Pinangsia is an area in West Jakarta in Indonesia. It sounds more like the name of an exotic bird to me. I’d heard that Pinangsia Noodle House has some rather strange opening hours, just Wednesday and the weekends. I thought surely not, how on earth can they remain competitive with hours like that? So I rang them on a Wednesday night and sure enough, they’re open Wednesday and the weekends but with Friday throw in as well. I ask the friendly voice on the other end whether it’s cash only or credit card and she says that it’s cash only. “Our meals are usually $7 to $8 so they wouldn’t meet the credit card minimum anyway!”. Being on Anzac Parade, Kingsford, it caters for Indonesian students from the nearby UNSW as well as the occasional food loving non Indonesian.

Walking in, we see that there is a large central share table as well as side tables seating 4. There’s a self serve fridge of drinks and a section with help yourself condiments and water. There are small gold framed pictures of the dishes high up on the wall and of course, tissues boxes on every table to serve as napkins. It’s about half full at 7pm this Wednesday night and we choose a table and sit down. Our menus are quickly brought to us, with 2 pages of pictures and the rest in Indonesian with English translations underneath. It’s a little confusing but I am guided by the helpful “thumbs up” icon designating which dishes are recommended.

We order the Mie Ayam karet thick (or thin) chicken egg noodles with meatball soup (or fishball) $8, the Ayam Goreng Bumbu Bali (grilled chicken Bali style) $7.50 and 2 fried meatballs ($1.60 each). They ask us whether we want white or dark meat and while I usually like white meat, dark meat is much more moist so we choose dark as I find that chicken can sometimes be dry in Indonesian cuisine. We also order a Murtabak to share with the peanut, chocolate and cheese filling ($5.80).

Mie Ayam Karet thick (or thin) chicken egg noodles with meatball soup (or fishball) $8

Read More

It’s not often that my husband suggests that we visit a place to eat. I know, deep down, he hopes that I will give up the food reviewing portion of my blog and just do cooking. Not that he is a killjoy or trying to kitchen enslave me, rather he was brought up not going to restaurants. Apparently the one time that his family went, as they were raw food vegans it ended up causing such a kerfuffle it gave him Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However this day, he was so fascinated by the enormous queues spilling out of Satang Thai that he actually suggested that we go.

The reason why there are such queues? The price apparently and it’s prime location right near UTS University. The food must also be good as there are a huge number of eateries to choose from. It’s 9.15pm on a Wednesday night when we arrive and still there are crowds outside, mostly students waiting for takeaway. We take a table right at the front and decide on our order. There are dishes starting at $5 for a thai soup with chicken to $6.50 for BBQ pork and noodles. There’s only one dish that breaks the $9.80 price barrier at $13.50. I order and pay up front and we take our seat and wait. There are only enough seats for 20 people to eat in and for most of the students around us, it’s probably easier to eat at home.

We’re waiting for between 5-10 minutes for our meal and once it arrives it looks and smells good. There is a slightly creepy sensation as if we are being watched. I turn around as I feel all eyes upon us. Indeed the large crowd on the footpath awaiting their takeaway are hungry and are feasting upon our food with their eyes. They’re fairly close and it feels like there are 20 other people seated at our table but not eating. Slightly creepy. Next time we’ll get a table inside if we can.

I try the Drunky Chicken noodles ($8.50). I’m not certain what makes it Drunky but it’s quite delicious. It’s heady in garlic and that fragrant licoricey Thai basil. The chicken pieces are clumped together and there are other vegetables and egg in it as well as thick rice noodles evenly coated with the garlicky, sweet scented sauce.

I next try the Seafood Laksa ($9.80). The Laksa soup is deliciously creamy and flavoursome. There are large, fresh garlic scented prawns and firm tofu chunks. The squid is a bit of a let down though being extremely chewy.

It’s not fancy food and not the kind of place to take a date to but for value for money, we feel like we’ve hit the jackpot. And at 9.55pm, 5 minutes before closing, finally the crowds have died down.

