Eating Around Melbourne - The Savoury Edition

For those of you who read my last post thinking "damn she drinks alot of coffee"...well there was savoury (and sweet) food too here and there. Here's another recap of a few places I've popped by during my brief Melbourne weekend trip

CONE HEADS, MELBOURNE CBD

Chips and Gravy (R: $6.50, L: $7.90)

I arrived in Melbourne very late on Friday and the other girls wanted to get an early rest for the following day. Sadly, Huxtaburger CBD was closed and it was too cold to walk around so we stumbled upon a few fast food eateries close to our hotel and eventually settled on Cone Heads (not to be confused with that 90's comedy movie) because it's halal friendly. Sure it may not be the first thing that will pop up into your mind when you are in Melbourne but it actually has a few franchises including one that has just opened in Pakistan! It's the type of food that we can see ourselves eating after an epic night out clubbing. Despite the many layers of thick country style gravy coating the chips, it actually didn't get soggy. Was still quite crispy after we ate more of these chips back at the hotel. If you are a big fan of poutine, this is also available at Cone Heads. Perfect for a dirty, late night feed.

Cone Heads
Shop 6, 2-26 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
http://coneheadschips.com/
Sun-Thurs: 9:00am - 1:00am
Fri-Sat: 9:00am - 3:00am
 


BELLE'S HOT CHICKEN

A few week ago, I've had the pleasure of tasting Belle's Hot Chicken at Harpoon Harry's. Even though the wait a the pop up was agonising, it was worth it in the end. It was actually my second time tasting the Nashville-style hot chicken since I have also made a visit to the Fitzroy restaurant at the recent trip. The restaurant vibe had a similar noisy, pub-like vibe with a Melbourne hipster edge judging from the crowd and the atmosphere of the venue.

Bourbon Iced Tea

There were heaps of choices on the beverage menu - particularly wine. However, I was intrigued by their uniquely combined Bourbon Iced Tea. While there's that alcoholic taste from the bourbon liquor, the sweet ice tea makes it drinkable like a normal ice tea if straight bourbon isn't your strength. This is perfect to wash down after devouring the fried chicken pieces.

Belle's Hot Chicken Tenders with Mixed Pickles ($16.00)

For Belle's famous chicken, you get a choice of tenders, wings or dark meat (drumstick and thigh). At $16.00, the meat menu comes with a choice of 1 side for no extra cost. Feeling a little guilty about the food I've consumed all day, I opted for mixed pickles as my side dish. While it was called "mixed pickles", it was actually a variety of veggies with a sour taste that helps with the fatty flavour from the chicken. You also get to choose the level of spice for your chicken. FYI, I tried the hot level at Harpoon Harry and my tongue was already burning from that level let alone their hottest "Really f@$*in hot" flavour. At medium, I was already getting quick a kick from the spices though I thoroughly enjoyed its crumbled skin and tender chicken meat. Definitely one of my fave eats in Melbourne for this trip.

Belle's Hot Chicken
150 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
(03) 9077 0788
http://www.belleshotchicken.com/
Mon-Sun: 12:00pm - 10:00pm
 


KOKORO RAMEN

This review was mostly through the perspective of my friends T and AC who were still hungry after our visit to Supernormal. On the other hand, I was too full but went along to check it out with them. I did have a small tasting of each of the bowls and from what I can tell, they were completely satisfied with the ramen at this joint. 

Miso Ramen with Soft Shell Crab ($18.00) with extra Ajitama egg (additional $2.00)

The menu at Kokoro is 12 pages worth of food including many different types of ramen from various regions of Japan. It even gives you a bit of background history behind the origin of the ramen, which is pretty cool. There is even a ramen burger! GG. The miso ramen that T tried was based in the Sapporo region. It has a thick, tonkotsu pork broth with an additional miso paste for that tangy, slow-cooked flavour. This was served with an Ajitama egg (though T wanted more so he ordered an extra one!), bamboo shoot, spring onion, black fungi, sesame seeds and a thin, straight and firm egg noodle. Loved the colourful look of the broth and it seemed to be more flavoursome than some of the other miso ramens I've had in the past from what I've sampled. T gave this two thumbs up. 

