Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Izakayas dining is all I wish for.

Anyone who knows me would tell you that I am C.R.A.Z.Y. about Japanese. To me, sushi sushi is not Japanese, it is a healthier choice for lunch take away... (and try to cut half of the rice out in a roll). I have a handful of restaurants that deemed to be true Japanese in my mind and frequented them on a regular basis. One trend I am seeing since last year is the rise or Izakaya @ Melbourne. I cannot stop prising Izakaya enough, basically they are essentially bistros with small sharing plates and a lot of different alcohol which cater for people to have a good drink and bite after work. They are often opened til very late and the whole atmosphere is usually buzzing. An asian version of Tapas bar I suppose. I love alcohol and I am all for having as many different dishes as possible. Sometimes I wish I can order 3 entrees instead of my proper entree, main & dessert.


The Izakayas in Melbourne are not all quite the same but they all have their own charm. I supposed I would be over the moon if more of these are open later but I am happy enough. One of the most popular one would be Izakaya Den.


Izakaya Den
http://www.izakayaden.com.au/
114 Russell St
Melbourne Victoria 3000
(03) 9654 2977 
Izakaya Den on Urbanspoon
(They don't take booking unless it is more than 5 people at nights)






This place has been on my radar since it was first opened however I wasn't very interested after my not-so-impressed 2nd & 3rd visit to Verge. Until I start seeing rave reviews all over the blogs. And when I finally gave it a try, I cannot believe I did not bother to do this earlier. Now they have won The Best New Restaurant of the year, It would probably be Impossible to get seats.... I would still wait actually... 


First visit:
(their super famous Spicy Tuna tataki, garlic & soy: this dish is mind-blowing, the tuna literially melt in your mouth and the sauce are super tasty. I wish I could have this dish myself)

(Another famous dish which they also featured at their pop-up store during Taste of Melb2010, sweet corn "kaki-age with wasabi salt. It is amazing something so simple yet taste so wonderful, the corn flavour really comes out in this dish. )

(Kingfish sashimi with Asian style dressing, this dish reminds me of the cured fish from Bar Lourinha but with different dressing, the fish was fatty but not as good as tuna tataki. It was a very refreshing dish)

(it was the special of the night, Char grilled chicken ribs with nori and wasabi, the wasabi gives the dish a big kick, however not super special)

(Baked fish and ginger miso: I forgot what fish it was but this is a heart warming dish and full of Japanese flavour.  There were shitake mushroom at the bottom soaking all the fish juices yummi!!)

I think we also had the miso soup with pipi which were very flavoursome but I forgot to take photos. We were drinking heaps as well because my dining companion and myself love alcohol very much. (This should be an unspoken rule for my blog) 


I was so over-the-top happily surprised by how yummy these dishes are, I dragged my friend back for another visit a week later... 


(Special on the projector screens interchanged with cartoon characters and all, very interesting and specials seem to change often as 80% of them were different than my last visit merely 1 week ago)


 
(had the sashimi again because my friend loves kingfish but I prob will give it a miss next time because there are way too many others I would like to try)

(the cute cup for water and they use this cutest glass bottles for sake, they carry pretty nice sake& sochu) 

(have to order this again, actually we ordered 2 servings because they are so nice!)

(yum yum, another must order for me)


(Ox Tongue spring onions: very tasty, I love ox tongues! their cut is slight thicker which create great textures and very juicy)

(Deed Fried chicken, I don't know why this was ordered because I should saved my tummy space for other stuff!! pretty juicy though)


(Sakate coated prawns with citrus mayo, both my friend and I love Prawns as fat as these prawns appear, they lack prawny taste which we concluded were because of the missing heads. One of my pleasure in eating Jap is eating deep fried prawn heads, which are actually quite common.  I have a feeling the staff probably have the prawn heads themselves because look at the size of these prawns! their heads would be mega yummy!!)

(Jumbo quail with sansho peper, slightly dry for my liking and way too full by then. )


(Fuji Apple Millefeuille: It is hard to imagine after having all those above dishes plus 3 drinks each, we still charging for he dessert menu. People around us and the staff probably thought we are monsters.... lols. This dessert is not just amazing, it is 'epic'. I would not try this at home because it can only be created in Izakaya Den, everything is perfection from the air-dried apple slices to the citrusy sorbet and sweet linger honey, we were in heaven! to die for, I don't know what to say. I love Izakaya Den!!)

