s o o k s - f o o d - n o t e s

paris bites: chez l'ami jean

2011-12-23T12:22:00.000+11:00

Chez l'ami Jean
27, Rue Malar
75007 Paris, France
Tel: +33 (01) 4705 8689
Website: http://www.amijean.eu/en/index.htm

Before we left for our Europe trip, we were pretty diligent in our planning. We already had in hand a number of places to visit and necessary reservations for the restaurants we wanted to dine at were all made well before we left. Chez l'ami Jean was never in the itinerary. But after dining at quite some crappy places on days we decided to "wing it", we decided to try our luck to get a table at Chez and as you are currently reading this, you guessed right. We got lucky. In fact, we got lucky twice because I went for dinner there 2 nights in a row. Yup, that's how much we liked the place.

Chef Stéphane Jego, originally from Basque, is one of those chefs who has trained in French formal kitchens, worked with top chefs and is now part of the "casual dining" movement. And honestly, I think he is doing extremely well. On both nights, the restaurant was packed. On the 2nd night I was there, the restaurant was still bustling at 11pm (I know Europeans dine late but still!).

Deep Fried Pork Fat

Chez basically offers a 3 course prix fixe menu, a couple of sharing ala carte items and some specials on the board that change daily. Wanting to sample different things off the menu, we ordered a 3 course menu and 2 specials off the board on the first night. Noted for his Charcuterie, we also couldn't leave without trying Chef Jego's Bayonne Ham. I have to say I don't specifically remember the details of every dish I ate but I felt it would have done the restaurant injustice if I just didn't show you what we ate that night. I do remember the Salmon dish however where the fish was cooked the way I liked it; slightly raw in the middle. R really enjoyed his dish of Sweetbreads and the Assiette of Pork that I had for my main was excellent as well.

What sealed the deal and led us to return with the rest of the pack was this dessert - Chez l'ami Jean's famous Riz au Lait also known as White Rice Pudding.

AMAZING. That's the only word that I can think of to describe this dessert. Easily one of the best desserts I've ever had in my life. 2 nights in a row simply just wasn't enough actually. The rice pudding used bomba rice which is usually used in paellas so it was able to keep its shape and texture without turning to mush. The pudding was so creamy and smooth and yet so light that we were able to continue eating it without feeling like the cream was weighing us down. The accompaniments were all important to bring this dish together too. I loved the salted caramel butter which I thought was necessary for the pudding. The flavoured meringues and roasted pralines added the crunch. Did I mention that I loved the self assembly aspect of this dessert as well?

We got to try a different set of dishes the next night. Between the 6 of us, we had the sharing portions of Kurobuta Pork, Wagyu Beef and a whole roasted Foie Gras.

The meats were all cooked to perfection; the pork was nice and pink, the beef was a spot-on medium rare and the thick slabs of foie were so rich and so good. I didn't have get a good picture of the beef and foie in its entirety but the below should give you an idea what it should have looked like. That's the first portion that was given to me. Erm.. should I be shy about admitting that I had another 2 more after that?

Call to book in advance. I'm sure you don't want to give this place a miss.

paris bites: les cocottes de christian constant

2011-12-21T13:08:00.000+11:00

Les Cocottes de Christian Constant
135, rue Saint-Dominique (7th arrondissement)
75007 Paris, France
Tel: +33 (01) 4555 1505 (No reservations)
Website: http://www.maisonconstant.com/eng_cocottes.htm
Opening Hours: 12pm - 3pm, 7pm - 10.30pm daily

Chef Christian Constant helmed the kitchens in Michelin Star fine dining restaurants years back but in recent times, has decided to take the route of casual dining, which is pretty much the trend everywhere these days. The return to a more laid back setting means that his restaurant is more accessible as prices are more at a reasonable range. It also means the food is simpler but by no means less delicious or impressive.

Les Cocottes is quite a special little place. Located near the Eiffel Tower, it was the perfect lunch spot after a dreadful morning of queuing to ascend the Eiffel. True to the name of the place, most dishes are served in Staub cast iron cocettes which I find a novelty since the rest of the world are using tiles and chopping boards to serve their food these days (not that I mind).

The food was delicious. We started with a Langoustine Ravioli. The broth although a tad foamy was light and extremely flavourful. There was a substantial amount of langoustines wrapped within the ravioli. An all round favourite.

You could smell the fragrance of the Mushroom Velouté as soon as it was brought to our table. Am not always a fan of mushroom soups but this was one that was done extremely well and one that I really liked. It was rich because it was creamy but yet it didn't weigh us down much after having it.

The mains were delicious as well. R's order of Veal was cooked to perfection and paired really well with artichokes, onions and red peppers. What was more impressive was the special of the day, Beef Bourguignon.

Beef Bourguignon, a classic French dish which originated from Burgundy, takes on a modern twist here. Traditionally, you'd see the beef cut up into small chunks but here, the meat is served in one large portion. The pasta was also gratinated with cheese. The beef was extremely tender and well seasoned. The soft garlic made the dish all the more enjoyable. Excellent excellent dish. One that I will remember for a long time.

Lunch ended with Christian Constant's signature Chocolate Tart. Rich and indulgent, the dark chocolate helped to round up an extremely enjoyable meal.

So if you're in the area, this is one place you want to fit into your itinerary. Even if you're not somewhere nearby, it probably might be worth a trip anyways.

paris bites: le cinq at the four seasons

2011-12-20T15:35:00.002+11:00

Le Cinq
Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris
31 Avenue George V
75008 Paris, France
Tel: +33 (01) 4952 7000
Website: http://www.fourseasons.com/paris/dining/le_cinq/

I wish I took a picture of Le Cinq's dining room because words cannot describe how beautiful it is (we had to be considerate cos there were other guests in the room). Have a look at their website and you'll know what I mean. Set in classic Parisian style, it is honestly one of the prettiest dining rooms I've ever been in. It almost feels like I've been transported to a different time, just sitting in the grandness of it.

The moment we settled into our table, our table was delivered with a "little" snack - Deep Fried Calamari! I say it's "little" only because we had more than our fair share. We just couldn't resist another basket when the wait staff came over and asked us, "MORE?" We could only nod and then had to stop ourselves from ruining the meal that was about to follow.

An assortment of bread (loved the Tomato Brioche) appeared alongside with possibly the best butter I've ever had (I first had the Fleur de Sel version at their home store in St Malo). Bordier's Seaweed Butter was excellent. I can't pin down what makes his butter different but all I can say is after you've tasted this, butter won't ever be the same again.

We started with a trio of amuses - from far left, Lemongrass Shrimp, Carrot Gelee with Ginger and Hibiscus and a Deep Fried Shrimp Head. Excellent start I'd say.

Whilst the food did not blow our socks off, it was solid and classically French. Among the entrees, I really liked the rich and tasty piece of Foie Gras which R ordered. Afterall, what's there not to like about anything that sends your cholesterol through the roof. The Seared Tuna came a close second.

The portions for the mains were very generous. Both were pretty delicious but by this time, I was already stuffed (blame it on the Fried Calamari and awesome breads). Both dishes, the Red Mullet and the Calf's Liver were cooked extremely well. The liver was especially tender and didn't have that strong offal taste that I was expecting. Can I say that the carrots that accompanied the Calf's Liver were extremely buttery and delicious?!

Before dessert arrived, we did a little detour to the cheese trolley. The Gorgonzola (pictured below in the biggest tray) was creamy and delicious. Salty but oh-so-good. There was also another soft cheese which paired so well with the honey that they drizzled on top. I just love the whole spectacle of having a trolley full of food placed in front of me for my selection!

I didn't think the desserts were particularly memorable. I recall the pre-dessert to be pretty enjoyable though. I did like my dessert which had the combination of salted caramel, chocolate and lemon but the Profiteroles doused with a whole of chocolate failed to impress much although it did taste good - as expected.

We finally rounded up our 3 course lunch with selection of the Bonbon trolley (yet another!). I thought I was too full but somehow or rather, I still found space somewhere in my tummy to stuff some truffles, peanut brittles, marshmallows and macarons in. You could say they were too good to be passed up.

It is not only the grandeur of the dining room that I will remember. The experience was unforgettable. Le Cinq may only be a 2 Michelin Star restaurant but it is certainly deserving of a third one. The food may not have been the most exciting but the service was impeccable; the staff were extremely friendly and at times engaged in humorous banter with us. I had half expected the service to be a stuffy because of the whole set up of the restaurant but I was flatly proven wrong. And if you are looking for that Michelin Star experience when in Paris, this is one place you don't want to miss.

paris bites: relais de l'entrecôte

2011-12-17T00:04:00.000+11:00

Relais de l'Entrecôte
15, Rue Marbeuf
Paris, France
Tel: +33 (01) 4952 0717
Website: http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/uk/index.html

Located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris near Champs Elysee lies a typical looking French bistro. That bistro however, starts having a long line formed outside its doors around 6pm; the crowds rushing for the first seating when the bistro opens its doors. And all of them are simply lusting for this.

Steak frites is classically French but it doesn't stop here. The people are in line because of that mysterious green sauce. Over the years, many have been curious about that sauce. Many newspaper articles were written about it claiming that there was this and that in the sauce. But the restaurant has refuted all those claims and has never been public about the secret behind that moreish sauce. In Singapore, there is a restaurant claiming to do the same but from what I've heard, it's not quite exactly like the original. I remember meeting SW before the trip and she told me that after all the years of living in Paris, this sauce was the one thing she missed. I was intrigued.

We were lucky to get a seat on the first seating and as soon as we sat, the waitress came to ask if we would like our meat done medium rare or well done. First of all, this is all they serve at the restaurant. Second, they only did their meats 2 ways. If you don't want steak or want yours done to medium or medium well, you probably should eat somewhere else. No nonsense - I like.

A simple green salad preceded the steak frites and I could smell the sauce when the main course was headed for our table. The meat was cooked perfectly and did I mention that I love shoestring fries?? The sauce was addictive. I couldn't help slurping every morsel of it and even used the bread to mop it all up. Once you're done with the first round, the waitresses come round to refill your plates with steak and fries if your stomach is up for it. And more sauce! Needless to say, I put my hand up.

Oh and what's in the sauce? I'm not telling. :p

paris bites: le chateaubriand

2011-12-06T19:45:00.001+11:00

Le Chateaubriand
129 Avenue Parmentier
Paris 75011, France
Tel: +33 (0)1 4357 4595

Le Chateaubriand was probably one of the restaurants I was most excited about visiting, if not the most. It is afterall, ranked 9th on the San Pellegrino's World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Making a rapid ascend on the San Pel list from number 40 in 2009 to 9 in 2011, one almost gets an impression that owner and chef, Inaki Aizpitarte is the "rebel" of the restaurant scene in Paris - choosing to set up his own uber cool, no frills restaurant in the city of Michelin Stars. He's been talked about on magazines, tv shows you name it. Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert seemed to love it much when they filmed an episode of No Reservations there (and I did confirm that with Tony Bourdain when I met him after the trip). The food did look good but truthfully, I wanted to check out the hype.

For a €50 prix fixe menu, I'd say it's pretty good value considering that it is lauded to be one of the world's top ten. Before we even got to the main menu, the table was hit with 5 amuse bouches. The little starters were fairly simple and some were tastier than others. I wasn't a fan of the artichokes because I just usually don't like eating them this way. I did like the cheese gougères as always, the fish ceviche had a good hint of acidity and the mushroom dashi was extremely light. The one thing that surprised me was the red mullet. I had eaten quite a fair share of mullet on this trip but I've never had it served in its whole with the bones intact. It was a tasty dish but terribly hard to maneuver with simply because mullet has a lot of tiny bones.

The one dish I didn't enjoy was the first proper course of the meal. It was just a pretty odd dish for me. The combination of white asparagus, sheep's milk, parmesan and lemon just didn't work in my opinion. Plus the dish was ice cold. It just isn't a dish up my alley especially since I usually like lots of flavour and all I got from this dish was just a lot of acid.

The next 2 main courses fared very well. I especially liked the fish with the peas and sea urchin. I wished for more of that sea urchin because it was so sweet and paired so well with the white fish. The lamb was cooked beautifully pink as well. Although rhubarb and raspberries are usually seen more in desserts, they paired really well with the lamb as the slight acidity helped to cut through the fat of the lamb.

The first of the desserts presented comprised of a blood orange sorbet, endives, chicory and black olives (those crumbs are it). Whilst I liked the sorbet and the saltiness of the olives, I wasn't a fan of the bitter endives. We could have a choice between dessert or cheese for the 2nd part of the dessert course. The cheese was pretty nice and consisted of thin slices of (possibly) Comte and Roquefort. The dessert presented showcased different textures of chocolates; from paper thin wafers to a thick ganache. Paired with a celeraic ice cream, this dessert was rather earthy and wasn't too rich.

The dinner ended a magnardise of strawberries with fennel seeds. In some way, it was interesting cos it was a departure from the usual chocolates, meringues etc. But it was something I would not have missed even if it wasn't brought to the table in the first place.

If you've read reviews of this place, you'd find that the verdicts have been pretty extreme; it's either you like it or don't. For me, it was an interesting experience but it was hit and miss. I guess for its reputation and standing, I was expecting something more. Having said that, I would still give this place a second try if I visit Paris again but it won't be the first place I'll rush to.

6 years and counting..

2011-12-06T15:37:00.001+11:00

I only realised today that Dec 1 just came and gone. And then I counted the years that I've been writing here. 6 years and 5 days. For those who have been following, I thank you for hanging around with me although I'm not the most frequent with my updates. I may not be writing but I am still eating, I assure you. So bear with me, those places worth the mention will make it here.. eventually. Let's just wait and see if the 7 year itch will kick in a year from now. Stay tuned!

recipe: spaghetti with pesto and roasted chicken.

2011-11-29T16:38:00.001+11:00

Cooking for 2 or 3 can sometimes leave me with lots of leftover ingredients. I especially get the problems with fresh herbs so I always get a 'should I or should I not' situation at the supermarket; wondering if the recipe could do without a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary. So the way I cook these days is to buy what I need for something I want to cook and if there are ingredients leftover, I'll come up with something which will help use up the remainders the next day.

After making the Crispy Chicken with Sweet Tomatoes, I was left with quite a bit of basil and cherry tomatoes. With that and seeing that I had 2 chicken thighs in the freezer, I decided to whip up a Spaghetti with Pesto and Roasted Chicken.

Ingredients (serves 2)
dried spaghetti (enough for 2)
extra virgin olive oil
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To make the pesto:
2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves, picked and chopped
a small handful of pine nuts, lightly toasted
½ clove of garlic, chopped
a handful of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

To make the roast chicken:
2 boneless chicken thighs
a bunch of cherry tomatoes, halved
a sprinklng of dried thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Note: a bit of judgement call would be required in the making of this recipe. I was using whatever leftovers I had so I don't have the exact measurements for everything I used. Feel free to add or reduce whatever you feel is best and taste as you go along. You should be in a good place if you keep to that rule.

To make the pesto, pound the basil and a little bit of salt in a mortar & pestle (or place in food processor). Once the basil has been pretty much smashed up with the salt, add the garlic and the pine nuts and continue pounding.
Remove after everything has been bashed up and well combined. Add the parmesan cheese and mix well.
Add the extra virgin olive oil and mix well with the basil until you get a smooth consistency that isn't too dry.
Season with salt and pepper or add more cheese according to your personal liking. Set aside

Making the roast chicken is super simple. Slice open the chicken thigh and remove all the unnecessary fat. The thinness will help it cook quicker.
Place the thighs, tomatoes and seasonings in a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a 190℃ oven for about 45 minutes or until cooked.
After the chicken is cooked, keep the flavourful juices and shred the meat. Set aside.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water. Drain the water after the pasta is cooked but reserve about a cup of the pasta water.
Mix the pasta with the pesto which was prepared earlier and toss well to ensure that the pasta is well coated. Add a little pasta water if you need help to loosen up the pesto so that it's easier to coat the pasta.
Assembly is easy. Place the pasta on a plate and top with the shredded chicken, tomatoes and its juices. Finish it off with more parmesan cheese if you like and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on the top.

