Shanghai Stories 1938, Chatswood

Often called the Paris of the Orient, Shanghai represents the bubbling hub of modern western culture intermingling with the more traditional old-world Asia. Shanghai Stories 1938's dining area beautifully encapsulates the clash of the two regions and is quite possibly the main appeal of visiting here.

Shanghai Stories 1938 is quite a popular place around the locals. My booking at 12 hardly did anything to get us in quicker and we found ourselves waiting outside for at least 10 minutes. I did manage to converse in Mandarin however, which I'm quite proud of.

You'll find people of all walks of life eating around here. The menu is set out in an easy to read picture display and it wasn't hard picking what we wanted to eat straight away.

Xiao Long Bao 6

One of their main dishes, the Xiao Long Bao here is scrumptious. A really delicate skin encapsulates a juicy meaty filling and they all arrived unbroken which is always a good sign of precision. Ginger was mixed within the filling rather than put on the side but I didn't really mind and at $6 for 6, it has to be one of the cheapest Xiao long bao in Sydney if i'm not mistaken .

Crab Meat Xiao Long Bao 9.80

You can see sweet flakes of crab within the mixture but I was under the impression that it was going to be all crab. At $9.80 for 6? Wishful thinking but it was delightful none the less.

Party De Elderflower 6.80

It tasted more like a raspberry grenadine with only the faintest hits of floral elderflower notes rather than a proper elderflower drink but it was quite refreshing.

Pan Fried Buns 7.80

This is the first time I've ever eaten anything like this and I find the combination fascinating. It's like the mixture of a juicy Xiao Long Bao filling and the softness of a bun along with the crisp fried bottom and it was quite delicious.

BBQ Pork pastry 7.80

The mother's day special; it had a thick saucy filling akin to a pork bun but an exterior of sweet bread.

Onion Pancake 6.80

Onion pancakes were a lot more successful; the generous filling of chives and crisp exterior won me over.

Fried Tofu 10.80

These weren't at all crunch and there wasn't much flavour, however the soft pillows of the interior kept me coming back for more. Maybe a little spritz of fried chive and chilli wouldn't go amiss.

Chicken Rice Paper 6.80

These consisted of thick glass noodles, chicken and a peanutey satay sauce. The flavour wasn't remarkable but they were polished off quickly.

Spicy Calamari 12.80

Probably one of the most disappointing things today, the octopus was very overcooked and had a rubbery texture. I found myself going for the much more successful shallot and chilli garnish.

Buddha's Wrap 7.80

 Not content on the sheer amount of food, my mum went and ordered more. I know where my love of food came from. Happy mothers' day to all mothers. As per tradition, the Buddha's delight rolls were served cold and the filling had precisely cut vegetables and each were scrumptious mouthfuls.

Shanghai Noodle 9.80

As if we weren't filled enough, the amount of noodles was staggering and the depth of the sauce was thoroughly enjoyable.

I'm rather disappointed that many Shanghainese staples aren't on the menu like spicy fried chicken and spicy beef noodle ramen and the service suffers, like a lot of Chinese eateries, through the mentality of getting people in and out as quickly as possible rather than actually making them feel welcome. Furthermore, although far from disappointing, the food does nothing to distinguish itself from other Shanghainese eateries quickly popping up around the North of Sydney. However my family enjoys this place, and the staggeringly beautiful, spacious dining area and the very reasonable prices are what will bring me back and I certainly wouldn't mind another visit.



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Noggi & Moochi, Strathfield

Chocolate and orange are a great match. So is chocolate and salt. Chocolate and peanut butter together are just insanely good. Chocolate and anything basically. Cold weather and frozen yoghurt on the other hand, not so much. Before Sunday I think I was the only one of my friends to have not tried froyo at Strathfield. Frozen yoghurt at either Moochi or Noggi that has to be the quintessential foodie experience in Strathfield besides Korean barbecue so I had to give it a try. The preference between Moochi and Noggi is quite possibly one of the most heated when it comes to food in Sydney. Being froyo noob and more of a good old ice cream enjoyer, I really don't add much to the debate but I have yoghurt on a daily basis so I guess that counts for something right?

