NomNom: Din Tai Fung, World Square, Sydney CBD

I admit, I am not much of a Din Tai Fung fan. IMO, there are a lot of other places in Sydney; such as New Shanghai or Taste of Shanghai (and even a few cheaper small shops) that can do their specialty - Xiao Long Bao - as good if not better, for fairer prices.
But what to do when I crave for one item that no other place in Sydney could do better: Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bao / Lau Sar Bao / Liu Sa Bao. I keep coming back to Din Tai Fung for my fix. Even after experiencing Dian Shui Lou Taiwan - who many people deem a competitor to Din Tai Fung - I still think the latter's version is much much better.

So with that as a mission, we went to Din Tai Fung main branch at World Square, Sydney.

On weekends, dinner time at Din Tai Fung starts at 5 p.m. We arrived around 5 minutes past, and we were quite surprised to see the restaurants to be more than half full already. The business is looking good.

*Pictures taken with iphone as I didn't bring my camera -_-

open style kitchen

Vegetarian Delights (A$6.80) is good for appetizer and it is a pleasant palate cleanser. It consists of marinated seaweed, thin vermicelli, beansprouts, and thin slivers of tofu or tofu skin ( I think ).

1/2heart tried Ja Jiang Mian (A$13.80) - a humble dish usually consists of noodles and marinated pork mince. The taste of the dish really depends on the marinated pork & the sauce. Din Tai Fung makes their own noodles and they are of good consistency with the right amount of chewiness. I also noted that they also added marinated beans to the sauce, that adds to the fragrance. It smells great, however I found the taste quite lacklustre. I have had better Ja Jiang Mian at a local Taiwanese eatery in Hurstville, for almost half the price.

Prawns with Pineapple (A$20.80) - lightly battered fried prawns with pineapple pieces, smothered in sweet mayo. Prawns were big and juicy, but overall - very very sweet and actually made me quite sick after a few bites.

One dish that Din Tai Fung never fails to deliver - Prawn & Pork Dumplings in Spicy Sauce (A$10.80). Although I was on a mission for the Salted Egg Yolk & Custard Bun, I would never ever miss ordering this dish whenever I dined there. I love their sauce. Can someone teach me how to make that sauce mixture please? (I drank the sauce like a soup -_- the acidity of the vinegar component made my stomach quite upset afterwards).

They currently have limited edition of Xiao Long Bao colored gems - we ordered a full basket of seven different colors of Xiao Long Bao's offered. Every color has different flavor. As I ate with 1/2heart, I picked the green one (not my favourite as it didn't have that 'exploding' soup XLB normally has. It was quite dry), the dark grey (sort of OK...), the dark pink (the dish came out more of blush pink colored. But the seafood soup inside was quite tasty), and the orange (corn). Yep, I had 4 :D, while 1/2heart had the other 3. But hey, he devoured the Ja Jang Mian all by himself (I just had a bit of a taste of the pork sauce )

Full set of Xiao Long Bao Colored Gems costs A$15.80. Only the World Square branch has all 7 flavours. The other outlets at The Star and Westfield Centrepoint rotate their flavors everyday.

The Trio Mini Buns (A$5.80) are Red Bean Bao, Black Sesame Bao, and Taro Bao. Black Sesame filling was too dry to my liking. Nothing special with the other two.

Golden Lava (A$2.20 each or three for $6). Ah... the object of my mission. I behaved myself and only ordered two - one for myself and one for 1/2heart. I usually can devour three in a set for myself, but as I am on a detox mission, I held myself back (trust me, it's a very hard thing to do, especially after I took the first bite of the juicy bao... . I almost raised my hand to get the waitress' attention to order another one...)

(Detox is being done in preparation for upcoming travels where I am bound to eat a lot -_-. Though this dinner was not really part of the detox :P)

The amount of buttery salted egg yolk and sweetness of the custard is just right. It felt like heaven in my mouth. I love this bao very much. If you do know of another place that has as good Lau Sar Bao as Din Tai Fung's, please do share. You will make me a very happy woman.

Din Tai Fung

Level 1, Shop 11.04

644 George St, Sydney NSW 2000

ph: 02 9264 6010

random & review: Not Your Conventional Face Cleanser... .

I was not really sure how to label this post. Ha~ But I found this to be too awesome to not be shared:

They are: Milk Powder, Oats, and Rice Flour. No, I am not trying to bake or cook anything of those ingredients. Instead, I'd like to share that those three items work beautifully as a cleanser. Yes, a face cleanser. 

About a month ago, my dear friend Len - who is currently residing in Singapore - whatsapp-ed me and raved about how this all-naturale mixture of three simple grocery items do wonders to her face. Len and I occasionally tip each other on make-up, skincare, and tips & tricks associated. 

My usual cleanser - Sulwhasoo Cleansing Foam - was almost gone by then, so I thought 'what the heck', and decided to give this a try anyway. The ingredients are cheap, readily available at supermarket or grocery stores; and if it didn't work, I could always turn them into something edible. :D

One month onwards, I am still using this as my primary face cleanser, so thank you Len, for the awesome share.

