Hungry Hamster's Food Adventure

My MoVida Experience

2009-07-05T17:49:00.010+10:00

My parents visited last month, and I was deciding where to bring them for dinner, and MoVida came across my mind. I've never had Spanish food before, and since I've been reading about the good reviews everywhere including The Age Good Food Guide and from my colleagues, I decided it would be a great opportunity to try it out.

I was really surprised when I called MoVida to make a booking. They had the whole automated answering machine (eg. please press 1 if you want to make a booking/2 if you want to change your booking etc.) system going on, even Flower Drum didn't have that! I called them in early May, and their weekend tables were booked out until mid August, while their weekdays table were booked out til early June. I managed to get a table for 6 in mid June, and with this big group, we were requested to choose the set menu which included chef's selection of '10 best of the best' for $60 each excluding drinks/desserts. That was fine with me since it would be my first time having Spanish food, I would not know what the best dishes are to order anyway, so it was best to leave the selections in the hands of the chef.

After 1.5 month wait, expectations built up! MoVida is tucked away in a little lane called Hosier Lane with Graffitied walls. The restaurant is dark with a buzzling atmosphere. Service was great, the waiter that served us was very polite and attentive.

Complimentary bread to get our digestive system moving while we anxiously wait for the first dish. The white bread was very ordinary, but the sour dough was great.

Hand filleted Cantabrian artisan anchovy on crouton with smoked tomato sorbet

I enjoyed the sorbet, but the anchovy was way too salty for my liking.

A Spanish beer to complement the meals imported by our very own MoVida!

Croqueta: Fried silky croquette flavoured with leek and mahon cheese.

This may seemed like an ordinary dish, but it was done very well. The crouton is nice and crispy on the outside, and rich and creamy on the inside. The outside was not soggy, and did not leave any oily after taste.

Spiced chicken escabache tapa on crisp crouton.

This was a cold dish, creamy yet light. The crouton's crispy texture complemented it very well.

Roasted Spring Bay scallop with jamon and potato foam
This was quite nice, though I'd have preferred it more without the roe.

Tom Cooper's smoked spanish mackerel with pine nut gazpacho sorbet
This was my favorite dish of the night! Lovely texture with beautiful flavors!

Air cured wagyu beef thinly sliced with a truffle foam and poached egg

The egg was perfectly poached with runny center. The waiter demonstrated how the dish was meant to be eaten. Mixed the egg yolk, foam, and the sliced wagyu beef together. The saltiness of the air cured wagyu with the creaminess of the egg yolk turns out to be a perfect combination!

Roasted lamb cutlets

I'm not a fan of lamb, hence this dish did not appeal to me, but my family seemed to enjoy it.

Roasted Veal.
The texture of the veal was very tender

Sauteed spinach with chickpeas & spices

This dish reminds of Indian cuisine. By this dish, we were all extremely full and did not manage to finish it.

I don't remember what this dish was called but it was like fish quiche with goat's cheese on tortilla base. I found this dish to be a bit too rich for the last dish as we were all very full.

Overall, I did enjoy my experience at MoVida, and will definitely miss some of the dishes I've had, but if you ask me whether it was worth the 1.5 month wait, I might have some doubt about that. Do try it for yourself and let me know what you think.

MoVida Melbourne
Open daily, Noon to late.
1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne, 3000 (Melways: Map 1, B12)
Phone (03) 9663 3038. Office open 10am- 6pm, Mon-Fri.

Dinner with Thai Food Bloggers @ D.O.C. on Lygon

2009-04-26T16:54:00.009+10:00

I've been extremely behind in my blogging, it's time to catch up!

Beansprout's Cafe or Ja dropped by Melbourne during the Easter break, so we all thought it would be a good idea to meet up with other food bloggers as well. We decided to try out D.O.C. Even thought it was a Wednesday night, the place was still packed! Thank god Ja made a reservation, or else it would probably be quite hard to find seats for so many of us.

D.O.C specializes in pizzas so their menu offers a wide range of different types of pizzas. If you are looking forward to eat some pasta then you'd probably be disappointed as the only other things they have other than pizzas are probably cheese tasting plate and salads. We decided to pick a few pizzas with different toppings to share between us.

The waitress that served us that night was very friendly and enthusiastic which adds to the nice and cozy atmosphere.

The first dish that arrived was the tasting plate of 3 different Mozzarella: Australian Fior Di Latte, Italian Buffalo Mozzarella, and Australian Scamoza (lightly smoked). I'm not a gourmet cheese fan, and hence these did not really appeal to me. They tasted slightly lighter than I'd expected.

Pizza San Daniele with Buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and San Daniele Prosciutto.
I enjoyed this as it was very refreshing and lighter than the other pizzas.

I don't recall what this pizza was anymore, so Ja, feel free to help me out :)
From memory though, it tasted a bit like Italian sausage.

Pizza Tiger Prawns C/ tomato, mozarella, endive, and fresh chilli
This is slightly on the spicy side, which added another dimension to the meal.

Pizza al Porcini C/ wild mushrooms, truffle oil, and morzarella in bianco
I think this is one of my favorite pizzas compared to the rest as I could really taste the truffle oil.

Pizza Capricciosa Nuova C/tomato, leg ham, mushroom, artichoke, and olives.

Rich Tiramusu!

Gelato, these were nice!

My favorite dessert for the night! The chocolate pizza!

I think it's a pizza dough topped with caramelized white chocolate, strawberries, and vanilla icecream drizzled with chocolate if I remembered correctly. This was simple, yet tasty. Definitely better than Max Brenner's Chocolate Pizza.

Overall, it was a great night to catch up with other fellow food bloggers, try new dishes, discuss about food, and take pictures of food as if there were no tomorrow! Their pizzas were not bad, however they did not give me the 'wow' factor. Their desserts, on the other hand, would probably be bringing me back!

Dinner @ Melbourne Hwaro Korean BBQ

2009-04-12T22:28:00.005+10:00

After my friend asked me if I were interested in this Korean BBQ restaurant that's supposedly the best in Melbourne, I did not hesitate to join! When I arrive there, the atmosphere just screamed 'authentic Korean food' to me, and judging by the amount of Koreans queuing up for the seats, I'm sure they would also agree.

I was quite fascinated by the whole BBQ with the top ventilator set up. I have seen them in Bangkok and Korea, but not many Korean BBQ restaurant in Melbourne offered these things (Well, at least not the ones I've been to). The waiters were quite friendly, but the service was quite slow as the whole restaurant was extremely packed. Booking is definitely a must if you want to try this place out!

Eating at Melbourne Hwaro Korean BBQ gave me a slightly different touch to the whole Korean food experience as this restaurant offers slightly different side dishes. I do recommend their Seafood Pancake which my friends and I demolished in 30 seconds of it landing on the table. Do not forget to dip it into the accompanying dipping sauce when eating!

They also have this button for customers to press if they need assistance from the waiters/waitresses but I did not end up trying it. If anyone has tried it, you can tell me whether it really works.

Spicy Kimchi soup with Tofu

They also offered lettuce to eat with the Bulgogi which some other Korean restaurants in Melbourne lacked of! The rice was slightly different as well as it was a mixture of unbleached /bleached rice which made me feel less guilty

one of the many interesting side dishes

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Melbourne Hwaro Korean BBQ and would definitely go back again!

My First attempt at Hot Cross Bun

2009-04-11T15:15:00.005+10:00

It's Easter holiday here in Melbourne and I always see advertisements for hot cross buns in almost all bakeries which inspired me to try my hands on hot cross buns. I got my recipe from taste.com.au but modified the recipe to use chocolate chips instead of the currants to suit my friends' taste buds.

I was not that satisfied with the results of my hot cross buns as I thought it tasted a bit bland even though I've added extra spices that asked for in the original recipe. If anyone else have a really good recipe for Hot Cross Bun, please do share them with me :)

A fulfilling Dinner @ Hanabishi, Melbourne

2009-03-17T21:17:00.014+11:00

After reading a lot of good reviews from the press and ravings from friends who have been to Hanabishi, I decided to try it out with three other friends on Monday. One of them have previously been to Hanabishi and was one of the reason why I wanted to try it out, so we let him have the honor of ordering the meal .

We made a reservation and arrived around 6:30pm at the restaurant where we were the first customer. The decoration of the restaurant was very simple, but I guess its main focus is on its food, not the atmosphere. Though I've heard quite a bit of complaints about their service being slow, I was quite happy with the level of service I've received as the waitress was friendly and attentive. This may be due to the fact that it was a Monday night and the restaurant was not that busy, but I would certainly hope to see more waitresses if the restaurant gets more crowded.

The first dish that arrived was a complimentary appetizer, which was a mini meatball soaked in slightly sweet soy based sauce. The meatball was a mixture of beef and pork, it was flavorful and moist.

Mini Appetizer, Meat ball, Japanese style.

Our next dish was Scampi Sashimi with Yuzu Sauce. This was probably the first time I've had raw scampi as I'm not a big fan of raw food, but since we were at a restaurant so famous for its raw fish, I decided to give it a go. It was very refreshing indeed! Almost as good as the Scallop Sashimi I had at Gunther's in Singapore.

Scampi Sashimi with Yuzu Sauce (Japanese citrus) topped with Japanese herbs.

The freshness of the scampi was outstanding, the Yuzu sauce also gave an interesting flavor to it.

Quick Seared Tuna With Onion Sauce

This arrived right after the Scampi Sashimi and at the same time as the Scampi Mino Age, so I decided to leave it until the end and go for the hot Scampi Mino Age before it turns soggy. I think I left it too long that the seared part of it became a bit dry. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually preferred the fresh one!

Scampi Mino Age

This dish was scampi wrapped in shredded potato and deep fried until crisp, it was very light and crispy.

The next dish was a small size of Chef's choice assorted Sashimi which was served on bamboo boats over ice dish. The presentation was beautiful, but the portion was quite small so we ordered a Moriawase to satisfy our cravings.

The Sashimi consisted of Salmon, Kingfish, Tuna and was amazingly fresh. I'm not normally a fan of raw fish either but the quality of the fish here was so outstanding that I actually enjoyed eating it!

Next up was the deep-fried soft shell crab which I was not as good as I'd expected. I'm quite particular about my soft shell crab and the best one I've had so far was in Singapore. I did not like the taste of the internal cavity of the soft shell crab here but my friends loved it.

Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab

Moriawase

This dish consisted of assorted sashimi, nigiri and sushi rolls. The sushi rolls were spicy tuna maki and spanner crab maki. Despite the amazingly fresh fish slices, I was slightly disappointed with the makis. The rice was too mushy was for my liking and did not hold together as well. I wasn't sure if this was on purpose.

Black cod is probably one my favorite fish ever and one restaurant that cooks it very well is Shin Taro in Bangkok. The Black cod with Miso sauce here was decent, it was not as good as I'd hope as the miso sauce gave the fish a slightly fishy after taste.

Black Cod with Miso

Gyu Sashimi or Beef Sashimi

I did not find this dish particularly special, especially after being spoiled by the Kobe Sashimi in Japan.

Awabi Croquette (Abalone croquette)

We underestimated the size of this dish and ordered four portions! We were shocked when the waitress delivered it to our table and I had trouble finishing it as it was so rich. The abalone croquette was served with Tonkatsu sauce to help tone down the richneess of the croquette. The presentation was beautiful but I would've preferred it if it were served in smaller portion so that there is a higher crispy crust vs rich filling ratio.

After the heavy meal, we decided to try out the Hanabishi signature assorted desserts.

Hanabishi Deluxe

9 assorted desserts served on top of a beautiful serving plate filled with ice.

The deluxe plate consisted of Creme Brulee, Mango Pudding, Almond Jelly, Chocolate Cake, fruit salad, kiwi jelly, vanilla custard, and assorted ice cream and sorbet. The desserts were refreshing, but wasn't mind blowing for me. The chocolate cake was very normal for me.

Green Tea Ice cream, Coconut Sorbet and Calpis Sorbet.

Green Tea Ice cream with Red bean and jelly in sweet syrup

My friends still had more room for more desserts and since we did not enjoy all the desserts, we decided to order the green tea ice cream with red bean and jelly in sweet syrup which was a good pick.

Overall it was a beautiful dinner, though the price is definitely on the high side. Do try out Hanabishi for a special occasion or when you are craving quality, authentic Japanese food!

Ants Bistro Vol II

2009-03-10T21:18:00.003+11:00

Sorry for being MIA for a long long time. I've recently bought a new laptop and started a new journey of my life, that's why I've been missing from the whole blogging society. I still do take pictures of food, cook, bake and eat out a lot, but just less blogging, hence I have tons of photos in my hard disk waiting to be published.

Lately, Ants Bistro is probably the first restaurant on the top of my head when someone asks me for a decent, reasonably priced Chinese restaurant. I felt it offers a slightly different taste to the usual Chinese/Cantonese food we are used to. Here are several dishes I had on my last visit to Ants Bistro.

Light and refreshing cold entree--"Tasty Chicken", pieces of chicken with peanuts and coriander.
I really enjoyed this dish and had to order two as one just was not enough!

Mapo Dofu, one of my favourite!

I think this is probably the best Mapo Dofu I've had so far, in my opinion that is. The flavor was just perfect without being too spicy or salty!

Minister Chicken--Deep fried battered chicken wings with slightly tangy and spicy sauce.

Stir Fried Snow pea sprouts in garlic sauce

This was better than other Chinese restaurants I've tried so far as it was comparatively less oily.

Braised pork knuckle

This was huge, so make sure you have big eaters with you! The pork knuckle was so tender that it almost fell off the bone. The sauce also went perfectly with a bowl hot steaming rice! It's a perfect winter dish, even though it's not even winter yet in Melbourne. The braised pork knuckle was served with steamed quartered bok choy, which I would have preferred if they were cut into smaller pieces as they were pretty hard to eat without looking greedy and messy. Be mindful that you have to order this atleast 20 min advance as the pork knuckle needs time to braise.