Shio Ramen - small ($7.80) with Soft Shell Crab ($8.00)

AC got a smaller bowl of the lighter, salt-based Shio Ramen. This type of ramen was based in the Nagahama region in the southern island of Japan. The broth was clearer and not as flavoursome as the miso ramen but AC seemed to enjoy this as well. Both bowls had that irresistably gooey egg and the guys have also opted for the soft shell version, which was highly recommended at Kokoro ramen. It was crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and seemed to stood out so well in both bowls. The pork that came with the shio ramen was on the thick side and seemed quite tender from what I've tasted. It's a shame that I was quite full to get a proper experience at Kokoro Ramen but it was good to see the mates feeling so satisfied from their time here. 

Kokoro Ramen
157 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9650 1215
http://kokororamen.com/
Mon-Fri: 11:30am - 3:00pm, 5:00pm - 10:30pm
Sat: 11:30am - 10:30pm
Sun: 11:30am - 9:00pm
 

Stay tuned for the final Melbourne recap on The Random Foodie (for now) where I explore lots and lots of sweet stores in Melbourne CBD and South Yarra.

Work in Progress, Sydney CBD

I do love a good pop-up but sometimes you forget about it and then it's gone. It's even harder trying to go through the entire menu before the pop up close its doors. So imagine my relief when I heard that Patrick Friesen's (Papi Chulo) pop-up restaurant at Work in Progress has extended beyond the initial duration of March into Merivale. While it's still temporary for the time being, who knows what would happen in the long term. Just look at Cafe Paci (and I STILL haven't been there!).

Pork and Prawn Wontons, strange flavour, Sichuan pepper ($12.00, 4pc) 

The cuisine served at Work in Progress has a fusion of various Asian cuisines with a modern twist with a strong emphasis on their signature Korean fried chicken (more on that later). It also operates as a noodle bar with a small selection of Modern Chinese dishes. One of these was the Pork and Prawn wontons, which was offered as a snack. It was slightly spicy thanks to the Sichuan pepper and the "strange flavour" sauce which seems to have a bit of soya sauce, spices and peanuts among its many ingredients. While the silky wontons were slippery to handle, they were plump, firm and juicy to demolish before the main dishes arrive. The only downside was that the price for $12 for 4 pieces seemed quite steep especially when you can get double the amount for cheaper at other dumpling establishments. 

Shallot Pancake ($6.00)

While the shallot pancake was half the price of the dumplings, it was actually much more filling so the value for money in this dish was pretty damn good. You can easily get full on this dish if you order it for yourself. While it was nice to dig into the crispy thin layers of pastry, it was too salty than how I preferred. 

Curried Wagyu Brisket Lo Mien ($16.00)

Initially a limited time only dish, the Curried wagyu brisket lo mien noodles was upgraded to permanent menu status due to popular demand especially in the foodie scene (sadly the snow crab tobiko lo mien noodles had to be removed as well. Why not keep both? :p). Gotta say that I'm really glad that this dish is now on the menu. The egg noodles were a tad thicker, which was how I liked my egg noodles even though it's harder to find compared to the thinner variation. Plus the wagyu beef was amazingly soft, tender and the broth was rich, creamy and flavoursome. Would definitely order this again.

Sichuan Duck and Tofu Lo Mein ($16.00)

Speaking of thin noodles, this popular variation can be found on the other noodle bar dishes in this limited menu. It was quite spicy but still bearable enough especially if you want a bit of heat from this crazy weather lately (urghhh). Generous serving size too.

Combo #88 - Half n Half Fried Chicken: ginger nuoc cham, and chilli with peanuts ($18.00)

And now for that crispy fried chicken! At 8 pieces, this was surprisingly easy to devour if you are super hungry and this was the only dish you order for yourself on the night. It also came with a side dish of pickled daikon and kim chi, which ended up being handy once you need more than just fried chicken in your mouth. The chilli chicken with peanuts was sticky, sweet and slightly spicy, though it was easier to manage and also milder than the one I had at NaruOne. While the ginger nuoc cham fried chicken looked insatiably crispy, there wasn't too much of that earth shattering crunch that I was hoping to expect in the batter after looking at countless photos. Despite that, the chicken was well cooked, juicy and still crispy enough to devour the entire plate.

