Two of the things I love: Roger Federer and Lindt LINDOR Truffles in one commercial. I find this very funny so I’m sharing it with you hoping it’ll bring a smile to your face on this Monday morning. Let’s all have a cheerful week ahead!
Food
I’m slowly going back to old photos on my hard drive. I have so much to share and one day I hope I get to put everything on the blog even if it some events happened ages ago (hello, Philippines, Melbourne and Gold Coast vaycays 2011!! LOL). I vow to do that because I’m blogging firstly for me and my family–I want to immortalize everything that makes my everyday memorable thru photography and writing.
For now, I’m focused on publishing the times we spent with my Mom when she vacationed here last Autumn Her travel was a food and shopping experience because that’s all we ever did whenever we go out. The sequence of events are usually like this: we arrive at the place, have a look around, find a place to eat, sit down and have a meal, walk off what we ate by shopping, sit down to rest and eat, walk and shop again, sit down to rest and eat again, do a bit of walking before finally going home. It’s just a cycle. My Mom and I (and also my Dad) are best buddies when it comes to eating and shopping so it’s always enjoyable to hang out with her.
We spent a whole day in Chatswood because it’s one of the places in Sydney Metro that we both enjoy eating and shopping. It’s been years since she’d been here and it amazed her that the place changed with more food and shopping establishments.
We slept in and arrived for late lunch at Towon Chinese Restaurant (Shop 214, Level 2 of Westfield Shopping Centre, Chatswood). I had the Sweet and Sour Pork Bento while Mom had her favourite Chicken Omelette. Huge servings for deliciously prepared meals with reasonable prices.
We started shopping inside Westfield right after lunch and only stopped for coffee at Oliver Brown Chocolate Cafe (Shop 212, Level 2 of Westfield Shopping Centre, Chatswood). We still felt full from lunch so we only had chocolates.
After coffee, we set out to Chatswood Chase and shops along Victoria Avenue for more shopping. By early evening, we got tired from all the walking so sat down at ZenQ Desserts (Shop 223, Westfield Shopping Centre, Chatswood) for a dessert dinner. Since we were full from lunch and afternoon tea, we decided to bail on real dinner and have dessert instead. We shared a bowl of Mango Shaved Ice with Mango, Mango Jelly and Ice Cream and this huge Honey Toast.
Honey Toast is made of strips of bread coated in butter and icing sugar, placed creatively inside half a loaf of bread. The bread is perfectly toasted that each bite is crunchy. Our Honey Toast came with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, strawberries and cream. It was sweet, delicious and filling.
We visited Chatswood on a Thursday so we can also explore the Mall Market in Victoria Avenue and Anderson Street. The market consists of food; home & gardening; art & design and clothing & accessories stalls. During the evening, entertainment is also provided by the council.
After our dessert dinner at ZenQ, we had a little food trip at the Mall Market. I finally got to try Mamak, one of Sydney’s best eats. The Husband got me their Roti Canai, crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside. It was sooooo good and comforting, I want to bring it with me to bed (haha). I enjoyed dipping it in curry and spicy sambal sauce.
And because I ate most of the Roti Canai, the Husband and Mom got themselves some Takoyaki from Colotako. If you want an array of sumptuous Takoyaki, get it from Colotako as they are the masters in making Takoyaki.
When we’re all stuffed from all the food we ate at the market we had one final stop–Daiso (inside Mandarin Centre, 65 Albert Avenue Chatswood), where we shopped some more.
Once again, we had a wonderful gastronomical experience at the Grace Hotel as they brought the Philippines’ most famous dishes to Sydney. For three weeks, Via Mare Chefs Rodito Dimatera, Benjamin Zabala and Leandro Templonuevo cooked up a feast for Sydneysiders to enjoy. True to its theme “Flavours of Philippines”, they made sure that each dish represented a part of the Filipino culture.
My Husband and I were privileged to experience the exquisite works of art of our Filipino Chefs when we dined in on a Friday night. San Miguel Beer and Coconut Juice were especially served to partner with our beloved dishes from the Philippines.
From the appetizers to desserts, everything was done by the chefs. We started with the Sinigang na Hiponthat warmed and fascinated us with it’s perfect tamarind sour taste and un-shelled shrimps ready for eating.
