The Aroma Coffee Festival

The Rocks
10am - 5pm; annually, mid-late July

In general, I love markets. In particular those little white stalls with teepee hoods that dramatically sweep to the sky in that mediaeval, almost gothic, fashion. Good times!
To be honest, I was not expecting much from the Aroma Festival. In the weeks approaching there was advertising in all shapes and forms (okay, SMH and small billboards), and it started to get a really mainstream feel to it. I am the first to admit that I am a food snob at heart and, thus, I cannot deal with the general public knowing about awesome. I reserve the right to say that some things are only meant for those who deserve the rad. I should probably talk to a therapist about it. Or an analyst. Or...

Nevertheless, the day came. It was overcast and threatened to be drizzly. In other words it was set to be a perfect clutching-coffee-and-nibbling-on-delicious-things day. Ayup! I got there relatively early and had a look around at the roaster's and blender's who had claimed their places around the precinct of The Rocks. To be honest, there was not much that excited and I recognised few worth trying. Out of the Sydney favourites there was only Toby's Estate that I noted. This has become a popular blend amongst local cafés and, alas, proved to have an insane length of lined cawfee-drinkers from sun up to sun down. 'Twas definitely not worth waiting when I have their two stores so close to me (and my heart) - the Woolloomooloo one I am sure will be documented in the future. The first shot I had was from Danes and proved to be the best shot all day. Given, shots earlier in the day are always better than those later, but I was pleasantly surprised at the balance it had going. Definitely a solid roast to look out for. The next coffee short thereafter I had was...awful. Can't remember the roaster and, suffice to say, I don't care to. Only for cases of avoidance. The only other coffee I made bold to try was one within the Latte Art Championships section. A couple of competing baristas were 'taking a rest' from competition by making coffee for the general public at the back...they were obviously avoiding the harsh scores that the judges were serving up. Whew! I received a gorgeously arted latte, of which I do not normally consume, but it was free and proved to be delicious! Milk and coffee do go well together in such ratios! Surprise! It was also nice to meanwhile glance around the International Terminal and covet pretty-looking machines and shiny grinders.
The tea, chocolate, and spices and other edible fare were quite of the delectable! Stand outs included the fruit-infused tea, which within were ingredients like cinnamon, sweet Chinese apricot kernels, tangy haw slices, apple, hibiscus, and rosehips. No wonder it was called 'Amore'. The warm chocolate-covered cup of fresh strawberries were delightful, the conglomeration with which we bought fudge was great, and the dark-chocolate-coated peaberry beans were bought for those who were not predestined to make the festival and proved to be a gift of deliciousness. Also consumed later were the packets of spices bought to make more-than-heavenly curries - a great idea, these packets hold only the required amounts of condiments and leaves, thus ensuring that ingredients are fresh at all times! Innovation!

It was a popular event. It was, all-in-all, a good day to spend with those you enjoy the company of and in a location that is gorgeous to wander into sandstone-lined back alleys and enchantingly concealed shoppes. It is not a coffee festival per se that I would recommend other than if you: are a complete n00b at coffee; like the good stuff for one dollar; or if you are looking to start with some quality home machines. Perhaps next year will prove to be more promising in terms of coffee?

GUEST CONTRIBUTION: RISHIMON

Kekekekeke zerg rush lol.

See? I can be plenty Korean. Can't tell me apart can you?

Ostensibly, this is supposed to be about the Aroma Coffee Festival. But for both of us, it's not going to work out the way we want.

For all its hype as being the coffee festival of Sydney, the coffee component was rather lacklustre. None of the really interesting boutiques were available, the queues were immoderately long despite there being a fairly large number of coffee stalls available, (was your half-hour wait for Toby's Estate worth it?! Well, was it?!) no Campos, no Mecca, no Single Origin. 'Nuff said.

That being said and done, it was still okay. I had a pretty decent shot of Dane's, got to try and learned to hate several blends of coffee, which I can neither remember the names of, nor do I want to.

