Yebisu Izakaya - Sydney - Sydney, Australia.

Yebisu Izakaya 

The restaurant is crowded and bustling on a Friday night with a full house and a long queue to boot.

Located in Regent Place, Yebisu Izakaya is Japanese restaurant / drinking establishment specialising in tapas style food, to be enjoyed with alcohol. Different types of alcohol such as sake, shochu and beer are available to be enjoyed with the plates of food, but we're here for the food and not the alcohol.

The place is very busy most nights and if people are willing to wait, it must be good. We nearly left at the sight of the queue as it stretched for metres and the waiter wasn't sure as to how long the wait was going to be. However, it moved relatively quickly and we were seated in about 15 minutes. Yet, the wait could have been much longer as I've read some have even waited close to an hour.

We were seated at the counter which gave us a view of the front kitchen through the glass windows. Larger groups tend to be seated in the main dining area. We were able to witness large flames from the stove tops, meat on sticks being grilled and soup bubbling away. An interesting experience indeed.

One thing that strikes you straight away is the bright signs, paper lanterns, wooden exterior and lighting, allowing one to reminisce or think they are in Japan. It is designed to look like a modern izakaya that you would see in Japan offering a fun and casual setting.

Ordering is done via the Ipad and reminds me very much of the Wagaya and Misuya touchscreen system of ordering. They offer the traditional Japanese fare such as sushi, sashimi, yakitori, hot pot and we even noticed some Chinese dishes on the menu. Though, the variety on offer is much less in comparison to the above mentioned.

The prices are reasonable but I wouldn't say it's cheap. It can get pricey as one usually tends to order more than they should as you continue to press, press, press, quickly adding to the bill. The great thing about this restaurant is you can take your time and decide on what to order without having to rush as it is designed to be eaten in a series.

One thing I didn't like about the menu was the lack of descriptions. There was the name of the dish and the corresponding picture but there was no description, so you had to rely on past experience or your gut feeling as to what ingredients it contained if you've never tried it before.

Once you place your order the food comes out quickly and the waiters are extremely efficient at bringing out the food.

'Pan Fried Pork Gyoza ($7.80)' has two accompanying sauces on offer, either the teriyaki or ponzu sauce and we went with the former.  The gyoza is pre-fried in the kitchen before it is taken out. The waitress brings out the gyoza, placed on top of a bed of beansprouts, which are then further cooked on an iron cast plate and then the sauce is poured over. It then sizzles away but the bottom isn't crispy and a bit soggy due to the uneven heat distribution, but the pork insides are juicy and tender.

'Takoyaki Octopus Ball ($7.80)' is the norm like you would find at any other Japanese restaurant. But! It comes with wooden sticks attached to the takoyaki which makes it easier to eat. Love the novelty of this. It was cooked well leaving a nice exterior and topped with bonito flakes, mayonnaise and takoyaki sauce.

The 'Scallop and Garlic Fried Rice Large ($19.80)' is not your standard fried rice. It is cooked with fresh, large, plump and juicy scallops which have been grilled just right, allowing it to be moist and still sweet. The fried rice was nicely cooked with egg and shallots and the flavouring was spot on without the addition of too much oil.

'Teriyaki Chicken Salad ($14.80)' is my favourite for the night. The chicken is marinated in a teriyaki sauce and then grilled. They were very generous with the chicken as the chicken and salad portions were similar. The star of the dish was the dressing. It had a slight sweetness with a hint of sourness but was absolutely delicious, a dressing I've never tried.

We were so full at this point in time and contemplated on leaving without dessert. However, the dessert options were aplenty and they looked pretty good on screen. How could one resist? Plus it was cheap!

The 'Earl Grey Brulee ($5.80)' was a delight. I don't think I've ever tried earl grey tea and had a slight hesitation in ordering this as Tin Tin recalls the tea flavour being strong. I'm glad we did as that custard was so creamy, rich and smooth, and that sugar crust on top was perfectly caramelised. In the menu, the brulee was on a flat dish but it was served in a round bowl unfortunately, so the proportion of the hard shell to crack was limited. It was just so yummy and I found myself scooping up ever little bit of custard from the bowl.

'Green Tea Ice-cream with Daifuku ($3.80)', otherwise known as a mochi is superb here. It is made from a glutinous rice flour and then stuffed with green tea ice-cream. It was so fresh that it was still stringy and soft.

I really enjoyed the overall experience. What I love about this restaurant is not only the great food but also the atmosphere. You don't have to be a drinker to enjoy the food here.  The slow pace of dining allows you to enjoy the food without having to feel rushed and is a great place to catch up with friends. Don't be deterred by the queue. I definitely think it is worth the wait as the food is excellent.

