Attention ramen lovers: Ippudo in Central Park Sydney is officially opening this week on Thursday October 2nd! I was lucky enough to be invited to dine there last week before their Grand Opening to taste what they had to offer. I was told that the menu at Central Park would include both their famous signature dishes as well as some new specials.

For entrees,  we shared both the "Ippudo Gyozas w/ chilli oil" and the "Japanese style Fish and Chips ($14)".The battered salmon fillet was cooked perfectly and had a nice pink tinge. The dish was also served with two signature sauces. I found the spicy chilli sauce was best with the deep fried salmon whereas we mopped up the Japanese Mayo with the crispy seasoned chips. The dish was also served with a deep fried battered flavoured egg to add to the Japanese influence of the dish. Mhmm yolk porn...


We delightfully devoured the lightly pan-fried "Ippudo Gyozas" dipping them in the accompanying fragrant chilli sauce.


Although we are big fans of their signature Akamaru ramen dish we both decided to  try other ramen dishes on offer. I opted with the "Tori Shoyu Special ($23)" which is their original chicken broth ramen topped with chashu chicken,  menma, leeks, naruto and nori and with the "special" it is served with a side plate of flavoured egg, simmered pork belly, roasted seaweed, flavoured black mushrooms, flavoured bamboo shoots and spring onions. I felt like this dish had it all; I had the best of both worlds with the chashu chicken and the melt-in-your mouth pork belly and the chicken broth (blended with special bonito extract) was a lot lighter which allowed me to down the entire dish with no problem (that and because I am a fatty).

Left: Tori Shoyu Special Ramen with all the toppings 
Right: Side plate of flavoured egg, simmered pork belly, roasted seaweed, flavoured black mushrooms, flavoured bamboo shoots and spring onions

J ordered the Ippudo Miso Tonkotsu Special ($25) which is a pork broth ramen flavoured with miso and topped with pork belly chashu, menma, shallots, corn kernels, bean sprouts, and also served with the extra plate of toppings. The miso blended well with their flavoursome signature pork broth and their noodles were on point (we always choose the option of hard noodles whenever we dine at Ippudo; so much better!)


Special thanks to Sana Motoyama and the team at SD marketing for the opportunity to dine at Ippudo Central Park. Ippudo is an excellent addition to other well known eating establishments at the very new Central Park district and the location is perfect for students attending the surrounding universities and colleges near by. The restaurant was very spacious in comparison to the Westfield Sydney branch and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. I would definitely recommend dropping by after October 2nd to try both their old and new dishes they have to offer.





Ippudo Sydney  Central Park
Address: Level 1 RB07 (lower ground), 28 Broadway, Chippendale
Opening times: Mon - Wed: 11:00am-10:00pm,  Thurs - Sat:11:00am-11:00pm,   Sun: 11:00am-9:00pm
Website: http://www.ippudo.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ippudo.syd


Disclaimer: I was invited to dine at Ippudo Sydney courtesy of Ippudo Sydney and SD Marketing. This in no way affected my option, all opinions are my own. Please read my disclosure policy for further information.

Ever since we had our first dose of cronuts, we have been eager for another hit. Rather than heading up to Newtown, I've heard that there is a fairly new cafe in Parramatta  dishing out Brewtown Newtown's famous Brewnuts. (say that phrase fast 5 times =P)

The small cafe is located on the same road as Paper Planes Cafe and some seating inside and outside. I approached their mouthwatering pastry and sweets cabinet and saw that they were offering Brewtown's original cinnamon, chocolate and jam brewnuts. We couldn't resist the chocolate Brewnut with biscuit crumble on top.

The Brewnut was a bit of a let down in comparison to first cronut  we tried from The Grumpy Barista. It was a tad unappealing when see the a decent amount of oil seeping from the pastry as we cut into it however the pastry was still quite fluffy and moist.



We noticed some other unique eats on their menu such as The Bulgogi . Unfortunately, the waitress informed us that were sold out of their rolls and alternatively substituted the roll for a Turkish Bread. The sandiwch tasted fresh but we couldn't help wondering if it would've tasted better in the roll.