There goes my first post in 3 months, I will try to update this blog as much as possible, and thanks to all my faithful reader who are still reading! :)

First Kobe Beef Experience in Japan

2008-11-26T23:05:00.011+11:00

After some researching on the Internet, my dad decided to try out Kobe beef at Akasaka Ajitetsu in the Akasaka district in Tokyo. We made a booking over the phone with the manager, Fumitaka Kumashiro, who gave us a warm welcome when we arrived at the restaurant.

The restaurant itself was a lot smaller than I'd expected, with only 3 staff. One being Kumashiro himself, who was also the head chef at the restaurant. As there were only 3 staff in the shop, the service was slightly slow but still very attentive and enthusiastic.

We were introduced this special set menu where we get to try different cuts of Kobe beef using different styles of Japanese cooking to allow us to sample the different texture of the beef. The first style was Kobe Beef Sashimi where top grade Kobe beef was selected, thinly sliced, and served raw. The thought of having raw beef put me off slightly in the beginning, but how often do I get to eat raw Kobe beef in my life? I decided to try it anyway, and I totally love it! There was no fishy/slimy smell/texture I was expecting at all.

'Beef Sashimi' according to the Chef

This was beautiful! The fat literally melts in your tongue with a slightly sweet flavor

The condiments eg finely mashed ginger

The beef sashimi was excellent by itself that I did not need to add any extra flavor to it.

The next style of Kobe beef we were having was the grilling method. The pan was heated on low heat with a piece of fat on top until the fat started to bubble. The staff had helped us grill the beef to ensure that it was cooked to perfection.

Cast iron pan for grilling

Dipping sauce for the grilled beef

Refreshing salad, the toasted sesame gave it a nice crunch.

A thin slice of Kobe beef

I'm ashamed to say that I do not remember which cut the beef was. I actually made notes while I was at the restaurant, but unfortunately I lost my little notebook.

Premium Japanese beer only sold in Japan!

A beautiful piece of top grade Kobe Steak

Sliced into pieces and grilled

Seared on both sides while the center is still pink and juicy

Vegetables ready for grilling

Some lovely warm beef consomme to warm your stomach through the course

Different cuts of Kobe beef, each with different texture and flavor.

Aged beef

The beef was aged to improve its texture and flavor.
They texture of the Kobe beef became extremely soft after aging, perhaps even too soft for my liking.

Our third style of cooking for the Kobe beef was Shabu Shabu. According to the chef, "This is not traditional Shabu Shabu, but an original one", which I'm not exactly sure what the difference was, but it surely was different from the usual Shabu Shabu I was used to.

Paper thin sliced beef for shabu shabu

Add the beansprouts to the soup base

Swirl the beef inside the boiling soup base for 5 seconds, and voila, a perfectly cooked shabu shabu beef! This shabu shabu style was quite interesting for me as the soup base was slightly spicy, yet salty and sweet at the same time, hence adding different dimensions to my taste bud.

The Shabu Shabu was served with a bowl of perfectly cooked Japanese rice, however, you can also enjoy the shabu shabu with some homemade udon.

Sesame ice cream to finish off the night

For me this is probably one of the best dinner I've had. With good company, amazingly tasty beef, friendly restaurant staff, and a good atmosphere in a foreign country, it was definitely one of my most memorable experience!

Kobe Beef Restaurant Akasaka Ajitetsu
0335881651
http://www.ajitetsu.com/

Japanese Eating Trip Vol V

2008-11-23T22:59:00.009+11:00

After a good night's rest, we were ready for our journey to Asakusa Temple and Tokyo Disneyland, but I did not forget to fill myself up with the good old Japanese breakfast.

Asakusa Temple

More Obanyaki in different shapes to symbolizes the Asakusa Temple.

These can be a good gift/souvenirs--that is if they last that long!

These ones have red bean fillings.

Deep fried Buns in different flavor such as sweet potatoes, red bean, sesame

Our tour guide told me that this shop is supposedly very famous for their deep fried bun, but I did not find these particularly special

Sembei making demonstration

A fresh glass of green tea to cleanse the palate after the greasy snack.
This was very refreshing and surprisingly sweet as most of the tea sold in Japan are unsweetened (relatively to the ones sold in Bangkok).

Soba Onigiri

I bought these at the convenience shop below my hotel. This one is a mixture of Yakisoba and rice, they were surprisingly delicious for a 'take away' food, and I wouldn't mind trying out the rest of the flavors.

Another Onigiri I bought.

Did I mention that I love Japanese packaging? The design is always very carefully thought out such as the little onigiri in the above picture. The onigiri came with a plastic covering to separate the seaweed (nori) from the rice to prevent the seaweed from turning soggy from the moisture in the rice. The little onigiri came with an instruction on how to open it!

We arrived at Tokyo Disneyland after around 40 minutes drive. The place was really packed even though it was a weekday, both with tourists and locals. There were also troops of primary school students whom were there on their school field trip. I did not particularly enjoy my day at Disneyland though as the weather was horrible and there were too many people at each ride. I had to wait 1.5 hour in the rain just to get in the Haunted Mansion which was not even scary!

The famous Disney monorail

Tokyo Disneyland staff selling Disneyland balloons

Lunch at Disneyland

Ebi Tempura Burger.
This was the best one out of the burgers we've tried.

Teriyaki Chicken Burger

Disney Characters parade!

Japanese girls enjoying themselves at Disneyland

Night scene of the famous Tokyo Disneyland Castle

This shot was slightly hard to take as it was raining, so I had hold the umbrella with my neck in order to take the picture. Thank god it was so crowded that everyone was too busy to notice me.

For dinner, we went back to Tokyo and took the Subway to the Akasaka district. Tokyo Subway and JR system is probably the largest, and most crowded one I've experienced so far. Just walking from one end to the other took quite a bit of energy! I wonder how senior citizen in Tokyo does it!

Dinner was a full course Kobe steak cooked in different styles which I will write about in my next post as there are lots of photos to accompany it! Dinner took quite a few hours and by the time we finished it, we had to rush back to take the Subway before it closes, which was quite an adventure!

After I arrived back at the hotel, I decided to try out the famous Pierre Herme Macarons that I bought the day before at Isetan. I was quite excited when I saw the shop as I've heard ravings from other bloggers before.

Pierre Herme Macarons. Rose, Vanilla, and Chocolate flavor.

They were so much better than what I'd expected. The first time I had macarons was at Four Seasons Hotel's bakery shop, and it gave me a bad impression of macarons as the ones I had were disturbingly sweet! These ones however gave me a whole new perspective to macarons. The texture was just right, crisp on the outside, but soft on the inside.The flavor was prominent but not overly sweet at all! Wish I could get these in Thailand or Melbourne too!

Japan Trip Vol IV

2008-11-20T01:52:00.010+11:00

I always feel that my days are maximized whenever I join tours, I think this is because they force us to get up bright and early in order to enjoy what the tour has to offer, and to be able to finish the tour's itinerary in time. This morning was no different, although the previous night's sleep on the traditional Japanese mattress was not as comfortable as I'd expected, nevertheless I had a pretty good rest.

A very Japanese Breakfast. The takoyaki was surprisingly really yummy!

Our first destination for the day was the Hakone National park where we visited Sulphurous spring and its famous Black eggs. There's a belief that each Black egg you eat will add 7 years to your life!

A man cooking the eggs in the Sulphurous spring water

Black egg!

Looked and tasted like an ordinary hard-boiled egg

After we were done enjoying the interesting Sulphurous scenary and odd smell of the Hakone Mountain, we took a cruise through the Ashi lake with a Pirate ship which added a very touristy touch.

Lunch for the day was Ebi Tempura and Ramen set. The tempura prawn was good, the batter was slightly different as it was breaded with crumbs instead of the usual tempura batter.

Ebi Tempura

The ramen at this shop, however, was disappointing as it was on the salty side. I couldn't really taste any other flavors other than the saltiness from Shoyu.

Wasabi flavored Softcream to cleanse the palate after lunch

After lunch, we headed to Tokyo city and were dropped off at the shopping area for some free time shopping. I love looking at the colorful/wide varieties of fashion Tokyo has to offer. One of my favorite place in Tokyo was the Isetan basement where there were countless numbers of beautiful pastries/cakes shop. I was so fascinated by all the beautiful creations, it was a shame I wasn't allow to take photos or else I would be able to show you guys how amazing it was on this blog.

After a few hours of strolling, and some window and real shopping,we decided to take a break and stopped by at this little Coffee shop around the Shinjuku area.

Apple and Custard Crepe with vanilla ice-cream

Vanilla Crepe Cake

traditional coffee maker

Cappuccino

Despite having the traditional type of coffee machine, the coffee itself was not up to my parents' standards. They thought Melbourne's Koko Black's Cappuccino was a lot better.

Another interesting experience about my Japan trip is trying to communicate with the waiters/waitresses in sign language as they do not understand English nor can I speak Japanese. When we were finished with the meal, I tried to signal to the waiter for the bill buy doing a 'signing (credit card)' movement with my hand. The waiter looked at me puzzled for 3 seconds then smiled with a nod and took off. I thought he understood what I was asking for, however my parents burst out laughing when the waiter handed me with a pen with no bill. It took me a while to indicate the the waiter that I was asking for the bill before I actually receive one. One thing that I really like about Japanese is that they are so polite and yet enthusiastic to help you even though it was hard for them to communicate! Keep that up all that Japanese out there! :)

After our little coffee break, we continued on to do more shopping until dinner time. For dinner, our tour guide took us to the Ginza area which supposedly has one of the world's most expensive properties.

For dinner, we had a buffet BBQ so everything was free-flow. There were sliced beef, pork, chicken, marinated and unmarinated, varieties of seafood eg. scallops, prawns, squids, lots of vegetables and mushrooms, with different dipping sauces. Miso soup, rice, garlic rice, yakisoba, and over 10 differnt types of soft drinks were also available. There was even a soft serve icecream machine with different flavors and a waffle machine for you to DIY! It was probably one of the most interesting buffet experience I've had so far.

After dinner, the bus drove back to Ikebukuro area where our Sunshine City Prince Hotel was located. After checking in, I decided to check out the Hotel's convenience store. While I was browsing around, I spotted this custard or creme caramel and decided to try it.

I remembered having these when I was younger in Bangkok, however the quality deteriorated over the years. This one really brought back my good old memories of the first few times I've had it in Bangkok--smooth, creamy,and not overly sweet!

The upcoming post would be my very first trip to Tokyo Disneyland and my very first Kobe beef experience in Japan, so do come back and enjoy more food pictures!

Japan Eating Trip Vol III

2008-11-06T23:39:00.010+11:00

Welcome back to my Japan Eating Trip. Breakfast today was buffet at the hotel again but I decided to try out the famous Japanese fermented soy beans or Natto! I remembered my friend used to love it. I did not enjoy it though, the smell was too strong for me.

Natto aka smelly beans :)
It was so sticky and slimy! Definitely not my type of food!

After our fulfilling breakfast, we headed off to the train station to try out the Shinkansen or the Japanese Bullet Train.

Shinkansen!

The journey on the Shinkansen was more stable than I'd expected given its speed! We traveled during the peak hour so the whole train was packed! The train itself was really clean and the seat seemed really comfortable as most of its Japanese passengers were pretty much asleep.

I spotted a Beard Papa shop at the train station. I wanted to try it out to compare it to the ones I've had in Bangkok and Melbourne, but unfortunately it was closed. I was still craving for something sweet so I decided to try out the custard in the shop opposite from Beard Papa.

The beautifully packaged custard with its accompanying caramel sauce

This custard was very very creamy. The texture was soft and smooth, almost like eating heavy cream. It did not taste like there was any stabilizing agent such as gelatin at all.

After our short trip on the Shinkansen, we had a long bus ride to Oshino Hakai which had supposedly the best view for the Fuji Mountain. However, it was pretty foggy that day, so we were only able to spot the Fuji Mountain for a very brief time. I was told that we were considered pretty lucky as some tourists never get the chance to see the Fuji Mountain despite visiting several times as a result of the unpredictable weather.

I thought lunch was pretty interesting at first as I was told we were having BBQ on blocks of hot stone (or was it hot iron-cast plate). However, my excitement did not last long as I started getting pins and needles after around 15 min on the traditional Japanese seats.

The meat and vegetables ready for some BBQing action

After lunch, we went to a village which sells souvenirs and traditional Japanese food.

Grilled fish

Pre-grilled red bean mochi

Grilled Red Bean Mochi

Matarashi Dango

Japanese dumpling made out of rice flour, grilled and served with sauce made out of sugar, soy sauce, and starch. This was one of my favorite as the dango was crispy on the outside with a slight charred taste, but it appeared that I was the only one who enjoyed it in my family.

We spotted more soft serve ice cream with different flavors!

I decided to add 50 yen and tried one with different flavors. The one I had was vanilla, peach, and grape. I was very satisfied with the soft cream here as it's one of the better ones I've had!

After some snacks shopping, we proceeded to Gogeon rest house to enjoy more of the scenery.

A famous snack at Mt. Fuji

It's basically a green colored bun baked into little Fuji Mountain shape decorated with cocoa powder and icing sugar. It came fresh and warm out of the oven which was perfect for the cool weather at the Fuji Mountain.

We finally checked in at our hotel which was a Japanese spa resort with Onsen. The rooms were the traditional Japanese type with the Tatami flooring and the sliding door. We were also provided Yukata to wear around the hotel which I was pretty excited about.

For dinner, we had the Taraba Crab Buffet, which tasted even better as our tour guide also brought some Thai seafood sauce. I know it's not exactly traditional Japanese, but it doesn't hurt to spice up the meal, does it? :)

Taraba Crab legs!

We are finally at the end of my Japan Eating Trip Vol III, I will try to get the next one up as soon as possible! Hope you guys enjoy reading about my Japan Eating Trip so far.

