Sunday, August 31, 2014

Test Kitchen 16

Found a recipe for burger buns that had as little carbs in it as possible and decided to test the recipe. I decided to use the microwave method and had two buns done within 5 minutes. I asked my sister if she would like a cheeseburger and she asked for it to taste like the cheeseburgers sold by McDonald's. 

I decided to make her a bacon-infused burger patty, which was covered with cheese. The bottom bun had the ketchup and onion mix put on, layered with pickles, then had the patty placed on top. Just added a bit more ketchup and a pickle on top for colour. The bun did well holding up to the sauces and pickles too! This recipe is definitely a keeper. 

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Curry Night

Jackie, my sister's current best friend, just started renting a new house and decided to have a little get together with some friends. She made it a potluck curry night and we all brought a little something to add to the final buffet. There was pork vindaloo, chicken korma, chickpea and vegetable curry, tandoori chicken, saffron rice, and eventually some naan and papadum. I don't know about the rest, but I enjoyed every bit with my fingers and would have probably gotten seconds if I didn't drink so much beer. 

Om Nom Nom...

Friday, August 29, 2014

Ate So Much

My sister and Brendan got their new car today and after all the paperwork was done, my sister and I left to meet up with girls from the group she exercises with. We had about two hours before meeting up with them and we both thought we might have dinner before meeting up as most bars do not have food that catered to my sisters diet. 

While I drove, she found a nice Italian restaurant just around the corner from the later meeting spot. It seems to be quite popular on urbanspoon and I think my sister was craving some pasta. So we head to  Pasta on the Terrace for a rather early dinner (or lunch for me). There were so many pastas I wanted to try and the chilli mussels sounded really good too. Good thing was that they allowed us to choose the kid's portions for both our pastas (Puttanesca for her, Aglio Olio Pepperoncino for me) and we could share the bowl of mussels. We even got a pecan pie to share in the end, but it was too sweet for either of us to finish. 

Once we were done, it was time to mer tup with the girls and also get into a sheltered carpark as the rain was getting quite heavy. We got to Soda Sunlounge and I surprised my sister by actually knowing the place better than her. The girls soon arrive and after a few drinks and a lot of laughs, we managed to get an order of food in. As we already had quite a big amount to eat less than four hours ago, we opted to snack on the duck tacos and snapper and spinach nuggets. Then after a lot more laughing, we ordered some dessert and I decided to try their churros. It was a really good choice, and I was glad that it satisfied my churro craving, but it was just too much to finish. Once again, I had to leave some dessert on the plate. 

Om Nom Nom.... BURP!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

The Perfect Egg

I boiled some eggs for my sister's lunch and after peeling them, found them to be boiled just right to make Ajitsuke Tamago, the marinated eggs we usually find in Japanese ramen. I managed to peel one without any damage, and decided to try making a marinated egg. Since it was not planned, I did not have all the ingredients required for the marinade. I decided to use Bovril (the kind made from actual beef) instead.So after getting a nice thick mug of Bovril, I let the egg have a nice warm soak in it for almost a day. 

Got hungry and decided to make ramen to go with my egg. I had the biggest smile on my face when I saw the yolk flowing out after I cut it in half. The only thing better was eating the lovely, Bovril-marinated egg. 

Om Nom Nom...

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Some Deer For Dinner

After getting extra supplies during our trip down to Margaret River, my sister had defrosted some venison mince and we needed to make use of it before it went bad. I was not very sure about what to do with it, and decided that pasta would probably be a good mix. Since deer meat does not have much fat, I had to add some in, and bacon was a tasty option. Other than adding bacon for some fatty goodness, it was a quick and easy meal to put together using tinned tomatoes, garlic, onion, baby spinach and a little red wine. 

Om Nom Nom...

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Giant Bindoon Bangers

One of the best things we got from the Taste of Chittering event the other day was some sausages from Bindoon Fresh Meats. They were offering samples of their meats and it obviously helped their sales as it was quite hard to place my order for their Bindoon Bangers, and Chicken Parmigiana sausages. 

Brendan and Dad decided to have Bangers and Mash for dinner and cooked up all five Bindoon Bangers. They ate three among themselves and it was good that my sister and I actually had one each for ourselves. I decided to make another pancake and sausage lunch for my sister and decided to have the leftovers for myself. 

