Restaurants Archives | Page 7 of 20

Birthday Dinner at Mizuya

7 February 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Food, Restaurants

One of our group of friends organized a birthday dinner for me (awww thank you dear Hanes!) and it was held at a Japanese restaurant and karaoke bar. It was my Husband and I’s first time at Mizuya. We always pass by this establishment on George Street but thought it was just a karaoke bar. We discovered that it was also a good place to catch up with friends while enjoying great Japanese food.

We went there solely for dinner so there was no need to book a private karaoke room (maybe next time?), however, eating at their dining area felt exclusive as each table looked like little rooms/cubicles. I should have taken a photo so you can see what I’m talking about but never worry as Hubby and I will be coming back there soon to eat again so I’ll take photos then.

Each cubicle has a touch-screen monitor where we get to order what we like. The monitor showed the name, amount and photo of each of their dish. This is so convenient and non-fussed. Once we tapped on the dishes we liked, the orders came arriving at our table.

We had a feast that night as the food just kept on coming…and vanishing into our tummies LOL.

Garlic and Chili Edamame

Silverfish with Seawood Salt

Seaweed Salad

Soft Shell Crab

Tonkatsu

BBQ Salmon Steak served with bean sprouts and broccoli.

Spicy Karaage (my favourite!)

Spider Roll made of cucumber, avocado, crab stick, egg omelette, soft shell crab and topped with chili powder.

And of course we had noodles!!!

Mizuya offers great desserts too.

The Mizuya Dessert Trio: Japanese Cheesecake, Green Tea Brulee and Champagne Jelly.

The Shiramata Sundae made up of Green Tea sundae and Sweet Red Bean.

Everything was soooo good! The seafood and sushi tasted fresh and the meat dishes were perfectly cooked. Every dish was tasty and flavourful. The desserts gave us that sweet finale which we all loved.

Mizuya Japanese Restaurant and Karaoke

Basement, 614 George Street

Sydney NSW

Phone: 02 9266 0866

Our 6th Anniversary

29 January 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 4 Comments Category: Charmed Life of a Mrs, Cherished Memories, Milestones, Restaurants, The Married Life

A day before we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary, we were at the Sydney Opera House watching Liz Gilbert’s talk (I will write about it soon) . The Husband was a bit uncomfortable when we arrived at the concert hall because the attendees were mostly female but nevertheless he enjoyed it. At the end of the talk, Liz Gilbert came out to sign book and have a photograph with us. I have always been shy to ask for a photograph with a famous person but the Husband encouraged me to have a photo with Liz because he knew that it meant a lot to me. So I did get my photo with Liz and I glowed all the more with happiness.

If there is one thing I will tell you when it comes to finding your life partner is this: I hope you find someone who will do anything to make you glow with happiness. I hope you find someone who’ll willingly take a step back in order for you to shine. I hope you find someone who will see what you’re capable of and encourage you to grow. I have always said that love should always bring out the best in you. I’ve known my Husband for a total of 11 years now and what I said then about love is still true to me. When you’re loving each other the right way, you become the best person you are.

After six years of being married, a few things have changed between the two of us, with how we view life and how we live life. But a lot of things remain unchanged: our values, our faith, the way we protect our little family, our friendship, the special people who make our married life more beautiful, the circumstances that makes us love each other more. If there are any changes in our lives, it is always a good change (if not better). We are grateful, always grateful.

-o0o0o0o-

We had a quiet anniversary celebration in Sydney this year. Liz Gilbert’s talk is not really a “romantic” kind of date but since we’re out on the eve of our 6th anniversary, we made it special but having afternoon tea at Guylian Cafe. The Husband had coffee and I had a cup of hot chocolate.

We had their Salted Caramel Macarons which wasn’t as good as other macarons.

And shared a cake called Caramelt which was soooo good. It’s Hazelnut Mousse with caramel ganache and chocolate cacao sponge coating with caramelised Toffee.

After the talk, we had dinner at Searock Grill.

A refreshing glass of Mojito for me.

The Husband had Steak Frites which consisted of juicy rump steak topped with Cafe de Paris butter and sidings of salad and pomme frites.

On the other hand, I enjoyed a plate of Crispy Pork Belly drizzled in caramelised black vinegar. It came with green papaya salad and fried shallots.

We loved our dinner even if we weren’t really prepared to eat out that night. The plan was to just to have a quiet dinner at home. But we changed our minds the last minute because of the party vibe in Circular Quay. The quiet and cozy ambience of Searock Grill lured us into their restaurant and we were lucky that they served good food.

