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I'm Still Hungry | A Food & Travel Blog

Restaurant reviews and travel experiences to whet your appetite and wanderlust

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Cuisines
Australia
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Americas
Travel
About Me
Disclaimers and Policies

Category Archives: Sydney North

Another Year Wiser at Cottage Point Inn

May 20, 2018Restaurant Reviews, Seven Caesars, Sydney North2018, Cottage Point Inn, Expensive, Fine Dining, Food

Berowra Waters Inn | Sydney North

October 28, 2016Eight Caesars, Restaurant Reviews, Sydney North2014, 2016, Alfresco, berowra waters inn, Expensive, Fine Dining, Food, Modern Australian

Kin By Us | Macquarie Park

March 23, 2015Eight Caesars, Restaurant Reviews, Sydney North2015, Asian, Cafe, Food, Kin By Us, Lunch, My Kitchen Rules

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I'm Still Hungry - A Food & Travel Blog by Michael Shen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Based on the work at https://imstillhungry.net

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Let's face it, we're not leaving our shores anytim

Let's face it, we're not leaving our shores anytime soon. Considering we're staying in a (mostly) covid-free bubble while waiting for travel bubbles with other countries to open up, might as well stay in a literal bubble. Bubble bubble bubble. Can you see it? . A long-awaited post (read: an excuse to dump photos) on Bubbletent Australia is finally up. You know where to go! #ISH_Travel #ISH_Bubbletent #visitnsw

One of the 'resolutions' I made to myself for 2021

One of the 'resolutions' I made to myself for 2021 is to eat out less, but experiences like Choji Yakiniku's wagyu omakase - a one-of-a-kind in Sydney - sure make it bloody difficult. . This long-awaited second visit has cemented my view that Taka & Tomo san's "sushi 'n' wagyu combo" omakase is one of the best dining experiences money can buy in Sydney, one where almost every course in this album of hedonism (and it IS luxurious) could be its own platinum single. Quite appropriately - and deservingly - it's also one of the most expensive. Is that going to be a problem, you ask? Well not for them - it's booked out for the foreseeable future. Again, deservingly. . Dish descriptions in IG story highlights (visit date 16 Jan 2021) #ISH_Choji

Even though seafood availability is poorer in Dec/

Even though seafood availability is poorer in Dec/January, making it a suboptimal time for sushi omakase, if you get the chance to try @sushiooe's signature menu - even if it is 50% abridged - you take it. Many thanks @xtine_ly for the booking - you are most generous. And thank you @oetoshihiko as always. ご馳走さまでした！ (Visit date: 7 Jan 2021) #ISH_SushiOe

Canelé de Bordeaux. A devilishly technical pastry

Canelé de Bordeaux. A devilishly technical pastry that, alongside many other well-known examples, together justify France's inclusion in any serious baking conversation. No wonder why it seems to be the next trend in the social media #covidbaking series - master this (if it ever could be done), and you can really call yourself a pâtissier. . There aren't many dedicated canalé bakers in Sydney but one of them is Carl, a stood-down Qantas worker founder of @mylittlecanele. He's already at capacity for the next two weeks but supply should hopefully increase with the impending arrival of a commercial-grade oven. While the canalés aren't 100% consistent in structure, the all-important caramelised crust and tender custard center are in full force. It's so good. . Disclaimer: I was gifted a box (1 doz) but also bought another 5 boxes sight unseen. Did I really risk $175? Yes. Was it worth it? Oh yes. #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness

This looks like a bowl of zha jiang mian (炸酱面), which most of you have heard of, if not at least its Korean derivative jajangmyeon (자장면). Diced pork, a smattering of green veg (usually cucumber or bok choy), chilli paste and little else - for that's all it typically needs. . In Northern China and specifically the Shaanxi region, there's a variant of zhajiangmian that uses a type of noodle called 'la tiao zi' (拉条子), which literally means 'stretched strips/slivers'. It's a wheat noodle that's hand-pulled & stretched multiple times to give it a texture similar to udon, but with thickness inconsistencies which are welcomed as it's believed to better carry the flavours of the mince sauce & chilli. We also do this thing where we add a stir-fried mixture of tomato & egg (this is hard to explain unless you've grown up eating it), which really boosts the dish's umami credentials. Swipe right for stories of the stretching process. I think it's pretty cool. . So it's kinda sorta but not really zhajiangmian. And I'm all for that in between. #ish_china

Been quite awhile since I've posted a picture of r

Been quite awhile since I've posted a picture of ramen, but my love for it has not dulled in the slightest. Smashed this particular bowl - a Tonkotsu Red from Zundo - as a second dinner after sushi omakase (what, you thought I couldn't live up to my handle?), so you can imagine how great the night when I got to eat two of my favourite things was! (Visit date 7 Jan 2021) #ISH_Zundo

First visit of 2021 at one of my favourite restaur

First visit of 2021 at one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney (2 Jan 2021 - gonna include visit dates from now on). I've posted enough on LuMi previously so I'll spare myself having to think up some pithy, profound truth resulting from this 14th visit. All I can come up with this time is that in a world where we're going to be stuck with the pandemic for at least the better part of 2021, we are damn lucky to have restaurants like this on our shores - places like these are the balm that soothe the pain of forced sedentism. Thanks to the team (tagged) for another excellent job that's always sufficiently different to keep me coming back for more. . Full disclaimer - this was the standard menu though we did get some snacks from the premium menu (eg the pancetta & mascarpone cream & deep fried mussels, as I only later found out). See IG story highlights for dish descriptions! #ISH_LuMi

