Friday, September 24, 2010

Aritagaya Ramen House at Northbridge



My partner and i went to Aritagaya Ramen House at Northbridge for dinner. The place looks very inviting and 'japanese', it is colourful and japanese characters are sprawled all over the restaurant. I wish i am in japan right now! Had one of my most memorable holiday in japan.

Aritagaya serves complimentary hot green tea and ice water. Love it!


Takoyaki
Wikipedia: Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼?) (literally fried or grilled octopus) is a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced or whole baby octopustempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, andgreen onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, ponzumayonnaise, green laver (aonori), and katsuobushi (fish shavings), first popularized in Taisho-era Osaka,[1] where a street vendornamed Endo Tomekichi is credited with its invention in 1935 [2]. Takoyaki can be found in shops called issen-yoshoku (壹銭洋食), which roughly translates to "one-penny Western food" [3]Yaki is derived from "yaku(焼く?) which simply means "to fry or grill" in Japanese, and can be found in the names of other Japanese cuisine items such as teriyaki orsukiyaki[4]

This takoyaki was not bad, one of the better ones i've tried in perth, this is one of my favourite japanese dish
but nothing beats the real thing in osaka... 

my chicken karaage tsukemen 
this was tasty and it was my first time trying tsukemen (cold ramen noodles dipped into soup). it was quite different to the usual hot broth ramen i had, but it was quite interesting

chicken karaage ramen with miso base soup
I found the ramen noodles a bit too thick in this ramen restaurant, the broth was really thick and full of flavours (a bit too thick for me). My partner said the soy-base soup (Shoyu) is much lighter and tastes better. 


I think this place is good for a quick dinner if you are in northbridge area. The food here is average but reasonably priced.
Location: 62 Roe St, Northbridge

ever wondered why there are these guardian lions in almost every chinatown in the world? let me wiki it for you : 
Chinese guardian lions, known also as stone lions (石獅, Pinyin: Shíshī) in Chinese art and often (incorrectly) called "Foo Dogs" in the West, are a common representation of thelion in pre-modern China. They are believed to have powerful mythic protective powers that has traditionally stood in front of Chinese Imperial palaces, Imperial tombs, government offices, temples, and the homes of government officials and the wealthy from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). Pairs of guardian lions are still common decorative and symbolic elements at the entrances to restaurants, hotels, supermarkets and other structures, with one sitting on each side of the entrance, in China and in other places around the world where the Chinese people have immigrated and settled, especially in local Chinatowns.
The lions are always created in pairs, with the male playing with a ball and the female with a cub. They occur in many types of Chinese pottery and in Western imitations[1].


Arigataya on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Simple Pizza with Lebanese Bread

Want to try something different and make pizza using lebanese bread instead of the usual pizza base. It turned out surprisingly good and easy to make!


I spread a layer of tomato paste/pasta sauce on the bread, added sliced ham, mushroom and mozarella cheese on top and baked it at 150degrees for about 15minutes (till the cheese is golden brown)
Need to add barbeque sauce as well, that is the best sauce to add to your pizza to have this sweet/tangy taste. I was trying to copy my favourite double bacon cheeseburger pizza by dominos

Serve it with salad for a simple and quick dinner!


Monday, September 13, 2010

Japanese Omelette Fried Rice - Omu-Rice

Youtube Omurice recipe! Watched this really good video on how to cook it, so simple as well. and the video was Cooking With the DOG -GU (cooking with the dog) by a japanese commentator. Well, the chef was REALLY cooking with a dog.

I was really happy with the result. I had omu-rice when i was in Kobe,Japan last time and I was so sick i took one bite and went home to sleep for 2 days. Now I can make it myself!
Omurice is tomato ketchup flavoured fried rice wrapped with a thin layer of egg. YUMMY
Watch the video for the recipe! Highly entertaining video and it is short as well.


What you need:
Ingredients for Omurice


(serves 2)
130g Chicken (0.287 lb)
Salt & Pepper
1 Garlic Clove
1/4 Onion (70g / 2.47 oz)
4 Button Mushrooms (50g / 1.76 oz)
1 tbsp White Wine
200g Canned Tomato (0.441 lb)
1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1/2 Bouillon Cube (2.8g / 0.1 oz)
1 Bay Leaf
30g Frozen Green Peas (1.06 oz)
Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper

280g Steamed Rice Cooked with Less Water (0.617 lb)
4 Eggs
2 tsp Dairy Cream
Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper
Baby Salad Greens
Parsley
Tomato Ketchup
watch the video for more!



I only have one comment for the youtube video - PUT THE DAMN DOG DOWN!! Watch it to understand what i mean, it is still very hilarious, but plssss let the dog go

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Swan Valley - House of Honey

This is a continuation of my swan valley weekend trip. Went to House of Honey there which was on the Food and Wine trail guide. We bought this AMAZING honey sparkling drink and it was so good we went back to buy a dozen, good drink to share among your friends during dinner parties! (bringing 2 bottles to my friend's house for hotpot tomorrow)

my friends tried this and all wanted to buy a few bottles off me. it was seriously good. Sparkling drink with real honey in it. Only $8.95 a bottle, refreshing and yummy drink!