Where the festival really shined was the rather large 'other' category. This consisting of chocolate, tea and spices. I'm not even going to comment on spices, as a) how the hell do you partake of spices? and b) I didn't really try anything nor buy anything spice-related, which may have been to my detriment. That said, the spice stalls consisted of nice things like jams and relishes and confusing and odd things made of hibiscus. Possibly alcoholic.
The chocolate was good. Really, that sums up it well. Lots of different available chocolate products, lots of free samples, cheap to boot. I managed to snag 200g of chocolate-covered coffee beans for the paltry sum of $5, which was a great damn purchase. In retrospect, I should have bought a lot, LOT more. The consortium we formed to purchase fudge was a wise investment. A deliciously wise investment! Apparently, they appear every week on the Rocks Markets to sell their soft and textured wares, so go seek them out.

Other highlights included: watching baristas get absolutely destroyed by judges in the latte art competition, getting free coffees at the competition with lovely little ferns and trees on them and the coffee machine expo. Getting to stare at and touch some of those machines was a delight.

Gripe: It's too short. 7 hours? C'mon. Ideally, they should stretch this thing into a night festival, but it being the bane that is winter, that may prove infeasible (in which case, move it to summer...or hold two!) If you're not going to hold into the night, make it two days at least.

All that being said and done, it was worth it. I'd go again in a heartbeat, and would strongly suggest you do so too. It was muchly fun, and worth your investment of time and moneyz (even if I turned up late...but that's another story).

Addendum: The weather was really good for that day. Cool, but not cold, with a very light hint of rain. A very fine coffee mood kind of day. This probably contributed a lot to the day, and I hope it happens again.

Table for 20

182 Campbell St, Surry Hills
Legs under the table at 8pm: $40 Wednesday & Thursday; $50 Friday; bookings available for Saturday.

Tagline: "There are 193 normal restaurants in Surry Hills. This is not one of them."

With such an wonderfully unique idea, I was drawn to the prospect of the experience more so - for a first - than I desired my curiosity regarding the food to be sated.

As inspired as was the concept, so too was the way the chef/host/pioneer Michael approached the evening. Having spoken to him twice before on the hellophone regarding times and the requirements of vegetarian friends that were to accompany us, he seemed a sweet and approachable guy - one who always seems to terribly pleased to see you and has that familiarity about him, the reasons for which can never quite be pinned down.
Not previously aware of his Mediterranean origins, though, I was not all surprised when I found out. His food was obviously influenced by the welcoming and bold meals the Italians are renowned for. Simple and full flavours with a brush or sprig of something to twitter about the senses and wonder what herb or vegetable or oil is acting as the special ingredient within.

As we made our way hesitantly into the discreet building armed with bottles red wine as requested, noting the rather nice modern décor (well, I know I was), we were greeted with two long set tables. Clearly this was a little more professional than I had previously anticipated, not just a house opened by some friendly! We were taken straight up the back to a bar area where an interesting selection of people mingled. Soft, ambient music played and before we knew it we had a glass of our wine in hand and were nibbling on 'Olive Tiepida', small warmed Italian-style olives in a chilli and garlic olive oil with chunks of delightfully hard and pungent parmigiano. As the place filled somewhat up we were instructed to take our seats and were duly introduced to the two musicians sitting in a corner. We were to be serenaded!...or something. What delights.
The actual courses were more than satisfactory. Entrée was 'pasta casareccio sapia alla trifila', basically home-made pasta with mushrooms in black truffle oil. A tasty dish which did more than satisfy an empty stomach. It must be noted that I am somewhat suspicious of restaurants who "stock" their diners with filling foods like pasta at the beginning, as it often denotes a decline in quality for the rest of the meal, however this thought was put out of mind once I received the following. The main, 'filetti di monkfish' was gorgeous. Brought out on a huge platter and on 'un cetto' of delicious rice, it was positively melt-in-the-mouth so. The "curves of potato" or 'contorni di patate' were stunning. Easily a stand-out, these were roasted to near-perfection. And by perfect I mean my mother's - they are (usually) untouchable. Other sides included the wonderfully succulent 'zucchine al aceto' (zucchini cooked in wine vinegar) and the crisp delights of 'une insalatina di spinacci, pepe e noce'. That's right: a salad of baby spinach leaves, pear, and crushed walnut dressing - always a fresh combination to accompany most meals...or so I find. After having our adequate fill of savoury edibles we were given a rest and a chance to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere. And then came the 'torta alla crema di cioccolata e noce braziliane', which was of the yum! 'E scropino'! ...I almost forgot the scropino! This is a lovely way to finish off a meal - the Italians love it - and basically consists of lemon vodka and a lemon liqueur, which is one of the most refreshing customs I do so enjoy! Vive la italia!