Satang Thai

20 Quay Street Haymarket Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9280-0956
BYO Cash only
Open 7 days until 10pm

I can’t seem to get enough of ramen nowadays. I didn’t eat it all that much when I lived in Tokyo but now that I am so many miles away, I think I somehow get the urge to recreate some of the memories from my time there and ramen seems to do the trick. Luckily my husband is also a ramen lover. I had read about Menya ramen and it was a recommendation from a NQN reader KLL.

The Prince Centre is a haven to choose from and not for the terminally undecided. We walk in and are greeted by the traditional “Irrashimase!” which always manages to both startle my husband and make him smile. Having pre researched what I wanted to order, we place our order for Tori Katsu ramen $9.90 (Tonkotsu noodle soup topped with deep fried chicken cutlet, boiled bean sprout, vegetarian fungus and sesame), the Chilly Hot teriyaki Beef ramen $9.90 (Tonkotsu noodle soup topped with teriyaki thinly sliced beef mixed with vegetables, served with boiled bean sprout, sesame and chili) and get my two stamps and am on my way, albeit quite far away, to qualify for the free “Monthly Dish” when I order 20 noodle or rice items (after 10 items you can get a free soft drink).

All of their ramen soup stock is Tonkotsu (based on pork bone) which I adore, its thicker, gelatinous consistency providing much needed comfort and sustenance. Just out of curiosity, we try the Buta Mayo Gohan $3.50 (Chopped roasted pork, mayonnaise, dried seaweed, shallot, sesame served on top of a small bowl of rice). The decor is nicer than most ramen places, its modern black and white with curiously, an entire wall full of what looks like twisted up coat hangers although they’re not quite the safety hazard they look as they are springy when touched-a Picasso style mattress inner spring. Prices range from $6.50 for the “plainest” ramen with BBQ pork slices to $9.90 for ramen with much more substantial toppings like the Katsu which we’ve ordered. There’s also soba, udon and bento boxes.

While waiting, we check out the heavily staffed and busy kitchen. There are enormous vats of the Tonkotsu stock about 1 metre tall being stirred with a huge stick. We don’t have to wait long for our meals, it seems to high amount of cooks means that one need not wait very long to eat. Our Buta Mayo Gohan arrives first, a fairly decent sized bowl of rice topped with finely chopped dried seaweed, shallot and sesame on which tender, flavoursome chopped pork sits artistically splayed with mayonnaise. Its filling and delicious for $3.50 the best value meal you can get. Forget McDonalds or any other fast food, this is the way to dine for $3.50.

The ramen arrives next, the Chilly Hot Teriyaki Beef ramen is mine and I dig in with my spoon (which breaks halfway, not my fault Your Honour! I didn’t heap on too much ramen I promise!). The teriyaki beef slices are wonderfully soft and sweet and this imparts a sweetness into the rich pork stock. The chili is a perfect counter to the sweetness and saltiness of the teriyaki and I eagerly help myself to more than my alloted half of the bowl.

My husband’s Tori Katsu ramen looks good although soon after the pieces are swimming in the ramen, losing the crunch. I fish out two pieces from on top to try and its good although as its chicken, its missing that flavour that you get from Pork Katsu. Not to matter, I squirt on a sqiggly line of hot chilli sauce which gives it a boost and I’m happily enjoying them. I try some of my husband’s soup but after the chili, sweet and salt fest of mine, it appears a litlte bland by comparison. He loves his though as he is finding mine too sweet and I love mine so for once, our bowl swap only lasts a minute. As for the million dollar question, how do the actual noodles stack up against Ryo’s Noodles? Well of course, Ryo’s wins again for the ramen itself but Menya’s Tonkotsu broth is definitely my style.

I’m beat, with the pork mayo rice and my sizable bowl of ramen I can only finish 1/2 of it. My husband valiantly tries to finish it but the hot weather, lack of decent air conditioning and finishing his own dish means that he can’t quite make it either. We leave our communal table and good timing it is as there is a crowd gathered at the window deciding what to order and inside the door. We go for a walk to walk off some of the ramen and come across a man cutting out peoples profiles for $2 a piece just near Emporer’s Garden and doing a rather great job at it too. He has a line snaking down the mall. He’s rather popular too you see.