House of Honey is a beautifully decorated shop with a cafe, and sells WA honey.



All the honey i saw were sourced from WA. Bought blackbutt, jarrah (apparently one of the best honey with medicinal properties) and karri honey. There is free honey tasting available so you can taste them before you buy. The honey is cheap as well compared to the supermarkets. If you buy your honey here, you can rest assured that it is full of natural goodness! 

When i notice some crystallisation on top of the honey, the shop assistant patiently explained to me that that only occurs when the honey is natural and not chemically processed. Lots of honey in the supermarket are processed so they dont crystallise. So if your honey crystallises, it means it is natural and of good quality, you just have to heat it up slightly.


Purchase of the day. bought some natural honeycomb too. I love the cute and tiny honey pot i bought as well.
A small bottle of honey 250ml is about $3-5 which I find more than reasonable.
This is a good place for honey lovers. They serve honey tea and scones too in their cafe (The Sticky Spoon Cafe). They also have free sampling of their honey candy which was absolutely fantastic!!

Location: 867 Great Northern Highway, Herne Hill
Opening Hours - 10am to 5pm Tues - Sun

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Hush Espresso




I wanted a quiet relaxing Sunday afternoon so I decided to check out Hush Espresso. This was my first time there and I've always walked past it but never went in as i felt this place looked a bit 'too cool' 
 with its very contemporary and modern design. Behind that modern exterior (unlike the cosy cafes in freo) this place is really very HUSH! Very quiet and peaceful place, i totally fell in love with this cafe 


Looked into our combined wallets and realised we only had $4 in cash. Cant be bothered to ask if eftpos was available, maybe they do accept, but too l.a.z.y. (i hate it when places dont accept eftpos!) so we just ordered one cup of latte. my partner doesnt drink coffee anyways, yay for me.
Latte - $3.80

very very nice presentation! heart designed frothing served by the barista. So pretty i didnt want to stir my sugar in and ruined it. 
 Just like the reviews online, the coffee here was indeed good. No bitter aftertaste, they use a synesso machine, perfect combination of coffee and milk without comprising on the aroma/taste of the coffee. 

I think this is a great place for a caffeine fix and to hang out with friends and family. It is spacious and is in the heart of fremantle. Hush espresso serves breakfast all day as well. I will return next time for their coffee and breakfast


Location: 32 Market Street, Fremantle


Hush Espresso on Urbanspoon

Friday, September 3, 2010

Swan Valley - Elmars in the Valley

Best weekends are always spent having a picnic with my dogs (yes im lame), breakfast with friends at some nice cafe full of funky people or a mini roadtrip to look for some good food!

So this time we had a mini roadtrip in search of good food.
Having been to duckstein a couple of times, we've decided to give Elmar's in the valley a try in swan valley.
I've heard this cosy restaurant serves the best German Food in Perth.

Made a reservation the day before and the waiter promptly showed us to our table.
The interior is like a warm cosy house with a slight 'canteen style'. People here are just sitting around having a casual drink and they all appeared so relaxed, just like myself.


So relaxed i've decided to get some kickback beer to suit the occasion.
Kick Back Weizen 4.8% alc
A traditional Bavarian Wheat Bier made using 50% wheat malt with a thirst quenching burst of banana. With hints of vanilla and a subtle finish of aromatic hops coming through on the finish -$5.00 for small


I could taste a bit of banana in this it was cold and refreshing!
  
Pork Sausage (Grilled Bratwurst) with German Sauerkraut and Potato Mash - $17.50

The sausage was PERRRRFECT with fluffy light mash. I even liked the Sauerkraut which was not too sour, and tasted really pleasant. I never liked Sauerkraut but this one was different. The sourness was more subtle than 'full on'.

Pork Shank (Schweinehaxe) -Elmar's Specialty
Pickled and Roasted Pork Shank with German Sauerkraut and Fried Potatoes -$39.90

My partner ordered this, fairly large portion so light eaters should share this. Everything was nice about this dish, the potatoes, Sauerkraut and the tender juicy pork shank with mustard. Yummyyy

Bread and Butter Pudding (Kabinett Pudding)
Homemade Brioche, Layered with Sultanas and Vanilla Pod Custard, Served with Connoisseur Vanilla Icecream - $12.50


 We were so satisfied with our meal here, we decided to just have coffee and dessert here as well. Our original plan was to go to another cafe in swan valley for dessert. The Bread and Butter pudding was light and not too overwhelming. The taste was just right, very delicious!


The Bratwurst was so delicious I had to buy some home. Just walked to their 'small goods' section to grab some sausages before we pay the bill. So convenient. These sausages were very affordable and cooking them at home will save us so much money :)

Wieners?

Bought some spicy ones, garlic and just the original bratwurst. I cooked one of them and it was just as yummy!
  

To make a reservation online click here: http://www.elmars.com.au/Valley/bookatable.php

Opening Hours:
Monday and Tuesday - CLOSED
Wednesday and Thursday - 11am to 5pm (depending on trade)
Friday to Sunday - 11am to 10pm (depending on trade)

Contact : (08) 9296 6354
Address: 8731 West Swan Road
HENLEY BROOK 6055


Elmar's in the Valley on Urbanspoon