Dinner (or lunch) is served!

recipe: crispy chicken with sweet tomatoes.

2011-11-24T11:54:00.001+11:00

Been a while since I posted a recipe. It's not that I haven't been doing much cooking. On the contrary, I've been doing a lot of it on weekdays so I can head out exploring on the weekends. I'm being a good girl. ANYWAYS, most of what I usually cook on the weekdays are familiar home favourites which I've grown up with; curry chicken, stir-fried vegs etc. Nothing exciting although always comforting because of the absence of mum's cooking. This week however, I decided to shake things up a little and head for the books for inspiration instead.

I found this recipe from Jamie Oliver's, Jamie's Dinners. I actually highly recommend this book because I find the recipes are easy to follow, aren't over complicated and are basically things that you would eat on a regular basis. Most importantly, THEY WORK! In fact, I'm almost inclined to do the 'Julie & Julia' thing and cook every recipe out of the book daily. Then again, I might cause some sort of a protest.

I admit, I was lazy so hence, the choice of this one pot wonder. Easy cooking, easy clean up. I probably should cook this way more. I did some variations of my own to the recipe and also changed it down to feed 2. It should be very easy to multiply the portions according to the number of people that you have to feed.

Ingredients (serves 2)
4 chicken drumsticks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a large bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved and 1 ripe plum tomato, quartered
1 whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
zest of 1/4 lemon
2 medium sized potatoes, sliced
olive oil

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Season the chicken well and place in a baking tray.
Add all the other ingredients to the tray and drizzle just enough to ensure that all the ingredients are well coated. Add more salt and pepper if you desire.
Toss all the ingredients in the tray to ensure all the seasoning gets well distributed. Arrange the pan so that the tomatoes land up underneath.
Place in oven for approximately 1.5 hours, bring the tomatoes to the top halfway through and cook until the chicken skin is crispy and meat falls off the bone.
Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving.

Instead of roasting the potatoes, you could serve the chicken with mash potatoes, cannellini beans or remove the meat from the bone, shred it and toss with spaghetti together with the tomatoes and its delicious roasting juices!

Enjoy!

paris bites: restaurant frenchie

2011-11-10T15:27:00.004+11:00

Restaurant Frenchie
5-6, Rue du Nil
75002, Paris
Tel: +33 (01) 4039 9619
Website: http://www.frenchie-restaurant.com/

I had so many different experiences during my trip to Europe. Some I remember more for the awe of being in a fine establishment and some I remember for the delicious food. Frenchie was where the food spoke for itself and thrashed all expectations of what Paris had to offer.

It was no easy feat scoring a table at Frenchie. Over the course of a month and several phone calls in between, I finally had someone on the phone taking my reservation. I remember telling R after I got through, 'for all that trouble, this better be good!' I read a lot about Frenchie online and saw Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert dine there on No Reservations (that episode was tres useful for the trip by the way). And to be honest, my expectations were already high up there by the time I made my booking.

Smoked Mackerel, Avocado, Pickled Cucumbers

Sweetbread, Paris Mushrooms, Wild Herb Salad, Chestnut Butter

Frenchie is run out of a small little shop located in a nondescript back lane which you would hardly walk into if you were not looking for something in particular. Opened in April 2009, Chef Gregory Marchand is the owner and the genius behind this simple and honest outfit. Why the name Frenchie? Simple. It was because that was the chef-owner's nickname in the kitchen when he was behind the stoves at Gramercy Tavern in New York and Jamie O's Fifteen. There aren't many staff in the kitchen and he's standing at the pass making sure that every dish is plated beautifully before it gets sent out. At times he would be oddly looking out of his pass window, staring and possibly looking at his diners' reactions after tasting his food. Without a smile and quite stern he looks, if I must add.

Lemon-Confit Banka Trout, Raw Asparagus, Pet Sai Cabbage, Wasabi Tobiko

Lamb, Peas, Soisson Beans, Mint Chutney

The concept here is really simple, as is the food. By no means does that mean that the food does not shine. Cos it did. At Frenchie, diners get a choice between a 2 or 3 course off the prix fixe menu with 2 options available for each course. One could do 4 if one wanted to include the extra Cheese course as well which is what we did. Prices range between €34 and €45. Between the 2 of us, we ordered everything on the menu so that we could taste every bit that Frenchie had to offer.

Bleu des Causses Cheese, Lemon Zests, Amarena Cherries

Lemon Tart, Salty Caramel Butter

Strawberry, Rhubarb, Shortbread

The food really blew us away. Every single dish was outstanding. The only fault if I have to pick one was that the shortbread drowned and disintegrated in the strawberry soup BUT I still slurped up every morsel of it, including all that cream. It really is hard for me to pick one single dish that I loved out of that night but if I had to, it'd probably be a toss up between the Trout and the Lamb. The seasonings were spot on, the Trout was delicately cooked and the Lamb was awfully succulent and tender. The cheese was excellent with the cherries and the salad although I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the leaves on the plate when it arrived at the table. Not to mention, his signature Smoked Mackerel was the first dish that set off the excitement for the rest of the meal.

This is one place that I've been recommending to friends who have or are paying a visit to Paris soon. And without doubt, it's certainly a place I will return to again when I head back to Paris next.

Oh and the chef? I managed to get a smile and wave out of him when I gave him a thumbs up just as I was leaving the restaurant...

malaysian fix at chinta ria... mood for love

2011-11-07T11:35:00.000+11:00

Chinta Ria... Mood For Love
Level 6 Shop 6009
Westfield Sydney
188 Pitt Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: +61 (02) 8072 8888
Website: http://www.chintamoodforlove.com/

Besides being away from the family and loved ones, one other thing that's difficult about living overseas is finding places that sell authentic food from home (other than cooking it myself of course). Unfortunately, I have yet to be proven wrong although I would say that some have come close enough to hitting the spot. Otherwise, I've had to settle for close substitutes from various types of cuisine.

Klang-born restauranteur, Simon Goh has seen success with Chinta Ria at Darling Harbour and in the past year opened up Sassy's Red at the busy Westfield food court. After reading about a couple of positive reviews on Goh's latest venture 'Mood For Love', I decided to drop in to have a taste of (hopefully!) some "home" flavours.

Otak O Tak

Spanish Mackerel Mousse

The first thing that hit me when this starter arrived at the table was how small it was for the price it was charged at. There was an overpowering amount of lemongrass which I felt could have been brought down a notch but otherwise, it had a pretty good spice level.

En Che Kebin Chicken

Village Fried Chicken

I'm not really sure what to make of this dish. The chicken was seasoned well but it wasn't crisp like what I would have expected fried chicken to be. Not a dish that I would order again.

Ada Assam Prawns

King Prawns in Tamarind Sauce

I liked this dish. Although I wished for more assam so that the dish would be more sour, I thought the flavour was good overall. The prawns were large and not overcooked as well. Definitely a good accompaniment with rice.

Coconut Rice

Chicken Flavoured Rice

I preferred the Chicken Flavoured Rice among the 2 only because there was more flavour. Although, the Coconut Rice was probably a better accompaniment for the Assam Prawns. One problem I had was the way it was served. It looked nice in the little pots but was really cumbersome to serve cos the pots were small and we had to be really careful not to spill over on the table.

Quack! Quack! Kiam Chye

Braised Duck with Preserved Vegetables

This was the dish that caught my eye and lured me to this restaurant in the first place. I remember this dish fondly cos it was prepared by my late grandma everytime we made a visit back to the small town in Malaysia where she used to live. So that explains why I was looking forward to this dish the most. I have to commend Goh for trying to put this home favourite on his menu however, I was disappointed. There's one thing I cannot blame the chef for and that is the quality of the preserved vegetables. Back home, you can get it fresh easily. In Sydney, most of it comes vacuum packed from China. However, a great disservice was done to the dish because it didn't enjoy the cooking time it was meant to have. A good braised dish requires a long cooking time in order for the meat to fall apart. Here, the preserved vegetables were still crunchy and meat was tough. In fact, it was hard taking the meat off the bone even after I picked up the drumsticks with my hands and tried to use my teeth to tear the meat out. Not to mention, I had the meat stuck in between my teeth. Very unglamorous moment.

Prices are not exactly cheap but I would say that the main sized portions are good value. Dishes I'll definitely return for are the Roast Chicken and Fried Radish Cake (Chai Tow Koay) which I tried on a separate occasion. Whilst I felt that some dishes fell off the mark, I would probably still return if I need my Malaysian/Singaporean fix.

the new kid on the block - momofuku seiōbo

2011-10-30T08:30:00.000+11:00

Momofuku Seiōbo
The Star
80 Pyrmont Street, Level G
Entrance at Edward and Union Street
Pyrmont, NSW 2009

It's hard to even describe the kind of excitement that was building up since last year when it was announced that New York famed chef, David Chang of Momofuku was going to be part of Star City's (now known as The Star) multi-million dollar redevelopment. A buzz was quickly created. The food scene is strong in Sydney and for years we've been seeing exports like Tetsuya Wakuda and Luke Mangan setting up Waku Ghin and Salt respectively in Singapore. However, to have one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2010, a James Beard award winning chef who has Michelin Stars on his back set up shop here, it's no wonder people have been looking forward to what David Chang was going to bring to Australia.

One of those people was R. I've heard him rave about Momofuku's signature pork buns umpteen times before and he could hardly contain his excitement when he knew that Seiōbo's opening date was drawing near. Needless to say, when we knew that reservations were open, he got in there quick and scored us a table for opening night!

Besides the excitement of being at David Chang's new restaurant on the day the doors were officially opened, the silver lining was to actually see Chang himeslf, doing what he does best in the kitchen and to have him introduce his dish at our table. The concept here in Sydney pretty much follows NYC's 2 Michelin Star Momofuku Ko where the meal is a prix fixe 15 course dinner priced at AUD175 and most of the ingredients are sourced locally in Australia. Although I've never been to his restaurants in NYC, I'm sure they're excellent because I was really impressed and blown away by many of the dishes which I had at Seiōbo.

snacks

shiitake chip, nori, mochi

The dinner kicked off with one of the chefs (from Ko) bringing some canapes over to our table. My favourite was the shiitake chip as it was packed full of the mushroom flavour. The mochi coated with Korean gochujang was excellent too. The rice ball had a nice crisp and a good chewy consistency. The chilli also had some spice but yet wasn't too overpowering.

steamed pork bun

pork belly, cucumber, hoisin

This dish probably needs no introduction if you're familiar with what David Chang's Momofuku is known for. When some people found out that Seiōbo wasn't following the casual route with the likes of Ssäm Bar & Noodle Bar, they were also disappointed at the thought that they were going to miss out on these pork buns. While it's not a dish that you can just walk in to order, I'm really thankful that it made the menu here. The bun, baked inhouse, was really soft and the all important accompaniment for the tasty and tender pork belly, hoisin sauce and pickled cucumbers. R said that it was as good as what he had at Noodle Bar years back and so for that, I declare this dish a WINNER!

striped trumpeter belly

warrigal greens, furikake

Among all the dishes of the night, I would think that this was the dish which my table was least impressed with. I liked the choice of fish as I liked that the flesh was meaty and clean on the palate. What was less impressive was probably the use of warrigal greens as its spinach-like flavours were pretty flat and didn't serve as much of a contrast with the fish. The best way for me to put it is that the flavours just didn't 'pop' here like his other dishes of the night. I did however, still appreciate the clean flavours of the dish, the freshness and sweetness of the fish and the little sprinkle of furikake on the top which gave the dish some salt.

white asparagus

marron, lemon, shallot

The whole dinner pretty much went upwards from this dish on. The marron from Western Australia was sweet and cooked perfectly. The asparagus which was marinated with miso was flavourful and savoury. All the elements paired together with the lemon puree which had a touch of acidity worked extremely well. A really successful dish overall.

beef

radish, fermented black bean

David Chang introduced this at our table and explained that the beef jowl was used in this dish. Besides the little beef cubes, radish and black beans, there was also watermelon rind in the dish which was brought together with a sherry vinaigrette. This dish was a surprise because I'd never had fermented black bean which is used so often in Chinese cooking during a meal at a fine dining establishment. In fact, this was the element that I felt really made the dish because it brought a different type of savoury to the dish as compared to just using salt. The raw radish kept the dish light and gave some crunch. I slurped up every bit of the sherry vinaigrette because it was utterly delicious. I could definitely have eaten another portion of this.

eel dashi

garbanzo, chive blossom

eel brandade

freeze dried apple

If you've ever had the chance to flip through David Chang's Momofuku cookbook, you'd see different recipes for dashis. The dashi here was light yet extremely flavourful. The smoked eel added the slight smokiness to the dish which complemented the dashi. The eel brandade was a hit with the table. The first flavour that hit the tongue was the sweetness of the apple and then the flavours of the eel came through right after. The wafers used to contain the brandade was light, crispy and super thin. This little snack was a real delight.

spanner & swimmer crab

butter, pepper, yorkshire pudding

Another excellent dish which I could have easily eaten another of. The crab yorkshire pudding was perfect for mopping up the Old Bay sauce off the plate. The sauce had a good amount of spice in it which lingered on in the mouth even after the plate was cleared.

egg

toasted rice, brown butter

This was a simple dish yet one that was probably one of the most technically difficult to execute. The egg custard was extremely smooth and still slightly wobbly in the centre. The toasted rice added a nice crunch and smokiness. The chicken stock with butter that was the sauce for the dish was delicious and if I had to criticise, I would have wished for more sauce!

hand torn pasta

goat cheese, chilli, mint

Easily one of my favourite dishes of the night. The dish seemed simple in concept but yet it packed a whole lot of flavour in one little bowl. The pasta wasn't overcooked and the goat's cheese unlike many that I've tried, didn't have a strong and overpowering taste. The sweet tomatoes, a hint of chilli and mint really helped lift flavours and completed the dish. One of the best pasta dishes I've had in a while.

striped trumpeter

broccoli, horseradish, potato, trumpeter & fennel soup

In a bid to reduce any wastage, the trumpeter was broken down and served 3 ways. The first was raw which formed the 3rd course above. This course featured a pan seared trumpeter and a trumpeter and fennel soup. The fish was delicately cooked and paired well with the broccoli puree it was sitting on. The crispy bits of potato added the crispy texture and was extremely moreish. The fennel really came through as we got a whiff of it the moment the soup was placed on the table. It was a nice and clean finish for this course.

lamb neck

daikon, pickled turnips

Another excellent dish which rounded up all the savoury dishes before we proceeded onto cheese and desserts. The lamb neck had a good amount of fat, was extremely tender, flavourful and cooked to perfection. David Chang seems to have thing for pickling vegetables (as shown in his cookbook) and again, we see them done here with the turnips. I liked the tartness that the pickling brought to the dish as it helped to cut through the fat of the meat. I think it made the perfect accompaniment for the lamb and the roasted daikon puree when eaten all together.

pecorino

honey licorice, bee pollen

Pecorino, a hard cheese that is very much similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano is a cheese that I like very much because of its strong flavours; salty, buttery and nutty. Traditionally paired with honey, David Chang did a little twist by serving it with honey licorice which I thought could have turned out to taste medicinal. I was wrong and it turned out to work really well instead. I also liked the crunch from the bee pollen served on top.

wattle seed

malt, crispy milk

I liked the look of this dish when it arrived at the table. Resembling somewhat like fallen tree barks of some sort just made the whole dish look and feel kind of earthy. The first of the desserts made use of a native Australian ingredient, the wattle seed which brought some nuttiness to the dish. The crispy milk was rather interesting although my favourite part of this dessert was the malt ice cream because its flavours were so rich. Again, this dish had a contrast of textures with the use of the French and Italian meringues; hard vs soft.

miso

pickled fruits, toasted rice, mustard

Again another winner, I loved the marriage of salt and sugar in this dessert. The miso ice cream was delicious and I liked that the miso flavour was pronounced. The pickled strawberries and pineapples added a nice sweetness and some tartness to the dish. I also liked the accompanying rice pudding that matched well with the ice cream. It was also a nice touch to throw in some rice cakes just so that the dish had a bit more bite and texture.

