Tokonoma

To celebrate our 29th monthsary Josh and I dined at Tokonoma. I had actually bought a Groupon deal for $99 which included a 12-course degustation with wine for two. By the end of our meal I was able to appreciate how much of a good deal this really was. 

I checked the menu online and it appears that the degustation we were served was specially designed for the Groupon deal as it didn’t match either of the two tasting menus, though very close. 

After approximately a 10-minute uphill walk from Central, we walked into the dimly-lit restaurant. It was very romantic and cosy but spacious at the same time. I loved the ambience. 

We were greeted by a friendly and helpful waitress who started us off with our water and glasses of wine. Then out came our first course which was edamame - described in the menu as ‘soy beans, maldon sea salt’. It was a first time for me and I found them to be okay. Good to munch on. 

Soon after, two courses were brought out together - ‘sliced kingfish, yuzu, chives, pickled daikon’ and a meatballs dish. The kingfish was one of my favourite courses - it was tangy, tasty and left me wanting some more! The meatballs were also food and were paired with a nice, typical Japanese dipping sauce. 

Next, three courses of sushi and sashimi came out together. Everything was fresh, tasty and went down well. 

  
The scallop course was next which was absolutely delicious. I love scallop and this scallop was soft, tasty and creamy. Described as ‘robata grilled scallop, ume boshi guerre noisette, pork crackling’; I definitely wanted more!

The mains then came out together - ‘marinated lamb cutlets, chilli miso, pickled eggplant’ and ‘pork belly, apple-kizami wasabi relish, sweet soy’. I am a lamb lover and these chops were definitely good and very succulent. The pork belly was also a winner, though there was no crispy skin which I found to be a bummer. 

The miso soup came out an odd time and consisted just of the usual ‘white miso soup, spring onion, tofu, wakame’. There was also a zucchini dish - ‘zucchini, wafu sauce, sesame’ - which I don’t seem to have taken a photo of - probably because I didn’t want to eat it! Oops.

The final course was dessert and whilst it looks very simple, all the elements were delicious. The chocolate sorbet was creamy, the strawberry was fruity, and both were of a good consistency. I also really enjoyed the creme brule which cracked when I put my spoon through the top, just as it should have. 

Whilst the night felt like it went too fast and though we weren’t exactly full, we definitely enjoyed our dining experience at Tokonoma and we will definitely be back! We dined at Ocean Room a few weeks ago and Josh and I both agreed that we enjoyed and rated Tokonoma more.

Birthday Desserts

Quick post whilst I’m on my lunch break.

After having brunch at The Grounds (post coming later) for my 22nd birthday last July, Josh and I went to the city to do some shopping. In the process we had some lovely desserts which I wanted to share with you.

Cronuts - a cross between a croissant and a donut - have been popping up everywhere lately and hopping onto the bandwagon is Adriano Zumbo who releases new flavours every week. I wish there was an outlet close to me so I could try them all, as they sound amazing! After parking our car at The Star I was finally able to try Mr Zumbo’s Milo ‘Zonut’. It was delicious. Crispy and flaky on the outside with creamy milo-flavoured filling inside. But very sweet so I definitely could not finish it on my own - but that’s what Josh is for.

Sweet teeth still not satisfied, we ventured on to Westfield Sydney where we then proceeded to line up for approximately 45 minutes so that we could make customised Magnums. We were able to choose our chocolate coating, toppings, the chocolate drizzle and the chocolate button. At $7 a pop it was a worthwhile and fun experience, and it was interesting to watch the process. I can now say I’ve made my own Magnum!

Needless to say, Josh and I weren’t very hungry when dinner time rolled around! But it was fun eating my way through my birthday.

Meze Me

Beautiful location in the Rouse Hill suburbs

On a beautiful day that I decided to skip uni, Josh and I decided that we wanted to have a nice brunch, preferably somewhere local. But where would that somewhere be? Apparently Parramatta was too far, so the city, which is full of nice cafes that are on my to-visit list, was definitely out of the question. I did remember though, reading about a local eatery in Rouse Hill which was becoming quietly popular. So that’s where we decided to go. 

Meze Me serves Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine and we were keen to experience the delicious breakfast that many reviews raved about. Unfortunately, we missed out on breakfast which ends at 12pm. However the food was still delicious. Being the couple that we are, and very hungry, we over-ordered as usual.

Seated outside in the lovely sunshine, we started with the Meze Plate for Two ($30) which featured a lovely array of dips, fresh tabbouli, falafel, chicken and lamb. Everything was very tasty, except the Lebanese bread which unfortunately tasted old and dry. 

Meze Plate for Two ($30)

 I was pretty disappointed we missed out on brekky so was thrilled that I was still able to order the breakfast menu item that I was planning on ordering - the lamb mince tagine with onion jam, roast tomato, bell peppers, feta, egg, Turkish toast and Lebanese bread ($20). I really enjoyed this with its different tastes and textures. But by this stage I was getting rather full, so needed help to finish it off. I definitely could’ve just eaten this and been full. 

Lamb mince tagine ($20)

Josh ordered the duck breast with quince, celeriac mousse, falafel, baby beans, parsnip crisps and port wine jus ($28) and he kept remarking how good it was and how tender the duck was. I had a few a bites and agreed, though I haven’t had much duck in the past so don’t really have anything to compare it to - except chicken. But, doesn’t everything apparently taste like chicken? The parsnip crisps were also very nice. 

Duck breast ($28)

Josh loves chips so as per usual we ordered a side of sumac chili chips with aioli ($8.50) and these were delicious. Nice and crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and peppered with a light chilli seasoning. The aioli was also good. 

I also ordered a chocolate milkshake which was huge but delicious and good value ($6), whilst Josh tried an organic ginger beer ($4.50) which he said was ‘OK’. I didn’t want to taste it because ginger beer isn’t my thing, but other reviews have raved about how good it is. So definitely give it a go if you’re into ginger beer.

Overall, Meze Me was an awesome local find. The food, atmosphere and service was great. We have learnt our lesson not to over-order here (I hope) and we will definitely be back for brekky (provided that we wake up early enough!).

Genesis

The photo says it all. Hence here we are. I have decided to make a blog out of my food adventures. 

Expect food reviews of high end restaurants, local gems I’ve stumbled across, awesome food products, as well as some regular joints I love to frequent.

Hopefully I can maintain this little project of mine whilst I am working and studying, as well as use it to keep my writing skills brushed up. 

I hope you enjoy following! :)