Cho Cho San

-
Cho Cho San is one of the most searched restaurants in Sydney. Nestled in the golden strip of deliciousness in Potts Point, Cho Cho San continues to innovate and surprise diners with modern Japanese cuisine with a twist.

Fried Eggplant, $3 each
These fried eggplant sticks are an example of Cho Cho San's modern approach to traditional Japanese cooking. The eggplant is cooked until crisp on the outside and creamy and almost runny on the inside, and the dish is on the salty side, providing more of a taste experience than actual belly-filling nourishment.

Pork Katsu Steam Bun, $8
Very similar to the Chinese 'gua bao' (which I have referred to in previous posts), the Cho Cho San interpretation of this dish is distinctly Japanese-Western fusion. For starters, pork katsu is readily found in most Japanese restaurants, forming a staple of the bento. However, it is paried with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and chili mayo that reminds one of hamburger. The bun itself is pillowy-soft and sweet, and all this adds up to some complex flavours in a couple of bites.

Fried brown rice, shitake, egg $14
Probably the most value-for-money dish in the entire menu, this fried rice dish is incredibly simple - as its name suggests, apart from seasoning, there are only 3 main ingredients. I love the earthy, distinctive taste of the shitake mushroom, and the soft smoothness of the scrambled eggs. The dish is also large enough for two not-very-hungry people.

Score: 4/5 
The menu is quite small, but the dishes are well thought-out. The drinks menu is impressive, and had it not been too early to drink in a socially acceptable way, we would have dug right in there.
Cost: most items at Cho Cho San are on the slightly pricier end, but the dishes featured here are seriously good value.
Address: 73 Macleay Street, Potts Point
Website: http://chochosan.com.au/ 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ho Jiak

-
Image
The first time I tried Ho Jiak, I traveled to Strathfield and ate at their little hole-in-the wall joint, teetering my milo-infused laksa (yes, you read that correctly) dangerously on a little stool. Since then, Ho Jiak has opened a decent-sized restaurant in Chinatown, and it has come a long way from its humble street-eats roots. It even boasts two tasting menus - one omnivorous, one vegetarian. My friends and I, of course, had to try both. Get ready to carry a food baby by osmosis, because this is going to be a huuuuge review. Ho Jiak Tasting Menu  Nasi Lemak in a Bite This may only be "a bite", but it sure packs a punch. Arguably the national dish of Malaysia, nasi lemak is rice cooked with coconut milk and in pandan leaf, which gives it its enticing fragrance - it is topped with crushed peanuts, sambal and accompanied by a rich shot of laksa broth. Kiam Ah Nui Kay Perfectly fried chicken bits on the bone in salted egg-yolk coating. Salted egg yolk has go
Read more

Afternoon Tea at the Four Seasons

-
Image
Afternoon tea is a Mother's Day tradition in my family. Over the years, I have taken my mum to most of the afternoon tea purveyors in Sydney, and Mode Kitchen at the Four Seasons stands out for its beautiful, romantic atmosphere.  Situated on the second floor complete with a harpist and directly across a wall of beautiful ceramic ware, the afternoon tea set up is at once private (because you're not looking directly at any other table) yet on display (comme Marie Antoinette) because you are seated right above the hotel foyer.  The tea selection is small, but curated; and ceremoniously brought to the table for selection. The purveyor is Jing Tea. I highly recommend the Flowering Osmanthus, which is a green tea with osmanthus flower, giving the tea a subtle yet warm sweetness.  Unlike most afternoon teas, the savoury layer is in the middle tier, rather than the bottom tier. From left to right, we have a lemon stracciatella and broccolini vol au vent with caviar (at an additional c
Read more

Ragazzi

-
Image
Tucked away in the charming, quaint, bird-cage filled Angel Place, Ragazzi is one restaurant I have been looking forward to trying for a long time, because I have had a couple people recommend this restaurant to me a good spot to dine in the CBD.  Having never been to Ragazzi before, I was delighted to see that they have a chef's choice menu. I am a big fan of giving control over to those who prepare the food, because I trust that the chef's menu is the highlights reel. Having said that, the fact that we chose the chef's menu is where we went wrong. There were three of us dining, and I think the restaurant actually under-served by providing two people portions for most of the main courses and dessert.  The fact that 2 of the courses are side-salads also significantly decrease the value of the chef's menu. Having done some basic maths, it simply does not add up, I found myself significantly over-paying for the misfortune of being lumped with some courses I would never ha
Read more