One would think that the meal was now over after 14 excellent courses and just as the disappointment was about to sink in, we saw Chang and his chefs start to slice off some pieces from a perfectly glazed pork butt which came out of the oven. Usually, petit fours would consist of some chocolate truffles and fruit jellies but not at Seiōbo.

bo ssam

We could hardly contain the excitement when the dish arrived at our table. We used our hands to tear through the slivers of pork and licked our fingers (and plate for YM) clean. Then by the end of it, we only wanted more.

The whole team at Momofuku Seiōbo certainly fed us well. In addition, service was swift, friendly and impeccable which is something that is always hard to achieve on a restaurant's first official day of operations. The dinner was without doubt intriguing, mesmerising, eye opening and simply mind-blowingly good. David Chang's food offers fresh ideas and a different point of view which certainly sets Momofuku Seiōbo apart from many other establishments in Sydney. Whatever it is, Sydney now has another strong player in the food scene which I believe will be here to stay for a while. Would I do a return visit? In a heartbeat and I highly recommend that you visit too. In fact, just before I was finishing this post off, I spotted R looking at the restaurant's reservation page. Looks like I might even be returning sooner than I thought.

P/S: Just wanted to add that I was pretty annoyed at the number of people whining over the FAQs, Momofuku's reservation systems etc. just days before it opened. Many found it easy to spend time venting their frustrations online but found it difficult to take a little time out to sign up for an account to make a reservation. For food that's this good, I find it hard to believe that anyone who loves food or wants to try David Chang's food would find the trouble not worth going through. In fact, I don't understand what "trouble' was there in the first place. Unnecessary drama really.

crave sydney 2011 - just desserts at tomislav.

2011-10-23T19:07:00.000+11:00

Tomislav
2/13 Kirketon Road
Darlinghurst, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9356 4535
Website: http://www.tomislav.com.au/

October is usually an exciting time for food lovers in Sydney. With so many overseas renowned chefs flying into Sydney to participate in the Crave Sydney International Food Festival, so many events going on in different parts of the city for the whole month, it's hard to stay away from all the action.

One of the special dinners which I attended was the Just Desserts event hosted by Tomislav. The meal had 6 courses - 4 sweet, 2 savoury. It was an interesting dinner and I could tell that a lot of thought must have gone into creating the dishes. It's always refreshing to taste new combinations and see all of the ideas transcend well onto the plate. For $130 however, I wished there were more courses or slightly more substantial servings of each dish.

Pineapple Consomme, Sour Cream, Caramel Jelly,

Pineapple, Coconut & Date Ice Cream, Foie Gras Crumbs

One of my favourites of the night. All the components paired really well together. The consomme was light and refreshing, the pineapple bits were slightly tart, the sour cream and ice cream brought the creaminess to the dish and there was also the salt that came from the foie gras. A refreshing and enjoyable start to the night.

Coconut Rice Pudding, Coriander Paste, Strawberry Sauce,

Mulberry Ice Cream, Biscuit Base, Basil Ice

This was my other favourite of the night. Again the dish worked. With the combination of the coconut, and the slight tartness from the strawberry and mulberry, the coriander wasn't as overpowering as expected. The biscuit base added a good texture too. I wish we had more.

Sweetcorn Cream, Caramel Sauce, Caramel Ice Cream,

Fresh Corn, Crumbled Popcorn, Green Apple Ice

I love corn and when I first saw that there was a dish with corn on the menu, I was excited. That was the dish that I was looking forward most to but unfortunately, this wasn't the dish that I fancied much. The caramel sauce had a savoury element which I didn't like much and I guess I wasn't expecting the cream to be warm either.

Milk Chocolate Mousse, Wasabi, Horseradish,

Chocolate Sorbet, Hazelnuts

Not usually a fan of chocolate but this dish I liked. I usually try to stay away from chocolate desserts because I find them to be rather heavy but this was really light and easy to get through. I liked the crunch from the hazelnuts as well and was glad that the wasabi wasn't too overpowering.

Blue Cheese, Compressed Fig, Celery, Hazelnuts

Thank goodness that the recent trip to Europe converted me into a lover of the pungent blue cheese cos otherwise I wouldn't have enjoyed this dish as much I actually did. The figs were a lovely accompaniment to the cheese and the bits of celery gave the dish some lightness and texture that helped cut through the creaminess of the dish. Not a combination that hasn't been seen but sometimes, you don't want to mess with the classics that you know already work well together.

Rice Crackers, Sea Salt, Vinegar

Anyone who's visited Tomislav before would probably have already seen this on the menu. It was actually an enjoyable finish to the meal as I really needed the salt. The crackers were incredibly thin and light. Definitely could have polished it all off if I was given extra portions.

Overall, an interesting night and I think Tomislav probably wouldn't disappoint with their menu during regular service. Looks like a visit is on the cards. And I have to get my hands on their chips which were recently voted as one of the best in Sydney.

breakfast at cafe xxii, pyrmont.

2011-10-21T14:52:00.000+11:00

Cafe XXII
22 Union Street
Pyrmont, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9552 3093
Website: http://www.cafexxii.com.au/

I'm always on the look out for a good, hearty breakfast and R gets his craving for a big eggy breakfast once so very often. In Sydney, there's an abundant number of breakfast places but I have to be honest, sometimes the choices can be a little boring. Not that boring isn't good if it's done well.

Florentine

Poached Eggs, Toasted Muffin, Smoked Salmon, Spinach, Hollandaise

Truffled Scrambled Eggs on Brioche

with Sides of Hashbrown & Sausage

Cafe XXII's breakfast menu serves up the classic favourites like Eggs Benedict and Big Breakfast but they also have interesting items or two such as a Brioche Crunch French Toast and a Breakfast Bruschetta. I love the casual vibe of the cafe but the food is honestly 'hit and miss'. R's Truffled Scrambled Eggs turned out pretty tasty and cooked really well but I didn't fancy it paired with the crumbly Brioche. Sticking to a simple slice of sourdough or even better, white would have been much better. The additional sides as you can see from the picture, are not there to impress. The Florentine fared better but the eggs were probably 30 to 40 seconds overcooked and I would have loved for the hollandaise to have a tad less acidity. Having said that, I did like it enough to want to order it again if and when I return.

So far, I think I've had better luck finding brekkies places that hit the spot better at Surry Hills. Maybe I should just stick to exploring that area more for a while.

the pie tin, newtown

2011-10-18T17:53:00.000+11:00

The Pie Tin
1A Brown Street
Newtown, NSW 2042
Tel: +61 (02) 9519 7880
Website: http://www.thepietin.com.au/

I think I might need to move soon.... to Newtown (or somewhere close by).

Newtown seems like the place to be with a couple of good restaurants like Bloodwood and Oscillate Wildly, popular patisseries and cafes like Black Star Pastry (which makes my favourite cake in town), Luxe and Campos, multiple burger outlets and one delicious Roti Bom. The Pie Tin is one of the newer kids on the block which has recently added to Newtown's "hip" quotient.

Pies are a popular thing in Australia and I love my pies. Savoury ones to be specific. The best part of a pie is always the pastry and this always riles up a discussion but I'm a flaky pastry kinda girl. R on the other hand, is all for shortcrust pastry and the sweet pies. So this is where we get the best of both worlds. The Pie Tin sells a wide array of sweet and savoury pies; the classic apple pie, apple & boysenberry, chocolate & gooey caramel, a classic mince pie, chicken & leek, butter chicken and the list goes on.

Southern Style Shredded Pork & Apples with Sides of Baked Beans with Speck

& Sweet Potato Mash with Gravy

Lemon Meringue Pie

The pies were rather delicious. The filling in the Southern Style Pork pie was generous and the pastry was flaky but given another trip, I will probably choose a more classic pie because I wasn't so crazy about the apples in there. What I remember clearly though were the sides because they were delicious. The sweet potato mash was the better among the 2; smooth, sweet and so tasty with the gravy drizzled all over. The Lemon Meringue pie did pretty well too. I'm not always a lover of meringues but this one I liked cos it was soft, fluffy and not overly sweet. The lemon filling was not too tart as well. I did try the Chocolate & Gooey Caramel Pie on another occasion and loved that better because of the caramel and chocolate base.

Besides pies, they also make a few different types of sweet pastries, sausage rolls etc. so whether you're a fan of pies or not, there will most likely be something for you. So if you're in the neighbourhood, that little detour off King St. might be worth it.

to the life that made a difference

2011-10-07T15:26:00.000+11:00

Over the last 2 days, my FB and Twitter account has been flooded with tributes and expressions of sadness at the news of Steve Jobs' death. Did his death come as a surprise? I guess not because the signs were all there. He was frail, lost an extreme amount of weight and most importantly, stepped down from his position with Apple as he knew he could no longer fulfil his duties.

Just as I was watching a mini tribute to him on the television, it struck me hard. Apple will still continue and I believe, will continue strong without Jobs. However, the impact that he's made to this generation is something that only few can match up to. He had changed the way that people communicate today; from making a phonecall to conducting a business presentation. He had changed the way we watch animation today. He has changed the way the entertainment industry works today and even revived the music industry with the invention of iTunes. Long story short, you cannot go anywhere without coming into contact with something related to Steve Jobs or the Apple brand. (Just so you know, this entry that you're reading now was typed from a MacBook as well).

It is surely not only Jobs' work that deserves the credit. The brains and hard work of many others are responsible for the brand's success today but you always need a visionary behind the success. Steve Jobs was that visionary. So RIP Steve Jobs. The world will miss you and your great mind but your legacy lives on.

london eats: hibiscus

2011-09-30T17:02:00.001+10:00

Hibiscus
29 Maddox Street
London W1S 2PA
Tel: +44 (020) 7629 2999
Website: www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk/

Hibiscus was one of the "star" restaurants which made it to the CRAZY list. With 2 Michelin Stars under its belt and a resume which boasts of time spent in some of France's best restaurants, Claude Bosi is certainly one of London's acclaimed chefs today. I honestly had high expectations because I had read widely of positive reviews online and heard good comments about the restaurant. However, it might have been precisely because of those expectations, that I left feeling slightly underwhelmed.

It wasn't so much the food that disappointed me because the combinations of flavours were unique and the dishes sent out of the kitchen were generally solid. The service however, wasn't what I would have expected of a 2 Michelin Star restaurant. The wait staff were friendly and welcoming sure, but it was difficult to get their attention during the dinner because they spent quite a bit of time huddling at the table at the centre of the restaurant, with their backs facing the diners. None of my dishes were explained as well - something that I've never encountered at any fine dining restaurant. I like spotting flavours on my plate but before that, I would also like to know exactly what I'm eating especially since Bosi's dishes are fairly elaborate. I'm not sure if it was a slip up that night or this is just generally how things work in Hibiscus, but I just wasn't impressed considering the restaurant's fine reputation of being one of the World's 50 Best Restaurants.

All was not lost anyway because the food did make up for it somewhat. We started out with some delicious canapes and a refreshing Hibiscus Soda.

Parmesan & Cheddar Gougères, Polenta & Black Olive Croquettes

Hibiscus & Apple Soda

The Ravioli and Bouquet Shrimps came as the first courses for our 3 course dinner. I enjoyed the Bouquet Shrimps which were raw and sweet although I couldn't really figure out exactly what the rest of the components on the plate were. The Ravioli came looking like a celebration of Spring but on the tongue, an overwhelming amount of acid took over the whole dish and made it difficult to taste the dish properly.

Raw Bouquet Shrimps & Rambutan, Warm Ravioli of Kohlrabi &

Pig's Trotters, Irish Sea Urchin

Ravioli of Spring Onion & Lime, Broad Bean and Mint Puree

The mains were tasty and solid. Whilst I didn't care of the Lemon Puree on its own because of the bitterness, it tasted really good when all the components were eaten together. It was my first time having Kid (part of the Goat family) and it was delicious. What I loved the most on the plate however, were those winkles in salted butter. R really loved his dish of Veal Sweetbreads as well. Having always been a fan of sweetbreads, it was cooked and executed well. The side dishes which accompanied the mains were good too. I much preferred the Shepherd's Pie that came with the English Kid. Even when I was getting too full, I couldn't stop sticking my fork in there to get more of it.

Barbequed English Kid, Garlic & Lemon Puree, Confit White Asparagus,

Glazed Winkles in Salted Butter

Roast Veal Sweetbreads studded with Black Garlic, Italian Leaf Salad & Gremolata Dressing

English Kid Shepherd's Pie

Cous Cous

Before we proceeded to the last course, we were served our pre-desserts. Having enjoyed the little teasers of what were to come, I knew that dinner was going to end well.

Apple Sorbet & Celeriac

Strawberries, Celeriac Jelly & Szechuan Pepper Cream

Instead of having a dessert course, I opted for cheese instead. Because of that decision, I now have a new found love for blue cheese, specifically the Roquefort. The Comte was extremely nice as well (the search for varying ages of Comte continued throughout the trip). I'm not usually a fan of chocolate (I know, sue me!) but I did like the rich chocolate tart which Hibiscus is known for. Without doubt, R thoroughly enjoyed his dessert being a fan of chocolate himself.

Cheese Platter

Chocolate Tart with Indonesian Basil Ice Cream

In order for a restaurant to achieve success, the front of house is as important as the food that comes out of the kitchen. And on the night that I was there, the experience was unfortunately let down by the lapse in service. Whilst I don't think the food is the best that I've ever tasted, Hibiscus definitely deserves better service in order to give their diners a night that they will remember (for the right reasons).

spring weekend in canberra!

2011-09-29T16:50:00.000+10:00

So I'm back from a short weekend in Canberra. Whilst it's not the most exciting city in Australia, there is a vastness about the place that I like. Not to mention that the roads are extremely friendly (and parallel parking is a breeze!). Apart from settling the important stuff and viewing the pretty flowers at the annual Floriade, good food definitely played a big part over the weekend. Some I was impressed with and some left a lot to be desired.

One place I liked was Cream Cafe & Bar. High ceilings, white clean walls, buzzing atmosphere, chill- out music, delicious food. What's not to like right?

Omelette with Double Shaved Leg Ham, Persian Feta,

Hickory Smoked Tomato and Chilli Jam

Crispy Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon, Avocado,

Onion Jam and Sour Cream

Sage Restaurant was another place that I liked. While the food could have been refined a tad bit more, the flavours were really spot on. 2 of my favourite dishes of the night were the Slow Cooked Pork Belly and the Confit King Salmon. The rest of the pictures from the dinner can be viewed here.

Slow Cooked Pork Belly

compressed nashi, cucumber, crackling, cider jelly

Confit King Salmon

yamba prawn, baby beetroot, tahini yoghurt, sesame crisp

A short afternoon out at Floriade made the trip well worth it. It was nice strolling through the flower gardens, viewing the beautiful and elaborate bonsais and just soaking in the fresh Canberra air. I don't know about you but I always have a thing for flowers that are planted in the ground even though I think they already look awesome on display at the florist.

So that concludes Canberra. R & I made a stop by Bowral to have lunch at Biota Dining on the way to Canberra. I'll get to writing about that experience soon. Still can't get how pretty their dining room is out of my head.

