Sunday, September 25, 2011

Eating Out: Ajisen Ramen [Glen Waverley]

85 Kingsway
Glen Waverley3150


This post is about a month late =S Been soo caught up in other things (*ahem* tetris addiction).
If you haven't heard Ajisen has also decided to join the Asian empires in Glen Waverley. Has anyone else realised that every restaurant has more than one location in Melbourne? (Petaling Street, Ampang Tofu, RaRamen, Claypot King, Crazy Wing, Monga Dessert)

Like usual all the floor staff speak Chinese, it's incredibly cramped and noisy.
P1080022
Ajisen Ramen+Corn
For some reason it's cheaper to get the Ajisen Ramen and add corn for $0.50 than to get the Corn Ramen which is a $1 more than the Ajisen Ramen, it applies to all the additional topping and it's just the exact same thing.

Likes:
+ Springy noodles
+ Large serving
+ Decent soup, I think better than Ramen Ya but still not a good tonkotsu.

Dislikes:
- Barely any meat
- No menma (my favourite)

P1080024
Gyoza Ramen
Nothing special, very average gyozas.

P1080026
Kari-age
Massive chunks of chicken with a weirdly yellow batter. Nothing special yet nothing bad either.

Food: 7/10 Can't really say anything bad about it (except for generous msg use), but also nothing particularly special. Standard ajisen.
Service/Environment: 7/10 Very cramped but decent renovation.
Value: 7/10 The most basic ramen is under $10 so it's alright however it is the only shop that does it in the area so that must be accounted for. They have entree+ramen deals for around $15 which is what I got. Be warned that it is quite a bit of food. The 2 of us had a bowl of ramen each and shared an entree and left quite full (and we went after an afternoon of badminton and ultimate frisbee)

Verdict? I wouldn't go out of my way for it, if I happened to be in the area and felt like ramen then I would go, otherwise I'd probably pass. Remember it is the only place in the area that does tonkotsu ramen.
Ajisen Ramen on Urbanspoon

The end of Yum Cha Inn

Uncle has decided to close the chapter of Yum Cha Inn so in the last few days of their business I had to visit one more time and eat my favourite dish, Curry chicken wrapped in bread. I had many other favourites but they were dishes that I could either get at other restaurants or there could be a chance that I could eat again at some family gathering. The curry chicken wrapped in bread was something that I have not found here yet, a Malaysian dish that some Malaysian friends have never even heard of, and not a dish that my uncle (or anyone) would probably make for a family gathering because of the amount of effort and time required to make it is quite ridiculous unless you’re making more than one at a time.

It was a bittersweet moment you could say, knowing that it would probably be the last time I’ll ever get to taste the dish until I travel to Malaysia and try to hunt for a place that sells it. I guess roti chanai will have to suffice until then or possibly brioche dipped in Malaysian curry chicken.

I do admire my uncle for being able to manage the restaurant and work 7 days a week for around 4 year s definitely requires an immense amount of motivation, passion and dedication. I question myself whether I would have the same drive to keep on making dim sum everyday for lunch service for longer than a month let alone a few years. There’s no doubt my uncle deserves to take a break.

Just an inspiration. 

P.S The restaurant has been bought by the Chinese Crazy Wing chain. They make the chilliest thing I have ever tasted, it was unimaginably chilli. However I tried it at the one in the city not Glen Waverley. 

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Sorry

Been neglecting my blog a bit recently
But I've started a new job and it's really eating up my time and energy
Uni + work + homework + 3 hours travel time every day = dead teenagefoodie

Working at a "fast" food restaurant has been an experience.
I'm starting to get sick of the food that I used to love. 
I thought it would be more systematic than it is.
But I do love the rush you get from that super busy moment and trying to get all the orders under control.

My birthday was a week ago and I just went out for hotpot with friends.
Probably the last hotpot for the year as it's Spring now and getting warm. 
Went out for dinner with family to celebrate both Dad's and I's birthday.
Nothing particularly special.

The photography club at uni had a food workshop on food photography run by a food blogger which I was so excited about
However I didn't manage to get my hands on a ticket
And was pretty upset about it.
Hopefully they have a similar event next year. 

That's all for now.
I'm typing this in my class