West End Markets

I came to Australia as a poor student, to save money I generally cook most of my meals. The thriftiness in me has not rubbed off much even though I've been out of student hood for a while now. To be save even more money me and Yoshi shop for groceries at West End market when ever we can.

This place opens from 6am ish to about 2pm ish every Saturday , it offers abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, meat and a great atmosphere. Shaded by giant fig trees, the smell of fresh food , aromas from freshly blended coffee and cooked food and also the occasional live music is just a superb way to spend your Saturday.

Some people say the fresh goods here are sold at prices from the 90's, so with that saving get yourself a German sausage , a cuppa and enjoy your Saturday... while you can...

Location : Davies Park Market West End is located in Davies Park - off Montague Road and at the end of Jane Street. @ Brisbane

Taste : depends on your recipe/ cooking

How do you spend your Saturdays?

Nippon Journey - To be Continued

We bid farewell to Toyama and headed on to our next destination, Tokyo. This is one huge city, full of interesting places and food. However I'll take a break from our Nippon Journey for a little while,but will promise to continue it soon... stay tuned!

Nippon Journey - Toyama Tranquility

After spending four days in the Kansai area, we headed toward Yoshi's Hometown; Toyama. We got on to the train, ordered our bentos and three hours later... we had arrived. This place far exceeded my expectations, I thought it was going to be just an ordinary small town but I was blown away with the beautiful temples, great food and great people.

Train Bento

Zuiryu-Ji Temple

Abiko: Fujiko Fujio (A) - One half of the Doraemon authors

Kagechiyo (影千代) from Ninja Hattori-Kun from authors of Doraemon

Toyama is also the birth place of the Doraemon manga authors, an area of Himi City is dedicated to Fujiko- Fujio A and also has a small Ninja Hattori Kun museum. Close by to the musuem is a small fish market by the sea...

Squid - XL size

Long Leg Crabs - XL size

Masuzushi

Fried Buri

In the market , there was a small restaurant serving Buri; Known as the King of Toyama Bay, this fish’s name changes with each stage of its life. “Kan-buri”, the yellowtail caught in the coldest season, having just the right balance of fat and caught just before spawning season is a special delicacy. If you are ever in Toyama, this is a must... as the juices in this fish is mad!





The night before we were treat to a massive meal; comprising of the infamous Fugu fish, crab legs, soba noodles, tempura vegetables and tempura shirako or fish sperm. That was no typo...Yes..I ate FISH SPERM! I do not have any pictures of the shirako as I did not know that is was fish sperm till the next day.


So whats the weirdest thing you have eaten ?

Nippon Journey - Kobe NightLights

The next leg of our journey was Kobe, we actually stayed in Kobe but commuted to the various places in the Kansai area. Kobe has a slight western flair about it, It is also Brisbane's sister city. Kobe is also a major producer of sake, coincidentally there was a factory behind where we stayed.

The entries to most breweries here are free, and we could sample almost all the sake at this brewery called "Hamafukutsuru" . This man there is one of the brewers, and the bottle beside him is his own recipe. He speaks of his sake like he speaks of his children, with great pride.

Location : 658-0025 Uozakiminami cho 4-4-6, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture

A place which is a must when in Kobe is the Port area, I some how stumbled upon a flock of seagulls standing in a row by the port, the camera quickly came out and SNAP! This is one of my favorite shots of the trip .

We were quite lucky to catch a glimpse of The Kobe Luminarie which is a light festival held in Kobe between mid December till Christmas. The Light festival is to commemorate the Great Hanshin Earthquake which happen back in 1995.

Walking by the port area, we stumbled by a small stall selling snacks and also steamed buns and other small condiments. The smell and aromas coming out from here was quite intense which lead me to get all the three types of buns sold. The best one there for me was the Butakakuni Man i.e Stewed Pork Bun) the juices and melt in your mouth meat was just delightful.

One of Yoshi's friends brought us to a Prison themed restaurant called "The Lockup". The restaurant's policy is that when you come in you would be arrested in Hand cuffs and brought to your prison cell. The Lockup offers a wide variety of cocktails/mocktails which is served in laboratory equipment, the even had one which was called the bomb making kit. The food was not too special but the you come for the experience.