Cream Cafe & Bar

Canberra Centre Shop FG10

Bunda Street

Canberra 2600

Tel: +61 (02) 6162 1448

Website: http://www.creamcafebar.com.au/

Sage Restaurant

Gorman House Arts Centre

Batman Street

Braddon, Canberra 2612

Tel: +61 (02) 6249 6050

Website: http://sagerestaurant.net.au/

london eats: st. john bread and wine

2011-09-20T15:00:00.000+10:00

St. John Bread and Wine
94-96 Commercial Street
London
E1 6LZ
Tel: +44 (020) 3301 8069
Website: http://www.stjohnbreadandwine.com/

Back in London again!

There seems to be a couple of food trends going on at the moment; the movement from fine to casual dining, sharing plates, foraging. There is also one that Asians, in particular the Chinese, have been doing for god knows how long and is now a big hit in the Western world - nose to tail eating. There is one person who is well known for popularising and synonymous with this "new" way of eating and that person is Fergus Henderson (along with Trevor Gulliver), chef and owner of St. John Bar & Restaurant.

The St. John brand is definitely one that is well recognised in the food scene today. Not only did they expand their operations to open St. John Bread & Wine in 2003, St. John Bakery in 2010 and most recently, moved into the hospitality business with the opening of St. John Hotel in Spring 2011. A visit to the original St. John Restaurant was high on the must-visits list for R but after having to fit all that we wanted to eat into the few days we were in London, we had to ditch that plan and finally found us a table at St. John Bread & Wine.

I'm sure the food served at St. John Restaurant is well deserving of its 1 Michelin Star but I wasn't the least disappointed with the food I had at Bread & Wine. I loved that the food didn't come in huge portions cos it meant that we could get to sample more of the offerings!

Smoked Cod's Roe on Toast

After settling in nicely with some bread and small bottle of fizzy lemonade, our first dish of Smoked Cod's Roe on Toast arrived. As expected, it was smoky (as it should be) without being overpowering and slightly salty which was easily offset by a squeeze of lemon juice over it. I've always had a soft spot for pâtés and this was one which I had never tried before and liked. Spread it over some crusty bread and we were off to great start!

Potted Pork

This was another delicious dish but didn't really blow my socks off just because I had tried something like this before. I would have loved if it was served with some thin pieces of toasts just so that there was a bit of crisp with all that meat. I did think that it went well with the pickles though and in fact, I loved the pickles as they weren't overly tart and had a whole lot of crunch.

Devilled Chicken Hearts

I would gladly and loudly declare that this was my favourite dish of the night. The hearts were nice and crunchy. The sauce was extremely flavourful. In fact, we loved the sauce so much that we used the complimentary bread to mop up all of it. This is one of those dishes that was the highlight of the trip and a dish that I wish I could get to eat more often.

Crispy Pig's Skin, Chicory & Mustard

The mustard dressing and the pig's skin were what I liked about this dish but I didn't really care of the chicory because it made the dish a whole lot of bitter. I guess the vegetables would have been necessary nonetheless considering the lack of it throughout the meal thus far.

And we move on to dessert. The first dessert that arrived was Eccles Cake that came with Lancashire Cheese. This dish is widely recommended and quintessentially British. Named after the English town of Eccles, it is a cake that's filled with currants, made from flaky pastry and traditionally served with Lancashire cheese. I liked the hard cheese but honestly wasn't a fan of the cake because I don't really fancy raisins, sultanas that kind of thing. R did like it though.

Eccles Cake & Lancashire Cheese

Bread Pudding & Butterscotch Sauce

Whilst this dish was full of raisins as well, I did like this better simply cos I love bread puddings. And what's not to like if it has warm butterscotch sauce poured all over and topped off with a nice big scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Freshly Baked Madeleines

In case you were wondering, 'that's a whole lot of food for 2 people!', don't worry. We've reached the end. We just couldn't leave with ordering the freshly baked madeleines. Fresh out of the oven, it was nicely brown and crispy on the outside and moist and warm on the inside. I thought I was going to take home whatever we couldn't finish but it was so good that we ate them all up!

There were a whole lot of other stuff that I wanted to try but didn't get to. The blood cake, the chicken and leek pie.. I guess this only means one thing. Another visit when I next return to London!

french flair at felix.

2011-09-05T16:05:00.001+10:00

Felix
2 Ash Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: +61 (02) 9240 3000
Website: http://www.merivale.com/#/felix/felix

So I just found out that Leo DiCaprio visited Felix last week just like I did. (He's in town to film a new movie called The Great Gatsby and has been spotted dining out at some of Sydney's fine eating spots) Well, I don't have a story to tell about DiCaprio because we weren't there at the same time and I didn't get to see him in person (not yet at least). What I did get, was one great tasting sandwich!

Reuben Sandwich with a Dill Pickle

The first time I ever tried a Reuben was in Charlottesville, Virginia. I was there to attend my brother's graduation and he brought us to a local sandwich cafe, The Carving Board. I ate a few of the best sandwiches of my life there. Since then, I've tried a Reuben burger at The Handburger in Singapore but I haven't really had another good Reuben sandwich out of the US. Felix was a first in a long time and I was impressed. The corned beef made from the silverside of the David Blackmore Wagyu was especially tender and tasty. There was a generous amount of sauerkraut but surprisingly, it wasn't too sour and overpowering as I expected it to be. The gruyere cheese and mustard butter helped to complete and balanced the flavours of the Reuben. The Lobster Roll was superb as well. The sandwich tasted fresh and the addition of the apples helped give some crunch and lightness to the dish.

Lobster Roll

I love Felix. While the food does not blow your mind, it is consistently good. What I love more is the slice of Paris that it brings to the Sydney dining scene. The dining room is one of the prettiest in this city and really gives the diner a sense of being in a French sidewalk bistro. I've been told that the restaurant is reminiscent of the famous Balthazar in NYC so if you've been there, you'll know what I'm talking about.

I know it's somewhat puzzling as to why a Reuben made its way onto a French bistro menu but hey, I can't complain when the sandwich is as good as this one at Felix. Some of the other memorable dishes that I've had were the Steak Tartare, the Gruyere Souffle and the Ocean Trout Terrine. Below are just some pictures during my first visit.

Ocean Trout Terrine with Cornichons

Goat's Cheese & Caramelised Onion Tart

Lamb Pie, Sauteed Mushrooms & Tarragon Jus

Insides of the Lamb Pie

Sausage & Beans

Passionfruit Souffle

a look back - Ben Shewry, WGS 2010

2011-08-31T15:23:00.005+10:00

Finally, a break from London. I still have tons to write about Europe and I'll get there. Eventually.

So I've always wanted to write about this dinner I had at Singapore's World Gourmet Summit last year. It was nothing short of spectacular and virtually everyone whom I've spoken to about fine dining at some point had already heard me go on and on about how excellent it was. As usual, this fell into my backlog. That's besides the point anyway since I'm here now writing about it.

So why write about it now since all this time has past you may ask? Well I guess the excitement of having to research on which chef's dinner to attend Crave Sydney Food Festival is bringing back all the memories of the time when I was deciding on which chef's food I wanted to try during the WGS. Ben Shewry from Attica in Melbourne became the obvious choice because of his focus on foraging. Moreover, there was nothing in Singapore like it. I'll try my best(est) to recall how the dinner went but I have to say that a lot of the time, I didn't know what I was eating since the ingredients from the land, the sea and what have you were unfamiliar to me. I hope the pictures will do enough justice to how the food tasted.

Snow Crab

One of Attica's signature dishes, this dish is seen on many blogs. Apparently, this dish was created as a tribute to New Zealand's Mount Taranaki. There was obviously snow crab and I remember flavours of horseradish and trout roe amongst many other ingredients that I could not make out. The dish was cool and textural. A good and interesting start to the meal.

Potato Cooked in the Earth it was Grown In

This signature from Attica was the star of the night for me. The beautifully peeled potato arrived at the table with a beautiful gloss on it. As explained, the chef had to bring in the potatoes from one special farmer in Melbourne. In order to prepare this dish, they even had to bring in the soil. It was explained that the potatoes were coated with olive oil and baked in the oven with the soil for several hours. The result was a smooth and earthy potato which paired well with the goat's cheese. I have to mention that the wine pairing of Eric Bordelet's Pear Cider with this dish was excellent.

Lobster Tail, Cured Ham, Wild Sea Flora

It was interesting to have the wild seaweed incorporated into this dish. The cured ham wasn't too salty and did not overpower the sweetness of the lobster tail. A rather successful dish.

Kingfish, Chorizo, Almonds

I really liked this dish as well. The fish was cooked perfectly and I loved the textural elements of the nuts in the dish. It was a tasty, pretty and elegant dish.

Squab, Celery, Anise, Onion Rings

I remember C telling me that she didn't really fancy this dish cos she isn't a big fan of game meat in the first place. I don't have problems with game so I thought this was a really good dish as well. The squab was pink and tender and paired well with the beetroot puree. I could have easily eaten a bowl of those onion rings!

Wagyu Beef, Sea Grass, White Cabbage

Another excellent dish although less interesting than some of the other dishes on the menu. The wagyu beef was as delicious as it looks. The meat was cooked sous vide and had a good balance of fat in it. Moist and tender, it also had the right amount of seasoning. The white cabbage stem introduced the crunchy element to the dish and the potato soaked in soy and miso was extremely tasty and moreish!

Terrior

This is another signature at Attica and was a great hit with the group. There's a bunch of ingredients in there and I may not be able to name all of them. I do know that there are frozen and dried raspberries, crumbled dehydrated beetroot and a yoghurt sorbet. I loved the mix of sweet and sour flavours and thought this was an excellent palate cleanser for the rich piece of meat which was just served prior. That was my first time having a dessert that tasted like that and until today, I have yet to have any dessert which has that nice balance of sweet and sour.

Violet Crumble

The Violet Crumble is Ben Shewry's take on the classic Australian treat, you guessed right, Nestle's Violet Crumble. The ice cream was smooth and had nice subtle infusion of violets. The whole deconstructed dish came together nicely with the addition of the honeycomb and chocolate dust. A nice finish to an excellent meal.

A visit to Attica is definitely in the cards when I next visit Melbourne. This is a place you'd want to make a note to visit too if you're in town.

Attica
74 Glen Eira Road
Ripponlea, VIC 3185
Tel: +61 (03) 9530 0111
Website: http://www.attica.com.au/

In the midst of writing this entry, Attica was crowned as Restaurant of the Year in Victoria by The Age Good Food Guide and was awarded with 3 chef hats, one of only four restaurants that have 3 chef hats in Victoria. Congrats to Ben Shewry and the team at Attica!

london eats: harwood arms

2011-08-05T18:14:00.000+10:00

The Harwood Arms
27 Walham Grove
London SW6 1QR
Tel: +44 (0)20 7386 1847
Website: http://www.harwoodarms.com/index.htm

When R & I were planning the trip, we made sure that we had a variety of places that we could dine at. We knew that we couldn't leave London without trying the food at a British pub. So The Harwood Arms came into the radar and onto our itinerary. The Harwood Arms is the only pub in London to have landed themselves a Michelin Star and is co-owned by Brett Graham of The Ledbury fame (see my entry on The Ledbury here). Located in the Fulham area, it is nestled among residential housing, out of the usual touristy areas and doesn't look like a Michelin Star recipient from the outside if I'm being honest. Step inside and it is abuzz with chatter and a great amount of warmth. Have a taste of the food and then you'd realise why it is most deserving of an accolade. If pub grub was as good as this back home, I'd have pub grub any day of the week!

Rustic Bread & Butter

The weather was cold out when we arrived (blame it on the unpredictable London weather) and I was dying for some hot soup so my eyes zoomed towards the Split Pea, Ham & Lettuce Soup. It definitely helped warm me up with its hearty flavours. The Ham Hock on Toast was extremely delicious, had a good amount of salt and was a good accompaniment for the soup.

Split Pea, Ham & Lettuce Soup with Potted Ham Hock on Toast

Potted Ham Hock on Toast

R's choice of the Grilled Salted Ox Tongue was a good one too. The ox tongue was extremely tender and I would not have guessed that it was tongue that we were eating if the menu had not told us so. The croquette was nicely fried and crispy although it didn't really have an obvious mustard flavour.

Grilled Salted Ox Tongue with Turnip & Mustard Croquette, Bread & Butter Pickles and Dandelion

The Venison Scotch Egg was what drew me to The Harwood Arms in the first place. A nicely cooked egg with a soft gooey yolk in the center, wrapped with thin slices of venison, coated in bread crumbs and then deep fried to perfection! When we looked at the menu, it was nowhere to be found and I think I literally went into a mini mini panic attack. Thank god I decided to ask the friendly waitress and she told me that it was available on the bar menu which we could also order off from. It was exactly what I imagined it would be if not better. The only regret I have now is that I only had ONE! Darnnnn...

Venison Scotch Egg

The real Star of the night was the Braised Shoulder of Roe Deer. Roe deer is just basically a Eurasian version of a deer, belongs to the same deer family but is apparently smaller in size compared to a normal deer. It was DELICOUS! The meat was tender and falling off the bone and the saltiness from the bacon contrasted well against the sweetness of the glaze on the meat. The butternut squash was my favourite out of all the sides which accompanied the meat really well. This really was a memorable dish and until today, we still regret that we didn't finish/eat enough of it cos we were jet-lagged and very stuffed from lunch earlier that day.

Braised Shoulder of Roe Deer

Whole Braised Shoulder of Roe Deer with Smoked Bacon, Baked Butternut Squash & Red Cabbage

The meal at The Harwood Arms was truly an exceptional and memorable one. Who was the one who said that British food is sub-par again?!

london eats: restaurant gordon ramsay

2011-08-03T16:35:00.000+10:00

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay
68 Royal Hospital Road
London SW3 4HP
Tel: +44 (0)20 7352 4441
Website: http://www.gordonramsay.com/royalhospitalroad/

A month or two before R & I set off for our trip, we started watching Ramsay's Best Restaurant in hopes to find a couple of restaurants which we could dine at when we were there. The restaurants on the show were divided into different cuisines and the winners in each cuisine category had to battle against each other. There were a few that caught our eyes and we did try the winner of the Spanish category, Fino in the end but the rest were out of London and hence, out of the itinerary.

Visiting a Ramsay restaurant wasn't part of the plan in the beginning. It was only whilst watching the show and seeing the contestants cook and serve in Ramsay's flagship 3 Michelin Star restaurant did I realise that I HAD to get the "Ramsay experience" that he's always been so proud of. Hence, a few adjustments to the itinerary later, we got ourselves a table for lunch!

Walking into the off-white and simply decorated dining room, I realised how small it was compared to how it was on TV (the whole restaurant sits 45). Once we settled in, we were brought our menus. Before that, we were actually asked 'May I know which of you is hosting the table today?' and even when we said 'no one in particular', the menu with the prices was handed to R (chivalry is not dead!) and I got a menu without so that I could order anything I wanted without worrying about the prices. Nice touch there although that ordering anything I wanted didn't really happen in reality.

So after we ordered, the bread basket arrived (with one waiter aka bread guy) and we were asked to choose between cow's milk and goat's milk for the butter (by another waiter aka butter guy). Can someone tell me why the butter in Europe is so much creamier and delicious??! Only regret here is I did not get to try the goat's milk butter cos I didn't see it at any other restaurant over the rest of the trip.

Amuse Bouche: Consomme of Spring Vegetables with Foie Gras Parfait

Off to a good start with the amuse bouche. The consomme was clean and packed full of flavour. The foie gras parfait was light in texture but had a really rich flavour. The starters that followed during the set lunch were equally good. The pithivier (also known as a pie) had an especially good pastry with was packed full of the delicious stuffing. The chicken livers had a strong flavour but was not too overpowering.

