Date & Banana Loaf and Chinese Cake

Gumshara Ramen, Haymarket.

120kg of fresh pork bones simmered in water with the addition of soy, produces a rich soup that comes from the marrow of the bone and the soft bone to produce TONKOTSU SOUP! This stock is filled with collagen, quoted as 'essential in maintaining smooth skin'.

Gumshara Ramen, located in the food court of Eating World Chinatown, has become a popular place amongst ramen lovers. There are many varieties of Ramen to choose from such as pork spare rib ramen, tonkotsu ramen, tomato noodle soup and rich dishes.

Today, I have chosen to order the Garlic Tonkotsu Noodle but with less thick stock. After reading numerous reviews on Gumshara, the traditional soup has been deemed very thick and 'chronic'. I decided to choose the safe direction and opted for the less thick soup. Surprisingly my soup was still thick. I can't imagine slurping the normal tonkotsu soup which may be thick like gravy.

My Garlic Tonkotsu Noodle is very generous in serving. Topped with shallots, crunchy bamboo shoots, seaweed sheet and delicious pork slices. The ramen is soft and firm, one of the best tasting ones that I have had. The only downside with my dish was it was warm not hot.

Gumshara Ramen
Shop 209, Eating World Food Court
25 - 29 Dixon Street, Haymarket

Hurricane's Grill and Bar, Darling Harbour

My friend A really wanted to try the food at Hurricane's, renowned for their steak and ribs. Hurricane's, located at Bondi Beach is the more famous of the two restaurants with its prestine views but unfortunately it isn't open for lunch on weekdays. I love eating steak and wasn't going to miss out on this opportunity. The day was sunny, the weather was warm, making it a great day out to the city. Having lunch on friday during peak-hour meant that the place was busy, but we were lucky to get a table despite not booking ahead. We got a table right next to the window, with excellent views of Cockle Bay and the city skyline.

First up was the lemon, lime bitters. It was rather sweet compared to other ones I've tasted, but still tasted good and refreshing.

Complementary crusty, warm bread was served with spreadable butter. Delicious bread with an added crunch factor.

My friend ordered the half-rack of pork ribs with chips ($28.00) which was aplenty. Basted in Hurricane's own special rib sauce and grilled until tender. The serving was generous and as such, she struggled to finish the dish.

My other friend who wasn't very hungry after having a very filling breakfast opted for the short cut sirloin steak 200grams with chips, medium-well ($26.00). As noted on its website, the finest cut of Australian aged beef basted in Hurricane's secret sauce and grilled to perfection. As she didn't order any sauce on the side, she found it to be rather dry and overcooked.

I ordered the junior t-bone 400grams with chips, medium-well ($31.00) with pepper sauce ($2.50). The steak was tasty, tender and succulent but got over powering at times with the basted sauce. I enjoyed my meal but I still prefer the bistro steaks. Neverthelesss, it was a great place to hang out with friends whilst enjoying the view.


We also ordered a ceasar salad ($20) but due to my poor photography skills, the picture was blurry. The serving was small and there was way too much caesar dressing. I think I will skip this dish the next time I go to Hurricane's.

Overall, a decent place to have steaks and ribs but a little on the pricey end.

Hurricane's Darling Harbour
Harbourside Shopping Centre
Shops 433-436, Level 2, Darling Harbour, Sydney
Open 7 days a week
Lunch from 12pm-3pm
Dinner 5:30pm till late

Savoy Taro Cake!

I love eating taro cake, especially the one from Tim Tim's in Cabramatta. However, the quality hasn't been as good as it used to be and it seems to be getting more expensive. After randomly reading through forums, I stumbled across a post on Taro Cake. It definitely captured my attention straight away.

Savoy Cake has stores in Haymarket, Chatswood and Burwood. I was in the City, so I dropped into the Haymarket store after I had yumcha at Zilver. It seems as though more cakes are made on weekends to meet demand, as I saw quite a few small size cakes. I got the 9inch taro cake costing $19.50 which is a bargain considering I normally pay about $40 for this cake at Tim Tim's.

With minimal detailing on the cake and no fruit in sight, it is a very plain looking cake. That is how I like my cake to look. I prefer no fruit on it. Fresh cream layered together with taro paste makes the cake taste smooth and creamy. The inside sponge is soft, moist and not too sweet. A great tasting cake liked by everyone.




I recommend this place for anyone wanting to buy cakes of any sort. Savoy has got rave reviews for other cakes as well. I will definitely come back and try other flavours.

