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Dinner at NaruOne…For Some Korean Fried Chicken!

30 October 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

I asked my Mom, “Do you miss eating Korean Fried Chicken?” She answered in the affirmative.

The thought came to me as the Husband and I were talking of where to bring Mom for meals in Sydney. I remembered that eating Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) in Seoul was one of the things that she enjoyed when we were there. So the Husband and I took her to dinner at NaruOne Korean Restaurant, which is famous for their KFC.

It was a cool night when we dropped by NaruOne for dinner so we opted for a bowl of Thick Beef Bone Soup. It’s very watery and the taste was a bit bland (low salt) but I tasted the natural flavours of the beef.

Then came a whole plate of Korean Fried Chicken. We ordered the “Half-Half” which meant one half was regular and the other half was spicy. The chicken pieces where enveloped in thick coating, wasn’t oily but satisfyingly juicy. The spicy flavour was really hot which I enjoyed with my little bowl of rice.

Every Korean restaurant have their own versions of Korean Fried Chicken and the Husband and I have a bit of fair share in trying a couple. While NaruOne’s version was the most crisp we’ve ever had, it isn’t the most tasty for us.

Will we come back? We certainly will because we want to try their Ginseng Chicken. And yes, maybe try their Korean Fried Chicken again.

NaruOne Korean Restaurant

375 Pitt Street, Sydney
Phone: 02 9261 2680

Lunch at Yebisu Izakaya; Dessert at Chanoma Cafe

10 October 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

This foodie adventure happened in September in celebration of the Husband’s birthday. We had a quiet birthday celebration for him but on the week of his birthday, we took Friday off so we can have some “us” time.

Like our usual Fridates, we took this chance to try out a different restaurant. There are a lot of restaurants at Regent Place in Sydney that we haven’t tried yet. We have eaten at a Vietnamese Tuck Shop called Miss Chu and Chanoma Cafe once and our favourite Chef’s Gallery is one that we frequent but we have barely scratched the surface when it comes to trying out the other restaurants there.

This year, we noticed a new Japanese restaurant called Yebisu Izakaya. The colourful facade looked young and hip. The atmosphere inside was cozy and casual.

We came a few minutes before noon and easily got a place to sit. The iPads on each table made ordering food easy with a just a tap of your fingertip. The name of the food, description and amount are clearly written on the tablet.

We started of with something to refresh us. The Husband got his Asahi Beer while I enjoyed my Green Tea Mojito. The lime and mint in it was so refreshing!

They offer lunch specials so we both got a set each. The Husband’s Pork Tonkatsu Lunch was juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. It came with a generous siding of rice, salad, a little bowl of tofu and sashimi and miso soup.

I had the Salmon Teriyaki Lunch which I loved even if I’m not the biggest fan of teriyaki sauce. The flavour wasn’t as sweet as usual teriyaki sauces that I’ve tasted–that made me loved it!

My set lunch had sushi and sashimi which made me loved my meal more. The fish they served were all fresh.

We enjoyed our lunch and we plan to come back for dinner to we can try their various food varieties.

Dessert at Chanoma Cafe
We didn’t have dessert right away as we were so full from lunch. We took a walked around the shopping area in the city and came back to Regent Place to have dessert at Chanoma Cafe. The first time we dined here, we tried their Japadogs (Japanese Hotdogs) and liked it. Since they claim that Matcha Teas are their specialities we tried their Matcha Latte Frappuccinos. I had the regular one while the Husband had his with Oreos. I favoured the Oreo Matcha Frappuccino more as it was sweeter than the regular one.

We also tried their Matcha Noir which was a Danish pastry topped with whipped cream and Matcha ice cream. The maple syrup around it gave the danish a little more sweetness.

The food we had that day left us full and satiated. It was one of those days where food played an important part in making our Fridate more worthwhile.

Yebisu Izakaya

Shop 7-10, Regent Place

501 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: 02 9266 0301

Chanoma Cafe

Ground Floor, Regent Place

501 George Street, Sydney

Phone: 02 9266 0667

Dinner at Young Alfred Restaurant & Bar (Sydney, Australia)

13 September 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

I never noticed this cafe/restaurant in Customs House until a friend suggested we have dinner here before we watch Idina Menzel’s concert.

