Ajisen Ramen

Nah, I’m too lazy to travel to North side.  What ? But we just came from the City, can we please not go to the City again?   It was just one of those days. All I wanted was something simple, effortless and homely. Something like Ajisen Ramen.

Not only does Ajisen Ramen mean big steaming bowls of satisfaction, it also reminds me of the exciting times I had overseas. All the crazy Shangahi adventures and exhilarating Hong Kong fun are dug up by good old Ajisen Ramen. With over 750 branches all over the world, Ajisen is one I know I can count on.

Gyoza 

Tossing up between Takoyaki and Gyoza was  a tough decision, but the stomach helped make the final call. Luckily, the tastebuds agreed with these pan-fried parcels. Encased in a lovely crispy skin was a juicy pork and vegetable filling. Dip, or even double dip these into the gyoza sauce, and we are good to go.

Sizzling Seafood 

Like my days in Asia, I assumed that this was going to be Pepper Lunch style and come out on a scorching 260 degree hot plate where my meal would sizzle and cook before my very eyes. Instead, out came a not-so-sizzling warm-plate with a combination of calamari, mussels, fish and prawn stir-fried with bean-shoots in an overly-sweet cream sauce. 

Spicy Miso Ramen

Plump and tender ramen hid beneath an array of goodies. Sweet slices of cabbage, oozy soft boiled egg, truly spicy minced pork, and crunchy wood ear strips all balanced each other well.  The miso soup  was rich, fragrant and full of flavour. Warned with three chillies on the menu, it was no lie. Absolutely delicious and extremely satisfying.

Fast, tasty, affordably priced and a no fuss sense makes Ajisen Ramen an easy peasy Japanese-y choice.  

Ajisen Ramen

82 Kingsway 

Glen Waverley

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Shine Café Bar & Lounge

I've been going to The Glen a lot more recently these past few weeks. And boy are there a lot of eateries to choose from there. With a large hungry crowd of twelve, Shine made the perfect spot at The Glen to fill our rumbling tummies.

Salmon & Asparagus

I was stuck on choosing what to have for brunch today. Yes, me, the little piggy stuck in a rut. After much deliberation, and a recommendation from a friend that works at Shine, I chose the Salmon and Asparagus. I hardly order Eggs with hollandaise for two main reasons. One, it will go straight to my thighs. Two, hollandaise is really hit or miss. On arrival, my dish looked ever so sinful. We start with a toasted thick slice of ciabatta. This was followed by folds and folds of smoked salmon, crunchy spears of asparagus, and poached eggs all smothered in a golden chipotle hollandaise sauce. The addition of chipotle added a nice kick to the rich hollandaise. The dish overall filled the empty spot, or should I say hole in my stomach, but was nothing outstanding. I would have loved it if Shine had a few more bread options, like sourdough or multigrain. 

Jumbo Breakfast

Synonyms of jumbo: enormous - huge - vast - immense - gigantic - tremendous. 

I'm just going to let the dictionary do the talking in this one. Served up was toast, eggs lemon-thyme mushrooms, grilled tomato, sautéed baby spinach, crispy bacon, sausages & parmentier potatoes. My friend commented that his breakfast was "really good"and the bacon was cooked exceptionally well. He polished off the whole plate and was one happy chap.

Overall, Shine was a comfortable place to start our day, to rise and shine. The food at Shine sticks to the basics and plays it safe. For a handful friends, Shine is the place to be for breakfast. But for me? I look for a little more. Still, on this occasion, our gathering here was the punshine to our day.

Shine Café Bar & Lounge 

74-76 Kingsway 

Glen Waverley

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Mocha Jo's

M is for mouthwatering and M is for Mocha Jo's. I reckon these two go hand in hand. Any regular to the area of Glen Waverley knows you can rely on Mocha Jo's for coffee and dessert. Even better, is that Mocha Jo's is open late every day of the week. A night owl myself, this is perfect.

Skinny Flat White

 As always, I ordered a skinny flat white. Strong and bold, this drink paired nicely with my sticky date pudding. However,  it was sad to see no coffee art was existent.

1st Date,  Sticky Date 

Wowee ! Imagine this. Mocha Jo's homemade classic sticky date pudding, topped with two generous orbs of vanilla bean ice cream, and smothered in butterscotch sauce. Enticing, isn't it ? Together, the chill of the fragrant vanilla ice cream and the warmth of the butterscotch sauce tickled my tastebuds. Rich, sweet and warming, this dish made the perfect date. This was the ultimate comfort food and I fell head over heels for it. There was even a cute little note at the bottom of the menu indicating that this was very very yummy.  Indeed it was.

Mango & Coconut Mousse

My friend ordered the mango and coconut mousse off the specials board and was presented with this little number.  Heavenly layers of light and airy mango and coconut mousse, finished off with toasted coconut and zest of lime. This was polished off in no time. 

When night comes, Mocha Jo's is the perfect place to chill out over coffee and dessert. Service was warm, efficient and most importantly, they put up with our roars of laughter.  Not only was coffee and dessert delicious, my friends had further channeled their inner sweet tooth on the eye-candy. By the time we had reached the door to leave, they had already vowed to re-visit for dinner, to feast both their eyes and stomachs.

Mocha Jo's 

87 Kingsway 
Glen Waverley

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