Feels Like A Mexican Day

Went out with Aunty Nene today and I needed something to eat, but it was already past lunch time for Aunty Nene and Dad, so they only wanted ice cream. After looking at all the food available in the food court, I found the menu at Salsas calling to me. The last time I had Mexican food here was on my last trip. So this would be the first for this trip, and apparently the first of the day as well. 

I couldn't really decide what to try and ended up getting a meal with three tacos, Mexicrinkles (crinkle fries with seasoning) and an orange juice, as well as a Esquites (corn in a cup). The Esquites was a cup corn with a thick creamy, topping and a bit of spicy seasoning. It's very different from any cup of corn I've tasted so far, but it is not the best as the corn was a little overdone. The tacos were alright and I went with soft tacos with the Carnitas, Chicken Chipotle and Habanero Steak for my fillings. I wish there was a little more veggies in my tacos, but the flavours are well balanced. Really loved the Habanero Steak, not only because it's spicy, but the red cabbage balanced all the flavours well, and the beef was not over cooked. Least favourite was the Carnitas as the pineapple was a bit overwhelming, but a little lettuce could have cut through the sweetness. 

Later that night, my sister head to Zambrero for some tacos, as well as to get Brendan his favourite burrito. I got to try their beef, chicken and lamb tacos and I'd say that the fresh veggies definitely make a difference. 

Om Nom Nom....

Quiz Night Score

My sister's workplace has an adopted charity and they hold events often to raise funds. Tonight they are holding a quiz night along with a silent auction, a raffle and a coin toss game to help raise funds for Cancer Council. My sis and I bought a set of six raffle tickets and we hoped that we might be able to win something interesting. The night started off with two sets of quizzes, followed by a raffle draw, then another two quizzes and a raffle, then it was a set of quizzes and the live auction. Following that was the coin toss for a bottle of vodka or a bottle of bourbon. The two who won the drinks in the coin toss were rather lucky. They both threw about $4 (two $2 coins) and ended up the closest to their respective bottles. The real winner were actually the charity as there were quite a few people trying, and some even tried a few times only to have their coin picked up. By the end of the toss, the lady seriously needed help holding the coins she was picking up.

The night then continued with another set of quizzes and a raffle. After the first two rounds of the raffle giveaway, I was quite sure all the good stuff had been taken. My sister and I we both called in the final raffle draw, with me getting called first. I went up tot he prize counter and they told me to just grab what I liked. All I saw was wine, wine I was not even sure about. Then I saw the strangest bottle of wine, the one with the Dome label on it, and it was a bottle of sparkling wine. I had such hysterical laughter going on in my head, I just HAD to grab that bottle as my prize. My sister was called just after I returned and she got her prize, which was literally shoved to her by her colleague. Apparently the bag with the spa vouchers was the one that was the "best prize of the lot", but I guess people were just happy with bottle of wine instead. She then realised what I chose and had a good laugh and started telling her colleagues about my past work life. 

The night ends with the last set of quizzes and the announcement of silent auction winners and the overall winners for the quiz. It was a first quiz night for me and it was actually quite fun, and I would not mind doing something like this again. 

Fuel Watch

Dad and I realised, after a week here, that fuel prices differ between area and companies, and the difference can be quite huge. We also noticed that prices go up on Friday, all the way through the weekend. Today was another day that we scouted out for the cheapest fuel on the fuel watch website, and it's usually close to a place we wanted to go. Once in a while you do get a really good deal at one particular pump for some unknown reason and you see the lines that we joined. Most petrol station have a deal that gives a further four cents discount for spending at their supermarkets, so the really low fuel price still gets a further discount. It's no wonder the lines here were so long, we were stuck waiting on the road leading to the petrol station. 

Must Be Something In The Water Here

The must be something about the water in Australia as everything seems to be extra large compared to the things you get in Singapore. We've got oranges that you had to stretch your fingers over to pick up, cauliflower bigger than dad's stomach, watermelons bigger than my thighs and lemons larger than a can of soda. Even green leafy vegetables are much larger than the ones we usually get back home. I'm not complaining though, they all still taste real good. 

Om Nom Nom...

