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  • Cuisines
    •         - Fine Dining
    •         - Cafes
    •         - Japanese
    •         - Modern Australian
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    •         - Italian
    •         - Nine Caesars
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  • Australia
    •         - New South Wales
    •         - Victoria
    •         - Tasmania
    •         - South Australia
    •         - Northern Territory
    •         - Queensland
  • Asia
    •         - Japan
    •         - Hong Kong
    •         - China
    •         - South Korea
  • Americas
  • Travel
  • About Me
  • Disclaimers and Policies
    •         - Media Policy
    •         - Invitations Disclaimer
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    •         - Privacy Policy
    •         - How I Score

Tag Archives: Est.

Good Food Guide 2013 Cover

[Deprecated] Good Food Guide Awards 2013-2014

September 12, 2013Food Musings, Sydney2012, 2013, 4Fourteen, Alfresco, ananas bar & brasserie, Aria, Asian, berowra waters inn, Black by Ezard, Bridge Room, Burgers, Cafe, China Doll, Chinese, Curry, Degustation, Dessert, Dinner, Est., Expensive, Featured, Fine Dining, Flying Fish Restaurant & Bar, Food, Four in Hand Dining Room, Foveaux Restaurant & Bar, French, Fusion, Gastro Park, Glass Brasserie, Guillaume at Bennelong, Ice Cream, Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Italian, Japanese, Kepos St Kitchen, Lunch, Marque, Modern Australian, Momofuku Seiobo, Movida Sydney, Mr Wong, Ms. G's, One Hat, Ormeggio at the Spit, Pendolino, Quay, Rockpool, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sake Restaurant & Bar, Sepia, Sokyo, Tetsuya's, Three Hats, Tomislav, Two Hats, Ume Restaurant, Xanthi

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Est. Cover

Est. – What’s In a Name?

January 7, 2013Eight Caesars, Restaurant Reviews, Sydney CBD2012, Degustation, Dinner, Est., Expensive, Fine Dining, Food, Fusion, Modern Australian, Two Hats

