Foodie Friday: Nakiryu - Tokyo's Second Michelin Starred Ramen Restaurant

#nonhalalpost

So for my trip to Tokyo this year, not just one but then, I managed to experience two distinctive ramen restaurants that are awarded with a prestigious Michelin Star. The first one is Tsuta (click here) and the second one is this one - Nakiryu, which I am going to elaborate further in this post. 

#1: Nakiryu - World's Second Michelin Starred Ramen Restaurant

Frankly speaking, I know nothing about Nakiryu until my travel partner brought me here. He does the planning, and I just follow cause I'm not the type of traveler that will roaming further just for the sake of food adventures, unless I happen to be in the nearby neighbourhood. And because of its location sat on the non-touristic area, no surprise I wasn't aware of this ramen restaurant at all.

So which dish of Nakiryu causing it to receive the coveter French honor? It's their signature "Tantanmee", a kind of noodle inspired from Chinese Sichuan served in spicy broth and yet, it's so delicious and rich in flavours. And guess what, a bowl of this signature Tantanmee cost only 850 yen (approx. to RM31) which is slightly cheaper than the famous chain restaurant of Ichiran, or even Ippudo.  

#2: Open kitchen with 10-seater bar

Similar to Tsuta, Nakiryu is a typical small Japanese restaurant houses with 10-seater bar. When we went for the very first time, luck wasn't on our side cause we're late and it closed. Hence, we decided to come back again during the dinner time. We arrived 30 minutes earlier before its opening time at 6pm and glad that we're among the first batch to get into the restaurant. The process of ordering ramen is alike most regular ramen shops - purchase a ticket from the vending machine inside the shop. However, I encounter difficulty when ordering it as there is no English menu available but with the help of the boyfriend, I told him my ultimate choice would be none other than the signature menu which is the "Tantanmee".

#3: The signature "Tantanmee" in a spicy broth topped with minced pork (850 yen)

#4: Also the signature "Tantanmee" but with additional topping - charshu (braised pork) - cost 1,050 yen

My choice - Tsuta or Nakiryu? I choose the latter one - okay, I have to be honest I'm biased cause I love spicy food more. Although Nakiryu is famed for its spicy noodle, the boyfriend who has lower tolerance to spicy food, he approved this ramen and turns out to be his favourite one too. The  texture of the handmade thin noodles are so chewy and springy at the right level. And with its spicy broth mixed with peanuts (do take note if you are allergic to nuts) making it is undeniably creamy, rich and packed with flavours, oh boy - this is the real definition of a perfect bowl of happiness. 

Unfortunately, each patron is only allowed to order one bowl of ramen for the convenience of other customers who are in the queue. But don't worry cause you are allowed to add noodle (kaedama). 

#5: Nakiryu instant noodle - available in any 7-eleven. But of course, dining at the restaurant itself would be better. 

HOW TO GET TO NAKIRYU

The most closest station is Otsuka under JR Yamanote Loop Line and 5 minutes walk on the south exit of the station; or
Under Tokyo Metro Line, alight at Shin-Otsuka Station and get off Exit 1. Walk until you see the traffic light and across it to MiniStop convenience store. Keep walking and turn left for first junction and Nakiryu at the end of the building. 

Opening Hours: 11:30 am to 3:00 pm 

                           6:00 pm to 9:00 pm 

Be sure to get there at least an hour before the opening time cause I came across someone ranted that they waited for almost 2 hours.

READ ALSO: Tsuta - World's First Michelin Starred Ramen Restaurant

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Foodie Friday: Hello Stranger Cafe, Kota Kinabalu

READ HERE: List of Lifestyle Cafes in Kota Kinabalu

One thing I'm looking forward for a cafe nowadays is not just a cup of good and hot coffee but also the one that serves variety of food to choose from the menu. Especially when I'm looking for my late lunch after passing the lunch hour time and need coffee so badly. Kinda addicted to coffee lately. Seems like can't survive my day without a single cup of hot coffee. 

And that's where I found Hello Strangers Cafe which turns out to be one of my favourite cafes in Kota Kinabalu recently.