Chicken Livers & Foie Gras with Apples & Truffle Vinaigrette

Quail & Wild Mushroom Pithivier with Confit Leg & Celeraic Remoulade

The mains fared even better. The fish was cooked to perfection and so delicate but yet extremely flavourful. Out of the 2 mains, I liked the pork belly better. There was a good amount of fat to keep the meat moist. The apples was a perfect and classic combination with the pork and I loved the addition of the black pudding! The dish was then rounded up with an extremely flavourful jus.

Roasted Halibut with Bacon, Roasted Potatoes and Wilted Spinach

Slow Cooked Pork Belly with Choucroute, Roasted Apple, Black Pudding & Pommes Dauphine

The desserts were good but none too exciting. The Pear Tart Tatin was pretty good but I did not taste much of that shaved blue cheese. In comparison, I'd still have to say the apple tart tatin served as Bistro Vue in Melbourne still wins hands down as the best tart tatin I've ever had. R enjoyed his banana dessert. Although he's not much of a fruit fan, especially bananas, he did like the classic combination of bananas and chocolate and found that the bananas were not too overpowering in this dish.

Banana Parfait, Peanut Butter Mousse & Bitter Chocolate Sandwich with Caramelised Bananas

Pear Tarte Tatin with Walnut Ice Cream & Shaved Colston Bassett

I would have to say that it was pretty bizarre when the petit fours arrived at the table. The whole meal had been so classically French hence when the spaceship-looking white chocolate truffles appeared at the table, I was taken aback. Even more bizarre was the strawberry ice cream with the dried ice. I guess I'm just not used to such theatrics at a table. If the aim of this presentation was to make a lasting impression, it sure did it for me.

Petit Fours: White Chocolate Truffles

Petit Fours: Strawberry Ice Cream coated with White Chocolate

All in all, I'd have to say that Ramsay's food is classic French, fuss-free and most importantly, delicious. If you're looking for the avant garde style of cooking or a play on classics, you won't find it here. What I would say separates it from many other restaurants that serve excellent food is its excellent service. The staff were extremely attentive and in fact, we saw so many of them but they were never in the same room at the same time. Really made us wonder where they were hiding! Andrew, the head maitre d' during our lunch service was exceptionally charming, friendly and looked as cute as he did on TV! He definitely won my heart over when he offered us to have a look at the kitchen (where the filming was done!). A picture taken and many goodbyes and thank yous later, I walked out happy, armed with an experience that will stay with me for a long time.

turning a year older.

2011-07-28T01:17:00.003+10:00

I have much to be thankful for in the past year. I've managed to take some time off, recharge, earned myself another degree (almost there!), made new friends and took on a brand new life in another country. As my birthday was approaching, many asked how I was feeling about turning a year older. Some of my friends were devastated when they turned that so-called 'fearful' age and some embraced it. I believe I fall in the latter category. It's true that I'm now older and nobody likes growing older, but along with age comes many changes and good things that I failed to appreciate when I was younger.

And then there are some things that never change no matter how old you are. There's that bowl of mee sua that I get every year on my birthday cooked by Mom on most years, and by the Sister this year and the last. There are also the friends who have grown up with me that will always be there in time of need no matter how many miles separate us and would send me surprise balloons that make me feel special and loved.

The past year has been filled with ups and downs but a new year marks a new beginning. Having another candle on the birthday cake is just the beginning of a new chapter in life and guess what, I'm so damn looking forward to it!

Strawberry Watermelon Cake with Rose Cream from Black Star Pastry

london eats: dishoom

2011-07-01T14:51:00.000+10:00

Dishoom
12 Upper St Martin's Lane
London, WC2H 9FB
Tel: +44 (0)20 7420 9320
Website: http://dishoom.com/

You can't pass up on Indian cuisine when you're in London. 2 things come up when you mention Asian food in London; Roast Duck & Indian. Dishoom was great for a late night dinner after watching Matthew Fox rock the theatre stage for 'In the Forest, Dark and Deep' (he was gorgeous!). It was chilly and windy outside and a hearty Indian meal was perfect to warm us up. Lamb biryani, curry chicken, garlic naan and a delicious raita (yoghurt with cucumber and mint) made the perfect dinner combination.

I feel like Indian all over again.

london eats: borough market

2011-06-29T17:47:00.001+10:00

Borough Market
8 Southwark St
London, SE1 1TL
Website: http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

If you want some of that, you would have to make a trip to Borough Market when you're in London. That is of course if hot melted cheese is your thing as much as it is mine.

Melted raclette cheese was delicious over steaming hot potatoes with the little accompanying gherkins. I really loved those old school gadgets that were melting the cheese and for a moment when I was in line, I wished I was the lady who was scrapping the cheese on to the plate. It sure looked like fun to me.

This stall also sells a smacking delicious grilled cheese sandwich which you MUST have. If there's only one of you, get in one line after the next cos this is too good to be passed up. Again of course, if melted cheese on toasted bread is your thing as much as it is mine.

There are loads more to eat and shop for at and around the Borough Market. Duck rillettes sandwiches, delicious curries (great in the cold especially if you're craving for some rice), crispy fish and chips, cheeses, cookies, olives, cured meats and so much more!

I love markets and especially at one like Borough Market, I felt like I was a kid in a candy store. I think apart from looking at the fresh produce and tasting the yummy treats whilst standing on the side of the street, the best part about visiting a local food market is just the experience of a slice of a local's life. That I definitely got from the London lunchtime crowd that day. Great experience and one that I hope to have again when I return next.

london eats: the ledbury

2011-06-20T15:10:00.001+10:00

The Ledbury
127 Ledbury Road
Notting Hill, London
W11 2AQ
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7792 9090
Website: http://www.theledbury.com/

Planning the places to dine at in London was a whole lot of fun and I would say, rather crazy. R & I packed our schedule full of restaurants that we wanted to try and I honestly thought that I would be sick by the end of the London leg. I was wrong cos it turned out that the current dining scene in London is extremely vibrant and with proper planning, every meal could turn out to be new and exciting! Dining at The Ledbury was a bright spark of the trip and I will remember that for a long time to come.

Whilst R already knew where he wanted to dine at cos he had been researching and planning the trip for the longest time, I had to scour through new foreign blogs because I wasn't very well informed on the European dining scene. When I was doing that, The Ledbury stood out for a number of reasons. The first was obviously its reputation; the restaurant has 2 Michelin Stars and is ranked 34 on the San Pallegrino World's Best 50 Restaurants list this year. The second was that I didn't come across any review that had any drastically negative comments. The third was the reasonable price for the set lunch; £33.50 for 3 course and £27.50 for the 2 course. The last was because the chef, Brett Graham was originally from Australia and I just wanted to find out what the Australian dining scene lost when Graham packed his bags for London. I believe the pictures below can speak for themselves.

Canape: Foie Gras Parfait on a Ginger Biscuit

The canape was lovely but the bread was even better! A lot of the bread we had throughout the trip was served cold and were the standard white, rye etc. etc. I usually try not to eat too much bread anyways so that I wouldn't be too full for the rest of the meal but I just couldn't resist the bread here, especially the Bacon & Onion Brioche! It was so soft, so tasty and warm! I had 2 in the end but I could have easily wolfed down 10 on my own. Thank goodness the glutton in me did not take over here.

Bacon & Onion Brioche & Olive Wholemeal

Raviolo of Rabbit with Wild Mushrooms, Prune cooked in Lapsang Souchong

and Brown Bread Sauce

This was my favourite dish out of the 3 course lunch menu. The dish was seasoned perfectly, the skin of the ravioli was thin and the brown bread sauce (quintessentially British!) was something new and interesting for me.

Ceviche of Hand Dived Scallops with Seaweed & Herb Oil,

Kohirabi & Frozen Horseradish

R opted for the ala carte menu instead and made the excellent choice of the ceviche. The dish was so full of flavour and amazingly, the horseradish did not mask the sweetness of the scallops. I loved the cool sensation of the dish in my mouth.

Roast Monkfish with Pumpkin Polenta, Shellfish Emulsion & Yuzu

The fish from the second course of the set menu was cooked perfectly. There were quite a number of components in the dish that came together nicely but also stood nicely on their own. I really like the shellfish emulsion of mussels and squid and the yuzu was a nice uplifting touch.

Breast of Guinea Fowl with Rye Grist, Broad Beans,

Hop Shoots & a Velouté of Toasted Croissant

I honestly didn't know how to photograph this dish when it arrived in front of R. I think we were both puzzled for a while because we had never seen such a "messy" plate in a fine dining restaurant. Art on a plate maybe? Whatever it is, mess or no mess, it was a plate full of deliciousness. The most intriguing part about the dish was the croissant sauce! Imagine having to bake a buttery croissant only to have it cooked down to a sauce with more butter and cream and finally drizzled all over the plate. YYUUMMMM...

Crème Caramel with Apricot & Jasmine

Brown Sugar Tart with Grapes & Stem Ginger Ice Cream

Both desserts were simple but provided a solid finish to the end of the meal. The Brown Sugar Tart was the better of the two and I really loved the Stem Ginger Ice Cream. Right at the end, the Petit Fours came in a nice little tin box which I secretly wanted to bring home with me. For the record, I didn't do that. Really.

Petit Fours

It is nice to see an Aussie chef excel outside of the country he was raised in but it's a little sad that people back "home" can't all get to taste his food unless they fly all the way to London. Maybe the Sydney Food Festival should consider getting Graham in some time?? Anyone hear me?

london eats: breakfast at ottolenghi

2011-06-10T22:24:00.001+10:00

Ottolenghi

63 Ledbury Road

London W11 2AD

Tel: +44 (0)20 7727 1121

If you're in the area...

you can't possibly walk past this...

cos you won't be able to walk away quietly when you peer through that glass window and realise that if you walk in, you will see this...

and this...

before you know it, you will be pointing at this...

Caramel and Macadamia Cheesecake

this...

Lemon and Almond Cake with Blueberries

and that...

Quiche with Roasted Tomatoes, Caramelised Onions, Goat's Cheese & Thyme

The fun really begins when you dig in to the treats and settle in with a nice hot cup of coffee.

And then of course, it gets better when you overhear a lady with 4 gorgeous children tell a friend about her upcoming weekend trip to Paris to see some art.

Ah.. the life...

london eats: breakfast at the wolseley

2011-06-04T16:45:00.001+10:00

The Wolseley

160 Piccadilly

London W1J 9EB

Tel: +44 (0)20 7499 6996

Website: http://www.thewolseley.com/

I cannot think of a single person who doesn't love a good breakfast. I know I do and I had one of the best breakfast experiences in London at The Wolseley.

The Wolseley was home to the first Barclays Bank branch opened in April 1927. The dining room is beautiful with high ceilings and has lots of old charm. In fact, you could sort of imagine how it used to look like as a bank back in the day. Today, The Wolseley is one of the most popular spots for breakfast and is often frequented by celebrities. In fact, I think it also is a place for bankers and rich businessmen because most of the people I saw looked like they were going to close a multi-million deal that day after getting their coffees and juices. The service was not London's best but it was passable. I guess the whole experience of people watching and feeling like 'I probably should have gone to work too' that day made it all interesting for me.

The food had to be decent as well cos no good experience is complete without good food. The Wolseley did not disappoint although I'd have to say that I've had better chocolate brioches elsewhere. Their version was a little dense and cold when it was served at the table.

Double Chocolat Brioche

French Toast with Bacon

The savouries fared better. R's French Toast with Bacon was absolutely delicious. The bacon which wasn't overfried or too salty contrasted well with the sweetness from the maple syrup. I would have loved to have a whole portion to myself if not for the fact that I was so enamored by my own dish.

Salt Beef Hash with Fried Egg

I have memories of having excellent corn beef and hash when I visited my brother in the US. So when I saw this dish on the menu, I had to have it. Of course, the mention of 'egg' on the menu sealed the deal for me as well. What arrived at the table was a beautiful and simple dish that tasted sophisticated. The salt beef which they had likely cured themselves and the gravy it was sitting on was delicious and flavourful.

The one thing that I regretted not ordering was the Kedgeree which is a dish that consists of ingredients such flaked fish, boiled eggs, rice and curry powder. The bright yellow dish topped with a nicely poached egg with the runny yolk which the table behind me was having, looked so enticing but I only had space for one dish regretfully.

So it's back to dining at regular cafes in the morning for now since it's unlikely I'll find a breakfast place with the same type of atmosphere which The Wolseley had. I'll still enjoy my breakfasts wherever I go but one thing for sure is that it'd probably take a lot for me to wake up at 6.30 in the morning to make a 7.45 booking if it isn't going to be at The Wolseley.

london eats: dinner by heston blumenthal

2011-05-28T02:16:00.002+10:00

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
66 Knightsbridge, London SW1X7LA
Tel: +44(0)20 7201 3833
Website: http://www.dinnerbyheston.com/

When I told a few of my friends about my impending trip to London, most of the conversations ended up being somewhat like this...

Me: I'm stopping by London for a couple of days on the way to Paris.

Friend: Oh! Cool! Are you going to Fat Duck???????

Me: No....

Friend: Why not?! That's like the best restaurant in the world. Everyone goes or at least tries to visit when they're in London!

Me: Erm... it didn't cross my mind? And... no time???

Friend: Oh...

Now the funny thing is since when did Fat Duck become synonymous with London? It isn't even there! But then of course I'm just being stupid and finding excuses for my "missing out" on a visit. There really just wasn't enough time since I was planning a full eating schedule in London and frankly, it just wasn't high up on my list of 'must-tries'.

What tickled my fancy however, was another restaurant that was lauded as the most anticipated restaurant opening of 2011. When the restaurant started to take reservations, bookings started pouring in and if you wanted a table for dinner, the next table would only be available 6 months later. R & I had given up on getting a table but after some random attempts, we took the first available slot that came up and incidentally, we kicked off our London leg at Dinner by Heston.

Ashley Palmer-Watts who was Executive Head Chef at the Fat Duck since 2008 helms the reins of the kitchen at Dinner. The theatrics and all the molecular gastronomy stuff that Heston has become so famous for aren't found at Dinner. What one would find is an updated version of a brief walk through Britain's culinary history. For example, the Meat Fruit is a chicken liver parfait encased in a mandarin jelly based on a recipe that dates back to 1500. Dinner has tweaked its appearance to make it look like a mandarin fruit and added the mandarin jelly to add another dimension to the taste of the parfait.

Meat Fruit (c. 1500)

Mandarin, chicken liver parfait & grilled bread

People say we eat with our eyes first so good looking food always looks appetising. What Dinner has done is make good looking food taste fabulous. I'll have to say that the food was on the whole, quite excellent. People who have said for years that London is not known for good food should swallow their words for good because this first meal set me up for so many good meals to follow in the days I was in London.

Anyways, I enjoyed every dish; some more than others. The Meat Fruit which is probably Dinner's most famous dish was delicious. I couldn't stop taking pictures when the dish hit the table because the dish looked so pretty. The chicken liver parfait was smooth, creamy and tasty. The jelly was effective in cutting through the richness of the parfait and it just paired so perfectly with the nice crusty bread. The crispy veal sweetbreads, crunchy vegetables, the yolk from the poached egg combined with the broth in the Broth of Lamb was extremely flavourful and rich, yet clean at the same time. My favourite of the appetisers was the Savoury Porridge which has been compared by many to Heston's famous Snail Porridge. The sweetness and acidity of the pickled beetroots paired well with the grains and parsley butter. I almost wanted to order another serving before I got reminded about the other dishes that were coming.

Meat Fruit (c.1500)

Mandarin, chicken liver parfait & grilled bread

Broth of Lamb (c.1730)

Slow Cooked Hen's Egg, Celery, Radish, Turnip and Sweetbreads

Savoury Porridge (c.1660)

Cod Cheeks, Pickled Beetroot, Garlic and Fennel

The mains we had were both executed well but they failed to excite me as much as the appetisers had. When the Powdered Duck arrived at the table, R & I were astonished at the size of those duck legs. Cured in salt and presented with a shiny glaze, I felt that the dish didn't live up to how the dish looked. Though cooked well, it just wasn't as flavourful as the Spiced Pigeon. The pigeon was cooked sous-vide and had a perfect done-ness as a result. The meat was also finished to get a nice crisp on the skin and paired well with the earthy artichokes.

