XO

Walking into XO feels like stepping into downtown Melbourne – the space is modern, fresh and very stylish. The menu is equally exciting, organised into starters, small and large plates, sides and desserts. We started with the bao ($8 each), which had the most incredibly fluffy texture and were served as burgers, rather than wrap-arounds. Co-owner Kent told us that he and the chef spent months perfecting the recipe, so that they stayed fresh upon service – I can confirm, they certainly do! The combination of the pickled daikon, the unctuous pork belly and the freshness of the cucumber was magical and set our palettes up for the rest of the night. Dish two was the steamed prawn and pork dumplings ($16, includes 4), served with the most delicious soy vinagrette – it had a perfect balance of spice, sweet and vinegar flavours and I may or may not have drunk the leftovers with my spoon. The dumpling filling was fresh and had great, distinct textures – I adore prawns in dumplings and could taste them loud and clear. Yum. My dish of the night was the Asian Bolognaise – fried udon served with a ragout and a 60 degree egg, this is comfort food at its best.

XO, 16 Iluka Street, Narrabundah ACT, http://www.xo-restaurant.com.au

Kuzuryu Soba

I have written a lot of posts about places in Kagurazaka, but this is a new one we discovered on this trip and I fell completely in love with it! We were wandering the backstreets and saw a small tour group beng led up the stairs into what looked like a traditional restaurant. After checking that a reservation wasn’t required, we took a seat inside and discovered that it was a soba restaurant, yay! The waiter was very patient with my Japanese and suggested we order a lunch set, so Mum had a mushroom soba and Dad and I both ordered the tempura set with tempura and kake soba (hot soba in a broth). The tempura was mostly vegetables and had a delicate, flaky batter which was nice and light. I particularly enjoyed the sweet potato piece, before getting stuck into my soba. The noodles were obviously made by hand – you could actually watch the chef slicing them – and were cooked to perfection. The broth had just the right amount of umami and wasn’t overly salty. The bowl was huge but I managed to finish all my noodles – I’ll definitely be back for another serving next time I’m in Tokyo.

Kuzuryu Soba, 3-3 Kagurazaka, Tokyo http://kuzuryu-soba.com/

Local Press

I usually stick to the breakfasty items on the menu at Local Press, but this visit was definitely at lunchtime, so I ventured into the actual lunch offerings. I was tempted by the kangaroo sirloin, but being a warm day decided for the cooler salad option – a soy ginger chicken and black sesame Vietnamese salad. The plate came out and I was impressed with the vibrant colours – getting stuck in, the salad was just as fresh as it looked. The snowpeas, capsicum and broccoli were all lovely and crisp, enhanced by the fresh mint and basil and rounded off with a good kick of chilli. The noodles were a bit underdone for my taste, although it made them easy to pick up, and I loved the fresh, tangy flavour of the vinegary sauce. The black sesame and cashews added flavour hits, but the star of the dish was the chicken – beautifully tender and packed full of flavour, these pieces were plentiful and moreish. I also had one of the cold pressed juices – orange, mandarin and passionfruit, which helped me cool down from the chilli. The citrus was sweet and refreshing, and the passionfruit added a nice bite. Lovely.

Local Press, 128 Trevellian Quay, Kingston ACT http://www.localpresscafe.com.au/

Pork Barrel

Two-for-one pizzas at Pork Barrel has been a lunch tradition for my whole Canberra life. To be honest, I’ve never tried anything else there! On this visit we ended up ordering two of my favourites – the Bombay (tandoori chicken, Spanish onion and raita), and Continental (artichoke, eggplant, pepperoni, olives and fetta) in the largest size to share. I feel like the bases at Pork Barrel have become thicker, because each piece was far more filling than I remember. The Bombay had tonnes of Spanish onion, much more than chicken, unfortunately, but was drizzled with refreshing raita and had a couple of papadums resting on top. There’s a good kick to the tandoori but it’s balanced by the sweet onion. The Continental had a generous amount of topping, with plenty of delicious pepperoni layered on the bottom, plenty of artichoke and a nice hit of salt from the kalamata olives and fetta. We didn’t have to wait too long for our food, despite being there at peak lunch time, although it took a while to line up and order. Remember to specify that you want two-for-one, otherwise you won’t get the deal!

Pork Barrel, King George Terrace, Parkes ACT, http://www.porkbarrel.com.au/

Ryo’s Noodles

I was very excited to see that Ryo’s Noodles had opened in Adelaide – the more ramen available the better, in my books! We ordered the lunch special, $19.90 for a bowl of ramen, a side (we chose gyoza) and a cup of green tea, either hot or cold. For my ramen, I chose number 6 – a Tokyo-style soy broth with roast pork and all the trimmings, while Mum picked the miso broth with roast pork. Dad opted for the karaage (spicy fried chicken) and tempura prawns,both of which were lovely and crisp, and we started with a bowl of edamame, served hot, to share. Our food didn’t take long to come out and it became clear very quickly that Mum had ordered the pick of the bunch – the miso broth (with reduced salt on request) was beautifully complex, with a rich, glossy flavour. Mmm. My Tokyo ramen broth tasted a bit weak in comparison, but if you prefer lighter broths then this is the one for you. The noodles had a great amount of bite and the roast pork was lovely and tender – as always, the tamago was the highlight. Oh yes, I will be back!

Ryo’s Noodles, 80 Gouger Street, Adelaide SA

Parlour Wine Room

When we got to Parlour, the first question my colleague asked me was ‘did you order the burger?’ I’ve got a bit of a reputation for always picking the burger, but in this case it was completely justified. Whilst not part of the $16 lunch specials (a meal and glass of wine/beer included), the Parlour Burger was excellent value for $18, served with shoestring fries in the cutest little pot. The burger itself was very tasty, with the patty cooked to be just a touch pink (perfect), and a great charring on the outside. The beef was coarse but not too coarse, and I particularly enjoyed the slathering of cheese on top. What made this burger stand out was the onion ring smack bang in the middle. Yep. Hello deep-fried oniony goodness (none of this reconstituted business, thank you very much). And the bacon – that was pretty great too. Not to mention that the tomato was thoughtfully sandwiched in between the patty and lettuce, so that it didn’t make the soft brioche bun soggy. I probably shouldn’t have, but I finished all of the shoestring fries – gosh they were good, with a perfect amount of crispy outside and soft inside. No criticisms here at all.

Parlour Wine Room, 16 Kendall Lane, Acton ACT  http://www.parlour.net.au/

Paul

I’m not generally one to shy away from a good sweet, and seeing Paul on Kagurazaka-dori, it’s pretty hard to just walk past. Their window display is just a sample of the baked goods heaven inside, and I was drawn in by the promise of a good canelle. I had my first canelle in Paris at a street stall on the Champ-Elysees and have been smitten ever since, so was keen to see how this French patisserie in Tokyo compared to the real deal. The outside was lovely and crisp, with a slight burnt flavour, but not overpoweringly so. The inside has the good stuff – a custardy cake that is spongy and soft but thick, with a distinctive milky flavour. It was small, but it passed the test. Next up was the apple danish – this was a real winner, with crisp, flaky pastry and glazed, soft apple pieces inside. The lady initially got the order wrong, but happily swapped for the apple turnover she’d given me for the danish. Both of the sweets had great flavour and texture, and I was disappointed not to have stomach space for more.

Paul, Kagurazaka Terrace 1F, 5-1-4 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo Japan  http://paul-inter-release.fo-02.naxeo.net/