This is a restaurant that I would often find myself after work, whether it's for the food or a drink from their extensive cocktails and wine menu. Since it is a Merivale venture, it's no surprise that the prices were on the more expensive side. With its limited range of food options on the menu, it's an ideal place to get a large group of friends or colleagues together to share and try the entire menu in one sitting. 

Work in Progress
50 King Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9240 3000
http://merivale.com.au/wipbar
Mon-Fri: 12:00pm - 3:00pm, 6:00pm - 10:00pm (Bar: 12:00pm - late)

Ramen O-San, Haymarket

It was bound to happen eventually. A ramen joint at Dixon House Food Court! With Ramen O-San opening in early February, there is now a ramen joint at every food court in the Haymarket area (Gumshara at Eating World, Ramen Ikkyu at Sussex Centre and Hakata Maru at Market City). Plenty of choices for your Japanese noodle needs especially when winter is coming...soon. While the location did bring a slight uncertainty about its future given this food court's history with closing many of their shops pre-maturely (For Lease signs can still be spotted at many of their stalls), the international award-winning Ramen O-San might be a different story altogether.

O-San Ramen is owned by Chef Kazuteru, who also opened five ramen shops in Japan and one in Cambodia. Ramen O-San specialises in Kyushu-style Tonkotsu ramen, which has won the 'Top 3 Ramen' award in Kyushu, Japan. The Sydney shop is actually the first that you would most likely to spot when you walk down the stairs from the main entrance into Dixon House Food Court. Since it's located inside a food court, don't expect any fancy setting especially when you find yourself accidentally sitting on a tray left on the chair. In terms of service, the staff seemed quite friendly and it didn't take long for the food to get ready after we made our order. 

Similar to Gumshara, the pork bone broth in the tonkotsu ramen is MSG-free. Although our ramen came with pork cha-siu, spring onions and mushroom (depending what ramen you order), we had to order egg and nori separately at $1.50 extra. We both learnt it the hard way when I forgot my nori while KT forgot the egg. Oops...

Tonkotsu Ramen ($9.80) with Nori Seaweed ($1.50)

The original Tonkotsu (pork base) soup had a slightly similar texture to Gumshara's ramen broth. The pork bones were simmered for more than 10 hours so it was no surprise that there was that thick, creamy, collagen-like richness as you dig into the broth. However, it didn't have the same intense richness as Gumshara's so it was easier to finish in comparison. Plus the noodles were relatively thinner. While I didn't try much of it, KT commented that it was one of the more delicious ramens he has tried in Sydney so far. 

Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen ($10.80) with Marinated Boiled Egg ($1.50)

The above could also be said for my black garlic Tonkotsu ramen. Was a bit bummed at my lack of nori so I got a piece from KT's bowl (seriously it's just not the same without the nori!). The broth was flavoursome though the garlic was not very strong compared to the Sumo Ramen that is also on the menu (yet to try at time of writing this review). Loved the thin and springy noodles and the thick slices of pork cha-siu in my bowl which worked well with the ramen broth. Gotta love that gooeyness from the egg yolk too.

There were many other dishes that we haven't tried at this joint including the intensely garlicky Sumo Ramen, Spicy Ramen, Chicken Soy Ramen and Seafood Tsuke-men so will certainly be making more visits in the near future. Compared to a few of the other ramen shops in the city, the prices were actually on the cheaper end even when you order the extra egg and nori. However if you can only handle light-broth ramen similar to Ippudo, this might not be the ideal place for you. Hopefully this joint will stay as long as possible to bring that much needed spark and even a bit of cheeky ramen competition back into Dixon House Food Court along with its old school charm.

DISCLAIMER: The Random Foodie dined as a guest of Ramen O-San, courtesy of SD Marketing and Washoku Lovers. Opinions are however, my own.

Ramen O-San
Shop B01, Dixon House Food Court
Cnr Dixon Street and Little Hay Street, Haymarket NSW 2000
Wed-Mon: 11:00am - 8:30pm
http://www.o-san.com/index.html

Ippudo Central Park, Chippendale

By now you may or may not have heard that the worldwide famed Ippudo was in the process of opening their second Sydney branch at the newly developed Central Plaza across the street from good ol' UTS. Well the wait is over because this hotly anticipated restaurant will be opening its doors on 2nd October 2014 (WHICH IS TOMORROW YOU GUYS!!!). With branches all over the world, it's no wonder that Ippudo has been going strength to strength in Sydney.