Another Big Score

We made an appointment with Aunty Nene last week to head to the Old Perth Road Markets today. We had a nice walk round but didn't find any thing of interest to us at the time, and I suggested we head on to Canning Vale Markets. Aunty Nene had been to the Canning Vale Markets long ago and remembered it as more of a market with cheap household items, second-hand items and other odds and ends. She was really happy to see that it has expanded to having fresh food and cooked food stalls now set up, and was enjoying the country music being played. I pointed out the stall selling Kaya Balls as she loves that eggy coconut jam, and she immediately jumped the line to get a pack. There was also a stall selling Nasi Lemak and Satay and she managed to bargain down the price of the Nasi Lemak. I guess since it was about time to close, the stall owner also wanted less to bring back and gave in to her offer. 

We then head to the fresh fruit and vegetable stall to get some supplies and saw some nice green tomatoes in the boxes. We managed to get enough and Aunty Nene said she would pay for them and the bag of chillies as she wanted my dad to make her a batch of the green chilli sambal that she has grown to love. While they were paying, I walked around to find some of the items that my sister and Brendan wanted for the week ahead and spotted a bargain. They were offering a box of persimmons for $12. The persimmons didn't look too nice, but they were still firm and we decided to take a chance on them. Either way, we could still make use of them should they not turn out sweet. That was about all we could carry, and we were out of there right after. 

We managed to count out the persimmons and we actually got sixty-two persimmons for $12, and they seemed like they got frostbite, yet they were just at the point of ripening. Just a little warmth and they should be perfect. 

Woot!

Target Spotted

Went out with dad to have a look at fishing spots as my sister and Brendan recuperated from jet lag. We headed to Mosman Park and looked around The Coombe and some spots that Alfred recommended the other night. We spotted the sandbank he talked about and made it our final destination for the day. We got there and found a nice jetty to fish off but spotted something nicer instead - some fat mussels. There we loads of them all over the pylons around the jetty and I wondered how easy they would dislodge. This would be one place to revisit with Brendan and some tools. 

Sweet End To A Day Of Delays

Left the house at about 6.20 am today to head to the airport to pick my sis and Brendan up. They were supposed to land at 6.am and the last I checked at 3 am, the flight was on time. We head on to Mitchell Freeway and were cruising along when suddenly we had to slow down and saw a long line of break lights ahead of us. We were afraid we might get caught in rush-hour traffic, and at first, we thought we were. However, after crawling for about five minutes, the answer finally came on the radio - there was an accident on the first lane. 

With traffic coming in and merging onto a two-lane part of freeway, we were in for quite a crawl. We ended up getting stuck in that jam for about and hour and we were still about fifteen minutes away when we got to our exit. Then it was another crawl and this was the one due to everyone heading to work. 

We ended up reaching the airport at 8 am and I wondered why my sister has not called to grumble about why we were taking so long. We then try to call them both and only got messages telling us that they were both unavailable. Wondering if their phones might be dead due to the long flights, I asked dad to head in and have a look if they might be sitting in there just waiting. Dad came out telling me that their flight had been delayed and that they should be here in about half an hour. 

Finally when they landed, Brendan needed his junk food fix and headed straight to McDonalds to get his coffee and McMuffin. I called out a Hot Cakes as I've never tried it over here. We get back home and I finally get a nice buttery sweet breakfast to end the frustrating day that started with a lack of sleep. 

Om Nom Nom...

Another First For Dad

After yesterday's meal at McDonalds, dad now wanted to give Hungry Jacks a try. Burger King in Singapore is the equivalent and it has better, but not the best, burgers in the Singapore fast food scene. Today, it Hungry Jacks for a late lunch and dad is set on comparing their burgers to McDonalds. I just wanted to try anything new and found it in their Angry Onions and the Quad Stacker Burger. Dad went the regular route of a Whopper with Onion Rings. 

The burgers here are definitely done better than the ones back in Singapore as the beef patties are juicy enough that you can taste the fatty beefy goodness. However compared to the burgers we had yesterday, the cheese here tasted a bit gummy and felt a little gummy. Given that there are a lot of quality cheese producers here, and even the cheapest cheese are really nice, I'd say the cheese Hungry Jacks uses needs to be changed. 

What does not need any changing is their Angry Onions. They are just battered onion pieces tossed with something spicy (most likely chilli powder) seasoning. They taste like the onion rings, with a much gentler bite as it is not crumbed, and with a nice kick at the end. I'd probably come back to Hungry Jacks just for these. 

