Rengaya @ North Sydney

 

Rengaya is not new to the restaurant scene having been in business for nearly 20 years. It’s reputation is clearly evident when all the tables are full by 6.30pm on a Monday night!

We are seated in one of the 3 main areas that are set in a ‘traditional’ style. There are 2 private dining areas that you can book if you want to have something more secluded.

 

 

 

 

 Shelves laden with old sake bottles make for great decor. 

 

 

 

 

In Japan BBQ is called Yakiniku and is a very social eating activity.  A grill/BBQ plate is placed in the centre of your table and you grill morsels of protein and vegies to your liking and dunk it into various sauces.  It's social and it go hand in hand with drinking. Beer, sake and cocktails are the norm. 

Chu Hai cocktails, rarely seen if at all in Sydney are a must! They are a refreshing mix of Chu Hai, fruit juice and soda served in a tall glass. Here it is served nama chūhai, meaning it is a DIY cocktail!
 

 

 

I have opted for orange and passionfruit one .After squeezing my own juice and mixing it myself and finding the right balance (ie all in!!).  It is light, fizzy and very refreshing!

 

 

I smile when our first dish arrives.   The premium wagyu beef sashimi is divine in it's simplicity. Six slices of well marbled raw wagyu is a beautiful site.  Atop crunchy shavings of daikon and served with fresh wasabi this is an awesome starter and the first time I have eaten raw wagyu. 

 

Check out that marbling!

 

 

To maximise the varieties of Wagyu we decide to try the Wagyu Amusement, comprising of a selection of (from left to right top row to bottom row) , Wagyu ribs, Wagyu loin, Wagyu oyster blade and Wagyu rib fingers and wagyu ox tongue.

 

 

and if you do not know your cuts of beef it comes with a handy list of which is what cut.

 

The loin and oyster blade are well marbled with a sprinkling of salt and pepper for a hint of flavour (not that this beef needs any assistance!)

 

 

ox Tongue (back pic) and rib fingers (front pic) look awesome. I cannot wait to try the ox tongue.

 

 

There is something fun and entertaining about BBQ’ing at your own table. Just do not forget about what you have on the grill and leave it to long.  You do not want to burn anything!

 

 

 

 

Placing pieces on that literally only take a minute or two to sear we wait......

 

 

 

 

 

Pork loin, slightly frozen and thinly cut are brought to the table along with milkfed lamb cutlets that look delicious.

 

 

 

 

We have ordered a bowl of Yukke bimiba, a Japanese dish similar to the Korean Bimibap served with raw Wagyu beef.

 

It is served in a piping hot stone bowl which you then stir all the ingredients together to make a lovely rice dish. 

 

The tender pieces of beef slightly cook through and the rice that has been on the base of the hot stone has gone crispy and crunchy.  This is comfort food and it is yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

We finish with a rich, hearty oxtail soup that is nourishing and warming.  A winner dish for next winter I reckon!

 

 

To finish off this fine meal a cold glass of sake is needed.  Otokoyama Junmai from Hokkaido is the choice tonight.  A huge sake bottle arrives table side and the cold crisp sake is poured into the small carafe with precision!

 

 

 

Visiting Rengaya was a delight.  I have never eaten Premium Wagyu beef before and I marvelled at the marbling of the meat.  If only I could could enjoy my steak as much as I enjoyed this meal!  Definitely recommend Rengaya.  I was surprised on how many people were there dining on a Monday night and clearly many regulars!

Thanks so much for the invitation!

 

 

*Roofood dined as a guest of Rengaya and Washoku Lovers

Papi Chulo @ Manly

 

 What was supposed to be our first date a year ago, a ferry ride to Manly, a lovely lunch and a few drinks ended up being cancelled due to horrendous whether and we went to the movies instead!. So we took the opportunity of our first anniversary celebrations to do it instead! Perfect date day though! A sunny day, with a little crisp wind and of course, awesome company!

 

Merivale's Papi Chulo is nestled right on Manly Wharf, literally a few steps from the ferry. Where an American smoke house/Latin inspired menu meets beach art deco décor which makes for a beautiful light and airy atmosphere with gorgeous views of the Harbour.

 

 

 

We start with drinks and I am drawn to the Bloody Ceaser Romero with Bacon-washed Olmeca Altos Tequila, papi's spice mix, olive and clamato juice (it’s a pimped up bloody mary, only better!)