Om Nom Nom...

Monday, August 25, 2014

Dry Prawn Noodles

I really enjoy the prawns I am getting here, and they are a very convenient ingredient to cook whenever a quick meal is needed. Today my sister wanted some prawn noodles again, but I didn't have any more of the stock left from my last batch. Oddly enough, I bought some minced pork today and it paired nicely with the whole dish. Just by using oil flavoured by frying some prawn heads, the noodle dish was quickly put together and finished as well.

Om Nom Nom...

Sunday, August 24, 2014

My Taste Of Chittering

During our first trip to Bindoon, we found out about an event called the Taste of Chittering, that was to be held today. I was not sure if I read the information wrong then, but the location was different than I first thought, but we still found it anyway. We made arrangements to meet with Alfred and his family, and ended up car pooling as my sister needed the car for the day. 

The event was smaller than I expected, but it was still bigger than some farmers' markets we've been to. The event had a citrus theme to it, and there were quite a few people dressing themselves, as well as their stall, in citrusy colours. Strangely enough, I did not find much citrus-laced food and drinks other than freshly squeezed juices, or fresh cut fruit. In the end, we got quite a few non-citrus items, and only bought a bag of sweet red oranges and a bag mandarins for our citrus haul.

After getting my fill of what Chittering had to offer from the stalls, I found some prawn tacos to eat, and shared two drinks with dad. One was a Orange and Tangelo juice, while the other was an Orange Juice mixed with sparkling water. The drink were quite tart, but it went really well with the creamy dressing in the tacos. 

Om Nom Nom...

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Feasting At Nando's

We had to get a bit of shopping done today and decided to have lunch at Nando's to start the day. They had a similar menu to the Nando's in Singapore, but I still could not decide what to share. In the end, we got a whole chicken, some ribs, corn, chips, coleslaw and the Portuguese rolls. 

While waiting for our food, the Nando's mascot came out, greeting diners with a high-five, and gave out some discounts for our next meal. It then headed out with some testers to tempt people but seemed more happy just to pose for all the photos diners wanted to take. 

Our food arrived just after the mascot left and it tasted exactly like what we get in Singapore. The only thing that was new was the ribs, which looked like pork ribs, but were actually the part close to the wings that had a long flat bone through it. It was very easy to eat and would be good for children who might not like the skin on chicken wings. It was also the first time I was tasting the corn with the garlic and herb dressing, and I think I now know exactly what I will order on my next visit.

Om Nom Nom...

Friday, August 22, 2014

Sushi WAWA

My sister wanted to shop at Ikea today and decided to have dinner at Sushi WAWA, that currently has Perth's longest sushi conveyor belt. The place did not really look crowded, yet it was almost to full capacity when we entered. Seating was definitely well-spaced, and really good for someone with a big butt like me. 

Most of the food was very nicely presented. There was a stray sushi or two that looked like they went on a white-water rafting trip on the conveyor. However, after my first bite of some dishes, I did not care if the topping or rice was falling apart as it slowly moved past me. I just took, and popped the little bites into my mouth. 

The sashimi plate was really good, and probably one of the best I've had in Western Australia (W.A.). I absolutely loved how sweet the scallop was, yet still holding on to the light saltiness from the sea, as it just melted on my tongue. I also tried the Tas Lox roll, which had beetroot and cream cheese in the roll, topped with smoked salmon. It was different, and I would probably go there just to have that again, even though I took two plates of that that evening. 

I would say this is currently my favourite place in W.A. for sushi.

Om Nom Nom... 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Roast Pork And The Works

I wanted to have roast pork, and asked my sister to make some for dinner tonight. It was also partly an excuse to use up some expiring cream cheese, salad dressing I made a while back, as well as use some potatoes before they started sprouting. Since Brendan did enjoy the potato salad I made for the lunch at Alfred's the other day, I decided to make a batch of that with all the leftovers.

The salad was made with some little radishes we got while shopping for the roll of pork. Together with baby spinach, rocket, raisins, walnuts, chopped apples, and a mint, coriander and orange dressing, the salad was quickly tossed together to add a refreshing side to the roast dinner. 

