My Passion about Japan

on hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 23:14:00 +0000

This blog has been on hiatus for a while... not that I lost my passion for Japan, food, or traveling... well.. no excuses for my laziness.
As I am very mobile at the moment, my job requires me to travel almost fortnightly, so hopefully I am able to mobile-post something interesting in the future..

bfn..

Cherry blossom 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:18:00 +0000

It was a bit late to enjoy the cherry blossom this spring as in most places the bloom period has come and gone, lasting less than a fortnight. It's nice to see some still in bloom at Commonwealth Park in Canberra when I visited the Capital last weekend.

Enjoy the cherry blossom ..

Ikkyu Ramen

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 09:01:00 +0000

Ikkyu Ramen by chef Haru Inukai, former owner-chef of fine dining Blancharu, has opened at Sussex Center food court in Chinatown last month. I dropped by last week when they have special menu of Pork Rib and Hokkaido ramen which I chose as a change since normally, if not always, I picked tonkotsu ramen.

The hokkaido ramen comprises slices of salmon, half boiled egg, bean sprout, served in a tasty miso based broth and topped with spring onion and corn kernels. It was my first time having ramen with salmon, but it's not bad at all even I still prefer chasu slices in a tonkotsu broth better. The miso broth itself is perfect but the noodle's chewiness could be better, at least to my liking.

Would love to go back for their Pork ribs ramen ..

(free kaedama on the menu)

(touch pad for ordering)

(Hokkaido miso ramen)

Mappen Bondi

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 13:23:00 +0000

We happened to walk around Bondi last month and stumble upon this new Mappen outlet which basically offers same service, food, and vintage atmosphere as their original outlet in CBD, but this Bondi outlet serves more options from ramen to donburi which is not available in their CBD outlet.

We tried their beef steak with curry and tonkotsu ramen. The beef steak comes in generous portion, their beef is quite tender and served with tasty curry. The tonkotsu ramen is not bad but frankly it's not a recommended one. The good thing from Mappen is that their price is very affordable.

Their traditional vintage style decoration is very amusing with old posters on the wall, an old bike on the corner and old Japanese songs on the speakers.

(Beef steak with curry)

(sweet potato and vegie tempura)

(tonkotsu ramen)

SMASH Cosplay 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sun, 11 Aug 2013 11:07:00 +0000

The SMASH 2013 is over, it was on yesterday at Sydney Convention Centre, Darling harbour.

I didn't really plan to go to the event since there were urgent things to do but didn't really want to miss this out either so went there to have a quick look and ended up taking some pictures.

Could'n give any comment since I didn't enter the hall, just wanted to share some shots of amazing cosplayers..

Taro's

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 11:38:00 +0000

We went up to Brisbane last month and it was a short trip but we managed to get to one of the most famous ramen spots in Brisbane.

Taro's Ramen is on the ground floor of Boeing Building (363 Adelaide st, Brisbane). A down-to-earth place but we could see the authenticity of a Japanese ramen shop, order and pay at the bar, self serve free drinks and pickles and a service with smile.

We picked fire tonkotsu and normal tonkotsu ramen, a regular portion comes in a quite big bowl but they might need to add more soup to make the bowl doesn't look half empty, also the broth won't be enough for a 'kaedama'. As the reviews you would find on the web, it's one of best ramen in Brisbane, couldn't disagree with this but my favorite ramen(s) in Sydney are more to my liking.

(Tonkotsu ramen)

(Fire tonkotsu ramen)

Ryo Tei

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 12:51:00 +0000

The ramen battle in Jakarta goes on... over the past couple years ramen shops in Jakarta just popping up in almost every corner especially around Kelapa Gading area, from local ramen to famous franchisee like Ikkousha, Ikudo.. you name it. Call me a 'ramen snob', those franchisee shops don't fancy me at all except Tsurukamedou which is still my favorite one in town.

This Ryo Tei in Jakarta does catch my attention since the original Ryo's ramen indeed is my most favorite one in Sydney. Ryo Tei Jakarta just opened few weeks ago in Kelapa Gading, if you enter from the main boulevard, it's next to the sports club on your left. I made my visit yesterday, ordered a spicy ramen (actually the taste is not spicy at all), number 3 from the menu which is my favorite in Sydney.

