Look at these two noobs…

If memory serves me correctly, these two (Monkeyjaja and Skinnypanda… yes, all my friends are animals) were looking for something dodgy. However, they were awesome enough to meet me for some tasty lunching at Yakiniku Kashiwa. I first heard about this place from Yas and I vowed to try it since it was pretty much just down the road from me but due to bad planning and laziness I had not gotten round to it until recently. After trying it I am kicking myself for not coming here sooner as they have a very good lunch special which is total win! Here Comes the Food

For yakiniku we need nice hot charcoal to grill the meat to perfection

You still don’t make friends with salads…

The lunch special consists of either 3 selections of meat ($16.80) or 4 selections ($19.80) and comes with rice, miso soup and a small salad. Our trio all decide to go with the 4 selections and grab the same meats so it is easier to distribute evenly (boys will actually kill over meat).

The meat plate in all its’ glory

OX Tongue

Thin slivers of delicate ox tongue which you need to keep an eye on so they don’t over cook. They have quite a unique texture and high in oil content which means it boasts a lot of flavour and is definitely one of my favourites cuts for Japanese BBQ. We could tell that the meat quality is very good here from the very first piece.

Marbled Wagyu Beef Rib

I am a self-proclaimed rib fanatic and love all things rib-related. They did not joke around when they said marbled as you can see there is nice ribbons of fat flowing through the slices of meat on this plate. If I could have one cut for the rest of my life it would easily be the rib area. I could easily eat platefuls of this cut as it oozes flavour with each bite.

Wagyu Beef Skirt

A healthier cut to go with as it has a lower fat content compared to others but still quite a tasty one. It still comes with a nice tender texture and very delicious (but it is pretty hard to go wrong with bbqed meat heh)

Pork Neck

To add some variety, I ordered the pork neck and I love how it is marinated with miso sauce. The flavour and aroma from the miso sauce just added that extra oomph to the already delicate and tasty pork neck. The miso also adds a nice sweetness to the meat which I love as I am quite a bit miso sauce fan.

Nothing is prettier than sizzling marbled meat /tear

BBQ brings people together

Kashiwa is great value and their meat quality is really up there. Since it is highly recommended by a Japanese foodblogger *cough*even though he hasn’t posted in a long while*cough* says it all. I am definitely coming back here more often for a quick and tasty bbq fix!

Yakiniku Kashiwa

7A Falcon St

Crows Nest, 2065

Ph: (02) 9906 7393

FFichiban

*BING* I got message! A random message around dinner time a while ago had me drooling behind my control. My friend Monkeyjaja (aka Goofy Tom) had sent me a picture of a sample meat platter from a relatively new restaurant called Nishiki. The vibrant marbling on those shimmering slices of meat brings back flashback of bbq in Japan. Then he notifies me that it is near my hood at Crows Nest and I probably scared everybody in my vicinity with shouts of glee. It was not long before I found an excuse to dine here and so Here Comes the Food

Watch out Rengaya, there is competition about…

Before I knew of this place, Rengaya was my place to satiate my fatty meat desires. Now that there is competition, it will be difficult to decide between the two without a taste comparison.

Sake to kick off the night of tasty meatttttttt

Seafood salad ($16.80)

A fresh and crisp green salad with scattered assorted seafood on top. Slivers of cool and slippery salmon and prawns boosts this from a plain old green salad to something a bit fancier and tastier. Although you still don’t make friends with salads….

Spinach and bacon salad ($12.80)

Unless it has bacon in it! I absolutely adore this salad as it had crispy bits and salty shards of bacon and cheeessseeeee! Also spinach is one of my more favoured greens so this combination is pure win. The textureal crunches and the flavour balances works out perfectly.

Ox tongue with natural salt and shallot – super premium ($30.80)

Ox tongue is definitely a Japanese BBQ staple. A good way to fire up the meating as they are cut thin with a good oil content so they cook very fast (make sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn!).