The salad section was abundant and one that truly wets the appetite: crispy Bagnet Salad with shrimp sauce, Green Mango Salad with Crab Meat, Salted Egg Salad, Lumpiang Sariwa and Chicken Galantina.
The hot dishes that did not disappoint as one had so many to choose from. The famous Pancit was a good partner to the freshly-baked Pandesal and Lumpiang Prito. The Chicken Adobo was more flavourful than ever because it was topped with Mozarella Cheese (Who would have thought? I will definitely do this when I cook my Adobo at home). The most tender and saucy Kalderata and perfectly grilled Pork Ribs were indulgent when paired with pillowy steamed rice. And the star of the buffet, Crispy Pork Belly, was everything crispy and crunchy. Sinful and yet worth the calories and cholesterol.
Laden with mouthwatering treats at the dessert section, we found Leche Flan, Maja Blanca, Cassava Balls and Palitaw. They also lined up the ingredients for making your own Halo-Halo which was a brilliant idea.
We arrived early at Grace Hotel and had a bit of a chat with all the chefs. It was wonderful to meet them and learn about their cooking experience in Sydney. They talked about the dishes they cooked and how they prepared some of them. Most of their time was spent inside the kitchen as they were the only ones who cooked all the dishes but they gladly go out of the kitchen once in a while to say hello to customers. I was mighty proud to hear how hardworking and how pleasant they are in spite being busy.
Grace Hotel set up the perfect ambience for this event as their staff were accommodating, parallel to the Filipinos’ hospitality. While we enjoyed the food, we can hear OPM songs being played. For a few hours of enjoying good quality Filipino, it felt like we were home.
The Flavours of the Philippines at Grace Hotel is ongoing until 26 August. Please check http://www.gracehotel.com.au/ for details and reservations.
This foodie experience is sponsored by Grace Hotel for my “Ang Kalatas” article.
When my Mum was here for a visit In Autumn, it was an opportunity for her to see how we’ve adapted a few Korean things into our lifestyle. The most evident would be our love for Korean food. Our menu at home became more diverse when I learned how to cook a few Korean dishes. Kimchi has become one of our staple food inside the fridge, either that we buy a bucket from the Asian store or I make them myself.
We took her to Koreatowns while she was here and we had meals at a few Korean restaurants, one of which was Arisun, so she can have a taste of Korean Fried Chicken (KFC). It was our first time to try Arisun’s KFC and I’m so glad it did not disappoint. We dined in during lunch time and it wasn’t crowded.
We ordered the Black Bean Noodles (Jajangmyun), one of Korea’s popular noodle dishes. My Mom sees this in Kdramas that she’s watched and was very interested to try it. This is by far the best Jajangmyun I’ve tried in the metro. Oozing with thick sauce with lots of pork and vegetables. Very filling and tasty.
Then came the beautifully deep fried KFC. Since my Mom doesn’t like spicy food, we opted for Sun’s Original Fried Chicken. A whole bowl of crispy and juicy KFC costs AUD$30. We are definitely coming back for more of these! Perfect for Soju or Beer!
Arisun
1 Dixon Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney
(near Liverpool Street)
Tel: +61 (02) 9264 1588
Open 7 days 10:30am til late
The good thing about eating out in Sydney is that we have a lot of options for cheap authentic eats. The Husband and I eat out at least once a week, usually on a Thursday or Friday, because we need a break from cooking and washing dishes at home. We frequent small joints which serve reasonably priced and freshly-cooked dishes. Ton Ton Takeaway is one of those places in the city where we have a quick dinner before jumping on the train home. They are primarily a Japanese takeaway restaurant but they have a few chairs and tables for patrons who would like to dine in alfresco. They serve classic dishes such as bento boxes, ramen, soba and udon noodles. They also sell bottled sake and beers imported from Japan.
On Thursday night, the Husband had a go with their Mabo Don, soft tofu and mince pork with an almost soupy sauce of mild chili.
I ordered a hot and comforting bowl of Kara-age Ramen. The kara-age (chicken) was so crispy and lightly-salted, I almost can’t get enough of it.
Both were perfect dishes for a cold winter’s night. It came in generous servings good enough to share. These two dishes cost us less than AUD$20.00
A water dispenser is available for patrons who don’t want to order soda or alcoholic drinks.
Ton Ton Takeaway
Ground Floor, 501 George St
Sydney 2000
Ph: 02 9267 1313
Fax: 02 9267 9995