Powdered Duck (c.1670)

Smoked Fennel and Potato Puree

Spiced Pigeon (c.1780)

Ale and Artichokes

Dessert was another highlight of the meal. In fact, I would say that the Tipsy Cake was one of the best desserts I had during the whole holiday. We had to order this dish at the beginning because they only make it to order and it takes time for it to cook. The alcohol infused brioche was moist and had a custard-like texture. The sweetness was nicely offset by the slight sourness from the pineapple which had been spit roasted and caramelised. The Brown Bread Ice Cream was delicious too but I didn't really take fancy to the yeast syrup which was drizzled over the ice cream. The flavours of savoury and sweet in one dessert was nonetheless interesting and each component paired well with one another.

Tipsy Cake (c.1810)

Spit Roast Pineapple

Brown Bread Ice Cream (c.1830)

Salted Butter Caramel Malted Yeast Syrup

Earl Grey White Chocolate Ganache & Cardamom Biscuit

Lunch ended on a perfect note after the complimentary Earl Grey White Chocolate Ganache and Cardamom Biscuit and some lovely Lemongrass and Ginger Tea. To top off the lunch, service was extremely friendly, professional and attentive and we left extremely satisfied.

Dinner by Heston has definitely lived up to its hype in my books and it's definitely made a great impression because I still think about the food I had there more than 1 month on. I highly recommend that you pay a visit if you're planning a visit to London and book well in advance.

I wish there was a restaurant like this closer back home. That way, I don't have to keep thinking about when I'll get to visit London again.

love, food & europe.

2011-05-12T01:21:00.000+10:00

I've just got back from a 3 week food experience in London and various parts of France and I must say that it's been the experience of a lifetime. It wasn't my first visit but it was the first since I've started to appreciate food in a different way (not to mention with a bigger budget). There is so much to say and I just don't know where to begin. I'll promise I'll get down to it once I need a breather from studying. There are so many things I miss and one of it is just my Parisian breakfast. This is what it looked like almost every morning.

Thomas Keller's Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2011-04-01T10:28:00.001+11:00

Apologies for being away for this long. Over the last few months, I've been back in Singapore and got really busy with work and life. I did have a couple of memorable food experiences though which I HOPE I will get to penning down as soon as time permits. For now, I just wanted to share my new found love for grilled cheese sandwiches. Who doesn't like melting cheese on sandwich right?! Well I definitely love it but when you add butter and fry the bread in a pan, the flavours are way different! Have a go at this recipe because it tastes oh-so-good.

Caution: You might feel your arteries clog as you're preparing the meal. Eat at your own discretion.

Ingredients
ciabatta, cut into thick slices
Swiss Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 170〫celcius
Lay the ciabatta bread on your work surface and stack the thinly sliced cheese over it. Top with the remaining slices of bread.
Over medium heat on a pan, add the butter and cook to brown. Be careful not to burn the butter.
Add the sandwiches and cook until brown on one side for approximately 1½ minutes.
When brown, flip the sandwiches on to the other side and cook for approximately 40 seconds before removing from pan.
Transfer the sandwiches to a baking tray and spread about 1 tsp of butter on each sandwich before placing them in the oven for about 4 minutes to ensure that all the cheese is melted.
Remove from oven, serve and ENJOY!

Things to note:

The original recipe called for brioche which would have given a sweeter taste to the sandwich given the nature of the bread. I used a rustic ciabatta which worked well too.
Ensure that you get enough cheese on the sandwich so that you're not just eating bread. Not too much though since gruyere can be pretty strong tasting but it's really your preference at the end of the day.
Ensure you get enough butter in the pan otherwise your pan will start smoking when the bread absorbs all that butter quickly and you won't get that beautiful brown you want on your sandwich. You can always diet another day.
Eat it when it's fresh out of the oven cos the cheese will be nice and gooey.
I made this to accompany pumpkin soup but it probably works better with tomato soup cos of the acidity. Les Bouchons serves it that way anyway.

Rockpool Bar & Grill - Sydney's Best Burger?

2010-11-13T01:41:00.003+11:00

Rockpool Bar & Grill

66 Hunter St

Sydney, Australia

Tel: 612 8078 1900

Website: http://www.rockpool.com.au/sydney/bar-and-grill/

Onion Rings with House-Made Ketchup

"The best Asian burger is Ramly but if you're looking for the best burger in Sydney, you'll find it at Rockpool Bar & Grill!"

Ok, those weren't the exact words of R but the message was delivered. Burgers aren't the most feminine thing to eat (imagine: dirty fingers and having to open your mouth wide to fit all layers of the burger) but I love a good and mean burger. My definition of a good burger includes having a meaty, juicy and tasty patty and a good bun. Cheese in the burger is a must and I'm always a happy camper when the works such as bacon, a fried egg, pickles or beetroot slices are piled on.

David Blackmore's Full Blood Wagyu Hamburger with Bacon, Gruyere Cheese & Zuni Pickle

R kids a lot but he definitely wasn't doing that when he said that the Rockpool Bar & Grill's famed David Blackmore's Full Blood Wagyu Hamburger was the best in town because it was top notch. The wagyu patty was cooked perfectly to a medium rare and it was extremely juicy. Along with the star that is the quality of meat used, Rockpool takes the effort to make their own brioche bun for the burger. The bacon, gruyere cheese and pickle complemented and completed the burger nicely. I would definitely return for this anytime.

The onion rings make another perfect reason for me to return to Rockpool Bar. The onions were sweet and the batter was tasty and crispy. If the burger hadn't filled me up so much, I probably could have eaten through the whole bowl by myself. This was possibly one of the best onion rings I've had.

Desserts were excellent as well especially the Strawberry & Rhubard Pudding. I couldn't be bothered with pictures as the lighting in the Bar was really bad. Plus, R and I couldn't wait to dig into the desserts when they arrived. Don't give them a miss cos they're worth saving your stomachs for!

I know I said that I'm supposed to have my head buried in my books right now but I just couldn't resist a short post when I was looking through my photo library. Looking at food in the middle of the night and before bedtime isn't exactly the best thing in my opinion. Now that I'm done with this post, I better head back to what I am supposed to be doing. See you all in a bit.

about time.

2010-11-10T14:25:00.000+11:00

I'm currently in the midst of preparing for my exams now so I probably won't be updating until the end of next week. I do have a lot of places I need to get through so hopefully I'll be disciplined enough to do up the posts then.

Time flies. I've been away for a couple of months now and it's almost time for me to head back to SG. I was just telling Ivan when he was in Sydney for a short break that I was jaded with the SG food scene for a while. This and including the fact that I had too many commitments made me slow down on blogging. Honestly, there were times even when the thought of closing down this blog crossed my mind.

On the food front, the time that I've spent away has done a lot for me. I found the time and the words. More importantly, I was curious again; traveling to a new suburb to search for that one particular dish, planning a schedule of places to dine at, meeting new and old companions for a catch up over a good meal. I guess many things may have changed over the years since starting my blog but my love for a good meal and good company has been the only constant all this while.

I'm looking forward to a whole lot of eating and catch ups when I return home. When the p.sch girls sent me a msg to say hi, they decided to take pictures of their claypot chicken rice. They probably thought I cared more about what they were eating instead of how they were doing! P sent me a msg telling me that she misses her eating kaki (aka me) yesterday. The parents have been raving about a beef noodles stall that I have to try. D is going to buy me a good meal at André (if I'm lucky). There will be eating trips across the Causeway and hopefully some overseas. Now's definitely time to invest in some elastic waisted pants!

Time to hit the books. See you soon!

a 2nd visit to ash st cellar.

2010-11-04T03:07:00.000+11:00

Ash St Cellar
1 Ash Street
Sydney
Tel: 612 9240 3000
Website: http://www.merivale.com/#/ivy/ashstreetcellar

I have a thing for cosy little restaurants that serve good food and Ash St Cellar fits that bill perfectly. Ash St Cellar's food is Mediterranean and dining there reminds me of the little alleys in Melbourne and the cafes along the streets in Europe. Tucked in a little corner behind the Ivy in downtown Sydney, it makes the perfect spot for a catch up with friends or even a casual first date! The food is designed as sharing plates and the menu is short, yet succinct. Ash St Cellar changes their menu from time to time so there are no worries that the food will be exactly the same the next time you return (that is unless if you decide you wanna return the next day).

Anyway, some botched dinner plans brought my sis and I to Ash St. I enjoyed my first dinner there back in July and had wanted to bring my sis for a visit since then.

Kingfish Tartare, Green Apple, Young Celery, Witlof

Sardine Fillets, Eggplant, Pickled Red Onions, Fried Parsley & Lemon

Lamb Cutlets, Cauliflower, Roast Tomatoes, Salsa Verde

Soft Cooked Eggs, Morcilla and White Beans

I enjoyed every single savoury dish I had that night. In fact, I also wasn't disappointed when I first visited. From that dinner, I recall the crispy polenta chips served with a gorgonzola fondue. That dish was excellent even though I'm not usually a lover of blue cheese. From this dinner, I really enjoyed the lamb cutlets as the meat was cooked perfectly. The sardines were also lovely with the sweet red onions and the fried parsley. The soft cooked eggs was a really rich dish but I thought it was well put together with the morcilla (the Spanish version of black pudding).

The desserts on the other hand, were a little more disappointing this time around. While the tart was pretty well done, my sis and I weren't exactly in love with the cherries on it. While pannacottas often grab my attention on menus, I'm also not a big fan of marsala. Allthough the ricotta pannacotta was well made, it wasn't one of the best that I've tasted.

Cherry Tart with Vanilla Cream

Ricotta Pannacotta, Marsala Caramel Grapes

Ash St Cellar's the type of place I'd go back to again and again; good food, good ambience. The only other thing needed is good company. If my p.sch friends (Hi there if you're reading!) were here in Sydney in me, I know they would love this place as much as I do too.

birthday at quay.

2010-11-01T16:42:00.003+11:00

Quay
Overseas Passenger Terminal
The Rocks, Sydney
Tel: 612 9251 5600
Website: http://www.quay.com.au/

I still have a ton of pictures to edit and loads of writing to get down to with the amount of eating that I've been doing recently but I figured I better post this up first since it's already a couple of months overdue. Also, since I'm going to a special place for dinner tonight in celebration of the sister's birthday (expect another blog post coming up soon), I figured I should at least post about the special lunch which she arranged for me on my birthday when I first got in to Sydney.

Petits Fours

Quay is currently one of Sydney's highest acclaimed restaurant and voted as Australian's best, coming in at number 27 on the San Pallegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants List. Its location is probably one of the best to offer in Sydney with full views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. In the day, the sight is lovely with the blue skies and clear waters and at night, it transforms to a beautiful and romantic setting with Sydney's evening landscape. I reckon it would be most beautiful during sunset.

The settings are right but most importantly, the food that is presented to the table is what counts. Was I impressed with the food? I guess so, to a certain extent as there were some dishes that I enjoyed more than others. My favourite dish out of the whole meal was the Gentle Braise of Pearl Oyster, Southern Rock Lobster and Shaved Squid. I also enjoyed the Quail Breast, the Blackmore Wagyu Fillet and the most talked about, Guava Snow Egg. The other dishes were good too and it's hard to fault the technique and skill that went behind the creation of each course. I could go on about the details of each course but I've chosen not to bore you (yes, you) and just show the beautifully presented dishes instead. Drop me a note if you'd like to know more and I'll try to answer if I have it.

Amuse Bouche

Smoked Eel & Sea Scallop Pearl, Horseradish

Salad of Pink Turnips & Breakfast Radishes, Violets,

Olives, Pine Resin, Balsamico

Gentle Braise of Pearl Oyster, Southern Rock Lobster,

Shaved Squid, Tapioca, Lettuce Heart, Oyster Cream, Pea Flowers

Butter Poached Coturnix Quail Breast, Chestnuts, Truffle,

Bitter Chocolate Black Pudding, Milk Skin, Walnuts

Poached Blackmore Wagyu Fillet, Tasmanian Wasabi, Morels

Slow Braised Berkshire Pig Jowl, Maltose Crackling, Prunes,

Cauliflower Cream, perfumed with Prune Kernel Oil

Guava Snow Egg

Preserved Wild Cherry Compote, Coconut Cream,

Chuao Chocolate Crumble, Milk Meringue Crystals

I guess that if there was one thing that I would fault about Quay, I'd have to say that I was let down by the impersonal service. The staff at Quay are undoubtedly professional and well trained but I found them to lack the personal touch which I value greatly.

If you're looking for a special place to have a meal with a special someone for a special occasion, look no further. Quay's probably the place you're looking for.

a Hakka banquet at Claude's.

2010-10-31T04:47:00.005+11:00

Claude's
10 Oxford Street
Woollahra, Sydney
Tel: 612 9331 2325
Website: http://claudes.com.au/

Hi, I'm Sooks and I'm a Hakka.

I've been familiar with quite a lot of Hakka food since young because of my parents and more so in recent times due to the opening of the family's restaurant. Just a little bit of background. Back in the old days, Hakkas were known as nomads and generally lived in the inner land of China thus, seafood in the Hakka cuisine is a rarity. There was also a need to preserve their produce in order to ensure they lasted longer. Hence, the Hakka cuisine is characteristically known to be salty and boasts strong and heavy flavours.

Chef Chui Lee Luk (or 'Chui' as affectionately known by her regular customers) of Claude's comes from the same heritage and presented a Hakka banquet for the Sydney International Food Festival this year. Having grown up with Hakka food on the table, she wanted to present her own modern take on the cuisine and showcase it to many who were probably unaware of Hakka food in general due to the lack of Hakka restaurants in Sydney.

Eight Treasure Puffs

The dinner got off to a little start with a canapé and a refreshing Hibiscus Mojito. The inspiration for the Eight Treasure Puffs came from the Eight Treasure Duck which is a well-known Chinese banquet dish. Ingredients such as octopus tentacles, duck tongue and Iberian ham amongst many others were used in this the creation of this little starter. It was served on a bed of chicken floss and black sesame (I think) and was extremely tasty.

Lui Cha Fan; Thunder Tea Rice

This dish is close to my heart as it is something I grew up eating. It reminds me a lot of the years when I was still living in Malaysia and my mum used to buy this home for lunch ever so often back in the days. I was really surprised that Chef Luk never tasted this dish before creating it for this dinner because she was quite spot on with this dish. Although she probably didn't use as many herbs as compared to how it's usually made, the broth was full-bodied and extremely flavourful. I loved how she played with different textures of rice such as the crispy rice, the mung bean noodles and the glutinous rice ball which was filled with dried shrimp and turnip. Delicious.

Kiew Nyuk; Triple-cooked Pork Belly with Five Spice

& Fermented Bean Curd with Taro

This was my favourite dish of the dinner. Traditionally, the pork belly is marinated with fermented bean curd and steamed together with the taro. Chef Luk's version dealt with the pork belly and taro separately. The pork belly was confited, deep fried and steamed and was completed with a dressing that consisted of five spice powder, onion, garlic and fermented bean curd. The crispiness from the deep fried yam contrasted well against the tender pork belly. I loved that this dish packed a punch full of flavours and yet, was not too heavy.

Yam Kuk Gai; Salt-baked Chicken & Stuffed Vegetable

Reminiscent of Dumplings

Salt-baked Chicken sauced with Chicken Rice Wine

Egg Noodles with White Needles & Abalone

To be honest, I was a little thrown off by this course as I felt there were too many components to the dish. My favourite thing in this course were the noodles. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to taste much of the abalone but I think it would have done well without it anyway. I probably could have been contented to have a huge plate of that noodles as a full course on its own. Chef Luk was probably trying to do a modern take on the classic Hakka dish, Yong Tau Foo from the pork stuffing for the shiitake mushroom and the fish and spanner crab paste in the eggplant. I personally felt that it fell a little short in terms of flavour as compared to the previous course which I had enjoyed so much.

