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Miss Marple's Tea Room, Dandenong Range, Victoria
2008-01-24 14:00:00
I love English Tea! Having it at Miss Marples Tea Room was a treat but Gavin had to drive us about an hour up Mt. Dandenong to Sassafras. We truly appreciate the effort he made and Ai Ling for suggesting the place.The Tudor style house was already quaint in itself and you can see the place is popular because there was a queue for a table. It really was our lucky day because we got a table almost immediately.The tea room is located on a main roadopposite 'Sassy' (Sassafras) Plants.Belgian waffles was David's first choice and it was the special of the day.Miss Marples famous fingers. Open toasted sandwich.Ai Ling ordered the fresh chicken, cheese and asparagus.These were nice especially when eaten hot.Beef Cottage Pie. Gavin likes this.Devonshire scones. Plain ones are my favorite!Topped with whipped cream and home made jam.A perfect mouthful of scones loaded withwhipped cream and a dollop of jam.I had rosehip tea with my scones.
More About: Travel , Dessert , Victoria

George Street Cafe, Melbourne
2008-01-24 13:24:00
Big breakfast to start the weekend was the way to go on that Saturday we were in Melbourne. Ai Ling brought us to George Street Cafe where she says they are famous for the breakfast. It was drizzling a bit that morning but not heavy enough to put a damper on our spirits.The place was full but we were lucky to have someone leave as we walked in. There was a wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee, fresh muffins and cooking. We gave our orders and paid at the counter and service was quick.I now know why they call it a BIG breakfast. Check out the pictures.Ai Ling's french toast looked so inviting that my mushroom omelette looked a bit sad.My omelette was actually very tasty andthere was a chutney that went really well with it.Veneziano coffee is served here - I ordered a flat white.
More About: Travel , Breakfast , Western

Stokers Fine Pancakes, Melbourne
2008-01-24 12:59:00
Stokers Fine Pancakes was a treat after dinner. They serve crepes style pancakes. There are savories and sweets with all sorts of topping but David and I went for the traditional style - golden syrup and ice cream. It was really good.The interior is a bit dim during the night but it makes a very romantic setting and we did notice a few loving couples. It is also popular owing to it's 2am closing time. The kitchen was just a serving counter and a 4 burner stove top where the owner makes the pancakes. Payment is by cash only.We had chocolate with marshmallow to go with our pancake and that was also really good. The heavy dinner and scrumptious dessert with chocolate really made us full and sleepy. Gavin says he feels sleepy every time he eats there because it is quite dark in there. David was the happiest person that night - he loves pancakes and these were really nice - even I couldn't disagree.
More About: Travel , Dessert , Western , Melbourne

Barbarino's + Wong
2008-01-23 07:10:00
We arrived in Sydney about 9.30am quite tired out from the 7 hour flight which flew from the night before. I was hoping to get nasi lemak on the Malaysian Airline flight but instead was rudely woken up at 4am Malaysian time for coffee, muffin and a bagel! Where was the nasi lemak?We weren't staying in Sydney yet because we planned to visit David's sister in Melbourne, Ling in Brisbane and making Sydney our last stop to see David's brother in Sydney before heading home to Malaysia.Our first meal in Australia was actually a sandwich at Terminal 2 of the Sydney Airport while waiting for our Virgin Blue flight.By the time we arrived in Melbourne, caught a taxi to St. Kilda where Ai Ling lives, we were quite tired out. After a shower we fell asleep for a few hours, waking up when Ai Ling came home from work.She and Gavin took us out to Barbarino's + Wong for dinner. It was Barbarino's originally and Wong came later to add an Asian flavor to the menu. Gavin recommended the ribs which...
More About: Travel , Fusion , Western

