Izakaya Fujiyama, Surry Hills

So friends of the fridgers..we are on the home stretch to the christmas break and if you are like us, you are probably clinging on to every ounce of sanity you have left while yearning for the long holiday break! Forget the fact that its close to mid-december and yet to send out Chrissy cards or do gift shopping - but lets focus on the good things shall we. We are all about the good things here - shittyness goes elsewhere.

I have a strong belief that Japanese food fixes everything. If you are sick, a bowl of ramen cures anything. If you are sad, karage chicken is a great perker up-erer. If you are feeling guilty for indulging, then sashimi gives you "I had something healthy with no carbs for lunch" glow. Excuse my fuzzy logic for just wanting to eat good japanese food all day every day.

I blog alot about how going out for a nice meal is all about celebrating and having fun and getting together. Often, its not about the celebration - its about the comfort. Its finding a nice meal after a tiring day, or taking someone out to cheer them up. Now I cant remember what needed fixing on this particular night but without out doubt Izakaya Fujiyama fixed it. This is how.

Menya Noodle Bar, Sydney CBD

Yo Stop.. Ramen time! Yes folks - as part of our growing CBD lunch escapades, I have developed a dangerous new addiction. Menya Noodle Bar in the heart of the city completes the CBD ramen trinity for me and is a fantastic place to kill some ramen cravings.

Crowds seated around the open kitchen

Most of the time we make the mistake of getting there during what I often refer to as lunch break peak hour. This place is heaving with hungry peeps patiently waiting for their ramen fix, so best try and hold off till a bit later after 1pm. Lucky for everyone involved, the service is super speedy and our big bowls of noodle goodness arrives in a flash.

Tori kara-age ramen with Natural Salt soup ($11.90)

Now really, do you think I would order anything else? With a big bowl of the most flavoursome soup and a more than generous serving of crispy succulent chicken, you just can't say no. The broth is a natural salt based soup made from a combination of rock salt, chicken and fish broth - beware of the dehydration that ensues after consumption, make sure you have a bottle of ice tea handy. These soups are pretty good for getting rid of those lunch time hunger pangs. Big servings of noodles, flavoursome soup and copious amounts of toppings will be sure to fill up the hungriest of those ramen raiders and CBD lunchers alike.  

Menya Box - Terriyaki Chicken $10.90 

Our lunches have become quite the family affair with my mom, Mrs Fridgemagnet walked over from her office to join the lunch date. Her no fail pick is the Menya Box which is pretty good value for $10.50. A big portion of tasty Terriyaki Chicken, Miso Soup, Green Salad and unlimited rice refills. The Menya box is available with Chicken Kara-age, Chilli Beef, Teriyaki Fish and also Salmon Sashimi for $2 extra.

And of course, where there is food - my brother of Pho-An food trip fame also appears during his uni break! His favourite is the Cha-shu lover's ramen with miso soup. This broth consists of the same special chicken and seafood stock but infused with miso paste. It is a very strong flavour that goes so well with the slices of roast pork this dish is served with. This bowl comes in at $12.50

Demos' ramen du jour is the Chilli beef ramen at $11.50. This bowl is packed with a spicy flavour hit and generously topped with tender strips of beef, spring onions and chilli. The shoyu based soup is made by combining soy sauce with seafood and chicken stock and is really well balanced. The clear void is devoid of any 'funkyness' and just tastes amazing with that kick given by the fresh chilli. It's a very hearty soup given that there is a decent amount of beef to eat as well as noodles and of course the soupy goodness. Add a bit of rooster sauce to give things a bit of napalm flair and you have a winner. 

More of that Kara-age ramen to tempt you... 

Gumshara Ramen, Chinatown & Ichi Ban Boshi, Galleries Victoria - A tale of two Sydney Ramen Houses

Ramen Cravings - once it hits you on a cold winters night, it is the hardest to shake off. I know that when the cold gets into my bones I most certainly become a slave to ramen hallucinations. Some of you may find this familiar.. your sitting at home, minding your own business and watching SVU - then you get a bit chilly. As you search around the home for a spare blanket in the ad break.. you notice a big steaming bowl casually following you and tip toeing around behind you. This is how the ramen cravings creep.  You think your safe...but in the blink of an eye that imaginary bowl of salty and eggy noodles has jumped behind you and has got you in a chokehold. There really is no escape now!