Menya Ramen

Tel / Fax : +61 (02) 9212-1020
Shop TG8, 8 Quay Street Haymarket NSW 2000
(Entrance from Thomas St., next to Burlington Centre)
Open Mon-Fri Lunch:11:30am - 3:00pm, Dinner:5:00pm - 9:30pm
Sat & Sun Lunch:11:30am - 4:00pm, Dinner:5:00pm - 9:30pm
Menu here: http://www.yakiniku.com.au/images/menu_pdf/menya_menu.pdf

Housed in one of Manly Corso’s little arcades, this little Japanese noodle house does a steady trade of well fed Northern Beachers. When we lived in Manly, we used to walk past this eatery, always curious but never quite getting the chance to eat there instead partaking of Manly’s many other restaurants. Not tonight though, we’re here, we’re hungry and we’re ready to eat Ramen!

There are two waitresses hurrying and flurrying about tonight so we seat ourselves in the arcade section and peruse the menus laid out on the table. I immediately gravitate towards the Mabou tofu ramen ($11.50), remembering, very fondly, the delicious mapo tofu from Iron Chef Chen Kenichi. Of course I know it won’t be anywhere near as good as his but a girl can reminisce can’t she? We take the easy route here and order the Bento box ($16) which consists of your choice of two of the following: Tonkatsu (deep fried pork), Shoga-yaki (sliced pork ginger sauce), Ebi-fry (deep fried prawn), Yakiniku (pan fried sliced beef), Teriyaki chicken or Fish or Karaage (deep fried chicken); with salad, rice, miso soup and gyoza. I select the pork with ginger and the chicken karaage. We opt to try their takoyaki ($6.50) and their Jipang Epi prawn roll ($4).

Takoyaki Octopus balls ($6.50)

Oddly Jipang has no bathroom so I’m off to the nearby Ivanhoe to avail myself of their facilities and by the time I am back minutes later, all of our food is arriving at once. The waitress thanks us for waiting and places our food on the table. The takoyaki is tried first, sprinkled with thinly sliced matchsticks of dried seaweed. They’re smaller in size than at Ramen Kan but more in number with 7 on our plate. They’re slightly crispy on the outside and softish on the inside but as they’re quite small, they’re not as beautifully squishy inside as others we’ve tried. They’re also needing a bit more okonomiyaki and mayo sauce. Not bad by any means, but not as good as Ramen Kan’s.

Jipang Epi prawn roll ($4)

The ebi prawn roll is next, its very fresh and crispily good if a little homemade looking with the rice being packed loosely in parts. Still the taste is there and I manage to cajole my husband into give me his extra pieces.

Mabou tofu ramen $11.50

He’s too busy contending with his mabou tofu ramen which is blisteringly hot. Even though it has sat there while we ate our entrees it remains mouth burningly hot and my husband tries to fan it furiously enticed by its delicious aroma. After a good 5 minutes of blowing and using a smaller bowl, he manages to get some of an edible temperature. He’s enjoying the chili broth enormously so I try some. The noodles are thicker, much like Ryo’s ramen which we both like but they’re softer than Ryo’s and I like my noodles to have a bit of a bite to it. The chili soup is heartwarmingly good with the smooth soft tofu and the pork mince providing texture and flavour. My husband doesn’t like the mince as much finding that the texture interferes with his enjoyment but I disagree, I like all of the components. Although as expected, it isn’t a patch on Iron Chef Chen Kenichi’s Mapo tofu!

Bento box with Shoga yaki (sliced pork with ginger sauce) and Karaage (deep fried chicken) $16

My bento box’s meat offering of pork slices with ginger is very, very flavoursome and I am enjoying it so much I could easily order this in a dish by itself. The Chicken karaage is hot and freshly cooked but it could do with some mayo or sauce. As it is, I drag each piece over what little okonomiyaki sauce there is left over from the takoyaki and this gives it the much needed moisture. The salad, dressed with lemon and olive oil, is a tad disappointing (lettuce, cucumber and tomato without any seaweed) but the gyoza are very good though, with just the right amount of meat to cabbage, without being bitter from overuse of cabbage.

