marion grasby's chicken and egg donburi

I didn't think twice when Marion Grasby's 'Asia Express' cookbook was released; picked it up off the shelf and straight to the counter and so far have already cooked three out of the hundred recipes which make up this cookbook. I haven't even bothered with putting post-it notes through it because I have no doubt I'll be cooking all the recipes in this cookbook; the tricky thing has been deciding which recipe to start with first!

Chicken & egg donburi has been a long time favourite of mine; I've actually cooked it a couple of times with several different recipes to the point that I've stopped ordering this dish when I go out. It's actually a really easy dish to cook. This recipe from Marion is true to her cookbook; fast and easy which makes it great for a weeknight meal.

Start with cooking 1 cup Japanese sushi rice - yep keep it authentic. This recipe requires 300g thinly sliced chicken thigh combined with 1/3 cup chicken stock, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tbsp soy sauce. In a large frypan, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil, add 1 thinly sliced brown onion and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the marinated chicken until cooked. Drizzle 3 slightly whisked eggs over the top and cover with a lid until the egg is set.

 Remove the pan from the heat. Divide the rice in two bowls and top with the chicken and egg mixture. You can sprinkle with some chopped spring onions and shichimi togarishi (a spicy Japanese seasoning) to serve.

Dinner cooked in less than half an hour (including prep) - what more can you ask for! It's great also that  the recipe says it serves two and actually serves two. It's not really a dish that you can keep overnight and whilst the photos might not quite do the dish justice in terms of portion size; trust me that it's nice and filling (anything with egg in it generally will fill you up).

japanese coleslaw

This is the perfect accompaniment to Korean fried chicken or any fried food for that matter - Japanese Coleslaw. Recipe is from 'A little taste of Japan' cookbook which my lovely cousin brought back for me on a recent overseas trip (cousin, you know me too well!) Recipe has been abridged slightly as I was making this at the last minute before we were heading over to our friend's place for the fried chicken.

Finely shred 200g Chinese cabbage and put in a large bowl. Coarsely grate 1 peeled carrot and 150g peeled daikon and thinly slice 2 spring onions on the diagonal.

For the dressing, place 125g Japanese mayonnaise, 1 1/2 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sake, 1/2 tsp wasabi paste, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp caster sugar in a jug and mix until smooth. Season to taste with salt and ground white pepper. Add to the cabbage mix and toss well. Serve immediately.

Unlike your regular Australian coleslaw, this version isn't quite so heavy on the mayonnaise and ends up being somewhat refreshing when you eat with fried food. Eat quickly though because within the hour, the daikon will start sweating a little and leave a soppy mess at the bottom of the bowl.

japan city @ top ryde shopping centre

I'm loving the warmer weather at the moment; welcome spring! Time for some lighter foods to embrace the warmth and sushi is generally my food of choice. Nestled as part of Japan City at Top Ryde Shopping Centre is a sushi/tea shop which is perfect when you're after just a small bite to eat.

Spicy Tuna Roll for the chilli-seekers.

Our sushi set that ended up coming with both green tea and miso soup. You're meant to only get one of the two but must have been our lucky day and we got both!

And that's me, pretty chuffed when it comes to all things food.

There's only half a dozen tables so get in quick if you want to try it out. There's free wifi for those who want to settle down with their laptops and for everyone else, you're also sitting inside the Japan City store so a spot of shopping is rather tempting whilst you eat. Unfortunately, there's not much else on the menu except for sushi but the sushi is quite good!

yama japanese cafe @ qvb

When we were sitting down going through our wedding cards, one of the messages that stuck out amongst the rest was a lovely reminder from Char that we shouldn't forget date nights; it's something she swears by with her hubby and something that I'd pass on to any soon to be wed. The last couple of months of married life have gone by in a bit of a blur and sometimes the boy and I really have to make a conscious effort to treat ourselves (sometimes being too good and eating home can get quite taxing!)

This particular weekend we treated ourselves in the city and stopped by Yama Japanese Cafe at the top of QVB for lunch; it was actually a chance find after seeing a sign for the Chinese restaurant that was next door but Yama managed to get our attention.

With a wide selection of teas on offer, a pot of sencha seemed to be fitting.

Hands down, the Green Tea Battered Fish and Chips was the dish that got our attention. Mildly flavoured by the green tea powder, this was a refreshing take on the classic fish and chips - definitely crunchy but could've done with some thicker fish fillets.

Second after the Green Tea Fish & Chips was this Teriyaki Beef Burger and yes, it looks as good as it looks - plenty juicy and well and truly touching the sides in serving size.

