Haven Tailoring Coffee Joyously | Surry Hills, Sydney

This is a story about the day I woke up at 7.00am for breakfast at 9.00am in the city and then went back home straight to snuggle up in bed. Was it a productive day? Not at all. But if you ask me if it was a good day, then yes it was.

For coffee lovers enthusiasts, the name Haven Tailoring Coffee Joyously is already inviting enough. Not only is your coffee tailored to your taste, it’s tailored joyously! 🙂 This spacious and well-lit cafe is located within metres of Central Station!! So what are you waiting for?

Belly Bao | CBD, Sydney

Let’s give you a break from my Japan spam and talk about the #instafamous Baoger that has been floating around social media lately. Know what I’m talking about? Read on. Don’t know what I’m talking about? You should still read on. 😉

Side note: Belly Bao only serves the baoger on Thursdays so keep this in mind!!

Jenny Travels | Osaka | Part 1

I’ve been spamming about Japan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – sorry to those who follow me on all three platforms. And an extra apology to those who also read my blog (but thank you, as well) because I am going to rant about it here as well.

As most of you know, it’s my very first overseas trip without my family so it was not only nerve-wracking but also incredible. I have a whole list of places to travel to and Japan is finally ticked off, though I have plans to go to Kyoto and Hokkaido next time!

Alright, first stop was the amazing Osaka – a much more relaxed version of Tokyo is how I would describe it!

P.S. I don’t know half of the names of the places I’ve been to because well… language barriers and laziness.

Paper Plane Cafe | Parramatta, Sydney

Visiting Paper Plane Cafe has been on my list for a while now – especially after all the hype it received last year! It’s always nice to see new trendy cafes popping up in the suburbs. No more hour-long bus rides to the CBD and surrounding suburbs for a nice cafe meal on the weekend.

Bowery Lane | CBD, Sydney

I don’t usually venture to the Wynard/Martin Place area, except to change buses. But of course, food is a motivator. Because of food, I got my lazy ass off my bed, did some exercise (i.e. walk to the bus stop) and explored a place I hardly visit. Food, you bring the best out of me.

By the time we arrived at Bowery Lane, it was 11.27am which was apparently not a great time because the kitchen was closed from 11.30am-12.00pm. It confused me to think that a restaurant would be open but not have an operating kitchen, especially during a relatively busy time. Needless to say… I was getting a little ‘hangry’ at that point in time. 

Mappen | CBD, Sydney

Where does a money-deprived, hungry, tired-looking uni student go to rejuvenate? For me, it’s either going to be Tenkomori for their tasty ramen, Oiden for their hearty rice dishes or the subject of this review… Mappen for their amazing udon! If you visit these places as much as I do, you might be familiar with the Washoku Lovers offers these stores have. Washoku Lovers paired up with these popular Japanese eateries (and many more) to create affordable offers to those who just want a tasty, fulfilling and cheap Japanese meal! Being a member is heaps of fun – there’s always competitions and unique offers around Japanese cuisine and it’s free to join! What’s not to love, right?

If you haven’t been to Mappen yet, I hope I can convince you by the end of this review that this place is essential to any uni student’s diet. In short, Mappen is a casual self-serve Japanese eatery in a cafeteria sort of format. It’s easy to personalise your meal, with different sizes, sides and drinks for you to order. No idea why I haven’t done a review on this place but Washoku Lovers was kind enough to invite me to Mappen to review the food here.

Pu’er | Waterloo, Sydney

Goodbye semester 1 and hello to my long-awaited holidays. Hey, I could get used to this repetitive cycle of work, shopping, food and sleep.

Last month, I had the pleasure of dining at Pu’er in Waterloo as a guest. Beautifully decorated, Pu’er is a modern Asian eatery that is inspired by tea houses. Instantly, I felt connected to this place! The traditional wooden Asian decor brings me back to my childhood where it resembles a lot of my relatives’ homes in China.

Salvage Coffee | Artarmon, Sydney

Alright, I’ll save you all from the “finals suck” rant since I know 90% of you already know what I am talking about. As usual, sorry for disappearing on you guys – it’s been a hectic few months trying to juggle my hobbies, passion, work and uni and sadly, food blogging got put aside for a while. But here I am, back in the blogging game (with a new theme) and ready to feed you with some delicious photos and words!

Salvage Coffee is probably the best, if not, the most hip cafe in Artarmon! Their chalkboard menu might be small but every dish is on point.

Gumshara Ramen | Haymarket, Sydney

Before I begin the review, I just want to emphasise that I was severely ramen-deprived before going to Gumshara so this might be a little biased. Like, I wanted ramen so badly I had trouble sleeping. Not even joking.

Let’s revisit the first time I had Gumshara: it was a depressing day until Sydney Trains e-mailed to tell me they had found my phone (which I lost anyway in Queensland later that year…) Almost immediately, I hopped on the train to Central to fetch my baby (my phone) and the most logical thing to do after was to celebrate the miracle with a bowl of ramen. At that point, I had been hearing so many great things about Gumshara, I knew I had to go. Even if it was by myself… but don’t worry, this time I dragged a friend to come with me.

Elbow Espresso | Chatswood, Sydney

Oh, how glad I am to be home today. The last two days put some serious strain on my muscles: fighting nature doesn’t really get you anywhere. I would start on one side of the walkway and be blown by the crazy wind to the other side! Nature, you win. Hopefully everyone will stay safe in the midst of this dreadful weather! While it’s not the ideal weather to go out for brunch, it’s never too early to plan, right? Here’s a place I would recommend for your next breakfast/lunch destination once the blue sky is back again.