All in all I found it to be a great experience. The food was gratifying and I really must applaud the excellent job done in churning out both a fresh and hearty meal on such a large scale. Catered food is usually the absolute pits, but it was the combination of the dishes Michael had chosen to serve (and thus, in a way, the cuisine) and the obvious attention to ensuring everybody's satisfaction. The provisions for the vegetarians in our party also must be noted. For the entrée they were served with a beautiful tower of bocconcini and tomatoes drizzled in olive oil and balsamic vinegar - I secretly coveted this. Their main consisted of a larger portion of the pasta we had for our entrée - it appeared that all were happy!

Oh also, the lights seemed to be made out of scrunched trees. How unique!

We have to start off by making one thing clear. Table for 20 is a lie.
Table for 20 is actually, quite deviously, two tables of 20. After trekking through Surry Hills with a few bottles of wine from the Ultimo Wine Centre (future post? ...perhaps) we found our way to the beautiful restaurant that isn't a restaurant known as Table for 20.

Considering the way that it's marketed, the interior is incredibly slick. You are greeted with a large open room with the two aforementioned tables, and a set of metal stairs that lead up to a bar where wine can be stashed and cheese and olives consumed. While we chatted and enjoyed some wine, it was obvious that the owner/chef/dude was running the place on charisma alone, seemingly charming women with a smile. What they see in a confident, charming man who can cook well is beyond me.

Slowly, we made our way to the tables and was pleasantly surprised by two dudes playing music for us in the corner, with some pretty covers of old favourites. The sound of chatter rose in response, and created a pleasant atmosphere of laughter, conversation and excitement. We were duly welcomed shortly thereafter, and the mood in the air was very much one of general joviality and fun.

As good as the food was, the ability of the setting to invoke a good time for all was impressive. The food, with black truffle pasta to start, some monkfish with walnut and pear salad and some crazy awesome roast potatoes, and finishing with a delicious sorbet and chocolate delicious, was certainly impressive. It was a good solid meal, and exactly what the setting called for, and although it wasn't a culinary adventure by any stretch of the imagination, it wasn't necessary. The setting and the manner of the service made me want to kick back and remember how awesome my friends were, and just take a moment to have a decent conversation and see how things are with them. The fact that I got to eat some plump-ass fish is only a bonus.

Table for 20 is a delicious, delightful lie.

The Cheese Shop

797 Military Road, Mosman
Monday - Wednesday, 8,30am -6pm; Thursday, 8.30am - 7pm; Friday, 8.30am - 6.30pm; Saturday, 8am-6pm; Sunday, 8.30am - 5pm

Do you see what I see?
Oh hells of yes sir, it's heaven. Heaven on a wooden paddle. And served with thinly sliced bread.

This place has been opened for over 30 years. And accordingly so, I say! The space is not overambitious nor at all showy. We spent some time looking at the small-but-still-impressive collection of jams, oils, dips, sweets, and dried fruity things. Stuff of the delicious kind.

However, my opinion, which rests upon the cheese counter, begs to differ regarding the size of things. Spanning near to the length of the shop's entirety, the feast with which the eyes are set to gaze upon almost send one into a dizzying daze. One cannot help but to notice the care in which this compendium is compiled: grouped countries, select regions, specific maturation periods, promised types, levels of intensity in flavour...the list could go on.