There's some more traditional Japanese dishes on offer including sushi and bento boxes so will have to go back and try at some point. It's actually quite relaxing sitting up the top of the QVB; it's a lot more quiet and also away from the hustle and bustle of the city crowds which you'll find if you head back downstairs. Let's just say it's an unsuspecting oasis dining at Yama Japanese Cafe.

mt. fuji sushi @ falcon st., crows nest

So life has been treating me well, albeit keeping me a little busy. I've also started the year with a resolution to cook more and eat out less and so far, I can't say that I've had much progress but I'm trying. I mean well though which I think counts for something. If anything, have cut back on the elaborate meals and finding some cheaper local haunts which are well worth their weight in gold.

Google had Mount Fuji Sushi in Crows Nest with a 4 out of 5 star rating; the boy and I figured we couldn't go wrong if the eating population of Sydney had given it such a good rating. Snapped up one of the tables in the back (there's only half a dozen or so of them) and ordered a selection of items across the menu.

Agedashi tofu arrived promptly at the table - tasty and a good sized serving to whet the appetite.

Fried dumplings - crispy on the outer and very tasty on the inner.

Large Sushi Plate. The sushi pieces are a tad small so treat this one more as an entree rather than main.

Chicken Terayaki - dainty trips of chicken with a good sized portion of rice accompanying. Some places really pile on the rice and you end up getting full on just the rice alone.

The boy is always full of expression and makes me laugh. 

Pork Tonkatsu with the restaurant's special sauce - very crispy and succulent.

It seemed like a lot when we were ordering but being a late dinner for us this particular Friday night, we demolished all the dishes quite comfortably. The place appears quite popular with people popping in and out to dine in and takeaway. They only have 3 staff running the entire restaurant and I'm suitably impressed by how efficient and on the ball they are. Extremely friendly, prompt service and great tasting food. Prices are ever so reasonable also!

sushi samurai @ military rd., neutral bay

The last two months of a year are always a busy time in my household. There's three of us with birthdays within weeks of each other and to top that off, Christmas is just around the corner (presents need to be bought, tree needs to be put up and well, it takes a lot of everyone looking at each other to work out who's turn it is this year to put up the tree). Being on holidays has probably been a good thing because it's given me that burst of energy to get through it all as I have to admit, the end of each year is often quite tiring and also time for much needed rest.

So with that extra energy (which I hope will last), I've also been scheduling a fair few more catch ups with friends (as the end of the year is also a busy time of decisions, career moves and happenings) and well, I'm also guilty of not catching up with friends earlier on in the year so squeezing a few in before Christmas is better than me writing yet another Christmas card saying how we never catch up. Had a nice lovely catchup with Jen the other week with the boy and myself and went to Sushi Samurai in Neutral Bay for the first time.

BBQ Whole Squid. I'm not usually a fan but having this dish, you can say I'm converted. Highly recommend!

Crispy Chicken Salad is a bowl of deep fried goodness with a little bit of salad on the side to make you feel a little bit healthy eating it.

Sushi Main Deluxe. It actually doesn't have all that many pieces but looks can be deceiving; it filled us up considerably well and even the boy had no complaints.

Tonpei-yaki (pork and vegetable wrapped in egg). This was the one dish that really caught my eye when I opened up the menu so had to try. Best way to describe it is that its a cross between an egg omelette and okonomayaki - shame that towards the end of eating it, it did taste a little burnt as the hot plate kept cooking the sweet teriyaki/bbq sauce.

Glad to have finally tried this place which I've long heard about. Neutral Bay always seems like such a trek for a meal but when you make the effort to go there, there's actually so many dining options. Japanese food is first and foremost the cuisine you have to try when you come to Neutral Bay (well that's what I eat everytime I come here and yes, I may be a little partial to a spot of Japanese!)

Very highly recommend Sushi Samurai. Be aware though that they are quite popular and you may be asked to vacate your table by a certain time if you are in the earlier sitting. It's a bit of a shame that we had to make way for the next table because they had a rather decadent dessert menu which I wouldn't have minded trying.

rengaya @ miller st., north sydney

October to December is always a busy time of year in my household. We kick off with my brother's birthday, then it's by dad's and before you know it, it's my birthday and then it's Christmas and the new year. Any plans to stay in shape quite frankly go out the window and lots of yummy food and cake are to be had. This year we celebrated my brother's birthday at a Rengaya in North Sydney - a classy find and most certainly a restaurant that I'd recommend.

Our starter of Wagyu Beef Tataki Salad.

Premium Sashimi Selection. I always wish that Sashimi Platters were bigger - they are never quite big enough!