Location : Tokyu Kids Plaza Boomin Kitano B1 1-7-9 Yamamoto Dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 650-0003

Taste : moderate

Atmosphere : Never had so much fun in a prison

Have you been to any interesting restaurants like this?

Nippon Journey - Kyoto Daze

We only had a day to go around Kyoto due to our tight schedule and our ambition to see as much as we could in 2 weeks. This leg of the journey although short was my favorite; Kyoto has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is crazy how breathtaking these places are, no wonder it has 17 UNESCO world heritage sites. (picture above is at Kiyomizu-dera)

Shoren-In Temple

The ever so beautiful maple trees

Arashiyama - a place where mothernature and a little help from gardeners blend really well. Above is at the bamboo forest. This place is defanately worth a visit, at night the colourful lighing highlights the bamboo growth and also mountains. Day or night this place is magical.

Gion - Most famous for the Geishas

Stepping into the Kyoto, makes you fall into a daze, the beautiful architecture of the traditional shrine and temples; the peaceful arrangements of the garden blends in like a was still in the 1800. Then suddenly you will smell food... which will make you hungry... and wake you up from that daze...

Pickle shop - in Gion

The Candy Man - Hand made candy

After a long and tiring day of sight seeing our stomachs started rumbling,we step into Kyousuishin , a small and almost posh looking restaurant specializing in Kyoto ryori or Kyoto Cooking.

Squid and Tuna Sushi

Sliced Beef Nabe - Beef Stew

Kyoto Beef - Not quite Kobe Beef but still delicious

Kyoto is one of my favourite places I've been to.What is your favourite place?

Sydney Here We Come

It has been nearly 5 years since I've been to Sydney. Thanks to lastminute.com 's "secret deals" , I scored HOLIDAY INN for a really really cheap price, considering its Easter weekend. The only set back on this secret deals are that they don't tell you, which hotel it is ; just the price and location.

Any recommendations for Sydney?

The Nippon Journey - Osaka Strut

A while ago, both me and Yoshi did a mad trip to Japan. We went from Osaka to Kobe to Kyoto to Toyama to Tokyo and back to Osaka. Although we rushed around like headless chooks...It was the best travel experience I had. Let me show you our Osaka leg of our Journey.

Osaka - Jo - Osaka Castle

Somewhere out site the Osaka Castle grounds

AmerikaMura - is where the cool cats of Osaka hangs out

Dotonbori - is where all the hungry cats hang out. This place is MAD!!! the variety of food here is intense. As Osaka is well known for their food, here would be THE best place to start.

Being born and bred in Malaysia, I was lucky enough to enjoy the diversity of culture and food of the local scene. Malaysia is well known for the great mix of cultures like the Chinese, Malay and Indian. When I was younger, I hardly was exposed to Japanese food, mainly because it was quite expensive and it was not as common as it is now. When I met my fiance, she introduced me to the magic of the Japanese cuisine and their wonderful culture.

Takoyaki (octopus balls)- This place, is a DIY takoyaki joint. Place the octopus, then the spring onion , then the flour mix, then the pickled ginger.... then wait... then roll them balls...

Taste : Superb;If you find it not tasty, its your fault,because you made it!!!

Location : Takontetsu (Pizza Ball House)1-9-20 Maru Bldg Umeda 1 Chome

P.s : Look for the red octopus squeezing its face.

Dango - A mochi-ish Dumpling (rice balls)

Ramen - My favourite Japanese meal!!! from top left - shoyu ramen , top right - tonkotstu ramen with tempura , at the bottom - tonkotsu ramen




Okonomiyaki - Japanese savory pancakes/pizza.

Location : Somewhere in Dotonbori ; near a karaoke place. (sorry for the poor info)

Set menu - Katsudon Set (deep fried chicken with rice)
Location : Again I'm not sure...

Deep Fried Anything!!!! - from asparagus with bacon to zucchini with livers

Location : Dotonbori... this one is a hard one... Just use your nose to smell out the deep fried stuff

Well that is just some of the places that we went in Osaka... Whats your Osaka spots?