 

 

We start with a bowl of Pea Guacamole with tortilla chips. Sprinkled with peas, pea shoot tendrils and sunflower seeds this guac is good. The warm crisp tortilla chips have the smallest hint of salt to the them.

 

 

The Tropical Taro Salad (which came with hidden slices of smoked Kingfish) was a surprise. Refreshingly light and tangy the crispy strips of taro added a perfect crunch to this salad.

 

The highlight dish of the day turned out to the be the Roasted Cauliflower with romesco, parmesan and burnt butter crumbs. We both LOVED this dish. The cauli was soft and tender but still held firm and the cheesy romesco sauce and crunch butter crumbs were just superb.

 

 

 

The Smoked Hot Wings with comeback sauce were another pleasure. The wings are fried to perfect crunchy crispness and tender and juicy meat. However I wasn’t really taken with the comeback sauce, but that is my personal taste).

Service is fantastic and dishes are served quickly. Staff are super friendly and there is no one person waiting on tables it’s a variety of servers.

Next up is the Jumbo King Prawns in lemongrass and coconut dressing. Two huge prawns adore a small plate and take a good 2-3 big bites to eat. They are really delicious.

 

 

 

 

I’m hitting my limit by now and lucky to have a few minutes break before the Lebanese Chicken Platter arrives with sides of curly fries and Vietnamese Coleslaw. BBQ chicken with peri peri spice is served on a platter with tabbouli, pickled veg, lettuce and pita bread.

The curly fries are super curly and cooked perfectly. The Vietnamese coleslaw adds a tangy freshness to the meal. We are so full now and end up taking a doggy bag home with us.

We do manage to share a dessert of the Chocolate chip cookie, marshmallow, butterscotch and vanilla ice cream.  Warm gooey choc chip cookie with a disc of fluffy marshmallow topped with ice cream and butterscotch is a perfect date dessert.

  

Although this was a year in the making, we finally got to visit and I know I will be recommending this to friends and definitely would like to come back and sample more of this delicious the menu.  

 

 

 

Yebisu Izakaya @ Regent Place

 



 

Yebisu is a charming Japanese Izakaya snuggled inside Regent Place on George Street. It’s very popular amongst the Japanese community, along with everyone else in the know! I have eaten here previously, pop over here to read about that night here. 

Regent Place appears to be the 'new' dining scene with loads of restaurants and Assembly Bar downstairs.

We arrived on a Friday night a little before 6pm and the line was already stretching. As we had been invited by Yebisu to dine with them we were whisked in quickly and sat at a table along the back wall offering a great view of the restaurant.

It's pumping on a Friday night. Don't be deterred by the long lines and waiting times, it dishes up some decent and fair eats and both the menu and beverage list is fairly extensive.

First up we grabbed a couple of Asahi’s including a Super Dry Black and a cold Ippin sake.

 

Asahi and Sake make for a great start to a meal

Using the menu and the touch pad to select from the menu we worked our way through picking and choosing our dishes. Dishes do come out fast once ordered so if you want to have a more leisurely dinner make selections throughout the meal to pace it (and yourself (hahah) !!!).

We start with a bowl of the lotus chips.  Paired with beer and/or sake these are just the devils food.  AMAZING.  Whatever the seasoning is that is sprinkled on these chips is very addictive!

lotus chips

 

In hindsight we should have had a bowl each. These were so utterly glorious and we neither of us could stop eating them (to the point that we were arguing who was eating more!!!)

 

As mentioned the dishes come out fast and soon we had a table laden with dishes!

 

just to start!

 

 

We begin with a serve sashimi entrée of the day. A selection of tuna, salmon and kingfish. A good palate cleanser.

 

Today's sashimi entrée

 

The chilli pork dumplings are served in a decorative bowl. They are steaming and plump with pork mince with a small kick of warming chilli. 

 

chilli pork dumplings

 

You can not eat at an Izakaya and not order yakitori or skewers!   We are swayed by the pork belly, pork and kimch (salt) and the salmon belly (in all it’s fatty gloriousness). These were all very tasty and the salmon belly was a favourite.

pork belly

 

pork and kimch (salt) and salmon belly

To finish our meal we ordered the chicken meatball hotpot.  A big wok of soup and ingredients are placed on the table to simmer.

 

chicken hotpot

 

The hotpot bubbled away with the occasional stir until we were ready to dig in.

 

 

Spooning out tidbits and morsels of fresh chicken, mushrooms, noodles, cabbage and fragrant broth was comforting and nourishing.

