Slurpfest by Rising Sun Workshop: Gumshara Night

Happiness was just a slurp away at Rising Sun Workshop's (RSW) Slurpfest: Ramen Masters series. Mori-san kicked things off on the first night of slurpfest. At 6pm the hip-hop tunes came, crowds started to fill up the place and the classic film Tampopo was projected on the wall as a genius backdrop. It wasn't just a ramen event; it was also a celebration of Japanese cuisine's influence on Sydney. 

Whilst Mori-san and Masa-san of Gumshara were busy with the ramen side, Nick and Ivan looked after the side dishes. Dan and the rest of the RSW team were resposible for a wide range of drinks (shakes, sodas, coffee, cocktails, beers etc.) and making sure the guests were all well taken care of. It was busy and the place was packed; yet everybody was chilled.

Down to the food:

Itadakimasu!!!

Meaty tonkotsu ramen

Mori's tokusei (special) ramen of the night was his Niku Chasu-men a.k.a The Meaty Tonkotsu Ramen ($20 ticket price). It stayed true to Muteppou's Kansai-style super thick tonkotsu ramen. A mountain of special cut chashu (almost 3 times bigger than the usual), noodles cooked somewhere between katame and futsu, hanjuku egg, negi (green onions), and the most delicious chewy menma in his signature kotteri shoyu tonkotsu broth. The broth had more depth than usual and I liked it. The chashu had more meat than fat but was extremely tender. The good kind of protein overload. We expected no less from Sydney's king of rich tonkotsu ramen.

Radishes dressed in sesame

Kingfish ceviche tostada

Karate chicken

The radishes dressed in sesame ($8) were all about highlighting the freshness and quality of the produce. RSW's karaage chicken ($10) was super tasty and crisped on the outside. The karaage was also topped with kewpie mayo and a sweet and sticky sauce that had hints of umami. The kingfish ceviche tostada ($10) was insane! The contrast of flavours and textures of the sweetish kingfish, sour pickled radish and creamy avocado with the crispy tostada was perfection. The side dishes were a great exhibition of RSW's quality produce sourcing ethos.

Here's a short video footage of the night:
https://youtu.be/hDLwZLcvGZc

Thank you to everyone that came! Can't wait to see what Abe-san of Chaco bar is doing on the 3rd of Septemeber. Until then, ja mata ne?!

Ramen Raff attended as a collaborator of Rising Sun's Slurpfest event.

Slurpfest at Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown

The wait is over fellow noodle lovers! I'm proud to announce that Rising Sun Workshop (RSW) and Ramen Raff have collaborated with 5 of Sydney's finest ramen chefs to bring you Slurpfest: Sydney Ramen Masters Series (Scroll down to book your tickets via Eventbrite and for event start time).

 This could possibly be one the best events to hit Sydney this year. We have combined our passion for ramen and sense of community in the Sydney ramen scene to deliver an event in our city like no other. Every Sunday night for 5 weeks starting from the 20th of August 2017, RSW will host a special ramen night with a guest Ramen chef appearance. What makes this event special is that each chef will be showcasing a tokusei ramen (special ramen) of their design that is exclusive to the event.

The line up is as follows:

-Mori Higashida of Gumshara (20th August)

-Keita Abe of Chaco Bar (3rd of September)
-Junichi Okamatsu of Cool Mac Cafe (10th of September)
-Harunobu Inukai of Tarafuku Ramen (17th of September)

-Kazuteru Oh of Ramen O-san (24th September)

The purpose behind this event is to promote and celebrate the ramen culture that our beautiful city of Sydney has to offer. So we decided to bring in some of the Sydney's big guns of ramen to RSW for you. Expect a range of creative twists of shio, shoyu, miso and tonkotsu ramen with paitan and chintan broths. On each night, RSW will also be serving drinks and sides.

Meaty tonkotsu ramen

Chef Mori Higashida will open the event and kick things off on the 20^th of August with his "Meaty Tonkotsu Ramen" 肉チャーシュー麺 : multiple slices of large special flavoured buttery tender chashu (almost 3 times bigger than a usual chashu), hanjuku tamago, green onions, menma and noodles in Gumshara's kotteri Kansai-style rich tonkotsu broth.

The event will run from 6pm to 9pm every night. For the latest updates about this 5-week event, follow me and RSW on facebook, instagram and twitter.

Book your tickets via Eventbrite. Click here.

 Ja mata ne?!

Rising Sun Workshop

1C Whateley Street

Newtown NSW

Instagram: @RisingSunWorkshop

Facebook: https://facebook.com/risingsunworkshop/

Ramen Raff

Instagram: @RamenRaff

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ramenraff/

Twitter: @RamenRaff

12-Micron, Barangaroo - Sydney

The Streets of Barangaroo dining precint is one of my favourite places in the Sydney CBD area. You got places like Ume Burger, Short Stop Donuts, Belle's and more. One of the latest additions to the precint is 12-Micron.

This new Australian contemporary restaurant is produce driven with ethos of supporting local Australian produce. Their crockery were also sourced from local potters. So much like the beauty of a 12-Micron wool fibre, the interior is refined and elegant. From fitting to crockery and food, you can see inspiration drawn from Australian elements of earth, ocean, land and air.

Over a month ago, I was lucky enough to have won a competition run by 12-Micron and the Streets of Barangaroo. The prize was that my guests and I were treated to a 7 course dessert degustation (normally $95 per person) from a menu designed by the legendary pastry chef Darren Purchese. Here's what we had on the night:

The coconut dessert consisted of coconut crumble, passionfruit jelly, ginger, sago and mint. This was an awesome start to the deg.

The gin and tonic looked beautiful on the plate but you have to be careful not to have each element on its own. The gin gel for example can be overpowering. But if you have all the gin, lime, cucumber and juniper elements together, you get a delicious dessert representation of a gin and tonic.

The cherry blossom dessert was a work of art! It consisted of elements of cheesecake, miso, chocolate and Sakura. This was one of my favourite dishes of the night.

Another absolute favourite of mine (probably the best out of all the dishes) is the pistachio and green tea cake dish. I loved the marriage of the buttery and nutty pistachio ice cream, the sweet citrus yuzu sphere and earthy green tea sponge cakes. The dish almost looked like a valley.

The explosive raspberry looked like a splatter paint art. This one had booming flavours. It had chocolate, raspberry sorbet, and a beautiful chocolate popping candy crumble.

The chocolate dessert dish was another winner! It had chocolate, mandarin and salted caramel. This dessert may have rich elements but it was well balanced as a whole. The mandarin’s sweetness and acidity help cut through all the rich flavours.

The smoked vanilla plate was sensational! It consisted of smoked vanilla, l’artisan le rouge washed rind cheese, pear and honeycomb. 

As this was a dessert degustation, it can get overwhelming on the palate and it was expected. But having said that, every dish was elegantly plated and well thought off. Not only did they look stunning but they also tasted delicious. The service was also excellent. I will need to come back to try their savoury dishes.

Ramen Raff and guests dined at 12 Micron as a prize to a competition that was run by 12-Micron and The Streets of Barangaroo.

12-Micron

Tower 1, Level 2

100 Barangaroo Avenue

Barangaroo NSW 2000

Ph: 02 8322 2075

Hours:

Everyday from 12pm till late