Om Nom Nom...

Dad's First McDonalds Meal

Dad is not a big fan of fast food, especially since the fast food in Singapore isn't the best and there was always better local food to try in the countries he has travelled to. This trip has been the one where he has been trying a lot of fast food while we are exploring, and do not want to sit down at a cafe waiting for food, or pay too much for a meal we most likely can't finish. 

Today, I was craving for a burger and it so happened that a McDonalds was along the way home. I asked him to give the burgers here a try as they are totally different from the ones we get in Singapore and he finally gave in when he saw something with bacon in it. We tried the Grand Angus, and the Mighty Angus, together with a Crunchy Noodle Chicken Salad. The burgers were great, nice and juicy, and the cheese did not taste too fake. Best thing of all was that the bacon was actually from a pig and not made from turkey or a cow. 

The salad had a bit of a problem right from the start. The counter staff kept asking the kitchen crew to pass it to her, and it took about 4 requests before it happened. Then upon opening it, I find no noodle! I honestly couldn't be bothered to wait through another four hollers from the staff to get the fried noodles and ate it anyway. I think they gave me the Asian soy dressing and it went really well with everything in the bowl that was missing the crunchy noodles. 

Most importantly, dad enjoyed his burger, and actually found the chicken in the salad nice. Guess he finally found something good about McDonalds. 

Om Nom Nom...

New Hotdog Topping

Dad made Sambal Cabe Hijau (Green Chilli Sambal) the other day and Aunty Nene gave us another unique way to use it the other day when she made use some tacos and nachos topped with it. The sambal is widely used in Indonesia, served up as a side dish with the Padang dishes, tossed together with fried meats, or cook seafood with it. It is a slightly tart sambal due to the green tomatoes in it, and the spiciness depends on the green chillies. 

After Aunty Nene's interesting combination with Mexican-style dishes, I decided to try something out with the sausages that we bought at the sausage-making event. Due to the richness from the fat in the sausage, the sambal actually balanced it off with the tartness and made it much easier to eat all in one go. This is way better than mustard and ketchup any day!

Om Nom Nom...

Awesome Light Show

Got back from a long day out exploring with dad to find the weather turning really dark and lightning striking about every 15 seconds. We got to the house and while dad set up the camera, I whipped out my phone and tried to get a few shots. Was lucky enough to get these few lighted shots and they were actually four different strikes within a good amount of photos I randomly took within two minutes. Somehow the phone photos seems to look better than the ones on the camera as they were really far, and the strikes were nearly in total darkness. As it got nearer to the house, the street lights interfered with the strikes and most looked like big flashes of light instead of a nice electric streak. 

Oh Happy Day

I was reading the new on Yahoo when I saw the article pop up right at the top about a Italian Sausage-making event and knew dad would definitely want to visit the event as he is very interested in making his own sausages. It started at 8.30am and the sausage making was to start right at then, but we were lucky enough to still see them churning and tying the links off when we got there around 10am. Dad watched them make the sausage like a hawk, while I went around taking photos and asked questions about getting my hands on some cooked sausage to try. 

After getting a ticket, I told dad to wait for his sausage and bun while I went around getting more photos. Finally, the grill master releases the batch of sausages, and dad has a big smile on his face as he walked up to me. After tasting the sausage, I was sent back in line to pay for a pack of the fresh sausages AND the recipe. After getting the bag of fresh sausages, we realise the other table was just starting their sausage making and we waited a little bit to find out what they were making. In the end, we realised we got the southern recipe, while the next group was making a northern recipe. So back in the line again for another batch of raw sausages. Finally happy with all the sausages, we gave Aunty Nene a call and asked if she would be ready to head out to Midland Farmers Market.

Aunty Nene told us she used to head out to the markets when Shane was still young (almost thirty years ago?) to get her weekly groceries, and was shocked at how small it has become ever since. She told us how it was held in the area which is now housing the small shopping centre and its car park. I showed Aunty Nene the stall I got the nice biscuits from, the same stall I got the cannoli from, and she ended up buying quite a few items. We also got a nice big bag of oranges which were nicely balanced in their acidity and sweetness. Since it was early, we decided to head out to Swan Valley. 

