Momofuku Seiobo, Prymont and on another note farewell and thank you...

It's taken a while for this post to come together, and I didn't want to rush this one out even though I knew that some of you have been waiting to hear my thoughts on Momofuku Seiobo.  The reason for this careful slowness is that Cheesecake Boy and I have come to a decision that this will be the last post on this blog. Yes, you read right  'last post', this decision was sealed with a kiss, so it's final.  Being the 'last post' I wanted to ensure that our final post was going to do this blog justice, but at the same time I wanted to immerse myself in the crazy typing, editing and sorting of photos in its entirety one last time which is the reason for the extended delay.  However, we will come back to the farewell part of this post and shift our focus back to Cheesecake Boy and my dining experience at Momofuku Seiobo for now...

I've been restlessly waiting for the opening of Momofuku Seiobo for months, so you could imagine my excitement when it was up and running.  However, much to my surprise, my initial obstacle was Cheesecake Boy.  I'd always expected my partner in crime to support me immediately in these circumstances.  Initially, I thought he was hesitant because of the at the cost of $175.00 per person for the degustation that is unlike him, but it was actually because Cheesecake Boy wanted to surprise me for my birthday.  Well, I wasn't going to make my birthday that easy for him, so with the lingering threat dangling in the air that I was going to go without him, Cheesecake Boy relented and with K and Mr K we all headed to Momofuku Seiobo to celebrate the start of the silly season.

I must be one of the few, but I actually like the online reservation system.  I prefer to make all my bookings online where possible, as I like to have something in writing to show for the times when the bookings fall through.  I made sure that I set up my reservation account a couple of weeks before I planned to make my booking.  Yes I am pedantic, if that is what you are thinking, but you can only book ten ten days in advance.  Anyway, on the big day that I was required to book, I logged in a few minutes before the 10am availabilities were to pop up for the new day, and the system is actually quite smart as it tells you what time their database is, and lets you refresh until the 10am booking screen comes up.  Rather than having to login again, once 10am hits the system takes you straight to the availabilities screen.  Well, I got my desired date and time straight away, and then the rest of the process was not unlike ordering concert tickets off Ticketek.  Meaning you have an allocated amount of time to complete your booking, enter your credit card details and any further comments like allergies before you hit submit.  An email confirmation is sent through with very thorough rules and expectations and then all you have to do is wait for your big day to come around.  The reservation does take a bit more effort, but I guess you have to earn your spot.

Vietnamese spring rolls

It's been a while since my last recipe post, and I did promise Cheesecake Boy for his birthday this year that I would cook more of his favourite foods and that we would eat at home a bit more frequently.  I may not cook at home as much as I used to, but I'm hoping to change that soon.  However, when I do cook, they are mainly Cheesecake Boy's favourites, so I did keep half of the promise, if not the other half yet.  

Vietnamese spring rolls are my favourite type of spring rolls, to the point that I actually came up with this recipe so that I could whip up a batch at whim and just to my liking.  However, as this recipe does make around twenty spring rolls, I always make sure that we have guests over when I make these and there are usually never any leftovers.  I'm thankful that our friends like to eat as much as we do.

Tapioca, Cremorne

I've be wanting to dine at Tapioca for quite sometime now, as the offerings seem a bit different compared to the usual Thai eatery options in the area.  Cheesecake Boy and I just never seemed to get around to trying this place out, but I knew that we'd get here eventually.  Even though,  Cheesecake Boy and I usually get sidetracked by Ju Ge Mu & Shimbashi, I was not going to get sidetracked this time, as I wanted to try something different to mark a certain special occasion.  I guess most of us can relate to finishing high school and my sister Pumpkin just undertook her last HSC exam the other day, so I thought Tapioca would be the perfect spot to celebrate the end of an era, and the start of a new beginning.

Shanghai Stories 1938, Chatswood

Don't know if it's just me, but there seems to be a lot of Taste of Shanghai restaurants around now a days.  I guess, Taste of Shanghai must think so too, as they had a competition to name their new establishment at The Concourse.  The winner came up with Shanghai Stories 1938 and won an iPad2 and iPhone4, and for everyone else who participated they received a Taste of Shanghai VIP discount card.  I'd love to know the winner's thoughts whilst coming up with this name, as the time period chosen seems a bit controversial.