(spicy tonkotsu, menu no 3)

The noodle's chewiness is perfect, the cha siu is lovely but the boiled egg is a bit overcooked (I prefer half boiled one) and broth is very rich and thick, thicker than the one in Sydney's shop and it's very salty. They put a sign advising that you could request a less salty soup to the waitress though, which I would highly recommend, or maybe it's their strategy that the taste has been adjusted to the local taste, perhaps..

(a picture of the original Ryo's in Sydney)

Wassam

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 13:53:00 +0000

Wassam doesn't sound Japanese at all, agreed with my friend comment but it is an authentic Japanese restaurant in Gold Coast.

We stumbled upon some good reviews on the web while looking for a Japanese dinner not far from our hotel as it was raining, then we decided to try this restaurant located on level 1 Chevron Renaisance Building in Surfers Paradise.

The atmosphere is standard and their service could be more attentive even though it wasn't a disappointment.

We tried their wagyu beef which is superb and the teriyaki salmon comes with tasty sauce and a small bowl of salad. The price is above average but it's worth a try if you are looking for a decent dinner around Surfers Paradise.

(Salmon teriyaki)

(Wagyu beef)

(a picture of Wassamu station, a small town in Hokkaido)

If you find the above photo on the cashier's desk you'll understand what the word 'Wassam' originates from, the owner might be from this small town of Hokkaido I presume..

Yebisu Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 13:28:00 +0000

As I mentioned on my last two posts, there are three Japanese eateries on the renowned Regent Place on George street and Yebisu was the last one I visited last month. You call it 'Little Tokyo' or 'Little Japan', I reckoned everyone will agree, those three have made this little corner packed with Japanese food lovers.

Yebisu is not just an izakaya even the concept may looks like it, the traditional details with neon signs will make you feel like wandering around Namba in Osaka or old Kyoto, blended with modern touch of their iPads on each table for ordering system, it's definitely a must try whether you are a Sydneysider or just a visitor looking for a great taste of Japanese food in Sydney.

(lunch set menu)

(sashimi)

(salmon teriyaki set)

(grilled onigiri)

(aburi salmon sushi)

(chicken yakitori)

(okonomiyaki)

(seafood fried rice)

(salmon skin nigiri)

If you are there for lunch, teriyaki salmon set is my favourite, always love salmon ...

For dinner, I would recommend their yakitori, the wagyu beef yakitori is superb, love salmon too..? then you should try their aburi salmon and the crispy salmon skin nigiri. The grilled onigiri is quite unique and the fried rice topped with bountiful seafood is another favourite of mine.

Booking is highly recommended but I think they take reservation only for 4 people or more.

Photo update on August 15th:

(cirashi sushi)

Chanoma Cafe Sydney

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:59:00 +0000

The Japanese Matcha Master .. Chanoma Cafe

Agreed that they serve the best matcha in town, from beverage to sweets, all has the green tea touch, not the mention the matcha soft ice cream.

We dropped by to try their Matcha anmitsu, Matcha float and the Creamy shrimp croquette dog from their Japa-dog menu. I am not a fan of hotdog anyway, but the real taste of matcha with a smooth matcha ice cream is enough to prove their tag line.

Located at Regent Place, on the ground floor just the opposite of Tenko Mori, in a place I would call 'Little Tokyo' with three Japanese eateries one next to each other, they are all packed with crowd during busy hours, new favourites in town..

(Matcha Anmitsu, matcha ice cream served with jelly and red bean)

(hot matcha)

(Japa dog, hotdog with brutwurst sausage and cheese)

Updated on August 15th, 2013

Tenko Mori

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:31:00 +0000

I have been away for a while.. and now that I am back in Sydney, couldn't wait to get to this new ramen shop inside Regent Place down George street in the city.

After Mappen, Oiden.. and now Tenko Mori, another popular Japanese resto from Menya group, during busy hours you will encounter a long queue.

Same self-serve ordering system as Mappen and Oiden, pick your ramen and soup base, grab your toppings (you can choose from fried tofu, tempura, kakuni, seaweed, tamago or potato salad), go to the cashier, find the seat and start enjoy your ramen, also don't forget to return your empty tray.

I love their pork kakuni, it melts on your tongue and the taste is just soo... yummy, the broth is considered light tonkotsu yet satisfies my craving for tonkotsu soup and I just enjoy the perfectly cooked noodle slurp by slurp...

