Wok and Noodle Bar @ Potts Point

Looking for an authentic and quaint Japanese style noodle bar in Sydney? Head to Wok n’ Noodle Bar in Potts Point.  Although the address is Shop 2, 119 Macleay Street Potts Point it is actually in Llankelly Place(tucked in behind Busshari).

Wok and Noodle Bar were opened by the guys of Ramen Osan and have been opened for a few months. Seating only a handful of people at a time, this tiny kitchen overlooks its patrons and is genuinely authentic Japanese.

 

 

We share a serve of the gyoza that are home made. 

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Fresh and full of pork, ginger and garlic with a chewy yet soft wrapping and a thin crispy bottom these are good!

 

I have taken up on the recommendation to try the unique Sydney Black ramen. I’m intrigued and definitely find that I am starting to enjoy the varieties of ramen (remember it’s not that long since I really started to ‘get’ ramen).

A piping hot bowl of ramen is served to me on this wet cold day and it’s the perfect weather for this variety of ramen (but anytime is a good time). It’s a nice size bowl of soup (not over the top large) and I instantly fall in love with the bamboo handles soup spoons that are offered up to use, along with chopsticks.

The soup base consists of both Chicken & seafood stock topped with a selection of pickled bamboo shoots, yam, broccoli, mushroom, onion, Chinese yam, black garlic oil and parmesan cheese.

The black garlic paste floats on the top of the soup like a glorious oil slick and is nothing like I imagined but loved every bit of it!

 

 

 

My dining buddy orders a bowl of the spicy miso ramen, which is a Hokkaido style ramen, it’s a spicy chicken stock, a soft gooey egg, shallots and other tidbits. 

The ramen here at Wok and Noodles is thinner and lighter than the Ramen O San counterpart but just as delicious and tasty.

As Sydney in the grips of the ramen craze, you can rest assured that Wok and Noodles are at the top of their game. Definitely a place I will love to come back to soon.

 

 

Ajisen Ramen @ Hurstville

I feel I am slowly gravitating towards that level of Ramen addiction!  Remember way back in the day when I just didn't get what the fuss was all about.  Over time I think my taste buds are evolving!

 

Last Saturday I suggested we use a voucher that had been sitting around and head up to Hurstville to test out Ajisen.  I have always walked past this little casual ramen place but never got around to dining here.

 

The 3 of us grabbed a table and the waitress handed over laminated menus.  After much to'ing and fro'ing we made our choices. 

 

Note that you can also buy a couple of bottles of Japanese beer to go along with your ramen.

 

I settled with a bowl of the Spicy Karaage Chicken ramen.  The broth is a surprising light yet creamy and the chicken is crispy and hot and doesn't get to soggy in the soup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 'little' bro has the tonkatsu ramen (hold the mushrooms).  yeah he hates them with a passion.  He is so not a fung -I (fun guy)!!!  Excuse the pun I couldn't help myself.  I can't take credit for that though,  I heard this the other day on the telly and have been waiting to use it since!

 

 

 

 

the boyfee , who is now quiet partial to the ramen goes the Special, which has karaage, ribs, chasu and egg.

 

The usual condiments are on offer along with an awesome pot of fried garlic powder that we all liberally sprinkle on!!! I wonder if you can buy that stuff anywhere?

 

The restaurant has a few students, young locals and mostly people just wanting a quick and easy dinner before heading off on their Saturday night.  It's a decent bowl and quiet hearty.  Definitely would visit again if I was wanting a bowl of quick ramen.

 

 

 

 

Mappen @ Bondi Junction

For those that have been long time readers and or know me personally, you know of my love affair. It's a love affair that is comforting, loving and it's warm embrace is welcoming and needed on occasions. It was love at first sight and has deepened over time. It’s faithful, loyal, trustworthy and never stands you up. That love affair is with Mappen on George street in the city.  

 

 

So when I was recently invited to dine at Mappen at Bondi Junction I was curious and intrigued by the menu. The Bondi restaurant offers a combination of the menus from Mappen, Oiden, Tenkomori and Dera Uma (all owned by the same company) which gives a lot of flexibility and choice and it also serves Japanese alcoholic beverages including Japanese Orion beer and sake (and for the record I have recently become a sake convert all thanks to Yuri at Washoku Lovers).

 

 

Tough choice when there are various restaurant dishes on the menu but we eventually come up with a worthy meal!

 

I grab a tray and head on down the line, first ordering out soup and rice then pick and mix a selection of tempura which is kept hot under the lamps. Next up is the cold salads and desserts.  Then you pay at the end.  Easy.

 

There is a small condiments bench where I fill up on shallots and mounds of crispy tempura pieces (my little guilty pleasure!)

 

Check out the tempura goodies. 

 

 

I have ordered a sake (cold), which is served in a cute square Japanese cup. As a Washoku Lovers members, you can add a side of pan fried gyoza (3) for $3 with your sake. That’s a great deal.

 

 

 

 

Our table is laden with delicious food and after a few snaps (yes I few LOL) we are ready.