Travel New Zealand
2008-01-23 03:34:00
The best way to understand a culture is probably through their food and this was the comment left on one of my posts. I definitely agree.I have been traveling quite a bit these past few years and have sampled food from different countries and cities. In New Zealand we had great steaks and lamb dishes. In certain towns where seafood is fresh, we sampled dishes made with the freshest fish, oysters and also prawns.Our visit to New Zealand happened around November of 2005, if I remember correctly and although some years have passed, I can still remember a lot of the meals I had there. I wished I started this food blog then so that I could have recorded all our food experiences. Now I have to recall from memory which is still quite fresh in my mind.New Zealand is a wonderful place to visit for the scenery, fresh air, majestic landscapes and also fresh produce which means great food. Driving is probably the best way to experience the views and the many cities and towns along the way on bo...
More About: Travel

Foodie Footie
2008-01-23 02:37:00
We had a great time in Melbourne although it was a short trip but in those few days, David's sister, Ai Ling managed to take us to a few of their favorite eating haunts which we truly enjoyed. We also managed to meet up with old friends who also showed us some of their favorite eating places.We are now in Brisbane and will be here for about 2 weeks. I have internet connection at my friend's home so I hope to be able to post all my foodie exploits in Melbourne very soon.
More About: Travel

Pictures of Char Siu
2008-01-11 09:29:00
I am testing out posting via gmail and trying to upload some photos.These are the pictures of the char siu marinating and after grilling.Definitely doesn't look like char siu nor tastes like it.I heard from a friend that the Lee Kum Kee Char Siu sauce is great - I should just use it the next time I attempt this.
More About: Pictures , Chinese

A Short Hiatus
2008-01-11 09:10:00
Blogger has been slow this week and I am having problems uploading my photos. I can't access my facebook as well and I am wondering if it isn't The Great Firewall of China extending its reaches. I sincerely hope that it isn't and it is only a temporary thing or else it will spell the end of this blog! I am just happy that this post made it via gmail :) I am going back to Malaysia this Sunday and will not have consistent internet connection so expect less posts in the next month or so. I will of course have loads of food posts and pictures as we always fill up on the food we've missed. I shall endeavor to post as often as I can. After a few days in Kuala Lumpur we will head to Australia. It is summer there and I can't wait to enjoy blue skies and check out the beaches. It should be fun visiting family and friends and also savoring food in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. So expect some posts about our food exploits down under.
More About: Hiatus , Short

Char Siu
2008-01-09 09:45:00
I am attempting to make Char Siu using my AMC pot. It was Mom's suggestion and I had the recipe. This came about because I was singing praises about the AMC cookware to Mom over the phone and Mom says that pot can be used to roast char siu!Mom gave us a whole set of the cookware when we moved into our new home. I wasn't exactly pleased at first because I thought she overspent and gave me something which I won't use often! Now I realize her wisdom and thank her very much for it. Even though I don't have the whole set with me - I only managed to bring 1 pot over from Malaysia but it has served us well. I think I'm going to attempt bringing another sized pot over when I go back this weekend.I got the this recipe off the internet. I don't create any of my own! The only thing I do is to improvise especially when I lack a certain ingredient.Recipe:1 1/3 lb. (21 oz.) pork roast. Tie roast with butchers twine into a 2-3 inch width roll. Marinate for 4-5 hours in sauce (see below). Dra...
More About: Chinese

Vipa, Shanghai
2008-01-06 17:47:00
Shopping at Hongqiao Crafts Market inevitably means that we walk across the street to the Hong Mei Entertainment Street to grab a bite. It is a long stretch of restaurants, cafes and bars. We ate at Amy's Restaurant twice already so we looked for something different. I was all set to eat Chinese because our friends who were visiting from Malaysia would probably enjoy that more than to try Western food in Shanghai . Walking along we couldn't really decide until David said he wanted to eat Western - more specifically he spotted a restaurant that has pancakes for dessert and that was what got his attention.So we trooped back to Vipa Restaurant since we had walked past it and it was deserted that New Year's eve afternoon. The menu was pretty extensive but we were all attracted to the set menus which was a reasonable RMB68. There were 4 choices and in the end the 4 of us selected one of each.While waiting for the food, we flipped through some entertainment magazines and one of it had a...
More About: Travel , Restaurants , Cakes