Thanks to Sana from SD Marketing, I was invited to the soft opening of Ippudo Central Park before the official opening. This branch is situated in the dining district at the outdoor courtyard next to the likes of Max Brenners, Coco Cubano, Rib and Burgers, and Autolyse. While the two branches share the same name, that familiar greeting as you stepped inside the premises and the ramen, there's a decent array of entree dishes that are available exclusively to the Central Park branch. This includes the Ippudo Chasu Croquette ($8.00), Tomato Pickles ($8.00), and the Ippudo Fish and Chips ($14.00). Yup you read that right.

House-made Lemon Lime Bitters ($5.00)

At the time of our visit, alcoholic beverages and the pork buns were sadly unavailable but still, at least there's more room to try other dishes. The lemon lime bitter was so refreshing to have that I forgot to take a pic till I already drank half of it! Whoops...

Seared Salmon Sushi ($13.00) 

We were initially indecisive about what we should get for our entree to share. After much time spent on looking at the menu, we settled on sushi since we were curious on how Ippudo compares to the traditional sushi joints. Gotta say that we were surprised on how much we enjoyed this dish. The temari salmon tasted fresh while the rice had a nice, balanced texture. However, the mentai mayo and avocado added loads of zesty flavour with a slightly creamy texture that actually worked well with the sushi. Wouldn't mind ordering more if I can.

Platter of Additional Ramen Toppings

Since both CC and I ordered a Special version of the ramen of our choice, we received a platter of extra toppings including flavoured egg, simmered pork belly, roasted seaweed, black mushrooms, bamboo shoots and spring onions. I haven't tried the special version at the other branch to see if they also serve the extra toppings separately but I thought this was a good idea so you can decide how much you want to eat with your bowl instead of eating everything inside.

Tori Shoyu Ramen Special ($21.00) 

I wasn't feeling too well in terms of the stomach so I went with something a bit lighter that I haven't tried at Ippudo before, which was the Tori Shoyu Ramen Special. This type of ramen uses a chicken broth blended with special bonito extract, served with medium wavy noodles and topped with original chicken chasu, menna, leek and naruto. While the broth was lighter, it was full of flavour from all the ingredients even when I added most of the extras into the bowl. It was also fascinating digging into tender chicken and pork belly pieces in one go as your slurp up the contents. Very generous serving size especially with the additional toppings.

The finished dish with the extra special toppings

Akamaru Special ($24.00)

CC went along with her favourite Ippudo ramen, which was the Akamaru Shinaji (mine too) but decided to go up a notch and order the Akamaru Special. This was basically the Akamaru Shinaji (tonkotsu broth with miso paste and garlic oil with thin noodles, pork belly, black mushrooms and spring onion) with the platter of additional toppings as mentioned previously. Always enjoyed blending the miso paste with the tonkotsu broth just to see the beautiful result. 

Both CC and I were very pleased with what Ippudo Central Park has offered. We were even more excited about the new dishes that we could only get at this branch. While the prices are more expensive for the uni students in the area, Ippudo is definitely worth it for the deliciously unique dishes, spaced out and spotless decor and the welcoming and friendly service from the staff. Very keen to go back again to try the Miso Tonkotsu Ramen, the Ippudo Fish and Chips, and the Chasu Croquette on my next visit. With so many restaurants opening around Chippendale these days, it is no surprise that this quiet suburb will become one of the next upcoming food hub spot in Sydney. 



Disclaimer: The Random Foodie dined as a guest of Ippudo Sydney Central Park, courtesy of Sana from SD Marketing. Opinions are however, my own.

Ippudo Sydney Central Park
Level 1 RB07, 28 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2008
(02) 8078 7020
http://www.ippudo.com.au/
Opening Date: 2nd October 2014

Cho Cho San, Potts Point

I was going to write something special since it is the 3rd anniversary of my blog. Unfortunately, I spent most of the previous week feeling very sick with a terrible stomach bug to the point where I actually didn't enjoy looking at or even thinking about food for a while (hard to believe but it's true). To cheer myself up, I thought I might use this time to finish my recap on the epic feasting that happened at Cho Cho San late last month. Sorry if this review doesn't sound as exciting as it should be since my horrible tummy has turned me off food at the moment but it really was amazing. You should pay a visit to Cho Cho San one day. Seriously.