Japan Eating Trip Vol II

2008-11-05T00:25:00.011+11:00

After a good night rest at Cross Hotel Osaka, I started my day with some yummy Japanese/Western fusion breakfast. I've always love eating Tamagoyaki since I was young, and the real one I had in Japan tasted even better!

Breakfast at the hotel

The tamagoyaki here was really nice so I went back again for a few rounds.

Our first destination was the Todaichi temple.

One of the many deers that were allowed to roam freely around the temple. You can buy Sembe (Japanese biscuits) and feed them, but just be careful as the deers may come at you all at once.

On my way back to the bus, I spotted Haagen Dazs icecream vending machine! I wish they have these in Melbourne too!

We proceeded to Kiyomizu temple, and on our way walking up to the temple, there were lots of shops selling food and souvenirs. It was like an eating heaven for me!

A cream puff shop we spotted on the way to the temple

Unfilled cream puff pastry

Cinnamon Flavored cream puff with vanilla bean custard

These are pretty interesting, very different from the usual Beard Papa Cream puff I was used to.

Imagawayaki being made out of its machine

The shop assistant is doing a Q.C . check and threw out the ones that are not up to standards.

It looked so adorable!

The Imagawayaki that I usually see have red bean filling, however this one has chestnut filling.
It definitely tasted better than the ones I've had in Bangkok and Singapore!

Japanese lady selling mushroom and beef steamed bun.

The beef bun tasted pretty good but it was also pretty pricey at 450 yen each.

Black Sesame soft serve ice cream

This was very nice! Creamy and rich with smooth sesame taste.

For lunch, the tour provided us with Nabe or Japanese steamboat with more vegetable and seafood! Despite being pretty full from all the desserts/snacks above, I manage to eat more!

Our vegetable/varieties of meat and fish balls set

Mini lobster for the Nabe!

Our pot

After our fulfilling lunch, our next destination was the Kinkakuji Temple or the Golden Pavilion. It was a beauty!

Kinkakuji Temple

That was it for the day's itinerary and we were on our way to check-in at our hotel in Hamamatsu where we were suppose to have our dinner. However, there was an accident on the highway, so the traffic was really bad and our tour guide realized we would not be able to make it for dinner at the hotel, so we stopped by a food court for our dinner.

Miso Ramen

Tonkotsu Ramen

Flat noodle with Tempura

Unadon

The food was pretty decent although the ramen wasn't as good as I'd expected but I can't ask too much from a food court can I? It was a good experience though as we had the chance to try out the automated food ordering machine. Hmm, I'm not sure how to explain it but you just select the meal of your choice, add in the money, and the machine will issue you a ticket with a number. The chef will then cook your food and call out your number when it's ready.

This is the end of my Japan Eating Trip Vol II. Hope you guys will look forward to reading Vol III!

Japan Eating Trip Vol I

2008-11-03T20:23:00.012+11:00

It's finally time to write about my Japan Trip I had recently after my one week of procrastinating. I've always wanted to go to Japan since I was young but since my parents went there for their Honeymoon, they always pick other destinations instead. After reading lots of blogs about Japan and its food, especially from Grab Your Fork and Tummy Rumbles, it really inspired me to go to Japan. This year, I manage to convince my parents to go to Japan, so it was like a dream come true for me!

Well, this wasn't exactly my perfect version of an eating trip as we were on a tour, and most of the meals are provided by the tour. I did not expect much from tour food, due to previous experiences but this tour certainly did a good job at picking the restaurants. We've got the chance to try variety of Japanese dishes and the quality is also pretty good! Even though we were on the tour, I did not fail to make a list of what I wanted to try if we had the chance to stop by markets/shopping areas.

I think the item I had most often during the trip was Soft Serve Ice cream! It was available everywhere and was perfect for the slightly warm weather we were experiencing.

The first destination was Osaka, and my first meal during the trip was provided by Thai Airways TG622.

Japanese Steamed Mackerel in Miso sauce with Rice. It tasted better than I'd expected!

Welcome to Osaka!

We visited the Minatongawa Shrine and the Kobe Port Tower right after we landed. One thing I really loved about Japan is how clean the country is! The people here are also very polite and friendly.

I'm quite amazed by the varieties of drink available from the vending machine. There are more to come in later posts!

Pokari Sweat, my favorite drink in Japan!
I think they sell this in Bangkok too. Not sure about Melbourne.

While I was at Kobe Port Tower, we spotted this custard at a shop and decided to try it out.

The custard with it's caramel topping

Custard, very rich and smooth! The Caramel topping is slightly bitter, which helps tone down the sweetness from the custard.

Our tour guide informed us tat we were having buffet for lunch, so while we were waiting for the restaurant to open, we decided to try out this Japanese brand burger!

After around 5 min wait, here comes my Cheeseburger, wrapped in a good quality waxed paper.

Oozing cheese! The burger was not bad, but I thought it was slightly too salty and peppery for my liking. I preferred Mos Burger better.

Our lunch is at a buffet restaurant called Fisherman's market which serves variety of Western and Japanese food such as fish and chips, deep fried calamari rings, burgers, sushi, spagetthi, grilled seafood, and desserts. The place was very popular amongst the Japanese too as after about half an hour after the restaurant was opened, we spotted a long queue.

Lunch at Fisherman's Market was better than I'd expected, especially from a tour. I realized Japanese have really big appetite, despite their small sizes!! No wonder they always win the world's eating competition!

Osaka Castle

Interesting Pets I spotted, hope this did not ruin anyone's appetite.

After our visit to the Osaka castle, we checked in at Cross Hotel Osaka. This was my favorite hotel during this trip. Everything was so high tech and the rooms were decorated with a very modern touch. The location was also perfect as it was next to the famous Shinsabashi!

Shinsaibashi!

Osaka is supposedly famous for having Takoyaki in Japan, so I did not fail to try it while I was there.

Grilled Giant Crab Claws

Our dinner for the night was also at a Shabu Shabu restaurant in the Shinsaibashi area. I like Shabu Shabu as it's pretty healthy and it was a good way to increase my vegetable intake for the trip.

This is it for Japan Eating Trip Vol I, Vol II will be coming up very soon!

Buttery Macadamia Shortbread

2008-11-03T00:17:00.004+11:00

This yummy Macadamia Shortbread is perfect with a Sunday afternoon tea/coffee! What makes them even better is that you can whip them up in a short time! The result is great too as these shortbread are rich and buttery with the extra cruch from the Macadamias! Thank you Khun Pook from Daily Delicious for this great recipe!

Macadamia Shortbread adapted from Dailydelicious
Dough:
50 g sugar
25g macadamia nuts, crushed
60g cold unsalted butter,
30g cold salted butter (I ran out of unsalted butter)
140g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder

Topping:
40 macadamia nuts, chopped
20g caster sugar ( I reduced the sugar to suit my taste)

Preheat the oven to 160 Celsius.
I did not have a food processor I had to do the process manually. In a large bowl, sift the plain flour and baking powder and add in the sugar. Cut the butter into the flour using two knifes until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add in the crushed macadamia nuts and mixed until even. Press the dough into an eight inch square pan. I did not have an 8 inch square mould on hand, so I replaced it with a 9 inch round pan, lined with aluminum foil.

Brush the top of the dough with sugar and sprinkle on the topping. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 min or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cut into squares while the shortbread is still hot. Since I used a round pan, I cut my shortbread into wedges instead. The shortbread will firm and crisp up more as it cools down. Enjoy!

Afternoon Tea @ The Lobby, Four Seasons Hotel, Bkk

2008-10-30T21:34:00.012+11:00

I just got back from my 1 week Japan trip last week and had lots of interesting experience there ,which I'll write about in my upcoming posts. After reading about afternoon tea/high tea buffet in a Thai food forum, I decided to try out Four Seasons Hotel's afternoon tea set. I was surprised by the size and quantity of the tea set!

There were two of these for me and my mom! Not surprisingly, I manage to finish it!

1st tier, the savories

2nd tier, the sweets.
There's also a third tier which I didn't take a picture of

My mom's Cappuccino

My Earl Grey
I thought the tea set was very pretty, with the little shiny tea strainer

Brie cheese and cucumber sandwich

Smoke Salmon sandwich

Cabbage Panna Cotta with Salmon Roe served with Puff Pastry
This was quite interesting, the Panna Cotta tasted like cheese to me.

Mini Chicken Burger with Mango Salsa
I like this, it was very refreshing

Dark Rye ham and tomato sandwich
This was nice too!

Mini croissant with egg and prawn filling

My favorite of all! The egg and prawn filling was a great combination!
I even had a second one!

Blueberry financier

Fruit Tart
This is quite nice but I still like the one from Lenotre's better

Granny Smith Macaroon

Can't compare with the Pierre Herme one I had in Japan, but it was better than my previous experience at Four Seasons Hotel's bakery shop. Maybe they change their pastry chef already.

It has a very strong apple candy flavored taste!

Grand Marnier and Chestnut Profiterole

Hmm..I'm not sure what this is but it tasted like mini green tea chiffon cake with sesame brittle.

This was quite nice too!

Raisin scone

Plain scone

I don't know whether it was just me or if the scones here are on the sweet side. In my opinion, they tasted more like cream biscuits than scones. It was a bit dry and crunchy. I've never actually had traditional, authentic scones, so I'm probably not a good judge on this.

Rhubarb Jam, Mascarpone Cheese (instead of the usual clotted cream), Strawberry Jam for the scones

I'm not sure what this was either, but it tasted like chocolate mousse with vanilla mousse and foam topping mixed with rum. Please let me know if any one knows the exact name for the dish.

Ginger bread/tea cake
This was a bit dry for my liking.

Cointreau Glazed Fruit Cake

I've never like fruit cake and probably never will do so I would not comment on this, but my mom said it was one of the better fruit cake she had tasted so far.

Custard Mochi

This was interesting as I did not expect to find mochi as part of the afternoon tea set.

This was probably my first proper afternoon tea experience, other than the little tea experience I had from Miss Marple's Tearoom in Melbourne and Annabelle's Place in Penang, and I must say it was a good experience! It probably opened my door to more afternoon tea experience in the future!

The Lobby
Four Seasons Hotel

155 Rajadamri Road,

Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Tel. 66 (0) 2 250-1000

Fax.66 (0) 2 253-9195

Delicious White Chocolate Cheesecake

2008-10-17T23:13:00.009+11:00

If you are a cake lover in Bangkok, you'd probably have heard of Coffee Beans By Dao. It's a famous cake shop/restaurant opened by an ex-air hostess and is very famous amongst cake fans.

The first time I tried it was last year, and I had their fresh coconut cake, black forest, and macadamia cake. The coconut cake was pretty good, but I thought their other cakes were quite overated, and were quite expensive for their appearance. I did not really understand why people were so crazy over this cake shop, until I read more reviews and realized that their signature cake is 'White Chocolate Cheesecake'. I decided to give Coffee Bean By Dao's another go, and tried their White Chocolate Cheesecake and their Cookies and Cream Cheesecake. Their cookies and cream cheesecake was decent, but what really impressed me was their White chocolate Cheesecake. It was smooth and creamy, yet was not too rich nor sweet. I was able to finish the whole slice by myself, which is quite unusual for cheesecake.

Cookies and Cream Cheeesecake from Coffee Beans By Dao

The original White Chocolate Cheesecake from Coffee Beans By Dao
The cake that inspired me!

Coffee Beans By Dao's White Chocolate Cheesecake really inspired me to replicate one similar to it, and hence I embarked on my journey in looking for a good White Chocolate Cheesecake recipe. Several recipes that I found required lots of cream cheese, which I thought would be too rich. I was thrilled when I found P'Tri's recipe on Pantip, a Thai website which I visited quite frequently. The recipe involves beating egg whites and incorporating it into the batter which I thought might be the key to the lighter texture of the cheesecake. I decided to try it out and I was right, the cake was extremely delicious! It might not taste the same as Coffee Bean By Dao's version, but I dare to say "Watch out Coffee Bean By Dao! You have a competitor!" :p

White Chocolate Cheesecake Adapted From P'Tri

Crust:
1 pack Oreo, crushed (cream removed)
55g butter, melted

Cheesecake:
200g white chocolate, melted (I use Lindt)
170g cream cheese, at room temperature
1 egg yolk
50g egg white (about 1.5 egg white)
120g yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tsp caster sugar
few drops of vanilla extract
white chocolate for decorating

Mix the crushed Oreo crumbs and the melted butter together. Press into a 6 inch springform tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 10 min. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Beat the cream cheese at low speed until smooth, add in egg yolk, yogurt, and vanilla extract and fold until well mixed. Add in the melted white chocolate (I used the microwave for 1 min at 50% power).

In a separate clean bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, add in 1 tbs of sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Fold the egg white mixture into the cream cheese mixture, a bit at a time to avoid deflating the egg whites. Pour the mixture in to the springform tin on top of the Oreo crust. Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees on a waterbath for 45 min or until set. Do not over bake the cheesecake, it should still be wobbly in the center, as residual heat will continue to cook it. Leave the cake to cool in the oven to prevent it from cracking/sinking from the sudden change in temperature. I left it on the oven overnight, then place in the fridge to chill.

I decided to cut out a piece for quality control :p

After the cake has cool down, remove it from the tin. Beat the whipping cream with sugar until stiff (I added a bit of gelatin to stabilize it a bit). Spread the whipped cream over the cheesecake and decorate with grated white chocolate. I used a vegetable peeler to grate the white chocolate. Chill in the fridge for atleast 1 hour. Enjoy!

This is probably one of my favorite cake so far!

Dinner @ Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao, Bkk

2008-10-16T01:00:00.006+11:00

I was craving for Ding Tai Fung's Xiao Long Bao, but it's not available in Thailand, so we decided to try out Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao instead, which is situated in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Mall's urban kitchen section. The waiters here are quite energetic and helpful, but it wasn't very busy when we arrive so I'm not sure if the situation will be different during peak hours.