(Houjicha Ice-cream: very creamy and tasted a bit of the tea. I think this is what houjicha is for? very special but my mind is trying to grasp the reality after flying in heaven after the Fuji Apple milliefeuille so this one does not shine as much. Still very tasty!)

I supposed by now you can tell I Raved Izakaya Den and cannot wait to go back for more tasting on their delicious food!

Another Japanese which I visit frequently and really in my mind would be an izakaya too is Horoki casual dining bar. I have been a loyal customer to Horoki for years, I started going there when each dish were only about $10 (such were the good days) and now although prices have gone up a little, it still remains as one of my favourite because they are too damn tasty! And the dishes are still cheaper than some entrees from the big restaurants. There was a time I used to go once a week or every 2 weeks and ordered very similar things. I won't know what I am going to do if one day they decided to take a long break or close!! *touch wood*

Horoki 
Horoki Casual Dining Bar on Urbanspoon
19 Liverpool St
Melbourne3000

(03) 9663 2227

I don't take photos every time when I go which is funny considering how often I visit Horoki, but the photos below almost capture whaPublish Postt I would order each time.

(Diakon Salad, diakon is pretty much what we called white radish, it teamed with fresh sashimi of kingfish, tuna, salmon & scallop, I still yet to work out the crunchy thing on top. I love this dish so much, so refreshing and perfect for warm nights)
(Tuna carpaccio, another big favourite of mine, fresh tuna sashimi with parmesan cheese shaved on top with mayo and sauce. Love this)

(Kingfish tataki, or sometime they use swordfish. it has dried garlic slices and some exotic spices which make this dish stand out.)

(steak tartare: oh my, this is literially one of the best steak tartare I tried in Melbourne. Not really authentic western but taste simply amazing. The beef are so tender and well seasoned. Love the quail egg to make it all smooth.  I only wish they can be a bigger serve. Must order if you love raw beef like me)

(special of the night, some spicy pork belly with korean chilly/kimchi? not my favourite)

Something I love about Horoki is how the chef is constantly looking for new dishes and every time I go, I get very excited checking out what new dishes on their special. Some really good ones become permanent e.g. the crab dumplings with dill... *drool* I have some other must-order dish that I don't have photos such as eggplant with duck, wasabi scotch fillet and mentaigo pasta. I will sure take some photos next time and post up. Horoki is not very big at all and it has a long bar around the kitchen and the bar area. I actually prefer sitting along the bar than the table as I feel more intimate this way. They have a reasonable sake selection and I love their very-strong-yet-not-too-expensive cocktails. 

 
Very good tea selection also. Actually I just realised they store quite a bit of alcohol for a tiny restaurant.
Very limited dessert selection, I remember when it was newly opened they didn't have menu dessert but you do get some sort of icy penna cotta at the end of the meal
Chef hard at work in a tiny open kitchen. He is quiet. I really want to tell him personally how much I love his food but he hardly chats to his customers. 

Okie this is me. Look how happy I am eager awaiting the food to come out. The dress is from kookai and I have had it for years. There is even moth holes (shock) and I can't be bothered to fix.  I think I was very into dramatic tights around that time. hahaha

okie I think that is it for now. Of cos there are other izakayas in Melbourne such as Meyadeya & chuji but I didn't take photos when I visited them previously so would have to continue my izakaya experience later









Monday, September 20, 2010

Urban Remedy Detox




I decided to do a detox program prior to my trip to HK because if I may confess, I have been on a diet since Jun this year. The diet is not a strict one but merely to cut out fast food and carbs. It was worrying on how much food I would be stuffing my face when I go to HK so why not give myself a full cleanse for 3 days before hand?

I also managed to score $20 off by linking them to my FB. It is not cheap though. even after discount, each juice works out to be just over $10. I was delivered 3 days worth of juices with a cute cooler bag. You have 6 juices per day and you drink them according to the numbers every 2 hours.  My personal summary of the juices are per below:

Juice 1 - tasted healthy with slightly gagging factor. I think it could be de to cucumber... (consists of apple, lemon, cos lettuce, celery, silverbeet, parsley, cucumber)
Juice 2 - Very nice and sweet. (I would love to have more mints, very refreshing, consists of pineapple, apple & mint), This juice is def something I would love to make myself in future for summer.
Juice 3 - I can't work out which I like less, Juice 1 or Juice 3?( consists orange, acai berry, cucumber, pineapple, carrot, broccoli) really not liking carrot and cucumber.. ewww
Juice 4 - This looks quite scary but I actually like it because I like the taste of beetroot. (Consists of beetroot, carrot, aple, lemon, spriulina and ginger) again, I would love to have more ginger. This is prob my 2nd or 3rd favourite.
Juice 5 - this tasted like lemon water to me, I kept on wanted to heated it up and add some honey. (consists lemon, water, agave nectar and cayenne pepper) This juice is good to drink during the afternoon when you are thirsty. 
Juice 6 - I have to say I did not drink much of this juice... because I wasn't very hungry by then. It has raw cashews, cinnamon, coconut milk, agave nectar, vanilla bean and water.