You know that saying "food is meant to be shared". With restaurants like Cho Cho San, it's better to go in a group to try as much from the menu as possible without doing too much wallet damage. This was exactly what me and a few good fellow Sydney food bloggers did when we had a late lunch at this renowned Modern Japanese restaurant a few weeks ago. With that many food bloggers in the house, it was no wonder that we tried almost everything off the menu!

Run by Sam Christie and Jonathan Bathelmess (who also owned The Apollo) as well as recruiting former Billy Kwong/Bodega/The Apollo chef Nic Wong as the head chef, it was no surprised that Cho Cho San became one of the hottest new Sydney restaurants. It was hard to find the restaurant at first after walking right past and ending up two streets away from it. This is one of those restaurants where you actually have to pay attention to the number of the address instead of the big shiny name. Once I stepped inside, I was surprised to see how busy this seemingly small restaurant really was. Gotta love that soothing lighting and neutral colours that were perfect for us when we spent lots and lots of time taking photos of the food.

Fried Eggplant Miso ($10.00)

I personally don't mind eggplant and heck fried eggplant miso sounds even better...cos fried food yeah. Was really surprised at how good this tasted especially with the texture. The batter was crunchy on the outside but soft and gooey on the inside especially when drizzled with miso sauce. Blew us away so much that we ordered a second serving later on. 

Fried Chicken ($14.00)

Yeah we drooled immediately when we spotted fried chicken on the menu. While it may not be as crunchy as NaruOne, it still had that crispy batter with a succulent juicy fillet that gets you addicted enough to want more than your share. It also tasted delicious with the wasabi mayo on the side.

Hokkaido Scallops, Corn, House-cured Katsuobushi ($18.00)

I do love a good scallop so I was excited to tr this dish when it arrived at our table. While the scallops were plump and refreshing, I was more curious about the corn puree lying beneath the sea of scallops. Couldn't help eating the scallops with the corn together which went along really well. Very unique ingredient combinations and flavours which was clearly the norm for Cho Cho San especially with many of the dishes that followed.

Tuna, Avocado, Pickled Eggplant ($22.00)

While the name for the above dish may sound plain and simple, the cubes of raw tuna with the pickled eggplant and the creamy avocado looked pleasing to the eye. Especially when topped with sesame seeds and drizzled with a soy based sauce. Tasted very refreshing. 

Beef Tataki, Wild Rice, Ginger Dressing ($18.00)

When this dish showed up, everyone was hesitant to eat it since the beef tataki did look raw. I mean sure we do like a good piece of raw steak but I guess this might not look pleasing to the eye at first. But you know that saying "do not judge a book by its cover"? Well this is one of those examples since it became one of my fave dishes. The thin slices of beef along with the ginger dressing were incredibly delicious especially when it melts in your mouth. Once again, we were surprised by the generous layer of wild rice buried under the beef tataki which added a buttery crunch to this soft dish. 

Petuna Ocean Trout, Black Pepper, Wasabi ($20.00)

While raw beef may got us shocked at first, we couldn't say no to sashimi. The ocean trout at Cho Cho San was thickly-sliced and blended well with the black pepper and wasabi (which wasn't spicy at all). The flavours may be subtle but the texture of the ocean trout was balanced and succulent for the taste-buds.

King Crab Omelette, Japanese Curry ($28.00)

I LOOOVE CRABS! (Sorry I've been wanting to write that in this blog for so long. And yeah the food kind of course.) I also love eggs so a king crab omelette dish is the one dish that I must get before leaving this restaurant. This was really a mouthful of flavours that will test your tastebuds. There's a good serving of crab in this dish which made me very happy. Loving the two different types of egg present in this dish too from the crispy omelette on the outer edges that encompasses the gooey egg yolk inside alon with the swirls of the curry sauce. Definitely a dish you seriously have to order here. 

Calamari and Lime Ponzu ($16.00)

The calamari was had a nice grilled texture that was chewy when you bite into it. However, the highlight of this dish was the tangy lime ponzu sauce splashed all over it.  