Feeling warm from the ramen and stomach expanding meal, we exit stage left, to the cool breeze of Manly beach now that the sun has set and the ocean breeze beckons with its cool hand.

Jipang Japanese Noodle House

37-39 The Corso Manly 2095
Tel: +61 (02) 9977 4436
Open Tuesday-Sunday 11:30am-9pm

“Crocodile what-what?” Tuulikki asks when I tell her the odd name of the restaurant we plan to eat at. It takes her a few goes to get the name right and even then, I’m certain she’s not convinced. But from the number of seated patrons enjoying meals, we aren’t the only ones to have noticed this oddly crocodiled theme Thai restaurant on a strip of town bursting with eateries. The decor is full of dark brown wooden tables, square stools, large sprays of tiger lilies, delicate spun straw orbed lights and …crocodiles. Everywhere. And in every incarnation you could possibly think of. Even our waitress takes our order using a Crocodile pen. We don’t know what crocodiles have to do with Thailand but they have an awful lot to do with this place.

A quick glance of the menu shows that prices are rather low, from $8.50-$12.00 for the most part. There are 8 different varieties of Som Tum (Green Papaya salad) which I adore so I know I shall have to choose one of these. Apparently the difference in each is the topping which ranges from tiny mud crabs (which I’ve ordered) to grilled scampi, soft shell crab and deep fried salmon. I had also read that the BBQ pork with rice although dull sounding, was good. And of course the crocodile chef on the menu just beckons you to order the Noodles Senior style where you choose the type of noodle (hokkien, egg, rice) then choose the sauce (thai basil, chili, chinese, malay or cashew nut) and then choose the topping (tofu, veges, chicken, beef, pork, roast duck, prawn or seafood). We choose the thin rice noodles with malay peanut sauce with tofu.

Looking around at the signs, there are specials that are written in Thai only so there must be a fair amount of Thai patronage. And should you want to call friends in Bangkok, they have two clocks, one set on Sydney time and one set on Bangkok time. The music is pumping and loud, especially towards the middle and back of the restaurant and the plasma screens show Thai singers singing various pop and disco songs like “I Will Survive”.

Som Tum Pu (with small mud crabs) $8

Five minutes after we’ve ordered, our square plate of Som Tum Pu (with mud crab) arrives. Its a small but pungent dish. I personally love it but know that people are usually divided by it, only being swayed when being told how healthy it is. It is indeed tangy and pungent with fish sauce and packed with tiny dried prawns, shredded carrot and green papaya and very salty tiny black mud crabs. Some crab pieces are a little too big and when you’re trying to chew them, it takes a good crunching with your teeth of the larger pieces. The salad itself is good although I must admit I find Sailors Thai Canteen’s Som Tum better (and its not just because it comes with gorgeous caramelised BBQ pork sitting on top).

BBQ Pork with rice $8.50

Our BBQ pork with rice arrives next and its a huge plate with two types of BBQ pork. One the fatty belly pork crunchy and fried to a crisp, and another like thinly sliced Char Siu. The sauce coating the dish is unusual and strong with sweet cinnamon and star anise. I don’t know if I love it as much with the sauce. One of my greatest pleasures is eating Char Siu with plain rice. To me the sauce is too mysterious and a little unbalanced and almost powdery.

Noodle Senior: thin rice noodles with malay peanut sauce and tofu $9

Our Noodle Senior arrive last and its an impressive tangle of rice noodles. Its packed with coarsely ground peanut pieces and vegetables with three fat triangular chunks of deep fried tofu and stir fried egg. I didn’t expect to like this very much as I’ve found most satay noodles drowning in the sauce but this is subtle and nicely flavours giving the right hint of Malay satay sauce but not drowning or overpowering it. Its soft noodles and crunchy peanut and vegetables are perfectly seasoned and its easily the best dish of the night.

We’re stuffed by the end of our meal and still no wiser as to what Crocodiles have to do with Thailand!

Crocodile Senior Thai

768 George Street
Haymarket (opposite Marigold Citymark)
Sydney
+61 (02) 9211 6300
Cash only
No split bills
Open 7 days from 11.30am until 10pm