Stra Heajanggug (Strathfield, NSW)

Stra Heajanggug is one of those Korean restaurants that we like to frequent. It's just a few minutes walk from Strathfield train station so it's very convenient whenever we are in Koreatown. They consider themselves a traditional Korean restaurant as they offer dishes that remind you of home-cooked meals in Korea.

We've dined here a few times and here are some of the dishes we've tried:

Steamed Jokbal or steamed pig's feet. Lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and spices, topped with salad. Jokbal is one of Korea's famous appetizers, street food and accompaniment to alcoholic drinks such as Soju. The pig's feet were sliced thinly and very tender. We've only had this once in order to experience the taste of Jokbal and wouldn't mind eating it once in a while.

Kimchi, Tofu & Pork Soup. Not for the faint-hearted. Very spicy; the kind of hot I like. The kind of hot that's comforting during cold nights.

Beef Ribs Soup. The beef was so tender that it almost fell off the bone! The soup had a balanced flavour of sweet and salty. This is my favourite Beef Ribs Soup to date. Some nights, we only come back just to have a bowl of this. 

Stra Heajanggug feels like home to us. From the simple but cozy ambience of the restaurant, the Korean Dramas they play on TV, the promptness of the staff and of course, the delicious food they serve.

Stra Heajanggug

Shop 28/45-47, The Boulevard 

Strathfield NSW 2135

Phone: 02 9746 7500

Red Pepper (Strathfield Sports Club)

Thanks to food bloggers like Suze whom I follow on IG, I get to discover restaurants to try out in and out of Sydney. It was thru her that I found my new favourite Korean Fried Chicken. And I'm so happy that it's located in Strathfield. If you follow me on IG, you'd probably notice that the Husband and I usually have dinner in Strathfield (Sydney Metro's Koreatown) once a week. We already have our favourite restaurants in the area but we love discovering and trying new places. 

Strathfield Sports Club has a bistro called Red Pepper that serves Korean cuisine. They are particularly known for their Korean Fried Chicken.

We ordered a big bowl of U-Kaejang, beef stewed in spicy soup with leek, green bean sprouts, glass noodles and topped with fried egg. It was the perfect comfort food on a cold day. 

The main star of our dinner was Korean Fried Chicken, of course. We got a half order of Korean Fried Chicken with Wasabi Sauce sprinkled with Spring Onions. It was the best KFC I've tasted in Sydney so far. I love it! The skin was crispy while the meat was tender and flavourful. We tasted and felt the heat from the wasabi but it doesn't overwhelm, just enough flavour to give you that wasabi kick.

We are definitely coming back here in case we crave for Korean Fried Chicken in the future and try out their other variations of KFC (have a look at a part of their menu here).


Red Pepper 
Strathfield Sports Club
4a Lyons Street, Strathfield

Coffee Klatch At Esca Cafe

It's so easy to get lost in the busy-ness of everyday. My solution in avoiding being trapped in work routines (without sacrificing quality of my work) is to inject a bit of bonding time with workmates. I seldom do this before as I'm normally very focused with finishing tasks so I can go home early. I realised that it's good to break my routine at least once a week like have long coffee breaks or take walks during lunch time.

A few weeks ago, I've started this new change in my work life and invited one of my close friend at work. Anna and I chose to have coffee and pastry at Esca Cafe.

Esca Cafe used to be called Naggy's Cafe. I believe there was a change in management, hence, the change in name. They have retained the cozy vibe and delicious food they serve so that's a very good thing. I've heard too that they've introduced more food in the menu but haven't tried them yet.

I had a cup of Flat White and a Lemon Tart while Anna had a hazelnut cookie which was chewy and had a sweetness that was just right.

The Lemon Tart was a beautiful work of art. The tartness will give you the zing you need in case you're sleepy haha! It's quite unique because the base was coated in chocolate which gives you the sweet and bitter taste of cocoa. An interesting harmony inside my mouth. 

Maybe next time we'll have lunch here sometime soon so we can try out their new offerings.

Esca Cafe, Restaurant & Espresso Bar
333B Glebe Point Road, Glebe
Phone: 02 9566 4860

Tenkomori Ramen House (Sydney, Australia)

Here's another discovery in that little Japantown at Regent Place: a ramen house!