Hot Pot King, Shanghai
2007-12-27 10:05:00
We had it all planned - which restaurants to take David's sister and her boyfriend so that they get to savor all the food offerings in Shanghai . One of it is hot pot and it is perfect for winter. You will know a hot pot restaurant when you see steamed up windows. Hot Pot King was no different.It was also a perfect place to eat that day because it was close to 9.30pm when we were looking for a place to eat and Hot Pot King closes at 2am. We were having dinner so late because we had a late lunch and also took our guests on a river cruise on the Huangpu River.We chose the yinyang soup - one side clear and one side, spicy tom yum and a selection of fresh fish, meat and prawn balls, tofu, vegetables, mushroom and thin slices of beef. There were so many sauces you could choose as condiment but I especially like the peanut based sweet sauces to go with my cooked food.The beef was delicious and so were the rest of the food. I prefer the spicy soup which gave the meats more taste.We also sp...
More About: Travel , Chinese , Thai

Din Tai Fung @ Xintiandi, Shanghai
2007-12-27 08:48:00
People say that the best Xiaolong Bao ( ???) in Shanghai is served at Din Tai Fung and I must agree. Freshly made and steamed to perfection. The dumpling skin is soft and thin while the meat is tender and very juicy - when the dumpling is steamed, the juice is like soup inside the skin.Din Tai Fung also serves up great food. I've yet to be disappointed and I've visited the branch at the Paragon in Singapore and 2 branches in Shanghai - Hongqiao and Xintiandi. It has restaurants around the world and was voted top 10 restaurants by the New York Times in 1993. I must say that I was impressed with the service at the Xintiandi branch. The waitresses are very attentive and anticipate your needs even before you ask. Your tea cup is constantly topped up and your are kept abreast of your orders.But as with many good restaurants, you have to be prepared to wait to get a table especially if you do not have reservations. We really didn't mind and we ate there twice this trip!Sweet beancurd w...

Pankoo, Shanghai
2007-12-27 08:01:00
The queue outside the restaurantWe decided to try Korean food at the Raffles in Shanghai . We've seen the queue at this restaurant before but as we were early there on Saturday, we got our table pretty fast. The line started growing as we ate and by the time we left, it was quite a crowd outside the restaurant.Every table has it's own stove and once you are seated, waiters will put a bowl of hot burning coals on yours and a hot plate over that as your grill. We ordered a mushroom and beef soup dish which didn't require the hot plate but I noticed that for the other customers who ordered the meats for grilling, the hot plates were changed quite often so that you don't end up with burnt bits on your food.The grill is most popular - everyone was grilling something so we regret not ordering some! Our soup was very nice though - the beef very thinly sliced and the stock was very tasty. We ordered 2 different types of rice dish to go with the beef. It was a nice lunch but I would like ...

Winter Festival
2007-12-21 15:22:00
Christmas decorations at Howard JohnsonThis weekend is supposed to be Winter Festival in China and families get together and feast. We feasted as well - Western buffet style!An invitation from David's business partner is very much welcomed - more so because of this festival. It is meaningful to celebrate together. They are the closest we have to family here in China.We've eaten a buffet dinner at the Howard Johnson Hotel in Ningbo and it wasn't too bad. A good selection of fresh seafood and a nice grill variety. So we made our way to the restaurant at the hotel. Upon arriving we felt something amiss. There was no crowd and the place was empty! The waitress realizing we were there for the buffet pointed out to us that there is a new wing where the Riviera restaurant is - it is newly opened. We were directed towards the outside into another building. And wow! It was a huge restaurant.We were led deep into the place to a private area near where a band was performing. A nice table wa...
More About: Travel , Buffet