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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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Michael Shen ✈ 🍽 Sydney, AU
Shin Ramyun with a couple of uh, upgrades inspired Shin Ramyun with a couple of uh, upgrades inspired by @masterchefau. What can I say, I'm all about that high-low life. #InstantNoodlePimp #masterchef #loljksnotrly
I've lost count of the number of times I've gone o I've lost count of the number of times I've gone on and on about LuMi Dining's brioche and pork & shiitake pithivier - even at the great risk of overhyping the pastries. Well, this picture's for those of you who are still unconvinced: go carb or go home. #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness #ish_lumi
#ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - Taste of Shunde. Have #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - Taste of Shunde. Have you honestly heard of Shunde before (I haven't)? It's a city district not far from Guangzhou, but has the distinction of being one of only 36 around the world labelled a City of Gastronomy by UNESCO. While it's assuredly Cantonese - classics such as lobster e-fu noodles and roast goose abound in many of its set menus - Shunde's cuisine is decidedly a regional one. For example, Chinese broccoli with mud carp fish balls which almost resemble fish tsukune (the fine bones of the fish are integrated), or the pork mince paste-stuffed fried lotus root are not dishes you'd typically see in a 'vanilla' Cantonese restaurant. And it's definitely been awhile since I've seen the entirety of a braised chicken (head included!), chopped up and served with kohlrabi at any restaurant, let alone a Chinese one. . Each dish is full of 'xian' - i.e. that aromatic and highly palatable umami that's a mainstay of Cantonese cuisine. Taste of Shunde is a restaurant that clearly employs chefs with quite a lot of technical skill, serving as a reminder that you can always go deeper down the rabbit hole of what previously would have seemed monolithic. Can't believe Kogarah's been hiding such a yummy secret all this time! Pictured is a 4-6pp set menu for $268 (which includes a chicken, fig & lychee soup dish, not pictured) #ISH_TasteofShunde
Wow it's hella gloomy, but Ron's sable tarts w/bla Wow it's hella gloomy, but Ron's sable tarts w/black sesame mochi, roasted peanut & lemongrass mousse, coconut, kaffir lime & peanut crumb & ginger jelly brings light to even the dismal of days. Amazing (and I rarely use this word) vegan treats as usual. #ISH_RonsKitchen
Whodathunk wagyu and soumen could go in the same s Whodathunk wagyu and soumen could go in the same sentence as light and refreshing. But when we're talking about Juan, anything can happen. The depth of the wagyu consomme that's brightened with a cheeky hint of yuzu and Japanese peppercorn, the sweetness of the beef, the slurp of the noodle: it might not be summer but this'll take you there. Portions are more snack-sized than meal-sized, so don't hesitate to go double! #ISH_Juan
Made another one of @hongsta_gram's recipes the ot Made another one of @hongsta_gram's recipes the other week - the famous Ms.G's cheeseburger spring rolls. At this rate my IG account's going to be a mix of sushi, #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness and what's clearly becoming the new favourite: ASMR mukbangs. Not even mad.
'Does it spark joy?' If I were a KonMari follower, 'Does it spark joy?' If I were a KonMari follower, I'd be probably live in a sushiya. 🍣 #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness #ISH_Sokyo
I casually comment on having a laksa craving on In I casually comment on having a laksa craving on Instagram and nek minnit whattya know, bloody Junda shows up with two bowls of the good stuff. . Not saying you should expect this treatment (though if you do, you probably deserved it), I'm saying that this is a top-5 laksa that a very nice man happened to bring to my door. Legit have forgotten how good it is; and, I'll concede - those bloody juicy AF prawns were right at home. #gifted #ISH_HoJiak #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness
#ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - Yan. Named after the r #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - Yan. Named after the romanisation of 烟 ('smoke' in Chinese), no prizes for guessing their schtick. And it is quite the schtick - they're one of the rare (if not only?) restaurants that specialise in smoking. And yeah, I know what you're thinking - smoking is fairly common. And yet somehow, I can't think of another restaurant that heroes the technique as successfully. . It's another restaurant I feel is a bit underrated in the wider foodie community. Could be the Wolli Creek location, could be the marketing. It probably doesn't help that vegetarian dishes are more of a side than a main. But at least the critics agree - it's got a chef's hat for its troubles. Nicely done. . PS when faced with the option of white or olive rice, choose the latter and thank me later. #ISH_Yan
When I first came across Junda Khoo's Malaysian re When I first came across Junda Khoo's Malaysian restaurant that out of nowhere won the hearts, minds and stomachs of pretty much very Asian chef in Sydney, I was shocked. It seemed that Ho Jiak distinguished itself through ostentatiously 'enhancing' traditional Malaysian food - think lobster or scampi mee, caviar on Nyonya pork cakes and even bloody truffles on every second dish - with questionable results. It seemed to be a case of all bling and no zing and many Malaysian friends agreed. . But stripping back the luxuriant veneer reveals solid fundamentals - insofar as this opinion holds any credence as an unequivocal NON-Malaysian. It's not like the man and his team can't cook - the technical ability is demonstrably there. For example, Ho Jiak's laksa is one of my top five (don't @ me, I've already written a 10k+ word blog post on this) in Sydney and its fried noodle dishes (sans the expensive seafood for me, thanks) are packed to the rafters with flavour and wok hei. . While it's not my place to cast judgement on its 'authenticity' (which in such a multicultural country is something I've always believed hugely overrated), if you don't want to pay more for the exxy/edgy stuff that may or may not add value for you, just don't order it. Go for the normal stuff and it generally won't disappoint - for example, this 6-dish feast is delivered to your door for only $75. That's $12.5/dish including delivery. Value. Value. Value. Flavour. Flavour. Flavour. Shoutouts to the pork cake and har mee bomb dumplings - dishes of the day! Just watch out for the salted egg fish skins which tend to go hard in transit. That's enough words from me. Shen out. #ISH_HoJiak #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness
#ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - @lumidining week 4. A #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - @lumidining week 4. As is almost expected now, the pork & shiitake pithivier is the pick of the crop - the pastry is quite simply one of the best out there. However, the confit duck maryland contended for best dish of the set. Fall-off-the-bone good, this is - in my opinion (obviously) - one of the best ways to cook duck in the world. That jus, btw, was so good I heated up Chinese steamed buns just to mop it all up. See the vid - I eat my money where my mouth is, or something like that. The highly oxidative Jacques Selosse bubbly rounding everything out was the cherry on top. . Without talking about the devil that is the detail (imo, inappropriate during CODIV-19), the other dishes (tuna panzanella salad, carasau lasagne, banana & meringue tart) didn't do it for me. That said, you're bound to find a few tepid cups after visiting the same tea shop over and over again. #ISH_LuMi
And to think I was laughing at memes of March/Apri And to think I was laughing at memes of March/April babies having to spend their birthdays in isolation - another year but clearly no wiser. Happy iso-birthday to me 😂🎊 . For a day like this, there's nothing more I'd rather have than dad's 长寿面 (longevity noodles) 🍜. No grand thousand-dollar seafood feast. No 20-course 3.5hr degustation (oh god). No smoke-and-mirrors theatrics - just this bowl of hand-made noodles costing the princely sum of $3. Well, I guess the booze brought the average price up. Well then. . A special thank you to @stephwoon who baked an experimental yuzu chiffon double cheesecake for dessert. Like pretty much everything she makes, it was incredible (and honestly I think my favourite cheesecake of hers to date!) 🧀🎂. Thanks dad for making the longevity noodles and thanks mum for a fat red pocket 😁😁. In fact, thank you for everything. Blessed only begins to describe it. Thankful beyond compare. #heresto29 #omg30nextyear #onethirdlifecrisis #happybirthdaytome
#ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - @imaccheroni. I would #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - @imaccheroni. I would have never visited Marcello Farioli's Woollahra restaurant (ristorante?) if it weren't for @ekfairy, who posted his dishes so frequently you'd think there was a conflict of interest. Then she took me there and I was all like 'holy sh*t, of COURSE it makes sense this guy's ex-Pendolino' - still one of the most formative fine dining experiences I've ever had anywhere in Sydney. . It's a shame really because I suspect I Maccheroni has flown under the radar - how many of you actually know this place? How many 'best Italian restaurants' lists is it on? The answers are you really should, and all of them. . As was the case pre-COVID, Marcello changes the menu every week, and with 6 courses for $150, it's solidly in value territory. Not every dish knocks it out of the park (but that's even the case with heavyweight LuMi Dining), and it's mildly confusing figuring out what goes with what given the sheer amount of elements provided for each dish, but on the other hand this screams attention to detail. Also, you got me at truffle butter. . Swipe through to see plate-ups from two different occasions (every dish, even the sides are included in the takeout). Bonus points for using biodegradable packaging! #ish_imaccheroni
If you had asked me my thoughts on vegan pastry I' If you had asked me my thoughts on vegan pastry I'd have a pretty simple answer: 'they exist, I guess'. I don't mean no disrespect, of course, it just doesn't mean much to someone that will happily be intubated with clarified butter if the situation called for it. But to make vegan pastry that is on par with their whole-milk counterparts takes skill, and that's in and of itself newsworthy. . It's almost a shame then that @rons_kitchen is a hobbyist(!!!) and doesn't actually sell his goods to the public, because he is quite possibly one of Sydney's best pastry chefs and almost unequivocally its best vegan patissier (and I know you can call me out on the fact that I don't seek this stuff out, but I am strangely confident of this assertion). For a few brief mouthfuls, I was a very lucky man indeed. . Pictured: vegan mont blancs in two ways: houjicha & cherry on sablé pastry. #ISH_RonsKitchen
#ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - casino venues may not #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness - casino venues may not get the same kind of sympathy as all the other small businesses out there roughing it during COVID-19, but they're run by people too. My respect goes to @chasekojima - err, I mean your @simulation_senpai (notice me!) - for setting up sushi takeaway (and frankly, filling a huge demand gap in quality sushi in the CBD) in order to support his staff, most of whom aren't eligible for govt support. . Like that's not already reason enough to buy in, remember we're talking about Sokyo here: easily and obviously some of the best 🍣 pre-COVID, it still is during - notwithstanding the inevitable take-away quality differential. If this is what the simulation tastes like, then I'll happily keep taking the blue pill. #enterthematrix #simulationsenpai #ISH_Sokyo
*CRUNCH CRUNCH* Last night's @masterchefau challen *CRUNCH CRUNCH* Last night's @masterchefau challenge was straight-up ASMR porn, so we made some prawn toast so sharp it'll cut you if you look at it funny. Swipe right to the last slide for the aural action - straight-to-the-gantry worthy, no? . You know these are unprecedented times when the only Sydney food blogger that doesn't actually cook (and thus has no creds), cooks. I mean yeah @stephwoon did like 75% of the work and @hongsta_gram provided 100% of the recipe (check out his IGTV for the full video walkthrough), but I'm going to count this one. But in all seriousness, it was good fun and while a bit laborious, never difficult. We ended up making around 28 - you bet they'll all be gone well before the week's out. . Pls don't ask for the recipe because you really should watch Dan's IGTV on this - it's foolproof.
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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