The first dish to arrive, stir-fried long beans.

Xiao Long Bao

After I've tried the Xiao Long Bao at Crystal Jade, I still think the Xiao Long Bao that I had at Ding Tai Feng was better. The meat-to-skin ratio was too much at Crystal Jade, and the size was a lot bigger so you get full very fast. The minced pork is also slightly on the sweet side which I believe was made to suit the Thai taste.

Braised Beef Knife-sliced Noodles.

This is very nice, the meat was very tender and flavorful while the noodle had the al-dente chew!

Sour and Spicy Hand-Pulled Noodle
My parents enjoyed this dish, though it's a tad too spicy for my liking

I think that the Xiao Long Bao here might not be as good as Ding Tai Fung's, however I like their freshly made noodles a lot better! Both the hand-pulled noodles and the knife-sliced noodle had a very nice chew to them, and the flavors were just right! Crystal Jade's Xiao Long Bao might not be the best ones I've had, but they definitely satisfied my Xiao Long Bao craving!

Feel free to check out Crystal Jade La Mien Xiao Long Bao whenever you have a Lamien/Xiao Long Bao craving like me!

Shintaro, Four Seasons Hotel, Bkk, Vol II

2008-10-16T00:15:00.009+11:00

I'm back at Shintaro again after my previous visits. Shintaro has now become my parents' favorite Japanese restaurant. It has the best Unagi we've tried in Bangkok's Japanese restaurant so far!

Appetizer: Braised Chicken with Enoki pieces

This tasted so much better that it looks! The piece of chicken was so tendor and flavorful!

Salmon Maki

Unagi Kabayaki

The Unagi here is very beautiful and tender! The meat itself was grilled to perfection and releases the slightly charred aroma, which goes perfectly with the sweet Kabayaki sauce. I've had previous experiences with some 'not-so-good' Unagi before and they left me with a 'muddy' after taste, but that is not the case at Shintaro!

Roast Duck Soba

I'm not a very big fan of Soba, so I didn't enjoy this dish as much. I thought the Roast Duck Udon I had last time tasted better. My parents, however enjoyed the texture of the Soba here.

Grilled Teriyaki Cod Fish

This was very good! The fish fillet was grilled very well, the skin was crispy while the flesh was soft and moist! The fish was also decorated with deep-fried bonito flakes and sesame seeds, which made it taste even better!

Mixed Fruits Jelly with Vanilla sauce and Blueberry Confit
a very refreshing dessert!

Mont Blanc with Cherry Sorbet

The desserts I had today were pretty good, but not fantastic. Their mains definitely did not disappoint me and I'll surely be coming back for more in the near future!

Food & Hotel Thailand 2008

2008-09-25T20:46:00.009+10:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the Food & Hotel Thailand 2008 fair held last week at Royal Paragon Hall. There were lots of exhibitions and product/food samples from retailers for the participants to try. My favorite was the ice carving, fruit/vegetable carving and food decoration competitions. Here are some photos from the fair:

Eggless + Butterless White Choc Macadamia Cookies

2008-09-25T19:51:00.004+10:00

I spotted this recipe from Baking Bites while I was looking for a new White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies recipe to try out and this one instantly caught my attention. Since I had most of the ingredients on hand, and it was a good way to use up my Organic Maple Syrup that was a gift from my cousin in Canada, I decided to give the recipe a go. The result was better than I'd expected, especially for a cookie that has no butter in them. I think it's also quite a good recipe if you are watching out for your cholesterol level!

Eggless and Butterless White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies Adapted from Baking Bites

125g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
50g sugar
60g canola oil
80g good quality maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup macadamia nuts
1/3 cup white chocolate chips*
I've also tried replacing the white choc chips with dark ones, and they taste equally good so do not be afraid to play with your favorites.

Preheat the oven to 170C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
In a small bowl, whisk together macadamia nut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Pour into flour mixture and stir until almost combined. Add the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and mix until no flour remains.
Shape into nine rounded balls and place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 14 minutes or longer if you want crispy cookies. Cool on baking sheet.

Makes 9 large cookies.

I also used my recently bought mini ice cream scooper for these cookies, they are very convenient and I would seriously recommend them to any frequent cookies bakers!

dark choc chip version

Delicious Blueberry Muffins

2008-09-22T16:47:00.004+10:00

This is my favorite recipe for Blueberry Muffins so far as they are so easy to make and is relatively healthy compared to other recipes I've tried. I found the recipe through Allrecipes and made a few changes to the original one. The muffins turned out beautifully, and tasted great even though there's no butter in them!

Blueberry Muffins Adapted from Allrecipes

190 g plain flour
140 g white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
80 ml canola oil
1 egg
80 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
130 g fresh/frozen blueberries
some icing sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C, and line muffin tins with muffin liners. I used larger new muffin cups I've recently bought.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder and add in the sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together canola oil, egg, vanilla, and milk until well mixed. Mix this with the flour mixture with only a few strokes. Do not over mix! The batter should still be lumpy will streaks of flour. Fold in blueberries. Fill the muffin cups around 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 min or until done. Dusted with icing sugar before serving. Enjoy!

Makes 5 large muffins

Quick Lunch @ Crystal Jade, Siam Paragon, Bkk

2008-09-14T19:07:00.007+10:00

Whenever I'm in Bangkok, I usually have my Yum Cha lunches at Hai Tien Lo restaurant in Pan Pacific Hotel as it's one of the more authentic Cantonese Yum Cha restaurants compared to the others I've previously experienced. However, I decided to try out what Crystal Jade had to offer when I spotted an article about it in the newspaper.

When we arrived at the restaurant, the waitresses were not very responsive eventhough they spotted us standing there. When we were finally seated at the table, I was slightly disappointed to see a very noticable food stain on the table cloth. It was not something I would expect from a higher-end chinese restaurant.

The food, however, was better than I'd expected. We did not order typical Yum Cha dishes, but the dishes that was recommended in the newspaper.

Roasted Duck

This was deboned. I wish restaurants in Australia would start deboning their duck too, it's so much more enjoyable to eat. The flavor of the duck was nice and the skin was crispy. One of the better roast ducks I've had in Bangkok. The duck would be even better if it was served with plum sauce.

Abalone Puff

The abalone puff was a lot cheaper than I'd expected, hence I didn't expect to find any abalone pieces inside. To my surprise though, they manage to stuff a tiny cube of abalone inside each puff. The puff itself tasted pretty good though, similar to BBQ pork flavored puff.

Phoenix's Claws aka braised chicken feet

I'm not a fan of any type of feet, hence I did not try this dish. It was pretty good according to my parents though.

Radish Cake
Despite looking a bit stiff, it was decent.

Roasted Chicken with Mango and Goose Liver

The roasted chicken was made to perfection! The skin was very crispy, probably the best roasted chicken I've had so far. The combination of the crispiness from the chicken with the sweetness of the mango slices, and toned down by the slight saltiness of the goose liver gave it a very interesting flavor.

I'm quite satisfied with my experience at Crystal Jade and look forward to trying out their other dishes in the near future.

Lemon Melting Moments

2008-09-12T21:48:00.003+10:00

I've seen these little cookies in almost every cafe in Melbourne. The melt in the mouth texture of these cookies is probably why it appealed to so many people.

Lemon Melting Moments Adapted from taste.com.au

250g unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
2 cups plain flour
1/3 cup cornflour

Lemon Filling
60g butter, softened
1 tbs finely grated lemon rind
2 tsp lemon juice or to taste
60g icing sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 160 degree Celsius. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Using and electric beater, cream butter, vanilla, and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flours over butter cake mixture. Beat on low speed until a soft dough forms.

Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture into small balls. Place on trays. Using a fork dipped in flour, lightly flatten each biscuit. Bake for 15 min or until firm. Cool on tray for 10 min and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Make lemon filling: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, lemon rind, lemon juice, and icing sugar until light and fluffy.

Spread flat side of 1 biscuit with 1 teaspoon filling. Top with another biscuit. Repeat with remaining biscuits and filling. Dust with icing sugar. Enjoy!

Makes 16.

Healthy Apple Cake

2008-09-08T23:20:00.003+10:00

I was immediately attracted to this recipe after reading nice comments about it from other bloggers and the fact that the whole cake only required 30g of butter was an instant must try.

Apple Cake Adapted from Just Relax

2 granny smith apples, cored and chopped
2 egg yolks
50 g caster sugar
2 tbs milk
2.5 g baking powder
85 g cake flour
few drops of vanilla
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
20 g raisins
a pinch of salt

2 egg whites
55 g caster sugar

30g butter, melted
caster sugar, for sprinkling
cashew nuts, to decorate

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius and line and 8 inch round cake mould with baking parchment. Beat egg yolks and caster sugar together until the mixture becomes lighter and add milk. Fold in the sifted flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, apples and raisins.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add in caster sugar and beat until soft peak forms. Gently fold the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture, and pour into prepared mould.

Sprinkle the top of the cake batter with the melted butter, decorate with cashew nuts on the top, and sprinkle the caster sugar over the cashew nuts. Bake for 35-40 minute or until cooked.

The result was very satisfying as the cake was very moist despite the lack of fats, perfect for an afternoon tea/coffee, or a guilt-free midnight snack!

Carrots and Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2008-09-08T00:02:00.005+10:00

Carrots and Pecan Cake Adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients

2 eggs
140 g canola oil
60 g white sugar
80 g brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
110 g plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
200 g grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frosting
2 tsp lemon juice
150 g cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
few tbs sugar, to taste

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. Lined an 8 inch round mould with baking paper. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, and fold into the egg mixture. Stir in carrots and pecans. Pour into the prepared mould.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Beat the softened cream cheese, vanilla, lemon juice and sugar until fluffy and smooth. Frost the cake and decorate with Pecans.

ps. This is one of my dad's favorite cake!

Lunch @ Manna, and Desserts at Le Notre, Paragon, Bkk

2008-09-06T15:44:00.009+10:00

My friends and I decided to meet up for lunch yesterday at Paragon and we wanted to try Vanilla Brasserie since I did not get to try the previous time. I did not make a reservation because I thought since it was a weekday, it should not be too full. Well, I was very wrong as the place was packed when I arrived, with lots of university students.

Anyway, it was not a bad day after all as it gave me a chance to try out Manna, a stylish Northern Thai fusion restaurants situated a few shops away. Manna seems quite popular, but as the restaurant is a lot more spacious compared to Vanilla, there were plenty of seats left for us. Service at Manna was quite good, as the waitresses were quite attentive.

My Ice Blended Lychee Drink
This was very refreshing, perfect for a hot afternoon

Grilled Thai Style Beef Sirloin with Thai Dipping Sauce

Seafood Somtum (Seafood Papaya Salad)
This was better than I'd expected from a fusion Thai restaurant.

Yum Salmon Saomoonprai (Thai Style Spicy Cooked Salmon Salad with Herbs)

Tom Sap Moo Deng (Spicy Thai Clear Soup with Minced Pork balls)

This was spicy enough to made my nose runny! They were very generous with the mushrooms.

Corned Beef Spaghetti

I was looking forward to trying the Corned Beef Spaghetti at Vanilla Brasserie, but since we did not get to eat there, I decided to try out the one here instead. It was not bad I must say, my friends loved it. The spaghetti was still slightly too cooked for my liking, I might try to recreate this dish at home next time.

After lunch, we decided to grab some desserts at Le Notre.

Fruit Tart

I'm normally not a big fan of fruit tarts as I didn't have very memorable experiences with them. They were always either overly-sweet or came with soggy pastry base. The Fruit Tart at Le Notre, however, gave me a new perspective on fruit tarts! They were the best I've had so far. The pastry base was nice and crisp with perfect fruit combination, and the pastry/custard cream was made to the right consistency.

Mille Fueille With Strawberry Sorbet and Strawberry Coulis

The sorbet just tasted beautiful, and the Mille Fueille was just the way I'd expected it to be. The pastry custard cream wasn't overly sweet and was made from real vanilla beans. The texture was just perfect, the crispness of slices of puff pastries and the smooth texture of the vanilla pastry cream, dusted with a little icing sugar.

Tiramisu with Chocolate Icecream and Vanilla Cream

My parents used to rave about how good Le Notre's Tiramisu was, so I had a really high expectation of it. It was not bad, but slightly too bitter for my taste. I don't know whether it was because I ate sweeter dishes earlier.

These little desserts gave me a perfect ending for my day! I definitely see myself coming back here in the future!

Quick and Easy Cocoa Fudge Cookies

2008-08-12T22:01:00.007+10:00

I had a baking craving yesterday so my sister suggested either brownies or chocolate chip cookies. I wanted to try out a new recipe, so I looked through all the recipes I've bookmarked in the past, and Baking Bites save the day again. From the description on her blog, the texture of the cookie was almost like brownies, this was just perfect as it fits my sister's requirement and I get to try a new recipe! This recipe is also relatively healthy compared to other chocolate cookies recipes I've tried as some of the butter in the recipe is replaced by plain yogurt. This was a great idea and I'm not surprise as the original recipe was from Alice Medrich, the Queen of chocolate!

Cocoa Fudge Cookies From Baking Bites(Originally from Alice Medrich)

Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
7 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 170 C. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in cocoa powder, sugar, yogurt and vanilla extract. Add flour and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Press down slightly to flatten; cookies do not spread a lot.
Bake at 170 C for 9-12 minutes or until set and slightly firm at the edges. Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen.

Deja Vu @ Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel

2008-08-01T19:32:00.007+10:00

After reading about a 5 course French dinner promotion prepared by Sylvain Royer, 1 star Michelin Chef at Deja Vu, we decided to try it out. There are many areas in Bangkok I have not visited, and this was one of them. I've read about "Cuisine Unplugged", a popular classy buffet restaurant also located at Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel from food blogs, but have not heard of Deja Vu until I read about the promotion on the newspaper.

