Showing posts with label Cakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cakes. Show all posts

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Rising Sun Workshop, Newtown - Ramen, Coffee, Motorcycles and More

The wait is over! Newtown's favourite communal workshop and eatery Rising Sun Workshop is back and opening this Monday, 20 June 2016! Bigger, more awesome and at a permanent location! After over a year and 8 months ago since their pop-up closed, Nick Smith (owner and head chef) and team will re-open at a newly transformed warehouse/garage on Whateley St.






The new space has a mixture of Scandanavian and industrial interior. There's communal tables, bar seatings and a lot of beautiful natural lighting upstairs. Downstairs, there's a few seatings for two and and a long counter seating where you can watch all the kitchen action. Along with the bigger shop comes a menu with more choices than their pop-up. Their menu is Pan Asian based with a majority of Japanese-inspired dishes. The breakfast selection includes Hokkaido milk bun dishes, a vegan furikake rice dish, a Bangkok inspired pork belly & egg dish and a breakfast ramen. Nick's famous ramen offerings are back for lunch with the addition of a kids bowl ramen ($6 with a choice of 2 toppings) and some side snacks like gyozas. For dinner, they will be serving up kushiyaki dishes and some Japanese inspired drinking snacks. There will be a wide range of booze for dinner too. I was invited to their soft launch to have a sneak peek at their lunch menu. 

Carrot cake

Their resident baker Dimity Genaus is behind all their amazing baked goods available for breakfast and lunch. I tried their carrot cake ($7.50) and was blown away! It had a divine burnt butter cream cheese icing, it wasn't dry and had a good amount of walnuts throughout the cake.   
Flat white

Sesame and honey milkshake
Then there's Dan Cesarano who is the expert coffee dude that calls the shots when it comes to their coffee and beverages. They use a blend custom made by Single O Roasters called The Workshop blend. It's perfect for a flat white. Beautiful notes of milk chocolate, caramel and spice punches through the milk. They also have this awesome large serving of sesame and honey milkshake ($7)
The Light

First dish I tried was The Light ($17) ramen. It's a shio (salt) based double soup broth with springy ramen noodles, kurobuta belly chashu, menma, pickled mushroom, greens (kale in this case), green onion, and the best ajitama (marinated soft-boiled egg) I've had in Sydney. The perfect ajitama was super flavoursome and the yolk was runny. The shio tare has been tweaked and made the broth extra special. So besides the notes of chicken and fish, you also get hints of smoky and crisped flavours with some umami in the light broth. It's a good thing the broth is light because the big slab of chashu is fatty, rich and flavoursome! The light ramen is a perfectly balanced bowl of ramen. This has gotta be the best shio-based ramen I've had in Sydney to date.
The Dark

The Dark ($17) is also back! It's a shoyu (soy) based ramen with a chicken and pork broth. Toppings include kurobuta belly chashu, menma, black fungus, pickled shroom, onsen egg, green onion and nori. 
Gyozas

Gyozas ($6-8) are awesome with ramen! Though I prefer more ginger in my gyoza fillings, these were still packed with flavour and it had good caramelised crust. The dipping sauce was on point. 
Pork Banh Mi

Another guest says his Banh Mi was great. It had grilled kurobuta pork belly, pigs head and lime terrine, patĂȘ, pickles, corriander, chilli and mayo ($12).
Smoked eggplant omelette

Their smoked eggplant omelette ($8) dish was sensational! Super smokey with corriander and pickled chilli. You need to order this!

I can't wait to go back to try their dinner offerings which includes a range of kushiyaki (dubbed as "sundown sticks") choices like chicken wings, pork belly, and octopus. Also, word is that there will be some secret surprises coming up for dinner in the near future.

Ramen Raff was invited by Rising Sun Workshop as a guest. 

