N2 Extreme gelato and Laduree

I like how I am ending this write up about my first day in Sydney on a topic that I am most familiar with aka SUGAR. As usual, my inner child personality wanted to taste the sweeter side of life and made it a point to visit these places whilst I am within walking distance.

So after our ramen dinner, we went strolling around and behold, we stumbled upon a gelato shop! Strangely enough, you cannot see what flavours you are choosing from (aside from the menu on the walls) and I felt blindfolded! The sister decided to chose our flavour and I was glad she did as I was clearly overwhelmed with choices :S

I am still quite puzzled with a particular saying on the board which implied that customers do not need to get 2 scoops of gelato as 1 would be sufficient. Well....I wouldn't mind a bit more if I have not had snacked too much along the way hehe:)

I wouldn't mind working in this quirky and experimental kitchen myself:)

This is a scoop of gelato and it was big for $6 (from memory). Yummy indeed and can be considered fresh (?) as it was prepared upon request:) Wished I had time to sample their other flavours too!



As most of you know, Laduree opened up in Sydney and despite being put off a bit with the pricing of the macarons, I found it hard to resist the urge of getting a few just for sampling purposes. The entire set up had this high-tea posh-ness feel to it and the front counter displayed some very pretty baked goods. I would like to explore French patisseries more but for now, this will just have to do.

Do be warned that it is going to cost more to dine in as compared to doing a takeaway. I have bought 6 macarons from them and well...I kinda wished they had given me a box to prevent them from breaking because they are so freaking expensive! Ah wells....

Salted caramel~ despite reading other food blogs review on Laduree's macarons, I found their macarons to be just right in terms of texture and flavour. I daresay some of our local macaron chefs can give Laduree a run for their money but all in, it was still a lovely piece of sugar. Not too dry as I had expected it to be.. at least it was worth the $$ I spent on it:)

Guylian Belgian Chocolate Cafe

If you know me very well, you can probably guess that I have compiled a list of dessert places to check out whilst in Sydney. GuyLian was not on my list but fate somehow brought us together as I was strolling along a busy row of restaurants after dinner. I immediately dragged the sister in with me despite noting that the items on display were a little more expensive for dine-ins as compared to takeaways. The YOLO feats I do *sigh*

It was difficult trying to decide between a yummy looking tart or a pretty looking piece of cake. I must have stood at the counter for what felt like hours! Finally made up my mind and opted for the tart although looking back at the pictures, I wished I could fit in a cake as well!:)

This has got to be one of the fanciest chocolatier shops I have ever visited!

The sister wanted to have a piece of chocolate and eat it to. So she did..an alcoholic one it was.

Could not resist having a cuppa of hot chocolate and I love how there's chunky bits of chocolate floating in the jug (slowly melts away with continuous stirring). Anddddd... you get a piece of chocolate to wrap up an already chocolate-y ending!:)

I had one of their chocolate tarts and it was deliciousssss... rich, dark chocolate layer and crumbly tart pastry served with strawberry coulis. So sinful and yet so irresistible.

Probably a very nice place for couples to head to as the entire restaurant's ambience is just stunning!:)

Gumshara Ramen

After wandering around the malls in Sydney (Westfield shopping centre is a must go!), we stopped by our hotel to freshen up before heading to Chinatown to feed ourselves for the night. I have read a lot of positive reviews on Gumshara Ramen which prompted me to whiz there soonest possible!

Was a little tricky trying to find this particular food court but we managed to in the end. Thankfully, it was not extremely crowded (must have been because we sneaked in before the dinner crowd arrives) and were able to place an order without waiting in line:)

Honestly, there were too many different bowls of ramen to choose from but regardless of which variation you get, you are most likely going to have their awesome broth! Yes, their broth is unique. All the required broth ingredients must have been brewing for hours to achieve that wonderfully thick and rich stock. As the picture depicts, they were quite generous with the amount of meat provided and diners can have as much side toppings as they want. We had the pickled ginger, roasted garlic and chilli oil dipping sauce. Yummy!

The ramen noodles itself were thin and had adsorbed quite a lot of the stock liquid. Consumed with some freshly chopped spring onions, this is a clear winner for the price!:)

Ippudo

One of the reasons I have not been updating my blog as much would be *drum rolls* that I have been exploring a different region and hence, am constantly glued to the computer trying to filter through the good and ugly pictures. And goodness me, am I a camera nazi or what?!

Will ramble more about what I actually did in Sydney in a separate post. For now, let's focus on the food part! I have done some research on urbanspoon on whereabouts is good for a quick bite and have came up with a small list of must-try places. Ippudo, being one of them.

This place is located in one of the busier shopping districts and hence, do note that it can get extremely packed with diners. The sister and I managed to squeeze in and settled in nicely with the Sydney lunch crowd:)

Service is quick and efficient although it may be a tad too noisy in the restaurant. The things I do for food, ey?

Ippudo pork bun ~ I had envisioned this to be similar to the barbequed pork versions that I get from Malaysia and boy, was I wrong. The pork was marinated well and to me, the bun was the star of this dish as it was very light and fluffy!

Shiromaru Motoaji ~ Ippudo's original tonkatsu served with thin ramen noodles, black mushroom, pork loin and garnished with spring onions. Was a bit disappointed when this hit our table as for $15, I was expecting at least more than 1 piece of pork loin =/ The broth was indeed thick and the noodles were probably one of the thinnest ones I have had so far.

Unagi don ~ Unagi  served with rice and garnished with shredded pieces of seaweed. Not too bad although I was hoping for a bit more unagi on the rice. From memory, this bowl costs approximately $10 and it wasn't a large one.

Overall, I may have ordered the wrong items on the menu but if I do pop by Sydney in the future, might give this another go?:)

 

Bracegirldes encore!

