Makanai Chatswood

Finally, after the ever-mounting number of Japanese eateries I’ve eaten at on Sydney’s lower North Shore, Chatswood finally has its own ramen joint! Makanai occupies the Westfield shop space vacated by Korean bakery chain Hello Happy (and Starbucks before them) and has brought with them not only ramen, but also a front display window impressively stocked with about ten varieties of onigiri on a daily basis.

Sushi Bar Rashai

A dinner date with Toyboy leads us to Sushi Bar Rashai which came recommended to us by Mistress who has frequented it over the years. Situated on a non-descript section of Parramatta Road more known for its nearby bridal wear stores, Sushi Bar Rashai looks like it’s been around for some years judging from the décor.

Although there’s nothing standout about their sushi, with the rice being a little dry and compacted when we visit, nor their beef tataki, and an order of ‘Kingfish Carpaccio’ from their specials menu is a little light on punch with its dressing, their chicken karaage is juicy and not at all oily. I was tempted to order the ‘Ninja balls’ (hello Ninja!), which is a deep-fried dish of some sort, purely for the novel name factor but we appeared to be over-ordering as it was.

The hot rice dishes are much more to our liking, with the ‘Katsu curry don’ being simultaneously crunchy and comforting with its crispy, panko crumb-coated chicken fillets swathed in a thick curry sauce on rice. The ‘Beef teriyaki don’ is redolent with sweet soy flavours and both rice dishes are generous in their serving size. A pleasant surprise is found in munching on the Japanese pickles on the side – being neither too tart nor too sweet and offer palate-cleansing relief.

Dessert time sees Monsieur Poisson ordering the ‘Tempura Banana’, partly because bananas are one of his favourite fruits and partly because bananas are currently still pricey that ordering something with it feels that tiny bit indulgent.

The bananas arrive encased in a smooth batter with nothing distinctly tempura about it. Toyboy and I, however, have gone with the distinct option of wasabi ice-cream – and two scoops of it each! In hindsight it would probably have been a better idea to order a scoop of wasabi ice-cream flanked by another flavour, but we were going the whole hog here. The ice-cream looks innocent enough when it arrives, with the scoops only having the palest pastel green about them, and the flavour is quite mild...to begin with until you hit what taste like little pockets of packet wasabi! It’s sweet and hot at the same time, but not like the combination of chocolate and chilli where the chilli offers an after note of warmth.

Neither of us finished each of our two scoops. We were well and truly defeated.

Challenge?

Sushi Bar Rashai

241-243 Parramatta Rd (near cnr Macquarie St), Annandale NSW

Tel: (02) 9560 3007

Opening Hours:  Mon  CLOSED

Tues-Sun  5:30pm-10:30pm (dinner only)

happy eating!

Food to nurse hangovers

It’s hot and stuffy. The sun is blazing outside and rudely creeping in through the blinds. Oh, my eyes! Why is it so bright? You move to roll over. Whoa…the bed, or wherever you parked yourself last night/this morning, feels like a tiny dinghy bobbing about on rough seas. *Bob, bob, bob, bob…* It’s too hot to keep sleeping and you really need something to settle down the party which has been continuing in your stomach and bloodstream despite you stopping hours ago.

Good morning (or afternoon), and a happy new year to you, your stomach, your pounding headache and…so nice of you to join us, Hangover!

Although there are no foods which can miraculously cure hangovers, there are certain foods that somehow make you feel better through nothing other than comfort or placebo effect. If you’re wanting something fast-food yet can’t bear the usual international chains, then Ocean Foods has many deep-fried and more virtuous non-deep fried options. The grilled barramundi with chips (below) is just one of them – it is unbattered and cooked on the spot like all their hot foods. Paired with some sweet, crunchy and not-at-all greasy crab claws as well as a small tub of salad (coleslaw in this instance, pictured below) and you can soothe that hangover whilst having a balanced meal. For something in a more central location, there’s that famous soft-shell crab omelette (unpictured) from Café Ish which the husband keeps raving to everyone about.

Or perhaps you want something a little more pure and soothing. Pho An has any combination of beef, fatty beef, beef meatballs, beef tendon, tripe, chicken, etc in a fragrant Vietnamese beef or chicken broth with slippery flat rice noodles where chewing isn’t even required. Topped with fresh herbs to awaken the senses, stir in chopped chillies for warmth and slurp to restore some much-needed hydration. Noodle bowls are available in small (regular) and large sizes, and your food will appear almost instantly by magic. Peruse the menu at the doorway or ask for a printed menu when seated, as the wall menus are in Vietnamese and Chinese only.

To combine the best of both worlds Ton Ton Regent has ramen, karaage chicken, gyoza and tempura amongst other things, whilst Menya Mappen has udon, soba, lots of fresh crunchy tempura and kakiage, poached egg and small rice bowls all for very affordable prices. And runny eggs always make things better.