Rising Sun Workshop
1C Whateley Street
Newtown NSW

Eatery hours:
Breakfast and Lunch open 7 days from 8am to 4pm
Dinner Thurs-Sat 6pm to 10pm


Rising Sun Workshop Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Monday, February 13, 2012

Las Vegas Eats - Part 1

What up awesome people? I’m back from my U.S trip and ready to share stories of my eating adventures. Those who follow me on twitter would have seen that I ate up a storm in Las Vegas. Vegas is not just a city filled with casinos and enormous hotels. It also has a vast number of eating joints scattered around. A lot of good restaurants are located within the vicinity of major hotels.  Since we were in America, we wanted to visit restaurants that offered American cuisine. Here are three of those that I enjoyed heaps:
  
Grand Lux Café

On our first night in Vegas, we wanted to go somewhere that would have a wide range of American cuisine. Luckily, The Venetian Hotel offers such a place that would please all foodies and visitors on a holiday in Vegas.





  
The Grand Lux CafĂ© is located in the casino area of the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas. The dĂ©cor reminds me a lot of the Cheesecake Factory and so does the menu.  One of their super friendly wait staff did confirm that they are in fact, The Cheesecake Factory’s (pretty) sister restaurant. The menu does look a little more high-end and the dĂ©cor is more Venetian-themed.

Strawberry lemonade

The strawberry lemonade is citrus and sweet. It’s a very refreshing and soothing beverage to have after a long walk in the Vegas strip.
Buffalo wings with blue cheese dip

We started with some buffalo wings with blue cheese dip. The hot sauce spiciness was very moderate in my opinion but could be spicier for others. The dip had a very potent blue cheese taste.
Barbecue chicken and ribs combo

Barbecue pork ribs with coleslaw and fries
Corn bread

I settled for the barbecue pork ribs (around US$22). It’s one of the best racks of ribs that I’ve had. It passed two categories in my ribtastic standard: 1. The barbecue sauce is smokey and slightly sweet; 2. The meat is juicy and tender. So tender that it falls off the bone. It came with three sides – cornbread, coleslaw and fries. It is the best coleslaw I’ve ever had. The coleslaw had creamy garlic mayo, which was almost like aioli. I was in pork ribs heaven!
Red velvet cake slice

The slice of red velvet cake serving was quite big. Two people could share this piece. The cake itself is very moist and velvety.
CrĂšme brulee duo
The crĂšme brulee duo was pretty good too.  It came with a classic vanilla and a deep chocolate brulee. Both brulees have a crispy sugar top. Once you dig in, it is hard to stop.

I loved all the food that I tried at the Grand Lux Café. Also, as expected, servings were big and quality was pretty good.


Serendipity 3
  
The first Serendipity restaurant located in New York City has been a popular eatery visited by celebrities such as Oprah and Tom Cruise. Now a branch has opened in Las Vegas, right in front of Caesar’s Palace. Apparently, celebrities such as the Kardashian sisters and Holly Madison visit the Vegas branch too.


I can see why celebrities frequent Serendipity 3. The place has a very vibrant look and atmosphere and the food is great.  It is all you need to have an awesome dining experience. Just sitting there makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The menu on the other hand got me excited.

The mac and cheese (US$14) was full of cheesy goodness. It was topped with panko crust and contains some essence of aromatic truffles. The extra pancetta added extra awesomeness to this classic dish. I could eat this all day!

The Margherita pizza (US$14) is one of the best thin crust pizzas I’ve had. It also folds and has a bottom that shows evidence that it was truly cooked on hot stone.  The dough was hand tossed and ingredients used are of high quality.
Deep fried oreos and ice cream dessert

The main event of our Serendipity 3 experience is the big serving of deep fried oreos & ice cream dessert (US$15).  It had deep fried oreos, cookies & cream ice cream, hut fudge and marshmallow sauce. This deep fried dessert is both amazeballz and awesome! It was mind and taste buds boggling! The oreo innards were soft and creamy surrounded by crispy and tasty batter.  I miss it already.

If you ever visit Serendipity 3, make sure that you leave some space for the deep fried oreos and ice cream dessert.


