Cookbookmaniac
  • Gumshara – This broth is so hearty, it is going to give me a heart attack!
    Asian Restaurant Reviews

    "Hey Pizzaboy, I'm thinking I might do a theme". "Uh oh... like what?" "My search for the best ramen in Sydney" "Ok! I'm in. Where are we going!" You may have read about how Pizzaboy and I discovered and fell in love with Tonkotsu Ramen in Japan. Ever since our return we have realised that there are many ramen restaurants throughout Sydney. It was just a matter of getting out there and finding the one that calls out my name and says to me "I am the one". According to Time Out Sydney, Gumshara is one of the top 5 noodle places in Sydney. That is a very bold statement. Sydney is a city that has seen waves of immigration and now has so many authentic places to dine at, whittling the list to just five seems impossible and unfathomable. "We're going to Gumshara". "Whatshara? Gaa Gaa?" "They boil down…

  • Chat Thai – Street Food in a Little Shop
    Chat Thai – Street Food in a Little Shop
    Asian Restaurant Reviews

    "Amy, where are you going to eat this Friday?" "Dunno... you wanna come?" "Yeah. Do I have to pay?" "Errr. I have a bottomless stomach. Not a bottomless wallet!" Bunnifar is my younger sister, by nine years. I hate to admit that she has me wrapped around her little finger. I cannot bear to see her sad, and will do anything to see her happy. Spoilt, she is not. Well looked after by 5 big sisters, yes she is. When she doesn't get what she wants from one sister, she moves on to the next. Sometimes she'll get what she wants, five times over! All of this done with the innocence of a youngest sister, despite being 21 years of age. We both decide to visit Chat Thai. It resembles a well-dressed hole-in-the-wall. Like many super busy asian eateries, they do not take reservations. You simply turn up, write your…

  • Monte Carlo Reception – Celebrating 30 Years in Australia
    Asian Restaurant Reviews

    I was only 10 days old when my parents escaped war-torn Vietnam in 1979. They, along with half of our hometown, Camau (located on the southern tip of South Vietnam), jumped on boats and made the brave and dangerous journey towards freedom. After Ho Chi Minh took power and the threat of communism was fast becoming a way of life, my parents (and many others) were sent to re-education camps because they were of Chinese-descent. Almost everything that was worth building a future with was taken away from them, for fear of a revolt. My parents had to sell their precious belongings to a black market to feed their 5 daughters. Brave, but full of fear, they boarded strung-together boats to look for safer shores, leaving behind memories of atrocities that were never spoken of ever again. I am not quite sure how long the journey took, but we made…