Aunty Nene has not been to the Swan Valley for a long time, and apparently I was the last one to bring her there, and we did the Great Valley Rally. That was about 4 years back, when my sister haven't even bought her current home. It was definitely time for another trip to Swan Valley for Aunty Nene. Dad and I then remembered that we needed to pop into Cape Lavender to get the sugar-free lollies for mom. We had requested for a few bottles when we first arrived in Perth, and they called me a week ago to let me know of the stock and I forgot all about it. Guess the trip to the Swan Valley was a good idea. 

As it was a Sunday, any nice place to eat on the Swan Valley was packed full to the brim, and it was the same for Cape Lavender. It was so full we even had to park on the grass just to go in and get the lollies. Right after, we head out to check out a few places that our Singapore Airlines boarding pass had deals with. We ended up at Mondo Nougat and Morish Nuts as our first stop as we all weren't interested in having a big lunch or try any wines. We then head to Whistler's Chocolate as it was just down the road. 

We then decide to head to get some ice cream at but we ended up stopping midway as there was a temporary market set up in the a car park selling really beautiful fruits and veggies. They were so nice that we got more oranges and mandarins even though we already had a big bag of oranges earlier. Then after turning out, I spotted a sign indicating ice cream being sold about 50 metres away and followed it into a little nook off the road to the ice cream truck. Aunty Nene got excited when she saw the truck as she has not had that kind of ice cream for years and it probably made her feel like a young girl again. 

After our ice cream break, it was time to head back as most places were already starting to close and it was starting to get too cold for Aunty Nene to stay out. 

Looking Around Hillarys

It is the third Saturday of the month and the Hillarys Markets are on but the weather did not look too good for a day at the market. We head there anyway as dad could check out the fishing around the area, and I could get some food. The car park near Sorrento Quay was full and we ended up parking closer to AQWA, right next to a bunch of people fishing off the dock. Dad had a chat with a few of the people there and found out that the area didn't get much good catches, because the greedy pufferfish there just eat your bait before anything can come near. It was fun for two little girls who just wanted to catch something on their hooks, and almost brought up a few only to have the fish let go of the bait to drop back into the water. 

We head on to the market but found only a handful of stores set up, selling mainly hand-made items such as soaps, toys, candles, preserves, bags and beaded stuff. I think the week's bad weather forecast deterred some from setting up shop, and maybe some might have packed up and left already. The items on sale were not on my shopping list, but they did fit in with the atmosphere of the area that sold almost similar items along with beach-related products. 

Dad soon needed his lunch and since we're next to the sea, what better to have than fish and chips. Well dad had fish and chips, while I got a red velvet and a hazelnut chocolate triangle, and iced coffee. I had a bowl of oatmeal before we head out and it was still a lump in my belly, so only my dessert stomach was open to loading anything. Nino's Fish Bar & Cafe always serves huge portions of chips, and even dad couldn't finish his portion today. However, his dessert stomach was also up to load in the halves of cakes I left him. I'd come back here for the fish and chips and iced coffees (which is what I'm doing actually), but the cakes aren't the best in the area. 

We then head over to the breakwater to see if there was anything good fishing spots and instead found some lead weights someone either forgot or discarded. The dark clouds came rolling in just as we were about halfway to the end of the path and everyone was starting to pack up and run. We got a look at the end of the breakwater and walked back to the car right after, reaching it just as the rain came down on us. Overall, dad enjoyed his little trip there and that was most important. 

Dim Sum Treat

Yesterday, Aunty Nene asked us to come over again today as she wanted to go for some Dim Sum, and also because she was getting her "pay". This is the second time we're eating at Silver Seas Chinese Restaurant and since this was planned, dad and I came hungry. 

Aunty Nene started with her favourite item, the fried pork and crab dumpling and the sesame paste stuffed glutinous rice ball that's covered in sesame seeds. Dad had to get his braised chicken claws, congee and soft shell crab. Noodle-bin here had to have fried beef rice noodles and steamed tripe with ginger and spring onion. Then the lady with the desserts walked past and I had to try the egg tarts. 

The dim sum here is quite nice, but the egg tart was rather bland. Plus they actually charged extra for a small saucer of sliced green chilli. If you're in the Morley area, I'd suggest going to this place, but I know I've had better in Western Australia. 

