excuse me for my absence. but could you wait a little while longer?

Okay, no excuses. I haven't blogged for a while, and it really shows. My ability to join words together to form eloquent and complete sentences has really.... um... gotten badder. Yeah, I know. That bad.

I could blame it on the change of job, and lack of money for a while. I could also blame my lack of blogging on the tiny excuse for a kitchen in my apartment here in Japan. Or, maybe I've just been lazy spending this last year (yikes... that was longer than I thought) thinking of excuses for why I haven't blogged.

Well this changes, NOW. Well, not 'now' exactly, since this post still doesn't make any mention of food. But with my recent move back above the poverty line, my purchase of my own bento box for lunches, and also with my upcoming culinary adventure to Hong Kong, I'm hoping to change all that.

I hope. Hopefully I'll find m food muse in Hong Kong to make me write about food again. Plus, feel more inspired to blog about attempting to make lunches from leftovers and cooking food in a tiny kitchen, and limited ingredients. Just give me another week. Promise. That's not too long, right?

no fuss lemonade scones

Breakfast really is the meal for champions. Eggs benedict, pancakes, and french toast- it just seems like a shame that these foods are relegated to just the one time of the day. Unfortunately, my daily fantasies of a feast of a breakfast are soon dashed when I realise it requires getting out of bed earlier than desired just to fumble around in the kitchen.

on my plate - una-ju @ Kissho, Osaka

What better way to beat the heat of summer than with unagi? Well, if you ask me, I would have suggested Maxibons, gelato, an ice cold bear, or just about anything other than steaming hot eel with rice. How unagi came to be associated with summer is still debatable (some say it's because the fattiness of the eel gives you more energy to last in the humidity compared to regular fish, others say it's because foods starting with the character 'u' are connected to winter, and so its winter-associations are meant to counteract the heat of summer), but being in Osaka, I felt the need to do what Romans do, and gave it a shot.

My aimless wandering around Osaka finally paid off when I stumbled upon Kissho, a restaurant famed for its Edo-style (a.k.a Ye Olde Tokyo style) unagi. Yes, eating a Tokyo style dish in Osaka is essentially the same as going to Sydney to try South Melbourne dim sims, but my previous experience with unagi involved buying the discounted stuff from convenience stores, so my ability to discern quality eel from the regular stuff is probably quite low anyway.

Not the cheapest lunch I've had in Japan (about $28), but I guess there's no use complaining when the meat is rich, juicy, and slathered with sweet soy-based kabayaki sauce. I am still highly suspicious of its reputed summer-beating qualities, however, unless the food coma that occurred on the train immediately afterwards was pure coincidence.

Kissho
8-47 Kakuda-cho, Kita-ku
Osaka city, Osaka

fancypants mac & cheese

I distinctly remember being ten years old and looking forward to Tuesday tennis lessons not for the tennis itself, but for the post-training visit to McDonalds. Needless to say, I was slightly, *ahem* heavy as a kid. Fast forward to now, and I find myself forgetting how exactly drive-through works as I head to Maccas for the first time in more than two years.

While their burgers just aren't as appealing to me as they used to, one bite of the piping hot fries reminded me why so many others in keep coming back. It reminded me of all the other guilty pleasures from childhood that I can't seem to quit, even after my tastes have changed.

Yu-u and yakitori

Despite talk about it having some of the best Japanese lunch sets in Melbourne, there's a lot of mystery that surrounds Yu-u. A quick google will find some Urbanspoon reviews and a couple blog posts about it, but don't expect to find an official website or any pictures of the food. Yu-u has earned the reputation of being one of Melbourne's best kept secrets, and judging by its nondescript entrance off in a side alley in the CBD and strict no photo-taking policy, it seems intent on keeping it that way.

on my plate - betel leaf topped with chicken @ red spice road

Places like Red Spice Road in the city make me glad I work in the city. Sure, the 45 minute commute on the train after the daily struggle to find a parking spot can be tough, but it makes being surrounded by hundreds of restaurants makes it worth it. Whether I actually have the money to afford eating at these places, is another story. 

I ended up bringing my lunch for two weeks in the lead up to my Red Spice Road lunch banquet, just to make sure I wouldn't feel guilty about the minor splurge. And guilty, I do not feel at all. The much-anticipated pork belly was not overhyped at all, and the watermelon and barramundi salad was also pretty good. Before all the mains arrived though,  came the betel leaf topped with chicken, coriander, and chilli.  Small, light, with a slight kick from the chilli, it had my mouth watering and excited about what was to come next. 

Red Spice Road

27 McKillop St, Melbourne

omurice

I don't know why Japanese people seem to be the only ones to have stumbled on the secret formula for amazing food - the addition of rice to other foods (Japanese or otherwise) will increase the awesomeness exponentially. 

