Hokkaido is known for their seafood, and on our last night at Niseko, we decided to check out Ezo Seafoods. Every time we walked down that road, our heads would instinctively turn towards the restaurant. Maybe it’s the quaintness of the place that appealled to us, or perhaps just a reflex from our hungry bellies because we always seem to be walking past that stretch around dinner time.

We ordered a few items from the menu, but the one that looked pretty good was the Ezo Seafood Platter for 4 which consists of fresh Sashimi, Snowcrab, Black tiger prawns, Oysters, Scallop, smoked Salmon and Calamari rings. Taste-wise it wasn’t anything spectacular-out-of-this-world, but it was nice especially if you’re looking for a seafood fix.

Ezo Seafoods
Address: 170-165 Aza Yamada Kutchan Cho Abuta Gun Hokkaido 044-0081 JAPAN
Tel: 0136 22 3019
Mobile: (James Gallagher) 090-12037879
Website: www.ezoseafoods.com
Opening Hours: Everyday 4pm-9pm
Vegetarian Options: Yes
Price Guide:
- Main Meal: ¥3000-5000
- Beer: ¥600
- Soft Drink: ¥300

How does hot fondue sound après-ski on a cold snowy winters night? Pretty damn good I’d say!

Say hello to Grand Papa lodge restaurant in Hirafu. Grandpapa is one of the few lodges in Niseko still owned and operated by its founding Japanese family. But we weren’t staying there, but we did hear about it’s infamous fondue dinner.

So we made a reservation for 6 of us a day in advance. I didn’t take many photos, so below is all I’ve got to show.

Grand Papa offers a traditional Swiss cheese fondue made from Emental and Gruyeres from Switzerland.

The set menu comprises of the cheese fondue, bread, vegetables, meatballs, potatoes, soup, dessert and coffee for the price of 4000 JPY ~ 62 SGD which was quite pricey for what it was. But then again, this is Niseko. All restaurants there are pretty expensive, so be prepared to pay premium prices for not-so-premium food.

If you really want to save money, cook your own food at your chalet, or just go to the seikomart just up the road open from 7am to 11pm, for instant Katsu curry, sandwiches or ramen.

Grand Papa
Address: 163 Niseko Hirafu, Kutchan town, Hokkaido Japan
Tel : +81-136-23-2244
Email:info@nisekopowder.com
website: www.niseko-grandpapa.com
*Highly advised to make reservations 1-2 days in advance.

It seems like gourmet burger joints are popping up everywhere. Definitely trending. Jono insisted I try this new place called Jus Burgers in Leederville Perth when I was there last November.

What I liked about this place was their emphasis on using local produce and the transparency of cooking methods, ingredients and suppliers used. At least you know what exactly you’re eating and where it comes from. Very much like the philosophy Jamie Oliver tried to preach in “Jamie’s Kitchen“, knowing the source of your ingredients.

Below is a list of suppliers and companies that are likely to be used at the time of writing:
Meat/small goods Mondos, Ryan’s meats, Mt.Barker chicken, Princi, Mahogany Creek Bread Turkish bakery Fruit & Veg Morley Growers, Supa Spud Fish Festival fish Dry Goods Angry Almond, European foods, Eustralis, Ladle and Table, The Grocer, Pisconeri, Sealanes, Centra

I also like the honest story about how Jus Burgers came about and who were the people behind it all. You can read about it HERE.

Here’s a sample of their menu:

Jus Burgers use Turkish buns; fresh white or wholemeal, gluten free bun available. All burgers served with fresh lettuce, beef tomato, Spanish onion, relish & house made aioli

For special dietary advice, please refer to our board, or speak with Chef on the pass or our till bitch. Thanks

Original Beef Recommended with creamed horseradish or balsamic onions (+ $1) $10
Cheeseburger Blue, swiss or cheddar cheese, recommended with mushroom (+ $1) $12
Pommy Burger Cheddar & back bacon $13
Spanish Snag Chorizo sausage & sweet red peppers $14
The Mullet Bacon, beetroot, cheddar cheese, & free-range egg $14
Wagyu Beef 100% wagyu beef, wasabi mayo $14
The Guvnor 270g burger, recommended with foie gras/duck liver, France (+ $6) $15

Jus Burgers Leederville
743 Newcastle St
Leederville, Perth WA 6007
Phone: 08 9228 2230

Jus Burgers Subiaco
1 Rokeby Rd (rear), Corner Roberts & Rockeby
Subiaco, Perth WA 6008
Phone: 08 9381 2093
Takeaway: 08 9381 1895

Website: http://jusburgers.com.au/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jusburgers/
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 10.00pm (Tuesday to Saturday)
12.00pm – 9.00pm (Sunday)
Closed on Monday

A few months back, a fellow foodie friend of mine and I decided to try out the fairly new restaurant called the Bedrock Bar & Grill.