Wagyu Ox Tongue and Assorted Vegetables pictured below, cooked at the table.

Waiting for the food to cook - I have plenty other photos of all the raw meat dishes we ordered (Wagyu being the speciality here) but figured pictures of raw meat didn't look quite appetising to post (don't ask me why I even take the photos in the first place!)

Something a little bit different I found on the menu; Stone Pot Cha-suke - Grilled rice ball, bonito flake, dried seaweed, pickled plum, salmon flake, wasabi and japanese stock in a hot stone pot.

And last but not least is their colourful and wondrous selection of desserts. We ordered two to share amongst the four of us. Pictured are the WA (Japanese Plate) - Green Tea creme brulee, warabimochi with black syrup, shiratama zenzai served with tea. Shiratama Cream Anmitsu - Kanten with shiratama and sweet red beans topped with vanilla and green tea ice cream served with black syrup and seasonal fruits.

An extremely flavoursome meal, great atmosphere (with plenty of space in between tables for your own privacy) and plenty more menu items to draw me back for another feed. We managed to find street parking just right outside the front door but otherwise there's a carpark just on the side which they buzz you in when you call to say you've arrived. Pricewise, it's a little steep but one to keep in mind for that special occasion.

kintaro @ young st., neutral bay

This particular night, we'd had our heart set on going to Ryo's Noodles in North Sydney but after missing a turn and driving  too far forward, we found ourselves in Neutral Bay. There's actually quite a lot of restaurants in Neutral Bay and I guess one of the reasons why we don't go as often as we could is because it's so far away. Well chance had it that we were in the area and took our pick of restaurants to try - being that we were after Japanese noodles, it only made sense that we picked Kintaro Restaurant: a Japanese restaurant serving up home-style Japanese food.

Sometimes I think I should go to restaurants carrying a notepad and pen to write down the name of dishes. This dish had a much fancier name than I'm going to give it - I'm calling it the Baked Eggplant with Miso. Being as it's baked, the skin of the eggplant is way too tough to eat (I tried) but the inside is gloriously soft and melty and very delicious.

Seafood Hotpot which is a decent serving for 2 people. For a cold night, it was great to get some warm soup inside us.

Sukiyaki Don. They actually had Sukiyaki on the menu but given we wanted to try the seafood hotpot also, the Sukiyaki Don was the perfect item to order; this way we got to try both.

There's an extensive menu on offer here; much more so than you would get at an average Japanese restaurant. I find most of the newer Japanese restaurants simply serve up the typical Sashimi, Sushi, Udon, Teriyaki Chicken... definitely not the case here. You'll find some more foreign names popping up across the menu - that's how I came about to order the Baked Eggplant and really, it was a most pleasant surprise.

If you're planning to come here, there's ample parking on the side streets nearby but suggest you make a booking. The restaurant filled up soon after we stepped in. Oh - and it's very toasty inside the restaurant; making it perfect for a cold winter's night!

sorrenzo @ bay drive, meadowbank

So onto Part 3 of my birthday celebrations in 2010, the boy took me for dinner at Sorrenzo - a fusion Japanese restaurant just by the wharf at Meadowbank. I had no idea there were even restaurants by the wharf and well, I gave the boy a thumbs up for a good choice. We enjoyed a rather lavish meal looking over the water and finishing dinner, it was just a short trip home. (Call me lazy but lately I've taken to dining local and it's great to find that there are a number of fantastic local options now compared to a couple years back.)

Greeted by birthday wishes as we arrive at the restaurant.

One of their sake based cocktails which were ever so easy to drink!

Complimentary Amuse Bouche. 

Steamed Abalone with Foie Gras, Sumiso - one of the boy's colleagues had recommended him to try this and it was definitely one dish I would also recommend. It probably doesn't need all that sauce though but once I started dabbing at it, it got rather addictive. In general, you'll find that with most of the dishes here, they are quite heavy handed with the sauces; by all means jam-packed with flavour but might overpower the dish it comes with so suggest you dabble at the sauces in moderation.

 Sushi Combo.

Kushiyaki.

Green Tea Smoked Surpreme of Duck with Cumberland Sauce. You don't see it in this picture but there's another bed of risotto sitting on the other side of the plate making this a rather filling dish. The duck was perfectly cooked with just a slight tinge of pink.

 Wagyu Rib Eye Steak with Assorted Vegetables. Can't go wrong with wagyu.