Udon Noodles, Pork, Chilli ($15.00)

You know what? After typing the price of this dish just then, I gotta say that I actually thought that this would be more expensive than $15.00 since the serving was larger compared to a few more expensive dishes. The udon noodles were slippery and cooked well with a nice bitey texture. The flavours were quite strong thanks to the chilli and minced pork though the whipped tofu balanced it out. Another dish that I would order again at a future visit. Sidenote: I think the chopped shallots/spring onions seemed to be a signature garnish since it was present in many of the dishes. 

Miso Cod, Celery, Ginger ($40.00)

I enjoyed the flavour and texture of the miso cod with its soft texture and a caramelised surface. The celery and radish were also refreshing to have at this point. However, $40 was way too steep given the serving size of the dish. 

Silken Tofu in Tomato Dashi ($4.00 each)

With all the crazy, textual and flavoursome dishes we had to this point, it was time to cool ourselves down with this simple individual serving of silken tofu in tomato dashi and covered with tempura batter crumbs. Sure enough this simple looking plate still surprised us once again with getting our palates excited from the moment you taste the zesty tomato dashi that really hits you slowly. 

Soy Glazed Angus Beef ($36.00)

By this point, I should stopped being surprised at all this excitement and just assume that every unique dish is the norm here but I just keep getting wowed each time. The angus beef is another example of dishes that exceeded our expectations from the basic presentation to the mouth-watering flavours. The use of the Hibachi Grill\ has made this beef cut so tender and juicy with a nice pinkish colour and the right amount of seasoning. This tasted so amazing that we barely touched the extra condiments that came with this dish. The beef held so well on its own that we though it doesn't need any extra flavour boost. 

Tempura Pumpkin ($12.00)

I've been disappointed by many versions of tempura in the past but I was pleased by this version because of its crunchy batter that matched well with the sweet pumpkin and a bit of oil oozing out as you bite into each piece. Usually I'm not a huge pumpkin fan, but I was keen on getting a few more servings of this. 

Cho Cho Snow ($10.00)

Finally we're onto the desserts! Since there's a big group of us, we decided to sample all three desserts on the menu. First we shared the Cho Cho Snow, which was a light dessert consisting of shaved ice clumped on a bed of apple custard and drizzled with ginger syrup. Personally I didn't mind this dessert too much. It was light and there were lots of weird and surprising flavours when combining the shaved ice with the smooth fruity custard and the dollops of ginger syrup. Not bad to have on a warm day.

Steamed Yuzu Pudding ($12.00)

This dessert wasn't bad either though I thought the use of sour cream was a bit too unusual for my preference (and you know what I think about sour cream ahem). The pudding itself was warm with a sponge-like texture and citrus kind of flavour. But yeah me and sour cream...

Banana Soft Serve, Cone, Peanut, Caramel ($7.00 each)

Just when you start to get a bit bummed with the desserts, the soft serve cones will blow you away completely! While some of us wished the green tea soft serve was still available, I was personally impressed by the banana soft serve. Loved the banana flavour, the caramel swirls, the subtle sweetness and those chunks of peanuts decorated on the ice cream. To top off it off was, I loved how crunchy the waffle cone was. Even when the cream drooled over the edges! Everything about this dessert was just soooo freaking awesome! 

The prices were on the more expensive side but it's actually cheaper if you go with a large group, share many dishes and split the final bill each way. While the portions did appear to be small, we ordered so much that we still got into a food coma by the end. Because of the more expensive prices, this isn't a restaurant I would go back on a regular basis. However, I was impressed with most of their dishes so much that I would be keen to return to taste them again as well as trying dishes that we didn't get on this visit. It's no surprise that it has gotten so much praise in the short time it has been around. And I have to say, the praise is certainly well deserved!

Finally I should add that I still can't believe I'm still doing this blog for three years! Thought it would last for 6 months max haha. Cheers for another year or whatever. Thanks to everyone who have read my blog over the years. You guys have been incredible. I'm off now to rest my head and recover my poor stomach.

Cho Cho San
73 Macleay Street, Potts Point NSW 2011
(02) 9331 6601
http://chochosan.com.au/