 

So here from top and clockwise we have the Wagyu BBQ Beef bowl, gyoza, chicken katsu, prawn tempura,  udon soup with chilli tofu mince and daifuku.

 

 

 

 

I have gone with my traditional udon with chilli tofu mince with pickled mustard greens.  Silly me forgot to order an onsen egg to go on top (insert sad face here).

 

 

 

Yes I may have walked around the restaurant to pose my bowl of soup above.  Below is where we ate at the communal tables.  I just love my udon soup topped with shallots and lots of crispy tempura. The broth is light and full of salty flavour and the fat, silky udon are slippery and chewy.

 

My dining partner for the evening is Mr M  and he starts with his pan fried gyoza and says they are really good.  I didn't try one tonight. Followed by the BBQ Wagyu beef rice bowl with coleslaw, pickled ginger and sesame seed.

 

 

 

 

The wagyu beef is tender and sweet and delicious.  The crunchy coleslaw is a nice addition and good texture.  The beauty of the rice bowl to is that you can choose your size bowl making this a great way to portion out your meal (depending on your appetite).

 

After my bowl of noodles, I have saved my tempura bits for last.  I bite into the crispy prawn tempura and the prawn is delicately cooked and the tempura is super crunchy. I am always intrigued how they keep it hot and crisp.

The chicken katsu is perfection. Crispy and perfectly cooked chicken thigh its super tasty and I nibble on it through out the meal. I love it.

 

 

 

Ending our meal with daifuku but we are full so I take them home to have later.  Here we have the lovely pink sakura daifuku. Filled with a not so overly sweet red bean, it's a lovely way to end the meal.  I also had the black sesame daifuku too.

 

  

 

Mappen Bondi is the perfect spot for a casual meal or snack. The many options and variations available makes for an easy choice for those that just don't know what they want of for those that want a bit of everything.

 

*Roofood dined as a guest of Mappen and SD Marketing.  Thank you for the invitation.

 

 

Getting a taste of Ramen - Ippudo @ Westfield Sydney

 

When it comes to Ramen I’m sitting on the fence. I’m not a lover nor am not a hater. Maybe I can be described as more of a liker of the famous Japanese noodle soup. I just don’t understand the love affair that others have. The addiction that leaves devotees eyes rolling into the back of their heads just at the mere thought of a bowl of this noodle soup. I’ve tasted it many times to try and understand it. I always come away saying 'meh', 'it's okay' or it's comforting and warm and nourishing......but I don’t 'get it'. The hype of it that is. Saying that I could eat Vietnamese pho until my eyeballs were swimming.

A while back things changed slightly. On my first visit to Ippudo I remember feeling a little bit ‘nervous’ – was I going to enjoy this? Was I just going to come away with the ‘meh’ factor again?

So I had a bowl of the Karaka men. It’s a spicy miso tonkotsu (meaning pork bone broth) ramen and it was good. Very good. The broth was layered with flavours and the noodles were perfectly medium cooked. A little bit of spring left in the noodle. I also indulged in the gyoza, which were very tasty and had a good porky filling.


.....and I finally starting to understand what the hype was about. Okay, so it didn’t convert me but it definitely persuaded me that there was more to this bowl of soup than I first thought and it is worth investigating.

This week, I was lucky to win a $40 voucher for Ippudo Sydney from the Matsuri competition that was recently run through Washoku Lovers. I couldn’t wait to head back to discover more ramen delights.

Dining with a friend we decide to share a few dishes. We go with the Karaka men again (which I only realised afterwards that it was the same as my previous visit).  The steaming bowl arrives with a good spoonful of the spicy miso and ground pork on top scattered with shallots and peanuts. There are two slices of roast pork that are tasty with a small slither of gelatinous fat through the middle. Our noodles are medium that still have a bit of chew to them. I like the texture of medium cooked noodles.

A plate of mixed steamed buns (one of each on offer), which comprise of a braised pork, a deep fried shrimp and a chicken steamed bun all with the special sauce. The steamed buns are soft and chewy in texture and wrapped around a good amount of filling. I couldn’t say that I had a favourite, they all tasted good in their on protein based way.

 

Lastly we have the seared salmon temari sushi – which is ball shaped sushi, with seared salmon wrapped around it.  It also has mentai mayo sauce and avocado. Mentai is cod roe.

 

These pop straight into the mouth (albeit a full one) and leave me wanting more.

 

Ippudo seems to be buzzing at any time of the day and I’m starting to realise why. Have I boarded the ramen train late….I don’t think so…I am definitely starting to enjoy it more and more…..so much so that I have booked in a lunch for next week!

Hold that last thought...it's only been 3 days and a friend has discovered they do a vegetarian ramen, so I find myself back there today.  I'm not feeling like a big bowl of ramen so I opt for something completely different.

I go with the gyoza, which is served with a yuzu flavoured paste.  Crispy bottoms and light wrappers make for a good bite. 

 

I also go with the tofu and spicy pork hotpot which came to the table bubbling in a mini cauldron!

 

It was delicious!

My friend loved her Shojin ramen...and yes we will both be back next week...for realz!