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I'm Still Hungry | A Food & Travel Blog

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  • Cuisines
    •         - Fine Dining
    •         - Cafes
    •         - Japanese
    •         - Modern Australian
    •         - Thai
    •         - Italian
    •         - Nine Caesars
    •         - Eight Caesars
  • 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
    •         - Affiliate Marketing Policy
    •         - Privacy Policy
    •         - How I Score

Tag Archives: NSW

Gateway to the Hunter | A Weekend in Maitland

September 15, 2019Regional NSW, Travel2019, Maitland, NSW, Sponsored

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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
When you're out with true foodies that can eat, no When you're out with true foodies that can eat, not even Instagram's 10-picture post limit can contain the madness. Fair enough that our server thoughtfully suggested our 17-dish order was 'a bit too much food', but with all due respect, we'll go right on ahead thanks (spoiler alert: easy victory 😏). . Great times at Mimi's, from the unstoppable Merivale juggernaut. Beautiful beachside, beautiful people (gosh, I felt underdressed...and in need of hair gel) and for the most part beautiful food. Beautifully high prices are also part of the package - for example $390 for a 900g lobster or $62 for a truffle tart are, well, a lil bit rich. . That said, it's the classic Merivale formula that I've admittedly forgotten is capable of producing its signature brand of glamorous, if dear restaurant experiences. Credit where it's due: while it's unlikely you'd take to every dish in a 17-strong order, there were enough wins packed in such that it's certainly 2nd-visit material. You'll see me put my money where my mouth is soon enough. #ISH_Mimi's
Beef short rib w/galbi jus. Abalone risotto w/king Beef short rib w/galbi jus. Abalone risotto w/king brown mushrooms, doenjang & short-grain rice. Char-grilled octopus w/gochujang & ink aioli. These are some of my favourite things at Soul Dining (plus a few other tidbits). Yeah, the truffle stuff is nice and all, but save those for showing off your first dates and get these to impress your foodie mates. #ISH_SoulDining
Everything truffly at @souldining - especially the Everything truffly at @souldining - especially the umami-laden truffle tteokbokki, which is the go-to if you're to go down that route. However, the best dishes here have nothing to do with the tuber. I'm not sure who I should be apologising to - Korean cuisine adherants or truffle proponents - but I think Korean food is bloody fantastic as is without the black stuff. Different with it yes, but not better. I'll show you some of what I mean tomorrow. . Oh, and I told ya I'd make that visit 😏 #ISH_SoulDining
If you follow me, chances are you like sushi. And If you follow me, chances are you like sushi. And if you like sushi, chances are you've already heard about Kuon. The latest entrant in Sydney's desert of an omakase scene is like finding an oasis - this is a sushi counter that makes a splash. Head on over to my monster of a blog post to read up on my first impressions - I can't do a restaurant like this justice in the span of a few Instagram soundbites. . Congratulations on your new opening @hidezoufukada @junsyd001! Next few bookings incoming, that's for sure. #ISH_KuonOmakase
@stephwoon's latest creation - Valrhona caramelise @stephwoon's latest creation - Valrhona caramelised white chocolate & macadamia praline, vanilla sponge, truffle honey mousse, truffle chantilly cream & gold powder macadamia sugar crunch. The truffle is heat-infused and steeped overnight for maximum flavour infusion - there's not a millilitre of truffle oil in sight. . And I wonder why I haven't been eating cakes out much as of late?
Say hi to the man who broke my Instagram. A privat Say hi to the man who broke my Instagram. A private multi-course dinner served by @rons_kitchen, culminating in an elaborately-presented high tea with a meticulous selection of desserts took the gong for breaking the record of most IG story views ever. I suppose it was quite a fitting first, given it was also my first dinner that was 100% vegan from start to finish. Read that again and have a listen to Ron explaining those desserts, and once again re-read that part about the whole affair being vegan. Lordy. . No wonder the dinner set a new record in IG story views...and a flurry of DMs from followers that have never messaged me before coming out of the woodwork LOL. Move over Harry, you're the chosen (vegan) wizard, Ron! Thank you so much for inviting into your abode. お疲れ様でした！ . As per request, full stories are available in my profile's highlights section. #ISH_RonsKitchen
Pendolino holds a special place in my heart as one Pendolino holds a special place in my heart as one of my very first fine dining experiences, way back in 2012 when the idea of someone spending more than a hundred dollars on a meal would call into question their sanity. . But my god. The memory of biting into the restaurant's signature ravioli di magro, with the almost sheer pastry (such was how thin it was) and luscious flavours of its spinach & ricotta filling ensconcing the palate was a halo experience that likely won't ever be repeated, given its place in the 'first-time' hall of fame. . Excpet nope, lightning struck twice. While it's been far too long between repeats, I'd say absence truly has made the heart grow fonder - and a little bit of cheeky truffle helps. An excellent meal in an old guard Italian institution where every course (with slightly weaker desserts, it has to be said) was delicious. Treasure them because they're only getting rarer. #ISH_Pendolino