The following day, the 20th January, our anniversary, was spent in church and then Yum Cha lunch right after. Another fortunate accident was being seated near the TV which played the Australian Open. We enjoyed the food and the game while talking.

After our hearty lunch, it was business as usual since it was a Sunday. We went around the shops for a bit and did grocery shopping.

Our non-fussed anniversary celebration–fun and relaxed, the way we want it to be.

Chez Dre (Melbourne, Australia)

19 January 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

AWCL visited Chez Dre on 21 January 2012.

Here’s one the cafes our friend took us to when we were in Melbourne last year. We had dessert at Chez Dre after we had lunch at Dahon Tea Lounge.

Chez Dre is not only a dessert place as they also serve hot meals. Their cafe seemed like the perfect place to have brunch.

Our group ordered cakes. Pretty and delicious cakes that melt in our mouths and more than satisfied our love for dessert. Below are photo of what we devoured that afternoon.

They also offer indulgent macarons. So, so decadent.

Chez Dre

Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street

South Melbourne 3205

Phone: 03 9690 2688

Email: info@chezdre.com.au

Dahon Gourmet Tea Lounge (Melbourne, Australia)

18 January 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 2 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

AWCL visited Dahon Tea Lounge on 21 January 2012.

The Husband and I always have this conversation where we’d wish there’d be a nice, classy Filipino restaurant in Sydney that serves delicious Filipino dishes. We’ve been wishing for years and it hasn’t happened yet. That’s why last year, we felt envious of Melbournians because they have Dahon Gourmet Tea Lounge.

Dahon Gourmet Tea Lounge (DGTL) is the brainchild of Filipino brother-sister tandem Cherrie and Ed who grew up in Melbourne. They owned and managed a franchise of an Australian restaurant before but they decided to make their dream come true which is to build a Filipino restaurant.

I met Cherrie online via our food blogs and then later on we became tweetmates. When we visited Melbourne last year, we made sure to have a meal at DGTL. The Husband and I brought our Melbournian friends to share in the discovery of this cozy and zen-like restaurant.

From the interiors of restaurant to the way they serve food, Dahon Gourmet Tea Lounge took a very refreshing approach to Filipino dining. The food satisfied our love for Filipino food as were all delicious plus we get that homely feel while savouring the dishes we ordered.

Pancit Palabok

Pancit Bihon

Pork Barbeque with Rice

Lumpiang Prito

It was like being home again thru great friends and delicious food.

Here’s one of the owners, Cherrie. Thanks for saying hello to us and please bring DGTL to Sydney too? 🙂

If you’re in Melbourne and want great tasting Filipino food, visit Dahon GourmetTea Lounge at Shop 5, 111 Cecil Street, South Melbourne, Victoria. Check out their facebook page for more details.

Mamasita (Melbourne, Australia)

17 January 2013 Ibyang Sanchez 1 Comments Category: Food, Restaurants

Note: AWCL visited Mamasita on 20 January 2012.

From the best Spanish restaurant for lunch, our next meal was at Mamasita, considered one of the best Mexican places in Melbourne.

Thanks to a good friend’s tip, we mentioned this to our Melbournian friend as a place for dinner and meet-up and luckily, she also wanted to Mexican food with us.

We arrived at Mamasita early as we’ve been warned that the queue gets really long during peak hours. And true enough, we arrived around 5:30pm and there was a line. The place was packed!

We got ourselves a good table nonetheless, thanks to the accommodating wait staff.

The place is dark after sundown that it was difficult to take food photos. Thank God for a camera that had high ISO settings plus the use of Curves in Photoshop, I share with you a number of decent photos.

I’m unable to specifically tell you how each dish tasted like but I assure you that each dish served to us that night tasted perfectly. The Husband and I left Mamasita with a full tummy and a wish that they’d open a branch in Sydney.

A rundown of what we had that night:

Tecate Cerveza which I had a few sips just to know what it tasted like.

Totopos (Tortilla Chips) with a siding of guacamole and salsa.

Tacos de Pollo filled with chargrilled chicken, avocado, chipotle mayo and queso fresco.

Quesadillas de Cordero stuffed with braised lamb, queso criollo, mint and jalapeno herb sauce.

Tostaditas de Carnitas. This is our favourite! Slow braised pork shoulder, encurtidos, pickled jalapeno and chicarron.

We made room for dessert that night.

Helado de Maiz. Sweet corn ice cream with caramel popcorn. This is another favourite of ours. A must eat when at Mamasita.

Pastel de Chocolate. Flourless chocolate cake with tequila white chocolate sauce.

Mamasita
Level 1, #11 Collins Street
Melbourne, Victoria
Phone: (03) 9650 3821