Slivers of delicious ox tongue that melt in the mouth. The edges get a nice crisp texture while the middle stays a nice and tender state. The shallots come on a separate dish and I usually add them onto the slices of meat a bit before they finish cooking or can just add some after for a bit of flavour.

Assorted mushrooms ($10.80)

A great combination of ‘shrooms with button, shiitake and king brown. I like the king brown the most as they have a beautiful meaty characteristic and accompany the fatty meat very nicely. They could do with a knob of butter but that may be a bit of overkill haha.

Wagyu rib finger premium ($16.80)

My favourite cut of meat is easily the rib finger as it had been for other Japanese BBQ places as well. You can easily see for yourself that the marbling is insane and that it melts and oozes awesomeness with each bite. I could easily eat platefuls of this by myself but sharing is caring. I am a bit surprised I have not suffered a heart attack yet though heh.

Wagyu oyster blade premium ($24.80)

Another beautiful cut of meat which has delicate marbling which also packs much flavour. The drizzle of bbq sauce also gives the meat a slight sweetness which, I think, enhances the natural flavours of the beef. I think these meats have enough natural flavours that the sauces they provide are a bit unnecessary.

Bimbimba

Just like at Rengaya, we love to order the stone pot bimbimba which comes with all sorts of goodies from the soft boiled egg to the sweet chilli sauce that I highly recommend mixing it all into. Although the bimbimba here is very good with good balance of flavours and tasty ingredients I still prefer the stone pot from Rengaya as I think it is hotter and gives the rice that nice bit of charring that makes it crispy and crunchy.

Something we had to try was this Tsubozuke Yakiniku ($24.80)

Marinated in miso and spices in a cute little pot. It is also wagyu short rib cut which means very awesome meat! I really enjoyed the rich miso flavour and recommend this dish to anyone visiting here. I do like that sweet and creamy miso flavour and mixed with fatty meat it is a perfect combination. There is also a bunch of assorted vegetables at the bottom of the pot which we cooked as well (personally would had preferred the whole pot to be stuffed to the brim with meaty meat though haha)

Selection of assorted cooking meats mmmmmmmmm the aroma and sight brings a tear to my eye

Wagyu steak

We were still a bit peckish so some more meat was ordered. This cut easily matched the others in marbling and tastiness and was devoured very quickly.

Beef intestine

I was also in the mood for some intestine. I enjoy the chewiness and the fattiness which may not be for everybody. Make sure to cook this thoroughly compared to the other meats as it is offal and even though it appears that they clean it very well it is best to be sure. Very chewy but bursts with flavour with each bite, a very enjoyable part of the cow that you should give a try if not already.

Cooking around the edges so it doesn’t burn

A relatively new restaurant (been open maybe 4-5months now) but they seem to be doing very well. Especially since it is a bit away from the hustle and bustle of the main fooding areas of Crows Nest. They obviously get very good quality wagyu beef and provide very tough competition for Rengaya for the North Shore. I think I will need to visit both places many more times before I can decide which place is better heh

Nishiki Wagyu Yakiniku

270 Pacific Highway

Crows Nest NSW 2065

Ph: (02) 80216688

FFichiban

Come-hither look from Orphy I was getting all arvo and night… I think he was telling me something

Have you ever wondered what a party hosted by our very own C&C is like? I can only give describe a small glimpse of through words but imagine something similar to this and but with more hot half-nekkid guys, more funky old skool dancing and food… LOTS and LOTS more food! Here Comes the Food

On one fine Spring day we were invited by our gracious host Karen Orphy to enjoy a homely backyard cookout. It could not have been better weather as if God was smiling down on us and going,” Yes eat, eat and be merry!”  and that we surely did, for many hours.

Billy really wowed us with his artistic skills

My fellow road trippers to the ‘burbs included Billy, Helen, Howard, Lex, Linda, Minh, Phuoc, Shez, Simon, Suze and Yas. Knowing it was the usual group, we should had been mentally and physically prepared for th eating-marathon ahead but we all get a shock and just how awesome and massive all the food is.