If you haven’t seen this restaurant before, it’s probably because it’s obscurely located at the Pan Pacific Service Apartments on Grange Road (Just behind the Youth Park).

I went online to read up a bit more about this place, and the more I clicked, the more excited I got. The ratios looked promising, with almost every review giving it the thumbs up. Owner Keith Loh also owns Aerin’s at Raffles City, Spruce at Tanglin Road and started Whitebait & Kale at Camden.

The restaurant is beautifully designed by New York based interior firm AvroKo. Dimly but warmly lit made it intimate and cosy.

Before tucking in to dinner, we had cocktails at the bar with some Oysters (3-kinds). I’m not an Oyster fan at all, but I must admit it was amazing. It wasn’t fishy/Oystery, but fat and juicy!

After we were seated, we were first served warmed flat bread with a whole clove of oven roasted garlic. On a first date? Who cares… you can’t NOT try it at least.

The waiters possess good knowledge of their dishes, which made ordering much easier. I’m trying to recall what we had, but the dishes that definitely stood out was the truffle mac & cheese and the rib eye cooked which was cooked to perfection. The truffle mac & cheese was sensational, I don’t think I’ll ever look at it the same way again.

So if you’re looking for a restaurant with great steaks, I’d highly highly recommend Bedrock. I liked it so much I recently celebrated my birthday there with a dinner for 18pax. That shall be another blog post altogether!

Bedrock Bar & Grill
Address:
96 Somerset Road
#01-05 Pan Pacific Serviced Suites

Operating Hours:
Lunch: 12pm – 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.30pm – 11pm
(Closed on Mon)

In a quiet little alley of the once bustling Mohamed Sultan Road, hides a quaint little French-Vietnamese shop-house restaurant, Le Tonkin.

The hybrid menu of French and Vietnamese cuisine may be puzzling, but in fact is an expected pairing seeing that the French had a huge influence in Vietnam during World War 2 and Vietnam War.

Ambience was peaceful and subdued, with just two other tables being served at the outdoor dining area. Lit by candlelight, it’s great for romantic dinners because the lighting is flattering and you’re not talking over the clatter of utensils like in a Chinese restaurant.

I found it quite amusing that you could have a choice of Vietnamese spring rolls or cheese soufflé as a starter, it’s as diverse as you can get.

The night started off with a soft crab and cheese wanton amuse-bouche dipped in a cranberry sauce, easily mistaken as sweet chilli.

For starters, we ordered the Vietnamese spring rolls and a cheese soufflé. I ordered the soufflé based on an online review, but it left me quite disappointed. The cheese was overpowering, and by the third spoon, I felt cheesed out or as we’d say it here “gelat”. You can’t go too wrong with deep friend spring rolls, so that was the starter’s saving grace. But I think they could go without the cheesy candle on the pineapple. It’s enough to have six spring rolls sticking out of a pineapple, the tealight just gives it the unnecessary attention.

For mains, we had a roast lamb and grilled salmon. My salmon was placed on a bed of mash. If I remember correctly, it’s a butternut squash mash or a potato mash with just a butternut squash sauce. I can’t remember what was with the Frenched lamb chops, but it looks like aubergine, sundried tomato with thyme.

Both mains were good, and thankfully portion size was definitely not French.

Service was immaculate, with staff attentive to every emptying glass. We left out dessert to explore a new haunt at Robertson Walk.

If you’d like to try this place out, here are their details:

Address: 18 Mohamed Sultan Road
Tel: 6235 6006
Opening hours: 6pm – 12am
Cuisine: Vietnamese, French
Average price: approx. S$ 65 – 75/person

This review is purely based on this one experience and my subjective little taste buds. To form your opinion, go try the food sometime and let me know what you think.