Fatt Koh; Fermented Rice Cakes with Pandan Dipping Sauce,

Strawberry Pannacotta, Avocado Ice Cream

The last course of dessert was also a bit of a hit and miss for me although there were some pretty good components. The colours on the plate were pleasing and I thoroughly enjoyed the pannacotta and the avocado ice cream. On the other hand, the rice cakes which were flavoured with strawberry, liquorice and angelica were a little on the dry side. Chef Luk explained that she had added the syrup cooked with pandan leaves so as to make it sweeter and more suitable for the western palate. I'm unfamiliar with Hakka desserts and the only one that I know of is mochi, a glutinous rice paste that is coated with powdered peanuts. In fact, the Hakkas are hardly known for sweets.

My sis and I decided to attend the dinner because we were extremely excited to see and experience how traditional food which we both grew up with could transform in the hands of a chef who was trained in French cooking, a chef who owns one of the finest establishments in Sydney. The dinner really opened to my eyes as to how different food cultures can intersect to create good tasting dishes.

Whilst admittedly there were a couple of misses for me, the passion, thought and heart that was put into the Hakka banquet was commendable. I am happy that Chef Luk chose to present dishes which meant something to her; the dishes were close to her heart and were very much a part of her growing years. More importantly, I feel proud knowing that a couple more people now have some understanding of the Hakka's history and its cuisine.

Hibiscus Mojito

If you'd like to read more about Chef Luk's inspiration and details behind the creation of each dish, please see here.

In the Kitchen: Pancetta & Zucchini Carbonara

2010-10-29T00:14:00.001+11:00

It's been a while since I've cooked something non-Asian. Maybe it's cos I'm away from home now so I tend to cook the familiar home favourites to make up for the distance and my mum's cooking. At times, I do feel that it's easier to cook Asian since we already have most of the sauces and condiments needed.

I've been wanting to make this pasta since having a delicious one at my uni cafe months back (yes, there is good food at uni). Whilst doing some Googling, I found Jamie Oliver's Carbonara recipe and since there was some cream in the fridge, I got down to work in the kitchen.

Ingredients (serves 1 - 2, depending on appetite)
150g linguine
1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise to approx. 5cm
50g pancetta, sliced to similar size as the zucchini
1 egg yolk
25ml pure cream
Generous amount of Parmesan cheese
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Thyme (optional)

Prepare the carbonara sauce by combining the egg yolk, cream and half the amount of Parmesan cheese. Season lightly with salt and set aside.
Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water according to the instructions on the packet.
Whilst the pasta is boiling, fry the pancetta with olive oil in a frying pan until it is a dark brown and the fat has been dissolved.
Add the sliced zucchini to the pan and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper.
Add the thyme leaves if used here and fry the zucchini until it has softened slightly.
Once pasta is cooked, add the pasta to the pan to toss with the pancetta and zucchini.
Remove from the heat and add a small ladle of the water which the pasta was cooked in and the carbonara sauce. Stir together quickly.
Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese and season to taste.

Some points to take note of:

Timing is important in cooking this dish. Ensure that the pasta is cooked and ready at the time the pancetta and zucchini are cooked. If the pasta is prepared early, ensure that it does not sit in the hot water otherwise the pasta will be overcooked by the time it is added to the pan for tossing.
Ensure that the pan is removed from the heat before adding the carbonara sauce otherwise the heat will scramble the eggs.
Stir quickly when the sauce is added to the pasta.
Don't drain all the pasta liquid away as it is necessary to help the carbonara sauce work through the pasta and give it a smooth consistency.
Ensure that there is enough cream and pasta liquid to coat the pasta fully. I should have added more cream and liquid as that would have made it slightly richer and more delicious.
The recipe tastes good without the thyme but would probably be better since it will give the dish a nice flavour and an added dimension.
You can substitute linguine with penne or spaghetti and pancetta with smoked bacon.

I love Jamie Oliver's recipes cos they're pretty easily to follow and have never failed me. See here for the original recipe.

Have a go and have fun in the kitchen!

I ♥ Zumbo's Macarons.

2010-10-27T02:50:00.002+11:00

Adriano Zumbo Café
114 Terry Street
Rozelle,NSW 2039
Opening Hours: Mon - Fri, 6.30am - 4pm; Sat & Sun, 7.30am - 4pm

Adriano Zumbo Pâtisserie
296 Darling Street
Balmain, NSW 2040
Tel: 612 9810 7318
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat, 8am - 6pm; Sun, 8am - 4pm

Website: http://adrianozumbo.com/

Passionfruit Tart

I have to admit that I never knew about Adriano Zumbo until this year. Well, let's just say I missed out on watching him and his Croquembouche which was featured in Masterchef Australia. I do feel a tad ashamed for missing out on his fantastic creations for so long but as the saying goes, better late than never.

Whilst Zumbo became a household name after his Croquembouche was featured on the tellie, he is probably known best for his macarons (also known as macaroons, if you insist on using the English word) which come in a whole variety of flavours.

I first tried Zumbo's macarons back in May and I remember the bright colours of red, blue, green and black. More importantly, the taste and texture of the macarons left a huge impression on me. To be honest, I've never been much of a fan as I've often found the ones that I've tried previously much too sweet for my liking. Zumbo's macarons totally changed my perception. I recall having one which had a "surprise" of a strawberry sandwiched right in the middle of the macaron. The Passionfruit macaron I had in July was excellent and in my most recent visit to the cafe, I completely fell in love with the Salted Butter Popcorn macaron. I loved its lightness and how the salt balanced the sweetness.

Salted Butter Popcorn Macaron

I also tried other great flavours such as the Beetroot & Raspberry, Forest Fruits and Salted Caramel but stayed away from odd flavours such as Vegemite Sourdough. On hindsight, I probably should have tried it just to satisfy my curiosity.

Can you spot Adriano Zumbo in the background?

If you're looking for Zumbo's beautiful dessert creations with their fanciful names, you'll have to head to the patisserie. The café only sells macarons, tarts, tea cakes and pastries. At the café however, sitting on the bar stool watching Zumbo and his chefs at work in the open kitchen is a real treat.

Adriano Zumbo's creations do not disappoint and are always filled with little surprises from his bouts of creativity. Whilst I would say that I tend towards having a savoury palate, Adriano Zumbo has gained a fan and won me over completely.

Zumbo will be hitting us with dozens of flavours for 'Macaron Day' which will be on 6 Nov at the Patisserie in celebration of his birthday. I am absolutely looking forward to it and will pray that there will be some left by the time my turn in line comes.

Gladly.

gimme more fish & chips.

2010-10-25T16:49:00.000+11:00

Mohr Fish
202 Devonshire St
Surry Hills, Sydney
Tel: 612 9318 1326

I love 'hole in the wall' places. It's hard to describe the feeling of finding a place with exceptional food in the most nondescript corners of a neighbourhood. Mohr Fish came recommended by the sis years ago and I feel bad that I've neglected to pay a visit until now (mainly because Sydney has too much good food to offer!).

Fish & chips reminds me a lot of my uni days back in Perth. A trip to Fremantle always consisted of a visit to Cicerellos, my favourite place for good ol' fish & chips back then. Some reminiscing brought out a sudden urge for the good old favourite. It was then I decided that it was time to pay a long overdue visit to Mohr Fish.

The fish & chips at Mohr Fish has all the elements that a good fish & chips should have. Fresh fish (flathead was used), a light and crispy batter and chips that are crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. The best part was that the dish was not very greasy.

Mohr Fish has more than just fish & chips to offer and if you're looking for fuss free and good tasting food, this is the place to be. I'll definitely be back to taste some of the other items on the menu.

Tetsuya's: A Sydney Institution

2010-10-19T18:22:00.002+11:00

Tetsuya's Restaurant
529 Kent Street
Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: 612 9267 2900
Website: http://www.tetsuyas.com/

I've been lucky to visit Tetsuya's twice in the last 2 years in my 3 visits to Sydney. The first time was in the winter of 2008 and the last was in May of this year. I had decided a long time ago not to post about Tets since some time had passed since dining there but as the saying goes, better late than never. Yes, this post is long long overdue but I felt the need to express how upset I was that Tets lost one of its 3 chef hats which it had earned and kept since 1992.

Confit Petuna Ocean Trout with Konbu, Celery & Apple

Restaurants in Sydney have their own restaurant rating system which is somewhat like the Michelin Guide except that the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide awards chef hats instead of stars. The top honour of having 3 chef hats is given to the best and brightest in the restaurant scene and in my opinion, Tets deserves that. It was big news when it was announced that Tets had lost one of its chef hats. Neil Perry from Rockpool couldn't even comprehend how Tets could have been demoted in rankings simply because its food wasn't "surprising" anymore. I may not know the little details of how these things get judged but I do know that a restaurant that delivers consistent and excellent cuisine whilst offering the most personable service is far more difficult to run compared to a restaurant that is all hyped up for a while before fading off eventually.

These are the pictures from my recent dinner in May this year. The star at Tets is still its Confit Petuna Ocean Trout which is cooked with the oven door open. I remember how I was amazed at how it cut through like a cooked fish but tasted and looked like it was raw. This dish was what started my love affair with ocean trout.

Other dishes such as the Braised Ox Tail with Sea Cucumber & Yuzu and the Sirloin of Wagyu with Braised Leeks, Sansho & Soy were also excellent and most memorable. This dinner had somewhat of a Chinese-inspired theme with the use of ingredients such as blackbeans and braised wood ear mushrooms. I enjoyed every bit of it.

Avocado Soup with Potato Ice Cream & Tonburi

Sashimi of Kingfish with Blackbean & Orange

Pacific Oysters with Rice Wine Vinaigrette

Scampi with Capsicum, Scampi in Tea with Lemon Infused Oil &

Scampi with Frozen Egg Yolk

Grilled Fillet of Barramundi with Braised Wood Ear & Chestnut Mushrooms

Braised Ox Tail with Sea Cucumber & Yuzu

Twice-Cooked De-boned Spatchcock with Foie Gras

Sirloin of Wagyu with Braised Leeks, Sansho & Soy

Chocolate Pavé with Cream Cheese Ice Cream & Cinnamon Twigs

One of the reasons that I'm in love with food and generally anything related with it is the fact that it is such a subjective topic; peoples' opinions could vary greatly even if they were eating from the same pot. Whilst there are many innovative restaurants and upcoming new chefs, I always believe that when the food and service is impeccable and consistently deemed as so by many others, it deserves accolades.

Tetsuya's is an Australian institution. It's undeniable that those who know their food would think of Tets whenever they think of a trip to Sydney. Tetsuya's may have lost one of its hats today but in my heart, it deserves all 3 of it, if not more.

If you'd like to read more about the awards announcement, pls click here.

For a list of winners awarded by the SMH Good Food Guide, pls click here.

fouratefive & a short visit to surry hills.

2010-10-17T02:33:00.001+11:00

Four Ate Five

485 Crown Street

Surry Hills, Sydney

Tel: 612 9698 6485

Website: http://www.fouratefive.com/

Today was one of the most beautiful days Sydney has had in a while in my opinion. The skies were a nice shade of blue, the sun was up and the air was cool (although a tad too windy). It was also a perfect day to visit Surry Hills cos the neighbourhood comes alive on the weekends. You'd see hip, young and fashionable people having their cuppa at a cafe or walking their cute little pups. I love the vibe of this neighbourhood and love it even more cos many good restaurants and cafe call Surry Hills home.

Source: Whiteboard Journal

The main reason for making the trip to Surry Hills today was to visit Four Ate Five which won the Best Cafe award by Sydney Time Out magazine in 2010. If you're wondering why they're called Four Ate Five, it's cos of their address (485, geddit?). Although it was the famous creamed corn dish which prompted my visit, I ended up ordering the Mexican Breakfast which consisted of homemade mexican beans served with bread, tomato and avocado salsa, rocket leaves and 2 sunny side ups. I even ended up throwing in a serve of bacon on the side.

I loved every single bit of it. The rocket leaves were an excellent complement to the tomato sauce beans and the saltiness of the bacon. I can never resist a good hearty breakfast (even though I had this for lunch) and I'm definitely coming back again for more next time.

I spent the rest of the afternoon checking out the little quirky shops around the area and couldn't help noticing the kids who were at the playground. It was a lovely sight seeing the little girls being pushed by their daddies on the swings.

If only those swings came in my size.

so dumb.

2010-10-16T02:33:00.000+11:00

Spent 2 hours tonight trying to figure out how to export my blog to Wordpress cos I thought they were more user-friendly and had more functions to play around with. I now found out that Blogspot had a new publishing tool which I didn't know about.

So dumb!

And yes, I'm sticking on with Blogspot for now.

BBQ Madness at the SMH Growers' Market.

2010-10-15T04:20:00.011+11:00

This restaurant was not on the list which my sis and I had drawn up to visit for these couple of months but I think it definitely deserves to be there after the spectacular sampling I had at the BBQ Madness event which kick started the Sydney International Food Festival 2010 at the SMH Growers' Market, Pyrmont.

I was extremely happy that I made the event and even more ecstatic that my sis chose Otto Ristorante among the restaurants which were also present at the event. It was pretty exciting and fun cos the way it was organised was kinda dependent on your luck of the draw; we didn't know what each chef was going to serve up beforehand.

Chef Richard Ptacnik served up an excellent dish of Rainbow Trout with Fregola, Tomato, Fennel and Olives. The rainbow trout was wrapped with pancetta, cooked over the barbie and served on a bed of fennel puree. The pancetta did not override the taste of the fish and the dish was excellently flavoured. I can't find the words to describe how much I loved the dish but Otto definitely won me over with this one dish. Plus, how did Chef Ptacnik even know that I absolutely love trout?? Heh.

It's probably time to start thinking about visiting Otto for a proper sit down meal. Soon.

a day out at chatswood.

2010-10-14T22:44:00.012+11:00

New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant
Shop 20, 427-441 Victoria Avenue
Lemon Grove Shopping Centre
Chatswood, Sydney
Tel: 612 9415 3536

Hello Happy
345 Victoria Avenue
Chatswood, Sydney
Tel: 612 9411 4892

"So what exactly did you do in Chatswood today?"

My mind came to a blank when my sis threw me that question when I got home. Somehow the afternoon just flew by. It was my first time in the neighbourhood and I wanted to find out if there were any interesting eats or places around although most people have told me it's just another suburb, except many Chinese live there. They weren't wrong. It is just another regular suburb and there are many old Chinese people sitting around having a chat over tea but I guess it was just nice for me to get out of town and breathe a different "air".

Lunch was at New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant. The xiao long bao was pretty good except that they cooled down too quickly. They still don't beat the xiao long baos at Din Tai Fung Shanghai and the skin could have been a little thinner but the soup and the meat filling were tasty.

I decided to be greedy and order the XO Sauce Fried Shanghai Rice Cakes as well. Rice cakes are one of my favourite things to eat and I just couldn't resist having it. Although it was pretty good, I just couldn't find the XO sauce that was supposed to be in there. (In case you think I have a huge appetite, I took home most of the rice cakes and had them for dinner.)

After doing a big walkabout, I ended up having dessert and coffee at Hello Happy, a quaint little Korean bakery cafe.

Although I won't say that the strawberry cake I had was the best I've ever tasted, being in the shop sorta gave me a happy feeling cos of the decor (must have also been because of the name). I need to specially mention that I loved their chai latte. I've been on the lookout for good chai lattes around Sydney and they served me one of the best that I've drank in a while.