Vadai Deliveries

Dad made Vadai today after Aunty Nene saw the picture of it on Facebook and was commenting that she haven't had it for years. Dad even arranged it nicely so I could take a picture and send it out. I think he's starting to like the attention he gets from my photo posts. 

Anyway, we ended up delivering some to Shane and Karmei, where we stayed for a while chatting to Karmei before she had to leave to get Shane from the train station. We then stayed with Aunty Nene for a while after sending her some. The vadai alone got her chatting about the good old days, telling us all her memories of the dearly departed. She put one down rather quickly and said that was enough for dinner.We then realise it was almost dinner time and head over to Alfred's place to send him some before it got too late. 

We actually thought that six pieces would be enough for him and his children, two pieces each, but it seems that six was not even enough for Alfred alone. We were there chatting about fishing spots and tips, and he already finished four by the time we were heading back. That's four pieces in about two hours, and it was after he had dinner as well. 

In the end dad and I got only one piece each to try, and coming back to find an order all the way from Paris from my sister to make some on the day we pick them up from the airport! 

Hot Topic

Read this article (originally by Ruby Browne) and reposted it on Facebook and it ended up being one of the quickest reposted link, and possibly the most reposted one on my feed. Other than the fact that I do have a lot of friends who are or were in the coffee industry, the real reason is that the article definitely hit every nail on the head. Although the article is written by someone who is basing the ten points on the culture in America, the issues seem like a worldwide problem, or perhaps a problem with people in first-world countries.

Point #5 and #7 are usually by people who try to act like they know everything about coffee as they transition from traditional coffeeshop-style coffee (kopitiam kopi). Kopitiam coffees are definitely cheaper as they firstly use cheaper beans, and they basically leave a giant sock of coffee that is slowly thickening in a pot throughout the day, diluting the coffee with scalding hot water when you order a cup. That's how you get your extra hot coffee at a relatively low price starting from one dollar. However, these set of people go into espresso-based coffee joints and hope they get the same thing but don't realise that even the milk used is different.

Point #10 is obviously something that has gotten worse in recent times. I understand sometimes someone happens to call just as you need to communicate with the counter staff, what I don't understand is why you can't ask the other person to wait for a minute. If you know what you want to order, you would have it down in less than thirty seconds, with only the staff asking for your name. Another way would be to tell the other party that you'll call them back or just let it be a missed call. You are taking a break with coffee, take a break from your phone too.

Point #6 is very common, and even though Starbucks is one of the bigger names, why would you think that Starbucks' drinks menus are copied by everyone. I did have fun when people came in ordering like they would usually do in a Starbucks and I'd just act like they were talking alien. There is a reason why every coffee joint has their own blend, and their own menu of drinks. Other than the standard coffee drinks, specials are suited to the cafe's own signature coffee blend. Even coffee shots are made differently and that is why some people are die-hard fans of only one coffee joint.

These are the few that got me giggling while reading the article, and I bet most of my friends as well. Every repost had a discussion as to which point was the most irritating, and it brought back loads of memories. If I ever get to start a cafe, I'd definitely print this article out really big and stick it on the wall.

Some Really Sweet Juice

As we were looking at the shops near Shane's place the other day, there were huge bottles of grape juice that looked more like wines. Looking at the label, it was actually juice from one of the varieties they made wine from. I decided to buy 2 different varieties and we opened one tonight while having some cheese instead of wine. The juice was really sweet. Sweeter than most juice boxes, but you don't get that sticky scratchy feeling you get when there's processed sugar in a drink. It's easy to realise why most sweet wines use this variety of grape as the base liquid. Now I'm wondering if I can get a sapling of this to grow back home. 

Test Kitchen 15

I was looking through Pinterest on Sunday for some ideas and it was such coincidence that Simon (my sister's ex colleague and really good friend) pinned a recipe for Baked Gnocchi with Bacon, Tomato & Mozzarella. I happen to have a pack of gnocchi and was actually planning to make something with it this week, and the recipe just pushed me to make the dish and try it out as soon as possible. 

The recipe was relatively easy, and I was lucky enough to actually have all the required ingredients in the fridge. After about an hour, the dish was all put together and baked. The bacon gave a salty and smokey flavour that complimented the sweet and tart flavours from the tomatoes. I added a bit more vegetables from the leftover pasta we made earlier, and that added a little more sweetness to the dish. The gnocchi was quite light and fluffy, and I think making it in individual bowls with a bit more cheese and browning it more on top would be really great. 