When I called to make the reservation, the receptionist was very friendly and happily answered any queries I had. Their excellent service was proven again when we arrived and were promptly seated by enthusiastic and cheerful waiters and waitresses. The restaurant itself has a very modern yet classy ambiance with high ceilings. It was furnished with beautifully polished red acrylic tables to give it that 'sleek' modern touch which was very different from the perfectly bleached white table cloth I was used to.

My Tequila Sunrise

My mom's cocktail

The first dish that arrived was a complimentary starter from the restaurant. Each dish was served in a beautiful, good quality, matte-finished serving plates.

Amuse Bouche:Chicken Mousse

This was creamy with a smooth taste, almost as if I was eating flavored clotted cream.

Fresh Lobster Salad with Garlic Chips

I like the use of lemon grass in the decoration. The lobster was very fresh with shavings of parmesan. I did not manage to finish the little cubes of unidentified objects. I believe it might be pate.

Pike Dumpling Souffle and Mushroom Mousse with Champagne Sauce

This may look small, but it was extremely rich. I enjoyed it, but in my opinion, the portion size could be reduced. The Champagne sauce complement the dish very well.

Roasted Duck Breast with Mashed Potatoes and Shavings of Foie Gras

This was my main dish. For some reason though, I couldn't find the 'shavings of Foie Gras', maybe it was shaved so thin that I couldn't see it with my naked eyes. I enjoyed the shaved crispy taro piece though. The duck roasted duck breast was cooked to medium, however, it was slightly tough.

Rolled Dover Sole with Chorizo and Green Bean Ragout
My dad's main dish.

Beef Cheek in Red Wine Confit with Roasted Beef Aiguillette
My mom's main course. I enjoyed the red wine sauce as it complemented the beef very well. The beef was very tender, certain parts were so tender that I thought I was eating braised beef.

Brie Cheese on Rocket Salad

By our 4th course, we were very full. This was quite refreshing for our palate. Some of the walnuts from the salad wasn't as fresh as it should have been though.

Warm Waffle, Chocolate Sauce and Yogurt Icecream

I didn't enjoy their dessert as much as the waffle was already cold. The chocolate sauce also tasted a bit diluted. I really enjoyed the complimentary mini apple tart though.

A cup of Cappuccino to finish the meal.
Their coffee is not as good as we'd expected though.

Overall, we were quite satisfied with this meal and thought it was very valued for money! I would definitely come back and try it again when they have a new menu.

Dejavu The Restaurant
Pullman Bangkok King Power
8/2 Rangnam Rd, Thanon Phyathai
Rachatevi, Bangkok 10400
026809999

Lunch @ Another Hound and dessert @ Red Mango, Bangkok

2008-07-28T20:31:00.006+10:00

My family and I decided to take a trip to Siam Paragon for a Sunday lunch/family hang out day. I originally wanted to try out Vanilla Brasserie, however it was packed and the waiter had no idea when the next available table would be, so we decided to try out Another Hound instead. Another Hound is one of the sister branch of Greyhound cafe, targeted at higher consumer group, hence a slightly higher price and more classy decorations. The menu also has more varieties than the ordinary Greyhound cafes by incorporating more expensive dishes.

Their unique chandelier

After we were seated, it took quite a while before we were presented with the menu, it would be great if they could improve on that. Here are the dishes we ordered:

Grilled Lamb

I can't comment on this dish because I'm not a fan of lamb, however according to my parents, they were good, but not fantastic.

"Complicated Noodle" or Guay Teow Hor Moo Sup

Basically, it's rice noodle pieces served with minced pork, spicy seafood sauce and lettuce DIY style. It reminds me a bit of the Chinese San Choy Bau, but the seafood sauce gave it that extra kick.

Baked Spinach with Cheese
My parents and sister loved this dish.

Spaghetti with chilli and anchovies or "Spaghetti Pad Pla Insee Kem"

As you'll probably know that I have a soft spot for fusion spaghetti. This is one of my favorite dish whenever I eat at Greyhound, so I did not fail to order it at Another Hound. The spaghetti was cooked "Al Dente", just the way I like it.

Squid Ink Seafood Pasta or 'Spaghetti Cha Cha Cha'
This was done very well too, with generous portions of seafood.

Their 'supposedly' famous fried chicken wings marinated in fish sauce or "Peek Kai Tod Num Pla"

This dish is quite popular at other greyhound stores, I always see it being ordered at most tables. For some reason though, I used to think it taste better. Now the flavor is slightly more bland, I wasn't really able to detect flavor of the fish sauce, and it would definitely be better if it was served with sweet chili sauce.

After lunch, I was craving for something sweet to satisfy my sweet tooth. We decided to head down to Red Mango in Siam Center. I think Red Mango was originally from Korea, and it's now available at three locations in Bangkok including Siam Square, Siam Center, and Central World. It's a yogurt ice cream that's 'supposedly' fat free. I'm pretty sure it's loaded with sugar though, nevertheless I'm still a big fan of it. It's a plain yogurt ice cream and you can pick different toppings for it, my favorite ones are strawberry sauce, mango, and red bean. Try it yourself and find out which is your favorite topping!

Red Mango

Quick, Simple, Chocolate Molten Cake

2008-07-28T19:32:00.007+10:00

I've tried different Chocolate Molten Cake recipes several times in the past and this new recipe I stumbled upon is my favorite one so far. I decided to try out this recipe as it seemed quick and simple, and I had all the necessary ingredients in my pantry. This recipe is very easy, it doesn't even require a hand mixer as my previous recipe did. The batter is quite similar to that of brownie, almost a failed-proof recipe! The only thing you need to be careful of is not to overbake the cake, or else you won't get to the nice gooey center. My mom said tasted better than the Four Seasons Hotel's one, I wasn't sure if she was just being nice.

Chocolate Molten Cake Adapted from Pat's blog
60g Dark chocolate (I used Lindt 85% cocoa for intense choc flavor)
60g butter
65g icing sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
3 tbs plain flour
3 mini custard mould, well buttered

Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius. Melt the chocolate and butter together, then add the icing sugar and stir well. Slowly add in the eggs, and flour, and mix until the batter is smooth. Pour evenly into the well buttered moulds, and bake for 8 minutes, or until the batter seems cooked on the side, but still soft in the center. Serve with ice cream, or cream. Enjoy!

Cherry Muffins

2008-07-28T02:28:00.007+10:00

I had a can of cherries that was close to its expiring date, and after searching for several recipes, I decided to make Cherry muffins instead as it was quick and easy. I was tempted to make cherry tart, but making the pastry would take a longer time so I decided to stick to making muffins instead. This recipe originally called for Blueberries, but I decided to substitute it with Cherries instead.

Cherry Muffins Adapted from May made Vol II :: Sweet book

Ingredients:
3 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
150 g butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cup of canned cherries
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius. In a large bowl, sift the flour, salt, baking powder. Add in the sugar, milk, and eggs, and stir until well mixed. Add in the butter and the vanilla extract, then fold in the canned cherries. Bake them in lined muffin tin for 20-25 min or until golden brown.

Peperoni, Bangkok, Vol II

2008-07-22T01:22:00.006+10:00

This is my current favorite Italian restaurant in Bangkok at the moment, not because it tasted fantastic, but because the price is very reasonable when compared to its quality. This restaurant always came up in my family's mind whenever we think of reasonable Italian restaurant.

Bruschetta Peperoni

Italian toasted bread with home made spicy and chilled peperonata topping

This could be better if it's more evenly buttered.

Prosciutto e Melone,
Thin slices of Italian Parma ham with refreshing seasonal melon.

Sauteed rock lobster with rocket salad and balsamic dressing.
This did not disappoint me!

Pizzas.

I didn't enjoy their pizzas as much as the ones I've had in Melbourne. The pizza dough was too thin that it was just crunchy. It tasted more like cracker than pizza to me.

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio.

Spaghetti sauteed in olive oil, garlic and chilli.

I enjoyed the spaghetti here as the texture was 'al dente'. I don't know if it's because I emphasized this to the waiter.

Black Ink pasta with sauteed river prawns, chilli, and garlic.

This is probably my favorite dish here. It's quite hard to find Italian restaurants in Bangkok that serves Black ink pasta. This was done quite well as the pasta had really good texture.

Canelloni con Spinaci

Tube shaped pasta filled with ricotta cheese and spinach, served in rich creamy cheese sauce. This was quite nice, except the 'creamy cheese sauce' was a bit lacking.

Cassata Napolitana with Chocolate truffle cake and vanilla ice cream.

This was a special set that combined two desserts together. The ice cream was nice, but the truffle cake was slightly overbaked.

It might not be the best Italian restaurant in Bangkok that I've tried, but the food there definitely satisfies my family's appetite. If you are looking for a restaurant for a nice Sunday lunch with your family with a nice atmosphere and reasonable price, do check out Peperoni. There are still a list of Italian restaurants in Bangkok that I want to try though.

Easy Banoffee Pie

2008-07-16T17:19:00.003+10:00

I've never actually heard of Banoffee Pies until a few years ago, when my friend mentioned how much he is in love with this dessert. That was when I decided to google it and found out that it's a traditional British dessert, and the name came from the combo of "Banana" + "Toffee", hence "Banoffee".

From what I've read, the traditional way of making the caramel for Banoffee pies require long hours of boiling a can of condensed milk, but with the help of google, I've found recipes that make caramel the fast way! Since I'm not a big fan of overly sweet desserts, there were a few trial and errors in order to adapt it to my taste buds. Those of you who are a fan of super sweet desserts, do go crazy with the caramel :)

Banoffee Pie Adapted from Australian Good Taste - August 2005 , Page 80

(Makes 2 x 19 cm foil tart tin)

250g Chocolate Ripple biscuits
120 butter, melted
2 bananas
300 ml cream, whipped

Caramel Filling
260 g sweetened condensed milk
47 g brown sugar
33 g butter

Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the butter and process until well combined. Divide the biscuit mixture between 2 foil tart tin (I used homebrand's). Use the back of a metal spoon to firmly press the biscuit mixture over the base of each tin. Place in the fridge until required.

To make caramel filling, place condensed milk, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 8-10 minutes or until caramel thickens (do not boil).

Pour the hot caramel evenly among biscuit bases. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill. Peel and thinly slice bananas, and arrange over the caramel filling. Top pies with whipped cream and decorate with chocolate shavings or cocoa powder, serve immediately.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies

2008-07-16T16:53:00.006+10:00

I, personally, am not a big fan of white chocolates as I find them too sweet for my liking. Macadamias, on the other hand, are one of my favorite nuts! When combined together, it became one of my favorite cookies, rich and creamy with that extra crunch from the nuts!

I wanted to try the recipe in Donna Hay's chocolate book, however, the recipe looked like it's a crunchy cookies instead of the soft ones I was looking for, hence I decided to try out this other recipe I found on this Thai Blog. I must say it did not disappoint me as it turned out soft and chewy, with a slight crispy edge.

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies Adapted from Pat (Nga Kao)

3/4 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
170 g white chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup Macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven at 170 degrees Celsius, Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat egg, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla extract at the same time at medium speed until well mixed. Add in flour and fold until combined. Fold in white chocolate and Macadamia nuts. Scoop on to cookie tray lined with baking parchment. Bake at 170 degrees for 9-12 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Spring and Summer, Bangkok

2008-07-10T19:13:00.008+10:00

I'm back to the blogging world after being MIA for the last few weeks. Even though I blogged less over the past few months, that doesn't mean my eating/baking adventure decrease. I am still interested in taking photos as much as before, just didn't have time to blog about them as much.

I'm back in Bangkok again, and had the chance to try this restaurant called Spring and Summer. The place started back in 2004 by a Thai movie star called Phol Thantasatien. The restaurant itself is located in Sukhumvit Soi 39, areas with many modern and chic restaurants.

Spring and summer is split into two buildings, Spring which serves the main courses and the savories, while Summer serves the desserts. You can, however, order your desserts over from Summer and have it at Spring after you finish your dinner, which was what we did.

One of the things that stood out to me about this restaurant was the fact that it has 'interesting' (cheesy) names for some of the drinks and desserts.

My "True Kiss"
This was a mixture of lychee, lime, and grenadine.

Mighty Mint

Thai Style Milk Tea

Ice Mocha

Cappuccino

Spicy Peanut Calamari

The calamari wasn't as crispy as I'd like, the accompanying sauce, however, went well with the dish.

Soft shell crab and prawn salad
This was pretty good, light and refreshing!

Crispy Coconut Prawn Salad Bites

This is fusion dish, it tasted just like the traditional Thai vegetable wrap called "Miang Kum". The only exception was that there were crispy prawn.

Filipino Lumpia Rolls

This was very interesting, although slightly messy to eat.

The little crepes reminded me of my African food experience I had previously

Crispy Morning Glory Salad with River Prawns
I was slightly disappointed in this dish because the deep fried morning glory was already soggy

Thai Style Fusion Spaghetti (Spaghetti Pad Khee Mao)
Nice Thai style fusion dish, might be too spicy for some people though

Spaghetti with Miso and Sun-dried Tomatoes

I enjoyed the taste of this dish, however I found the spaghetti slightly overcooked. I love my Spaghetti "Al Dente" like the type served in Greyhound.

Ma Cheri
Also Known as Cherry Cheesecake. I didn't find it too special.

BTS/Better Than Sex

Yes, you read correctly! That was the name of the dessert!
Basically it's just chocolate Molten cake served with Chocolate mousse and cream.
I'm quite satisfied with this dessert, but would love it even more if they served it with vanilla ice cream! Whether this was really "BTS", I shall not comment :p

The center was perfect, not overcooked!

We also ordered another dessert called Cup C, which was basically chocolate brownie baked in a big mug, topped with vanilla ice cream and strawberry. I still preferred BTS though as I found Cup C too sweet for my liking.

The restaurant really has beautiful atmosphere, and is perfect for a first date, birthday parties, or a happy family dinner! I personally think that the food(snacks and main courses) were just mediocre, but this was compensated by the desserts and the atmosphere.