Om Nom Nom...

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Trying My Luck

Dad has been buying the lottery tickets throughout the whole trip and I finally took a look at what else is on offer. Two scratch-and-win cards caught my eye and I decided to try them out just for the fun of it. These cards caught my eye because they were based on games that I have played before. 

Well just like most of dad's lottery tickets, you win with some and you lose with some. These were the same and I won on the Space Invaders card, while I was not so lucky with Monopoly. 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Sale Done

My sister decided to clean out her sewing room so that she could have a room that was more presentable for any guests. She found a bag that Aunty Nene gave us during my trip here in May last year. She asked me if I wanted the items in it, then I reminded her that Brendan said he wanted the waffle maker. I also told her that she wanted the bowl and coffee-making set in the bag. Well after more than a year in storage, she decided she didn't want them any more and I said I'll try to sell them on Gumtree. 

On the day we left for Margaret River, I was contacted by someone with interest to buy the coffee plunger and cups. In the end, we managed confirm a meet today to get the sale done. My sister and Brendan were actually shocked anyone wanted the set, but they were obviously happy that it was sold and out of the house. There still is a book and a bowl for sale if anyone is interested. 

My first Gumtree sale! Woo Hoo! 


Monday, August 18, 2014

Prawn Or Pork Rib Noodles

There is something about the waters around here that make the prawns really good for broths. The natural salinity in them and possibly the prawns' diets give off really good flavour when boiled. Just add a little pork bones and fried onions and you would get a really rich soup that is perfect for prawn noodles. The soup is also the base for dome really good Fried Prawn Noodles. 

Today, we decided to have the soup version for dinner. My sister wanted only prawns in her bowl, and while she was eating it, Brendan decided he wanted a bowl with the pork instead. He couldn't resist robbing a rib as he walked pass and realised it was really nice. So after tasting my sister's noodles, he decided to have a bowl of pork rib noodles. 

One stock, so many variations. 

Om Nom Nom....

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Last Day Of Firsts

It was the last day we were down in the Margaret River region and we visited a few more places on our way back. We started out by having breakfast at Morries and that was where I tried my first Kombucha. It was served in a small glass with a slice of lime and a slice ginger on the side. I was not sure how to drink it as all I know about it was that it is a fermented tea. Sipping the tea, I was surprised that it did not taste like a vinegar, and tasted more like a light lemon green tea. I then decide to add both lime and ginger to it, giving it a rather subtle kick to the drink. I would say it was a really nice first experience for a weird sounding drink. 

We then head out to Colonial Brewery to get some wings that was a special order from Jackie but found that we were thirty minutes too early. We ended up heading down the road to 34 Degrees South Olive Oil to have a look and bide our time. After tasting some really yummy olive oils and marinated olives, we head out to car park that had quite a few animals doing their daily thing. The area surrounding had some chickens walking around, was patrolled by a little grumpy dog, and had two alpacas behind a wire fence that did not seem like it would work to prevent them jumping over. One of the alpacas was a little more curious and took a little sniff of us while we were taking photos, while the other was more interested in chewing grass. This brown alpaca had a really warm nose and sniffed my whole arm, and good thing it did not decide to have a taste. It also was really happy to pose for close up photos, which then got the other one to get up and pose for a few as well. This was a first for really friendly alpacas, and getting sniffed by one. 

After getting the awesome chicken wings from Colonial, we were heading towards Millers Ice Cream when we spotted a group of mailboxes at the junction. The other mailboxes looked quite nice and rustic, but the one at the end really caught our eyes. It was the most unique mailbox we have seen while driving around, and definitely a good recycling effort as well. The microwave oven mailbox was not only good as a big mailbox, with an easy door to open, it would also keep the rain out. Definitely the first recycled microwave oven mailbox I have seen, and it really made all of us laugh too much. 