Adding a face to anything just makes it soooo cute!

Kick starting the party with Suze’s watermelon keg.. BRILLIANT

Who would had thunk it! Stick a tap in it and voila! Portable and tasty.

We then had fun filling it with moscato, watermelon juice and passionfruit soda

We also had fun coming up with other fruits to attach a tap into like pineapples, grapes etc. It was a magical cocktail and we could really taste the music, especially adding a bit of lime to kick it a bit more of a bite.

I thought these were gatecrashers til I saw their groupie shirts hee ehe

The BBQ was quite good at smoking. Oh I think there is a Simon in there somewhere!

Joining the cocktail party Karen brought out some PIMMS, lemonade and fruit

Lex starts off the feasting with a big bang of Alaskan King Crab swimming in lemon butter and dill

There was a frenzy of cameras and then a frenzy of dripping butter. Orphy took one for the team but also had a blast going round licking up all the drippings. The crab meat was sweet and oh-so juicy. Double dipped in butter and some fresh dill these set the bar high for the rest of the feastings.

Billy tending the satay like a real hawker

Sticks of chicken and beef gave off a beautiful aroma and transported us to the streets of Asia. The char of flavouring on the meat made us all drool and when they were finally ready some of us even dived in before taking photos. The beef was tender and soft and was my choice of the two but what came next was the real winner.

Homemade peanut sauce!!!!!!!!

This stuff was liquid gold. I could had eaten this by the spoonful, and I probably did, but smother the meat with a generous lathering and you would be in peanut and meat heaven. The sweet and salty combination is unbeatable and Billy did the awesomest job.

Shaun tended the bak kwa which were the perfect snack to nibble on while waiting between other dishes. These sweet pork mince jerky were done very professionally and I was not surprised when they tasted fantastic. Charring them on the BBQ to give them that extra bit of caramelization is pure bliss.

Karen also had prepped some Hokkein fried noodles which had a surprising hint of spice considering she is not that much of a chilli fiend. However I think the rest of us enjoyed that tang immensely.

Potato salad with peas and broad beans

Some say you can’t make friends with salad… but I would make friends which this salad anytime!

Kimchi kimchi kimchi

Simon brought some of the sweet marinated bulgogi and kimchi to wrap up. The soft and juicy sweet beef goes wonderfully with the crunch of the crisp lettuce and addition of kimchi can never go wrong.

fishy on the bbq

Billys tofu puffs

Soft pillowy tofus sandwiched some crunchy and fresh bean sprouts and water spinach in a sweet and spicy sauce. A brainwave occured and addition of his awesome homemade peanut sauce topped this dish off perfectly.

Rojak

A magical combination of fruits, vegetables, tofu and nuts and then smothered in a strong and rich sauce of shrimp paste. A variety of textures and flavours make this refreshing and explode awesomeness in the mouth.

Lexs Grilled Ocean Trout

Crackling was quickly stolened from the first plate but quickly replenished (but again quickly devoured) even before the photos were taken. Lex did a great job to give the skin a beautiful crackle while the flesh was moist and tender.

Shezs Otak Otak

This stuff was mind blasting! The flavour of fishy cakey while the smooth consistency of chawamushi. I was disappointed when I was informed the first one was consumed while I was busy inside! (sneaky sneaky people!) but I was lucky enough to polish off the rest of the second one.

Shezs cute kaya kuih

We were stuffed to the brim so we moved onto filling our dessert stomach. Starting with the gooey and sticky kaya kuih with aromatic coconut flavour sticky rice and pandan topping. I could not help going back for more and more hee hee.

Phuocs Greek shortbread cookies

Bite sized crumbly goodies sprinkled in a generous dosage of icing sugar. These packed a wonderful orange zesty flavour with the almond base. Best of all was you could pop one in your mouth and have your hands free to grab more.