Anyway, Shanghai Stories 1938 is quite modern and sleek.  Although it's a massive two level restaurant, we still had to patiently wait our turn before getting a table.  I wanted to give up and eat elsewhere, but Cheesecake Boy said we'd already waited too long to leave our spot when we were almost there.  You see patience is definitely not one of my virtues, but Cheesecake Boy kept me going with the thought of dumplings.

Gigi, Newtown

I love getting emails from readers, especially the kind where they thoughtfully read your blog and understand exactly where you are coming from.  A few weeks ago, I received an email from a reader urging us to try her brother's ricotta cheesecake, as quite a few customer's claim that it is better than the legendary Pasticceria Papa's ricotta cheesecake.  However, she did mention that it all came down to personal preference at the end of the day.  Of course with Cheesecake Boy's intense love for Pasticceria Papa's ricotta cheesecake we were more than intrigued.

For Cheesecake Boy and I, it's a huge call to say a ricotta cheesecake can top the one at Pasticceria Papa's.  We actually get offended for Pasticceria Papa when people tell us they don't like the ricotta cheesecake, or I think their taste buds might need to be checked.  As a matter of fact, Cheesecake Boy could not stop thinking that there really might be a better cheesecake out there, so as soon as we could, we dashed over to Gigi's for their ricotta cheesecake and some pizza too.   

Iku Sushi, Perth

If you've been following us on twitter or reading this blog quite frequently, you may remember that in early October I tagged along with Cheesecake Boy on his business trip to Perth.  While Cheesecake Boy was working hard, I was busy munching and exploring.  Like any good food blogger, I had to do some eating research.  That's how I stumbled upon Iku Sushi, the home of the deep fried cheeseburger sushi.

In Sydney we have many deep fried foods available thanks to The Abercrombie, but deep fried cheeseburger sushi is something that I have not heard or seen in Sydney, and if someone can let me know otherwise, I'd be more than intrigued to compare them.  I initially came here by myself, but later discovered this place was near Cheesecake Boy's work and as the prices were more than reasonable than other establishments around, so we met up here for a couple of lunches.

Felix, Sydney

I'd been wanting to go to Felix for quite sometime now, so when our friend Flying High Girl was down for a visit, we decided that we would catch up over dinner.  Flying High Girl let me decide where we would meet for dinner, and since Cheesecake Boy and my relationship is democratic to an extent, I gave him a list of places that I was considering, and all he had to do was choose the place and I would book it in.  I knew he was going to choose Felix, especially when I mentioned that they had oysters, cheese souffles and last but not least Reuben sandwiches, so I may have slightly manipulated his decision, but that's how we finally ended up at Felix.  

I have to say that the environment of Felix really was very inviting with all that red, it's really seductive and quite dark at night, so great for a cosy dinner and thinking your in a brasserie in France, but not great for taking photos especially in the plush booth corner we were in, so the photos on this post don't really do the food enough justice, but they were the best we could do given the circumstances.

Adriano Zumbo's Concept Store and Dessert Train - The Star, Pyrmont

On a superficial level people generally don't think Cheesecake Boy and I have anything in common.  However, in all honesty we share many interests and are quite similar creatures deep down.  One of the smaller, but still important things we thankfully have in common is our love for sweets.  However, sometimes I think Cheesecake Boy might love sweets more than I do.  For instance, we initially went to Adriano Zumbo's latest store at The Star because I wanted to buy our dear friend Flying High Girl some macarons, as it was the first time in years that she's been able to come down to Sydney for a visit.  We'd talked about visiting Zumbo in the past, but a lack of time always prevented Flying High Girl and I from going together.  

Anyway, my point about Cheesecake Boy is that on our first visit he noticed that there was a sushi train layout next to the concept store, and when he found out that it was going to be a dessert train, he couldn't contain his excitement.  Originally the dessert train was meant to commence trading on the 22nd of this month.  He even took me out for a drive to check it out that day, but to his disappointment the train was delayed and not running to schedule.  To play it safe this time round Cheesecake Boy actually called last Sunday to make sure that the dessert train was going to open as planned, and with the green light that it was definitely going ahead, Cheesecake Boy couldn't wait to try it out. 

Tan Viet, Cabramatta

 

Our Southern Highlands day trip had come to end and on the way back, a sharp pang of hunger came over me in the back seat.  Being the good friend that Noodle Boy is, he happily made a detour to Cabramatta that was on the way back to feed a very hungry me.  We all ended up having an early dinner and Tan Viet was the destination of choice after being highly recommended to me by Pho Girl.  

