Sokyo Ramen Pop Up, The Star

I am probably too late to post this up cause apparently Sokyo Ramen Pop up has been going on for a while now... But it will still be running till the end of November, so there's still time for all of you to try it outtt :)

I went there last Saturday Night with my buddies Ms.L and Mr.P, and surprisingly there were no queue as I was told which is good ...

So here are the feast.. They offered 3 choices of Ramen up on the board; the tonkotsu, tantanmen and cold ramen. None of us fancy cold ramen. So we got the other two.

Mr.P and Ms.L got the Umami Tonkotsu 2.0 Ramen - Pork, Chicken & Seafood dashi, pork backfat, Umami Soy Kaeshi, Pork Cheek Chashu, Black Fungus, Marinated Egg, Nori, Yuzu Kosho. The broth was quite thick and rich, filled with all the porky goodness!

I got the Spicy Miso Tantanmen which also comes with Broccolini and tomato. Yes those veggies in tantamen. Never seen before in tantamen, cause they usually put just beansprout hihi.,. But it's a good different though..

I think I prefer the tonkotsu over the tantanmen, Probably I'm used to tantanmen from Ichiban Boshi that is thicker and richer than the one Sokyo made. It's still good though don't get me wrong.. :)

Not to forget we ordered Han's Fried Chicken which was super perfect as a side for the ramen! For the drink, I tried the Yuzu Pop Soda - Yuzu, passionfruit, Aloe Vera Juice, Orgeat Almond syrup and Soda. So fresh and had a strong passion fruit note.

Make sure to visit the place while it last and do come outside peak hours to avoid queue :)
Hope u enjoy it as much as I do ^^

Ramen Kan, Chinatown

I've been living in Sydney for almost 6 years now and never have I step foot into Ramen Kan in Chinatown until Ms.S suggested a dinner there. I've been to the one in Bondi many times but she said that the menu was slightly different and here, they serve the best Curry Ramen. The restaurant is located on the second floor, you can access it through stairs of lift, but beware, the lift is pretty dodgy ;p

So I went out with bebski, Mr.M and Ms.OS to Ramen Kan on a friday night. Thankfully the place wasn't as crowded as I went last time with Ms.S, may be partly because there was the Night Market in Chinatown which attracted more attention to people.

I got myself a simple yet refreshing drink called Lychee Coco in the menu. Basically it's just Calpis with Lychee and Nata de Coco. Never thought that Nata de coco and calpis can be a good combo! Great idea for house party next time ;p

Lychee Coco $4.30

The thing that I like in Ramen kan is they have 'all $3 dishes' in their menu, a good portion for snacking or as a sides to your ramen or rice set!
As usual, I can never pass the temptation of Chicken Karage! The portion was generous, 3 big chicken pieces, deep fried perfectly and served with Kewpie <3

I also got the Soft Shell Crab Salad which comes with Cabbage, cherry tomatoes and fresh corn drizzled with the house dressing. The serving of the crab was pretty decent in my opinion and what I love most is the corn pieces! It was fresh, thank goodness, cause I hate the taste of canned corn.

Bebski got the Salmon salad from the $3 menu, the salmon was fresh and again generous for the value!

Mr.M got The Hamburg Curry Rice, beef patty topped with mozarella cheese on an ocean of curry sauce and a mountain of rice :) I didn't get to try it but he said it's delish :)

Curry Hamburg Rice $10.50

Ms.S got the Mini Udon (Kaisen) set which consists of a bowl of plain udon, a small bowl of rice topped with fresh raw salmon and tuna and also a small salad bowl.

Mini Udon Set (kaisen) $13.50

The dish of the night, The Karage Cheese Curry Ramen, from the name itself I thought it would be too much for the taste, but it turned out that the curry wasn't as heavy/strong as I thought it would be, it's pretty light and the cheese gives a nice creaminess to the soup. The karage was unquestionable delish and the noodle was the wavy type of noodle which I love. There's no doubt that this dish is the popular one in Ramen Kan!

Karage Cheese Curry Ramen $11.50

For me, I got half portion of the Hot & Spicy (Geikara) ramen. It is a chicken based soup which consists of wavy noodles, chicken pieces, heaps of thinly slices spriong onion and a dollop of chilli paste. As usual, it wasn't spicy enough for me and the spring onion >.< I need to pick it outttt ..

Geikara Ramen (S) $7.90

 The soup was light and that would be my last time ordering chicken broth based ramen ;p Pork broth has more flavours! It was still good but wasn't as great as pork broth based ramen :) I just love porkkk ;p

I'm glad I listened to Ms.S in the first place and try this place out. I do think that Ramen Kan serves cheap, tasty and well-portioned food. Service is always no doubt top notch for Japanese eat spots.

Do try the Karage Cheese ramen!