(Pork Kakuni in tonkotsu soup)

(Vegetable ramen in tonkotsu soup)

Also, love their milk tea... just tastes like my favorite KIRIN milk tea..

If you go there, you'd notice another Japanese restaurant and cafe on the other corners, it's just became one of my favourite spots for Japanese eateries.

Tokyo Banana

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:23:00 +0000

A best friend just came back from Japan and got this signature gift of Japan, a box of Tokyo Banana

Tokyo Banana is a kind of sponge cake stuffed with banana flavoured custard, sweet and soft texture. This sweet reminds me of Banana in pyjamas from Bread Top in Sydney, which has a fresh banana filling instead of banana custard.

Thanks to my best friend I finally taste this famous 'omiyage' from Tokyo..

Japan's Tasty Secrets

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:43:00 +0000

I just noticed that I got this draft post since three years ago, not even remember how I stumbled upon this web nor why I left this post as draft for more than three years..

If you are curious enough about Japanese food and local dishes loved by the nation, you can download the Japan's Tasty Secrets here, you will find local favorites from every region in Japan.

Fuku Ramen

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:16:00 +0000

It's not a fancy ramen shop, just a small local shop specializing in ramen, located next to Maccas in Setiabudi, Bandung. There are only five ramen on the list, all comes in the same soup, you only can choose the meat either beef, chicken or spicy one and plus some side dishes like chicken karage. All prices are affordable as you can see from the menu picture

Visited this Fuku ramen with a friend, we ordered ramen with beef and special ramen wich comprises, both chicken and beef chashu, spicy ground chicken, half boiled egg topped with spring onion, mushroom and nori.

The soup is mild and quite tasty even you can't compare this to a tonkotsu broth, sorry for always comparing any ramen with a tonkotsu base since it's my favourite broth. The meat is just okay but the boiled egg taste a bit different with a hint of mirin (I assume) which I like. The overall taste is worth a shot for ramen lover looking for a local ramen in Bandung.

On another note, there are some franchise ramen shops in Bandung but none of them worth coming back.. at least that's just my opinion.

(Fuku Beef chashu ramen)

(Fuku special ramen with separate spicy ground chicken)

(Chicken karaage with mayo)

(All pictures taken using iPhone)

Sumiya Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 13:19:00 +0000

I have read about this restaurant a while ago, as one of the best Japanese restaurants in Jakarta, an authentic Japanese restaurant with quality food and I made my way to this restaurant two weeks ago with a best friend.

Once we entered through the noren, the service was a bit disappointing, not a service I would expect from a Japanese restaurant. We didn't get seated, waitresses were busy running around and did't even greet or smile at us, we had to ask for a table only to get an unexpected snobby response, well... let's forget about their lack of attentiveness.

Most of the guests are Japanese, so we thought the food must be good... well it is.

We ordered my favorite dish, a salmon teriyaki and a niku suki udon set which comprises udon, sashimi and salad, also I couldn't resist to try their maguro nigiri sushi. The salmon teriyaki was superb, as good as my favorite salmon teriyaki in Sydney and the maguro sushi was fresh, my friend also agreed that his udon set was worth the price. Their quality of food is excellent with a perfect balance of flavours. The price is above average but would love to go back there for their food, disregard the service.

(Niku suki udon)

(salad)

(Tuna sashimi)

(Tuna nigiri sushi)

(Salmon teriyaki)

(free desert)

Address: STC Senayan, Ground floor unit 128

Jl. Asia Afrika Pintu IX, Jakarta

Phone: (021) 5793 1826

Tsurukamedou

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 03:30:00 +0000

Tsurukamedou, a Hakata style tonkotsu ramen chain in Japan opens the first branch in Jakarta last November. I have been waiting for couple of months before I made my trip to Jakarta this weekend, picked up by a best friend and went straight to their place in Taman Ratu - Greenville, Western of Jakarta. I am not able to give the exact direction since I am not really familiar with this neighborhood, but you will find this authentic ramen shop on the main street packed with various kind of restaurants.

The authentic looks of wooden interior, and as clean as you would expect from a Japanese restaurant with their great service, as well as the 'irrashaimase' greeting to get you seated with their warm hospitality and smiles.