Had my stomach let me, I would've loved to try dessert but after a full day's worth of eating, my stomach was well stretched beyond its limit. Sorrenzo is open for lunch so no doubt I'll be back to try some more items off their menu and I think the view would be even more stunning during the day. The great thing about the location is that after a filling dinner, you can take a stroll by the wharf to walk it off and that's exactly what we did!

gumshara @ harbour plaza, dixon st., haymarket

I'm sure most Ramen fans would've discovered and tried Gumshara already and if not, what are you waiting for?! It'd been on my agenda to go check this place out, it took awhile but finally J&I got round to trying it on Thursday. I'd first read about this place on Suze's blog where she most contentedly guzzled through a few bowls of these and later on, it seemed that most of the foodie world had caught on and now if you google 'Gumshara', half a dozen food blogs com up with reviews of the unique ramen that this place serves up. I can see why, this place is one worth blogging about!

Located in Harbour Plaza on Dixon Street (Chinatown), Gumshara serves up a ramen that's one of it's kind. You'd hardly think that this one shop, amongst the many that form the food court that's Harbour Plaza would be any different than its counterparts. And perhaps, the sign you see as you walk about to the counter serves to remind you of its point of difference. 'Our soup is made by traditional Japanese way to cook which only uses fresh pork bone and water. No MSG is used. The richness of the soup comes from the marrow of the bone and the soft bone. It contains a lot of collagen, which is essential to maintain smooth skin.'

My Tonkotsu Ramen. The soup was richly thick and for a moment I thought my throat would glue together from the thickness of the soup but alas it didn't and neither was I thirsty afterwards (which came as a bit of a surprise as I was convinced I'd be drinking gallons of water afterwards from how thick the soup was). I can definitely attest to the fact that NO MSG has been added as like my dad, my throat dries up with just a touch of MSG and I was perfectly fine after guzzling down my bowl of ramen.

J's Hakata Ramen with a serve of soft-boiled egg. The soup in this one wasn't quite as thick as mine and with J's generous dusting of chilli powder into the soup, this one actually came with a bit of a bite.

We also had a serve of dumplings to share (apologies no photos as the only one I took came out blurry) and that was just as lovely as the bowls of ramen. Dinner came in at about $25 for the two of us which I thought was pretty good. Admittedly, the setting of the foodcourt isn't exactly restaurant quality but Gumshara is most definitely restaurant quality food. And well, if you want to jazz it up a little, feel free to bring along your bottle of wine and make dinner a little classy (this was what the table next to us did).

Do be prepared for the wait in the queue. It's a two man show at Gumshara - there's one chef out the back and the one girl at the counter taking the orders and calling out numbers so don't get too annoyed when the girl is at the counter but is busy trying to get bowls out to those that have ordered and not taking your order. She'll get to you as soon as she can and well, after tasting the ramen, it's most definitely worth the wait!

ozeki @ victoria ave, chatswood

On a particularly hungry Sunday night, the boy and I made our way over to Chatswood to try out Ozeki;  a reasonably new sushi train addition to Chatswood, just outside Chatswood Chase. Here it's $3.00 for each plate of sushi which places it in the middle between Saguna/Sushi Train (who both have $2.50 plates) and Makoto (who forever have the queues lining outside the door but actually don't have a set price for all plates; all plates are as priced). Who would've thought that there would be such demand for sushi trains in the one suburb but I'm very clearly proven wrong!

I actually don't have a whole lot of photos from the night as I was busily eating away but do read Madame Delicieuse's post for a fab review plus plenty of photos. I agree with her that the rice is firmly packed and you're eating quite a bit of rice (which does mean less plates but also means that you don't get round to trying as many dishes which I think is a bit of a bummer). Though I admit, eating less is probably a bit better for my belly!

The boy and I do insist on a fair share of all plates!

A tempura udon is a nice addition for a hungry J. Sushi alone often doesn't fill him up. The prawns are huge in comparison to the bowl of udon! The tempura batter actually isn't too soggy either which is a bonus.

Our plates (from memory, there were another two sitting to the side) and here's a pic of one of my favourite sushi's of all time - a combo of salmon, rice, seared scallop and a mayo dressing.

There's a good mix of sushi and sashimi on this sushi train, each neatly presented and ever so tempting to eat. It's great when you have a set price for all plates; it just means that you don't have to spend time working out how much each place costs and how much you've spent.  As long as you know your 3x table here, you should do pretty ok. Our bill came in just under $60 and had we known that they had a reward system going (1 stamp for every $10 spent. Every 10 stamps then earns you a $10 discount off your next meal), we would most certainly have ordered that extra plate! Ah..next time!

sagano japanese restaurant @ cnr. jamison & clarence street, sydney

It was a Thursday night and J had called to say that he'd made dinner plans with our friend C and that I was coming along. I think J knew without question that if we were going to a Japanese restaurant, I probably wouldn't say no and it did happen to be a Japanese restaurant for dinner that night (the boy only knows me too well!) Meeting up with C, he was telling me that this place had great ambience and up until we sat down and during the meal, he kept asking me 'Don't you think this place has great ambience?' I'll share my opinions on ambience in a sec but here's what we had for dinner:

Mixed tempura - the batter was light and crunchy. I do love tempura but I actually prefer the ones with vegie in them, I'm actually not a big fan of the prawn tempura.