And we nearly missed out on the platter! With options of a local only or an international only selection from its library housed within the glass case we could not resist asking if we could have a combination of the two platters. Because, well, everyone needs to broaden their view of the world/cheesetopia. It exists...okay? I'm glad we agree.

Our eagerness paid off! The owner, a rather jolly woman of whom one could not be adverse to having as a benevolent aunt of sorts, appeared to notice our excitement (though, I can't imagine why!) and gave us what was an exceptional picking of cheeses. With great care, and the quiet but hardcore knowledge she seemed to possess, she informed us as to the order of which we should make our odyssey around the platter.

We were to start proceedings with the Piano Hill cheddar from Tasmania, a nice hard and intense nutty cheese that smacked of the Gruyère-style graininess of texture. This went, as did most, extremely well with the little triangular prism of quince on the platter. Next was to be the other domestic cheese supplied: the Signature Brie, again from Tasmania. Not really all that memorable but nevertheless it was enjoyably soft and subtly flavoured. The Dorset butter cheese from Austria that was to follow was probably my least favourite (read: not bad per se, but just not my cup of tea) - however it stands by the fact that I am terribly biased as I am not at all a fan of the Northern European cheeses and their strange rubbery texture they have going...I'm looking at you Jarlsberg. The Dolce Gorgonzola from Italy was an absolute stand-out. Not unsurprisingly, it was quite sweet and followed to be extraordinarily rich. Having been a lover of this type of cheese for some time now, this was definitely one of the better ones that I have sampled. Great, also, with the quince. The Stilton blue from England was deliciously...English. Full-bodied and not too overt in its complexities, the crumbly texture could be said to be near-perfect in my opinion. The last, and one which I think our wonderful lady of the cheese cabinet slipped in for us as an 'extra', was the Délice de Bourgogne triple-cream from France. A decadent, velvety-textured cheese that is extremely rich and which relies on the heavy, almost woody, back-flavour it gives as an afterthought.

And so on our way out, amidst the general shower of love and praise for this particular providore, we succumbed and bought some to take home. One has to support such fabulousness on multiple levels.

Do you think I have said enough? I think I love cheese just that little bit too much.

This was really a surprise.

I just like to browse in places. I must drive shopkeepers halfway to mad-town with my perusing and enthusiasm without actual purchasing. The Cheese Shop is perfect for it, despite being so small, with it's range of exotic cheeses from all over the place. It has delicious cheese from Wales, presumably produced by some sort of quixotic cheese monster, it has delicious cheese from England. In fact, that's kind of what this place does. It has delicious cheese.

They don't seem to really be advertising the fact that they do a cheese plate, but its such amazingly fantastic value that if you're remotely at all feeling like sitting and tasting a bunch of cool cheeses, this is the place to do it. Cheese plates tend to be the domain of expensive restaurants, often costing as much as a cheap meal from somewhere like the aforementioned Musashi. However, The Cheese Shop offers face-gasm type cheeses at somewhere around $10 for domestic cheeses and $15 for international. That was for the two of us mind you, not each. And for some reason, the lady there (which it must be noted was UBER nice) gave us a good mix of cheeses for $11, along with some rad thinly sliced bread and quince stuff that tasted great with all the cheeses.

I had never tried Gorgonzola before, so that was a delightful discovery. Such deliciosity! The blue cheese was nice, as was the hard cheeses and the triple cream. And the other ones. For a cheese newbie such as myself, I was somewhat spoilt with riches. We took our time with the delighting of the cheeses and even though I was feeling somewhat sick with the richness of it all afterward, it was definitely awesome. And that's what we're totally about.

Swerve

876 Military Road, Mosman
Monday - Friday, 6:30am to 5pm; Saturday, 7am to 5pm; Sunday, 8am to 5pm

Having refined my coffee palate at such places (which I will cover as to the reasons why this is so when we get around to doing an official write-up between regular visits) as Campos, Single Origin, Mecca, and Toby's Estate in Woolloomooloo, my expectations for a shot to reach even the 'good' stage are pretty damn high. Be warned: there are many varying degrees above even this level in my scaling system. It's complicated.

And this place oh-so-pleasantly surprised.