Yummy Blog Award

2008-06-18T23:39:00.004+10:00

Sorry for the lack of postings, I've been caught up lately with some work.

Cindy from Where's the Beef has nominated Hungry Hamster for the Yummy Blog Award. The Yummy Blog Award is an award given to blogs with recipes/photos. I'm very honored to be nominated for this, and will try my best to keep up with posts of yummy food from my baking and eating adventures!

Hmm, favorite desserts. I'm in love with so many desserts, so this is quite a hard decision for me. Most of the time though, I prefer light, guilt-free desserts such as Japanese Strawberry Short Cake. I love good quality light Japanese Sponge Cake with good quality fresh cream (not the non-dairy type) and sweet strawberries. I think they are the perfect combination when done well.

picture credited to Google image search

On the other hand, I also have a soft spot for rich desserts like chocolate molten cakes, and love to try them when visiting restaurants and do a comparison. My favorite one so far is the Chocolate Dream Souffle at NY Steakhouse at JW Mariott Hotel in Bangkok. I would love it even more if they serve if with good quality vanilla ice cream instead of just cream.

Now I would like to nominate this award to two of my favorite yummy blogs with beautiful photos and lovely recipes!

Daily Delicious experiments with lots terrific desserts/baking recipes and I love her photo-taking style!

A Daily Obsession not only has beautiful and good recipes, it always has good, interesting stories to go with the pictures. I love reading and learning about Chinese and Malaysian food and cultures!

Hope you guys will also enjoy these two blogs as much as I did!

My favorite Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe! (So far)

2008-05-24T20:30:00.004+10:00

After trying out a few chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe, my favorite recipe is the one from Baking Bites! I was instantly attracted by her beautiful chocolate chip cookies picture. Not only do they look perfect, they tasted great too!! They were heavenly fresh out of the oven, slightly crunchy at the edge with soft and chewy center.

I found a stronger butter fragrant/taste in this recipe compared to the recipe in my previous post! The smell from homemade cookies are just gorgeous, especially when they filled up your whole apartment and the corridor with it! Just don't be surprise when your neighbors knock on your door for some cookies :)

I know they may look identical to the previous recipe, but they sure taste different!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-05-09T00:42:00.005+10:00

I wasn't very satisfied with the Neiman Marcus recipe as the cookies came out crunchy the next morning. I read the following recipe on a Thai blog which was very popular amongst the Thai blogging society and they made a few adaption to the original Neiman Marcus recipe. The extra table spoon of corn syrup gave it that 'extra' chew, and kept it moist the next day!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies by Puppadoowab
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbs caster sugar
1 tbs corn syrup (I used golden syrup because I didn't have any on hand)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chip cookies

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Cream the butter with the sugars using electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in the egg, syrup, and vanilla extract and beat until creamy. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat/fold into the butter mixture at low speed. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop tbs size on to a baking sheet and flatten slightly to ensure even spread in the oven. Bake for around 15 min or until golden on the outside, but the center still looks soft. Do not attempt to overbake them or you'll end up with crunchy cookies!

The cookies are pretty sturdy and are very photogenic compared to the previous recipes I've tried. They stayed soft the next day and if you put in in the microwave for 10 seconds, they taste like they just came straight out of the oven! Though this is one of the better chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe that I've made, I think the dough itself is still slightly lacking in flavor, I don't know if it's just me though. But since they are so pretty and are slightly healthier than other ones that I made, they will definitely be a keeper!

There is a chewy chocolate chip recipe that is currently my favorite, and I shall write about it in my next post!

Easy Banana Muffins With Creamcheese Frosting

2008-05-03T16:48:00.004+10:00

Okay, these muffins are not the most photogenic ones I've made, but they were easy to make and tasted great! The muffins were moist, although slightly bland if eaten on its own, so the cream cheese frosting was a perfect partner! They tasted good fresh out of the oven and still good the next day straight out of the fridge!

Banana Muffins With Cream cheese Frosting
Adapted from Notebook: February 2007 , Page 123

Ingredients

220 g flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
100 g brown sugar
170g mashed ripe banana
80 ml vegetable oil
1 egg
185 ml milk

125g light cream cheese, softened
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind ( I added a few extra drops of lemon juice)
2 tbs icing sugar (To taste)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine flour, bicarbonate of soda and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Whisk mashed banana, oil, egg and milk together in a jug. Pour into the well and gently stir until just combined.

Spoon mixture evenly among prepared muffin holes. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese, icing sugar and lemon rind and juice in a small bowl until light and fluffy. Spread the top of each muffin with a little of the cream cheese mixture.

Makes 12

Happy Anzac Day with homemade Anzac Cookies!

2008-04-23T22:32:00.004+10:00

This is the first time I actually tried my hands on making these cookies, and I must say they are really simple and quick to make! I love the freshly baked smell of the desiccated coconut! Since it's Anzac day this coming Friday, I decided to put up this recipe in case anyone want to get into the holiday mood and make their own Anzac cookies.

Oaty Anzac Biscuits from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2 (again)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
2 tbs golden syrup
125g butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs hot water

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Place the oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl. Place the golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat and allow to melt. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter mixture. Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture on baking trays lined with nonstick baking paper, allowing room for the biscuits to spread, and flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks. Makes 22.

Sticky Date Pudding

2008-04-22T14:35:00.003+10:00

The first time I had sticky date pudding was when I was in my first year of University and staying at a residential college, and I fell in love with it instantly. It was during winter back then, so the warm and sticky pudding was really comforting. The weather has been getting colder in Melbourne now, so I decided to make this pudding to keep myself warm and reminisce about my University days.

Sticky Toffee Date Pudding from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2

200g pitted dates, finely chopped
1/3 cup boiling water
100g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk

toffee sauce
200 g butter, chopped
1 cup cream
1 2/3 cup brown sugar

Place the dates in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Set aside until the water has been absorbed. Preheat the oven to 180 c. Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the eggs gradually and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture, add the milk and dates and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into a greased 8 inch square cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. While the pudding is cooking, make the toffee sauce. Place the butter, cream and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and simmer rapidly for 5-8 minutes or until the sauce is thick. To serve, cut the pudding into thick slices and pour over the warm toffee sauce. Serves 6.

Some people prefer to soak their cake inside the toffee sauce, but I find that overly sweet. Feel free to put as much sauce as you want, or none if you love the cake plain. I can say that the cake is great by itself too! Enjoy!

Strawberry Mousse Cake

2008-04-21T12:26:00.003+10:00

I think this cake is also known as Strawberry Mirror Cake. I've made these in an 8 inch cake tin before, this time I decided to make the cake into individual portion. I think this Mousse cake so versatile and presentable, which made them great as an after-dinner desserts. I made some in ramekins, and others in plastic coverings, both were equally delicious. I've also put two layers of cake in some and one in others, it depends on how much mousse to cake ratio you like. As I said, it's all really versatile and you can adjust it to your liking!

Strawberry Mousse Cake Recipe Adapted from Khun Jum

Cake base: Use your favorite sponge cake recipe. Bake in a swiss roll pan and cut out using a cookie cutter to fit your ramekins.

Strawberry Mousse:
250 g strawberries
100 g water
160 g caster sugar
4 tsp powdered gelatin
400 g cream

Wash and hull the strawberries and place in a sauce pan. Add the water, caster sugar, and gelatin and simmer until all the gelatin dissolves. Cool the mixture and blend the mixture in a blender or food processor until the mixture is pureed.
Beat the cream in a separate bowl until just thickened, not soft or stiff peaks! Be careful not to overbeat the cream which will result in a stiff mousse. Fod in the strawberry puree mixture and mix until well blended.
Place a layer of the cake at the bottom of the ramekin, and pour the mousse mixture on top. Chill for 2-3 hours. Add the strawberry jelly on top for decoration. I was lazy so I used the store bought jelly powder instead of making it from scratch. Chill for 4 more hrs or overnight and decorate with strawberry fans.

Quick Lunch @ Pacific BBQ Cafe

2008-04-14T22:56:00.002+10:00

After reading about Pacific BBQ cafe opening on Lonsdale Street from Tummy Rumbles while I was in Bangkok a few months back, I finally got to try it on Friday. The restaurant is bigger than its Richmond and Toorak siblings, with brighter lightings. The place is still as busy as ever, but the turnover is very fast which was good.

I ordered the roast duck on rice while my cousin had the roast pork on rice. Their roast duck is still as good as ever with the duck being succulent and moist! They also have special chili sauce which contained fried anchovies or ikan bilis!

The service here was better than I'd expected. I asked for extra sauce for the rice and the waiter happily gave it to us. The waitress even thank us after we finished our meal which was different from the usual ' Pacific House' service! I'm so glad Pacific House opened a branch in the city. Now I don't have to drag myself to Toorak or Richmond whenever I have a duck craving anymore!

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes with Chocolate Mint Frosting

2008-04-11T21:50:00.004+10:00

Since I had leftover mint from making Laab (a Thai minced pork salad), I decided to make use of them and made these little cupcakes. This is the first time I used mint in desserts. I have always thought that I had to blend in the mint, but from this recipe, I simply had to soak it in hot water! The feedback from my friends were quite positive, so I guess this recipe is a keeper. Reduce the mint in the frosting if you don't want the mint taste to be overpowering.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes with Chocolate Mint Frosting
Adapted Australian Good Taste - February 2006 , Page 18

Recipe by Sarah Hobbs

Ingredients
2 sprigs fresh mint
1/2 cup boiling water
50 g good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
65.5 g butter, at room temperature
127.5g brown sugar
1.5 eggs
75g self-raising flour
27g almond meal
15g cocoa powder
6 small fresh mint leaves for decoration

Chocolate Mint Frosting
92.5 g thickened cream
1 sprig fresh mint
100g good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line twelve muffin pans with paper cases.
Place the mint in a medium heatproof bowl. Pour over the boiling water and set aside for 30 minutes to infuse.
Strain the water through a sieve into a small saucepan, pressing the mint with the back of a spoon to release any excess water. Discard mint. Add the chocolate to the water and stir over low heat for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
Use an electric beater to beat together butter and brown sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition until just combined. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour, almond meal and cocoa. Add the chocolate mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon mixture among prepared muffin pans. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and set aside for 30 minutes to cool.
Meanwhile, line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Brush both sides of a mint leaf lightly with egg white. Sprinkle both sides of the leaf with caster sugar and place on prepared tray to dry. Repeat with the remaining mint leaves, egg white and caster sugar.
To make the choc mint frosting, place cream and mint in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes to infuse. Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Strain the cream through a sieve into the bowl with the chocolate, pressing gently with the back of a spoon to remove any excess cream. Discard mint. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Stir occasionally with a metal spoon until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly. Pour frosting into a jug.
Pour frosting over cakes, tapping cakes lightly on a level work surface to spread the frosting. Place a sugared mint leaf on each cake to serve.

Taiwan Eating Trip Vol IV

2008-04-02T21:17:00.005+11:00

This is probably the final post for my Taipei eating trip. Overall, I had a great time there and would love to go back!

Japanese Ramen at Taipei 101 Food court. This was a huge bowl, and I saw lots of Taiwanese girls ordering it! Again, emphasizing that Taiwanese girls can eat!

We also dropped by Din Tai Fung again for their Xiao Long Bao before we left. This time, we also tried their Ja Jiang Mien, however it was very different from what I'd expected. Didn't taste like the same dish to me. Maybe it was Taiwanese style.

Famous Croissant ice cream at one of the 'Old Street'. Be aware if you were to try this in Taipei, there are several shops selling the 'famous croissant'. Make sure you buy from the stall that has lots of customers or the ones that allow you to sample their croissant. We learned it the hard way as we got too excited and bought it from the first shop we came across. It tasted horrible, and I almost had a bad impression about the croissants in Taipei. However, after we've samples the croissants from some other shops, I must say they are pretty good!

Beef Noodle at Taipei Airport! It was surprisingly good! The noodles had a nice chew.

One of my favorite snacks in Taiwan was pineapple shortbread. I've discovered 2 brands that I like after trying a few, and bought some back to Bangkok for souvenirs. These 'real' pineapple shortbreads are very fresh and they have a fairly short shelf-life, around 30-45 days. Unlike the ones I find in the Asian Groceries in Melbourne, which tasted dry and has a shelf life of 1-2 years!

This one has a prettier packaging. The shortbread itself was nice and crunchy and buttery.

This was wrapped in waxed paper. The crust is slightly chewier and less crunchy. The pineapple filing is not overly sweet.

I personally preferred the latter one as I like the softer/chewier texture of the shortbread. It also doesn't leave a floury after-taste like the first one. My sister, however, preferred the first one. Despite the differences in texture, these two brands are still the best I've had so far. Do check them out if you are ever in Taiwan!

The Famous Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-04-02T01:20:00.004+11:00

I made these famous Neiman Marcus cookies a few days ago when a friend complained to me that he was hungry. Ok, that was really just an excuse for me to try out new recipe. Since I had all the ingredients on hand and the recipe looked easy enough, I decided to give them a go! I think they are quite famous for being Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, but somehow I ended up with a different result. The cookies were nice and chewy, with a crispy edge when they first came out of the oven. To my horror, when I gave them to a friend a day later, it turned into crunchy chocolate chip cookies! The cookies were actually well-packed in airtight containers too!

I suspect I may have overbaked them! Another reason I could think of was probably that there are less fat content inside these cookies, compared to the other ones I've tried. Nevertheless, they still tasted great, crunchy or chewy! Especially with the lovely hint of the espresso coffee!

Do give these cookies a go and let me know how they turned out for you!

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe

Join the world of Foodie!

2008-03-24T00:27:00.002+11:00

Hungry Hamster's Food Adventure has become a member of the Foodie Blogroll!

