Menya Mappen - there's a new (udon noodle) kid in town!  Hana Hana is a "same-same but different" Japaense udon-noodle canteen that has put down stumps in the thick of Chinatown.

You know when someone tells you a really good secret and you wonder if you should tell others about it cos then it won't be a secret anymore. Well, that's what Hana Hana is like for me.  The concept at Hana Hana is pretty much the same as Menya Mappen - quick, cheap, delicious noodles, in a self-serve canteen type place...but less crowds (so far).  I like it.  I hope Mappen-like queues won't begin to form shortly...or ever

I'm pretty taken with the cool touch-screen ordering kiosks that greet you upon first entering Hana Hana. Just make sure you consult the board outside before you go in to order...so the line keeps moving along (if there is a line that is).  And don't forget your ticket so you can collect your oodles of noodles at the counter.
 

There's a great selection of fried tempura goodies to choose from - and some really different things too such as King Brown Mushroom Tempura, Crysthanamum + Tuna Tempura, Fish Cake + Cheese Tempura. Decisions decisions.  Just around the corner from the tempura station a tempting array of salads and ramen toppings await. God, I feel so happy here!

The BFF (who'd already visited Hana Hana without waiting for me to join him as promised) nabs himself a bowl of the Ontama Bukkake with Chaudon Noodles ($5.40). In English - that's bright green Udon Noodles (that are green due to the use of green tea powder I believe) with a soft boiled googy egg.  He also selects a basket of Mixed Tempura goodies ($3.00), an Ebi (Prawn) Tempura ($3.00) and a Seaweed Salad ($2.00). So all up his feast cost him just under $15.00.

My dinner is not too different from The BFF's. I'm pretty happy with my bowl of plain Bukkake Udon sans egg ($4.20) and I could not pass up the delicious sounding King Brown Mushroom Tempura ($2.00) which was chewy + meaty. The Crysthanamum + Tuna Tempura ($3.00) sounded so exotic and was so crispy it shattered into pieces with every bite. I've got a bit of a thing for Japanese potato salad ($2.00) so that also graces my tray.

Despite having inhaled what may look like A LOT of food we're still a bit peckish so indulge in a few more pieces of fried goodness plus a prawn salad. I love that Hana Hana has a loyalty program - each time you take your dirty tray/plates back to the counter you get a stamp on your loyalty card. Five stamp = a free bowl of Bukkake!

It's not long before The BFF and I are meeting up for another Hana Hana dinner. The BFF is having an early dinner in preparation for a second dinner later on (seriously - he should be a food blogger!) so opts for a half serve of Tonkatsu (Pork) Ramen ($4.70). He's pretty impressed and think it tastes close to the "real deal".

I wanted a bowl of plain Bukkake like I had on my first visit, but there was a massive Lost in Translation moment with the women helping us at the kiosk and I ended up with a HUGE bowl of Kake with Udon instead ($4.20). It's pretty much the same thing to be honest, but the noodles come in a big bowl of broth, rather than sitting in a few scoops of the mystery sauce that Bukkake comes in. I also had to ask for a lemon wedge (oh, the horror) and because there is so much broth you don't get that nice lemony slurry when you near the bottom of your bowl.  Did I like it? Yes. Would I order it again? Yes. And I did about five minutes later!

The BFF wanted dessert so ordered a round of Mochi ($3.00) - a Japanese glutinous rice cake. One of the balls had a red bean filling and the other was Vanilla flavour. I've never been a fan of Mochi as I don't like red beans, but The BFF thought these were tops. My dessert was a half serve of Kake Udon ($2.60) - cos you can NEVER have too many noodles.

So was Hana Hana as good as Mappen. Probably. If the lemon that was served with my noodles had been a bit more juicy my noodles would've been tangy perfection. I loved the different choices of Tempura - things I've never seen battered or fried before!  Will I be back (again)? Hell yeah!

Hana Hana is at 5/209 Thomas Street, Haymarket.

Umi Kaiten-Zushi, Haymarket

As the BFF and I sat stuffing are faces full of sushi at the sushi train at Umi Kaiten-Zushi I couldn’t help but wonder (she says channeling her inner Carrie Bradshaw) isn’t a little...mean to have a big fish tank in the middle of the sushi train where the fish can watch us eating their relatives? 

Occasionally we’d look up from our fishy feast and spot the fish in the tank staring right at us. I felt a bit guilty, but not guilty enough to stop eating. In fact between us we polished off FOURTEEN plates of sushi. Sorry fish, but you were really tasty.

Whenever I’ve walked past Umi Kaiten-Zushi there has been a line out the door, but this was our lucky night as it seems people are less likely to queue for food when it’s bucketing down outside.  I hope this theory rings true as I’m attempting to visit Jamie’s Italian tonight where I’ve heard tales of someone  waiting TWO HOURS to get a table.

The billboard outside Umi's entrance boats over 100 different types of sushi. With an offer like that how could we resist?

Let the feasting begin...

Fresh salmon topped with Seaweed Salad - a nice way to kick things off.

Fresh salmon topped with fish roe - fancy

Cooked Tuna Ship - my favourite (cos I have boring Aussie tastes perhaps)?

Money Bag type things stuffed with plump, juicy prawns

Drumroll - ROAST PORK BELLY roll. A sushi revelation I tell you.

No idea what this is...but it was tasty.

Salmon Nigiri - that has had the blowtorch treatment.

Tuna Nigiri with sesame seeds

This is what happens when you can't use chopsticks...wah, my sushi! I ate it anyway though.

Eel Nigiri - don't knock it til you've tried it as it's damn tasty.

Edamame - nice.

Some soft of blow-torched fish - mystery fish sushi.

Soft Shell Crab handroll - really really good, espeicaly as it was freshly made to order.

Crab Claw - another favourite.

Some sort of flan type dessert - couldn't quite pick out the flavour, not caramel though (boo).

We had a discount voucher for 25% off our meal (or $20 - whichever was the smaller amount) so our meal ended up costing $40 which is fairly good for two people considering the amount of food we ate.  Without the voucher it would've been $60 - still not bad really, especially as we ate quite a bit of fresh salmon and other not so cheap plates.