Situated at the ground floor of The Riverson which is not far away from KKians favourite mall of Imago, it serves an interesting Asian fusion cuisines which inspired from Japanese, Vietnamese and Western foods.

Without waiting any longer, here are some of the food which I savour before from my countless visits to Hello Strangers cafe:

#1: Chicken Katsu Curry (RM17.90). 

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The Japanese curry is packed with flavours and not too spicy. Suitable for those who don't really into spicy food. 

#2: Teriyaki chicken served with rice and topped with a sunny side up egg (RM15.90).
Another Japanese dishes I love but I prefer them to use boneless chicken.


#3: Butter Chicken Linguine (RM15.90)

#4: Viet cold noodle salad with chicken (RM15.90).
This one a bit disappointed; not as per stated as their menu where served with vermicelli noodles, they gave me rice instead.

#5: Teriyaki Chicken Banh Mi (RM15.90). Available in beef too (RM17.90)


#6: Viet Summer Roll with Chicken serve with mint and peanut dipping sauce (RM11)

From wide selection of rices and noodles to Banh Mi (Vietnamese kind of sandwiches) and even spring rolls, sometimes it's indeed giving me a hard time to choose what I wanna eat from their menu eventhough I've been here like many times. Majority of the food served are flavourful and scrumptious and that's what make me coming back for more. Perhaps for my next visit, I would love to try dishes like Thai Basil Chicken, Japanese Chicken Curry Udon, Oyakadon Chicken and more.

Price wise, perhaps some of you might think it's kinda pricey but I found out that this is what most of the cafes in KK are charging at; price for a single meal cost between RM15 to RM25 depending on your preferred choice like chicken would be cheaper than the seafood dishes.

Besides main meals, they do serve cakes as well but I decided to skip it cause I found it's kinda average and slightly unappealing to me. You know when they said appearance does matter and it does apply to food too. Probably next time when I don't feel like wanna have something heavy but something light instead, then maybe I could consider it. 

#7: Everything gets better with a cup of hot coffee. My fav; either Cafe Mocha or Hazelnut Latte to kick off my day. 

Hello Strangers Cafe
B-2, The Walk Riverson,
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday (8.30 am to 6pm)
                             Saturday & Sunday (11am to 6pm)

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2017 Australia: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney

If you are planning to visit Sydney and intending to get up close and personal with Australian wildlife, there are few choices to cater your need and preference such as Taronga Zoo, Wild Life Sydney and Featherdale Wildlife Park. After read through all the comments and feedbacks, I decided to go ahead with my choice - visit Featherdale Wildlike Park. 

Situated 45 minutes drive away from outside Sydney, Featherdale Wildlife Park is a zoo specialised in Australian native wildlifes, birds and reptiles in an outdoor bush setting. Here, you can meet and pat koala, hand-feed the kangaroos and wallabies and loads more. 

Featherdale won the best Major Tourist Attraction award in 2005 and 2009. Not just that, many famous and popular superstars have dropped by here as well, including Leornado DiCaprio, Will Smith, Gwen Stefani, Kristen Steward and Taylor Lautner (the two main stars of Twilight Saga film series), Robert De Niro, Matt Damon and more. 

There are more than 1,700 mammals, birds and reptiles can be found here but for me, the must-seen animals are kookaburra, southern hairy-nosed wombats and of course, wallabies, kangaroos and koalas. 

Another of my favourite area - Guards of the night. Lately, I'm quite obsessed with owls or known as fukurou in Japanese. I found out they are so adorable and fascinating especially with their big eyes. Do you know that owl symbolises wisdom and luck in many countries?

Eastern grass owl species


So adorable lah!

We even spotted Little Penguin - the smallest of all penguin species with standing at 40-45cm tall and weighing up to 1kg. 

The timetable for respective animals presentation

The wallabies and kangaroos were roaming freely around their enclosure and therefore, you can grab this opportunity to get up close, pet and even hand-feed them. But do bear in mind to feed them with their own food only. You can buy a cup of kangaroo food for AU$1 only.