I have to say that it's truly a small world at times because when we arrived at the restaurant who should we bump into but Pho Girl herself with Camera Girl, who were both tucking into Tan Viet's specialty of dry egg noodle and crispy chicken.  Anyway, I had to say cheerio as I was starving and some quick ordering was definitely on the agenda.

 

Chefs Gallery, Sydney

I haven't been to Chefs Gallery since it first opened, and coming to think of it now, all those visits were made prior to this blog.  Although I went a few times initially to try this establishment out, none of those visits actually struck a chord with me, except for those adorable piggy buns.  However, a piggy bun can only keep you amuse for so long, until the novelty wears out.

You may then be wondering what the latest draw card was that bought me back this time, and it all started because Pho Girl and I were craving a yum cha lunch.  However, I wanted to go somewhere different to the usual establishments and my thoughts strayed to FoodiePop's post on Chefs Gallery's yum cha offerings.  Bearing this in mind, I thought it was about time to give Chefs Gallery another go. 

Chophouse, Sydney

I'm a carnivore, I don't deny that.  However, I'm not an overly ardent carnivore.  It takes a certain craving for me to want to attack an entire piece of steak or any meal that centres around just a huge piece of meat.  You may be able then to imagine Cheesecake Boy's surprise when I suggested that we we go to the Chophouse as I was craving a steak.  The poor boy even asked if I was feeling alright.  This was how I decided where we would catch up with Dumpling Sister to hear all about her trip to Europe. 

Dude Food Deg - Lotus, Potts Point

This year has definitely gone by quickly, and I can't believe it's mid October already.  Cheesecake Boy knows that when October comes around that he's sure to be taken to some out of the ordinary Crave event that has sparked my interest.  This October was no different, and Dan Hong's "Dude Food Deg" was the only event that really caught my eye.  What was meant to be a one-off five course degustation has stretched over to three different weekends due to its popularity, and who can blame them when inspiration for this crazy meal comes from Dan Hong's love of junk food and hip hop tunes.  This was the perfect lunch for Cheesecake Boy and I as we really do love our junk food, especially Cheesecake Boy who can easily polish off a box of Pizza Shapes in one sitting, if I left him to his own devices.

MasterChef Live - Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park

Last year, Cheesecake Boy and I missed out on MasterChef Live, and I thought we would miss it again this year.  However, that was until we received a call from our dear friend Mrs. G when we were in Perth, who had some complimentary tickets, and so it was decided that the very next day after returning home to Sydney, Cheesecake Boy and I would get ourselves out and about.  It was better then our initial intentions of just sleeping the day away.

We got there quite late as Cheesecake Boy and I had slept in, and it was crowded, but it was not unbearable.  However, we were too late to attend some of the classes as they were booked out, but other classes that had a first come, first serve policy seemed to have a minimum 45 minutes waiting period.  You see, we are definitely not the patient type so waiting was not going to be an option for us.  However, after a small stroll our rumbling tummies decided that it was time for a quick and easy lunch.

Kenji @ Opera Kitchen, Sydney

I know that I have been very slack on the blog side of things lately, but Cheesecake Boy and I have just come back from Perth, and we are finding it hard to adjust to the measly three hours time difference.  I was meant to get this post out a while ago, but I became uninspired.  I guess you'll understand when you get into this.  I was reluctant to post this experience, but I guess at the end of it all, it was how the dinner panned out, and it really was out of our control.

Spring fever definitely hit Cheesecake Boy and I in early September, when the weather was just stunning.  This led to us roaming the CBD after work a lot more frequently and enjoying the sometimes lovely warmer nights that we have been irregularly blessed with earlier last month.  One of these strolls led us to Kenji at the Opera House.  I had been meaning to make our way to Kenji for ages, as I truly loved Kenji Nishinakagawa's sushi when he was at Koi in Woolwich.  

Singapore Kitchen, West Ryde

Cheesecake Boy started this blog in January and I eventually took over with the writing, and the photos are a share job at times.  However, at other times one of us becomes the designated photo taker of the meal.  Bringing me to the point that we have actually made it to our 100th post, so I guess time goes fast when you're having fun or I just love rambling non-stop, it's probably the latter.  Also, many thanks to all our readers and the lovely comments that have come through, as it really does encourage me to keep blogging.

Being the 100th post, I thought that it would be best to go back to how Cheesecake Boy and I started our food journey together, and that was by us having dinner dates in restaurants around our local area.  Singapore Kitchen was recommended to us by Robert Kennard when he was interviewing us for the local paper being the Northern District Times, and although I was very reluctant to do this, Robert made the experience seem like one long conversation, so the silly rambling me took over and Cheesecake Boy and I had a lot of fun talking over dumplings, and a story did come out of this.  

Anyway, a recommendation from another lover of food is never taken lightly, so that's how one night Cheesecake Boy and I ended up at Singapore Kitchen.  I was actually not expecting to be let in to dine, as they close usually at the early time of 8.30pm.  However, Cheesecake Boy still wanted to rock up at 8.15pm, much my dismay and I know my restaurateur family members would not be thinking of me in a good light right now.  Fortunately, our host Sam was more than obliging and very gracious about the matter, even though the sole cook being his wife through the kitchen doors did not sound too impressed.  Believe me, I wanted to leave you in peace and come back another night.

Brunch at Wild Food Cafe and our Southern Highlands day trip

Cheesecake Boy and I are in Perth at the moment, so it's been hard to update the blog as wifi is not always readily available and that it's been a busy holiday well for me anyway so far.  Unfortunately, the holiday is over for Cheesecake Boy and he has been put to work here, but I am definitely enjoying my time off in Perth as the weather has been fantastic, and I'll be coming back  to Sydney with a slight tan.  Thankfully Maccas everywhere are easy to find and a great source of free wifi, even if I haven't had a chocolate thick shake for at least 10 years, and they have really skimped on the ice cream, not as thick as I remember them to be and you don't have to work hard now to slurp it down, so there goes half the fun.

Anyway, after postponing our day trip to the Southern Highlands quite a few times.  Cheesecake Boy and I have finally gone with our friends Noodle Boy and Rice Girl, and we loved our time there.  Our trip was the weekend of "It's Tulip Time" and by the time the four of us arrived at Bowral we were breakfast deprived and starving.  Especially, since I got side tracked and decided that there was a cake stand that I really needed, and that's when one of the shop assistants suggested that we drop into Wild Food Cafe for brunch. When we got there we realised that Wild Food Cafe was an organic health food store with a cafe at the back.

Marque, Surry Hills

I've been busy planning a last minute trip to Perth, so the blog has been a bit neglected.  However, I'm feeling inspired by my visit to Marque and thought a post was in order.  Last Friday, my friend and I decided on the Friday Prix Fixe lunch that consisted of an amuse bouche, entree, main served with bread, pre-dessert, dessert and finally ending with some petit fours.  The lunch menu changes weekly, and all for a sensational $45 per person.  I cannot believe that after all this time of walking up and down Crown Street, that I never realised that Marque was just right next to Billy Kwong.

Another Blue Mountains post: Logan Brae Orchard and brunch at Megalong Valley Tea Rooms

Just continuing on from our last Blue Mountains post.  After our lovely dinner at Ashcrofts, Cheesecake Boy and I woke up the next day in search of the breakfast or the brunch of champions.  After quite some deliberation, we decided that we would head to Megalong Tea Rooms for a big feed before getting into some trekking and sightseeing.  However, on our way to breakfast Cheesecake Boy and I got side tracked by a sign that apples and freshly crushed apple juice were ahead.  You see, Cheesecake Boy loves juice, and I don't mind it as long as it's the fresh and not the sugary artificial kind.  This is how we ended up making a short detour to Logan Brae Orchard first.

The Dip @ Goodgod Small Bar, Sydney

Ever go through phases, where all you want to eat is some good comfort food, and you can't seem to get enough of it?  Of course, comfort food comes in many different forms, but I'm talking about the type that's just fun and simply tasty.  Well, Cheesecake Boy and I for the past few weeks have been going through this phase at The Dip @ Goodgod Small Bar.  It all started off innocently, an after work roam through the CBD one night a few weeks ago, and since then we have been back many times and not always just the two of us either.  This post will actually feature several nights of dining just for good measure.

Ju Ge Mu & Shimbashi, Neutral Bay

Dumpling Sister is off gallivanting around Europe, and I can't tell you just how incredibly envious I am.  Since, she's away for sometime, envious or not we decided to have an official bon voyage dinner for her.  Dining out seems to be my responsibility on my side of the family, which is great as it gave Cheesecake Boy and I a chance to dine at one of our old favourites being Ju Ge Mu & Shimbashi.

Now bookings here are a must.  Otherwise, make sure all your fingers are crossed before you enter one of the two entrances of this establishment.  If you enter through Ju Ge Mu you are walking into their teppanyaki domain, but last Saturday we had other ideas as we entered through Shimbashi, where they specialise in soba.  However, it doesn't matter where you sit as you can order from both menus, I just didn't want to smell like barbeque after dinner, so that's why I booked to dine at Shimbashi, but one of these days I'd love to sit at the teppanyaki bar at Ju Ge Mu.

Hemingway's, Manly

Happy Father's Day to all Dad's and we hope everyone enjoyed the family festivities.  However, if you're in the same boat as Cheesecake Boy and I, where we don't celebrate Father's Day, we hope you made the best of the gorgeous weather and had a lovely day.  Being the lame couple that we are, instead of celebrating Father's Day, Cheesecake Boy and I celebrate a made up day which we call "Other Half Day", so to make the most of this occasion of spending time together, we decided to head down to Manly Beach and do the walk to Shelly Beach.  We woke up a lot later than expected this morning, so first things first, we had to settle the hungry tummies before our stroll.  The quest to feed ourselves led us to Hemingway's for lunch.

Hello Blue Mountains and dinner at Ashcrofts, Blackheath

If you've been following Cheesecake Boy and I on twitter, than you may have realised that Cheesecake Boy and I went to the Blue Mountains for a couple of days last week.  I promise that we will get to the dining experience eventually, so please bear with me.  Now, this is the first time that Cheesecake Boy and I have been to the Blue Mountains together, and we had intended to get to there earlier, but with certain things that needed to be done, we didn't get to our B&B in Leura until around 3pm.  However, that did not deter Cheesecake Boy from making a beeline towards Sublime Point lookout, as soon as we had checked in.

Sublime Point

I thought that because we got there so late in the afternoon, that we would only be going for a leisurely stroll, so although I had packed a pair of sneakers I left them in our overnight bag,  and kept my ballet flats on.  It made for a bumpy walk, but at least the path to the lookout was pretty straightforward.  The view was worth the ten minutes of self-inflicted discomfort on my end. 

Sublime Point

Patisse, Waterloo

You know your other half loves you when he doesn't hesitate to go to high tea with you, and readily invites his mates and their partners to come along too.  At the end of the day, Cheesecake Boy knows he's going to get some good food and a certain Dumpling Girl will be very happy.  I'd been wanting to go to Patisse for a while, and when I realised a themed high tea was offered once a month, I knew that there would be no better introduction.  Now, Cheesecake Boy does have his limits being a guy's guy after all, and refused to go to last month's floral themed high tea.  However, when I suggested last Sunday's theme being the "Last Day's of Winter: Apple, Pear and Rhubarb", well he easily agreed to that. 

Bar H, Surry Hills

I had been mulling about whether I should give Bar H, and it's current Asian inspired offerings a try or not for a while, so when a Spreets offer for Bar H came along, I guess I took that as an encouraging sign.  A couple of Friday night's ago, Cheesecake Boy and I were huddled up together on a window seat, looking out at the terribly rainy and windy conditions outside, having drinks and enjoying our food in the cosy and intimate surroundings of Bar H.  Our deal consisted of four courses, that came with a choice of any two beers or glasses of wine for $69.  Due to the horrid weather, we dashed off to Bar H extra early, and made it to happy hour.  Where a selection of beers were $4.50 each, the house wine was $5 and certain cocktails were $10 each.

Chat Thai - Westfield CBD, Sydney

On the blustery Friday that just came to pass, a crazy Cheesecake Boy, Dumpling Cousin and I had organised to meet up for lunch at Chat Thai in Westfield.  Had I known the weather was going to be that bad, trust me I would have preferred to stay at the office, but I hate cancelling last minute, so with my safety dangling in the air, I braved the weather and headed out for lunch.  This lunch was a big deal for me, as I tried Chat Thai at Campbell Street during its opening week, years ago now.  The impression that it left on my companions Sushi Girl and KFC Girl back then, well they never wanted to give it a second chance after that, so I arranged for Cheesecake Boy and Dumpling Cousin to join me this time, and I had all my fingers crossed, that this time round the food was going to be good.