Badmanner Thymes Espresso
Address:1 Horwood Place  Parramatta, NSW 2150
Phone: 0406 860 288
Opening times: Mon - Fri: 6:30am-4:00pm, Sat:9:00am-4:00pm, Sun: CLOSED
Website: https://www.facebook.com/BadmannerParramatta

Similar to previous recipe posted for Banana Choc Stuffed Peanut Butter French Toast. The recipe is very versatile and can mix it up with different fillings and fruit to suit your taste


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of Almond Milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence 
•  ½ tablespoon of Stevia (or sweetener) 
• 2 slices of bread of choice

Filling

• 4 or 4 ripe strawberries 
• 50g of low fat cream cheese (or thick unflavoured/vanilla Greek yoghurt)
• Optional: Stevia or sweetener of choice depending on your sweet tooth
• Optional: add some unflavoured or vanilla protein powder

Method:

1. To prepare the filling, mix the cream cheese and Stevia in a bowl and then spread onto once slice of bread.
2. On the other slice of bread, layer the slices of strawberries and then  place the slice of bread with the cream cheese on top
3. Gently press together the edges of the crust to seal in the filling
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla essence and Steiva until well combined
5. Transfer the egg mixture to a shallow bowl. Dip the sandwich in the mixture making sure both sides are well coated.
6. Heat and oil a fry pan on low to medium heat. Fry both sides of the sandwich for about 2-3 minutes or until both sides have a nice brown colour. (Optional: For extra crunchiness, pop it under the grill for a further couple of minutes.)
7. Transfer to plate and drizzle with maple syrup and dust with some icing sugar for extra sweetness.

This recipe is perfect for those like myself who constantly have a sweet tooth no matter what time of the day, even in the morning (who says dessert is only after dinner?) Believe it or not, this recipe is actually healthy and great way to start the day.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of Almond Milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence ½ tablespoon of Stevia (or sweetener)
• 2 slices of bread of choice

Filling

• 1 large Banana, sliced
• 50g of low fat cream cheese (or thick unflavoured/vanilla Greek yoghurt)
• 1 tablespoon of Carob (or Cocoa Powder)
• 1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter (I only had crunchy)
• Optional: Stevia or sweetener of choice 
• Optional: add some unflavoured or chocolate protein powder for gym goers 

Method:

1. To prepare the filling, mix the cream cheese, peanut butter, carob powder and Stevia in a bowl and then spread onto once slice of bread.
2. On the other slice of bread layer the slices of banana and then place the slice of bread with the cream cheese on top
3. Gently press together the edges of the crust to seal in the filling
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla essence and Steiva until well combined
5. Transfer the egg mixture to a shallow bowl. Dip the sandwich in the mixture making sure both sides are well coated.
6. Heat and oil a fry pan on low to medium heat. Fry both sides of the sandwich for about 2-3 minutes or until both sides have a nice brown colour. (Optional: For extra crunchiness, pop it under the grill for a further couple of minutes.)
7. Transfer to plate and drizzle with maple syrup and dust with some icing sugar for extra sweetness.

Short and sweet post about my quick stop at The Grumpy Barista. Most of you would be aware of the current 'cronut' craze but The Grumpy Barista has taken it a step further and are serving them up injectable style. If you haven't seen some snaps of them check out their Facebook page or Urbanspoon! I stopped by Tuesday afternoon hoping to try one of these mouthwatering creations; from Instagram it looks like the days special was Oreo Crumble Cronut with injectable Nutella *salivating*. However, I've heard and read that many times people have come and they have sold out, so I was crossing my fingers they would still have some by the time I got there.


To my disappointment they didn't have any of the injectable cronuts but at least they still have a few left! I chose the Honey and Pistachio cronut, rather than the plain which was also remaining. The cronut was fluffy and crisp and surprisingly very light and not oily like other cronuts and doesn't leave you feeling like you have developed coronary artery disease. The custard filling was also very enjoyable and also masked the oiliness. Only criticism was that the Honey and Pistachio flavour was not pronounced.

I also noticed the staff were quite pushy  and not the friendliest and the cronut seemed like it was just plopped on the plate and sprinkled with a bit of pistachio.. maybe it was just a long day for them..
Nevertheless, I can guarantee I will be back  and hopefully next time get my hands on their infamous cronuts and try their food menu.



The Grumpy Barista

Spanish Chorizo Breakfast w/ juicy spanish chorizo sausages, free range poached eggs, sauteed mushrooms, olives, crumbed feta cheese and Roma tomatoes on grilled sourdough ($16) 



To wash it all down we had a Salted Caramel Gelato Milkshake. The milkshake was thick and creamy but could have done with some more of the 'salted' taste. They were nice enough to give an extra cup of the leftover milkshake which couldn't fit in the very cute milk bottle which it was served in.


Euforia Balmain East would be the place to go to escape the busy main street and enjoy a nice and quiet breakfast or lunch; you also get a decent view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  The corner cafe also seemed to be popular among the locals as I notice the friendly staff make casual conversation with passer-bys picking up their daily coffee and delicious pressed sandwiches for lunch.




Euforia Balmain East
Address: 58 Darling Street, Balmain East
Phone: 0420 849 863
Opening hours: Monday - Friday: 6:30am-2:00pm, Saturday - Sunday: 8:00am-2:00pm
Website: https://www.facebook.com/EuforiaEspresso