Holstein’s Shakes and Buns
  



I found this particular burger joint whilst searching for the best burgers in Las Vegas through Yelp.  As it was highly rated, I added it to my Vegas wish list. It is a mod American burger joint that takes old school milkshakes and burgers to a whole new level. They use fusion of flavours to create new types of exciting burgers and shakes. Even the place itself looks very funky and contemporary. It is located inside the new Cosmopolitan Hotel (right next to the Bellagio and across Planet Hollywood hotel)

For future reference, they do take bookings during weekdays/nights. The staff was very attentive and accommodating.  Unfortunately as the food was pretty filling, there was no room for shakes.
Crispy pork belly bun
We started with the crispy pork belly bun (US$9). The succulent pork belly is wrapped in Chinese steamed bun with hoisin sauce, cucumber and pea shots.  The bun was perfectly cooked and the pork is juicy good.
Truffle lobster 'mac and cheese'
The truffle lobster ‘mac and cheese’ (US$16.50) tasted as good as the name sounds. Well-balanced flavours of creamy tallegio-mascarpone sauce with maine lobster and black truffle.
The gold standard


They call my burger, the gold standard (US$17.50). I can understand why this dry aged beef sirloin burger with smoked bacon, aged goat cheddar cheese, tomato confit, baby arugula and garlic-chive aioli was given such a name. The taste is gold rated!
'The rising sun'
Our cousin shared her burger called ‘the rising sun’ (US$16.50) with us. My whole brain started to rise to sunshine of happiness with my first bite. It is also called the rising sun because it is a Japanese inspired burger. It’s a Kobe beef burger with teriyaki glaze, nori furikake, crispy yam, spicy mayo (which wasn’t that spicy) and tempura avocado.
  
All three eateries were all American and all tasty. But, it’s the modern twist and flavour fusion that made it amazing. Check them out if ever you are visiting Las Vegas in the near future.

  
Grand Lux Café
The Venetian Hotel
3355 South Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109,
(702) 733-7411
  
Serendipity 3
Ceasar’s Palace
3570 Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109, United States
(702) 731-7373

Holstein’s Shakes and Buns
3708 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 698-7940

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Pasticceria Papa

It was my first ever visit to Haberfield and l loved it! I was diggin' the retro Italian/Aussie suburban vibe of the area. One of the best things about Haberfield is that it is home to the renowned Pasticceria Papa.




Pasticceria Papa is a Cafe/Patisserie located on Ramsay Street that sells a wide range of beautiful pastries, bread and one of the best cheesecakes in town! The place feels and looks as retro and classic as the area. 






I was so overwhelmed & in awe of the exquisite display of pastries and cakes. But there was one particular cake that Mrs Ramen Raff and I were determined to have. It is none other than their baked ricotta cheesecake.

Whole ricotta cheesecake

A slice of the ricotta cheesecake



We first heard about the popular baked ricotta cheesecake from our friend the G-Man and later, from other bloggers. It did live up to its hype. The ricotta cheesecake is covered with a pastry-like crust. The use of ricotta takes the cheesecake experience to a whole different level of marvel. A slice is quite heavy (even for me) but the taste is amazing and the texture is smooth.


Nocciola gelato
I'm a big fan of gelatos and I could not resist the sight of displayed gelatos. I picked the nocciola (hazelnut) gelato. The taste stays true to the name . It was milky, creamy, and full of real hazelnut goodness! 


Ricotta cannoli


Their ricotta cannoli is now my favourite canoli. The shell was perfectly crunchy and the ricotta filling was amazing. It was pure indulgence and awesomeness in a shell! The sprinkled crushed almond nuts added an extra crunchy texture that made the canoli more exciting to munch on.


If you haven’t been to Pasticceria Papa, then you better head there soon! Warning: a bite of their baked ricotta cheesecake will get you hooked. My afternoon tea at Pasticceria Papa was very yummy for my tummy! How’s yours?
Pasticceria Papa
145 Ramsay Street
Haberfield NSW 2045
(02) 9798 6894
Opening Hours
Mon-Fri 8:00am to 6:00pm
Saturday 7:30am to 5:00pm
Sunday 7:30am to 1:00pm