Although I had heard many a previous rant on how great the coffee could really be here, and particularly how the 'star' barista was nurtured and praised and nestled between his spat of Australian and international awards for latte art and other coffee-related competitions, I was still more than dubious. One has to be distrusting in such a world full of people who have no idea what they are doing to such precious commodities...like coffee beans.

The atmosphere of the joint did little to ease those fears. Decor: white, plasticky, sterile. The quick-superficial-glance cross-section of customers: anorexic-long-blonded-hair-little-gossipy-rich girls (sorry, I really come across as a lot more bitter than I actually am) or aging parents with 11 year-old children. Are these the people who truly have time to appreciate this coffee? Who knows. I make no judgements here. Service: non-existent. This could be a good sign - perhaps focus is centred on pulling fantastic shots as opposed to appeasing customer demands?

That's got to be it. Either that or the fact that they roast and blend their own beans, and to near a gorram perfection if you ask me. Or perhaps that Scott Callaghan is a dedicated barista who knows what the hell he is doing and takes his time and care with each and every coffee he makes.

Given all this, my shot was supreme. That's right, it reigned. Rich to the very core, it was the smallest shot in any macchiato I have ever had. The tiny dollop of milk slowly settling atop was stained by such a pure concentration of the roasted beans; this was a serious contender for 'best shot ever'. It was subtly complex but subdued enough to be really robust and full in it's flavour. No one can deny such euphoria.

As the area is one that I rarely have reason to frequent, unfortunately, this place will see very little of me. But if you are ever nearby please do check the coffee out here. That three bolla will seldom be better spent.

The problem with coffee is that there are so many vital components in crafting that perfect shot, the espresso that comes back to you in your dreams. However, you can be sure that where you find a barista who knows what they're doing, they will make sure to have the other components at their disposal.

Swerve is famous for its baristas. Scott Callaghan has won pretty much everything, and Luke seems to be no slouch either.

To be honest, I'm kind of obsessed. The first time I went, I was surprised to run across it, having heard of the café but completely unaware of where it was. Of course, I ventured inside for a coffee and I was impressed that Luke made sure to pull a double ristretto for a takeaway cup. I'm usually lucky to find a place who knows what a ristretto is. I must have come across kind of creepy: a small Asian guy watching every movement of the barista as he poured shots and milk, precisely and mechanically, trying to figure out how everything combined to produce the magic in each shot.

I admit it, that day I went back for another shot. And then made my friend get a latte.

This day though? The barista produced a shot that was great. They roast and blend their own coffee, a fucking good sign that they're serious about their coffee. It's a nice dark blend, chocolatey and earthy. Also, it makes me feel like my face is having an orgasm.
This isn't the greatest café ever. The food doesn't excite, the service is polite but stand-offish, and the café itself is cold and un-endearing. However, the coffee is absolutely top notch, and what else really matters for a coffee-geek like me?

It's really a shame that it's in a suburb that I have no reason to ever go to, other than maybe John's Bookshop. It's just nice to know that there are still places around that are serious about their coffee that I haven't really heard of.

The Tea Centre

"The Glasshouse", 146 Pitt Street Mall, Sydney

Monday-Friday, 9am-5:30pm; Thursday, 9am-8pm; Saturday, 10am-5pm, Sunday, Closed.

Tea is freaking awesome. How can a few dried leaves...oh noes, you can't question the tea!! IT JUST CAN OTAY!
This place is gorgeous. Tucked within a small 'mall' off Pitt Street, you could easily think that you walked into a shop in a small country town somewhere in the Southern Highlands. But you don't actually. Fitted out with beautiful mahogany shelves which are lined with assorted tin-boxed teas - both exotic and variations in quality and origin on the well-known - and a little balcony in one corner of the shop which houses extra tables for the café, it is like a dream. And thus you are surrounded by tea sets of all shapes and sizes: the traditional Turkish çay sets, colourful mis-matched saucers and cups, and individually designed Japanese wares. Even the individual teapots were incredible: among all the different ceramics and patterns there were Islamic jugs, tiny ones that resembled small mammal-like creatures, and a huge massive red one that would have held probably 12 or more cups. 'allo, 'allo, 'allo!