Tenkomori Ramen House gets very busy during peak hours because of their affordable food choices. The food tastes average and plentiful. I think they've got the cheapest ramen in Sydney which starts from about $8.00.

Karaage Tonkotsu Ramen

Chasu Tonkotsu Ramen

On a cool night, the Husband and I decided to hang out at Regent Place and have some ramen for dinner. The place was already packed and it was only 6pm. We each had a bowl of ramen with tonkotsu broth; his topped with karaage (chicken) and mine with chasu (thin-sliced pork belly).

The noodles were firm while the taste of milky broth had a subtle pork flavour. It was a bit bland and had less oil compared to other ramens we've tried. However, the karaage and chasu made up for the lack of flavour from the broth. So in way, I found balance in it (pwede na rin!). Plus, they've got condiments on the table to help you (salt, pepper and chili). For the price, I didn't really complain. It was good food that was simple, filling and very affordable. It gave us warmth and satisfied our craving for ramen.

Tenkomori Ramen House

Ground Floor, Regent Place

501 Georgt Street, Sydney

Open from 11:30am-11pm, 7 days a week

Coffee Date at Coco Cubano

It's been a long time since I've caught up with one of my dear friends and thankfully Meds and I found time to sit down and have a meal a few weeks after I came back from Japan. 

We both love drinking coffee and so I invited her to visit my area so we can have good coffee at Coco Cubano.

We met up in the middle of the afternoon and I haven't had my lunch so we ordered food as well. I got the Classic Burger made up of Wagyu Beef sandwiched in between cheese, tomatoes and lettuce. It's huge and very filling. I enjoyed eating this juicy burger with Coco Cubano's chunky chips. 

Meds, on the other hand, got Garlic Pizza. We both love this simple pizza. Very cheesy just the way we like it.

After our coffee date, Meds shared a photo of her artwork on IG. I love it! She made an art diary of our coffee date. She's amazing! She's captured our meal, coffee and even our Japan photobooks which I shared with her, all thru an artwork.

It was a great catch-up that lasted til dinner time. Meds and I are the kind of friends where we could talk for hours and still have something to talk about. It's the kind of friendship I'm grateful for.

Coco Cubano
Level 4, Westpoint Blacktown
Phone: 02 9676 4444

Afternoon Tea At The Choc Pot (Burwood, NSW)

One of my girlfriends, Chloe, had some free time last week so we met up after work for some afternoon tea. Chloe discovered this chocolate cafe in Burwood and when she shared photos on facebook, I requested that she take me there soon. And so we did went to The Choc Pot for a delightful afternoon filld with chocolate desserts.

We had Genmaicha Tea (Japanese Green Tea with Brown Rice) to partner with our chocolate desserts, which we found were both our favourite.

Our choices that afternoon:

Crispy Topdeck Mousse, white and chocolate layered mousse topped with chocolate-covered rice crispies, whipped cream and strawberries. Creatively placed inside a glass, the chocolate was smooth, light and not too sweet.

Chocolate Souffle with Salted Caramel and Ice Cream. The chocolate souffle is light and fluffy on the outside but rich and oozing with melting chocolate on the inside. 

The best part was pouring the sticky salted caramel on top of the souffle. Soooo good!

Grateful for the delicious chocolate desserts and fun catch-up with Chloe.

The Choc Pot

7/1 Railway Parade

Burwood, NSW 2134

Breakfast At Baroque Bistro (The Rocks, Sydney)

A french restaurant that serves delicious breakfast was a great choice during my morning walk with Mom at The Rocks last year. I'm glad that I got to try dining in this restaurant with her.

"Bienvenue!" means "welcome", the sign on a bike at the entrance of Baroque Bistro. 

The rustic interiors of Baroque Bistro were dark and sexy, in hues of black and red. The huge windows gave great light to anyone taking a photograph.

My Mom had hot chocolate which she enjoyed and I had a cup of long black coffee which was comfortingly strong on a Friday morning. Just what I needed!

Raw sugar in cube form = love.

Eggs and Bacon Cocotte. Smoked speck, mushroom, tomato, garlic, hollandaise, served with grilled Sonoma sourdough. It smelled wonderful and tasted more beautiful than this photograph. 