Om Nom Nom...

Cheap Cherries

Tonight's snack is brought to you by IGA for $9.99 per kilogram. I found it while shopping for ingredients near Shane's place and I couldn't resist getting a big bag of it when the price everywhere else is around $14.99. Had to be careful of the tax department though, they love their cherries too!

Om Nom Nom...

First Cannoli

Dad and I checked out the Midland Farmers Market today as it was one of the few markets that opened long past noon. We were walking around looking at all the items they had to offer and I spotted a small table set up with a few trays of cookies. There was no one manning the table, and I decided to have a look at the rest of the fresh fruit and vegetables first as most of them were already packing up. 

On our way back, I head to the table to get a pack of cookies when the lady asked, rather softly like it was a secret, if I'd like a pack of Cannoli. She said she had a few packs left and proceeded to open a styrofoam box on her left that was hidden under a cloth (very secret stash!), and upon looking at the custard-filled tubes, I just said yes. 

That was one of the best decisions I made today! Crispy fired pastry tubes with smooth custard that was not too sweet, just a perfect pairing with the little sprinkle of icing sugar. 

Om Nom Nom....

He Actually Cooks!

Shane invited us over to his place for dinner as he had been craving his Chilli Chicken and Karmei's Portugese Chicken Rice ever since he was telling us about it the last time we were there. As they didn't want to make the food too early (as everything gets cold real fast in this weather), we got there in time for the 2nd tray casserole of the Portugese rice mix to be popped into the oven, and for Shane to start cooking his Chilli Chicken. It was a simple dish, just chicken chunks cooked in his mom's Sambal Belacan mix, so it was actually close to Sambal Chicken with no onions. 

This would actually be the first time Shane has cooked something for me to try, and make something that was not just popping a bag or box into the oven or microwave. Since we already used Aunty Nene's Sambal before, I knew the dish would be nice, unless he made a real big mess of seasoning. Good thing he did not mess with it too much, and it turned out to be a really simple and lovely dish that went perfect with the baked rice. 

Om Nom Nom...

Perth's Good Food & Wine Show

I had been aiming for Perth's Good Food and Wine Show for a while before I arrive in Austalia and even asked if my sister would have any access to free or discounted tickets. Unfortunately, she no longer works with the national newspaper and thus did not. Lucky for me, I waited quite a bit before buying my entry tickets for dad and myself and managed to get a 1-for-1 promotion, basically paying half-price for our entry tickets. The show already started well with me on that note. 

On the day itself, we got there just about 11am, which was about an hour after their doors opened, and saw a huge line at the entrance. I wondered if it was a line to enter, and was happy to find that it was just people getting last minute tickets to enter, while another was getting their own wine glass. I was wondering why there was a huge amount of people getting wine glasses with a lanyard, and hung them around their necks like it was their pass to enter. I soon found out after entering that they would use them to taste almost every wine on offer (probably more than 300 wines) and basically get quite tipsy, thus hanging it round your neck reduced the risk of losing it. 

The event took up a rather huge amount of space (3 Expo halls), yet it didn't feel too claustrophobic nor did it feel like it was lacking in anything. A third of the floor space was taken up by wineries alone so you can imagine how much wine some people were consuming. I would say for someone who loved drinking wines, the $35 entry fee was actually well worth it. Since I was driving, I kept my tastings to stuff I know I would most likely like, and we used a tiny plastic tasting cup we got from one of the booths. 

Another third of the space was taken up by demonstration kitchens and areas where they held talks. One of these demonstration areas was held by Barilla, which gave a hands-on class to make Italian Sausage and Winter Vegetables with Pasta in a Ricotta Tomato Sauce. Dad had a bite of one of the participant's dish and was raving about how nice it was, that the sauce was not tart and was quite well balanced. I suggested he should go for the class and was not interested until I told him that they gave away goodie bags and the recipe. We were lucky enough to be able to get into the next class which started in about thirty minutes. After getting his pasta on, dad had enough energy to walk and discovery more things without feeling too shy about tasting things. 