If you constantly have been changing face cleanser because you couldn't find anything 'just right', perhaps you may give this a go.

I noticed the positive effect on my face after the first week of use: I realized that I didn't need to extract/clean my T-zone (you ladies with somewhat troublesome T-zone, you know what I mean). The pores did not get clogged even with daily make up & BB cream use (and they are still not clogged. I only had to do a gentle exfoliate with steam & mask, and that was two weeks ago. Surprisingly, not much gunk extracted. Usually I'd grossed out with my own pores' byproducts. LOL)

The exfoliating effect of the oats & the rice flour cleanse the pores everyday, but they are still gentle enough to not aggravate your face. The milk powder moisturize and smooth your skin.

I always pre-mix and put them in a container.

Application: 

Mix 2-3 parts of oats with 1 part of milk powder (I use full cream milk powder) and 1 part of rice flour. Add warm water and mix with your hands (try to breakdown the oats by pressing/massaging them between your fingers) until the mixture becomes thick porridge consistency. Apply to your face as a cleanser and massage all over with gentle motion. 

Avoid your eye area. If they get stuck in between your lashes (or God forbids they get into your eyes), it's a bitch to clean.

If the consistency is not quite right, you may always adjust the ratio to suit your needs.

The only thing I hate hate hate, is the messiness created every. single. time. But for the sake of vanity, what is cleaning the sink surroundings of stray oat granules every morning ... . You may want to clean your face while showering. The hot steam from the shower will also help in the exfoliating process.

Don't forget to clean your face with cleansing oil (I use Sulwhasoo Cleansing Oil) if you wear make up or foundation/BB cream. Only use the oats-milk-flour mixture as substitute for your usual cleanser. The rest of your skincare regime should not change (cleansing oil to clean make-up, toner & serum or moisturizer after cleanser).

--

One week should be enough time to see if this is suitable for you. If your face/skin rejected a product, your skin would protest and this usually resulted in breakouts OR overly dryness or oiliness. The ingredients for this cleansing method are all natural and obviously do not contain any chemicals, additives, or fragrances normally found in retail face cleanser. Therefore they are quite gentle to use. But if for any reason, this does not work for you or results in unfavorable effects to your skin, do not continue use.

I have a few retail cleansing products that I have used in the past that have worked for me, and I will be reviewing them in later dates.

On a side note: Len also recommended Rosehip Essential Oil to be used after cleansing. Sadly, this did not work for me. They caused me to have a small breakout by the third day of use, so I discontinued it. However, I started using Grapeseed Essential Oil afterwards and this has been working out wonderfully for my face, especially combined with the oats cleanser. (Len did say her type is 'dry combination', while mine is more towards 'oily combination'). Less clogged pores, brighter and smoother skin, just 'right' moisturizing property without causing my face to feel heavy, and less breakouts during you-know-that-time-of-the-month.

(For Australia, I order my essential oils from Sydney Essential Oil Co.)

NomNom: Kabuki Shoroku; Sydney CBD

Located at Clarence Street in Sydney City, is a Japanese restaurant -- that although seems to have a lot of good reviews, somehow didn't quite satisfy me.

The entrance to the restaurant is quite cute, decorated with stone pathways leading to the main dining area. Their waitresses were clad with kimono, busy scurrying to serve tables as efficient as they could.

Kabuki Shoroku offers quite a large number of Japanese dish, including fresh sashimi and sushi. You will not be disappointed for quality. However, having been to a good range of Japanese eateries in Sydney, I found this place is so-so. For the price, you'd get the same good quality and more at Masuya - for example.

We started with Green Apple Shochu ($9.8), a refreshing soft-drink like shochu beverage. Green tea costs $4 per cup and it is free refill.
The Boiled Spinach in Sesame ($8) was very light and tasty, a good appetizer.
I have seen bigger Scampi even in sushi train joints than this one - Scampi Nigiri costs $8. A bit of a disappointment, tasty nevertheless, though it was only as big as a normal king prawn.
Whitebaits tempura costs $14. Again, although tasty, it was a measly one handful of deep fried whitebaits in batter.

One of their specials was various Kushiyaki - grilled meats on sticks - $20 which I really think is way overpriced. Seasoning was minimal and the type of grilled dishes presented had a lot of chicken (1 stick of grilled okra, 2 chicken wings, only one sticks of ox-tongue, chicken, and chicken meatballs).

Their deluxe sushi & sashimi combination costs $62. Selections were tasty, fresh, and yes the boat makes the presentation ultra gorgeous. For the selections presented, not one of the best value though. The rolled inside out sushi was nothing special and very basic. There were no scallops or fresh prawns which I think should be warranted for the price tag.

We were more impressed with Wagyu Beef on Hot Stone ($36). Beautiful melt-in-your-mouth wagyu beef meat, seared to your liking on a hot stone.

(Just don't try to remind yourself that each 3cmx3cm slice of those succulent naturally-sweet bovine is costing you more than $4 individually).

I love love love their dessert tasting plate ($18), consisting of Tofu cheesecake (yummy and not very sweet), Caramel pudding, Mango icecream, Dark chocolate bites, and Green tea tiramisu.