Eggs Benedict in Baroque Style. Serrano ham, tomato, basil, hollandaise, toasted brioche bun. Eggs were perfectly poached, Serrano ham was divine and the hollandaise sauce was light and tasty. 

Baroque Bistro is also known for their pastries, bread and macarons. Our breakfast was very filling, hence, we had no room for dessert. Maybe next time, I'll come back for afternoon tea or dessert.

Baroque Bistro

88 George Street (corner Hickson Road)

The Rocks, Sydney

Phone: 02 9241 4811

Dinner at NaruOne...For Some Korean Fried Chicken!

I asked my Mom, "Do you miss eating Korean Fried Chicken?" She answered in the affirmative. 

The thought came to me as the Husband and I were talking of where to bring Mom for meals in Sydney. I remembered that eating Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) in Seoul was one of the things that she enjoyed when we were there. So the Husband and I took her to dinner at NaruOne Korean Restaurant, which is famous for their KFC. 

It was a cool night when we dropped by NaruOne for dinner so we opted for a bowl of Thick Beef Bone Soup. It's very watery and the taste was a bit bland (low salt) but I tasted the natural flavours of the beef. 

Then came a whole plate of Korean Fried Chicken. We ordered the "Half-Half" which meant one half was regular and the other half was spicy. The chicken pieces where enveloped in thick coating, wasn't oily but satisfyingly juicy. The spicy flavour was really hot which I enjoyed with my little bowl of rice.

Every Korean restaurant have their own versions of Korean Fried Chicken and the Husband and I have a bit of fair share in trying a couple. While NaruOne's version was the most crisp we've ever had, it isn't the most tasty for us. 

Will we come back? We certainly will because we want to try their Ginseng Chicken. And yes, maybe try their Korean Fried Chicken again.

NaruOne Korean Restaurant

375 Pitt Street, Sydney
Phone: 02 9261 2680

Lunch at Yebisu Izakaya; Dessert at Chanoma Cafe

This foodie adventure happened in September in celebration of the Husband's birthday. We had a quiet birthday celebration for him but on the week of his birthday, we took Friday off so we can have some "us" time. 

Like our usual Fridates, we took this chance to try out a different restaurant. There are a lot of restaurants at Regent Place in Sydney that we haven't tried yet. We have eaten at a Vietnamese Tuck Shop called Miss Chu and Chanoma Cafe once and our favourite Chef's Gallery is one that we frequent but we have barely scratched the surface when it comes to trying out the other restaurants there. 

This year, we noticed a new Japanese restaurant called Yebisu Izakaya. The colourful facade looked young and hip. The atmosphere inside was cozy and casual. 

We came a few minutes before noon and easily got a place to sit. The iPads on each table made ordering food easy with a just a tap of your fingertip. The name of the food, description and amount are clearly written on the tablet. 

We started of with something to refresh us. The Husband got his Asahi Beer while I enjoyed my Green Tea Mojito. The lime and mint in it was so refreshing!

They offer lunch specials so we both got a set each. The Husband's Pork Tonkatsu Lunch was juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. It came with a generous siding of rice, salad, a little bowl of tofu and sashimi and miso soup. 

I had the Salmon Teriyaki Lunch which I loved even if I'm not the biggest fan of teriyaki sauce. The flavour wasn't as sweet as usual teriyaki sauces that I've tasted--that made me loved it! 

My set lunch had sushi and sashimi which made me loved my meal more. The fish they served were all fresh. 

We enjoyed our lunch and we plan to come back for dinner to we can try their various food varieties. 

Dessert at Chanoma Cafe
We didn't have dessert right away as we were so full from lunch. We took a walked around the shopping area in the city and came back to Regent Place to have dessert at Chanoma Cafe.  The first time we dined here, we tried their Japadogs (Japanese Hotdogs) and liked it. Since they claim that Matcha Teas are their specialities we tried their Matcha Latte Frappuccinos. I had the regular one while the Husband had his with Oreos. I favoured the Oreo Matcha Frappuccino more as it was sweeter than the regular one.

We also tried their Matcha Noir which was a Danish pastry topped with whipped cream and Matcha ice cream. The maple syrup around it gave the danish a little more sweetness. 