Next time you add spring onions and an egg to your Next time you add spring onions and an egg to your instant noodles and call it a 'labour of love', spare a thought for @romeosanuri and his pâté en croûte. You probably know what pâté is - a mixture of ground meat, fruits, nuts, alcohol and other seasonings with a preservation focus. Croûte, being 'crust' in French, means pâté en croûte is quite literally pâté in pastry. Much like how sushi rice used to only act as a preservative for fish, the pastry in pâté en croûte was for preserving the nutritious innards. However these days, the whole thing is very much edible. . Recipes obviously vary greatly, but they are all typified by a sh*t ton of hard work (two days for most recipes, in case you're wondering), and an ingredient list that can itself run a page. It's kind of a kitsch thing to eat these days - I bet none of you under the age of 25 have even heard of it let alone eaten it (hey same), and the number of Sydney restaurants that offer it probably number in the single digits - so if anything's a labour of love, it's this. Thanks again for sparing us a few pieces of history!
Old favourites (and some not so old) at @monkeysco Old favourites (and some not so old) at @monkeyscorner, again tasting like it's my first time having them. God, how bloody great is dining in? . The bowls are excellent as always here (especially during truffle season), but that chilli crab noodle will always have access to the private suite of my heart. #ISH_MonkeysCorner
Get a girl that prefers bacon & cheese flowers ove Get a girl that prefers bacon & cheese flowers over the real thing. @stephwoon made a few variants of savoury scrolls over the weekend to get rid of a multitude of leftovers and I SWEAR TO GOD this is not going to become a bloody home baking account. You have permission to come over to my place and give a good thwack with the baking tray if I ever get started on sourdough. Swipe right for some of that B-grade ASMR 😋 🎶
In keeping with the theme of this week's accidenta In keeping with the theme of this week's accidental toastie series, here's one from home (though not coincidentally also inspired by the cafe featured in the previous two posts) - ham & four-cheese (mozzarella, reblochon, truffle brie & cheddar) jaffle w/@madametruffles truffles. The only thing worse than the all-too-short time it takes to devour this is the far-too-long time taken to clean up the jaffle machine afterwards. 😪
The burrata pizza pocket - another one of Cavalier The burrata pizza pocket - another one of Cavalier's 'delicious things in bread' series (it's a killer series). Green olive bread is stuffed to the brim with burrata, house-pickled zucchini & pesto. The mess (and it will be messy) is worth it - whoever eats pizza with knife and fork?* #ISH_Cavalier
Who needs a heater this winter when you've got @ca Who needs a heater this winter when you've got @cavalier2.0's spicy nduja toastie (and a f*ck ton of stretchy cheese) to warm you up? #ISH_Cavalier #StillOneOfTheBest
Shame on me for judging using preconceived notions Shame on me for judging using preconceived notions of what's right and what's delicious. Truffle sam wong dan (a kind of savoury egg custard particular to SEA countries & China) & truffle lo bak (pan-fried/steamed radish cakes) tasted much better than I expected when inclusive of the tuber, certainly much better than mere 'gimmick' status (the egg more than the radish). Can't see myself adding truffles all the time to these (the base dishes are excellent as is) but variety is the truffle of life! . Given it's now truffle season, I'll pre-empt comments on whether adding truffle to a given dish is necessary or worthwhile. You gotta realise that truffles can't save a bad dish, though you can certainly still put lipstick on a pig should you wish. Affordability and value-for-money is another matter (and one for personal judgement, no less), but these debates will always be had when it comes to luxury ingredients. #ISH_Hojiak
In the end, no matter how convenient and comfortab In the end, no matter how convenient and comfortable dining in is, no matter how nicely we artfully replate food from tupperware, it doesn't - can't - compare to dining out. I want the wine I didn't have to pour myself, food that magically materialises on my table with a swift server's flourish without having to whip out my own pots and pans or - god forbid - microwave. I definitely DON'T want to do any more dishes or waste any more plastic takeaway containers. . What a time to be back in the dining room again and what a restaurant to rekindle the dining out flame than @lotus.sydney. Obviously, the burger and scarlet prawn noodles are fixed constants, but this time the charred shiitake, enoki & porcini noodles (with some cheeky chanterelles straight from France - not normally on the dish) took out first prize with a tidal wave of umami. And this is a meal that included a whole live lobster. There was nothing I didn't like. Perhaps symptomatic of being cooped in all this time? Whatever it is, what a time to be back indeed. #ISH_Lotus
So glad @souldining's only a stone's throw away fr So glad @souldining's only a stone's throw away from my new place, as dining-in here is inevitable after trying out their @bowlbysoul takeaway spinoff. It's admittedly true that the order - fire pork belly w/garlic butter noodles; Soul's galbi bowl & kimchi fritters - aren't exactly pushing the envelope, but they deliver on what's important - FLAVOUR (ok, the galbi needed a bit more work here). Just like how a fine dining restaurant can be judged based on its bread, so too can a bowl reveal much more than its contents would suggest. Stay tuned for a dine-in post hopefully in the next month or so! . This will likely be my last #ISH_SupportLocalBusiness post in the specific context of COVID19-driven takeaway, given dining in is finally legal again. I must say we got out of this sooner than I had expected (can you believe I was on the verge of learning how to cook myself? Dodged a bullet there!) so after 33 such posts, it's time to get back into the groove. ISH IS BACK! #ISH_SoulDining
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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