Ippudo Sydney @ Level 5, Westfield Sydney

Japanese food is one of my favourite cuisines. I have never had a bad Japanese experience, and ramen is something that I can never get sick of. So when I saw all the photos, hashtags and instagrams post of Ippudo, I just had to try it. Ippudo has been in Japan for almost 15 years, and started expanding internationally in 2008. Since, Ippudo Sydney opening in early December, it continues to be a craze amongst Sydney siders. 

Ippudo provides exceptional service, where once every customer enters the restaurant all the staff say irasshaimase! Quiet intimidating at first, but when you see the whole staff turn and greet incoming guests, it is quite amazing. Also, not all the staff are Japanese, which makes it even more fun and interesting.

Steamed buns with braised pork, lettuce and ippudo original sauce 

The infamous steamed buns are a definite must have. Everything about it is was amazing, the fresh crunchy lettuce, perfectly braised pork and the hint of spice.

Ippudo original tonkatsu broth served with thin noodles, pork loin, cabbage, black mushroom and shallots with flavoured egg

I thought I would allow my first Ippudo experience to stick to original and simple flavours, therefore tonkatsu ramen with the normal garnishes. It was such a clean tasting ramen. I loved the noodles used! The egg just makes the dish that much better!

Ippudo original tonkatsu broth enhanced with special blended miso paste and garlic oil. Served with thin noodles, pork belly, black mushroom and shallots.

This is what my friend ordered. It was very similar to my dish, but with an extra punch of flavour from the miso paste and garlic oil. 

Grilled Japanese eel on rice with original Kabayaki sauce

Kabayaki sauce is similar to a teriyaki but a bit more sweet and more sticky. It is sticky due to the heating process of the sugar and soy sauce. The sauce is traditionally the marinade on eel, and in this case was also in the rice. It was a lovely bowl of flavour.

Green tea lamington with red bean centre and green tea ice cream 

Dessert time! A Japanese twist on an Australian favourite. It wasn't as spongy as traditional lamington, but still had enough cake to be defined as a lamington. The middle layer of red bean helped with the sweetness of the green tea icing that surrounded the lamington. A great way to end the meal.

Black sesame pannacotta with creamy sauce 

The pannacotta was extremely interesting. Despite the use of black sesame, there was still a smooth texture. It was a tasty dessert, but started getting sickening (unless we were just too full and were struggling).

Good food, good times!

Ladurée @ Westfield Sydney, Level 3

I heard about Ladurée opening in May, where it was supposed to be opened in July. Now, after months and months of waiting, the day finally came, the day that Ladurée opened. I was there on opening day (11/09/2012) at 10am, to only find out it would open at 12, and then 1, and then 2.30! My friend and I went back at 2, and they had already started selling, and the queue to buy macarons was extremely long. With that, we decided to queue in the in store cafe line (where we only had to wait 30 minutes) and able to dine in to enjoy macarons and buy some takeaway.

I have yet been able to go to France where the original store is, but I will one day. This is the closest I could get to experiencing the real thing. The macarons are a bit on the pricier end of the spectrum, but considering they are shipped from Europe, it is reasonable and worth it.

The flavours

The Store:
I guess Ladurée Sydney isn't quite a store, but just to make things easier it shall be described as one. The Ladurée store is surrounded with products they sell, ranging from bags, perfume, teas, jams, chocolates, gift boxes and of course the infamous macarons. At the top of all the display windows there are lovely tiered macaron boxes tied with ribbon or macaron towers. The gold trimmings around product labels and all the signage are very French chic. 

The cafe:

The cafe is located behind the store and has a lovely outdoor garden feel as it is surrounded with small hedges. The layout is basic with tables of 2 or 4, low back chairs and simple black tables providing an elegance of a high tea. Further displaying large  boxes of macarons and scented candles.

Tea & Macarons:
Tea and macarons are a few of my favourite things. The teas are named after famous French Monarchs, each with their own individual scent and taste. They allow you to smell each tea, and pick your favourite for a pot. Tea costs $7.50 per pot. I love how Ladurée place a little napkin on the tea pot handle, so simple, yet so elegant.

Marie Antoinette (background Roi Soleil)

I went to Ladurée with a uni friend, so we decided to get every single flavour available and halve it. Overall the texture of Ladurée macarons are exquisite and perfect. They are light, with the perfect chew, and an exceptional balance between macaron shell and filling. They are somewhat indescribable, but I can now sort of understand the hype and fame of Ladurée macarons (until I experience the original in Paris).

Plate 1 (clockwise from white):
Vanilla, Lemon, Chocolate, Almond and Coffee. 
We thought we would start with the basics. My favourite of these was the coffee. It has the taste of a perfectly brewed coffee. My friends favourite was coffee, and also lemon (one of her favourite desserts are lemon tart), it has an intense lemon taste, so if you like a little zest in your life, then lemon is perfect for you.

Plate 2 (clockwise from purple):
Blackcurrant, Strawberry Poppy, Raspberry, Salted caramel, Liquorice, Pistachio and Chestnut (middle). 
These flavours are a bit more on the exotic range of the spectrum. I enjoyed all of these flavours. The strawberry poppy was delectable, it wasn't too sweet like other strawberry macarons are and I think that is because of the poppy component. The subtle poppy flavour balanced the macaron, a definite favourite. This delighted both our taste buds.

My other favourite was the salted caramel. I have tried many salted caramel macarons and never been completely satisfied (part from La belle miette). However, at Ladurée there was the perfect middle point of salt and caramel, the best salted caramel I have tried in Sydney...to date.

Plate 3 (clockwise from green):

Almond marshmallow, Lemon Lime marshmallow, Strawberry marshmallow, Violet marshmallow.

As a part of the 150th anniversary, Ladurée created 4 new flavours to celebrate the homage of the world famous macarons. All of the macarons contained a marshmallow centre that wasn't too gooey or sticky. The lemon lime was a very unique flavour, where it tasted very similar to gatorade, quite intense. My favourite of all these was  the strawberry marshmallow (I also bought this flavour for 2 of my other friends and they loved it too). Just thinking about it is making me salivate, the strawberry flavour with a slight crunch due to the sugar on top, just wonderful. 

Upon second visit, I tried Orange blossom and Ghana Chocolate (bottom two) where there was a subtle hit in the orange blossom, and the ghana chocolate has a darker chocolate taste compared to the normal chocolate. I prefer the ghana chocolate over the normal chocolate.

Table of goodies

16 macarons, done and dusted

Complimentary chocolate (even the chocolates are labelled Ladurée)

Bags of macarons

Good food, good times!