I felt like Alice.

So being a little lost one amongst such great leaves...I put my trust in a tea connoisseur in the form of a friend and went with Pacific Sun. WOW. It was gorgeous. I was dubious, at first because of the name, but was confident that my tea was easily the best out of all that was chosen, after my first sip. Apparently it is a Chinese black tea that is infused with tropical fruits and flowers including dried pieces of orange, mango and guava. Really naturally sweet and dark to look at. And as tasty as they come!^^

The other blends and origins sampled were rather of the nice, also. The popped corn and toasted rice was a surprising one! Goodness!

Conclusion: tea is a happy-maker!

Why is a cafe so wonderful hidden in a mall on Pitt St?

An absolutely incredible array of wonderful smelling teas, stacked on shelves greet you as you walk in, with a huge collection of beautiful teapots making this small café/store a beautiful sight. A few nondescript artworks and paintings give a nice cosy atmosphere, but of course the highlight are the Teas.
These people are hardcore. Single Origin teas from various parts of the world. Inventive and exciting blends. Cool teapots that (to me) look like little mice. The menu is incredible, with at least 30 or 40 different teas available. You have all your traditional teas, Oolongs, Green Teas as well as many speciality blends, one of which smelled exactly like lime marmalade. I was boring and went for a single origin Ceylon tea which was absolutely delightful.
Lets get this straight. I am a huge coffee geek, and this place has me raving about Tea? It's a special one, and worth searching out if you ever feel like some Tea in the city. The Glasshouse is surprisingly quiet, and a nice place to take a friend to talk over your tea of choice, whether it be Earl Grey, Russian Caravan, or a tea made out of toasted rice and popped corn!

Musashi

447 Pitt Street (Cnr. Pitt & Campbell Street), Sydney

(Lunch) Monday to Friday 11:45am-2:30pm, (Dinner) Monday to Saturday 5:30pm-10pm

Who can't resist places with daggy/amazingly cool photos of the restaurant's chefs plastered upon the walls?! Certainly not me.

Having previously been here for dinner - and at that time being treated to the unique and wonderful culinary delight of watching six or more chefs, kitchen-hands, in addition to a sashimi-master (yes, he was a MASTER) prepare and cook your food in front of your headface whilst you sit at a bar area - the thought that lunch would be nice to share with friends was a good one.

Being seated at a normal table, one was able to notice the simple Japanese interior design so employed at Musashi rather than, like before, staring into the eyes...I mean, pans flipped and swirled by artisans. Is nice! Nevertheless the food is amazing, and all in all the architecture was not really that important. I'm just obsessed with that kind of thing.

On a whim I ordered a Green Tea Shake for an extra two dollars with my meal. Not usually into the whole 'mocktail' thing loved by namely this restaurant, it was nevertheless, well, quite good. A little bit watery for my liking, but I guess I shouldn't evaluate too harshly as I tend towards the preference of 'creaminess' rather than that more watery texture of sorbet's etc. in my taste. For a friend who loves the green tea though, it was enjoyed muchly!

Lately having the most bizarre need for the type of eel cooked at most Japanese and Korean restaurants, I decided to go with the lunchtime Unaju Set priced at $15. Mayhaps it is my new way of measuring the goodness of other restaurants specialising in these cuisines...sort of a "base" to judge upon? Maybe not. I love this restaurant quite alot for so many other reasons that their eel could not at all be the foundation with which my opinion rests upon. What a silly idea.

