SushiRap

Quick snack before heading home. I missed the buy one get one free special when they first opened. This space in Regent place has changed so much in the past. This place does choose you’re own filling for sushi and poke rolls. I guess I can make sushi at home, but it’s just so much effort to prep everything.

 

Toppings I chose

Sushirap-$9.90

Inside

I found this to be pretty average. There was quite a lot of rice and it was decent in weight with cute packaging in a box and wrap, but still pretty expensive. It’s probs the equiavelent of 2.5 normal sushi rollsrolls. I guess the novelty is just choosing your own filling, but probs wouldn’t come back since it’s pretty average. 

Possum Magic

It's been a whirlwind of a week even though I only had 1 day of uni, ironically. Excluding last sem when there wasn't any lectures, this past week was probably the first time ever having just 1 day of uni during the semester. From food expos, catch ups, 'networking' events, so here's a compilation of photos from the week, because why not?

For those wondering, I ended up getting iPhone 8 in Gold. It's really the same as iPhone 7 but I can't hold an 8 Plus and X I would rather wait for the one after since I don't need all these fancy functions. Pre orders started from 5:01pm, but couldn't order it till 5:07pm. Reminded me back in 1st/2nd year of trying to get the best timetabled classes, and just waiting for the not so trusty UNSW servers to load.

view from L'Aqua, Cockle Bay Wharf

If I wasn't so lazy and decided to walk those extra steps, that damn light in the middle wouldn't be in the way.

Trivia Night

Speccies always chooses a decent location with catered food/drinks, and of course persuading people to work for them. Thank goodness for other friendly people so not too awkward to just join the table. Came last in trivia, but it was still good fun. So embarrassing taking the above photo. I slightly stood up and said just wait to the table, but because our table was at the front, the person thought I was telling them to wait so I could take a photo of the slide lol. I actually don't really care what they think, just funny how they thought I was trying to take a pic of the slides. Not many people came this year compared to last year though, at least the food this year wasn't all deep fried.

Some friends are worth trekking to the city for, even if it's just for 2 hrs. It's always nice when others make an effort to catch up esp from interstate. Who knew ordering drinks for 6 people is actually quite complicated (another post to come).

Yesterday was pretty hectic in a good way. Met up with my cousin and uncle's friend for drinks/food.

capp and mocha from Lindt Cafe

I actually haven't been here since they had some free mocha thing back in 2013...Still found the dark choc quite sweet though.

sushi train!

One of our relo's friend came to Sydney literally for a day for this sushi and to pick up stuff. More on that later....Then went back home to bring more stuff out so he could take more Aussie food back to HK.

iced chai lattes whilst looking at diamonds...

2 days after I paid, they said students could go for free, so they are 'compensating' me with a free ticket to the Xmas party...So I guess more free food?

Mercure Sydney Hotel

I am so glad I went to this networking event to just hear about all these super experienced optoms who come from all over the place. People in research, started up their own practice, people who do more business/management and not see patients, others moved from overseas,  some moved 4/5 jobs, and just their overall passion gives me motivation. Although I was a bit confused as to where I want to head in the future, but I have another year to think about it, just gonna get through this sem first...I knew the food wasn't gonna be amazing, but it was nice just chatting to people and seeing how they got to where they are. Pretty much with so many grads it's almost impossible to achieve what they did since back then they could pick the jobs they want, whereas now it's a bit flipped...It's also a tad bit more reassuring to hear they have a life outside of optom/work. Even as a Christian, it's always a struggle between life vs study vs work...and it's only going to get harder...

it's a purple and pink $2 coin! 💜

I actually forgot what the book Possum Magic is about, but I do remember reading this classic as a kid. This is indeed my fav $2 coin though. Perks of working in retail sometimes...just switch my boring $2 with something like this. Quick Google search says only Woolies supplied these limited edition Possum Magic coins. The Anzac poppies were nice, but this is another level- can't get over the prettiness and cuteness. 

Gojima

I know I'm late to the sushi burger party, but better late than never. The first time I came here they were opened for a week, then closed for a day before their grand opening. Just a coincidence I came the only day they were closed...First steps walking in was how similar the menu design is to Shack Shake (in New York but now in a few cities like London and Dubai). It even has frozen custard, which is pretty iconic to Shake Shack (apart from the burger itself).

Gojima Cheeseburger: angus beef, cheese, tomato, pickles, onions, lettuce and special sauce-$12.90
Green tea (brewed genmaicha and matcha) thickshake-$7.90

    


inside

This lived up to the hype! I was quite surprised at how delicious this rice burger is. The rice crispy on the outside and a bit on the inside, which held up perfectly with the seaweed. The beef was not too fatty and still a bit pink on the inside. Good balance of veggies as well. The sauce was definitely the highlight. Loved that sort of Jap sauce with bits of seaweed and not a salty sort of flavour, but had  Jap twist to it. No idea what base the sauce is made out of, but it was a creamy orange colour. The paper around it was enough to not get your hands dirty at all. I loved how I could eat my burger with one hand and using my other hand for my phone lel. Hands weren't dirty at all, but they do give you a wet wipe as well.

They use their frozen custard in their thick shakes. You can taste the roasted green tea with the matcha. It was a tad bitter and not too sweet, a good balance for a thick shake as most of the time you expect something overly sweet. I thought Shack Shack frozen custard was pretty mindblowing-this denser than ice cream texture but still smooth and creamy, really have to try it since it's hard to describe. I'll probably try their frozen custard next time and a burger with sashimi.

this looks exactly like Shake Shack menu style 

 

One Tea Lounge and Grill

Have been wanting to try out this place for well a long time now, and finally tried the new menu for freeee, thanks to YO Xmas party (and sponsored by CooperVision). How ironic, haven't had time to attend external event except for the last one of the year...Many photos to come, didn't bring my dslr, so lighting from phone not as great...