Don't trust me? Then you have to try their taco rice. Or if you're looking for a more 'Italian' influence, maybe, some doria, which is essentially a gratin with rice in place of the pasta. And people in Nagasaki swear by their Toruko rice (Turkish rice). 

on my plate - xiao long bao @ Hutongs

I must admit - these became one of my favourite dumplings at yum cha purely because of the novelty - I love the idea of biting into a dumpling only to find it filled with steaming hot soup. That being said, I'm usually disappointed when I do order them since nine times out of ten, they're not as juicy and full of flavour as I had imagined them to be. Unfortunately, I've found out the hard way that places that do a mean Shanghai pork bun are few and far between.

After hearing that xiao long bao was Hutong's speciality, there was a part of me that was expecting them to be overhyped. Could they really be bursting with that much soup?

It took a couple visits, but I can now safely say yes. I couldn't tell if they were that juicy or I was salivating that much, which is why I had to go for a second time. And order two serves. You know, just to be sure.

Hutong
14-16 Market Lane
Melbourne

on my plate - linguine with baby octopus, chilli and garlic

Has baby octopus always been this cheap? Had I known I could find it for $6 a kilo, as opposed to $25/kg calamari I would probably be more inclined to cook seafood more often. I was searching for tuna to try out Gary Mehigan's linguine with fresh tuna, chilli & garlic recipe, but I at that price, I'd be stupid not to buy octopus, right?.  Linguine tossed in a garlic and chilli-infused olive oil sauce, topped with rocket and pangrattato. I've tried making olive oil-based pasta sauces without much success, but this one has converted me - full of flavour without tasting too oily. That, coupled with the subtle kick of chilli, the crunchy texture of the thyme pangrattato breadcrumbs, and the tender octopus is seriously amazing.

Questionable Asian buffet experiences aside, it has once again confirmed my theory that you should never really pass up on cheap seafood.

homemade pizza

Aaah, pizza. Even the greasiest, cheese-laden pizza from a dodgy local pizza joint will still hit the spot on a lazy Sunday night. And, as I just found out today, it's also a pretty good idea for Sunday afternoons with a fridge filled with leftovers, too.

on my plate - slow cooked lamb baguette @ earl canteen

I have a tried and true method for judging the quality of a new restaurant: if the vegetarian options on the  menu sound as appetizing as the meat ones, then it must be good. Being a proud meat-eater, I'll always inevitably choose the meat option, and will probably never try the meatless offerings, but it really says something when a place makes me consider (albeit momentarily) the idea of becoming a vegetarian. Earl Canteen's last visit for a pork belly baguette already had me salivating about my next visit. Should I get the roasted mushroom & goat's curd ciabatta with pesto, or the local organic asparagus baguette with taleggio cream and slow cooked egg?

But c'mon, it is me. I ended up going for the 12 hour lamb and honeyed carrots, topped with gremolata and served in a crusty baguette, and do not regret it at all.  Although next visit I might try one of the vegetarian sandwiches. Or the lunch box. Or maybe duck confit sandwich...

Earl Canteen
500 Bourke St
Melbourne

on my plate - tonkotsu ramen @ ramen-ya

Is it wrong that one of the reasons why I'm thinking about moving back to Japan is because of the food? Melbourne certainly has its fair share of quality restaurants, and a fair proportion of them offer some near-comparable Japanese food, like Ramen-ya's tonkotsu ramen. Bamboo shoots, spring onions, tender chashu pork and slightly chewy noodles served in a a rich, creamy pork broth. Sure, it was good, and at $6.50, definitely hard to beat, it felt like something wasn't quite right. Maybe it was that the egg yolk could've been a little softer and more runny. Or maybe it just needs to be ordered with a ticket-dispensing vending machine and eaten in a narrow, dimly lit alleyway in Tokyo.

Ramen-ya

Shop 25G Melbourne's GPO

350 Bourke St

Melbourne

sushi - Shira Nui

It was a warm summer night, and I was hungry. I had no craving for KFC, pizza, or one of the other cheap Chinese places around the corner. Just as my dad and I were about to give up our search for somewhere good, we saw the "Now Open" sign on the new restaurant. It was small, and nestled between a real estate agent and other small shops, you wouldn't expect to find a restaurant there. But it was brand new, and glancing in the window and spying the simple, minimalist decor, it seemed more than your standard, run-of-the-mill take away restaurant. Interests piqued, we stepped inside, and have not looked back ever since.