After visits to a few more places along the route home, we finally stopped at Clancy's Fish Pub to have a late lunch before continuing on the long ride home. As I head up to order and pay for our food, I saw a few jars on the counter which got me salivating for some odd reason. I then spot what look like pickled eggs and ordered one after confirming that it was indeed pickled eggs. The pickled onions and dill pickled in the other jars did look tasty, but I just wasn't interested in them. The egg was served to the table before I got back and my dad and sister were already staring at it as if it was some alien/ Then their faces turned more horrified when I took the first bite, and my sis was quick to decline my offer for them to have a try. Dad had a few seconds to think before he declined, but I think he would have enjoyed it too much if he did take a bite. It tasted like a slightly more tart version of an egg that was cooked in the Vinegared Pork Trotter dish that is served to mums during their confinement periods. Surprisingly, the egg was set like the marinated eggs in ramens, still gooey yolk within the solid firm white. I would say it was a really nice first pickled egg when I was thinking of getting a second one but had to hold back as I had more food coming my way. 

What a way to finish the trip down south. 

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Picking Our Own Fruit

While searching for things to do in Margaret River (no wines or caves again), I managed to find that there was a place called Wonky Windmill Farm that offered fruit picking as one of the activities. Since I do not like strawberries, picking them was never high on my list. However, at Wonky Windmill, the season was right for oranges, lemons, mandarins and a hybrid fruit called the Lemonade fruit. Since I have never known about the fruit, picking it myself was a big bonus to my first fruit picking experience here. 

We drove up to the farm and the signs tell you to follow the path from the car park, which leads to the main shop and cafe. Along the way, we were greeted by a rather hoarse and gravelly baa-ing sheep, and some inquisitive cows. Once in the store, dad and I paid for our fruit picking tour and headed in with our guide (think it was Bev) while my sister decided to go hunt for something she wanted online. It was a short walk past the car park and their family home, picking up a nosey little dog along the way. 

Bev started us out with some lemons, but my sis had a few at home and we decided to take a few that looked rather odd for souvenirs, as well as to get some photos. Next was the lemonade fruit, which looked a little like rotten lemons but that is the way they look when ripe. She started to tempt us by cutting into one and let us have a taste of the juicy lemonade-flavoured fruit. It felt like I was eating a  sweet pomelo with a lemon scent. Bev then continued by advising us on how the ripe fruits should feel and look like, and how to pick them properly without damaging the trees. 

After we got lemonades, we head on to the mandarins, which were slightly tart and I did not want too many of them as we already had sweet ones at home. However, when it came to the orange, I took a few more than I initially wanted to as it was so sweet and juicy. We still had a few oranges from our last trip to Midlands market, but after tasting the orange from the tree, I wanted a few more. Well, I need the vitamin C to keep the flu away anyway. 

Their dog then came in right as we had picked enough and head back to weigh our pickings. Now I need to find a good way to the keep the lemonade fruit for the trip back to Singapore. 

Friday, August 15, 2014

First Night In Margaret River

Dad, sis and I left on a five-hour drive down to Margaret River this afternoon with a box of prawn vadai, pork patties and lots of water. By the time we got a few supplies for the weekend, then finding the Beach Barnacle (our accommodation for the next two nights), we were all ready for a good proper meal. I managed to find a few good eating spots near the Beach Barnacle and we decided to try Gnarabar.

Gnarabar is located right next to a beach resort, but it seems that quite a few Margaret River locals have also made the effort to head there for a meal. Looking through the menu, I felt like getting the whole list of appetisers as they all seemed really interesting. In the end, we decided to share the Masterstock Braised Pork Belly and Chilli Salted Calamari. Dad went for the Porterhouse Steak, while my sis decided to have Nasi Goreng, and I chose a special which was a Bacon and Chicken Pasta. 

The pork belly was a did not really look like a very impressive dish, but once I took a bite, it was absolute heaven. The pork was soft like a cloud but the little bit of skin on it was kept crisp, and paired with the caramel, the little bite sent fireworks to my head. The calamari was done simply, lightly battered and fried with a  little seasoning. The impressive part was the Thai chilli jam they served with it. It might have been a Thai inspiration for the chef, but that jam was pretty close to being the perfect Nasi Lemak chilli. 

My sister's Nasi Goreng was another surprise, tasting like the kind we get in Bali, and they paired it with a chilli that was close to the ones we get for the Hainanese Chicken Rice. I started to wonder who the chef is and where this person has travelled. Even the pasta from the specials board was awesome. The pasta had a cream and pesto base that was balanced so perfectly that the cream did not make it overly rich, and the pesto did not overwhelm the whole dish with a green herb flavour. 