Le Temps d'un Gateau, Ningbo
2007-12-18 10:33:00
A French Cafe in Ningbo ! We were so excited when Julie told us about this cafe and couldn't wait to try it out. I really wanted to eat dessert there for my birthday but the cafe closes at 8pm which is too early.Today, David did not go to work - he had to stay in the city to meet a client in the afternoon so we had an opportunity to go have lunch there. It is only a short walk from our place.Since it was a weekday, we were the only customers. Well, there was a local Chinese customer who came in and had a quiche and left after 15 mins.There is no menu but a selection of freshly made sweets and savories laid out for you to choose from. The offering for the day for the savories were a Quiche Lorraine and Ham and Cheese muffins. And there was Chocolate Cake, Apple Pie, Chocolate and Banana Crumble and Pear Cake. I guess it is nice to be surprised when you visit the cafe but sometimes, I might just want to eat something I like and have a craving for but I guess I could just call to find ...
More About: Dessert , Pastry , Temp

Ajisen Ramen, Shanghai
2007-12-16 08:49:00
This Japanese fast food chain is one of our favorite places to grab a quick bite. The noodles are consistently good at every outlet and the menu is extensive enough to give you a good choice. We tried the spicy Szechuan beef fried rice for an early dinner before we headed to the train station to catch our train back to Ningbo.The restaurant is always packed and you have to share tables. We had to wait quite a while - I think noodles are always the quickest to serve.Our fried rice was worth the wait! It was really good - a 4 chili rating that made our scalp sweat! We felt so warm that we didn't even wear our winter coats when we got outside! For a while anyway :)What makes a good fried rice is if the rice is all loose and fluffy and the grains firm. This one was littered with lots of tender beef pieces and a preserved bamboo shoots. We literally suffered through out meal - sweating and feeling the raw pain in our mouths. But it was worth it!
More About: Travel , Fast Food , Shanghai

Bakerzin, Shanghai
2007-12-16 08:19:00
Mango Passion freeze.Mango sorbet float and Sprite.A very refreshing drinkDavid ordered a curry linguine.He said it was really good - he actually cleaned his bowl.I had the spaghetti aglio olio with a spicy twist.I had it plain but you can choose to add ham, mushrooms or prawns at extra cost.It was done to perfection and the garlic was browned just nice.It was so spicy but I enjoyed it throughly.Not to be missed - dessert at Baker zin!This is Coeur Noir
More About: Shanghai , Dessert , Italian

Food Indulgence
2007-12-16 06:48:00
One of the things we love about Shanghai is the food - actually the foreign food! We have been indulging in good food more often here in China than we normally do if we were back in Malaysia. I guess it is because everything is new and we have to try them at least once!My Starwood Privilege card will expire in January 2008 so we decided to make good use of it. We went to The Westin as it is a participating hotel. When 2 of us eat, it is 50% discount on the food. Actually the cardholder eats for free.We didn't check out the promotions at the food outlets but headed straight for the buffet at the coffee house. We didn't notice that it was a hairy crab buffet dinner and it costs a bit! Thank goodness we had the discount!The locals were going for it with so much gusto! We weren't quite fast enough - every tray of crab that was replaced disappeared so fast. I managed to savor the hot ginger tea which is meant to counter the 'cooling' effects of eating hairy crab. It made your body v...
More About: Travel , Food , Dessert , Seafood , Western

A Birthday Celebration
2007-12-13 13:40:00
We've eaten at Ciao Italia before and like the food. For my birthday yesterday, David suggested we head there for dinner.We've only once eaten a full course Italian meal. It was in Milan and I can still remember being so stuffed and if I didn't have the grappa to help with the digestion, I would have thrown up in the car which was going at least 160km/h.Our usual Italian meal would be maybe a starter to share, our own pasta or pizza and a dessert to share. That is all we can manage. I don't even know how David could have polished off the entire pizza all by himself!As it was a special night, we ordered wine. The house white and red were quite good. They were definitely better than the cheap wines we've been buying from Auchan!David likes red and I always order a white.Red is too acidic for me!The complimentary bread and breadsticks were nice with a home made dip of parsley and garlic in olive oil. It was very pungent. If we remembered that they served bread we wouldn't have or...
More About: Celebration , Birthday