I have two game plans to help combat these very common hallucination and I am a firm believer that all cravings must be appeased, imaginary ramen wrestlers have quite the grip on the old chokehold. Gumshara Ramen at the Eating World Complex in Chinatown and Ichi Ban Boshi at the Galleries Victoria CBD are two distinct places where one can conceed to the cravings and get a ramen fix. They are very different from one another and many people are divided as to which they prefer. Admittedly, there will always be a faithful following at each venue. 

 Gumshara Ramen is traditionally speaking, the more authentic of the pair. This is where the hardcore ramen aficionado's flock to. Before I start waxing lyrical - I need to stop to acknowledge my ramen illiterate readers. Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup. No, it is not "just like fancy maggi two minuite noodles". Ramen is a delicious, salty, hearty, eggy, broth based noodle soup and studies have shown that is the lifeforce of human kind. 

 Gumshara's legendary tonkotsu broth is an intensive labour of love - pork bones are boiled for days to create the thick, collagen enriched miso base. This thick, cloudy and super rich soup coats each noodle strand and in a matter of seconds you slip into a delicious food trance. if you listen closely you can hear your belly thank you after every spoonful. I was lucky enough to order the pork spare rib with my tokotsu ramen ($14.50) there is a 10 serving limit each day. And of course, to add to the collagen richness I couldn't say no to a gooey soft boiled egg topping.

 Demos had his eyes on my pork rib slab but was content in the Tokotsu ramen toppeD with BBQ pork ($13) slices and load of chilli oil and flakes.

Toku Toku - Wine and Sake Bar, Glebe

So Friends of the Fridgers, How do you like to to spend your Sundays? We have experienced some glorious sunny days in the last two weekends here in Sydney! What better way to spend Sunday in a sun filled courtyard kicking back with some midday drinks and great food? Last week we found ourselves heading to Glebe counting down to miday. Our mission was to visit Toku Toku, a relatively new Wine and Sake bar on Glebe Point road. Named after the sound that sake glasses make after it is poured into your glass ("toku toku, toku toku, toku toku") the midday countdown was by all means necessary - its only socially acceptable to drink after 12 right?

We start off (mind you, this was before we had any breakfast..) with 2 glasses of Umeshu, A sugary sweet Japanese plum wine that is super refreshing when poured over ice. Umeshu has to be one of my favourite drinks and yes I am also partial to any of the Japanese clear spirits. There is a lengthy list of Sake and Wine as one would expect from an Izakaya, and a local Australian Sake variety was also on offer. I didnt get a chance to study the drinks menu, being fixed on the food on offer of course...

Toku Toku is located on Glebe Point road next to the Primary School and if you are familiar with the area on weekends this is where the Markets are held. Like I could ever say 'no' to a beanie with a penguin head!! The staff tell us that not many people realise that there is courtyard seating out back complete with a little footbridge over little koi fish pond. The sun filled area is quite the oasis and the empty wine and sake bottles decorating the space adds a fun reminder of where we were (and what we were there for ;) )

We start with the Popcorn Prawn ($19) a dish that was very hard to ignore from the menu. We have tried and loved a similar dish previously at Sake where they used shrimp, this Toku Toku version uses huge crystal prawns. The juicy prawns are lightly battered and coated with a creamy yet tangy kim chi mayonnaise - a homage to the Korean background of the owners.  

Does it come as a surprise that I ordered something green? The Soyu Cabbage Salad ($14) was a dish I could not resist from the menu and it also came highly recommended by our helpful waitress. This braised cabbage was dressed in light white truffle vinigarette. The tangyness penetrated through all the cabbage layers and the toasted garlic and walnuts provided a little crunch. The truffle flavour was not overpowering and with half a head of cabbage to get through between two people - we definitely ate our share of greens that day.