As for the personal koala encounter, it's not free by the way. Starting from AU$25, you will get the chance to meet, pet and photoshooting with the fluffy koala. Of course, we're not allowed to cuddle it like what I did in Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary of Brisbane (post here) but this is definitely a must-do experience during our Assie stay. No bookings is required and we simply bought from the counter upon reaching there. We're even allowed to use our own handphones and cameras but of course, we need to pay first before we do so. Win-win situation, right.

After spending for almost three hours around this wildlife park, we had a rest at a park nearby the cafe before we left.

Despite the fact that Featherdale Wildlife Park is quite distance away from the city center comparing to Taronga Zoo which is much more closer, but I tend to prefer here due to fewer crowds and the best part, I got to get more closer with the wildlife. 

HOW TO GET TO HERE

From the city, take the North Shore and Western line to Blacktown Station. Get off and head to the bus station which is located just outside for the bus #729 at Bus Stand E. A 10-minute bus ride and you will reach right outside of Featherdale's gates. You can use Sydney Opal card throughout the journey. 

Opening Hours: 8am to 5pm daily
For the latest info of the admission fee, check out here.

Date Visited: 27th May 2017

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2017 Australia: From Melbourne to Sydney & Places of Interest in Sydney

Day 1: Landed Melbourne and wandered around Melbourne CBD

Day 2: Riding on the Puffing Billy train 

Day 3: Road-tripping to Great Ocean Road

Day 4: Continue road trip to Mornington Peninsula and return to Melbourne CBD

As for the day 5, right after we had our breakfast in Naughty Boy Cafe, we went back to our apartment in order to pack and get ready to the airport. It's time to hit Sydney, again! Yes, again for the third time. They said the third time is the charm and I'm absolutely agreed on this. Why? I will share more on the next few blog post. 

FROM MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY 
Once again, we hired taxi straight to the airport from our apartment since each of us was carrying huge luggage with us. In case you are not pressed by time, you can consider to travel from Melbourne to Sydney via road by self-drive which takes about 8 to 9 hours, or even by train where the travelling time is around 12 hours. Due to limited of time, my friends and I can only opted to travel via plane. There are four airlines provide services from Melbourne to Sydney directly; Jetstar, Tigerair, Virgin Australia and Qantas. So far, I found Jetstar offers the cheaper deal and we got AU$97 for one way trip from Melbourne to Sydney, including 20kg of baggage allowance.

HOW TO GET TO SYDNEY CITY FROM AIRPORT
Sydney Airport is one of the airport that is super close to the city center. Situated around 9km south of the city centre in Southern Sydney, one can either travel via suburban train, local bus, shuttle bus or taxi. Previously I took airport train heading to Central Station that cost AU$12.60 per person, but considering this time around travelled with a group of four, I think it's best to take taxi straight to our hotel and our total fare cost us AU$63 by end of the trip. Divided into four, each of us roughly paid around AU$15.75 which is not that bad at all.

OUR STAY IN SYDNEY

We touched down Sydney Airport in early evening and from there, we took taxi to Lido Suites Kings Cross - the hotel we're staying throughout our visit in Sydney. It's a boutique hotel with a studio apartment-style which comes with kitchenette with microwave, glass wear and utensils. Location wise, it's short walking distance to Kings Cross station and surrounded by restaurants, bars, night clubs and supermarket. 

Date Stayed: 24th - 28th May 2017 (4 nights)

Room Rate: RM346 per night for a studio room without breakfast. But because I redeemed using points, so a room cost RM235 per night only. (Booked via Agoda)

Additional Info:
In case you are travelling with a tight budget, you can consider staying in Malaysia Hall Sydney - a Malaysian student's accommodation hall which owned by the Malaysian government but then, it's also open to those who are not students. Just that you need to check with them whether is there any vacant room on your travelling dates.

BEST PLACES OF INTEREST IN SYDNEY

Sydney is compact city and can be navigated around easily, with most places of interest within walkable distances from each other. It has been recognised as one of the world's most beautiful and liveable cities. That's explain why I never get bored even after my third visit to this state capital of New South Wales. Here are the few places of interest in Sydney which you should explore and experience if you are planning to go Sydney for the very first time. 