Hard to believe that that night was eight years ago. But once you've tried their sushi at Shira Nui, it's not hard to believe that I still remember that night so vividly, or why the tiny restaurant has still managed to stay around and be successful.

on my plate - mirage @ laurent patisserie

Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting older, but my sweet tooth just isn't what it used to be. Decadent chocolate cakes and rich crème brulées have now been demoted to 'sometimes' foods, as opposed to something I could have eaten every other day of the week.

But seeing this Mirage cake from Laurent Patisserie - Lime, raspberry mousse with a coconut dacquoise (No, I didn't know what a dacquoise was either) - I knew my sweet tooth wouldn't be happy with me if I didn't order it . The tart, tangy coupled with the sweet, refreshingly light raspberry mousse and crunchy base was the perfect after lunch treat. I could definitely see myself eating this on a regular basis.

Laurent Patisserie
703 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn

my coffee confession

Like almost every other person around the world, I love a good coffee. The only thing better than a mid-afternoon latte as a pick-me-up would be the lively conversation among the company of friends that usually goes with it. Then again, maybe it's just the fact I've just had my daily caffeine hit which makes the conversation seem livelier and less cranky.

But I have a confession to make. Well, two actually. I find myself in stuck in the middle of two opposing sides, trying to appease them all, trying to avoid all the hurt feelings of betrayal that may arise when I finally come clean. 

on my plate - honey soy chicken drumsticks

As much as I enjoy cooking pasta dishes, meat, and desserts, I still have days where I crave the flavours of my mum's home cooking, which for me, involves a lot of Asian food. The moment I saw Curtis Stone's recipe for chicken drumsticks marinated in honey and soy, memories of my mum's baked honey soy chicken wings came flooding back - slightly salty and sweet, juicy wings on a bed of steaming hot jasmine rice to soak up all the deliciously sticky sauce - and knew I had to make this the next day. 

While I stole a page from my mum's book and baked them instead of grilling, they still turned out just fine. The coriander and squeeze of lemon juice were just icing on the cake.... Well, icing on the chicken, anyway. 

on my plate - rack of lamb with quiona tabouli @ oakridge winery

If there was one thing I missed most while in Japan, it was a good lamb souvlaki. It wasn't easy finding a good steak or quality cheese either, but if you were willing to fork over a good chunk of cash, it could be done. Lamb on the other hand, only seemed to exist at the rare (in my area at least) Mongolian barbecue restaurants, which was good, but not quite the same.

So when I saw the combination of sheep's milk yoghurt, tabouli, and lamb, I knew I had to get this. It was essentially a deconstructed, fancier take on a lamb souvlaki, which is probably why the flavours worked so well.

Oakridge Restaurant
846 Maroondah Highway
Coldstream

curry puff pie

"You know, you should really open your own restaurant!"

It's probably a compliment that is thrown around quite frequently. And while it's only some of the time that people are being sincere and genuinely think that the complimentee (that's a word, right?) would in fact be successful as a restauranteur, even fewer complimentees would actually follow up on that.

My mum was that minority, and while I thought her food was alright, I think it was probably just due to the fact that Thai food wasn't as prevalent in Melbourne when she decided to open up her restaurant, and it was still an exotic, lesser-known food to many. Her food wasn't that unique or fancy; it was just traditional food you'd see regular people eat at home in Thailand.


But if there was one food that garnered the most compliments, it was definitely her curry puffs. These may have single-handedly been the reason why she got the got those "open your restaurants" compliments in the first place, which the made her consider doing the restaurant thing for a few years. Actually, scratch that. They are the sole reason my mum had a restaurant. My mum will never read this blog to deny it, so I'm just going make that statement and say that it's fact.

on my plate - dory and yuzu fish roe sushi

Dory sushi seasoned with lemon and salt, topped with yuzu-infused tobiko (flying fish roe). The refreshing tartness of the lemon and salt, along with the almost crunchy texture of the yuzu tobiko didn't fail in whetting my appetite and getting me excited for all the other sushi that followed.

Shira Nui
247 Springvale Rd
Glen Waverley (map)

the two little pigs

In two days time, people all over the world will be surrounded by friends and family and enjoying each other's company in this festive time of the year. And presumably, this will also involve my favourite pastime: food. It's the only time of the year where it's not just justified, but expected of people to gorge themselves on a week's worth of food in a single sitting. For many, this involves Christmas ham or turkey. And for the lucky few, it involves turducken.

In our house, however, we somehow acquired the tradition of half a Chinese roast pig. I'm not sure how it started, but according to the legends (i.e. my dad), someone got sick of the inevitable ham-leftover meals and decided to order a pig from a Chinese restaurant. It turned out to be a resounding success, and now, my family spends most of the year fantasizing about the next Christmas pig. Family gatherings will inevitably lead to discussion of how much pork will be consumed, which family members are letting the team down (the dreaded salad eaters), and the next generation of rising stars.