Cabbage Cross section and some Coriander - HELLO!

Azuma Kushiyaki, Sydney CBD

There is a very familiar scenario that plays out when a group of friends get together to catch up at a restaurant. Everyone arrives bursting with excitement and stories to tell, the talk and chatter is non stop.  - We then feel sorry for the waitress or waiter, who has probably been back to ask if  the group is ready to order more than five times. Then there is a pause in the chatter for concentration purposes, which ceases immediately once the relived waiter or waitress walks away with the order. 

The laughter and the chatter continues of course - at times, other patrons tend to look at your table and wonder what all the ruckus is about. Now, this usually goes on until the food arrives - and I emphasize the word usually. You see, this wonderful dinner at Azuma Kushiyaki was a catch-up date with 3 of my lovely friends.. and we are definitely one happy chatty bunch! Is it because we are a group of filipina's? That could be it... :)

Toko, Paddington Sydney- $3 Mad Mondays

No matter what you do, there will always be something about Mondays. It's usually the day of the week when you get stuck in hellish traffic, forget something at home, stuff something up or leave the house with mis-matched socks. Its a scientific fact that humans, by nature, will always whinge about Mondays - coming up with terms like 'Monday-itis' and songs like 'Manic Monday' - its proven. If the thought itself is giving you the heeby geebies - then snap out of, because I would like to share with you the best thing about my least favorite day of the week. 

Behold - the infamous Mad Monday at Toko - where $3 plates of awesome sushi can really turn your day around and provide you with the sustinence you need to start the week. As you see on the photo's above - here at Toko ,they know how resuscitate anyone from the post-weekend lull .

 So yes, you read right - on Mondays, each plate on the conveyour belt, or small japanese a la carte dishes are at the bargain basement price of $3.00. And that is why I have an extra spring in my step. The day can't all be bad when there is delicious sushi involved right?

Usually there is a line out the front from noon, as the seats fill in quickly. Our strategy at work is getting there s few minutes before 12  (my office building is just behind Oxford Street so its 3 minute walk in heels). On every visit are greeted by the super friendly and bubbly manager – Hera. She is so efficient and once you step inside the first question is “How many babe?” so that she can organize seats for your group.

Shoya Japanese Restaurant, Melbourne

There is a saying that "The Apple does not fall far from the tree" and such is the case with myself and my lovely parents, Mr and Mrs Fridgemagnet. Like Demos and I, they love to travel and search for memorable meals. Here is Mrs Fridgemagnet's first guest post - Viva Victoria (Part One of Three) 

-Movida Bar de Tapas y Vino, Melbourne (Part Two)

-Bella Vedere, Yarra Valley (Part Three)

On our last overnight trip to Melbourne, Mr Fridgemagnet and I ventured into Victoria Markets and bought a couple of savoury treats from the specialty stalls which dotted the market Deli Hall. The stuffed mushrooms, smoked salmon and assorted cheeses would have filled a lush afternoon tea mezze plate. But in my excitement, I left the bag of goodies at one of the shops! The rest of the trip was limited to hotel food and the usual business smorgasbord.

Feeling deprived, I promised to have a more comprehensive taste of the flavours of Melbourne and it's surrounds on my next visit. After Gianna and Demos blogged about their recent gastronomic getaway, I thought of spending our annual spring break by eating our way around Victoria. I consulted with the Empty Fridge couple, friends who generously offered directions to their favourite cafe as well as posh nosh addresses.  Finally, we cross referenced all the suggestions against the The Age Good Food Guide, and came up with a weeklong food safari in Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and the Great Ocean Road. Here are some of our favourites:

Shoya Nouvelle Wafu Cuisine

Outside view of Shoya

Shoya is Japanese for "rising house", and named after the multi-level structure which includes a yakiniku room, traditional Horigotatsu-style seating and fine dining rooms, the Tearose bar and a karaoke lounge.