During the whole time, extreme hunger didn't really hit me.  I am not sure why... I like some juices alot but some of them I really have problem finishing.

I also felt very cold all the time because the juices have to be refrigeratored to keep fresh and I decided to do this at winter... Another problem was the constant visits to the toilet... But that is flashing your toxin out. 

I actually stopped on the 2nd day after juice 4, I was determined to do this detox and not cheat at all. However after I finished juice 3 on day 2, I felt really cold as well as this gagging sensation. I thought I would have Juice 4 sooner because I like the taste it. And somehow very soon after juice 4, the feeling on gagging got worse and I ended up throw up in the toilet. Warm beetroot juice definitely didn't taste good :(

The only explanation I can think of is because I drank the juices too quickly one after another. I pretty much have them 1.5hr apart. Or maybe I am not suitable drinking this many varieties juices.... So I quit the detox there and then. Went to Izakaya Den for dinner... yummy!!

I liked the detox idea, and to be honest, I would still consider doing this again in summer because it would be alot easier and refreshing. I hope there is an option for ppl to choose opting some ingredients out. I can force myself to drink juices I don't like so much but if my body rejects them and I ended up throwing up, it is better not to include them in the firs place...


Oscar, we were not meant to be....



Beautiful Navy box tied with black bow arrived one day.




Revealed my pretty...



The exquisite embellishment and the exotic snakeskin leather.




But it was only a dream.... 
When I woke up eventually;
They were gone...




damn size 36!!!


(Oscar de la Renta ballet flats)

Melbourne sun rays are deceiving. Sunny but freezing....

Just a quick recap on the past weekend, we visited some friends who were staying at Rye, we were meant to stay as well but I decided to stay back at Melbourne spending sometime with my parents before they fly back to Asia. It was a really fun day, we visited a private owned garden full of maze and compete in teams... Tried lavender ice-cream and it really tasted odd to me...

On Sunday we were running errands for my parents and I wore the below:

(Thurley wool topManning Cartell silk topSiwy jeans, A.Wang Rocco Mini bag)


I love my Rocco Mini but the bag is really becoming very dirty... The photo looks really weird because it was too yellow and I was changing the color/contrast. Very bad job indeed.



I don't know if I have mentioned this but since August this year my weekends have been filled with different activities and it really contradicts my version of "weekend"..


I remember reading an article once about how it is very modern that people fill their weekends with different social activities and packed all to the max. I was thinking to myself that I would never do that because for me, weekends are for sleeping in and laze around... doing things at my own pace. And little did I know, I am becoming one of those when my friend wants to do a quick catch up, I would be like "when? oh let me check my blackberry.... hm... I have a lunch then busy at night, how about we do a 2hour coffee/shopping in the arvo?" that just sounds so snobbish! Anyway, I think as the weather gets warmer I probably will have less time to myself. Maybe I just have to get used to it. 



Tuesday, September 14, 2010

My travel outfit and essentials

I really don't fly that much but a recent trip to HK got me thinking about what items do ones really need when they fly. As I don't have the luxury of flying business or first class...yet! (one day... one day.... ) I don't get to have a roomy seat (or should I say roomy bed?!) and have to endure almost sitting up the whole flight. I have tried to pack items that will make my flight as comfortable as it can be. 


I have no patience when it comes to flying and any tiny thing will have me very frustrated. One of the biggest frustration for me is sitting close to a crying baby.... On my flight back from S'pore to Melbourne, I had not one not two but FIVE babies around me and they took turns cry and scream. I can totally understand  there is really nothing you can do because that is what babies do. But it was pretty frustrating for me to even fall asleep with all these crying around me for a good 8 hours... and I had earphones on! 