Kabuki Shoroku

Ground Floor, 202 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000

ph: 02 0267 4552

random: Cendana Spa, Grace Hotel, Sydney CBD

In the midst of busy Sydney CBD, there is a little gem located inside a popular Grace Hotel in York St: Cendana Spa.

It is a massage and body relaxation center, specializing in various body massages, wraps, and scrubs, and also facials. It is not one of those places you normally find in the middle of China Town: small massage shops where usually strong middle-aged Asian ladies would - after their 'massages' - make your bodies more sore than before you stepped into their little joint. Nor is it one of so many Thai massage places where although some masseuse are arguably better skilled, scrimped on their massage oils by using good-old baby oil.

But hey, for the price you paid to get massages in those places, baby oils are justified.

Cendana Spa is a proper pampering and relaxation centre. You'd pay more moola than the ordinary massage places, but we always go to Cendana whenever we need pampering for special occasions (this time, it was 1/2heart's birthday).
They have a lot of treatments available, using some of the best and natural blends of their own. Their blends used for their massages and body treatments consists of pure essential oils and other exotic herbs and ingredients.

From the moment we were greeted by their receptionist and stepped into the waiting room, it felt like we had been transported into a traditional spa in Bali or Thailand. From the beautiful sculptures, carved doors, and soft songs playing in the background, it is hard to believe that the place is located in busy Sydney City.

They served herb tea in the lounge/waiting room, where we also had to chose our massage oil preference.

We booked for the couple room, a beautifully appointed spacious room with two massage beds set up.

The room is also equipped with a large stone bath, used if you opted for one of their bath treatments (e.g. milk bath).

We began with foot soak, then aromatherapy massage (we both chose muscle relieve blend) followed with body scrub for me, and body wrap for my other half. Our therapists were skilled; and my therapist in particular, was a gorilla in disguise of petite cute Asian young lady (I like my massage firm, and boy did she deliver firm.)

1 1/2 hour later, we were so in a daze and felt so relaxed. We walked out of Grace Hotel and faced hustle and bustle of busy city streets again, leaving this sanctuary behind.

Cendana Spa

The Grace Hotel

Level 1 / 77 York St, Sydney NSW 2000

ph: 02 9299 8948

NomNom: Sauce Bar & Grill; Coogee // Random: Aroma Festival 2013; The Rocks

It has been over a year since we last visited Sauce, a modern Australian restaurant that when it first opened a few years back, claimed to be competing with Hurricane's infamous ribs.

And rightly so. We remember that when we used to frequent dining there, their steak and ribs were not subpar compared to the latter-more-famous restaurant chain. But as we haven't been to Sauce for quite some time, it was also a pleasant surprise to know that their food's still as good.

1/2heart received an email invitation for a complimentary main course to dine in the month of July - because it is his birthday month. (We subscribed to their newsletter since years ago when we used to be frequent diners there, and we still receive updates and offers). So, it was a perfect opportunity to revisit the place for our carnivorous-fix.

Specials and Appetizers menu board

There were hardly anyone when we came for lunch.

1/2heart ordered Crispy Skinned Atlantic Salmon (which he chose as his complimentary course), and I had half-portion of beef ribs.

One word: Yum!

Salmon was cooked to absolute perfection, skin was crispy and the middle was pink and soft.

Although I have tried their pork ribs numerous times before, this was the first time I've ever had their beef ribs. for a half portion, it was a decent size. And their homemade chips served as accompaniment to the ribs were so crispy & flavorsome.

'SauceNo5' - a Bacardi based cocktail

Sauce is located close to Coogee beach, providing nice surroundings to burn those calories intake you just could not help to digest.
Today was a bit windy, but weather was absolutely pleasant.

Sauce Bar & Grill

2A/29-31 Alfreda St, Coogee

02 96647550

Afterwards, we headed to the city - The Rocks, for Aroma Festival. It is an event emphasizing on all things coffee.

There were a lot of pop-up coffee shop, complemented with The Rocks Market that is usually only open on Saturdays. The Rocks Market showcases a lot of handmade products and there are also a lot stands serving food and snacks.

look at these cute cupcake-candles. So creative.

Needless to say, we ate more -_-

'chocolate pop' - we chose blood orange & dark choc champagne. 

this one was meh...

We did try a few coffee although we both are not much of coffee drinkers (on the other hand, I am quite a tea-nazi. I drink probably over 2 liters of green tea everyday). Most of the coffee stands had crazy long queue, so we only got to try a few.

Love this shop and its coffee slogans:

From 'coco', we ordered a brioche with hazelnut gelato - served sandwich style. ($8)

But I like this one so much better: Affogato with hazelnut gelato (also $8). Their Affogato is so bitter and strong (love the aftertaste), and combined with the sweetness of the gelato.... mmmm.... yumminess.

We didn't get to try much of the other stands' coffee. We did try a cappuccino from 'the wood roaster' - supposedly selling wood roasted coffee. But the wood-roasting doesn't really alter or add any uniqueness to the coffee. Or perhaps I should have ordered something else from there.