My kind of Japanese Restaurant

Teriyaki Boy, in the leafy suburb of Balmain in the inner west is definitely one of the best kept secret Japanese Restaurant in Sydney. Discreet with a quaint ambience, you will feel the homely environment as you walk in, their attentive and great staff will greet you, especially Miko, who has been the lead waitress over the years. This all Japanese team,  is run by husband and wife. Their culinary skills brings the flavour of Japan to Sydney and is simply divine. The presentation, taste, aroma and ingredients used are very Japanese in flavour - the real art of cooking. I have been all over Sydney on a quest for true Japanese taste, like my home stay "Okasan's" (mother's) cooking in Japan, then I found this place.

Amongst my favourite dishes are:
Steamed crab meat "shomai" with light sauce and mustard for dipping.
Sashimi and Sushi platter. Sydney's freshest and highest quality seafood.
The vinegar flavour and texture of the sushi rice, "shari" are just perfect.
Very important for a good sushi. Not over powering and not sweet either. 

                                                                       

steamed crab meat

sashimi & sushi platter

Other dishes that I enjoy are agedashi tofu(best "tensuyo" sauce ever), bento box - best value meal, salmon carpaccio, beef tataki, wafu steak and shogayaki, all are highly recommended.

They are BYO, so you can bring your favorite white or red to go with their delightful menu.

Teriyaki Boy
481 Darling St.
Balmain NSW

Now, it's your turn, do you have a favorite Japanese food? Or favorite Japanese restaurant?     

Tiny Temptations - A Gallery of Fabulously Faux Food

As a foodie, I thought I will include this You Tube clip of this gallery of Fabulously Faux Food. 
They are so tiny that if they're real then they must be good for the 
figure. No need for dieting.

Party with a Peking Duck

When I visited Hong Kong a few years ago, a friend of mine who lives there invited me for dinner. He kept telling me about how he loved the peking duck at this restaurant, which turned out to be their specialty.

The restaurant was fully packed when we arrived. The floor manager led us to our reserved table, then a  waitress immediately served us with Chinese tea. For me, a cold beer would compliment the humidity outside. I was so happy to see Foster's beer, visible in their see-through beer fridge.

While I was gulping and appreciating the yeasty taste of my beer, I've noticed my friend  was placing the orders without looking at the menu to the waitress. Apparently for regular patrons of the restaurant, they just order what they want to munch and the chef will be happy to cook it for them. Now that's really handy.

Just after I finished my beer, the first dish arrived. One big plate came with square cut peking duck skin(crispy), underneath were prawn crackers. Next to it was the sauce, hoisin sauce, and a  plate of evenly cut cucumber and spring onion sticks. Another plate was the Chinese pancakes.

My friend showed me the step by step, on how to tackle our first dish of peking duck. It looked easy for me being used of preparing Japanese california rolls. Almost the same principle I guessed.

The second course of the peking duck experience, was the duck's meat cooked with soft noodles, chow mein, in a light sauce. I must admit it was the most exquisite peking duck that I have eaten.

So here's what to do, place one of the wrappers on a plate, plop the skin together with cucumber and spring onion and smear on some sauce. Roll the whole thing and enjoy. Easy!

Peking duck is an interesting eating experience. I have tried few times serving it at home, to surprise my guests. As much as I like the intricate preparation time and serving dishes at my dinner parties, I have come to realise that sometimes, I like short cuts. This way I can spend more time with my guests, and less in the kitchen.

In words plain and simple, here are some short cut suggestions on what you need for serving a peking duck. (Serves 4)

• 1 x whole peking duck from Chinatown barbecue shops in your local area, but if there is no Chinatown, I selected this link for preparing a peking duck. You can also politely ask the shop owner/chef to dissect the duck so you can get them in the right sizes. 
• 1 x packet of Chinese pancakes, available from the Chinese bbq shops or tortilla from a deli shops
• Hoisin sauce/dark sauce, available from the Chinese bbq shops or from an Asian grocery store.
• Lebanese cucumber, spring onions(stalk) , both cut in the same length.

That simple, try it and have a lovely Peking duck party.