Matcha Fries with Sambal Miso Sauce

Nice way to start the night with some shareable snacks. You can see the matcha, but couldn't really taste it. The not spicy sambal style sauce really gave the fries flavour, even dipped my fork in it to have more of the sauce.

open-ish kitchen

I love when chefs open up their kitchen, shows their confidence in their cooking, with nothing to hide, and free entertainment. Although you can't see it whilst sitting, it's still interesting to see when you're standing/walking around

menu

The food was to be shared in pairs, but our table had 3 people, since I think there was an odd number of people who attended. For most meals, we had 2 sets to share between us.

seafood ceviche and octopus salad

love this liquid nitrogen for theatre

The octopus in the scallop shell (which made it confusing since the scallop was the middle one) was definitely the favourite.  The tropical fruit and yuzu dressing complemented the scallop and John Dory nicely, without being too overpowering. Love fresh (slightly raw) seafood.

Matcha Scampi Tiger Prawn Martini

Interesting little diy, and letting us play with our food. The seafood is so fresh, with juicy prawns. The soy sauce didn't look like it had wasabi since it was so clear, and you could only taste the wasabi when you dipped a spoon into it. Apart from that, it was a perfect balance of soy sauce and wasabi for a sushi roll. Couldn't really taste the matcha (although it was visible) on the scampi, but it was so juicy and fresh I don't think it mattered if it did have the matcha or not.

action shot

Miso Pipi Udon Pot

Whole table agreed this was probably the best seafood soup base ever-scampi flavoured so prominent, right balance of the sweetness and seasoning using fresh ingredients. You could taste the effort and love put into it. Not oily either, so we ended up drinking the rest of the soup. It was amazing. There was also over 8 pipis in each pot cooked perfectly. Udon was a bit tricky to get out of the pot without splashing it a bit...We were super satisfied with this (especially waiting over an hour from the previous course)

Ramen Beef Slider

The infamous ramen burger which I tried at the 2013 Night Noodle Markets. The wagyu beef was so juicy, and cooked perfectly as it was still slightly pink in ht emiddle. The ramen itself is a bit burnt, but you expect it to be since it's been fried in heaps of oil. It is super oily, almost impossible to cut in half (as we had an extra one to share between 3 people), and not #cleaneating. Fingers are covered in oil, but it's worth it for the crunchy ramen 'bread'. Wish there were more veggies to balance out all that oil

The chef: David Yip ft 'Flaming Christmas Tree' Demo

fireee

This involved stacking a few glasses and wine bottle on top of two cocktails: sour apple flavoured and strawberry. One day I'll come back for cocktails and drinks. Really wanted to get a drink, but I knew I would be get super full from the food. David pours alcohol with lights up once the fire contacts it, and the drink at the bottom gets some of the alcohol as well.

Flaming Wagyu Volcano

Fire lit by the chef (:

Love flaming fire on food! The onion in the middle gives height to the flame, where the poured some sauce on it then lit it with a lighter. Loved the sauce teriyaki sauce with a hint of wasabi. Wagyu beef so soft, and definitely top notch stuff. 

Lava Stone Grill 9+ Wagyu Beef 120gm

This one was more diy, and it's quite hard to tell which pieces are rare/medium, some smaller pieces were properly well done or even over cooked, as it was a small grill and hard to fit everything on/control the cooking. It was still fun though, and it came with three dipping sauces. We all liked the yakiniku (grilled meat) sauce the best, super flavoursome without actually being salty/artificially seasoned. The matcha salt only had a hint of match, and the hollandaise also had a hint of green tea, so would have liked more tea flavour in it, but was still delicious with the good quality meat.

leaning tower of glasses

People from the public also came in for cocktail drinks, with this special demo costing around $60ish (I think). The stack above ended up falling, breaking at least 3 glasses. Expensive cocktails, but it comes with a show and broken glass. One day when I have the money/time, I'll come back for drinks, hopefully. So interesting mixing tea, alcohol, and liquid nitrogen together...

Yuzu Duck with Matcha Peach

Duckkk, one of ym favourite proteins. So delicious with a unique pairing of yuzu flavour and still pink in the middle. Again, would have preferred more matcha on the peach. We only got one dish to share between 3 people, would have liked another one since it's duck.

Infamous Ice Cream Baoger

Finally tried one of these! The normal flavours of green tea, black sesame, and lychee(?), but the new ones on the menu are Ferrero Rocher which chocolate ice cream and miso caramel. Personally I would prefer green tea since I'm not a big chocolate fan, but this was so damn good. White chocolate no too sweet, topped with a smasher chocolate, and drizzled with the miso caramel. The sauce is similar to salted caramel, but the saltiness isn't that noticeable unless you just taste it by itself (or maybe my slider just didn't have enough sauce). The deep fried baos was just deep fried oily goodness. Messy but fun to eat. 

We left early before the last dish (not on the menu)-Watermelon Christmas Tree. We saw David carefully walk to another table open to public, with carefully stacked watermelons forming a xmas tree, which was slightly slanted, but I'm sure it made it to the table fine. Overall, definitely top quality food and service. Changed the plates and cutlery almost after every dish. Was so full after that night. Hope to be back to try more things on the menu and definitely the drinks (: