I wasn’t really sure what to call it, but that’s exactly what it was – Soba Noodles in a bun!

We found this interesting combination of carbohydrates at a cafe in Tokyo. It was pretty much a white bread bun sliced open and slathered in thick mayonnaise, then topped with Bolognaise-flavoured Soba noodles and some pickled ginger!

As the noodles were dark brown, we thought it would have been flavoured with soy sauce or something. But strangely enough, it tasted like Bolognaise, albeit artificial.

My friend Josh didn’t like it, so I snatched the bun off him and wolfed it down. I enjoyed it – I figured I wouldn’t see or taste anything like this often so what the heck – I couldn’t let it go to waste!

The Japanese are full of quirky ideas when it comes to, well, everything. Especially pre-packaged food. One of my favourite convenience store purchases in Japan was none other than a quick fix of ‘pocket’ sandwiches! Each time I stepped foot into a convenience store, I just HAD to get a bag or two – sometimes even sneaking them into my bag quickly after I paid for them. It was getting embarrasing that I had some sort of fetish for these and had to hide it from the group!

At 200yen a pop (around $2.50), these cute little bags of fresh and fluffy white crustless sandwiches are just simply a genius idea. They are widely available at various Japanese convenience stores like Family Mart and 7-11, and come with different fillings – Egg mayo, tuna mayo, peanut butter, strawberry, blueberry, chocolate (gasp!), and custard (double gasp!). They were always fresh when I bought them – even after leaving them in my bag for a day or two! Japanese technology…

I nicknamed them ‘pocket’ sandwiches because of the way the fillings are ’sealed’ shut between two slices of bread, sans the crusts. I never like crusts, so the discovery of this sandwich ‘niche’ changed my life forever. The white bread they use is very soft and fluffy – my favourite pocket sandwich has to be the egg mayo, while the tuna mayo comes a close second! The perfect sandwich, satisfying in so many ways…

The Delicatessen Bake Shop at the Hyatt Hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, has been around as long as the hotel itself (In other words, decades). My mum used to buy me treats here when I was really young and as far as I can remember, I was never disappointed with the goodies that came out of this bake shop.

Only recently a friend of mine told me about their famous Asam Pedas or Hot and Sour Oxtail Puff. To combine french puff pastry with a local delicacy, how could I possibly NOT sample this? I made a quick dash to the Hyatt to investigate this for myself. Upon entering the shop, I asked the lady and she directed me to a glass display cabinet and lo-behold! There they were… At RM7.90 a pop, they had to be good!

I purchased one Oxtail puff and took it home for some serious analysing… And yes I measured it with a ruler, and it was a good 20cm in length! Don’t mind the lack of presentation, but the oxtail puff was bulging with a delicious meaty content waiting to be consumed!

I proceeded to slice the Oxtail puff in half and thanks to a good macro lens, I was able to capture a steaming close-up of the hot and sour Oxtail goodness inside the puff pastry.

The verdict? Everything I expected and more. The puff pastry was flaky on the outside yet was soft and buttery when bitten into. The pastry contrasted well with the sour and spicy flavours the Oxtail was cooked in. As for the Oxtail, it was cooked to perfection. Extremely tender but with a bit of bite, the meat itself wasn’t too chopped-up and minced. There were generous large chunks of delicious Oxtail in the puff.

I’m definitely going back for more. I reckon the Oxtail Puff would be great for tea-parties – you can pre-order in advance from The Delicatessen and they can bake them fresh for any function. Totally scrumptious!

Cafe Berlin is located on the eastern end of Darling Street in Balmain and is renowned for it’s big breakfasts and light lunches – but the extravagant display of home-made cakes in their window is what makes them a specialty cake shop. If you love an afternoon banter with friends over coffee and cake, this is the place to be.

They have a decadent array of home-made cakes, scones, cupcakes and sweet slices available for eat-in or takeaway. Despite the selection, I always end up ordering their bread and butter pudding. It’s always good to bring some friends along so you can try each others cakes!

Cafe Berlin is a hit with the locals in Balmain, and my all-time favourite is the oh-so-indulgent bread and butter pudding. To make it a notch more decadent, I always order a side of hot butterscotch sauce to go with it. The sauce actually belongs to the sticky date pudding, but what the heck!

They are always generous with the butterscotch sauce; needless to say, so am I! It is part of the ritual to lovingly bathe the pudding in sauce. Not to do so is a crime in  my books! It is dense, moist, and has fat, juicy raisins in all the right places that just explode in your mouth, releasing a barrage of buttery, sugarry euphoria.

A faithful companion to my bread and butter pudding will have to be a steaming bowl of hot chocolate (extra chocolate please). The cocoa powder they use at cafe Berlin is dark and bitter which compliments the pudding very well.

I also got a chance to sample the Tiramisu and strawberry cheesecake my tea-time companions were having. The Tiramisu had a good combination of textures – unlike alot of Tiramisus, this one wasn’t too damp. The crushed almond biscotti just melts in your mouth.

The Strawberry Cheesecake was deliciously rich and heavy. The cheese was dense and solid, and had a strong milky flavour that worked in harmony with the strawberry concentrate. Probably a good idea to go slowly on this one! A sip of coffee between bites does help!

As you can see, the cake portions are very generous at Cafe Berlin. Definitely worth the $7.50! Cafe Berlin is located at 249 Darling Street, Balmain 2041.