Anyway rant over, so this is what I wore at the last HK trip:


(Witchery crop jacket, Temt navy harem style pants, Chanel CC necklace)


* The harem pants are so comfortable and lucky sweat pants/harem pants are in this year, so I can wear it w/o being too casual. I don't know I still feel uncomfortable flying in trackies...
* I would always carry a light jacket even to a tropical country, this 3/4 sleeve crop jacket is from Witchery SS10/11 I will bring a shawl for extra warmth and socks to wear on the plane as my feet always gets cold.
* Witchery top again very comfortable and the Chanel necklace IMo kinda style up the outfit so it is not too meh.
* trusty YSL Downtown not shown in the photo it fits so much and extremely light...
(I don't know why such face... stupid much?) 


For my other essentials in the bag, other than the passports/glasses/phone. I will pack the below. I used an A5 document bag which is much more durable than what they give you at the airport)


(By Terry Light expert, Smashbox under eye brightener, Nars Super Organsm, Make-Up Forever aqua eyes, Rosebud slave, Prescrptives super flight cream & Neutrogena fine fairness uv lotion)


* By Terry light expert: love this dewy foundation even it is expensive for the amount the tube holds. It is portable and easy to blend. I use very little just to even out the skintone and it smells great.
* Smashbox under eye brightener: Must cover the dark circles, I don't know anyone who doesn't have dark circles after a long flight. This is a sample I got. Don't love it but does the job.
* Nars Super organism: can be a bit over the top during normal days but really comes in handy when I need to brighten the face up esp make up is so minimal.
* MUF eyeliner: best one I have used, glide on easily and doesn't smudge.
* Rosebud Slave: I used it on my lips, cuticles or dry patches on the face. Love the rosy scent.
Prescrptives super flight creamespecially formulated to nourish and revive climate - drained skin. It can be used as mask or moisturiser. Perfect. I usually lather a heavy layer as mask after cleansing my face. It is safe to use around the eyes too. This cream really makes a difference for my skin. (my face still look horrible with the dark circles. damn no sleeping)
* Neutrogena Fine Fairness UV lotion (SPF 50+ PA +++): I think you can only get this from Asia. I love the high SPF and it is very light & watery. Might be a tad too dry for Aussie land but perfect for hot humid HK. Always crucial to have sunscreen on.
* Neutrogena make up wies: (not in photo)I really love this product because my face feels so refreshed afterwords compare to other brands I have tried. This is especially handy when I am stuck at the window seat and too lazy to get out.


Voila, time for holiday. :)


I tend to try drinking as much water as I can without visiting the toilet because I hate to keep on asking people to let me pass through. I usually give the air plane food a miss also. And it might come as a shock from me but I don't drink alcohol either for my skin's sake. I tried to sleep and immerse myself on the in flight enterainment. I think the best scenario for me would be, onto the plane, have water, clean my face and put mask on, sleep and wake up on arrival un-interrupted. But this never happens..... boo........ 


This a a long post... maybe I will end it with everyone's favourite, Mr. Muffie. He was watching me taking photos for this post but I think he got so bored so he dozed off....











Friday, September 10, 2010

I have to show you this

it is too cute for words!

(baby w my godson, he kicks his legs when he is happy, so cute!)

I always heart thee



Oriental pearl, forever charming. I just love the buzz.
Managed to have 5 days break to Hong kong. I was so glad that I can escape the cold/rains/hails in Melbourne and meet baby from his way back from his India business trip.
It was end of Summer in Hong Kong. So Stuffy and Humid.
I love it. 
I feel like home. 
I can't deny all the loud noises jolt me and I was even scared to cross the road if it has no traffic light. 
But it just felt so comfortable and I was feeling like I was walking on the clouds. (literally because I was dizzy the whole time...)




Also managed to caught up with a couple of my girlfriends via High Tea at Four Seasons. It is sad that all 5 of us are scatter around the world and we actually have to find a 'middle point' to meet... it was always so sweet seeing how my babes.


And who can overlook the food!! I had japanese 3 nights out of 5. 
I was so happy. Too Happy.


I might put on another post just about food.


(roast goose from yun gi)




Last but not the least. My bestie and my god son. He is an angel. I was experiencing withdraw symptoms when I got back to Melbourne. I can't stop thinking about his cute face!! 


(Mr. fashionsta is spotted with vintage H&M tee)

I know it has been too long since I blogged. 
I will try to catch up. For now, I need to try to knock myself unconscious as I only slept about 4 hrs each for the last 3 nights...