I still remember the days where my friends thought it was funny whenever I take photos of food I made or at restaurants. Little did they know there is a whole community out there in the cyber world who has the same interest as me! I've made a lot of friends from different countries after I started this blog, it's awesome! You get recipe recommendations, new restaurants to try out and more!

Now there are more chances to make even more friends with the same interest @ The Foodie Blogroll! If you are interested in getting to know other bloggers or making friends across the globe, just click on the Foodie Blogroll link on the right side of my page!

Taiwan Eating Trip Volume III

2008-03-18T20:45:00.008+11:00

Melbourne has been so hot these past few days! This made me miss Taiwan even more, lovely food with lovely weather! I'm really looking forward to Easter break this weekend, probably an excuse for me to bake more sinful creations.

Back to my eating trip in Taiwan. We started our third day with breakfast from the same stall where we had the rice vermicelli soup. This time we decided to try out their porridge. We were told there were two types of porridge, one with century egg and the other one with the baby fishes (I don't know what they are called in English, please educate me if you do. ). I was imagining Cantonese style porridge with minced pork and century egg, so I decided to go with the century egg, while my mom chose the baby fishes one. To our surprise, the only difference in the porridge was the toppings. The century egg was actually one whole century egg. The rest of the ingredients were the same! It was funny I had to remind myself that I was in Taiwan and not Hong Kong.

The Century egg porridge

The baby fish porridge

After breakfast, we went to this "Lao Jie" or "Old Street" slightly further out of Taipei. I was told the area was colonized by Japanese before, therefore was very popular amongst the Japanese tourists. There were quite a few snacks and souvenir shops.

Mochi shop

Caramel candies

Caramelized Fruits, I've seen these in China too

handmade traditional desserts made from glutinous rice flour (Tang Yuen)

After a few hours of walking and photo-taking sessions, we stopped by a random noodle shop for lunch. It was not bad actually, the noodles were homemade so it had a nice chew to it. The portion was also quite large, similar to the Australian size!

We visited museums and residences of the British ambassadors in the olden days. We also walked along the beach area which was very romantic and extremely popular amongst couples. My dad spotted Starbuck's and decided to some coffee-fix. My sister saw the Chocolate Fondant and could not resist.

According to my sister, it was really good. It wasn't over cook and the chocolate flowed out as you cut into it. Would be perfect with Vanilla ice cream!

For dinner, we decided to try out a famous restaurant called Shin Yeh. My parents tried out the one called Green Leaf on their previous visit, which was recommended by lonely planet but they were not impressed, so we were told to try out this one instead.

When we first arrived there, it was quite busy and we were told to wait around 40 minutes. However, we managed to get our table after around 20 minutes. The restaurant was quite packed, very popular with local and Japanese businessmen. I was not impressed with the service here at all, probably the only place in Taipei with below average service. This might be because they were too busy. We were pressured into ordering before we finish looking at the menu and decide what to eat.

Chinese style wrap with shredded pork, vegetables and preserved vegetables fillings

This was quite average, similar to what I had at the night market.

We ordered porridge to eat with the other dishes. The porridge here had some sweet potato added to it. Quite a nice touch.

Stir Fried Vegetables in Garlic Sauce

Steamed Fish

Braised Pork Belly

Stir Fried Beef

Bean curd with mushrooms and vegetables

To be honest,I wasn't impressed with the dishes at Shin Yeh at all. It was slightly bland, and tasted mediocre. Maybe I was too used to Cantonese cuisines, but I really prefer Taiwanese Street food than the ones in proper restaurants, with the exception of my beloved Din Tai Fung.

Steamed buns with pork belly and preserved vegetables filling.

This was probably the best dish of the night!

Muah Chee for desserts (Glutinous rice cakes coated with ground peanuts)

This ends my 3rd night in Taiwan. There are still more food pictures from Taipei to come, so do drop by soon when you are free :)

Taiwan Eating Trip Vol II

2008-03-13T22:22:00.008+11:00

We started our next day with some local breakfast near our hotel. There were several interesting choices, but we decided to stick with something safe so we tried out the rice vermicelli soup.

The lady scooping the vermicelli into a bowl for me

My breakfast, vermicelli soup and Soy milk

The soy milk was actually very nice, it doesn't have the burnt soy bean taste that I hate. We also spotted the same lady selling some rice rolls, and thought it would be quite interesting to try.

The rice roll tasted nothing like its Japanese relative. There are two varieties, either with black glutinous(sticky) rice or normal white glutinous rice. The fillings consisted of preserved vegetables, omelette, and dried shredded pork. Perhaps a great way to incorporate all the food groups into one meal.

We thought we were done with our breakfast until we walked past this little stall with several people waiting for their food.

Not surprisingly, we decided to join the queue and got ourselves one of the little omelette/crepe looking food.

It was served with chilli sauce. This was quite good, and the lady was very generous with the fillings. There were lots of lettuces with some creamed corn and other unidentifiable ingredients. It tasted pretty good overall, but also slightly oily.

With our full tummies, we spent the day visiting the mountains and the sceneries. Taiwan is really clean and there were tissues in all the toilets! I'm very impressed!

For lunch, our driver took us to try out some clear Taiwanese beef noodles. I have to say I still prefer the previous type.

Clear Beef Noodle Soup

Stir fried vegetables in curry sauce (ordered by the driver)
I am not a big fan of curry, so this did not appeal to me.

Another stir fried noodles with curry powder
As above, I didn't really enjoy this either

For dinner, at first we decided to take a look at a smaller night market which was recommended by the driver as he thought that the Shi Lin Night Market was too commercialized. However, we were quite disappointed with the size and varieties of food available at the smaller night market, so we proceeded to the Shi Lin Night market.

Though it's true that the Shi Lin night market is quite commercialized, but I think there are still a lot of authentic food you can get there. The whole market was packed with people, mostly teenagers. There was a whole shopping street that shopoholics would go crazy over. The street was so crowded because the shop owners also open their 'temporary' stalls in the middle of the road. Every once in a while, you would see the shop owners pack their belongings up and pushed them back towards their shops because there were rumors that the police were coming to check. It happened around 4 times while I was there which I found very amusing.

Next snack has a very interesting name. The owner is taking a rest from his rigorous deep frying.

This is probably one of my favorite snack during this trip

It's a deep-fried thick sliced white bread filled with creamed corn, mayonnaise, shredded dried pork, and a starchy sauce. It might not sound very appetizing but I really loved it. I know it's not the healthiest food, but let's face the fact, most good food are not that healthy. Moderation is the key! (I'm no where near that)

The crunchiness of the deep fried bread went surprisingly well with the starchy sweet/salty fillings.

Baked mashed potatoes with Cheese. This was my sister's choice and she loved it.

We also queue up for this famous fried chicken. There were easily 20 people in the queue, so we decided to try it out to see what's so good about the fried chicken.

They are flattened-crumbed- and deep-fried chicken pieces.

I thought it was way too greasy for me, but my sister who is a fan of oily food loved it.

Shi Lin Market has more things that I can imagined

I spotted this old man receiving some sort of treatment in the middle of the food areas

Oyster omelet. This was very different from the Thai or Malaysian one that I've tried.
The sauce tasted like it was made from preserved Tofu.

We also tried a lot of other food that night but due to poor lighting, I will not be putting up the photos. This shall be it for my Taipei eating trip Vol II, there will be more posts to follow so do drop by and check it out soon!

Taiwan Eating Trip Vol I

2008-03-07T17:33:00.006+11:00

I went over to Taiwan for a short holiday in mid February and loved it there. The people were really friendly and helpful. Their underground railway system was really efficient too, people actually obey the rules and queue up to get on the train!

Street food and night time market stalls were really good too, but I wasn't that impress with the more famous Taiwanese restaurant. Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung was awesome too!

Our plane touched down at Taipei around 7 pm and by the time we got out of the airport, it was around 8 pm. Since the food on the plane wasn't too appealing, we decided to go to Din Tai Fung for supper. We had to go straight there as the restaurant closes at 10 which was quite easy for us as we hired a driver with a van to take us around.

There was only a slight queue when we arrived as it was already past their peak hours. The waitresses here are very efficient, friendly and polite. While we were waiting for our queue, I saw this little stall in front of the restaurant and decided to try it out.

It was some sort of traditional snacks made out of rice flour with different fillings in the center. The ones I got were peanuts and black sesame. It was actually quite bland to what I had expected, so I was quite disappointed.

While were were waiting for our queue, the waitresses also gave us our menu sheet so we can made our orders first. This saves time as the food arrived quite promptly after we were seated.

Beef Noodles
I was a bit disappointed with this dish as it wasn't as good, compared to its price.

My long awaited Xiao Long Bao!

This is my favorite Xiao Long Bao Restaurant Ever!

Check out the skin! It's nice, thin, transparent and delicate! However, it's so stretchable that you can pick it up with a chopstick without tearing the skin and lost all the precious soup!

Here's a guide on how to enjoy Xiao Long Bao

We also ordered several stir-fried vegetable dishes to balance out the meat and vegetables proportions.

I must emphasize that the service here is really efficient. There was a waiter who was responsible for filling up our little dishes with julienne ginger pieces. It was like a free-flow ginger festival. We ordered 4 steamers of Xiao Long Bao in total, and it's very thoughtful of them to deliver it 2 at a time. This prevents the Xiao Long Bao from turning cold.

After our satisfying dinner, we went to the hotel to check-in to our rooms. It was around 10 pm, so we decided to take a walk around the hotel. Since the hotel we stayed at was next to the popular tutoring areas in Taipei, there were a lot of students around.

Guess what I found! Cold Stone Creamery! I think I've read about this in someone's blog before, so I was quite happy to try it out.

The lady mixing the ice cream with the ingredients of your choice on a cold stone.

The end product! The ice cream was really rich!

This ice cream was not cheap, I'm quite surprise that a lot of young students can afford it!
I realized Taiwanese girls can eat quite a lot too, compared to Thai girls.

Anyway, this would be the end of my Taiwan Eating Trip Vol I. Vol II should be coming up soon if I'm not too busy.

Penang Eating Adventure

2008-03-03T17:41:00.007+11:00

Sorry for being MIA for a few weeks. I went to Taiwan the previous week for an eating adventure, and now I'm back in Melbourne.

Here are some of my food adventures from my earlier Penang trip that I promised to write about.
I really love Penang food! Actually, that may be what I like most about Penang! It has so many varieties of good quality hawker food at such a cheap price. Most of the dishes you can get at Hawker stalls are probably only 1-2 Australian Dollars!

Yu Sen for "Happy Belated Chinese New Year"
A type of salad eaten during Chinese New Year.

The ingredients are mixed together by tossing it up. The higher you toss it, the more prosperous it is. While tossing, most people will shout out some prosperous phrase.

Some starters

I used to get freaked out when I was a kid whenever I see the black strands inside any dishes. I used to think it was cooked hair. *How innocent* According to my dad, it's supposedly a type of grass only found in the desert, and most that are available now are fake ones. I will have to check out the reference on that.

Yummy Abalone

Dried Wonton Mee

It's pretty good but I still prefer the soup version

This probably my favorite wanton mee stall in Penang.

The noodles are cooked to perfection! The texture is springy and chewy. The soup is also flavorful, unlike those I've tried in other places.
Never buy a 'take-away' version of it though, that does not do it any justice at all! You'll end up eating soggy noodles, and will probably hunt me down for blogging about it :)
The hawker stall is at the corner of New World Park on Burma Road

Lovely Assam Laksa! This was so good!

Homemade Penang Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee)

This is also my other favorite hawker dish in Penang.

Penang Chee Cheong Fun

Rice rolls with shrimp sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds
This was good, but I can only eat it in a small amount as I find it a bit too oily

Ice Kacang

I love Ice Kacangs in Malaysia! I had this 3 times while I was in Penang! At different hawker stalls though. This one is from New World Park. This wasn't too photogenic, and the fruits were slightly overripe. The ice on Ice Kacang in Malaysia are always so fine, it melts as soon as you place it in your mouth. However, the ones I have in Thailand are usually still crunchy and I actually have to bite through the ice. Not good for someone with sensitive teeth.

Ice cream version!

My favorite part of the Ice-Kacang is probably the ice, the red beans, and the creamed corn.

Lobster Noodles

This was pretty good, but I still prefer the one at Kum Den.
The noodles were slightly too fat for my liking and the sauce wasn't as flavorful.

Baked Cheese Lobster

This was good, but it was so rich so I couldn't have too much of it.

That's probably the highlights of my Penang trip. I'll post up food pictures from Taiwan and more restaurants in Bangkok soon. Thank you for your patience!

Madison, Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok

2008-02-11T22:59:00.000+11:00

I finally had the chance to try out Madison a few weeks back. The restaurant is very popular, especially during lunch time as they have reasonable set lunches. I was there on a Saturday lunch, so I decided to try out their set lunch too. They change their menu quite frequently so customers always have new varieties to try.

The set lunch is your choice of either a three-course or two-course meal, which included either a buffet salad bar or soup, a main course, and dessert (If you picked the three course meal). My dad and I both picked the buffet salad bar, which from his experience had a lot of quality Entree.

Lychee Mint
This was a bit too sweet for my liking

My dad's Lime Crush

The buffet salad bar included Parma ham with Melon, Soft shell crabs, Scallop salad, cocktail prawns, Caesar Salad etc.

Complimentary garlic and rye bread.

This was probably one of the best bread I've ever had! They were baked fresh! The aroma was just irresistible. They were crunchy on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside!

Roasted Duck Breast with Pumpkin Puree on a bed of Sauteed Spinach

This was really good, though the spinach was a tad salty. The duck was really tender, and it went really well with the pumpkin puree. I found the pumpkin puree a bit rich towards the end though.

My dad's Snapper dish.
He enjoyed it, but I still prefer my duck.

Plum tart with Vanilla Ice cream
I really like their presentation. The plum tart was good too, with the pastry still crisp.

I thought the set lunches at Madison is really reasonable for quality of food that we received. I really enjoyed my experience there and look forward to going back soon. If anyone is interested in trying it out, don't make the same mistake I did (in my last post) and make a reservation!