The presentation was, as usual, rather pleasing. It came out with side dishes of miso soup, a mini-salad, and a few pieces of sashimi salmon. Not being a huge fan of miso soup in general, it was, in fact, reported to be "really good". The salad was delicious - with a delightful sauce that I imagine was some sort of conglomerate between a mayonnaise (of sorts) and a sweetened soy - and the sashimi was as good as it gets...that is, it exists only to amaze the tastebuds. The eel was cooked to it's soft perfection and the (apparently) simple ingredients in the soy-based sauce melt with the small strands of dried seaweed and sesame seed garnish. Such an incomplex dish and yet so flavoursome. As tasty it was, the main problem for me were the tiny bones that were still there - it is supposed to be completely filleted. Thus I have never had eel with the bones remaining, and found this to be odd for such a meticulous place. Although really quite minute (the bones could never have been picked out like some other fish) it made the dish a tad unsavoury, if bites were not placed intermittently with plain rice, and just that little bit disappointing. Despite this I still highly recommend going here.

I wouldn't have written this much, if it were not the case.

What else was good? All others that accompanied seemed to be completely satisfied with the price and quality of Musashi. The Tonkatsu & Sashimi Set was yum, the Teriyaki Chicken & Sashimi Set (below) was scrumptious, and the Wagyu Yakiniku Beef Set (not tried) was professed to be fabulous.

I really love Musashi.

It's full of delicious things! The sashimi is fresh, and delicious! The sauces are so good that they often outshine the Kurobuta pork and Wagyu beef you're dipping them in to! They have Green Tea Crème Brûlée!

If you like Japanese food at all, this is a place you want to check out. Sure there's a queue to get in most times. But its awesometown japanese food at prices that students can afford. I just love that they pay attention to every detail, from how the random sides taste to how everything is presented. The major sashimi platter in particular is all kind of spectacular, but even the bento boxes we recieved for lunch was utterly perfect.

ITS JUST GOOD, ALRIGHT?! GO GET IT.

Also, they do a Sashimi + Wagyu Don for about $14. What kind of crazy came up with that? Are they insanity?
I just wish they kept the poster of the chefs smiling cheesily.

Ichi-ban Boshi

The Galeries Victoria
Level 2, 500 George St, Sydney
7 Days, 11am - 9pm

It's a ramen house!! And dayumn is it fine.

No matter what the hour is, or day, the queue for this place is always a long one. Personally I don't see a big problem with this as Kinokuniya lies directly opposite always waiting to consume anyone who dares enter. Level two, therefore, of this building is one of the best 'mall' levels EVER. Don't even try to contest that one.

So after what seems like an age of wanting to try this noodle bar out, a window of time is found to be had for some ramen. With a reasonable on-the-door waiting list for those before us, we mingle about the front podium - which marks the open entrance and which usually holds a cute Japanese girl with a headset - worrying about whether enough time was left to eat. Nevertheless we are taken in reasonably fast. And then supplied with a basket next to the table...which was for what exactly? My dirty laundry? Food scraps? Turtles? No, apparently my coat - I like the idea!

After much deliberation I decided to go with Aburi Chashu-men - gorgeously succulent pieces of pork which were flamed (who can't resist the addition of throwing flames at something?) and sitting within a mildly salty broth flavoured oh-so-slightly with ginger. The actual ramen was delicious, and accompanied with broth-marinated bamboo shoots, chopped spring onions, a bok choy (I would imagine) of sorts, and other soaked root vegetables, it became a hearty meal indeed.

Ichi-ban Boshi serves are huge (see scale of chopsticks in picture) and filled me up well enough for lunch and kept me going so I only had to have...a hot chocolate and Oreos for dinner *blushes*. For the $11.50 paid this was well worth the amount of food presented, as well as the anticipation of coming here.

As a side note, a big draw for this place is its famed 15 bowls-a-day-only Tonkotsu Ramen, a dish made with pork, and, among few other things, collagen. Yes, the stuff that fake lips are made out of. Will be in early upon my next visit in order to sample this dish of curiosity!

Instant Ramen has been a staple in my household for as long as I can remember. Easy to make, always delicious and generally awesome, I've oft considered the notion of moving out and eating nothing but ramen. The instant kind of ramen doesn't compare however, to some nice, freshly cooked fresh ramen that I was to receive at Ichi-ban Boshi.