Gumshara will give you a thick, sticky, flavoursome and soul-restoring soup where each bowl is taste-tested by the master himself before being served. The noodles are springy and the pork is plentiful. Add a soft-boiled egg and you’re absolutely set for the day. If you want an alternate to noodles the ‘Special Rice’ bowl is serious value at around $8 with a foundation of rice mixed with sesame seeds, soft-boiled egg and vegetables topped with roast pork, and then the whole thing repeated on top of it again – it will satisfy the most ravenous of hangover hungers.

For a variety of eats including deep-fried things, rice, noodles, soups and Hong Kong fusion-style pastas then you simply cannot go past a “cha chaan teng” (茶餐廳). Iced lemon tea rates highly on my long-time loves even though it’s only black tea, sugar syrup and fresh lemon slices. You’ll find sweet drinks incorporating azuki (red) beans and grass jelly as well as Hong Kong-style French toast “sai dor see” (西多士) – typically two slices of white bread sandwiched with peanut butter, deep-fried in eggy batter before being served with butter and golden syrup. Trolley/cart noodles used to be street food sold, well, from a mobile cooking trolley, allowing for personalisation of soup noodles (flat rice noodles, rice vermicelli, Hokkien noodles, flat egg noodles, thin egg noodles, etc) and toppings (dried squid, fish balls, fried fish skin, luncheon meat, ham, pig’s blood jelly, beef meatballs, pork meatballs, chicken wings, mushrooms, etc and an array of vegetables). Not available at many Hong Kong fusion-style cafés in Sydney, Victoria Noodle Restaurant offers a great selection of noodles and toppings as well as other menu items. Try their salt and chilli chicken wings with rice – hangover or no hangover – if you get a chance.

For something healthy and sweet, wowcow serves 98% fat-free yoghurt with active cultures that is smooth and slides easily down the throat. One of Sydney’s earlier frozen yoghurt chains, mix in whatever toppings take your fancy from their display window and pair with cinnamon-sugared wow-sticks (baked churros) for dipping. I spotted Joh Bailey bringing a group of friends here late one night, and don’t forget to crane your head back (provided it doesn't induce too much dizziness) to marvel at the cow feature adorning the ceiling!

Ocean Foods

Corner of Lyons Rd & Gipps St, Drummoyne NSW

Tel: (02) 9181 4336

Opening Hours:  7 days  9am-9pm

Café Ish

82 Campbell St (cnr Foster St), Surry Hills NSW

Tel: (02) 9281 1688

Opening Hours:  Mon-Tues  7am-4pm

                        Wed-Fri  7am-10pm

Sat  9am-10pm

Sun  9am-2:30pm

Pho An

27 Greenfield Pde (near cnr Stewart Ln), Bankstown NSW

Tel: (02) 9796 7826

Opening Hours:  7 days  7am-9pm

Ton Ton Regent

Shop 10.16, Ground floor of Regent Place, 501 George St (cnr Bathurst St), Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9267 1313

Opening Hours:  7 days  11:30am-10pm

Menya Mappen

Shop 11, Ground Floor of Meriton Tower – Skyview Shopping Plaza, 537-551 George St (near cnr Liverpool St), Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9283 5525

Opening Hours:  Sun-Wed  11:30am-10pm

                        Thurs-Sat  11:30am-10:30pm

Gumshara

Shop 209, Lower Ground Level, Harbour Plaza, 25-29 Dixon St (Chinatown), Haymarket NSW

Tel: 0410 253 180

Opening Hours:  Mon  CLOSED

                        Tues-Sun  10am-10pm

Victoria Noodle Restaurant

Shop A8, Lower level of Victoria Plaza, 369 Victoria Ave, Chatswood NSW

Tel: (02) 9410 1822

Opening Hours:  7 days…11am-10pm

wowcow

Shop 2, 304-308 Victoria St, Darlinghurst NSW

Tel: (02) 9326 0400

Opening Hours:  Mon-Thurs  11:30am-11pm

                        Fri  11:30am-12 midnight

                        Sat  11am-12 midnight

                        Sun  11am-11pm

happy eating!

Mamak Chatswood, 10 Oct 2010

It’s finally open!

Mamak, rumoured to be opening a second outlet for many months in locations “somewhere up north” such as Manly and Neutral Bay, recently opened in the revamped complex adjacent to the Chatswood train station. More than a year in the planning, the opening of a sister outlet has been highly anticipated for this Malaysian eatery which began life as a stall at the Friday night Chinatown markets followed by a move into a narrow shop space on Goulburn Street before acquiring the space next door. All this, and the place still has people queuing before it opens for dinner each evening following a brief closure in the afternoon.

