the quest for tasmania-don

Last week, Malc & I were in Hobart for the National Iaido and Jodo Seminar, Gradings and Championships. The seminar was fascinating, with with senior sensei teaching, observing and correcting the techniques of the participants. Also, it was my first very Iaido competition, and I did not know I was competing until I saw the draw put up . . . understandably I was a bundle of nerves. Although I did not get out of my pool, I did get 1/3 votes from the judges and my sensei was happy with my performance, so I was happy, too.

Of course, it was not all martial arts in Hobart, capital of Tasmania. Tasmania is the namesake of one of my favourite dishes, Tasmania-don -- slices of fresh, sweet salmon and salmon roe on a bed of vinegared rice.

So, we first checked out the Japanese restaurants in Hobart. The first one we went to, and I will not mention the name, turned out to be an utter disaster. Malc, who is normally not too picky with food, declared our meal there as "the worst Japanese food I have ever tasted." So, we took a brief break from Japanese food.

In Hobart, we also met up with our friend Dr Wynne and together with kendo-mate Brendan, went for a tour of the magnificent Huon Valley. The drive to our destination was amazing, the grass was so lush and green, a stark contrast from the drought-ridden area of the east of coast of the mainland. The national park itself was incredible, and we traversed the Tahune Air Walk, walking on the same level as the tree canopy.

On the way to the Huon Valley, we made a brief stop in Kingston Beach, Dr Wynne's neck of the woods. We dropped by her favourite cafe, Juiced Up (The Esplanade, Kingston Beach ph 03 6229 3909). Malc had a ranch burger which he described as large and juicy. I had a wasabi burger (pictured) and the mayonnaise-wasabi mix which gave a pleasant shock to the taste buds. Brendan, who was relieved to learn that the cafe served all day breakfast, had to wait a bit for his generous serving of traditional breakfast fare.

Back in Hobart, Malc & I continued our Tasmania-don search and pinned our hope on Orizuru (Victoria DockHobart, TAS 7000 ph 03 62311790). Although they did not have Tasmania-don, they did have chirashi-zushi in their menu, which I excitedly ordered and Malc had tempura.

Let's just say, that the food was pretty decent, and compared to the other Japanese restaurant we went to in Hobart, Orizuru was miles ahead in terms of taste. However, I was disappointed with the portion size, considering the our dishes cost the same as in Sydney, the quantity of rice and sashimi were about half of what you get in Sydney.

Although our Tasmania-don quest can be categorised as a failure, we did enjoyed our Hobart trip. It was good to meet up with old an friend and amble about along the less-hectic streets of Hobart. And of course, getting some first-rate iaido instruction made the trip worthwhile.

number one

Today Malc rang me with some really good news from work, and to celebrate we went to Ichiban Boshi (Level 2 Galleries Victoria, 500 George St, Sydney ph 02 9262 7677 ), the best ramen shop in Sydney.

This restaurant is normally very crowded and there's no reservations. So, the recommended way is to grab a number from the front desk and then head next door to Kinokuniya for a few minutes of book browsing.

The ramen choice at this restaurant is pretty good - miso ramen, shiyo ramen, chashumen, negi ramen . . . . When Joanna & Javy were here, this was the only restaurant Javy wanted to return to. And judging from the queue, Javy is not the only one who wants to return to this restaurant again and again.

Tonigh, I had Tokyo ramen with roast pork, egg in soy-flavoured soup. The ultimate comfort food . . . actually when I'm feeling under weather, this ramen is about the only food I can eat.

Malc had his usual katsu curry, japanese-style crumbed chicken cutlet topped with curry on a bed of steamed rice. For a touch of authenticity, this dish comes side salad and pickled ginger.

And to top up the celebration, we passed by 85 degrees, a new cake shop in China town (more on it next time).

our local

When Malc & I moved to Sydney, one of our first tasks was finding our "local Japanese." In Canberra, we normally troop to our 2 favourite Japanese restaurants, Tasuke for quick and affordable feed or Iori for special events.

So, we were overjoyed when we discovered Akaneya (28 King Street, Sydney NSW 2009 ph. 02 9279 1141). This restaurant has the familiar feeling of the small family owned restaurants we used to frequent in Urasa. So, after our first meal there, this became our "local."

Tonight, we were once again in our "local" to have our favourites. I had chirashi sushi don, the freshest pieces of kingfish, salmon and tuna with grilled eel, omelette and a prawn, all on a bed of lightly vinegared rice. Absolutely delicious!

Malc had yakisoba, a peppery concoction of soba noodles with vegetables, chicken, eggs and pickles. It reminded him of picnics in Japan.

After our meal, we walked home with a feeling of quite contentment.

gamblin' lotus

The Christmas season is always filled with too many celebrations -- firm-wide Christmas party, department party, team party . . .

I have always thought that it must be tough to be born in December, having to compete with the craziness that accompany the silly season. Also, December birthday celebrants seem not to receive a separate birthday gift AND Christmas gift. So, I sympathise with Khariss for being a December baby.

Nonetheless, the celebration for Khariss' birthday was fantastic. Me, Malc & the birthday celebrant spent a wonderful dinner at Lotus Pond (Level 2 Star City Casino, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW, ph 02 9777 9000).

When we entered the restaurant, we were so pleased to see that the restaurant was largely filled with Asian people . . . maybe they know that this place is good. Good thing we booked beforehand, or else we would have waited a long time for a table.

Our meal was very delicious to say the least. We started with soup (hot & sour for me and chicken and corn for Malc & Khariss). And then the main dishes:

(1) sweet and sour pork - well balanced flavours and lightly battered meat

(2) soy chicken with rose wine - surprising flavours, delicate and juicy

(3) squid and broccoli - spicy and tender

(4) mixed vegetables - fresh and crispy

We finished off the meal with dessert. Khariss and I had mango and coconut pudding which was twice as good as the mango pudding served in yumcha restaurants, the Lotus Pond pudding had real mango bits! Malc had date & tamarind pudding with butterscotch sauce & five spice mascarpone, this deserves special mention as Malc was in absolute heaven eating this dessert.

After the meal, we asked for the bill and our waiter asked us if we have a "Star City Casino Card." We said we don't gamble so we don't see a need for this card. However, the waiter told us we don't have to gamble to get this "discount card." Hmmmmmm . . . .

hny 07

Happy New Year ! ! !

For this year's New Year's eve celebration, Malc & I stayed home. This was our first New Year in our very own home in Sydney. And, one of the best things about living near the CBD and the water is that it's easy to get to the good vantage points for the midnight fireworks show. So last night, after dinner, we headed off to Darling Island wharf, which is about a 5 minute walk from where we are. The area was not as crowded and full of inebriated people as Circular Quay (we were there 2 years ago, and never again).

And, the show was fantastic . . . okay maybe I'm overstating it a bit, it was good, but not as good as the natsu-matsuri fireworks over Nagoya bay or the yuki-matsuri in Tokamatchi (Niigata).

As for our New Year spread, (with another mortgage under our belt) it was most definitely simplier than 2006. Last year, we were in Adelaide for a New Year's Eve dinner prepared by legendary chef Cheong Liew at The Grange restaurant. Nevertheless, we still managed to fill our fruit bowl with round fruits to bring us good luck in the new year.