Of course, being Korean, I have looked upon Japanese ramen with disdain, due to the consistent inability of the Japanese ramen I have tried to achieve the right type of spice to make that perfect bowl of ramen, and this was the case again. I went for the Tantanmen, which was delicious yet not quite fulfilling the requirements to be the "perfect bowl" that I was expecting from the recommendations I had heard. It was nice enough, but a tad bland. The servings are hearty, and the prices are low, perfect for students who want to eat a quick, filling dish.
I sound more disappointed than I actually was. A great place to go for lunch, the only downside being the wait for a table. The service is good, if a bit curt, and the atmosphere is very much food court-esque. I'd love to go back and try the other ramen on offer, but with Full House, Kura, Musashi, Ma Dang and a host of other excellent eats at the same price point abounding, it may suffer from the absurdly excellent competition in the area.

The Pyrmont Growers Market

Pyrmont Bay Park opposite Star City Casino

First Saturday of Every Month
7am - 11am

What better way to start off a food blag with the ultimate in foodisity? 'TWAS A GROWERS MARKET.

This place is one that encapsulates the quality of Australian produce, the inventiveness of local inspiration combined with the fortune we have of multiethnic influence, and the sheer chutzpah of "because we can OKAY?" (seriously: caramelised onion and chilli jam!? omfg). With an almost provincial feel (ruined a little by the glitz of the building opposite and Sydney's tendency towards modernity *sigh*), the stalls that were visited - twice, maybe three times over - and picked over by the crowd kept a previously unfilled stomach and tired-this-is-way-too-goddamn-early eyes completely sated.

What an overload of sensory experience. Stand-outs included the oils and vinegars from Pukara Estate (yeah, that girl was kind of cute), the fudge from Bowral (don't usually like fudge!), the oozing amounts of honey (with such unique flavours and pairings: coriander honey!? almost like selecting a fine wine or cheese!!), and a lamb rissole to absolutely die for (it melted so beautifully in my mouth...it was about THYME). Also: samples are the new awesome.

And so came my undoing. Having a terrible weakness for food of the delicious kind, I decided to spend 80% of my weeks earnings, which I had only acquired the day before, as I excitedly jumped around to various stalls that had grabbed me on my previous visits. Lemon butter and passionfruit butter ("as if you can pass up a two dollar saving!?!111!!" or so my excuse goes), a fruit loaf THAT HAD WHOLE DRIED FIGS AND ALMONDS AND DRIED APRICOTS and who knows what other kinds of magical ingredients, chèvre fetta marinated in chilli and garlic (my salads are going to be amazing), honey spiced dry-roasted hazelnuts form Mudgee, and a velvety-rich brownie at a chocolate store, of which I forget the name of. Oh dear, what a shame - I may just have to go back next month to check out what it's assumed signage was.

So it goes.

I figured that we couldn't call ourselves foodies until we had visited the growers markets, a place for niche and specialist food producers to gather and allow people like us to sample their produce, tempting us to purchase there oh-so-delicious goods.

Did they succeed? Holy shit yes.

There was some ridiculously delicious things around. The cute girl at the Pukara stand drew me toward the stand, but the beautifully viscous balsamic had me hooked. Some café that produces delicious things in the blue mountains had an outrageously delicious chutney that I am convinced would taste good on anything (even muesli :o ) Honest to god, I could probably live off that stuff.

A delicious sausage, with freakin' bacon included with the onion was consumed for breakfast, while the coffee of the morning was purchased from a stall that offered coffee beans grown in Australia. Terrible, terrible coffee. You'd think that a specialist coffee stall would have a barista with half an idea of what he was doing (I'd settle for a quarter!). Some beautiful cheeses were tried, a biscuit from whisk and pin did not fail to disappoint. The honey stall was a highlight of a long series of excitedly sampled things, with pooh having not one, but two blends at the table that day. La Tartine, a sourdough bakery, managed to produce bread so awe inspiring that it surpassed even Sonoma in my esteem. Not to mention, the description of the fruit loaf caused a friend to burst into tears at the sheer weight of awesome implied.

I'm determined to go next month and get some of that honey. and more bread. and some cheese. Just thinking about it makes me salivate.

I expect everybody to come to the markets next week.