Manpuku, Kingsford

The only legit Ramen spot in Kingsford area! :) It was a big hit when it first opened.. I remembered the queue that I had to go through back then...  Manpuku is not as crowded as before but there will always be customer who needs a bowl of ramen every now and then, just like me and Bebski.. Getting sick of those Chinese and Indo foods around Kingsford, we decided to give Manpuku another visit along with Mr.V and his gf, Ms.S :)

Ordering system is easy. Pick a table, they will bring the menus to you and when you're ready to order, just make your way to the counter :) I was so hungry that day after a tremendously busy day at work so I ordered another extra treat for me-self, the Chicken Karage sides. Lovely chicken karage which is always a perfect match with Kewpie <3

Chicken Karage $5.50

Bebski and his love for Garlic Ramen! He got the Manpuku Black- Garlic flavour Soy based pork soup

Manpuku Black $13.90

And me.. As usual, my love for chilli and spicy foods brought me to Manpuku Red - Hot Chilli Flavour Soy based pork soup. I also changed the noodle to wavy instead of regular straight one. What made me love this Red ramen so much is the Dried Shrimp powder that adds nicely to the soup. I also pick the extreme hot level, but it wasn't extreme at all for me.. hehe..

Manpuku Red $13.90

Overall, Manpuku is a good place to fix your ramen craving in Kingsford area. The pork belly wasn't the best but it wasn't bad either.. Have it a go when u're in the area especially in a cold day like today!^^

Ippudo - Central Park (Chippendale)

This is my second time visiting IPPUDO! They will be opening a new spot in Central Park lower ground level on the 2nd of October and I got the privilege to have a taste of their awesome menus in Central park. I must say the menu is a bit different from the ones in Pitt st mall, so make sure you check this place out when its open!

Bebski and I arrived at 6:30PM and at the front of the shop was a bunch of people waiting to be seated. I thought that they also accept regular customers but apparently that night they only open for invited people; food bloggers and other groups. The place was spacious and keeping with their group dining table style like the one in westfield, they have 2 large tables in the middle of the area for larger groups or smaller groups to mingle ;p

We were greeted warmly by the staff and also approached by Sana Motoyama, the Marketing manager that invited me to IPPUDO. She's a very nice lady :)

Enough intro let's go to the foods ~~ We got to choose any drink from the menu accept the alcohol. One of the staff recommended their Homemade Lemon Lime Bitter that was uniquely refreshing and addictive! I got a slight grapefruit bitterness, a bit gingery kinda spicy and also sweet at the same time :) Bebski thought they put a bit of sake-like liquid in it as it tasted a bit alcoholic ;p

We also get to choose a starter each. Being a Dumpling fan, I got their Gyoza in Chilli Oil. The gyoza were boiled then smothered in the fragrant chilli oil and topped with onion and cabbage. I love the sauce! The gyozas are meaty and yummy! Really can't get enough of it... ~~

Bebski got the Pork Croquette, it took quite awhile for it to arrive but its worth the wait. It had a thick crunchy outer layer, not like other croquette with thin batter.. The filling taste like bolognese but in a Japanese kind of way :)

Both of us ordered the Special Ramen which comes with extra fillings of Seaweed sheet, Boiled eggs, Beans prouts, Pork chasu slices, Bamboo shoots and Black mushrooms.

Let me start off with my uh-mazingly mouthwatering ramen! I got the Miso tonkotsu Special - Ippudo's siginature pork broth infused with red miso topped with pork belly chasu, cabbage, bean sprout. bamboo shoot and corn.

After mixing everything in and with additional chilli oil, my mega ramen looks like the pic below! It was seriously delicious.. The portion was big and I thought its worth the price of $25 a bowl, considering the amount of chashu that I got. I am definitely a fan of IPPUDO's pork belly chashu! Usually every time I visited a ramen place, I would always give my chashu to bebski but this time, no sharing for me! And also what I love from this ramen is the flavour depth of the soup and the fresh crunchy corn :) Not to forget I love the ramen noodle in it!
Highly recommended!

For bebski, he got the Shiromaru Special - IPPUDO original tonkotsu broth served with thin noodles, pork loin, bean sprout, black mushrooms and shallot. I remembered I ordered this Hakata style ramen in my first IPPUDO visit. The soup was rich but for me it didn't have enough punch of flavour.. But bebski on the other hand, he loved it! Especially the pork loin..

There.. a summary of our awesome ramen!
Writing this post made me droools for some ramen right nowww..