Beef tongue. This has been a dish I've been ordering from restaurant to restaurant. It's done well here (slightly chewy) but it's definitely done better at Jurin where you get a thick slice of beef tongue which just melts in your mouth.

Curry Udon (Udon noodles in a thick curry soup)

Oyakodon. Thought I'd order this as I haven't had it in awhile. It's a very home-cooked dish (I make a rather mean oyakodon at home too!) but it's always nice to have it out and have someone cook it for you.

Pork Belly. This is probably another dish I've been ordering pretty much everywhere I go. I know pork belly probably isn't good for me but then when you share this dish amongst three, I don't think it can be too bad. Do recommend you order the pork belly here - the meat just melts in your mouth and the bed of mash it sits on is so incredibly fine and buttery!

So the question of ambience - I do agree with C that this place has great ambience. The furniture/decor is very traditional Japanese. Loved the fact that they have booth seating and with the shop being quite tucked away, you actually do get some peace and quiet even whilst your smack bang in the middle of the city. The place seems to attract a much older crowd with the majority of customers being businessman and office workers in the area. Service is polite (in true Japanese manner) and well, whilst the food is quite slow to come out of the kitchen, it actually doesn't seem so bad as the restaurant ambience is quite conducive to you sitting and have a good chat with the people that you're dining with.

Thanks C for introducing us to this place!! I really enjoyed it!

azuma kushiyaki @ george st., regent's place

It seemed like I was forever waiting for the opportunity to try out Azuma Kushiyaki at Regent's Place. I was jumping up and down when the place first opened (excited because I'd been to Azuma @ Chifley for the degustation and given this place fell under the Azuma umbrella, there was much to expect). Then time seemed to drift by and get the better of me, I was reading about the dessert on offer as part of Sugar Hit 2009 at Azuma Kushiyaki (arguably one of the better ones in 2009) and finally, stuck for dinner options one night after work, J&I made our trip over there to check it out.

If you haven't heard about Azuma Kushiyaki, Kushi = skewers, Yaki = Grilled. The place offers a large selection of grilled skewers in addition to some of your more traditional Japanese dishes. I suggest you order as many of the skewers if you're coming here for the first time - they're very much worth it.

Free range Spatchcock platter - grilled thigh, breast fillet & mini drumstick, karaage deep fried wing. Great shared between two as there's mostly two pieces of each assortment, each are worth trying.

Beef Carpaccio - seared rare beef tenderloin (18m old natural grass fed beef from Cape Grim, TAS) & chives with ponzu dressing. Loved the presentation!

This one didn't look anything like the picture on the menu. Seared Tuna Salad served with ponzu vinaigrette (apparently Azuma's famous salad as feature on SBS Food Safari). I haven't been watching Food Safari but for those that do, hopefully you might recognise this?

Here's the tuna from under all the greenery. I actually found the garlic on the dressing very overpowering - it felt like i was eating garlic all the way so be warned.

Sura Ramen - egg noodles in hot and sour soup. I actually quite like the combination of hot & sour soup and Ramen noodles, just that it can be quite filling. One bowl of this is more than enough to fill you up.

And of course, being at Azuma, we needed to try the Azuma Ramen - egg noodles in mildly spiced sesame soup.

Not sure if it was just our luck (the fact all restaurants I've been going to lately need me to vacate a table by a certain time) but once again, we were eating against time at this place. They seem to do the two sittings, 6-8 and 8 till close. We got in on the first sitting without needing to book but were down to the last hour when we sat down. We thought we'd be ok just to grab a quick dinner but then the food actually came out quite slowly with the last ramen coming out at 5 minutes till our sitting was up. We actually had to chase them up for it because they had already previously reminded us that we need to empty the table by 8.

If you're planning to come here, please note that there is a $35 minimum charge per person. We were quite surprised as we only discovered this when we sat down and looked at the disclaimer that sat at the bottom of the menu. It wasn't a huge issue for us given we were keen to try a few dishes but would've been good to know earlier. Service can do with improvement as it seemed to be lacking rather than being bad.

To be really honest, I much prefer Azuma @ Chifley Square. If you've tried both places, let me know what you think!