I’m a sucker for teh ais, the cold version of teh tarik – that pulled tea made with condensed milk which has a frothy top. We are here on opening night with Gingerbreadman, Dr King, Kiki and friend. With multiple people, of course we are going to sample a selection of Mamak’s famed freshly-made roti. I think I end up with half the fluffy roti canai to myself as everyone else’s focus is distracted by the more hearty murtabak (parcelled up with lamb, cabbage, egg and onion) and the egg-filled roti telur.

Rotis aside, we have a nasi lemak to share with its coconut rice, cuttlefish, hard-boiled egg, peanuts, sambal, ikan bilis and that thing which neither Dr King nor Monsieur Poisson enjoy eating – cucumber. No one has any issues with the dozen smoky chicken satay sticks and their spicy sweet peanut sauce however.

We have a few dishes to share as well with rice. Kangkung belacan is something which I’ve only grown to like in adult years, previously being a purist for water spinach to be stir-fried with fermented bean curd, even though both offer salty chilli flavours against the crunchy vegetable. Kari ayam (curry chicken) is ordered because Mamak has run out of ayam goreng (fried chicken) from the previous day’s soft opening for friends and family. I discover that Dr King doesn’t eat chicken skin unless it’s fried and crispy, which may or may not have led to someone scouring the bottom of the bowl for rejected pieces. Mee goreng (stir-fried noodles) has good ‘breath of wok’ and is not oily while sambal udang has prawns with plenty of heat but are addictively good with spoonfuls of rice.

And we end with what we start with – a roti. But it is the paper-thin roti tisu crisp and sprinkled with sugar, best eaten pulled apart with fingers, with a scoop of ice-cream on the side for dessert.

There are no queues forming at Chatswood. Yet. The food is identically as good as that of the original city store so make sure you visit soon, as word is spreading quickly!

PS. Mamak is now also offering a catering service. Amongst other things, there are 10 litre drinks kegs with taps! Give them a call to find out more.

Mamak Chatswood

Shop P9, 1-5 Railway St, Chatswood NSW

Tel: (02) 9411 4411

Opening Hours:  7 days  11:30am-2:30pm (lunch)

                                    6:00pm-9:30pm (dinner)

happy eating!

Chatswood Melody Market

The Chatswood markets, like most markets, took a break over the Christmas and New Year period but did not reappear even by early February. I started to get worried when barriers sprung up sectioning off parts of Victoria Avenue Mall, as there have been notices up for a while regarding the mall’s revamp which involves the laying of grass amongst other things. Although it is nice for the local council to be redoing this high paedestrian traffic area which has uneven surfaces in some parts, my first concern was of course the future of the markets and the ability of my stomach to still access their foods! The weekly markets are not exclusively comprised of food stalls alone, but they do make up the bulk of the stall holders.

But as of a few weeks ago, the familiar market stands have reappeared but are now cramped down the eastern end of the mall instead of being spread across the length of it as in the past. I’ve previously mentioned my love of the Mojo Picon stall which seems to constantly have a sea of people around it but then there’s also the gozleme stand…

Oh, how I do love a good, fresh gozleme! The filling to crèpe-like crust ratio mustn’t be too high or low and the crust cannot be soggy nor rubbery. This stand at the markets always seems to get it right in my opinion but, alas, I do not know their name! Be prepared to wait though, as everything is made fresh and it is popular with the masses.

The other stall which keeps drawing me back is Jackie M with its Malaysian cuisine. Perhaps it is the lack of access to Malaysian food in Chatswood, or perhaps it is the rich aromas of garlic and soy which emanate from their little gas burner woks. However the most important thing is that the food is decent and affordable.

On an afternoon walking past before Christmas and in desperate need of a snack, I had the following interesting combination: roti with kaya (squishy, flaky, coconutty and buttery goodness for $5), chicken satay skewer (sweet and very nutty) and vegetable curry puff.

More recently for dinner, Monsieur Poisson and I bought a couple of things before seating ourselves in the Lemon Grove food court to enjoy them. We had one of ‘The Works’ as I was captured by the variety of curry dahl, cucumber, chicken satay skewers, coconut rice, roti and choice of curry (beef rendang for us). I had several gripes about this box unfortunately which included everything being at roughly room temperature and nothing being piping hot. The other gripes were about the chicken satay skewers being noticeably shorter in the meat department than previous and why was the sauce such a creamier, paler shade now?

However all was redeemed with the char kway teo with chicken. It was steaming hot, fragrant of garlic, fried shallots and chilli and had nicely separated flat rice noodles as well as Hokkien egg noodles.

I have a big weakness for markets, be it for stalls of food or little knick-knacks. I may not necessarily buy anything but I am always curious to have a look. My husband is a sucker for stalls that sell corn on a stick. Are you a fan of markets? And is there a type of stand you can never walk past without taking a peek?

Chatswood (Willoughby Council) Melody Market

Eastern end of Victoria Ave Mall, Chatswood NSW

Opening Hours:  every Thurs  10am-9pm

happy eating!