We got round to tasting some really great food from all over Australia, as well as some stuff that were produced in Western Australia. There were lovely cured meats by Salumi Australia, Connoisseur new Cuban Mocha ice cream samples, interesting WA Sandalwood nuts, Fremantle marinated sardines, and some really refreshing fruit juice & soda drinks from Nudie. We ended up getting more free stuff, bought some yummy wines, stinky cheeses, and even a pot of sardines. It then got a bit heavy and we got a trolley bag set, which included 2 wine glasses and lanyards, a cooler bag, and a trolley bag (the kind the smart old ladies were using). 

Dad was getting a bit tired, and his back was hurting due to the uneven flooring, and we finished exploring the whole place at the cheese alley. I told him to just have a seat while I had a blast tasting all the cheeses on offer, especially the one not made with cows milk. Grandvewe Cheeses got me going straight to their booth as every cheese was made with Sheep's milk! Moondarra Cheese had some interesting flavoured cheeses, one of which is chocolate hazelnut (this one I plan to taste with Adi). Sadly they didn't have a taster for that, but I took my chances on it, along with three other blocks that I did get to taste. The last booth I was stuck at had some nice buffalo cheese, and that was the last buy at the event. 

Good thing the trolley bag had wheels as it made it so much easier to cart the stuff to the bus stand as we parked at Aunty Nene's place to save on parking. Bigger bonus was getting a free bus ride back to the car!

Leftover Makeovers

Was at an Asian store today and got some inspiration from the lovely fresh herbs they were selling to make todays dinner. It was actually a good opportunity to use up some good leftovers we had sitting in the fridge. Dad made some Assam Pedas Stingray and had about half the batch left. I decided we could just make a simple Assam Laksa using the meat and gravy by just adding a few more ingredients. We got some fresh mint, sliced up some cucumber and birds eye chillies and blanched some rice noodles. I got dad to peel the stingray meat off the cartilage and added a little more water to the thick gravy to lighten it. Then put all the stuff in a bowl, added a dollop of prawn paste (Hei Ko), and had a really good meal. 

Om Nom Nom...

Had To Have Seafood & Chips

Went out today to check out an area close to my sisters home as dad wanted to get some bread rolls for his breakfast. The change in location was because we saw an advertisement on the bench (representing a bus stand) stating that the IGA there had a frequent shopper program. We ended up following signs to the outlet in Kinross and the supermarket was in a small shopping centre. After getting some of the items we needed, dad and I decided to look round the place to check out the food. We decided to have something a D'Eleanor Cafe, and found ourselves deciding on seafood dishes, dad having the fish and chips while I had salt & pepper squid with fries. It was really nice that both were served with some salad that made the whole meal lighter, and even though the portions were slightly smaller than most fish and chip places, it filled us up really well. 

Om Nom Nom...

Mess Makers

We got home after spending a few hours out today and came home to find this mess in the laundry area where the dogs are kept when alone at home. The dotted thing is actually their bed, and all the things scattered about is the stuffing. The bed was already slightly torn and we got the burlap sack to replace the torn bed on the frame, but somehow, they still managed to dig out the bed under the sack and rip it up even more. Quite easy to see which one did quite a bit of chewing. 

After Dinner Snacks

Dad and I got a few wines when we checked out Chittering Valley the other day and decided to have a glass of wine with some pate and the cheese we bought while we were in Fremantle. Couldn't really decide which bottle of wine to start with, so just took a photo of all the ones we got and finally dad decided on the Frisky we got from Western Range Wines. I was never a fan of wines with my food, but I guess I've realised the kind of wines I like, as well as the kinds of cheeses I enjoy. So stinky cheese and sweet wines, a combination I seem to really love. 

Om Nom Nom...

Peppery Soup For The Recovering Soul

I've been rather sick lately and the phlegm and snot just don't seem to want to go away. Other than having chilli and wasabi, which helps clear the sinuses, the other way was hot peppery soup. And since we bought some Yu Tiao, I fried some up to have with a nice hot bowl of Bak Kut Teh. I did it simply with garlic and pork bones, very different from my mom's overloaded version. Sliced up a few bird's eye chillies, drop them in thick dark soy sauce, and that was a perfect meal for the recovering soul int he winter cold. 

Om Nom Nom...

My First Piece Of Truffle

I've been on the look out for interesting things I could do during the winter season in Australia and I have been rather surprised at the amount of food-related events that are being held. Today, we head to the Truffle Festival in Fremantle, which is the second year the area is holding this event. I was hoping to join the Truffle Kerfuffle but that was just too far to travel without a second driver. 