We came for an early dinner, ordered Tonkotsu ramen and Tori shisen ramen and we got all we expected from a dense broth of tonkotsu to the super tender charsu, the pure rich taste of an authentic Japanese ramen! My tonkotsu ramen served with slices of charsu, half a tamago, bamboo shoot and nori, while the tori shisen comes in a little bit spicy red broth and topped with bean sprout.

This is the best ramen in town, or even the best in this country perhaps...

(Tonkotsu ramen)

(Tori shisen ramen)

I couldn't find their web but found their facebook page Tsurukamedou

MAQUI'S Kobe

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:06:00 +0000

MAQUI'S Kobe, a Japanese sweet store originated from Kobe, Japan. From chocolate to pudding, cake to mini pie, all their sweets look so tempting. I walked past one of their stores in Jakarta a while ago but did n't get a chance to buy anything from their shop but lucky me last week got one box of five mine pies brought by a family. The soft texture and melt-on-your-tongue filling will make you go back to their shop and try the rest of the flavours. I got the almond, chocolate and cream cheese which is my favorite one and definitely will go the their shops on my next trip to Jakarta.

You can find their stall shop at Grand Indoesia, Plaza Senayan oir Senayan City.

The Coffee Legend

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:30:00 +0000

I happened to visit Ho Chi Minh City last month and treat myself some of the best coffees in the world. Vietnam known as the world's second-largest producer of coffee behind Brasil, that gives enough reason for its government to protect their domestic coffee producers by banning some famous coffee business from opening their shop in this country, but this policy ends soon as Starbucks will open its first shop in Vietnam soon.

My trip was a short one yet I managed to try the three most famous coffees in Vietnam: Trung Ngu Yen, Highlands coffee and Vinacafe. Trung Ngu Yen coffee is the most internationally famous Vietnamese brand for coffee while Highlands and Vinacafe are more 'local'. You will easily find Highlands cafe at almost every corner of the city but barely find a shop of Vinacafe. I did visit Trung Ngu Yen and Highlands cafe and bought some Vinacafe instant packaging in a supermarket.

(The famous Trung Ngu Yen coffee served in Vietnamese style)

(Cappuccino from Trung Ngu Yen)

(The favorite black coffee and iced coffee with milk at Highlands cafe)

For me, personally, the highlands iced coffee is the best one...

Bokeh

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:11:00 +0000

My first post in this new year, been busy and didn't post anything over the past couple months.

This morning I read an interesting article on Peta Pixel about 'How do you pronounce bokeh' by Michael Zhang:

The term “bokeh” is often used in the world of photography to describe the quality of the out-of-focus blur in photographs. Do you know how it’s pronounced?

The term comes from the Japanese word “boke” (暈け/ボケ), which translates to “blur”, “haze”, or “fuzziness”. It made its way into English-speaking world back in 1997 after Photo Techniques editor Mike Johnston (who now writes at The Online Photographer) included three articles on the topic for the March/April 1997 issue of the magazine.

In the articles, Johnston changed the spelling from “boke” to “bokeh” to make the pronunciation of the word more intutive, lest people pronounce it like “poke” with a ‘b’. Johnston writes,

[It was] one of the few issues of that magazine that sold out. My own contribution was…er, a letter. I decided that people too readily mispronounced “boke,” so I added an “h” to the word in our articles, and voilá, “bokeh” was born.

Actually, to be precise, what I had noticed was not just that people mispronounced the word as it was commonly spelled, but that they had a tendency to ridicule it, making lame jokes about it as if it rhymed with “smoke” or “toke” or “joke.” Actually, even spelled boke, it is properly pronounced with bo as in bone and ke as in Kenneth, with equal stress on either syllable.

Here is one of my shots with bokeh effect..

Ootoya

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Ootoya with their tagline 'authentic home cooked Japanese food', they do look like an authentic one, felt like authentic with wooden dining room and the food taste authentic too. They started with one restaurant in front of Ikebukuro station in Tokyo in 1958, now they have more than 280 outlets across Asia.

(Ootoya Japanese restaurant at Plaza Indonesia Jakarta)

Visited the one at Plaza Indonesia Jakarta lunch as first customer of the day,then we saw some Japanese patronages after us makes a convincing proof that the restaurant is a real deal. We picked Tori Kurozu, Ponzu Burger, Sumi Tei and we are all agreed with the fresh Ocha with ice for our drink.