Put the right shoe on and get ready to explore Sydney!

1) Soaking up the sun in Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is one of the most popular beach in Sydney where you can visit all year round, regardless whether it's during spring, summer, autumn or even winter. The main highlight of Bondi Beach is the Bondi Icebergs Pool tucked in beach's south side. Open to the public all year round, this pool has been a historical landmark of Bondi Beach for more than 100 years. You shouldn't miss this place when going here. 

It's funny where my friends and I were in fully covered - we wore long sleeves and long pants while the rest of the visitors were in their hot pants and sexy bikini instead.

How To Get To Bondi Beach:

From Central Station, take a suburban train on the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line (stopping on Platform 24) bound for Bondi Junction and get off at Bondi Junction station. At Bondi Junction, find the bus signboard and wait at B stand of the connecting bus terminal and hop on the bus #333. After about 10 minutes ride, get off at Campbell Pde Nr Hall St (right in front of Noah's Backpacker) and the beach will be on your right side. 

2) Sydney Fish Market for fresh seafood galore

Frankly speaking, I don't into seafood but if I don't pay a visit to Sydney Fish Market, it's a sin to me. Sydney Fish Market is the largest market of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and the world's second largest seafood market in terms of variety outside of Japan. This is where you should head to if you are looking for the best seafood in Sydney. I went here twice for lunch break but of course, it's best to come early to get the freshest catch of the day. And also to beat the crowd especially after 10am onward. 

Donut or sushi? Well, it's a doshi - taste like a sushi but shaped in a donut style.

Unlike our own local market back in Malaysia, Sydney Fish Market is incredibly clean, dry and even equipped with plenty of tables and chairs for the visitors to sit down and enjoy the fresh and juicy seafood on spot. My friends and I ordered the ready cooked seafood platters to share. 

We ordered ready cooked seafood platter - comes with grilled scallops, oyster, BBQ baby octopus, king prawns, calamari rings and fries. We even added on cheese lobster which is a must try for seafood lovers. All these for AU$68 (approx. to RM222)

How To Get To Sydney Fish Market:

Light Rail Fish Market stop which is located across the road from the market.
General Opening Hours: 7am to 4.30pm

3) Dropping by Paddy's Market and Chinatown

Paddy's Market is one of my favourite spot to be in Sydney - simply because for souvenirs shopping. Shopping always plays a major part of my trips but I don't shop at factory outlet mall, I prefer to shop at the marketplace instead. In Paddy's Market, you can find an eclectic array of goods such as souvenirs, clothes and other stuffs. Here, the souvenirs items are much more cheaper than Melbourne's Queen Victoria Market. So now you know where to go if looking to buy lots of souvenirs for family and friends in Sydney. 

Located in front of Paddy's Market is the hustle and bustle of Sydney's Chinatown. It is a colourful mixture of Asian culture, cuisine and shopping. The area's distinctly oriental architecture, street lanterns and archways confirm it as a showpiece for Australian Chinese culture. On every Friday night, there is a night market operating from 4pm until 11pm.

How To Get To Paddy's Market & Sydney's Chinatown:

Both are an easy 15-minutes walk from Central Railway station. Or, you can take light rail service operates from Central to Haymarket.

4) Ferry ride for Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House

Sydney is also home to the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, two of the most iconic structures on the planet. There are many ways and places where you can view these two well-known landmarks but for me, I would recommend to take the ferry ride. The ferry trip is an ideal introduction to Sydney's harbourside. It's like hitting two birds using one stone - enjoy the ferry ride and at the same time, taking stunning and spectacular view of Harbour Bridge and and Sydney Opera House.  

Where To Catch The Ferry Ride:
You can catch the ferry from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay or vice versa

5) Admiring the Historical Buildings & Architecture 

Sydney possesses a wide array of beautiful historical and old architectural style. It also has a large amount of Victorian buildings which are standing strong and still until today, such as Sydney Town Hall and the Queen Victoria Building. The Queen Victoria Building is one of the excellent example of British colonial influences on Australian architecture. 