Noggi

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The Pie Tin, Newtown

I like pie. You guys up for pies? Course. Cooool. Conversation seems so short and to the point these days. Take that conversation for instance, 2 replies and it was organised with a group of old friends. But with pie involved, need there be much disagreement? Pie in itself is only a 3 letter word. What on earth am I talking about. Anyway of late, it seems like The Pie Tin in Newtown is quite possibly the most blogged about eatery this year. I mean who doesn't like a little braised portion of meat with good old puff pastry slapped down with some ketchup? It's not far from my uni; just a 10 minute walk down City Road into the hip part of New Town. Wait hold that, all of New Town seems pretty exciting, from your second hand stores, book shops and some $6.50 Thai to cure an academic's ailing stomach so pretty much all of it is worth exploring.

Autumn. It's the season of cardigans, gloves, heavy boots and scarves, sunny yellow/ burnt orangey hues, apples, hearty roasts, pumpkins, cinnamon and cocoa. Its the season with that hit of coolness; a reason to get all cosied up and take brisk strolls around the park while watching the occasional Autumn sky light up with a burst of crimson purple. It's the season where all those cheesy childhood memories of running around while brown leaves were spin/floating around come to be. From the tree, the transition from summer into autumn is so apparent with the shock of vibrant maroon gradually taking over. Autumn's such a wonderful season.

Communal tables down the centre, hanging lamps, exposed brickwork with a dash of quirky colour and vintage  decorations make this a very welcoming dining area. I'm already won over immediately stepping in. 

Tender Steak, cheddar cheese, smokey bacon 11 with chips

Lamb and Rosemary 6.80

Slow Roast Beef Brisket, hickory smoke and mushrooms 12 with sides

My beef brisket pie was quite good. There were quite a lot of grisly and chewy bits and they could of been chopped up a bit more but that pastry was a stand out, with the smokey peppers lighting up every bite. There were only 3 sides on display, fortunately the sides I ordered were well done. The coleslaw didn't have the living life chopped out of it and it retained a lot of the crunch factor which made it so delicious.

There wasn't too much sharing go around but I did manage to be force fed a stack of chips. Thanks to Heston Blumenthal, I can't even look at the humble chip the same anymore. They way he describes it: a glass like outer layer with a fluffy inside just makes me want to make some. Now I view all chips with a critical eye. These ones were soft and not particularly crunchy and thanks to my high salt tolerance, the over seasoning was only just bearable.

Lemon Meringue Pie 7.50

You might think that is a whopping amount of meringue but it works really well to counteract the tartness of the lemon and I love a good acidic creamy lemon curd. You might want to have some of that with the more neutral double cream which does wonders counteracting that sweetness. 

Snickers Pie 7-50

My peanut butter obsession sees me ordering the Snickers Pie. Quite selfishly actually, I neglected J and his peanut allergy. Sorry mate. I was pretty disappointed a Reeses pie wasn't out on display but the Snickers one surely made up for it. Creamy layer after layer of thick caramel and peanut butter mouse punctuated with snickers bits on top of chocolate and a chocolate biscuit base topped with more snickers. Delicious.

When you factor in the ginormous portions, Pie Tin comes at pretty good value. Deviate off the main road into the quiet neighbourhood and it's hard not to be drawn in to the allure of fresh home-made pies. Look forward to the next on my list of Newtown eats: Black Star.



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Gastro Park, Kings Cross

Severely disappointed that I missed out on the Game of Thrones dinner that was all over the bloggersphere here, here and here, I had been since wanting an opportunity to dine at Gastro Park. My ultimate foodie partner A was craving fine dining after her continual diet on Mcdonalds and lemon juice and consequently the opportunity presented itself. It just so happens that it was also her birthday so I was more than excited to take her here.


A was intent on trying the entire menu through a degustation, I reasoned instead that going A la carte would be more affordable and still be able to have a large amount of food to try.

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Quarter Twenty One (closed), CBD

It's long been since that when I first tried the famous Wagyu Burger and Peanut Brittle Banana Tart at Plan B that I had to one day eat at one of Justin North's actual restaurants. Relocation and price made that a bit difficult but Quarter 21 is a step towards the more affordable side especially after it joined Full Society as one of the restaurants you can get discounts at. My little secret. But first I want to ramble on about Avengers so skip to the 3rd paragraph if you're only after food.

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El Loco, Surry Hills

"Secret" Taco. The name that's nearly infamous with all food bloggers familiar with the Surry Hills area. You really need a little loco in you to have a go. Okay I'm exaggerating but it certainly is for the slightly more adventurous. I've been here numerous times and I've tried basically every body part of every animal in existence from this place. Some days you might get something a little tame like lamb sweet breads, liver or crab, other days giblets and one day pigs uterus. For a guy who dislikes pig and who certainly doesn't eat uterus on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, it was far from terrible. It had a sort of kidney/ livery texture and not much flavour but had I known, maybe I would of imagined something a whole lot more wacky. 