It was a good day. I didn't do much but at least, the box beside 'visit Chatswood' now has a tick on it.

the hunt for the best chai latte.

2010-09-16T03:57:00.002+10:00

I've been quite hooked on chai lattes recently after having a really good one at some food court near the Rocks. Never used to like it before honestly. I've tried quite a number from different cafes and takeaway stands so I've had a fair share of ok ones and some really bad ones.

Starbucks, George St - FAIL
d'ough ESPRESSO, World Square - OK
Workshop Espresso, George St - YUM
Tom N Toms, Bathurst St - FAIL
Some food court near the rocks - YUM
Taste Baguette, Sydney Uni - OK
Parma Cucina & Bar, Sydney Uni - OK
Danks St Depot, Sydney Intl Airport - OK

and the list continues...

If you're a chai latte fan like me, drop me a note to let me know where I can get a chai latte that will knock my socks off, be it in Sydney or Singapore!

Pilu at Freshwater: 'Just heck it and try something new'

2010-09-03T22:10:00.014+10:00

Pilu at Freshwater
'On the Beach', Moore Road
Freshwater NSW 2096
Tel: 612 9938 3331
Website: http://www.piluatfreshwater.com.au/index.html

I have recently revived an old ideal which is to gain new experiences whenever possible. On most occasions when I have to choose, I would normally pick the familiar choice because I am afraid of risking my time and money on unproven quality. However I soon realised that this rational behaviour doesn’t pay off all the time. And thus I have decided that sometimes, I should just heck it and try something new. This attitude stuck with me on my recent trip to Sydney and one of the things it did was to lead me to Pilu at Freshwater.

Pilu at Freshwater is a Sardinian restaurant operating out of a conserved beach house tucked away in a residential area on the northern shores of Sydney. The food is relatively simple, and the focus is on the ingredients and the authenticity of Sardinian flavours.

The Roasted Scampi with Sea Urchin Butter was interesting because it was my first time having sea urchin butter. The exotic butter provided the prawns a more savoury and salty flavour and thus helped to whet my appetite.

The Ravioli of Potato, Mint and Pecorino served with Butter, Sage and Black Truffles that followed was also very decent. It was the little items like the butter and truffles that added flavour to the main ingredients and gave another dimension to the dish.

The Fregola with Tomato and Cured Meat Ragu managed to satisfy and yet remain moderately light. The flavours were rich, wholesome but not overpowering.

The second half opened with the Snapper Fillet with Vernaccia and Green Olives. The fish was well cooked but it was again the little guys that made my day; the acidity of the green olives balanced well against the oiliness and the olives also added a salty punch to the dish.

Pilu's signature Oven Roasted Suckling Pig was the last; its skin was as crispy as keropok and the meat underneath it was quite tender and juicy. However I found that the absence of fat robbed quite a bit of flavour from the dish.

What I liked about this restaurant besides its charm, was the fact that the dishes complemented one another very well. It wasn’t so much about how wonderful the individual dishes were but rather it was the whole experience; how one course led to the next, the contrasting flavours, the simple and honest presentations. It was definitely a rewarding experience and it would certainly present a problem the next time I visit Sydney because it would mean breaking my old ideal.

This post was contributed by guest writer, D.

mamak finally.

2010-08-24T23:36:00.008+10:00

Mamak
15 Goulburn St
Haymarket, Sydney
Tel: 612 9211 1668 (no reservations)
Opening Hours: 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5.30pm - 9.30pm daily; open til 2am Fri & Sat
Website: http://www.mamak.com.au/

I made it. I finally made it to.... MAMAK!

It's hard getting a table at Mamak during dinner. Everytime I walk past the shop, I'd see a long queue snaking around the block. In fact, it's been this way since over a year ago when I visited for a holiday. Curious at how good the food actually was, I knew I had to pay a visit someday. For once, there was no queue in sight today. HOW LUCKY!

Roti is the signature at Mamak and the tossing of the rotis in the display window is definitely the draw for many customers. The Roti Planta which Sis and I ordered was pretty good; the dough had a good texture but could have been better if it was slightly thinner and crispier. The curry could be improved but it could be because I'm used to the chicken curry that I usually have back in Singapore.

I was however, really impressed with their Nasi Lemak and Kangkung Belacan. Although the rice could have been more fragrant, it was really soft and fluffy. The additional order of fried chicken and curry lamb which we ordered to go with the Nasi Lemak were both tasty and moist. I liked the sambal chilli which they gave for the Nasi Lemak as well.

The Kangkung Belacan was really tasty with quite a bit of heat. Sis mentioned that they did put quite a bit of dried shrimp in and that really helped make the dish tastier and better.

I'd have to say that prices are a bit steep considering what we'd get back home in Singapore but hey, one can't complain when it's as close to home, away from home. I'd still hesitate to say I'd definitely stand in line next time. Not because Mamak doesn't get the thumbs up. When you actually see the long lines daily (most days anyway) and have to deal with a rumbling tummy at the same time, you'd understand where I'm coming from.

lunch at Aoki.

2010-08-22T21:01:00.008+10:00

Aoki Restaurant
1 Scotts Road
#02-17 Shaw Centre
Tel: 65 6333 8015
Website: http://www.aoki-restaurant.com.sg/webtop2/

Having lunches at some of the top Japanese restaurants is always a treat. You'd get a whole lot of quality for a fraction of what you'd pay for dinner. At the same time, I reckon it's also a good way to form a first impression of the place without burning too big a hole in your pocket.

D had the Nigiri Sushi set. The fish was fresh and I guess he liked it but he wasn't really blown away, unlike the first time we had lunch at Yoshida. Maybe it's expectations that brought him down because he had heard raving reviews before visiting.

I, on the other hand, ordered the Mazechirashi. Marinated pieces of fresh sashimi, uni, ikura and tamago castello (this was delicious!) on a bed of rice with freshly grated wasabi. Honestly couldn't ask for more. This is a dish I'd definitely go back for again and again.

The lunch set menus are priced very reasonably. The mains come with a little appetiser, mixed salad and a trio of desserts to round off the meal.

With a place like Aoki that serves a good lunch, I reckon dinner would be great. If I'm in the mood for a big splurge of course.

the laksa search.

2010-08-22T19:22:00.003+10:00

I am now on a mission to find a decent laksa in Sydney. I went to a recommended one at TGV today and sorry to be rude but it was rather crap. It's not that it tasted bad but it just wasn't LAKSA.

So I'm moving on, continuing my search if there is even one to be found. Drop me a note if you have one to recommend.

bangbang espresso bar & café

2010-08-17T17:51:00.008+10:00

Bangbang Espresso Bar & Café
113 Reservoir St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Tel: 612 9281 0018
Opening Hours: Weekdays 8am - 4pm, Saturday 8am - 2pm

This was one of the places I wanted to go to during my last visit to Sydney in May. What caught my eye was the fact that this place is opened by an ex-DJ of Ministry of Sound from the UK! An award winning one to boot. After reading a couple of reviews which seemed quite favourable, I finally made my way there with D when he came to visit.

We missed out on having breakfast (we were late, my fault) which was really what I had wanted to try but settled for lunch instead. So D order the Bangers & Mash which I thought were pretty good. The mash was especially smooth and the savoury gravy with the onions were a perfect complement. I had to stop myself from constantly reaching over to D's plate for the mash. That's how much I liked it.

I had the so-called "healthier" option which was called a Fish Sarnie (effectively what was a Fish Finger Sandwich). It was simple with 3 freshly fried fish fingers with homemade tartar sauce sandwiched between 2 slices of sourdough bread. I did enjoy it but I thought the fish fingers were slightly over fried on that occasion. Nonetheless, was still a good choice. Next time though, I'm heading straight for the mash.

The other thing I love about the cafe is that drawing on the wall. It was basically drawn over the whole wall and even on the ceiling as well. I guess I liked the idea of how the owner was really making the place 'HIM' by having the headphones drawn and how it stood for what he was doing before moving to Australia and making a switch in careers. Basically I was drawn in by how the whole place was set up with the light bulbs, communal tables and all.

Am definitely going to return to try the Breakfast Stack (see here). And maybe the Wagyu Burger too which supposedly is a popular item. Hopefully soon.

a sashimi quick fix.

2010-08-17T01:19:00.013+10:00

I went to bed on Saturday night with a grand plan to take a walk to Bourke St Bakery for a nice sausage roll and their famous Strawberry Brûlée Tart the next morning. When morning came, the skies were dark and no prizes for guessing that my so-called "grand" plan didn't come through so I went back for a snooze. Funny thing was, I had a craving for sashimi when I finally got up. Seeing that the sun was shining brightly (the weather's weird here), I decided that a trip to the Sydney Fish Market was going to satisfy the tummy.

To cut the long story short, let's just say I was a bit over zealous in thinking I could have THAT much sashimi on my own so I ate half of what I bought and turned the other half into a little sashimi appetiser which Mom and I picked up from a recipe book years ago. I can't eat endless amounts of raw fish because the oil gets to me after a while so dressing it with garlic and ginger does the trick for me in cutting out that oil from the fish.

I used to do this with salmon only but you could use any fish as long as it's sashimi grade. I used salmon, kingfish and tuna this time. The proportion of the ingredients is totally up to you. I tend to put more garlic than ginger just cos too much will make it too spicy. I left the spring onions out this time cos I didn't want to buy and only use part of it but I guarantee it would make the dish so much better if you had it.

Easy peasy and delicious!

Ingredients

Assorted Sashimi, cut into medium sized pieces
Ginger, finely chopped
Garlic, finely chopped
Spring Onion, finely chopped
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil

Place the sashimi and chopped ingredients in one bowl

Season with soy sauce until all the fish coated. The mixture shouldn't be too wet. Taste as you go along so that you don't end up with a salty bowl of raw fish. Put a tiny amount of sesame oil for that extra fragrance and adjust to your liking.

Singapore Annual Food Blogger's Dinner 2010

2010-08-09T22:52:00.003+10:00

It's that time of the year where food bloggers from the little red dot meet!

I remember the 2 times that I went for the dinner and how much fun I had meeting like minded people who had a whole lot of passion for food. It was kinda bizarre to some of my friends when I first told them about dining with a bunch of people whom I had knew only by their blog names. It was amusing when we had to identify one another that way but it was a night that I still remember clearly 'til today although it happened years ago.

Ivan of Recent Runes will be organising this year's dinner and I encourage you food bloggers out there to attend the dinner if you have not done so before. You will have more fun than you'd ever imagine. You can find out more about the dinner here and sign up here if you'd like to be there.

Have fun and oh, no one at the dinner would blame you for taking forever to take pictures!

random teevee thoughts.

2010-07-27T13:48:00.007+10:00

Since arriving in Sydney almost 2 weeks ago, I've been glued to Masterchef Australia. Now that that's over, I don't know what I should watch at 7.30pm everyday! Masterchef has been a great platform for those with foodie dreams. Meeting those people who are well respected in the food industry, learning from a few of the best and having the space to display one's culinary flair is what makes the show the phenomenon that it is.

I'm extremely proud that Adam who has Malaysian/Singaporean roots won this year's Masterchef! I guess his roots and life experiences are what gave him the extra perspectives needed for his creativity in the kitchen. And he's ANOTHER lawyer who cooks! Back in Singapore, there are people like Willin Low, Michael Han who were trained as lawyers but ended up pursuing their careers in the kitchen. Just makes me wonder whether there's any correlation between law and food?

I've also been watching Jamie's Revolution where he takes on a huge project by changing the school meal programs in West Virginia, the unhealthiest city in the US. I really take my hat off this guy because he's doing so much for something that he just believes in. It's also shocking to see the junk that's in the processed foods that people eat, how schools in US serve pizza for breakfast to young kids and how pizza meets the bread requirement in the US school meal guidelines. Something obviously needs to be changed.

subi's little charms.

2010-05-26T01:13:00.028+10:00

Boucla
349 Rokeby Road
Subiaco 6008
Perth, Western Australia
Tel: 618 9381 2841

Chez Jean-Claude Patisserie
333 Rokeby Road
Subiaco 6008
Perth, Western Australia
Tel: 618 9381 7968

There are some things about cafes that I love; the laid-back vibes, the smell of coffee in the air, the smiles on people's faces as they catch up over a simple meal. I could spend hours sitting in a little corner of a cafe chatting with a loved one, reading a book or just watch the world go by. To me, what differentiates a good cafe from a great one is when the 2 'F's; Food and Feel, hit the right spot.

I remember how ZY's eyes lit up when he first mentioned Boucla and how much he loved the food there. This little Mediterranean cafe was actually voted 'Best Cafe' in Western Australia in 2009. The eclectic decor captures your attention immediately as you walk through its doors. I usually like to sit al fresco when the weather's cool outside but the cosy ambience of its tiny interior was too inviting to ignore. I absolutely loved that the pastries were displayed out in the open and I was seated right in front of it!

Boucla has a reputation of serving simple, honest food and one of the best coffees in Perth. The food definitely did not disappoint. The Vegetable Tart was light, refreshing and super tasty. The pastries all looked very tempting but we finally decided on the Cinnamon Pear Cake which was freshly baked, not too sweet and an excellent complement to the smooth and aromatic coffees we had.

I enjoyed every moment spent there that morning. My only gripe was that I didn't get to try that Beetroot & Orange Salad which ZY raved about since that obviously wasn't on the breakkie menu. Boucla is definitely going on my "to do" list the next time I visit Perth again.

By the way, don't say I didn't mention this. Do save a little space for the excellent jam-filled doughnuts from the nearby Chez Jean-Claude Patisserie. More if you think one isn't enough!

anzac bikkies.

2010-05-01T13:12:00.014+10:00

I've been in somewhat of an 'Aussie' mood recently. It doesn't make much sense but I guess with my recent visit back to Perth, an impending visit to Sydney and memories of the years past, I've been feeling rather attached to the land of the koalas and kangaroos.

I was flipping through my Good Taste magazine which I brought back from Perth last Sunday (which was Anzac Day by the way) and found this recipe for Anzac Biscuits. Anzac Biscuits are associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established during the World War I. It's said that the wives of the soldiers sent these biscuits abroad to their husbands because they kept well during the transportation and do not spoil easily. You can find out more about them here.

The recipe is really easy and the results are great. Baking is rather therapeutic I must say so have a go at it!

Anzac Biscuits (makes 26)

Ingredients
150g plain flour
90g whole rolled oats
85g desiccated coconut
100g brown sugar
55g caster sugar
125 butter
2 tbs maple syrup or golden syrup
2 tbs water
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat over to 160℃. Line baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
Combine flour, oats, coconut and combined sugar in a large bowl
Stir the butter, maple syrup and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the baking soda. Add to the oat mixture and stir until well combined.
Roll level tablespoonfuls of the oat mixture into balls and place, about 5cm apart, on the prepared trays. Flatten until about 1cm thick. Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden.
Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Tip: Do not use instant oats as the mixture will spread too much and make the biscuits flat.

a trip back home.

2010-04-18T10:54:00.020+10:00

Having been away from Perth since graduation years ago, I finally returned over the Good Friday weekend. When I first booked the flight, many people raised their eyebrows and told me that I would be absolutely bored to death since shops were going to be closed. I guess they just didn't know that Perth meant a lot more to me than they thought.

Returning to Perth reminded me of what I loved about it and made me fall in love with the place all over again; the clear blue skies, the vastness of space, the people, the lifestyle, the townhouse in South Beach which I will probably never live in and of course, the food. To be honest, I'm not sure if the food scene has changed or whether I just have more options now since I'm no longer a poor student. I had loads of great food experiences thanks to ZY who brought me to places he loved. Food is afterall what made us fast friends during uni days in the first place.

I have so much to say but yet not know where to start from.
Let me gather my thoughts before I pen them down. I hope I get to.
In the meantime, get hungry.

*pics courtesy of nommy nom nom..