Home Cooking
2007-12-13 13:01:00
I haven't blogged much about my home cooking, not because I haven't been cooking, just that they don't seem to be worth a post.I've been more interested to post about new restaurants and new dishes I've tried at old eating haunts. Here's a short write up of some new things I've cooked these few weeks.I posted about getting a thermostat controlled oven. Since then we've only used it to toast our bread and make open faced toasted cheese bread. And we use it to keep food warm too.Well I've finally done a roast chicken, grilled fish and roast pork chops. I guess it is a simple recipe of seasoning meat for a few hours before and slowly roasting or grilling it in the oven.My roast chicken was tender and juicy.I watched over it like a hawk, turning it so many times as it was cooking.I really can't remember what I seasoned it with!Roast pork chops.Seasoned with 5 spice powder, pepper and salt -very Asian taste.Blanched Choy Sum with browned garlic and oyster sauce.Braised chicken ...
More About: Cooking , Home

Feast Modern Restaurant, Ningbo
2007-12-09 03:23:00
The exterior was very well lit with soft lights.I like the red painted wooden doors.We don't often get to fine dine in China but on the occasions we do, they have been great experiences.For one thing, the food is always a delight and the interior decorating something I'd rave about. They really don't spare any expense to create the atmosphere needed for a fine dining experience. From the upholstery, to the lighting, to the tableware and smaller decorative items, the more exclusive Chinese restaurants are really something.We were treated to dinner yesterday at Feast Modern Restaurant near the Yuyao river. We've driven past the restaurant during the day and it didn't look as impressive as it did that night, when the lights illuminated the 200 year old Qing dynasty house.Opulent is the probably the best way to describe the interior. Old Chinese homes center around an open air courtyard surrounded by the main living room which faces the main entrance and smaller rooms with doors fa...
More About: Restaurants

Honeymoon Dessert, Shanghai
2007-12-04 09:26:00
Tired and looking for a place to rest before heading to the train station, we decided to head towards Shanghai Times Square. There we found Honeymoon Dessert , a Cantonese dessert place.Black sesame and walnut pasteDurian dessertI had a black sesame and walnut paste soup and David decided that he wanted to eat a durian dessert! My paste soup was served cold and it is a refreshing change to the usual hot offering. I enjoyed it very much. The presentation could have been better - I once had it served to look like the yin and yang logo. This one looked like a botched job.
More About: Travel , Chinese

Dumplings
2007-12-04 09:23:00
Simple, satifsying, cheap and delicious!A bowl of freshly made dumplings for lunch in a small eateryin the area where the shoe wholesalers were.
More About: Chinese

TGIF, Shanghai
2007-12-04 08:54:00
To most, TGIF means Thank God It's Friday or the restaurant. To me, it is Today, God is First. So it was church first, then dinner at TGIF!Service ended about 6pm and the temperature dropped drastically. There was a strong wind blowing and to consider going anywhere else was crazy. We did consider Papa John's but we didn't think the picture of the pizza looked appetizing. So we headed to TGIF to get out of the cold quickly.We are familiar with the TGIF offering as back in Malaysia we would go there for some Tex-Mex fare and some of the great starters. In Shanghai , we found the food prices very expensive. And you don't get free refills for sodas or juice like in Malaysia.It was actually too early for dinner for us - we haven't yet acclimatized to the local dinner time of 5.30pm so we decided to share a few things instead of having individual mains.Battered and friend mushrooms are our favorite but the one served was awful. There was a pool of oil at the bottom of the plate and t...
More About: Travel , Restaurants , Dessert , Western

Grandma's Kitchen, Hangzhou
2007-11-27 08:05:00
We just had to eat here again! It is that good!On a friend's recommendation, we ordered the chicken roasted with green tea and that dish itself made that 1 hour wait worthwhile. It was a whole chicken and roasted. It was cooked so well that the meat was tender and it came apart on touch and the juices were so flavorful.Roast chicken with green tea leaves.This is something I'd crave for!The tofu and vege dish we had were also good. We ordered about 8 pieces of glutinous rice cakes which we ate last week. The waiter raised his eyebrows at that until we explained that we wanted to take that away!Tofu with a sweet and spicy sauce.And eggplant with long beans for our vege dish.We hope Grandma's Kitchen will expand and come to Ningbo or else we'd have to drive 2 hours to eat there!
More About: Travel , Restaurants , Chinese , Hangzhou