IPPUDO definitely has step up their game to another level! Before, I thought the hype was overrated but now I can truly say, I am an IPPUDO fan especially to the Pork Belly Chashu fuuuu~~ I am one happy food blogger ^^

Happy trying everyone! Don't forget to get in early on the 2nd October!
It is located in the Central Pall, Lower Ground RB07 :)

To know more about IPPUDO, you can click on this VIDEO ^^

Gumshara Ramen, Chinatown

Despite the heavy rain last Sunday, Bebski & I were persistent to spend the day in the city. I was thinking that morning what should be good in this cold day. I remembered Mr.US told me that the new Jap Place where Dog Dog Japan used to be serves a great black curry rice. Also, I came across a new place in George st called Two Sticks. I read some reviews and they serve a pretty decent noodle soup.

In the end, we had lunch in the foodcourt below Harbour Plaza Chinatown, its just because we will be going to Capitol Square and chinatown was the nearest place to eat. It has been quite a while since I visited this food court. 

Arriving wet in the food court, I can see not so many people there during that lunch hour. Good, I don't have to queue for Gumshara ramen!! I had Gumshara once before in my first year here but I didn't like it. I'm thinking to give it another go as the place has been rewarded as Sydney Food Blogger Choice Award 2013 and maybe my taste bud was undeveloped then ;P

My eyes is searching for the one with Pork Ribs! And there it was, on the right hand corner of the menu! Looking at the plain soup on the picture, I was tempted to get the chilli bomb (might be good!) and adding some soft boiled egg to it giving some colour

Pork Ribs Ramen $15.50 + $3.50 extra

I was right! The chilli bomb does add spicy note on the ramen. Of course, Ive tasted the soup without mixing the chilli bomb first. Buttttt the chilli bomb is so gooodd in the soup! It not just a handful of chilli + miso paste but also some mince pork in it. The soup is thick and rich. I also added some more chilli on the sides as the whole dish needs bit more spiciness for me. And the fatty luscious pork ribs was cooked to perfection. It has the right saltiness for me and has a punch of flavour! I think this has become my Top No.1 Ramen in Sydney now...
What a meal for this cold day!! 

Bebski got the Curry Rice King Set from a Jap place across Gumshara. They are pretty yummy too .. But that size for a curry is too big that my palate got tired from the sauce.

EMPEROR'S PUFF, CHINATOWN

After lunch, as usual, dessert! was craving Emperor's puff all of the sudden. Hoping the queue won't be as long as it was still drizzling. But, I am totally wrong. Can't believe my eyes looking at the long queue ;P I guess the custard puff can be warming for this day.

I was going to buy just 3 pieces for me but as we move along the queue, Bebski told me that we better get more than that ;P So we bought 12 pieces!

It was sooo delish! Fluffy, eggy, creamy and warmmmm.... ^^ A nice sweet treat after the savoury Ramen in Gumshara...

Overall a great meal for a cold rainy day! 
Readers, Do you add a lot of chilli into your ramen? And will you queue for something you really crave for? :)

Ramen Zundo, Sydney

I have a read a couple of food review regarding this ramen restaurant in world square.. Apparently I've never notice about the existence of this restaurant, maybe because they are located in a small lane between Gusman Y Gomez and the Sushi roll.

I asked my boyfriend if he would like to accompany me trying out this new ramen in the block.. He told me that he ate there once before with his friend.. I was furioussss as I always keen to try new restaurant and how dare he went there without me hehe..

It was shopping night and we invite some of our friends too to join our dinner.. 

Some basic information about ramen zundo:
               Ramen Zundo offers three kinds of broth. The first one is pork broth where the pork bones were boiled for over 12 hours to gives out that rich and thick soup while keeping it still light when consumed. Then, for those not-so-pork-fan, they also offer a chicken broth. In addition, for those who are a bit more adventurous and curious, they offer 'Double Soup' which is the combination of the pork and chicken broth.

So here's what we got. . .

Indonesian Habit - We can never eat if there's no chilli, so I tried the chilli powder on the tip of my tongue and GOD it BURNS! Looking forward to receive the ramen NOW :)

                                                            Mount Chasu - Black Ramen ($14.80)

 As Big as As my Bf's appetite, he got the Mount Chasu Ramen with Black base soup which is a tonkotsu broth with Baked Garlic Oil added and literally a mountain of Chasu pork!

                                                          Original Black Zundo ($11.80)

The same soup base as the Mount Chasu just with less Chasu in it ;P
                                         

                                                                Tsukemen ($12.80)

Thick Chewy Noodle (Cold) and u dip it to the Original Pork broth with mince pork and shredded cabbage, I personally loveeeee this Tsukemen Noodle more than the ramen :)

                                                             Red Zundo ($11.80)

Red Zundo has spicy chilli oil incorporated in the pork broth. Again to me Zundo Red is mild spicy, I still need to add quite a bit of the chilli powder to make it even hotter ^^

We also tried the Melted Cheese and Pork Spring Rolls but I couldn't manage to find the pictures :(
This Restaurant is highly recommended.. Happy Eating All!