Instead of the usual noisy welcome, there was soft jazz music in the background as we were quietly ushered to Chef Shigeo Nonaka executive floor and Sushi Bar on the second level. It was just a little after 12nn, so the restaurant was just starting to buzz, just like my head from the excitement of what was in store. You must understand, dear readers, that we are a family in love with Japanese food so much--my husband used to stay overnight in Tokyo just to eat! Thus a lunch degustation was quite a delightful option!

Beautiful Interior

The Shoya Chef Omakase 12-course degustation menu started with a plate which seemed like an ode to Spring. The Shoya Salmon Carpaccio is sea salted cured salmon, thinly sliced and served with salmon roe, truffles, sour plum sauce and wasabi mousse to tickle the palate.

Salmon Carpaccio

Next came Petit Tempura Lobster tail topped with cream cheese, Hokkaido clam and spiced miso wrapped with witloff….Mmmm cream cheese and lobster in the same sentence! The waiter had not yet finished explaining the dish, when I popped it in my mouth….oishi!

Petit Tempura Lobster

It seemed Chef Nonaka was on a roll, for it did not take long for the third dish to arrive. Shoya Crustacians is a delightful seafood menage-a-trios of baby abalone, Hokkaido scallop and clam in a miso vinaigrette with sea urchin paste.

Shoya Crustraceans

Just as quickly as our table was cleared, the waiter arrived and presented us with a wooden box. Curiously, I peeked inside the box which contained 2 eggs for the fourth dish which the chef calls Hatching Ocean Egg. It had a tasty play on texture and flavour --- like an egg and spinach chawanmushi  with tempura scampi tail and really delicious.

Hatching Ocean Egg

From wood to ice --- our fifth course, an assortment of Sashimi, was presented inside an ice ball --- cold and fresh, it quite a feast for the senses. By this time Mr Fridgemagnet's giant can of Sapporo needed a refill, meanwhile I was experiencing a gastronomic overload, something that Tony Bourdain fondly calls, food porn.

Assorted Sashimi in an Ice Bowl

Thankfully we were served 2 simple dishes next, hearty miso soup and robatayaki fried rice with chicken, veggies and mushroom. The brief timeout gave us a chance to breath and prepare for the next set of dishes which, then again, simply took our breath away!

I didn't understand the name of the next dish, but I thought the meat tasted familiar. Later I learnt it was stewed Ox Tongue Spinach Roll served with lemon-basil yoghurt. The meat is tender and almost melts in your mouth the second you dig into it.

Ox Tounge Spinach Roll

My eyes lit up when I saw the waiter coming with the next dish, Taraba Crab Tempura. Everyone knows I love crab and the fleshy bits on the legs are my favourite ---- I got a pair of long crispy legs. Yummy! It came with a side of green tea salt which I must say was a terrific.

Taraba Crab Tempura

Tai Somen was served shortly. The petite grilled snapper with somen noodles and dashi served as a palate cleanser. It had the tiniest and most perfectly formed mushrooms!

Tai Somen

Finally came the piece de resistance, Wagyu Beef with Black Truffle. The tender wagyu eye fillet is dressed in black truffle, enoki, shitake and miso sauce. My husband and I quickly exchanged glances after our first taste. It was simply divine!

Wagyu Beef with Black Truffle

Our meal ended on a happy note with The Chef's Dessert trio of chocolate slice, creme brulee and mochi balls.

Dessert Trio

It was almost mid-afternoon when we finished our meal. We were completely satisfied, but not overwhelmingly full. We  thanked the team of waiters for their unparalleled service and knowledge of the menu.

Chef Nonaka is an artist and his degustation menu is a masterpiece!

Part of Mrs Fridgemagnets guest posts on Viva Victoria!

-Shoya Japanese Restaurant, Melbourne(Part One)

-Movida Bar de Tapas y Vino, Melbourne (Part Two)

-Bella Verde, Yarra Valley (Part Three)

Shoya

25 Market Lane, Melbourne 03 9650 0950 www.shoya.com.au