Maya Cafe, Ningbo
2007-11-27 07:54:00
I was expecting a Chinese coffee house because of the Western deco but a survey of the menu shows that it is a Chinese restaurant.I am not really a fan of pork but I have to say that Grandma's Roast Pork was delicious and sinful with its layer of fat. Sweet sauce covered the whole dish and when eaten with rice, is very appetizing. I left the layer of fat alone - not wanting it to clog my arteries and make its way to my tummy! The silken tofu dish with pine nuts will also become my favorite. To round up, we had stir fried asparagus.I had almost 2 bowls of rice for lunch. I guess the carbohydrates were necessary since we did a lot of walking that morning - exploring the little boutiques around that area.
More About: Travel , Cafe , Maya , Ningbo

Health Concerns
2007-11-19 08:03:00
When I was about 10, my best friend Michelle's sister who was only 10 years older, said that when you pass a certain age, everything you eat goes to your hips. Really? Well I was only 10 and now I believe it is happening to me.Shopping after stuffing ourselves at Grandma's Kitchen is terrible. I felt as if all the dumplings went straight to my behind! And I was trying on skinny jeans! Of course, I also have to realize that I am no longer in my 20's and skinny jeans don't really look that cool when I am already in my mid 30's!! Anyway....Since this blog is all about food, I'd like to talk about weight gain and healthy eating habits.I have the smallest frame in my family and so far blessed with a higher metabolic rate than some hence I am able to burn off calories faster. I also take after my dad who is pretty small in size. I believe that genetics play a part to determine your body shape so for some, no matter how much you eat, it doesn't affect your weight while for some, it ...
More About: Health , Concerns , Heal

Grandma's Kitchen, Hangzhou
2007-11-19 06:16:00
I always look forward to trying out a new restaurant. More so while we are in China. Every meal is an awakening! At least before it gets familiar. And once in a while you find a gem of a eatery - one that you'd want to keep going back again and again.We traveled to Hangzhou for the day with our friend, Julie who is a fan of Grandma's Kitchen . We now know why! The food was good, very reasonably priced and very generous in its servings.It was 1.30pm when we walked in and the place was still packed and there was a queue. I would have thought it would be clear because most Chinese eat lunch around 11.30am. I guess the restaurant's popularity and the fact that it was a Sunday made it crowded. We took a number and waited. We got a table after 15mins but we ended up sharing a table with another family because we were hungry and not willing to wait anymore for our own table. It wasn't ackward to share the table - in fact it was good! We were staring at all the dishes this family ordered...
More About: Travel , Restaurants

Hairy Crab
2007-11-17 09:32:00
One whole hairy crab to myself.Steamed and eaten dipped in black vinegar sauce - Yum!Authentic Yang Cheng Lake crab - proof of origin by the plastic ring tagged on the crab itself.
More About: Travel , Chinese , Seafood , Crab , Hairy

Cooking Shows
2007-11-12 07:53:00
A food blogger and cook actually went on to have her own TV show. It is a success story which is the envy of all other bloggers! She not only writes well but her cooking is good enough to land her a TV show! I wished we had the channel subscription to her TV show. But then I'd want to enjoy the show on a Toshiba 65 include LCD so that I can see the diminutive cook, creating her Asian specialties.I also enjoy Nigella's Bites. Nigella makes cooking or baking such a breeze. I especially enjoy the part where she savoring her own cooking. The lip smacking sounds and the look on her face makes you drool too! Watching it on a huge flat screen TV would make it all the more appealing, don't you think?This is a sponsored post
More About: Cooking , Cookin