Sydney Town Hall

6) Cafe Culture for Breakfast 

While Australia's cafe culture may have its roots in Melbourne, Sydney has truly taken up the joys of producing a good cup of coffee and mouthwatering pastries. Most of the cafes are independent and locally owned. Just like when we're in Melbourne, we never missed a single chance to pay visit at least one or two cafes for our morning breakfast. I came across two most-recommended cafes from the Instagram; which are Black Star Pastry in Newtown and Bourke Street Bakery in Surry Hills. 

The main signature of Black Star Pastry is Strawberry Watermelon cake. One slice cost AU$8 and for your information, it is one of the most Instragrammable cakes ever. 

One cake is never enough. Hence, we ordered another Raspberry Lychee cake.



There are three outlets in Sydney currently:
Black Star Pastry - Newtown
Newtown Station under the line of T2 Inner West & South Line
Opening Hours: 7am to 5pm daily

Black Star Pastry - Books Kinokuniya (CBD)
The Galeries Level 2, 500 George St, Sydney.
Opening Hours: 10am to 6.30pm (Mon to Wed, Fri & Sat), 10am to 7.30 (Thu) and 11am to 6pm (Sun)

Black Star Pastry - Roseberry 
C1 85-113 Dunning Ave, Rosebery, NWS 2018
Opening Hours: 8am to 3pm (Mon to Fri) and 8am to 4pm (Sat & Sun)

From humble beginning in Surry Hills, Bourke Street Bakery has grown to become one of Sydney's most iconic food destinations. When we stepped into this bakery shop, we're indeed having hard time of which pastries to choose from, cause each and every of them are equally mouthwatering and delicious. From refined bread to tarts, croissants, cookies, cakes and even sweet and savoury pastries, you will be spoilt for choice. Don't forget to pair with a nice and hot cup of coffee to start your beautiful day too. 

Bourke Street Bakery - Surry Hills
633 Bourke St, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia
Opening Hours: 7am to 6pm (Mon to Fri), 7am to 5pm (Sat & Sun)

7) Day Trip to Blue Mountains for The Three Sisters & Scenic World
 

Spare a day in Sydney to explore and experience Blue Mountains. This World Heritage listed wilderness area is located about two hours away from the west of Sydney, hence it is advisable to plan your journey well. Home to the Three Sisters rock formation, stop at Echo Point Lookout for the best and dramatic view over the deep valley through gouged out over millions of years.


The fun doesn't stop there. You can continue by taking the Scenic World's three thrilling rides; Scenic Skyway - the highest cable car in Australia, Scenic Railway - world's steepest passenger train and Scenic Cablecar - Australia's biggest cable car.  

Check out my post on Blue Mountains (Echo Point/Three Sisters & Scenic World).

How To Get To Blue Mountains:

From Central Station, take Cityrail Blue Mountain Line. Any train with the destinations "Lithgow", "Katoomba" or "Mount Victoria". Hop off at Katoomba Station. Catch local bus #686 from the bus stop in front of Carrington Hotel. The bus will stop at Echo Point/Three Sisters and Scenic World. 

GET AROUND SYDNEY USING OPAL CARD

Implemented in 2014, Sydney Opal card is a touch-and-go contactless card that you can preload with any value, very similar to our Malaysia's Touch 'n Go card. This card can be used on all modes of public transport including commuter rail, bus, light rail and ferry too. I'm not really sure how the fares are calculated but what I know there is a daily cap of AU$15 for each day, except for Sunday which the daily cap is AU$2.50. Therefore, try to grab this advantage by using Opal Card to visit Blue Mountains on Sunday cause the fares being charged are AU$2.50 only.

Guess what! Except for the cafe culture, I did and explore all the places of interest as mentioned above TWICE! I'm kidding not. This is because three of my friends visited Sydney for the very time and therefore, I indirectly became their tour guide to lead them the way.

So, anyone interested to hire me as your personal tour guide? 

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