Savoy Cake
Shop 4, 76 Ultimo Rd,
Haymarket NSW 2000
92127453

McDonald's Grand Angus Burger & La Royale Patisserie

A new menu item at Mcdonald's means something new for me to try. Just released this week, the Angus burger comes in two varieities, 'Grand Angus' and 'Mighty Angus' burger. I opted to try the Grand Angus burger because it looked more appealing in terms of the salad component, if any.

Normally, the pictures of the food in advertisments do not generally match with what is actually made. However, in this instance, the Grand Angus burger really look like the picture but just flatter in comparison.

Encased in soft sourdough bread is a thick, juicy patty of Australian Angus beef, topped with baby salad leaves, red onion, mustard and mayonnaise sauce.

My burger lacked the baby salad leaves as only a few could be seen. This burger to me tasted really good. The bread was fresh, beef wasn't dry but was juicy and the onion just added an extra crunch factor. Being a fan of McDonald's processed cheddar cheese, I definitely like the two cheese slices that were added.

It may look small in the picture but it's twice the size of a normal cheeseburger and much more filling due to the thick patty. I definitely have to try the 'Mighty Angus' which has no veges of any sort except onions.

For dessert, I went to La Royale Patisserie located at Wetherill Park. A very popular place among the locals for great cakes, coffee and pastries. Today, I decided on the mango macaroon, chocolate macaroon and the meringue cake. The mango macaroon wasn't too sweet with a lovely outside biscuit.

The chocolate macaroon tasted chewy yet crunchy and was fairly good. I'm not really a fan of macaroons as I prefer my cakes.

This is a cake enjoyed by everyone. Covered with meringue bits is a mixture of sponge cake, cream, fruit and caramel. Great tasting cake that is a must try! I get it everytime I have the chance to.

La Royale Patisserie

9/1183-1185 The Horsley Dr

Wetherill Park, NSW 2164

Tel: (02) 9604 4008

Pizza Mia Review

I love eating pizza and trying something new. I wanted to try out these new Pizza's after seeing the ads on tv promoting the special deal of one pizza for $6.95 or you could get 3 for $15.00. It just looked so good on the commercials and of course I got the latter and ordered the 3 for lunch to test try. However, these pizza's have been getting prety bad reviews globally saying how terrible they are but that didn't stop me. These Pizza Mia's (Medium- 9inch) are much smaller than the Large-12inch pizza, more suited as an individual pizza. These pizza's seem to contain less grease in comparison to the normal pizza's, possibly due to the thinner crust.

1. Beef Mia
Topped to the edge with beef, mushroons and onion and a special blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese on a perfecto base.

Verdict: The crust was thin and crispy. Toppings were aplenty without an overload of sauce. This one was my favourite of the 3. It had the most flavour with and was a good tasting pizza overall.

2. Chicken Mia
Topped to the edge with semi-dried tomatoes, capsicum and chicken and a special blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese on a perfecto base.

Verdict: This wasn't a bad pizza but it lacked the flavour. There were burnt bits and too much dough and not enough toppings on some parts. I found the semi-dried tomatoes a bit too salty but other than that it was OK tasting.

3. Veggie Mia

Topped to the edge with mushrooms, semi-dried tomatoes and capsicum and a special blend of mozzarella and cheddar cheese on a perfecto base.

Verdict: This was my least favourite of the 3. I found it to be bland and lacked taste. There was too much semi-dried tomatoes which made the pizza salty.

Overall a good tasting pizza for a decent price but I rather order the larger size pizza's as they contain more flavour and kick. Would suit those looking for the 'healthier option' as there is barely any grease in comparison to a typical deep pan pizza.

Caramel Cookie Shots

Bite sized short bread cookies, served warm with a rich gooey caramel centre.

Verdict: Burnt at the bottom but still tasted nice with the sweet caramel filling and crunchy outside.

Chicken Wings

Chicken wings coated in New Orleans herbs and spices, baked to perfection and served with a ranch style sauce.

Verdict: These are my all time favourite's. These chicken wings are moist, juicy and crispy.

America

My favourite photo's from the recent trip to America:
Hawaii, Washington DC, New York, Orlando and Las Vegas.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread Recipe
Makes- 1 Serves- 8
Cooking Time- Approximately 1 hour

Ingredients:
90g butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups self-raising flour
3 ripe bananas

1. Grease a loaf tin. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Mash up the bananas and combine all ingredients using a wooden spoon or use a food processor to blend the ingredients.
3. Pour mixture into load and bake for 1 hour.

This banana bread tasted moist and delicious. Great toasted and spread with butter and honey.