Sunbeam!… Ok, how many of you just broke out into song ?

Helen and Minh set up a DIY ice kachang area. It was fun to mix and match our own ingredients and smothering in either rosewater syrup or palm sugar syrup. Go team palm sugar by the way! I must had been too busy combining and eating to take a finished photo haha.

After the desserts, the stars of the BBQ were taken out for viewing

If you think we could not eat more… you were mistaken! Some steaks were brought out for a good cooking, however, I must admit most of them went back to the fridge.

Linda and Howard rocked up a bit after dessert and brought double fried chicken wings zomgggg

Best chicken wings ever

I swear these are from some magical chickens because they were just absolutely flawless. Crisp and crunchy on the outside and each bite reveals the tender and juicy meat underneath cooked to perfection.

Yas so hot he has become blurred

Yas also brought some Sweet Belem portugese tarts but unfrotunately no photos.

Finally the feasting comes to an end while we sit around the fire singing kumbaya… well not really but maybe taking shots of Phuocs Limoncello. BIIIGGG thanks to Karen, Shaun and Orphy for being such awesome hosts and everybody for making the feasting so fun and tasty!

NOTE: Thanks again to Orphy for the post-dinner show HEE HEE HEE.. ok I feel kinda gross now

FFichiban

There are just some partnerships that are undeniably perfect for each other. For me, beef and beer are just one of those partnerships (to all the wine drinkers I say beer > wine ) and so when Craig of Mumu Grill teamed up with Dan the beer snob of Beer Snobs I knew something magical was going to happen. Two people, one with a deep passion for cooking organic and sustainable meats to perfection and other with a deep passion for drinking only perfection come together to teach us average Joes how to enjoy what we put in our mouths on a different level.

The difference between a cut of wagyu sirloin and normal sirloin, not only is the marbling quite noticeably different but so are the price tags…

We started off with the cooking part of the class where Craig began with the basics of the meat. It is important to know where and how these meat came around as important as what we feed ourselves it is also vital to know what these cows were fed. Grass-fed beef is a more time consuming and less efficient way of raising the cows for beef but there are many health advantages with a higher Omega 3 content over the grain-fed and of course the natural flavours of the grass-fed beef is more intense and of greater quality.

He then educates us that the cut of meat and which part of the cow it comes from also determines its flavour. I was surprised to find out that only 20% of the cow is used for primary cuts which includes the rump, rib eye fillet, sirloin and tenderloin. Such a low percentage of the cow consists of primal cuts that these should be treated with respect and cooked to maximize their flavours otherwise the cow would have died in vain!

After obtaining the meat, the next step is to age it. This is the process of allowing the natural enzymes in the meat to act on and break down the muscle fibres to result in a softer and more tender meat. There are two processes of aging and that is the wet aging and the dry aging. Aging (especially dry aging) requires very specific conditions so that the meat does not go bad and does result in some weight-loss, therefore it is a costly and timely process and props to Craig for doing it properly. The meat is usually at its prime at 4-6 weeks of aging.

Next came the important steps of oiling up the meat (not the pan) and giving it a good coat of seasoning. Different chefs have their own special blend to apply to their steaks but basically it is oil, sea salt to bring the intrinsic flavours of the meat out and pepper to add that extra spice into the steak. You can also make a dry rub for the meat as we did for the cut of prime rib. Now comes the cooking of the meat which means Here Comes the Food.

The students of the class then took turns in helping with the cooking!

A T-bone steak and wagyu sirloin was grilled to a beautiful rare state and then allowed to cooked through to a medium-rare in the open fire oven. I am a bit disappointed I did not get any photos of the final product as I was helping out in the kitchen but the taste of the T-bone Tagliatta and the wagyu sirloin were just divine. They were both so tender and juicy and even though the marbling of the wagyu caused it to be melt-in-your-mouth goodness, the T-bone was also equally delicious with an aromatic garlic and rosemary sauce.