Where?
Regent Place
501 George St
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Phone no: 02 9266 0301

Opening Hours
Sunday - Wednesday
12:00pm - 11:00pm
Lunch Last Order 3:00pm
Dinner Last Order 10:00pm
Thursday - Saturday
12:00pm - 12:00am
Lunch Last Order 3:00pm
Dinner Last Order 11:00pm

Website
http://regentplace.com.au/directory

Tosokchon (토속촌) - Jongno-gu - Seoul, South Korea.

Tosokchon

Ginseng is believed to be associated with many health benefits such as life longevity, prevention of cancer, stress reduction, blood circulation, increasing energy, calming the mind and the list goes on and on. The Koreans love their ginseng and this is evident with the abundance of ginseng stores scattered throughout Seoul and they even have a yearly ginseng festival! 

The most popular Korean ginseng cuisine is the samgyetang which is a rice-stuffed chicken ginseng chicken soup. The ginseng chicken soup is extremely popular among the locals with many restaurants serving this classic Korean dish as it is not only healthy but also very hearty. Tosokchon are well known for their signature samgyetang.

As previously mentioned, we had trouble locating restaurants due to the hard to read signage and lack of English words prevalent. Tosokchon, was no exception and we did get lost before arriving. After getting off at Gyeongbokgung Station, we headed towards Jahamun-ro 5-gil Road and after a 10 or so minute walk, there was this adjoining street, and there on the left was Tosokchon. 

Tosokchon is a famous restaurant that has been mentioned and recommended in numerous travel guides and websites, known to be a tourist destination, given the number of tourists who visit the restaurant daily. It has been recommended as one of the must go to places when visiting Seoul. They say it is the best place to have the samgyetang in South Korea, so how could we have not gone there given its legendary status.

From the outside, it looks like a traditional historic Korean home and is hard to miss as it pretty much stands out from the regular looking store fronts. There is usually a queue during busy periods of the day but lucky for us there was no line so we headed straight through.

When you enter, there are a number of people standing in the corridor chatting but head straight through to one of the rooms. You have to take off your shoes prior to entering. Such a pain given it was winter and I had my boots on! Then you find a table and decide from the menu on the table, and the waiter will come over and take your order.  

The menu is limited as they focus on what they’re good at which is the ginseng chicken soup. 

It felt like we were in a Korean drama with the mats, low tables and sitting crossed legged on the floor. I really liked the ambience and overall setting of the place as sitting here made me feel like I was truly in Korea. Was nice to be able to escape the awful cold and be in a heated room.

Banchan is self-serve and free flow. There are two options on offer, so eat to your heart’s content. It was one of my favourites of the whole trip as the kimchi and cubed white radish were delicious. Couldn't stop myself eating it.

Samgyetang isn't an easy dish to cook. It takes a lot of time, effort and preparation to make, hence the premium price they charge. There are two kinds of chicken on offer, the white or black. The black chicken scares me and I don’t think I've ever tried it so I stuck with the safest option which was the white chicken. 

The ‘Samgyetang (KRW 15,000)’ includes a whole chicken. Yes you read correctly, a whole chicken! Though, the chicken was very small in size so it’s an adequate serving size for one person. 

When the waiter brought it out, it was piping hot and bubbling away with the smoke evaporating. It smelt so good and filled the air with a herbal scent. The chicken is stuffed with glutinous rice, gingko nuts, ginseng, garlic and jujube and then cooked in a soup containing over 30 different types of medicinal herbs and grains. It’s not one of those dishes where they skimp on ginseng with one or little ginseng pieces or none at all. There are whole pieces in that chicken and you can taste the difference.

Overall, I found the chicken to be bland and flavours were subtle but eating it with the sides gave it a more flavour. I found myself having to add some salt and pepper to give it more of a taste. The milky white stock was an absolute delight as it was rich and loaded with nutrients and soothing to the body. Inside the chicken was melt in your mouth sticky rice. Oh so yummy.

With the samgyetang, you get a cup of ginseng wine. It was the strong, potent wine which I struggled to finish but I could feel my throat burning after a sip.

Then once you're done, you take your number and go and pay at the front. 

I do recommend Tosokchon as many say what you’re having here is one of the best so it is a must try. This was my first time trying samgyetang so I don’t have anything to compare it to. However, I really liked what I tried and found it be was very delicious. Another item added to my list of potential Korean eats in the future.

After this satisfying meal, we strolled along to Gyeongbokgung Palace, known to be the most famous, and was just down the road from Tosokchon. 

 

There are five palaces in Seoul but Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of the larger and more beautiful ones which was built in the 1300's. When your there, you can explore the halls and pavilions within the grounds. The architecture is amazing so I definitely recommend you go see it if you’re in South Korea.

Where?

5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu,

Seoul

Phone no: +82 2 737 7444

Opening Hours

Open 7 Days a Week

10:00am – 10:00pm

Website 

NA