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Sushi Ichiba, Japan

We all know Japan is the land of sushi, and some even think sushi is eaten every day and every night in Japan. Now hold that thought for a sec, yes they do eat sushi, but surprisingly infrequent as to what a Western mind may have assumed.

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Tsu something something, Kagoshima, Japan

Finally. It's been a long long time since I've blogged here. Apologies to my fellow bloggers and readers of this blog. Basically I've been around and about in Asia for 2 months in Dec, Jan and Feb so I was having the time of my life while everyone here was cruising in boring old Australia (though of course not all is boring).

Well, this post is about an izakaya (sort of like a tapas bar) I visited in Kagoshima, Japan, a place known for the abundance of produce thanks to its coastal location and renowned shochu (a Japanese rice/potato wine). The name of the restaurant? Well...I sort of forgot. It starts with Tsu with a few unknown letters after that. Unfortunately, my photos didn't turn out very well because firstly, I was rushing to take a photo so I could eat, and secondly, because of how little light there was in the place, but I brightened it up though some pics are still blurry. Boo hoo.

We (that being my 5 member host family and I) settle down in this very old-fashioned-detective-like Japanese setting with small wooden tables for the mingling of friends and family who are just as close-knit.

Marinated black beans (kuroi mame), burdock root (gobo) and other mysterious pickled Japanese veges were on the house as part of the New Years celebration. These are some of the things you find in Osechi meals during the New Year. Burdock root is a favourite of mine simply because it's crunchy, with a texture quite resembling that of bamboo shoots, and I love that it's marinated with sesame seeds and slightly sweetened - a classic Japanese flavour.

Ume-shu (a very weak plum alcohol). It's refreshing and slightly sweet which really is compatible with a woman's palette. This ume-shu was one of the best I've had in Japan, other than my friend's grandma's 10 year-old homemade one which was ultimately the ultimate.



Shochu. This one is made from satsuma, a sweet potato Kagoshima is famous for with about 25-30% alcohol. Basically, shochu tastes like vodka, though a bit more evil and burny. We hardly drink shots in Japan so we mix this with water and ice. The cool thing was, the unfinished half bottle was tagged with a message from my host dad to his friend who lives in Kagoshima, and put up in display with several other tagged bottles (some were very old).



The usu. Salad. Wasn't anything out of the ordinary.



Now this is where I start talking. Sashimi - salmon, tuna, and the rest...I really can't remember. Regardless, this sashimi was so fresh and cool to the tongue, with a satisfying plunge of teeth into its marvelous grained flesh. Boy, this was good.



Cubed tuna with avocado topped with seaweed and soy-sauce based dressing. This salad was equally as divine and refreshing as the sashimi palette.



Korokke. Crumbed and deep-fried potato and other veges. Crispy with a very melty soft inside. I was never really that much of a fried food person, but after returning to Australia, I've been seeking for some good crisp, light and not too greasy stuff that matches to that of Japan's. And not surprisingly, I'm still carrying some holiday weight :s.



Stone pot kimchi rice top with melted cheese. Everything with cheese is just so damn good. The kimchi rice itself was decent but it was the cheese, the cheese that completed this meal.



Chicken fried rice. No idea how this tastes but I assume it was nice since my host brother gobbled it down like a monster.



Shirokuma. A specialty of Kagoshima. This shaved ice desert, literally meaning white bear or polar bear is chilly, milky sweet and tangy at times depending on the fruit topping. I like it, but I don't love it, probably because I'm not such a huge fan of icy stuff.

It was a night of weasiness and being tipsy (at least for me) with great fun and excessive chatting over the table with my lovely host family. This meal had been the best one I've had since a long time, and if I were to rate it, it would have been my second or third best meal that I had in Japan. And the price? Um, expensive...very expensive. I think the whole meal with drinks cost over 20000 yen (approx. 270AUD) but please note I didn't post up 3 other dishes as the photos were just bad and unidentifiable. Honestly, these photos don't do justice. Overall, for those who haven't been to an izakaya before, this is the general gist of it. Izakayas always have a great atmosphere for you to get chatting away with your family, friends or even long lost friends.

On a last note, I want to give myself a pat on the back for finally breaking out of my laziness to post this. Hopefully, I will post about my other food adventures in Japan soon :).

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