First omakase of the year starting 2021 off on the

First omakase of the year starting 2021 off on the right foot - and so too has Kuon. Its otsunami (non-sushi appetisers) have greatly improved, and the sushi has continued to develop on that harmony I spoke about all those months ago. Looking to be a good year of even further refinement off of an already strong base. Can't wait to see what's next. #ISH_Kuon

NYE dinner at @rons_kitchen ft a side of fireworks

NYE dinner at @rons_kitchen ft a side of fireworks from the balcony taken with a lens that was far too short 😅🎆 . -A5 Kagoshima wagyu ribeye sous vide for 1hr and finished on the hibachi -Hibachi-grilled Moreton Bay Bugs w/DIY compound butter -65hr Rangers Valley red wine wagyu cheek wellington w/red wine jus -Olive oil & DIY compound butter-poached lobster -Condiments: caramelised onion & nori puree, truffle aioli, garlic chips, fresh sea urchin, compound butter, truffle salt -Dessert: mont blancs 2 ways, @stephwoon's homemade coconut ice cream . It's incredibly contrived to say this on social media, but I'm so goddamn blessed and privileged to have made it out of 2020 in one piece, and to have met/had so many new great friends/experiences to boot. The honour is all mine. Here's to 2021 taking a biiiiiiiiiiig 💩 on 2020!

It's been a sh*t year for so many people. In 2020,

It's been a sh*t year for so many people. In 2020, I inadvertently set a personal record for not only omakase visits (18), but also general spend at hospitality venues. As much as such proclamations can be taken as virtue signalling (and some always will), the truth is self-evident: stop supporting, and the places you love will disappear. While this post is clearly sushi, my thanks goes out regardless to everyone in hospo that's battled it through this year to continue providing an invaluable, irreplaceable service when you don't owe it to anybody. . On the sushi front, particular thanks to everyone that brought a piece of Japan to Sydney during a year when Japan may as well have been Mars. Thank you for making me miss travelling there just a little less. Thank you for crafting mostly sublime experiences despite the challenges you've had to face. Thank you for making people forget - for the short couple of hours sitting in front of your counter - that the pandemic exists. Here's hoping it's all uphill from here.

It's probably not an army worthy of Mordor, but th

It's probably not an army worthy of Mordor, but this Gingerbread 'army' by @stephwoon is one worthy of Santa - and my stomach. Happy Boxing Day! Hope you're NOT out shopping!

Gingerbread mudcake, whipped dark chocolate ganach

Gingerbread mudcake, whipped dark chocolate ganache, salted caramel and macadamia praline, topped with homemade gingerbread men, fresh raspberries and gold dusted Ferrero Rochers. . A pat on your back for making it through a hell of a year, God knows we could all use a break. From our families to yours, Merry Christmas! 🎂🎅🎄🍫

Last Sushi Oe omakase for the year. Thank you for

Last Sushi Oe omakase for the year. Thank you for everything @oetoshihiko 今年もお世話になりました。#ISH_SushiOe

Nikkei - eponymously named after the cuisine it pr

Nikkei - eponymously named after the cuisine it promotes - has been around for most of 2019, but a certain pandemic and a general unfamiliarity with its unique cuisine has seen it quietly sail on by with less attention than it deserves. While 'Nikkei' as a term refers to the Japanse diaspora living in countries other than Japan, Nikkei as a cuisine is most commonly associated with the culinary pastiche that is Japanese and South American (most commonly Peruvian) cooking techniques & ingredients. . Examples of Nikkei (the cuisine) you'll find at Nikkei (the restaurant) include 'pan de casa' - a Pervian pan-cooked focaccia that's not coincidently like Japan's light & fluffy shokupan. Or the miso dulce de leche they use in making a dessert of port meringue and dragonfruit. The most obvious example? Ceviche - in our case, a Hokkaido scallop version w/leche de tigre, sweet potato crisps & cancha corn husks. . Note that I don't describe Nikkei as 'fusion' - its long history (over a century!) qualifies it far above what we normally think of as a 'lesser' cuisine more often associated with gimmickry than originality. Of course, nothing's more critical than deliciousness, and well, with a century of refinement, you should expect it was excellent. Notwithstanding some seriously prodigious use of acid (my poor teeth 😅), it's definitely on the you-should-try list. #ISH_Nikkei

As tough as they are to organise behind the scenes

I thought it was a bit odd - and a pleasant surpri

I thought it was a bit odd - and a pleasant surprise - that Leo provides bread on the house, something usually reserved for fine diners. But as it turns out, Federico Zanellato & Karl Firla's joint venture is really a wannabe - but still teething - fine dining restaurant in disguise: 'relaxed' (read: slow and inattentive) service, main-sized prices for fine dining (read: entree-sized) portions, and a number of other little glitches that shouldn't be excused in a restaurant that's already been operating for nearly half a year, run by chefs with ample experience running other venues. . Having said that the food, other than a recurrent case of over-salting (a problem that has apparently been around since day 1 as reported by highly reliable sources), is quite good - as you'd expect of the guns behind LuMi and Oscillate Wildly (RIP). But when nearly two hours elapse before you even get the chance to order dessert, well, at least the bread is complimentary - not that we were ever told what it was. #ish_leo

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I'm Still Hungry - A Food & Travel Blog by Michael Shen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on the work at https://imstillhungry.net