Chicken Noodling: Touhenboku

Being back in Toronto is great. I love the city - there's great food, it's busy, tonnes of traffic during rush hour, and the food is delicious. Did I mention that food is good in Toronto?

I picked up my blogging buddy from downtown this one Friday evening and we decided to go out for ramen. While there were many options to choose from, we had little time to spare (for waiting in queue), so we opted to go to Touhenboku Ramen. The limited street parking was a mild inconvenience but we found ourselves a table as soon as we entered the restaurant.

In actuality, this was our second visit to Touhenboku since its grand opening. Their claim to fame is Chef Zuimei's special chicken-based ramen broth (as opposed to the typical pork- or miso-based broths).

Spicy (RED) Touhenboku Ramen ($10.50 CAD)

Tiffany loves a good kick to her food. It was only natural that she would pick the only spicy option on the menu. She opted for a spicy broth with sea salt, thick noodles, and chicken chashu. The ramen came topped with a soft-boiled egg, some wood ear mushrooms, green onions, and a sheet of seaweed. Tiffany said that it good but not particularly memorable...

Ramen Down-Under: Ippudo Sydney

Ramen was on the uptick in Toronto thanks to the booming successes of Kinton Ramen, Momofuku, Sansotei, amongst others. Still, prior to my departure from my hometown, Ippudo had yet to grace our mediocre metropolis with their fine Japanese ramen. Having missed Ippudo in my last visit to NYC, the discovery of its presence in Sydney was a welcome surprise. Located on the 5th floor of the Westfield Sydney, this upbeat ramen shop buzzes with activity. The line of hungry customers in front of the restaurant is a long-standing fixture.

Manly Fish: Garfish

It was a breezy Friday morning in Sydney and the office was ever so slightly, less busy than a regular day. My coworkers and I found ourselves short of work with no fires to put out. With no better use of our time, we decided to hop onto a ferry out from Circular Quay to the sandy beach of Manly. We came across the Garfish Seafood Restaurant and were delighted to find that it served some of the freshest seafood around Sydney. Located in the gorgeous beach-side suburb of Manly, it also boasted a spectacular view of the marina.

Friday Dinner: Pai Northern Thai Kitchen

Last Friday, I finally visited Pai when I dropped by for an early dinner after work.  It was a quick 10 minute walk to the restaurant and we arrived around 5:45PM.  Although it was a bit early for dinner, I am glad we decided to go early as many tables were reserved and a small crowd started to form at the doorway around 6PM.

The entrance to the restaurant is definitely very unique and you probably wouldn't know it's a restaurant if you were just walking by.  Upon opening the door, you see a staircase going down to the basement- the dining area is dimly lit but it is quite spacious.  

N2 Extreme Gelato

Using liquid nitrogen to create creamy, smooth ice cream is not a particularly new concept to the world. In fact, the method may have been suggested as early as 1901 by an Englishwoman named Agnes B. Marshall. Nevertheless, N2 Extreme Gelato may very well be one of the first attempts to bring the concept to reality on the streets of Sydney.