Everything was so good, and satisfying, I was sad that I did not get to try their dessert. Think I will make this a place to visit if I come back again. 

Om Nom Nom....

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Straying From The Usual

Went out with Aunty Nene for Dim Sum again today but we decided to try other dishes today, with only the chicken claws and congee as repeat orders. I wasn't feeling up to having the fried noodles again and found rather interesting list of steamed rice roll (cheong fun) dishes to try. I ended up picking the beef and coriander roll, the chicken and mushroom roll, and the pan-fried roll stuffed with  dried prawns. We all really loved the pan fried one as it was really tasty, and it was really nice how they panfried the roll so that it had a crispy shell that held a smooth and soft interior, peppered with bursts of flavour from the dried prawn.

Another new favourite is the deep fried almond prawn cake which would be loved by anyone who enjoys prawns. I do not think there was another meat involved in the dish as it tasted and looked like it was just a patty of prawns and spices, covered with slivered almonds, then deep fried. It was another simple dish that had so much flavour, no dipping sauce was needed. 

The last thing on the savoury list today was what they called a "soup dumpling". Somehow I expected something like Shanghai dumplings (xiao long bao) but I ended up getting a giant dumpling in a bowl of soup. I guess that's what I get for not being able to read Chinese. I would not say that it was a big disappointment as it was quite nice, but I am a little fussy with my dumplings and this did not hit the spot. 

Finally we ended lunch with a little bowl of soy bean curd which was really refreshing and started out smooth. However, it got a little powdery as you reach the bottom of the bowl. I wonder if there is any place here that makes fresh soy bean curd here. 

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Mediterranean Inspiration

Another low-carb to no-carb lunch for my sis and today it was inspired by a Nicoise salad. It is one of the salads I like but there are so many variations, so this could be my own variation. There was some stuffed olives and peppers, and marinated sardines on hand. So I was just left with cooking some eggs for a little more protein and putting everything together. I didn't really bother with a dressing either as the flavoured oils from the marinated ingredients were just perfect with a squeeze of lemon juice and some pepper. Probably going to make a batch for my lunch!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Seafood Pasta

My sister was craving pasta and I just bought a nice batch of prawns, so she got a pack of mussels and we were set for tonight's dinner. She decided to make one of the simple dishes that had a nice amount of sauce for the pasta to sit in, the way dad seems to like it. Was a really quick dish with the prepared seafood, a little garlic and onion, a can of chopped tomatoes and some red wine. She then laid some baby spinach on the bowls before topping them with pasta and some sauce. and let them sit a while before calling everyone to grab a plate. Mine had the lovely addition of sliced bird's eye chillies. 

Om Nom Nom...

Monday, August 11, 2014

Breakfast For Lunch

I've been making lunch for my sister lately, especially on days that I want to take the car which would  leave her a little stranded during her lunch break. She usually takes a carbohydrate-free lunch and I try my best not to put any in it. 

Today, I thought of making pancakes for her, and good thing is I have managed to make rather nice ones with coconut flour. The part that got me thinking hard was what to pair with it. There was already a lot of eggs in the pancake mixture and I did not want the whole meal to taste like a giant omelette. 

Good thing there was some defrosted sausage, the ones we got from the time we went to the sausage-making event. There was also some nice mushrooms, and there were some Granny Smith apples. I was contemplating making a sugar-free apple sauce for the dish, but I was not sure if she would have liked it, and she had sugar-free maple syrup. So in the end the apples ended up as just pan-roasted buttered quarters.

In the end, I had a small portion for myself as well, and I think the apples would have been really nice as a sugar-free apple sauce accompaniment to the rich sausage. 

Om Nom Nom...

Sunday, August 10, 2014

RIbs And Sides

Drovers had brought in quite a good selection of meats in July for some people who wanted to make "Christmas in July" parties, and one of them was nice slabs of pork ribs that were perfect for barbecues. During one of the meet ups with Alfred, we happen to discuss a possible rib party when my sister and Brendan came back from their trip, and it was set for today. 