I have blogged about Bracegirdles before so here's a little mini, bonus post dedicated to one of my favourite chocolate shops in Adelaide. Not only do they offer a huge variety of chocolates, but also an equally extensive range of desserts as well.

If having a chocolate fondue does not tickle your fancy, how about a luscious piece of mudcake or a light, fluffy waffle instead? Feeling a tad parched? Hot chocolate or coffee? :)

I was adventurous (or too sleepy) one day and decided to have an affogato shot. Yep, sure did wake me up after that.

Almond croissant ~ not exactly the fluffiest ones I have had but I do like a sticky and dense one at times:)

Alas, my absolute must have at Bracegirdles - a piece of waffle with vanilla ice cream, chopped strawberries and a small pot of warm, melted chocolate to drizzle over the entire plate. Probably best consumed whilst the chocolate is still warm otherwise it may harden up and that won't be an appealing foodie moment at all:/

Pub meal

When people say that they are heading to the pub, I assume that they were referring to having a fun night out with friends and booze. This is partially correct as for the foodies out there, it may most likely mean heading to the pub's restaurant. I try not to go to any pub restaurant too late at night, just in case I get myself into a bit of trouble with a drunk patron, and on the rare occasions that I do, I have to lure a couple of people for assistance. Not in the form of protection, more so for tummy space!

A standard sized meal at most pubs would be more than enough for someone of my built and hence, meal sharing is a last-resort-option, especially if I had a heavy meal during the day. A pub staple of mine would be the Aussie schnitzel served with a generous portion of fries. A very filling meal on it's own.

I shall now proceed to explain about a particular pub in Murray Bridge, where yet another delicious piece of schnitzel can be found at less than $20 (can't remember the exact price, unfortunately).

This pub restaurant is a bit more classy than the usual ones I have frequented over the years and they have a salad bar. Say whattt??? Yes, you heard me right. And to top it off, you can help yourself to anything and everything in the salad bar countless of times. You can choose from having a simple garden salad, to something heavier like an egg salad or cold pasta salad, to something warm like baked cauliflower in a cheesy sauce and baked carrots. I had 3 servings of salad before my main arrived!

Lamb shank ~ meat that melts easily and loaded with flavour after sitting in a slow-cooker for hours. I have a weakness for mashed potatoes, especially when it's utilized as a flavour carrier as seen in the picture. Good gravy, soft meat and a bed of warm mashed potatoes can be found in my tummy that night.

Chicken schnitzel ~ a good schnitzel has to have 2 important components to it: crunchy exterior texture and juicy meat fillet. This one ticked the right boxes and when it's been served with a few ladles of delicious brown sauce, it has to be the pub chef's picasso. Thumbs up for not being served soggy chips that night too!

I don't drink beer (or booze) but I can imagine any Aussie lad having a good time with his mates over a delicious pub meal whilst watching a footy game on the tv. A good way to end the week!

Bread Garden

As a child/teen growing up in Malaysia, I can be found at home most of the time, usually because my hectic school/college schedule does not permit much non-curriculum activities to be done throughout the week (with the exception of school holidays, that is). I can still recall coming home and jumping into the living room's couch for a quick snooze before I start completing my tedious homework/ assignments.

One thing that I will always remember would be my parents bringing home buns from the bakery or convenience stores for munching on whilst we strain our brains over how complicated some equations are or how mind-blowing it was to memorize an entire history book. Indirectly, these little snacks gave my brain cells a much needed boost of energy. If you are wondering, yes I did score an A for both history and add maths. On top of that, I had obtained the second highest score for history in my year back then :)

Fast forward, I may not have the luxury of indulging over these goodies as I no longer have assignments or exams to revise for but I do look forward to a trip to any bakery, in an attempt to bag a few buns/ pastries home for nibbling. Old habits do die hard!

I have heard of Bread Garden before but hardly have time to drop by and after much persuasion with my sister, we headed here on a lazy Sunday afternoon for lunch. The interior was very organized and as you can observe from pictures, every opportunity to tempt customers were utilized! It was difficult trying to select just a few for sampling when everything looks so good!

Did I mention that every 15 minutes or so a tray of freshly baked goodies would come waffling out of the oven and strategically placed for customer's viewing? Talk about eating with your eyes!

Brioche with ham ~ I could not resist this pretty yet seductive looking piece. It reminded of a blossoming flower and the slight appearance of cheese oozing was evil indeed. After taking a bite into this "flower" I immediately felt a nice, warm aroma of baked bread in my mouth followed by an equally irrestible sensation of moist ham which added a touch of meat-y flavour to it. So so good.

Lemon macaron ~ I was a little disappointed with their macarons but nevertheless, the shells were nice. The macaron had a whipped cream filling which I didn't really enjoy, in my own personal opinion, that is.

Croissant ~ definied layers of butter-y pastry ready to tantalize you with each bite. Yummy!

Chocolate croissant ~ would have lived the chocolate filling to have an oozing character but overall, still an enjoyable piece.

The sister could not resist a cup of coffee.

Peanut bun ~ The filling was made of whipped cream infused with peanut essence. In this scenario, I did not find the cream overwhelming but rather, quite suitable as the thicker bread layer was able to tank the creaminess of the whipped cream.

Korean meat bun~

The sister and I found ourselves in the nearby supermarket and could not resist purchasing Lindt's new chocolate flavours! Coles had a special introductory price which we could not say no to!

Overall, I would personally recommending a trip to Bread Garden if you love a good piece of bun/ bread to have over coffee or if you just want a nice, quiet little place to relax. I was surprised to find out that this place opens on most days (Sunday included!) so definitely worth a trip if you are nearby!