Memoirs of a Foodie

Macarons are notorious for being difficult to make. They only require a few simple ingredients but these delicate cookies are all about accurate measurements and technique. I prefer using the French meringue method because I fail at Italian meringue… The macarons turned out OK, not perfect because I didn't get smooth tops.

DT and I went here back in December last year to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. We had booked 2 months in advance via their online booking system. I originally wanted to dine at Quay because I really wanted to try their famous Snow Egg dessert after watching Masterchef but they were booked out.

Aria was just how I expected it to be, very fancy and upper class and offered a nice view of The Opera House. The wait staff are very professional and extremely well-mannered so the service was excellent.

Consomme ($39)

This entree was a consomme consisting of duck dumplings, shaved abalone and mushrooms. The soup was rich in flavour and was reminiscent of the Chinese herbal soups my mum used to make. The dumplings were tender and the skin smooth in texture and not doughy at all. While the entree was good I don't believe it was worth $39 as it did not amaze me.

I had made a list of restaurants to visit when DT and I holidayed in Surfers Paradise and we managed to have dinner at Wassam on one windy and rainy evening. The weather must have kept customers away because when we arrived at the restaurant it was rather empty. Not necessarily a bad thing because that meant we would not be waiting long for our food. Wassam offers a lunch and dinner menu.

We were served promptly by the friendly wait staff and the first thing that came out was the sashimi.

Sashimi platter

DT being a lover of sashimi obviously went for this on the menu. Not being an avid fan of sashimi I only had a slice of tuna. It was fresh but the lack of flavour and the soft raw texture of the fish rendered the entire dish unappealing to me. I also had a little piece of sea urchin which frankly I did not enjoy. Raw seafood is most definitely an acquired taste. DT enjoyed it though, but perhaps it was too much sashimi for him to eat by himself as I did not touch much of it.

I am sad to discover that this restaurant has been closed down for business and has been replaced by Chur Burger.

What used to be Assiette has recently been transformed into Albion Street Kitchen and I was extremely excited to try this restaurant after buying a voucher from Travelzoo. The $49 voucher entitled us to $100 worth of food from their entire menu which was definitely good value.

The service was great, staff were friendly and attentive.

The Menu

DT and I ordered 2 entrees, 2 mains, a side and 2 desserts to share between us. We didn't wait long for the food to come out which was awesome as I was fairly hungry and I was expecting the food to take a lot longer to appear.

Her Fashion Box is a new beauty and fashion subscription service with their first box being the March edition. When joining the service you are able to choose between Trendy, Classic or Feminine boxes. They further cater to your needs by providing a profile that you fill out which I thought was quite thorough.

I was undecided between Classic and Feminine but finally went with the Classic box. They had a promo code at the time when I signed up which allowed a 50% discount off their usual price of $49.95. I'll admit that it is pricey and probably would not have signed up if I had to pay the full price. Fortunately they have lowered the price to $39.95 per month.

I was so excited to see that the box had arrived today and quickly opened it up!

It came packaged nicely in a pink cardboard box.

Ippudo is a new ramen restaurant that recently opened in Sydney Westfield and has become popular very quickly. Ippudo can be found in Japan and other cities around the world including New York and Hong Kong. It is really great that it has expanded into Australia. Not only did I want to try their ramen but also their pork buns which are constantly raved about.

It was a busy Saturday night, thankfully there was no line and upon walking in all the staff greeted us with a loud "Irrashaimase" meaning 'welcome' in Japanese which was awesome.

We started off with some appetisers:

"David" Tofu $10

The agedashi tofu was actually a dish recommended by the waitress who was taking our order and mentioned that it was her favourite dish. Thankfully we were not disappointed when we dug into it. The tofu was a real delight to eat as the texture of the skin was stretchy and somewhat crunchy which was strangely addicting. The tofu itself was silky smooth and was not overcooked. The sauce was deliciously sweet and savoury at the same time. So far the best agedashi tofu I have eaten. I definitely recommend it.

I am very delighted to have been able to dine at Bistro Lamp at Surfers Paradise. This little Japanese restaurant which was a ways from the heart of Surfers is a total gem. The joint is actually run by Japanese people and I noticed by ear that Japanese people dined here as well which is a good sign to confirm authenticity of the restaurant. I have found that many of the Japanese restaurants in Sydney are run by Koreans which is not necessarily a bad thing because DT and I usually frequent Sushi Deluxe which is owned by Koreans and they make some awesome sushi!

Bistro Lamp's menu was quite extensive and it was difficult for me to make a decision but I knew I had to try the omurice (omelette rice). I have been intrigued by omurice ever since watching Lunch Queen which is a Japanese drama about a protagonist who is set on replicating the omurice she ate when she was a child. I always felt hungry while watching that drama.

Omurice

The demi-glace sauce was so good that I would have licked the plate clean if I was at home and the egg was so soft and creamy. The last time I had omurice was at Ramen-kan at Haymarket and with all honesty Bistro Lamp defeats it effortlessly. Sure I can't compare to omurice in Japan but so far, the best I've tasted. Hopefully I will get to try it in Japan one day.

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