Since we were going to be out quite last yesterday, we got dad to boil the potatoes and par-cook his Bak-Kwa-flavoured ribs. We then came home rather early and I finished making the potato salad, while my sister made the pear and walnut salad. Alfred had the other half of the ribs and did it with an Orange-flavoured barbecue marinade.  

It was a simple lunch, but absolutely satisfying. 

Om Nom Nom...

Saturday, August 09, 2014

Jackie Turns Thirty

Let me start of by wishing a Happy National Day to all fellow Singaporeans. 

It also happens to be my one of my sister's best friend's birthday. Jackie turns thirty today and she opted to have a "gangster glam" theme for her party. We started off at Jamie's Italian and had a wonderful dinner, although I swear the portions have shrunk. The other time my sis and I ate here, we had the smaller portion for the pastas, and our order for the bigger portion tonight seem to be the same. Maybe it is a Saturday craziness thing. Well, what I really liked was the Crab and Avocado Bruschetta, which went really well with the non-boozy Refresher. 

We then head to Laneway Lounge that possibly had nice music, but it was too noisy to her the band unless you were in the toilet. I could say that the band did sound good while I visited the loo, but the thing that impressed me most was the list of interesting cocktails available. There was a list of cocktails, made with strange infusions that was most likely done in-house as well. Jackie also ordered the Love Bites Platter and some Fatty Fries for those who wanted something to nibble on while they drank the night away. It's a good thing we already had dinner, or I would have eaten all the Arancini that came with the platter. 

As Laneway closed a little too early for the party to end, we ended up at Devilles Pad for more drinking, and to loosen up all the muscles on the dance floor. It was Disco night and it happens to be Jackie's favourite kind. After getting some drinks, she was on the dance floor for the rest of the night, pulling everyone she could with her. I was laughing at all the strange decoration the place had, as well as the really old music videos being projected between two caged dancers. 

Somehow, staying the most sober ended up with me getting hungry at the end of the night. Thank goodness for Jackie's emergency frozen pizza! Good way to end night with everyone boozed out around you. Haha

Friday, August 08, 2014

Home Visit

My sister got invited to view the home and I thought that was part of her work with the community newspaper. It is the first time I was actually viewing a home in Australia, and it was an interesting experience to me. I was thinking that the house was for sale until my sister informed me that it was actually a prize for the MS Mega Home Lottery.

The home is situated in a nice-looking neighbourhood and it had quite a few little surprises hidden within the house. My favourite room was the bedroom that had the two arrows above the bed. I am not really sure why, but I found that room to be rather inviting due to the simplicity of the decoration. Another bit was the bell jars housing the herbs in the kitchen and the lovely-smelling things in the toilet. It was a little too dark to take a picture of the small garden area between the kitchen and front door, but that would be lovely to grow all the herbs for cooking I think.

The thing about this lottery is that you win everything in the show home and unless you're looking for a pool, the house has everything one would need in a home and possibly more. However, if you did get a ticket, and not win a thing, you did donate to a good cause.

Thursday, August 07, 2014

Gotta Have Some Roo

Found this pack of Kangaroo sausages while shopping in the supermarket the other day and I thought it would be something nice to try other than the usual pork and beef ones. Kangaroo meat tastes like beef to me, just a lot leaner, and that makes it slightly more dry. The sausages were not too dry and they were well seasoned. Probably going to get more of these for breakfast. 

Om Nom Nom...

Wednesday, August 06, 2014

Ox Tongue Rendang

There are certain things in Singapore we usually do not find easily, and one of them is ox tongue. It might be that only certain butchers sell them and the ones in my area probably do not due to low demand, or perhaps no demand. Another reason might be someone always taking the lot to make for sale at their Nasi Padang stall. Well over here, there is so much ox tongue that it has to be frozen so they can be kept for a longer time. 

So since the recipes for most ox tongue recipes required a few hours of cooking, I asked dad if he could make an Ox Tongue Rendang for dinner. Using the $2 cookbook he got from Salvos the other day, he used a Trengganu-based recipe and after three hours, we had a really nice-smelling house. Dad was afraid the tongue might still be tough, but I guess the spices and long cooking time did their work on any tough muscles. 

I decided to have the rendang with the Cabe Hijau (green chilli sambal), fried eggs, and some pickles. Was a perfect combination. 

Om Nom Nom....

Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Gone Fishing

It looked like a good day out, and the weather forecast did not have any rain predicted, so dad and I went out to a little spot Alfred recommended to try see if we can catch anything. After a short stop at Bluewater Tackle World for some bait, we head off to Pinnaroo Point and got ourselves a nice little spot to cast off.

It was nice weather to fish, but the waves were not helping today as they just came crashing onto the beach, bringing the line in at the same time. There was a sign that something was eating the bait though, but dad believed it was just washed away by the currents. In the end, we had to go pick my sister up from work and reeled in the line, only to find the most probable culprit of the half eaten bait - a fat little puffer fish. They are greedy little things!

Well, going to have to try again when the waves are not that big.

Monday, August 04, 2014

From Salad To Burger

Was making my sister a salad for lunch when I decided to play with the ingredients. The two cakes of bean curd I bought had a rather round top and looked almost like buns when I cut them off, so that gave me the idea of making a burger. I was also slow cooking some really big mushrooms and they ended up looking like fried buns as well. 

In the end, I stuck with tofu buns, filled with baby spinach, a garlic mushroom and a slice of steak topped with cheese. Was a very wobbly burger though. 

Om Nom Nom...

Sunday, August 03, 2014

Spanish Dinner

I asked my sister if she could make Paella a few days back as I got a nice bag of prawns, and we had some spicy salami from our time at the Good Food and Wine Show. We head to Drovers and managed to get some lovely mussels and chicken and it was all we needed for her to make dinner.

The recipe she uses seems rather simple, and the only important item is actually the paella pan as it "makes a HUGE difference" according to my sister. Another thing she uses is the paella spice mix from Providore, and I think the recipe might be the one stuck on the pack.

After a short time on the stove, the paella is done and all pretty.

Om Nom Nom....

Saturday, August 02, 2014

Dim Sum Yum Yum

My sister and Brendan were craving for some dim sum and decided to head to their favourite spot this morning. When we got there, the place was apparently quiet for a Saturday morning as they usually have to join a line for a table, but today we managed to walk in and get a table straight away. Lucky us! Even better still was that they started us off with a nice plate of Salt & Pepper Squid. 

The servers then came along with trays of fried dishes, followed by one who pushed the whole trolley of steamed dishes. After picking off a few items, we were all tucking in except Brendan, who looked like he wanted to throw up. I guess that is what you get from your stomach when you drink too much the night before

The tray of desserts came when we were almost done, and my sister chose her favourite mango pudding, while I went with the ones which looked very different from the typical dim sum desserts. I chose a chrysanthemum tea jelly, which was really refreshing with white fungus and wolf berries in it, and a coconut milk jelly, which looked like silken tofu but was just a rich coconut milk cube. 

Going to have to come back when Brendan is not hungover. I'm hoping we will be able to bring Aunty Nene here too as I'm sure she'll enjoy it if she hasn't already. 

Om Nom Nom..

Friday, August 01, 2014

Friday Night Hawkers Market

Was looking at things to do and found a write up about the TGIF Hawkers Market and I asked my sister if she would be interested to head there for dinner tonight. Brendan had a boys night out and after dropping him off, we head over to Victoria Park to have a look. 

It was easy to spot while driving past to look for a parking lot as the last food truck was right at the end of the lane way, almost sticking out to the main road. As we were walking towards the lane, the delicious smells coming from all the stalls just lead you all the way through to look at what is on offer. 

There were about fifteen stalls there, and it was not a very big range on offer, but there was a lot of people enjoying themselves, getting their stomachs warmed with the hot food. Dad ended up getting some Moroccan curried meat and couscous from Shak Shuka. I had some jerk chicken and corn from Kazz's Caribbean Kitchen, Spanish Meatballs with Creamy Parmesan Polenta from The Tapas Man, and Nutella Poffertjes from Perfect Poffertjes. My sister did not see anything she wanted as she was already aiming for roast duck and pork noodles once she spotted the new Good Fortune Roast Duck House

I think I might go back to the market to try some of the American offerings from Cocktail Gastronomy

Om Nom Nom...