I had a discussion with the Mrs last night about something that has been floating around my mind for a while. I told her that I wanted to quit the whole food-blogging and Instagrammer thing and immediately, I saw this face of concern and anxiety wash over her face. Now, it's not that she didn't support my decision, in fact, almost immediately after the expression on her face had settled, she said "whatever you want to do, you've got my full support" however, her concern was that I had been doing this for so long that the "Mr Chopsticks" persona had fully become an inseparable part of my identi ..read more

The Mrs and I have been to Touka once before and during that first dinner, we were so impressed with the decor, the food and the concept that I named it one of the top 10 Japanese restaurants in Parramatta. Today, the Mrs and I were lucky enough to have been invited back to try their new lunch menu and boy, were we even more impressed!  Before we jump straight into it, the Mrs and I were discussing this earlier today and it occurred to us that westies might not have an idea about what Yakiniku is and what's differentiates it from other table-top barbecue experiences (i.e. the ..read more

Chinese food has had a long standing history in most developed countries, that holds especially true for a place like Australia where "Salt & Pepper Squid" has unofficially become the national dish. I bet for every suburb in Sydney where there is a shopping strip, you will find at least one Chinese restaurant or takeaway shop and you will be able to get Chinese food relatively easily. But unfortunately, I feel like Chinese food hasn't always had the most glamorous of images...historically, people tend to only think of Chinese food as greasy and MSG-laden meals you can get at food-courts. E ..read more

I distinctly remember the very first time I ever came to Parramatta. I remember skipping university (back then, I was still attending my first year at ACU Strathfield) and accompanying a friend as he drove out to go buy some musical equipment. I'd never before ventured that far out west but the place filled me with wonder and excitement as I got to see a whole new side of Sydney I never knew existed. I think I had a little spark of an idea back then that "oh, it'd be nice to one day settle down here...." and then flash forward a decade and I've literally become a Parramatta local in purchasing ..read more

My last post was September of last year and since then, nothing, zilch, nada...can I really call myself a blogger anymore? I mean, truth be told, there were underlying reasons as to why I went radio silence for months. Amongst all the stuff the Mrs and I had on, I just had no motivation to physically write anything, not when Instagram posts got me almost instant gratification and validation in much less time and effort. So what happened and what prompted me to come back? Well, for starters, I spent the last 6 or so months fully focused on completing another one of my aspirations: becoming a ho ..read more

So, it's been another whole month since my last blog post but this time...I've had a good reason for that. The end of August and most of September has been all about my all-consuming obsession: Ramen. I think I've had more ramen in this month than I've had 2016 combined (and I eat a ramen pretty often). The reason for that is because 2017 marks the inaugural launch of Sydney's only ramen dedicated event: Slurpfest 2017 hosted by RamenRaff and Rising Sun Workshop. In Sydney, we've had item specific events before (i.e. Bacon Fest, Burgerpalooza, Meatstock ..read more

Oh, it's been a bad month for me....not July itself, that was amazing but more end of July until now...Aside from the Mrs being sick the last week or so, I feel like I've been in a bit of an emotional slump. I just haven't had the motivation to do anything at all (go gym, blog or cook) and so, the last month has resulted in me gaining a significant bit of belly baggage, emotional baggage (as a result of stress at work) and some. So, I really have to make a conscious effort to get back into the routine of things that make me happy....starting with blogging. I had one of the MOST memorable meal ..read more

I think I've really slowed down lately on the blogging....not that I've eaten any less but I think, I've had many outstanding meals but none that invoked an emotion in me. A post-meal elation that has prompted me to immediate action, a meal so good that it's stoked an intense passion in me to sit here and put my thoughts to keyboard. I had a meal like that just last night when the Mrs and I visited Restaurant Sasaki. Sasaki has been open for a short while but has amassed immense fame in the community for the aesthetic and philosophy behind the food. The philosophy was to bring Japanese home ..read more

We are in such a blessed time to be living in Parramatta. I almost feel like every single day, I find the area thriving, expanding and become more and more like its eastern counterpart. There have been so many new openings that I've barely been able to keep up but I think out of everything that has recently opened, the Mrs is probably the most excited about Espresso Warriors and for one reason: eggettes. These little bubbly waffles from my hometown have seemingly overtaken the foodie world...with every rendition getting more and more pretty and extravagant. Whilst I personally am not a fan of ..read more

Lately, I've been feeling like I'm the dictionary-definition of overcommitment. I mean that in terms of my work life and my home life. At work, things have been a bit hectic so obviously, I end up coming home tired. What little time I've had to myself, I've devoted to other hobbies (preparing to cosplay at Supanova/SMASH), Overwatch and Gym. With all that I've got on, I've barely had the motivation to jump on and write any posts...which isn't to say I have been busy eating out, I just haven't had the time to put my words onto the web. Today, I made the commitment to jump back on and try to ..read more