Food

As I was walking along George Street in Sydney, I chanced upon a little store called “MD Ranking” (infront of World Square Building). The place sells numerous products from Japan such as food, cosmetics and toiletries. I was able to snap photos of Royce (they sell only limited stocks), Tokyo Banana (they come in different flavours) and Hello Kitty lollies. They have a lot more brands in the store so check it out if you want to find some goodies from Japan.
I bought us a box of Royce Popcorn Chocolate and a small bag of Calpis Marshmallows to try out.

At $15.00 a box, the Royce Popcorn Chocolate wasn’t as delicious as we hoped it to be. The popcorn didn’t have that crunchy texture and there was no hint of butter taste (maybe that was their aim). The chocolate coating was still good though.
I think this was my first time to try marshmallows made in Japan, or at least these kind of marshmallows that were super soft, silky and fluffy–it’s like eating clouds (not that I’ve eaten clouds before hehe). Quite different from the runny-textured marshmallows that I’m used to (which I love). The Calpis Marshmallows had a citrus filling (we think it’s Orange) that adds a little zing to the sweet taste of the marshmallows. I liked these marmallows and wouldn’t mind snacking on them once in a while. 

It’s great that there are more Asian shops opening up in Sydney and ones that have specialties like MD Ranking. It’s a great chance for all of us to try what other countries have to offer without have to travel far.
I’ve read about matcha-flavoured Kit Kat chocolates from Filipino bloggers before and it was something that I hoped I’ll get to taste. The idea of green tea chocolate interests me because I love drinking green tea. 
I’m aware that there are stores in Manila that sells these matcha-flavoured Kit Kats but I never pursued to encounter them during my vacations there. I figured that maybe one day, it will come to me unexpectedly.

And it did happen in an unexpected time. While my Mom and I were hanging out at Market City in Chinatown last November, we chanced upon a little candy shop called Sweet Spells. It caught my eye because I saw chocolates from America. Plus, it was such an attractive store that we can’t resist going in. 

It’s a small store and yet it was filled to the brim. It had chocolates and lollies from countries such the US, UK and Japan.

As we were looked for anything we might like, I was lucky to spot the matcha-flavour Kit Kats. The store was so colourful and the counters look quite cluttered so if I didn’t look closely, I would’ve missed it. I saw that there were two kinds of matchas available: the Uji Matcha (Green Tea) and the Sakura Matcha (Green Tea with Cherry Blossoms). I got myself a box each so we can try them both. A warning though, these didn’t came cheap. Each box, which contains three small packs of Kit Kat, were priced at AUD$9.99. 

Fun part located at the back of the box: a place where you can write a note. If you are giving this as a gift, you can write your greeting at the back. I wrote a note for the Husband on the Uji Matcha on while he wrote a note for me on the Sakura Matcha.
We kept these chocolates for awhile and waited until the new year. Yesterday, we had them for dessert while sipping tea. 
The Uji Matcha (Green Tea) has a very strong matcha flavour. It had the bitterness of green tea with a hint of sweetness. The Sakura Matcha (Green Tea with Cherry Blossoms) was very milky and creamy. It was sweeter and only had a faint flavour of green tea.
Between the two flavours, I liked the Sakura Matcha better than the Uji Matcha. The next time I chance upon these matcha-flavoured Kit Kats, I will surely buy a box of the Sakura Matcha again.

R1.20A, Market City
9-13 Hay Street, Sydney
Phone: (02) 9281 1919


I have a thousand food and travel experiences in 2013 that I’d like to share and this month, I plan to do just that. So here’s what I planned to do. I will publish these 2013 experiences in real time but in a few days, I will archive the posts in its correct month. If you’d like to find a certain topic, you can always type in what you’re looking for via the search engine on the top left of this blog. 

October is Good Food Month in Sydney and one of the foodie events we always visit is the Night Noodle Markets. The Husband and I saw this as an opportunity for my Mom to also experience this event. 

The highlight of our Night Noodle Markets experience is trying out the Ramen Burger. I’ve read about this kind of burger which came out in America (a link was sent to me by a tweetheart) and has piqued the interest of us here in Australia. A Ramen Burger is basically a burger with noodles as the bun.

I found the queue to getting the Ramen Burger at On Ramen. The line was long. And the wait longer. At one time, all of us waited in silence as the staff announced that they’re not taking orders because of too much demand but we can still wait in line. So we waited. My expectations were low but since I was there and I had time to spare, I stayed in line. 
I ordered two kinds of Ramen Burger: Pork Belly Burger and Beef Burger. Both came with salad and a few slices of watermelon. Beef and pork belly were good! It was juicy and flavourful. The pork belly has a bit of spice so I immensely enjoyed it. The noodles as bun was messy and a bit oily, which was not a surprise. The Husband, my Mom and I shared these two burgers.

The beauty of food festivals is getting to try other dishes from different vendors. We usually get dimsums and spring rolls.
And then we bought Ippudo’s Pork Belly Pork Buns so my Mom can try it. These pork buns are love. A must try when you encounter Ippudo.
The lanterns they set up on the entrance to Night Noodle Markets served as an attraction to everyone. Lots of people taking photos of and with the lanterns. 