Once all the dishes were completed we moved to the outdoor seating to enjoy the sunshine and the beer section of the class

Of course, we had to do our thang!

The eye fillet wrapped in proscuitto and sage (check out my pro wrapping skills on one of them…) worked together to create a harmony of flavours with each bite. The saltiness of the proscuitto worked very well with the sage and the tender cut of meat.

BBQ Ribs; BBQ Szechwan and coffee crusted Prime rib with BBQ pear salad and horseradish

These BBQ ribs were probably my favourite dish of the day, followed closely by the T-bone. The meat simply fell off the bone and each bite resulted in a luscious tender chunk of meat. The BBQ sauce also matched the quality of the meat with its sweet and sticky goodness. If I could have had it my way, I would have taken both plates of ribs and cleaned them. The prime rib with the szechwan and coffee crust also worked out to be a treat. The subtle pepper matched the subtlety of the coffee to not only give the meat a beautiful flavour but aroma as well. Once again the meat was cooked to a juicy medium-rare, as it should be, matched with the salad off BBQ vegetables and pear.

Dan the Beer Snob and his brilliant shirt

Dan starts off by explaining how he wants to make the world a better place by getting boutique beers into every possible place and I totally applaud his passion for beer, for I too love the boutique beers ^^! He then educates us that a good beer should be allowed to breathe by pouring into a glass (I prefer a chilled glass) then examine the beer with the three Cs; Colour, Clarity and Carbonation. The colour of the beer would of course be determined by the type of beer it is and can vary from a dark chocolate to a light wheat yellow. The clarity of the beer can vary from a cloudy mist due to suspended yeast to a clear filtered beer. Lastly the carbonation of the beer as it give it a good swirl. Then you give the beer three big whiffs to get all the scents of all the different flavours.

The beers we tried at the class were;

Wicked Elf Witbier – My favourite beer of the day as it was incredibly smooth and reminded me a lot of Hoegarden (my favourite beer of all time heh). Wheat beer does have a more intense flavour and it really is like drinking liquid bread, which is probably why I love them so much. It gives off a tropically aroma which also adds to the slight fruitiness of the beer.

Murrays Pilsner – This beer gives a sweet aroma of honey which reminds me of Beez Neez but ends with a bitterness which is a bit of an acquired taste. It does have a crisp and clean flavour that I can see many people appreciating.

Pigs Fly Pale Ale – Another crisp and fresh beer with a golden colour also with a slight fruity tinge to it.Not as bitter as the Murrays but does have a slight lingering bitterness but overall very easy to drink.

Moo Brew Dark Ale – This beer was mind-blasting in the way that it would be considered a dessert beer. There were obvious tones and hints of chocolate and cheeries and as soon as Dan said ‘blackforest cake’ everybody was nodding their head in agreement. I also found that there was a linger of coffee in the aftertaste. Definitely an interesting beer and I would like to try some with some blackforest cake heh.

A very education and interesting class with delicious food, fascinating drinks and awesome teachers! It was great fun being in the kitchen and testing out our skills with Craig and then learning and discussing all things beer with Dan. After all this I think it is time for a beer and a steak

Here Comes the Food attended this class courtesy of Mumu Grill

Mumu Grill

70 Alexander St

Crows Nest

Ph: (02) 94606877

Head Chef: Craig MacIndoe

FFichiban

After gorging myself at the Eveleigh Markets/Blackbird Cafe and Lindt Cafe, I did what all other respected foodies do which is to gorge even more on a buffet nonetheless. I have got most of the information about Suminoya on my previous post (here) so this post is mainly just for some drool enticing and meat craving purposes. They have made a few changes from what I remember like how the Gourmet Buffet is only available on specific days which Saturday is not one of them so we had to settle for the Premium Buffet. Since we are all asian that extra 8 dora meant we had to eat at least an extra 30 doras worth of food! Easier said than done when there was still some chocolate milkshake swirling around inside my stomach hee hee.