The food we had that day left us full and satiated. It was one of those days where food played an important part in making our Fridate more worthwhile.

Yebisu Izakaya

Shop 7-10, Regent Place

501 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: 02 9266 0301

Chanoma Cafe

Ground Floor, Regent Place

501 George Street, Sydney

Phone: 02 9266 0667

Dinner at Young Alfred Restaurant & Bar (Sydney, Australia)

I never noticed this cafe/restaurant in Customs House until a friend suggested we have dinner here before we watch Idina Menzel's concert. 

Young Alfred is cafe/restaurant in Circular Quay. We arrived for early dinner. The place was dark and the only light we had on the table were tea candles. The ambiance was kind of romantic but the place was perfect for family and friends gathering for a meal.

We started off with wine as we waited for our companions to arrive.

We each got a dish but we shared it with everyone. 

The TNT Pizza had all my favourite meats Salami and Bacon with onion, chili and capsicum that added more flavour. It's thin and crispy so it was easy to eat and did not made us feel too full.

My friend ordered their Risotto with mushroom topped with Parmesan cheese. The risotto had subtle flavours and was perfectly cooked.

The Husband had their Grass-fed Angus Sirloin. The tender meat was cooked in red wine and topped with butter to enhance its flavour.

I wouldn't mind coming back here to dine and wine again.

Young Alfred Restaurant & Bar

Customs House 

31 Young Street, Circular Quay

Ph: 02 92 515192

Ramen Lunch at Ippudo Sydney

Fri-date lunch was at Ippudo. It's been seven months since we've had our ramen fill at Ippudo so we decided to have lunch here after our Cherry Blossoms exploration in Auburn. It was already late, about 2pm, when we arrived so the lunch peak hour was over.  We each ordered a bowl of ramen and their famous pork buns. 

Ippudo Pork Bun ($4 each). Braised pork belly in Ippudo sauce with lettuce and wrapped in steamed bun. The steamed bun is soft and pork belly is flavourful. 

Shiromaru Motoaji Ramen. It's a classic Hakata-style ramen that comes in their original Ippudo tonkotsy broth served with thin noodles, pork loin, cabbage, black mushroom and shallots. This was the ramen that chose that day. It was so deliciously comforting. The porkloin is so soft. 

Miso Tonkotsu Ramen. This was their winter special ramen. It is made of a special blend of miso and Ippudo's signature broth, pork loin, egg, corn and veggies. It has a lovely flavour that brings warmth. The perfect ramen for Winter. The Husband's very happy that he got to try this before the season was over. 

It came with a siding of open Sushi and shredded Ginger. The staff told us that if we want to bring more flavour to Miso Tonkotsu Ramen, we can add more ginger to the broth. The Sushi was for dipping into the ramen. Cool, huh? 

A delicious brunch and a hearty lunch that filled us the whole day made our Fri-date perfect!

Ippudo Sydney
Level 5, Westfield Sydney
Pitt Street, Sydney NSW
Ph: 02 8078 7020

Brunch at Platform No. 8 Cafe (Parramatta, NSW)

Because I wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms Festival in Auburn last week, the Husband and I decided to take a day off and go on a Fri-date! 

On the way to Auburn, we had brunch at Platform No. 8, a cafe located conveniently near Parramatta train station where we got off to take the bus to Auburn. It is inside the Level 1 of Westfield Parramatta, a few steps from the entrance. 

The name Platform No. 8 refers to a train platform as it showed on the photo on their wall. I think it's a great concept as one gets to see what Parramatta Train Station looked like then. 

Coffee was the first order of the day. The Husband had his Latte while I had my Long Black. Their coffee was rich, creamy and strong. 

We shared a plate of Eggs Benedict with Ham, then just asked for additional Bacon and Hash Browns. 

The eggs were perfectly poached. We loved seeing the ooze coming out smoothly as we sliced them open. We loved how fresh the spinach was. A little thing to improve though was adding a little more hollandaise sauce perhaps. 

The meal we shared filled us up quickly and soon we finished our plate empty. The friendly staff bid us adieu as we left with full tummies and smiling faces.

Platform No. 8

Level 1, Westfield Parramatta

Ph: 02 98938818