(Tori Kurozu)

The Tori Kurozu, a mixture of deep fried chicken and some vegies in sweet and sour kurozu (a kind dark vinegar) sauce, the sauce is a perfect blend with the balance of sweet and sour taste.

(Tori Kurozu set)

(Sumi Tei)

I am not a big fan of beef but this charcoal grilled beef has an irresistable looks

(Ponzu burger)

Charcoal grilled hamburger steak with grated radish and ponzu plum sauce, the tender hamburger steak speak for itself

(Ocha with ice)

For ocha lovers, the ocha option is really worth it, not only because you can have free top ups but it is the best ocha in town!

We were all agreed that the dishes are real treat.

More variety in the tuna and salmon sashimi or nigiri sushi would be great.

Ryo's Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 21:25:00 +0000

Ryo's noodles on Falcon street Crows Nest is one of my most missed eating places in Sydney when I am away, the best ramen I found outside of Japan I would say.

The shop is located in a relatively quiet street, away from the hustle and bustle of the city yet only 10 minutes by bus from the CBD plus a couple minutes stroll from the bus stop. If you plan to have lunch at Ryo's better arrive before 12 as normally there is a crowd of people queuing outside the shop.

I always ordered the tonkotsu based ramen, my favorite one, and for those who love spicy soup can pick the hot and spicy ramen, but it's not as spicy as typical asian food you would expect which is perfect for me since I don't like a really spicy food. The chewiness of the noodle is just perfect and the rich and tasty tonkotsu broth is simply unbeatable!

(hot and spicy ramen, no 3 from the menu)

(Soy sauce flavored tonkotsu ramen, no 2 from the menu)

I will definitely look for the below address when I visit Hongkong

(Hongkong shops)

Toilet Bike

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 01:43:00 +0000

Japan's (and world's) best-known toilet maker, TOTO, has just unveiled a Toilet Bike or you can translate this into 'poop-powered motorcycle'. No joke! it's as serious as their famous 'hi-tech toilet' you would find in every house in Japan. Let's make it clear, despite the look it doesn't run on human waste, nor does the real toilet used in the bike work, instead it is fueled with animal waste to travel up to 300 kilometers.

(photos courtesy of AFP)

Claimed as the world's first waste-powered vehicle, the tricycle has a toilet in place of a regular seat and huge toilet paper at the back.

Only in Japan..

(source: Tokyo Times)

Ramen Champion at Changi T3

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 14:06:00 +0000

I've got posts about Ramen Champion in Singapore and Ramen Champion at Changi Airport but just got a chance to prove it myself last week while transiting at this one of best airports in the world.

As you would expect, you can try tasty ramen from four different region in Japan at the comfort of Changi Airport, it's located in basement are (public area) at B2-58 Terminal 3. Gantetsu from Sapporo, Riki ramen from Tokyo, Taka no Tsume Chiba, and Ikkousha from Hakata. I didn't waste my (only) 18 hours transit and managed to try three different ramen, corn and butter ramen from Sapporo, one small bowl from Riki ramen, and a big bowl of Tonkotsu ramen from Ikkousha, and this last one is my favorite as I love tonkotsu based soup. For those who love ramen, better prepare an empty stomach to try all different kind of ramen you can't resist in one place!

(Tonkotsu ramen from Ikkousha)

Cherry Blossom Festival 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 11:14:00 +0000

A quick post from the Cherry Blossom Festival at Auburn Japanese Garden, the festival is on for this weekend (18-19 of August) and next weekend (25-26 of August) only from 12pm - 4 pm.

I happened to visit the garden for a quick look this morning and only a few photos were taken.

Updated with some more photos taken around Blue Mountain

Chicken Wing Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Rashai) — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 11:53:00 +0000

I read a post on my Facebook friend about this Chicken Wing flavour ice cream from Nagoya, really..? wait .. that's not all. I found this post about ten weird Japanese ice cream flavours, and here they are:

Chicken wing ice cream

Caviar ice cream

Beef tongue ice cream

Horse sashimi ice cream

Whale ice cream

Indian curry ice cream

Octopus ice cream

Shark fin ramen ice cream

Squid ice cream

Snake ice cream