Anyway, this festival was free, and it was tiny, but awesome at the same time. There were cooking demonstrations, free tastings and really interesting ideas for truffle usage on display. The Ipastai people were quite nice, giving me two pieces of their Raviolo al Tartufo to try as I waited for me truffle topped gnocchi to be made. The little taster just instantly made me want to get a big pack of that ravioli and just snack on it! Then came the tasting the lovely stuff from the Great Southern Truffles tent which sent fireworks to my brain. I never really knew what the appeal of truffles were, especially with the light sprinkle of it on "truffle fries", but tasting the truffle butter really got me understanding the true truffle power. What really got me excited was actually the truffle mustard, and of course, being able to purchase a tiny piece of truffle to experiment with. 

I then brought that truffle back and hope that I can train my sister's two dogs to seek them out in the future. Hahaha!

Quick Nasi Lemak

After making the prawn noodles, we had some stock left and I made some fried prawn noodles. There was enough for 5 people and so we brought some to Grandaunty Nene, as well as to my Uncle Shane. In the end, we were stuck at Shane's as the grandmother was stuck spoiling her grandsons. Shane asked if we'd like to stay for dinner but didn't really have any planned, and asked if I could make Nasi Lemak. Good thing we scoped out the Asian store close to their place and knew exactly where to get everything we needed. 

So in about an hour, dinner was ready and it was definitely helped by having the instant bottle of sambal that went perfect with the fried egg, cucumber and baked chicken wings.

Om Nom Nom...

Going Inland

The weather was much better today and I had told dad that I planned to look at an area slightly more inland and a little up north. It was an hour's drive away, but it looked like everything might be clustered quite closely together, therefore making it rather easy to get to everything. We started out in an area called Bindoon, and first visited the Op Shop, as that would be the location of the "Taste of Chittering" event that I plan to visit. The one thing that we love about the area are the unmanned stalls selling oranges and mandarins, and sometimes a few more fruits and vegetables. This area is known for it's citrus fruits and we were definitely there when oranges were ripening as we saw rows and rows of orange-dotted trees along our drive.

Later on we drove to the Chittering area and had a taste of the wines from the few vineyards that were there. Most of them were family-run and the cellar doors were quite small compared to the ones in Swan Valley. Briar even has 2 dogs greeting you when you park, and one of them even gets you to play fetch with him.

We ended our little trip further up north in Gingin, but didn't get to the Gravity Discovery Centre in time. What we did have at West Coast Honey was honey ice cream, which felt like clouds of cold whipped honey just evaporating on your tongue and liquid honey just slides down your throat.

Never Say No To Fish Curry

We still had some rice leftover from the Nasi Briyani we cooked for Aunty Nene and I asked dad if he would be up for making some fish curry. After getting some tips from Alfred about having to ask for fish heads, we head to Drovers yesterday to get some, as well as check out what other free stuff was on offer. This week it was 2 cucumbers per family, perfect to make some raita to go with the rice and curry. 

Dad managed to get a nice fish head, but I was fighting some bug and didn't want to bother with bones or eat with my hand as I didn't want to mix snot with my food (TMI?). So I went on a little hunt and managed to find a nice piece of barramundi for dad to cook. 

As curry is always better a day after, we had the curry this afternoon for lunch. Simple and satisfying, and hopefully the chilli burns the bug to death. 

Om Nom Nom...

Simple Prawn Noodles

I bought some Exmouth prawns while at the Kalamunda markets and finally got down to making a prawn and avocado salad on Saturday afternoon. As I peeled the prawns, I realised that the heads were full of flavour, and didn't want them wasted by just being dumped into the bin. I decided to put the heads and the rest of the shells in a pot of water and got dad to crush it all to get a nice stock. 

Later, I got a few more raw prawns when we were out with Aunty Nene, and some pork bones as well. We added the more prawn shells and heads to the stock, then boiled the pork bones with it, ending up with a nice prawn noodle stock. We didn't bother with getting the proper noodles as my sister wanted us to finish the instant noodles she no longer could eat. 

So instant noodles, topped with our stock, some pork (ribs for dad) and some prawns, and we had a simple Hei Mee for dinner. 

Om Nom Nom....