 

slurp away

 

Yebisu is a fun night out and you won't leave hungry!  It's a fun atmosphere and good food.

*Roofood was invited by Yebisu and Washuko Lovers. 

 

Suminoya - Japanese charcoal BBQ

Tucked away in Hosking Place is a Japanese yakiniku restaurant called Suminoya.  Until I was invited for lunch, I would never have known that it was there, regardless of the fact that is's been around for roughly 10 years.  It is always nice to find hidden away gems in the Sydney CBD and discover something new, yet it has been around for many years with a great following.

 

We arrived for 1pm and were seated at a table in a little nook.  Each table in the restaurant is set up with an exhaust fan over each table. High tech! 

 

 

 

We decide on sharing a three choice charcoal BBQ set and the Suminoya lunch box B.  It took sometime for our charcoal BBQ to come to the table, but when it did arrive the charcoal bricks were glowing and ready to go.  Our food followed pretty quickly.

 

table laden with BBQ and bento

 

The three BBQ dishes come together on one plate.  Squid, duck and wagyu beef harami (which is a cut from around the diaphragm). The set also comes with a side of rice, a small bowl of miso soup and a small side salad.

 

beefy treats await

 

We had asked specifically for the squid to be served separately (for a particular reason) but it came on the same plate separated by a lettuce leaf.  Okay, slight issue but nothing that we couldn't deal with.

 

gettin' ya sizzle on

 

There is something rustic about cooking at your own table. I enjoy it and it's always a crowd pleaser and gets everyone into the spirit.  I ensured the squid was cooked on one side of the grill and didn't touch any other meats. 

 

The sizzle and pop of the meats as the fat started to render and drip onto the hot coals beneath soon had smoke wafting around and straight up the exhaust fan!

 

 

The squid was soft and tender.  I only had one ring because I was going for the duck and beef today.  the duck was good.  Enough time on the grill to not overcook the duck and render some of that layer of fat is a very fine line but if you get it right, it's rewarding.  It took a couple of goes to get it right.

 

 I hadn't had a harami cut before.  This is found around the diaphram of the beast. The wagyu beef harami was flavourful but on the tougher side, more likely coming down to my cooking skills rather than the cut itself.  Perfection takes practice I suppose and it might take a few more goes to get it right. 

 

 

I ordered a side of chinese cabbage kimchi for a bit of crunch and heat to accompany the grilled meats.  It had a light fermented flavour and was crunch and definitely hot!

 

packing some heat this here kimchi

The Suminoya lunch box  is served on a tray with your choice of main meal. We opted for the teriyaki fish. the lunch set also is served with a 'today's special', a 'today's special side dish', salad, rice and miso.  Turns out the 'today's special' is tempura gyoza and the 'today's special side dish' is a crab claw with mayonnaise.

bento box

 

Me being the only one that can eat meat and dairy at the table (my friend was fasting for Greek Easter so was eating no red meat or dairy, hence the request for the squid to be separate) got to have the the specials.

 

I was surprised by the tempura gyoza.

tempura gyoza...yes please

 

It's literally a pork gyoza dipped in tempura batter and deep fried.  This was a novelty.  The crispy tempura batter was light and encased a soft gyoza wrapper with a lovely moist gyoza filling. These were good, but filling. 

crab claws

 

The crab claw was just as good as any takeaway shop crab claw and it was perched on top of a dollop of thick kewpie style mayonnaise.  No sure what the sauce was though but it was thick and sweet(ish) similar to a very thick teriyaki sauce.

 

The teriyaki fish (and I only had a small taste) as she was eating the seafood today was terrific.  Moist, perfectly cooked and the teriyaki was not overly sweet.  My friend remarked that she liked the fish saying she wasn't a a big fish eater and wasn't a fan of salmon.  When I told her this was salmon she was surprised! 

 

teriyaki sauce

As for the miso soup, salad and rice, they were hardly touched. Not because they were not good, just that we were so full from the other main dishes. The rice was fluffy and hot and the miso soup was full of flavour.  The salad was refreshing with corns scattered through it.

As a member of Washoku Lovers I also showed my card for a free drink which was a coke, however there are many other options on the menu for drinks.

*Roofood dined as a guest of SD Marketing and Suminoya

1 Hosking Place, Sydney
NSW 2000 Australia
Tel: 02 9231 2177
Fax: 02 9231 2110