The menu! Umm 6 orders of beef tongue please, 10 orders of the beef rib finger, 3 pork rib, 3 corn with butter, 4 salmon sashimi…. oh and maybe 5 more beef rib fingers kthx

We were luckily seated downstairs but even then we smoked up the whole area with the beef rib finger haha. Methinks it might be the marinade on that cut that induces all the smoke because all the other meats did not smoke as badly but the weak ventilation system here also plays a role in making you smell like a walking bbq afterwards.

Here Comes the Food

Corn with butter

Simple but these little juicy, sweet, golden nuggets have formidable powers to bring smiles of joy to many a faces.

Beef Tongue

The best way to start off the bbq as they have a high oil content which helps gets the fires stoked. Make sure to keep an eye on these and try not to take photos of them while they are being cooked as they are thin and will burn quite easily. The texture of the beef tongue is major attraction to this cut of meat so multiple servings of this was definitely ordered.

Sashimi

Salmon, kingfish and tuna sashimi since we got the Premium Buffet. They were fresh and flavoursome just as expected of a place of this caliber.

Pork Rib and Beef Rib Finger

My star of the show has arrived yay ^^! The pork rib were just ok as they did tend to be a little but too tough (reflects our cooking skills? Nahhhh) but the beef rib finger was just as good as I remember them. The marbling causes the meat to melt in your mouth and oils pool out of the meat to flavourfy all of your taste buds.

Lettuce? Must have been a mistake in the order haha

I kid I kid, lettuce is a good way to take the edge off all the meatiness. Wrap your meaty goodness up in the lettuce and the juices and oils of the meat will remedy any healthy-tasting parts of the lettuce. This reminds me that I forgot to take the photos of the salads that we had (We srsly did eat salad and I am not just making it up! The salmon and seaweed salad is my fav XP).

Garlic with Butter

Garlicy breathe is worth it after you tried this. The garlic becomes soft and sort of like a mush or paste and all the sting of the garlic is bbqed out of it. The butter also plays a huge role hee hee.

Beef Intestine

I was the only one that indulged in some intestine but I like the chewiness it provides. They are quite fatty and can be a bit too chewy so not too much is needed to fulfil your intestinal cravings.

Yukke

Another must order! Raw beef + raw egg may sound like a perfect Salmonella bomb but Suminoya is trust worthy and use very good quality ingredients.

The only cooking photo I took, because we were too busy eating ^^! Mmmmm meaty goodness

Green Tea Ice Cream

Hee hee the last order is always very hard because you have to judge and estimate how much dessert we can fit into our special ‘dessert stomach’. The green tea ice cream is a good way to fill it all up usually but since there was lemon sorbet on the menu for the Premium Buffet and I have not tried it we had to find that fine balance between ice cream and sorbet.

The green tea ice cream was a bit weak this time but was still very nice and creamy. Maybe it was because of the lower no. of scoops bt they did not give us any hollow scoops yay ^^!

Lemon sorbet…. and sorry to disappoint but no that is not all mine -___-

Lemony fresh with a refreshing tinge of sourness. I really liked having the contrast between this and the ice cream. Actually I liked it so much I combined them together and it was fantastic ^^!

Other OMGBBQ posts:

Rengaya – North Sydney, Sydney (2)

Kohya – Neutral Bay, Sydney.

Father’s Day Part 2 (Rengaya – North Sydney, Sydney)

Suminoya – City, Sydney

Suminoya
1 Hosking Place, Sydney
(Small alley between Castlereagh St and Pitt St)
Tel: (02) 9231 2177

Lunch Monday to Friday 12pm-3pm
Lunch menu

Dinner 7 days 6pm-10.30pm
Gourmet buffet $41 adult / $16 children
Premium buffet $49 adult / $19 children

Add $2 charge per bbq mesh (including first one)
All-you-can eat for 90 minutes only (last order at 60 minute mark)
Dinner menu

FFichiban