Xanthi - Westfield CBD, Sydney

Last Thursday after work, Cheesecake Boy and I didn't want to head straight home and become couch potatoes, so we decided to roam around the city to get some exercise, which led us to getting peckish and wanting some snacks, but the snacks ended up turning into a full blown dinner.  The dinner at Xanthi was completely spontaneous, as I expecting to cook.  Luckily my trusty little point and shoot was in my bag, so I guess you can see that our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs, and don't ask how we managed to fit all that food in.  We always managed to eat more than we could at Perama, especially in their last week of trading.  It looks like it will be no different at Xanthi, as we were savouring some of our old favourites.  However, some new dishes came into the equation too.  I will admit that I had difficulty composing this post without drawing comparisons to our previous experiences at Perama, as Cheesecake Boy and I have had many dates,  dinner with friends and family birthday celebrations that we still fondly remember. 

Central Baking Depot, Sydney

I'm a night owl who stays up all night, but only loves to sleep in on days that I am meant to go to work.  If it's the weekend, I wish I could sleep in, but by then I am already conditioned to get up to go to work.  It's a vicious cycle, I tell you.  You could imagine Cheesecake Boy's surprise when he found me wide awake one Monday, a while ago now, insisting on having breakfast with him before he started work.  See, I am not a breakfast person on weekdays either, but love brunch on the weekends.  The reason for all this was that I had gotten addicted to watching the documentary Busting the Berlin Wall that was on SBS not too long ago.  

Now you're probably wondering how a documentary addiction led to a sudden weekday breakfast urge from a girl who wants to sleep in, and skip her breakfast.  Well, one part of this documentary series focused on JFK's famous speech where a women part of the audience back on that fateful day of the 26th of June, 1963 remembered how moved with hope she was when JFK said the iconic line "Ich bin ein Berliner", that translated to "I am a Berliner".  This eventually led me to looking up the speech on wikipedia, and lo and behold some interesting views on how it is believed that JFK actually used the article 'ein' incorrectly and actually said, "I am a jelly doughnut" instead.  After a bit of a laugh, I couldn't get jam doughnuts out of my head.  That's how I ended up getting up super early on a Monday to find a jam doughnut for breakfast, well a Berliner Pfannkuchen in fact.  I was 100% positive that Luneburger at the QVB would have them, but I think we must of got there too early, and a now a worked up and very hungry Dumpling Girl was dragged by Cheesecake Boy to Central Baking Depot instead, as we could not find a Berliner in sight.

Shortgrain, Surry Hills

It was another lunch catch up with Sushi Girl.  I had been wanting to go to Shortgrain for ages, and she's definitely my lunch exploring buddy, always willing to try something different.  Unfortunately, Cheesecake Boy works too far away to join us, so he was a bit sore about missing out, as we are both very fond of Longrain, and Shortgrain the lunch canteen is only open Monday to Friday until 3pm.  Anyway, Sushi Girl thought we were going the wrong way, but before we knew it, we turned a corner and there was Shortgrain just opposite the Hollywood Hotel and literally just around the corner from Longrain.

We were the first to arrive, and Martin Boetz in the flesh was actually at the counter and said 'hi', I tell you of all the times to be shy.  However, do not get me wrong, I really am shy by nature.  Oh well, moments come and go and it's back to the food.  The chalk board daily menu had Sushi Girl and I really contemplating and before you knew it, we proceeded to place our orders at the counter and chose a table.

Pho

You may be wondering why there is a lack of Vietnamese restaurant posts lately, and to be honest I have taken up learning how to cook Vietnamese food.  Especially, now that I have learnt to make Cheesecake Boy's favourite of pho or beef noodle soup, we tend to eat pho at home.  Inspiration for this dish actually came from the most used cookbook in our household and it has never failed me yet, the great and easy to use book being Little Vietnam by Nhut Huynh of Snakebean Asian Diner.  Huynh's version is from South Vietnam, and is a very easy to follow recipe.  However, being the girl that I am, I had to play around with this recipe, and have adapted this recipe to Cheesecake Boy's and my taste. 

Now I must stress something to you, if you are planning to make this recipe, you will need at least a ten litre stockpot.  I managed to get my mum's stockpot that was my grandmother's, they don't make them like that anymore.  However, back to the recipe, patience will reward you with ten bowls of pho, even if the book says six servings, so either have lots of people over for dinner or be prepared to pho day and night for a while.  Also, this recipe is temperamental, so depending on your radishes and how fresh your meat is, the taste can slightly vary at times.  This recipe lasts three days at best.  All critical things aside, let the cooking begin, I guess...