The Night Noodle Markets 2013 turned out to to be one of our memorable ones because we got to share it with my Mom. 
Ibyang + Instagram = Ibyangram

While my instagram photos are shared on my twitter page and sometimes on my tumblr and fb page, I would like to have a monthly dump of ibyangrams on AWCL too. It is thru instagram that I share everyday moments and random finds. I use instagram as my real time mini-blog. Every end of the month, I’ll be choosing a couple of photos from my instagram and share it here because I have something more to say about a certain ibyangram.

My Ibyangrams are back!!! You probably thought I’d forget about my Ibyangrams for the month of October but I just won’t let that happen. The first week of November have quickly zoomed in BUT better late than never is what I say.

My October was hectic, challenging, fun and very happy. 

The start of October had me sick with tonsilitis and flu. Not a great combination, I tell you. It was a terrible time as I panicked that I won’t be well enough to prepare for my Mom’s arrival. But thankfully, the antibiotics kicked in soon enough. I got my affairs in order and our home ready for my Mom’s vacation.

Work has grown incredibly busy and it seems I will be running training programs until Christmas (!!!). I’m under a lot of pressure in getting all tasks accomplished but I’ve embraced the “hectic-ness” of it all and have decided to let go of things that irritate me and just focus on getting work done. 

Exciting times at the family front as my Mom arrived from Manila to vacation in Sydney for six weeks. She’s the first one to arrive from overseas as our clan will have a little reunion of sorts this month.


For the rest of how my October was like, here are some Ibyangrams which I hope you enjoy…


A Love Package From My Parents. Received so many gifts from the parentals which included lots of clothes from Uniqlo, rubber stamps and Lori Baltazar’s book entitled “Dessert Comes First“. 

Sunday Mornings. Having coffee with the Husband on the balcony of our home.
Tonsilitis and Flu Attack. Changing of seasons have to flu and inflammed tonsils. Doctor’s orders: lots of rest, fluid and drink my antibiotics on time. 

Better on Friday. Felt stronger by end of the week so after my doctor’s check-up, the Husband took me to our usual brunch place and shared a bagel. Grateful for the Husband who took a day-off so he can accompany to the doctor.

Picked up a few Pink Things right after that coffee and bagel. I found a cute iPhone case for only AUD$5.00, some washi tapes and a pretty pouch also for AUD$5.00.
A Small Pot of Kimchi Ramyeon for Two. Our default meal whenever we’re too lazy to cook lunch on a Saturday.
Our first Halo-Halo this warm season. After a heatwave-ish day, we can’t help but indulge in Halo-Halo, a Filipino dessert made of ice shavings, beans, jelly, sweet beans and leche flan (some add Ube and Ice Cream too). 
Appreciated. One of my trainees gifted me with a bouquet of Hyacinth flowers. They smell sweet and reminds me so much of the Philippines’ Sampaguita.

Orange Skies Due to Bushfires. The warm weather is indeed upon us. As temperatures soared between 33-38 degrees, certain parts of Australia are susceptible to bushfires. It’s devastating and scary. A thousand homes were affected and several families were displaced in evacuation centres. Not a happy time down under. 
The Sun, Fiery Pink. Still due to bushfires that resulted to haze which made the atmosphere looked smoky and deep Pink. The Sun looked and beautiful but it’s a reminder that things aren’t well for some. 
“Naiibang Manila. There’s No Place Like Home.” Is what this poster from Papemelroti says. I finally framed it! 
A Colourful Visitor. I heard a bird “singing” on the balcony and when I came out, I found a colourful bird resting on our balcony. It was kind enough to let me take its photo. 

Grandma and Her New Sewing Machine. This was one afternoon where she taught me how to cook “Ginataang Hipon at Kalabasa” afterwhich we helped her set up her new sewing machine. It’s looks so pretty. 

Justice Gundam. My cousin has a hug collection of Gundam robots and this pink one called Justice Gundam is my favourite from the lot.
My Mom’s here!!! 🙂 Happy times for me and our family.
UCC Coffee and HOP. Thoughtfulness in the guise of my favourite things, all thanks to my dear friend, Hazel. While I was aware that she will be sending over one of my favourite coffees in the world, I didn’t know that she’d also throw in a box of HOP (House of Polvoron) goodies. It was a yummy surprise that the Husband and I enjoyed and savoured. 
Patbingsu. Korea’s version of the Halo-Halo, only that their ingredients are made of ice shavings, red beans, cereal, little mochis and ice cream. My reward for going thru a 3-day work week where I squeezed in 5 days worth of workload. 

Hello there, classy-looking silver 5S! Ended my two-year 4S contract so I renewed and chose the iPhone 5S. It’s much faster, has better camera capabilities and the battery stays longer than my 4S. I’m happy with it. 

Royce Nama Au Lait and TWG’s Silver Moon Tea. Whenever my Mom comes here, she brings a few of our Royce favourites. These are two of my favourite indulgences and I’m glad I got to have them together, once in a while.
Sunset Watching. One Saturday afternoon when we hung out on the balcony and played with our fisheye lenses. 


That’s a little peek in my October. I will share some of my time spent with my Mom in a few blog posts soon. 

Now I can finally say…hello November!

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. 
Dinner at NaruOne

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. 

Dinner at NaruOne
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.

Dinner at NaruOne
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