Young Alfred is cafe/restaurant in Circular Quay. We arrived for early dinner. The place was dark and the only light we had on the table were tea candles. The ambiance was kind of romantic but the place was perfect for family and friends gathering for a meal.

Dinner at Young Alfred Cafe (Sydney, Australia)

We started off with wine as we waited for our companions to arrive.

We each got a dish but we shared it with everyone.

The TNT Pizza had all my favourite meats Salami and Bacon with onion, chili and capsicum that added more flavour. It’s thin and crispy so it was easy to eat and did not made us feel too full.

My friend ordered their Risotto with mushroom topped with Parmesan cheese. The risotto had subtle flavours and was perfectly cooked.

The Husband had their Grass-fed Angus Sirloin. The tender meat was cooked in red wine and topped with butter to enhance its flavour.

I wouldn’t mind coming back here to dine and wine again.

Young Alfred Restaurant & Bar

Customs House

31 Young Street, Circular Quay

Ph: 02 92 515192

Ramen Lunch at Ippudo Sydney

30 August 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

Fri-date lunch was at Ippudo. It’s been seven months since we’ve had our ramen fill at Ippudo so we decided to have lunch here after our Cherry Blossoms exploration in Auburn. It was already late, about 2pm, when we arrived so the lunch peak hour was over. We each ordered a bowl of ramen and their famous pork buns.

Ippudo Pork Bun ($4 each). Braised pork belly in Ippudo sauce with lettuce and wrapped in steamed bun. The steamed bun is soft and pork belly is flavourful.

Shiromaru Motoaji Ramen. It’s a classic Hakata-style ramen that comes in their original Ippudo tonkotsy broth served with thin noodles, pork loin, cabbage, black mushroom and shallots. This was the ramen that chose that day. It was so deliciously comforting. The porkloin is so soft.

Miso Tonkotsu Ramen. This was their winter special ramen. It is made of a special blend of miso and Ippudo’s signature broth, pork loin, egg, corn and veggies. It has a lovely flavour that brings warmth. The perfect ramen for Winter. The Husband’s very happy that he got to try this before the season was over.

It came with a siding of open Sushi and shredded Ginger. The staff told us that if we want to bring more flavour to Miso Tonkotsu Ramen, we can add more ginger to the broth. The Sushi was for dipping into the ramen. Cool, huh?

A delicious brunch and a hearty lunch that filled us the whole day made our Fri-date perfect!

Ippudo Sydney
Level 5, Westfield Sydney
Pitt Street, Sydney NSW
Ph: 02 8078 7020

Brunch at Platform No. 8 Cafe (Parramatta, NSW)

29 August 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

Because I wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms Festival in Auburn last week, the Husband and I decided to take a day off and go on a Fri-date!

On the way to Auburn, we had brunch at Platform No. 8, a cafe located conveniently near Parramatta train station where we got off to take the bus to Auburn. It is inside the Level 1 of Westfield Parramatta, a few steps from the entrance.

The name Platform No. 8 refers to a train platform as it showed on the photo on their wall. I think it’s a great concept as one gets to see what Parramatta Train Station looked like then.

PBrunch at Platform 8 Cafe (Parramatta, NSW)1270390

Coffee was the first order of the day. The Husband had his Latte while I had my Long Black. Their coffee was rich, creamy and strong.

Brunch at Platform 8 Cafe (Parramatta, NSW)

We shared a plate of Eggs Benedict with Ham, then just asked for additional Bacon and Hash Browns.

The eggs were perfectly poached. We loved seeing the ooze coming out smoothly as we sliced them open. We loved how fresh the spinach was. A little thing to improve though was adding a little more hollandaise sauce perhaps.

The meal we shared filled us up quickly and soon we finished our plate empty. The friendly staff bid us adieu as we left with full tummies and smiling faces.

Platform No. 8

Level 1, Westfield Parramatta

Ph: 02 98938818