Madison

Four Seasons Hotel
155 Rajadamri Road, Bangkok
Thailand 10330

66 (0) 2 250-1000

Lunch @ Shintaro, Four Seasons Hotel

2008-01-27T18:09:00.000+11:00

So sorry for the lack of updates. Hungry Hamster has been too busy eating, no time to update *blushed*

Another Japanese post yet again. I've been deep in love with Japanese food lately, actually my friends would probably argue that I just love all food. One of my friend once said "I can see the sparkles in your eyes when you see food!"

We originally wanted to try Madison at the Four Seasons Hotel, but since it was fully booked when we arrived, we decided to try out Shintaro instead. I will blog about Madison in my next post.

Their little cute spices set

Lemon Crush
Very refreshing indeed!

Grilled Sirloin with Garlic Butter sauce

I normally prefer eating beef without gravy, providing it's a good quality beef, so I can taste it's true flavor. However the sauce here complemented the beef very well without being over powering.

Unagi Kabayaki

Shintaro's unagi was done quite well compared to other Japanese restaurant that I've tried in Bangkok. It tasted fresh and flavorful without the irritating little bones found in some other restaurants.

Duck Udon with miso and spring onion

I normally prefer Ramen over Udon, but since I do not normally see duck in Udon, I decided to it out. It did not disappoint me! The soup was full of flavor, much better than what we had at Don Don. They were very generous with the duck meat too.

Unagi Sushi

Our dessert was ginger pudding. It didn't sound very appealing at first, but it tasted a lot better than I'd expected. The ginger flavor wasn't overpowering, just enough to give an extra touch to the pudding. The top was caramelized, it was a lot like ginger flavored creme brulee.

I am very glad we got to try out Shintaro as it was probably one of the better Japanese restaurants I've tried in Bangkok, and probably my favorite at the moment. I will definitely go back to try their other dishes.

Lunch @ Don Don, Bangkok

2008-01-05T03:05:00.000+11:00

After reading about Don Don in several Thai blogs, I decided to try it out myself. Don Don is a little Japanese restaurant which specializes in their fresh homemade Udon and is situated at Sukhumvit 39. The restaurant itself has two levels, in which I personally preferred the top level as there was a more Japanese kick to it. We were kindly brought to the traditional Japanese type of seatings where we had to sit on the floors instead of on the chairs. It was fun at first as it really added an authentic Japanese touch to it, but I eventually got pins and needles half way through the meal.

We ordered several appetizers to nibble on while we were waiting for our mains.

Cheese Wontons

I've heard ravings about this, but I didn't find them to be that fantastic. The wontons were quite hollow, without much cheese to be found.

Japanese Dumplings

Okonomiyaki
This was really good with the extra mayo

In the blogs I've read, I was told about Don Don's Monjayaki, which is a Japanese pan-fried batter similar to Okonomiyaki, but with a lot more runnier texture than Okonomiyaki. There were a lot of flavors to choose from, and I wasn't sure which one was good, so we went with the cheese flavor. Although it wasn't very authentic, but it did sound sinful and that was what got me convinced. The batter was first poured into a hot plate and delivered to our table, then we had to wait anxiously while it was cooking before we could dig in with our spatula.

The adorable little spatulas to aid in scraping the Monjayaki

The Monjayaki bubbling in the hot plate

The cooked Monjayaki
After it's cooked, we flipped it over using the large spatula. The crispy texture is lovely!

Since Don Don was also famous for their Udon, we tried out several of their Udon.

Deep Fried Vegetables Udon
I thought the soup tasted pretty good, but the deep fried vegetables were a bit too salty

My brother found the soup a bit bland, but the Udon itself was good.

Cold Udon with Tempura

I think the texture of the homemade Udon was really brought out in this dish. You could really taste the springy and chewy texture of the noodles. Something that you can't get from those ready made ones!

If you are a fan of good quality Udon, do try Don Don out when you have a chance! I had fun eating there, and the owner and staff were friendly. I do hope they improve the flavor of their soup for their Udon though.

Happy New Year 2008

2008-01-04T14:04:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year to all my dear readers. I hope you all had a great New year celebration! I'm currently in Bangkok and would probably be here for the next few weeks, so most of my posts will be related to all my food adventures in Bangkok.

New Year in Bangkok was quite interesting, a lot of beautiful fireworks. The atmosphere overall was very lively and eventful, with the surprising lovely cool weather. I'm so glad I'm not suffering from the heat stroke in Melbourne right now.

I decided to try out this Thai restaurant while I was walking around in Siam Paragon looking for a place to eat. Just the variety of choices that were available already gave me a headache as all of them looked fabulous and trendy, but I ended up trying this out as I was craving for Northern Thai food. This place is called Cafe Chilli, and it serves Northern Thai style food with a bit of a western kick. The taste was pretty authentic though, better than I'd expected. However, price-wise, it was on a high side for Thai food! All the portions were small, so we ended up ordering quite a few.

Sticky rice wrapped with pork
This was my favorite!

Somtum (Papaya Salad) with fried sticky rice

Thai style grilled chicken with turmeric
This was good, with natural sweet flavor. It goes very well with the papaya salad.

Tom Sabb Hed or Spicy Thai soup with mushrooms

Laab Moo or Minced pork salad

Thai style grilled lamb cutlets

Laab Moo Deng, this tasted like Thai Minced Fish balls to me, even though it was made out of pork

Deep Fried flowers

Steamed chicken. This was better than I'd expected, more flavorful and really tender.

Deep Fried Chicken wings

The food here is pretty good, but price-wise, I think there are a lot of other better alternatives. With the beautiful unique interior, and good service, this would be great for entertaining guests though !

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T01:59:00.000+11:00

May all my dear readers have a very wonderful Christmas with amazing home cooked food with your loved ones.

Pacific House Vol II

2007-12-17T14:51:00.000+11:00

Once again, I'm back to Pacific house for their yummy roast duck. What's even better is I actually got to try their Crab noodle this time! It's yummilicious!

The Beautiful Chilli Crab with noodles

The waiter helped us plate it into individual plates

The noodles were springy and not soggy with the right amount of sauce. Delicious!

Some vegetable to boost our fibre intake.

Claypot Satay Beef with vermicelli

I thought this was rather bland too. Couldn't taste the 'satay sauce' at all. My brother liked it though.

Pipa beancurd

This wasn't as good as I'd expected. I preferred the one at Kumden better.

Salt and Pepper Calamari

This was good. The squid was fresh and I can easily bite through it.

We've also ordered other the crispy pork and their famous salted egg-yolk prawns, which were all really good. Their service, however, remained chaotic as usual. Maybe that's how they keep their food quality up.

Friday Night Dinner @ Peko Peko, Fitzroy

2007-12-15T16:59:00.000+11:00

I've heard of Peko Peko several times in the Age's Cheap Eats and from other bloggers, so I decided to try it out with my friends on Friday. I was quite surprised when we walked in as the place had both Caucasians and Asian waitresses. That did not at all reduce the quality of their service though, they were still very friendly and attentive. The place was a bit smaller than I'd expected and there were already a few customers there enjoying their food. The restaurant had very simple, yet cute decorations with an open kitchen. We did not try the 'specials', but decided to go with whatever looked good on the menu.

Here are the dishes we had tried:

Assorted Tempura

The batter was really very light! Just the way I like it! I just wished there were more prawns!

Beef Gyoza

I quite like this dish, it was different from other restaurants!

Our plain rice, decorated with toasted sasame

Agedashi Tofu

I was quite disappointed with this dish. The sauce was rather bland and tasteless. I had to season it with the leftover sauce from the tempura.

I forgot what sauce this was. It was a fusion dish which I quite like. Very flavorful! The prawns were very fresh and succulent! ~yum~

Miso Squid on a bed of fresh baby spinach
This was interesting too, fresh squids. But I still prefer the prawns.

I was quite impressed with the Chef's skills with the fiery fire

After our dinner, my friends decided they want to eat the Green Tea Parfait at Cocoro pottery cafe, so we head down to Cocoro for their yummy desserts. Since I'm not a big fan of Green tea, we also tried their roasted sesame ice cream.

Loved their decorations too! There is a cute little corner for you to wait while the waitresses are getting the table ready for you.

Refreshing hand towels presented in a beautiful basket. They pay so much attention to all the details!

Roasted sesame ice-cream

I actually prefer the one at crown food court, this one was a bit too nutty for my liking. I couldn't really taste the creaminess of the ice-cream. Actually, it didn't really taste much like ice cream at all. I liked the strawberries and the red bean paste on the side though.

Green tea parfait. My friend loved this.

I really did enjoy my experiences at both Peko Peko and Cocoro and will definitely come back here again. My next few Japanese restaurants that I want to try are probably Horoki and Hako. Hope I will enjoy them as much too!

Peko Peko
199 Smith Street, Fitzroy
94159609

Cocoro Japanese Pottery and Cafe
117 Smith Street, Fitzroy
94195216

Satisfying Brunch at The European, Spring Street

2007-12-07T16:33:00.000+11:00

After our disappointment from Monday's Eggs Benedict, me and my friends decided we definitely have to try European. European is located on 161 Spring Street, near the Princess Theater where The Phantom of the Opera is currently showing.

As I stepped into the restaurant, I was warmly greeted by a friendly waitress. Some of my friends arrived at the restaurant before me and had already planned out what they wanted to order. After reading the Breakfast Blog, I did not even need to look at the menu to know that I want to try the Eggs Benedict. My friends ordered Eggs Atlantis (or was it Atlantic?), Croque Monsier, and Baked Eggs with Black pudding and Chorizos. After our order, we were given our utensils along with a cloth napkin! I was quite impressed with that as usually we only get paper serviettes in cafes. I guess that's what you get for $17.50 Eggs Benedict.

The restaurant was very busy with people in their business suits walking in and out all the time. That did not stop the waitress from being very attentive and replacing our water whenever they ran out.

My friend's skinny Mocha. The pattern is so pretty.

Eggs Atlantis (Smoked salmon instead of grilled ham)

My friend's Croque Monsier.

They seemed to like this as it was buttered just nicely and didn't leave an oily feeling.

Bake Eggs with Chorizo

My Eggs Benedict. Benito's seemed more photogenic.

I was really impressed with the taste of their Eggs Benedict. The poached eggs were done to perfection! The egg whites were well set with lovely runny golden yolks. Just the way I like it! The combination of the smooth Hollandaise, crunchy toasted muffins, the grilled ham, and the richness of the runny egg yolk was just amazing! Their Hollandaise is rich, and seems to have different dimension to it! Definitely the best Benedicts I've had so far!

Check out the beautiful river of golden goodness!

My Eggs Benedict Cravings were definitely satisfied. Now I'd probably need to stay off eggs for a while as this breakfast have probably sent my cholesterol level sky high.

European
161 Spring Street
Melbourne 3000
(03) 9654 0811

Disappointing Brunch

2007-12-03T18:04:00.001+11:00

I woke up today looking forward to my yummy brunch at the European, but my first sign of bad luck appeared as I looked out my window. The whole sky was gloomy, but that didn't affect me. I messaged my friends to make sure they were up, so we would not be late for our brunch. I was really looking forward to trying out the Eggs Benedict at the European after reading great reviews from the Breakfast blog and it was also recommended by Mutemonkey.

We arrived at European at 11:00 am, and to my horror, it was closed until 12 pm! I was contemplating on whether to wait for the restaurant to open or find some other cafe instead. Unfortunately, our starving tummies opted for another restaurant close by. We walked down Bourke street and I was tempted to eat Ajisen Ramen, but it only opens at 12 pm too.

After my friend saw my disappointed look, she suggested we go to Hardware lane, as there might be a few nice cafes there. It's only my 2nd time to Hardware lane, so I have absolutely no clue which one to try. We saw a sign for Eggs Benedict at Jeremy's Hardware cafe, and decided to try it out.

The waitress was very friendly and attentive. We looked at the menu for a few seconds and ordered Eggs Benedict and The Big Breakfast. When the dishes arrived, I was slightly disappointed by the appearance of the Eggs Benedict. The eggs were a bit flat and they looked a lot smaller than I'd expected. I think my expectations were too high since the last Eggs Benedict I had was at Benito's. When I cut into the poached eggs, I was quite shocked, as the runny yolks were no where to be seen! It was totally overcooked and hard. The Hollandaise was quite bland too, I couldn't really taste it at all. The only good thing about this Eggs Benedict is probably the sourdough toast instead of the English muffin which added more crunch to it.

My disappointing poached eggs

The Big Breakfast

The Big Breakfast was slightly better though as the mushroom was quite juicy and the sausage was pretty good. The Bacon was quite dry though, but it was saved by the tomato relish that was served together.

The breakfast was filling, but disappointing for me. I understand that it's a lot cheaper than European as it's only $9.50 instead of $15-$16 dollars at European, but at least they could have poached the eggs better. I may come back here for their sandwiches and drinks in the future as the service was great, but definitely not their Eggs Benedict!

Easy Chocolate Fondue

2007-12-01T21:06:00.000+11:00

What can be better than a relaxing Saturday afternoon at home with a homemade chocolate fondue with lovely fresh strawberries? This was so easy to make, and even easier to finish! The chocolate fondue was made with a good quality chocolate and equal amount of fresh cream. You can also add a dash of your favorite liquor if you want. Just bring the cream on a saucepan to an almost boiling point, but not boiling, and pour it over chopped chocolate pieces and mixed together. Or, if you are lazy like me, you can just pop both of them into the microwave and let it do the trick.

Chocolate fondue goes well with practically almost any fruits! But I decided to use strawberries today, as I wanted to use up the leftover strawberries from friend's birthday cake yesterday. I tried it with marshmallows today and loved it! Never knew marshmallows tasted so nice with dark chocolate!

Here's the birthday cake I made for my friend. Yvonne, hope you liked it! :)