Cooking Across 4 Generations

Recently while I was in the city, I developed a craving for a Japanese lunch. As I was near Town Hall there were many options, but my choice for the day was Izakaya Yebisu in Regent Place. Regent Place has many Asian dining choices and the way it has been designed and decorated gives you the feeling of being anywhere but Sydney. Being in the CBD it does tend to get a little busy at lunch time.

Izakaya Yebisu has a main restaurant area and also a bar running along the length of the glassed kitchen area. Menus in the bar area are on tablets so ordering is simple, select the menu course screen, press the item you want and then press order and presto the order is delivered straight to the kitchen or bar. If you need help there is a button to attract a wait person. I had a question about the types of Umeshu they had on offer and a waiter was there very quickly after pressing the “assistance” button. After ordering my Umeshu it was time to decide on my lunch choices.

First course was Gyoza you have a choice of two sauces so I chose the classic ponzu.

For my main I opted for Chicken Kara-age set which came with salad, miso soup, pickles and 2 slices of sashimi. The chicken was nice and crispy and served with Japanese mayo(possibly Kewpie brand) and rice was under the chicken.

There was also a sign for a discounted dessert for dinners who are members of Washoku Lovers Club, so I quickly joined online and ordered the Tempura ice cream. A generous serve of strawberry ice cream dipped in tempura batter and deep fried. Sort of like deep fried ice cream you get at a Chinese restaurant but battered instead of crumbed. The batter was light and crispy and the ice cream had hardly melted. Topped with chocolate sauce and served with cream and strawberry.

Another great find for a delicious Japanese lunch. Might have to head in another couple of times before my next trip to Tokyo later in the year.

Thanks for dropping by!

While I was on my flight to Brisbane, I decided to flip through the Qantas magazine. There was an article on the spicy food trend in Australia. Of particular interest was a review on Fire Tonkotsu Ramen at Taro’s Ramen and Cafe in Brisbane. It is always handy to have some dining suggestions before landing in a city.

After checking in to the hotel and relaxing a little it was time to head out and explore a little. On my way in to the CBD I happened across Taro’s Ramen and Cafe while walking down Edward Street. It was nearly 12 so definitely time for lunch.

I forgot to order the Fire Tontotsu Ramen and instead ordered Tonkotsu Ramen with extra soy neck charsiu (Bangalow pork). I also ordered a glass of Choya Umeshu, a Japanese alcoholic beverage which I have never tried before.

Both were delicious. The creamy looking soup base is cooked for 2 days using bones from Bangalow pork. The charsiu pork was tender and tasty. The noodles nicely firm and slurped down a treat. Perfect for the cool Brisbane day. The iced Umeshu was sweet but went well with the ramen.

Then it was time to head back out and explore Brisbane, a city I lived in for 10 months many moons ago, and see the changes that have happened in the past 25 years.

On my recent trip to Brisbane (AKA Brisvegas) I walked from the city to New Farm to have lunch. A pleasant walk that took about half an hour led to James Street, a lovely tree lined street that is the main shopping precinct of New Farm. Reminded me a bit of Double Bay in Sydney.

Upon reaching my destination the rain came down. Naturally I didn’t have an umbrella as I was taking the risk that it wouldn’t rain. So that meant it was time to eat rather than window shop.

There were several dining choices but I decided to try Cru Bar|Cellar. Located at the front of James St. Market it was a perfect spot to watch the world pass by while it rained.

The word cellar in the name got me expecting a great wine list, which it definitely was. Such a huge range of wines by the glass including many great Bourdeaux’s and wines from Burgundy, the USA, Italy, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. I decided to kick off with a glass of Louis Roederer Champagne, one that you don’t see too often by the glass.

For lunch I chose pressed crispy skin pork belly, daikon, green apple and seeded mustard remoulade, soft potato, artichoke and crispy flat parsley. Truly delicious! The pork belly was so soft and tender, the skin crisp with a nice crunch, all the flavours were a great combination. Perfect choice for lunch while it rained.

Rather than dessert I chose the Charles Arnaud Comte (18months aged) cheese, served with lavosh, pide, Iranian figs and quince paste. I chose a glass of Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2014 to accompany my cheese.

As I finished my wine and cheese the rain stopped and the sun tried to make an appearance. It was safe to leave the dry environs of Cru Bar|Cellar and head back out to the shops, top of my list was Pottery Barn and West Elm. Behind Cru Bar|Cellar in the market were some great providores of ready to heat and eat meals, and greengrocer, butcher, fishmonger and deli.

After my look around it was time to head back to the hotel and rest after all the walking.