Beansprout's Cafe

Wild Honey, Singapore

2011-10-23T22:27:00.000+11:00

Lucky enough, the last day I was in Singapore fulfilled my tummy and my heart. The lovely breakfast remind me of a wonderful time in Melbourne, lunch also. Heidi and I came to Wild Honey since she had a good meal there before.

In Mandarin Gallery

The cafe was crowded with hungers. And oh, we have to line up at the counter, browsing menu on the ipad and pay there :)

Some tables were reserved for others.

Here was our seats.

Hot mocha, I can tell from its look that it not gonna be good.... and I was right, very watery mocha.

There are tons of good liking photos on the menu... Here are what we ordered.

French Toast stuffed with mango served with vanilla mascarpone cream and berry coulis.

One of the best french toast ! the bread was so light and fluffy, the mango was not too sweet, a hint of sourness, eating with the sweet syrup and a tangy coulis... HEAVEN !

Ciabatta with mozzarella and spinach.. looks simple but I tell ya... AWESOME !

Can I say it again? The best sandwich ever... keep dreaming about it.

I wanna go back again and try all there food... Oh, I bought back a ciabatta loaf... So good !

Wild Honey
333A Orchard Road, #03-02 Mandarin Gallery, Singapore
Tel: +65 6235 3900 (no point calling; you’ll have to queue)
Open daily: 9am – 10.30pm

The Plain, Singapore

2011-10-22T22:10:00.000+11:00

Heidi took me here, The Plain... and we just realized it is very near to Heidi's workplace.

We arrived there at 7 am and found out that the cafe is opened at 7.30... haha

Being the first customer, we can take the photos inside without hesitate :)

The cafe is Aussie style, the owner used to live in Melbourne... no wonder !

Heidi's latte

My skinny cappuccino.. Oh my, the smile was on my face when I first sipped it... Not so often you smile naturally when you have food.. gotta be the great one.

Love love it... such a long time for a really good coffee since I left Sydney !

Salami : Salami, sweet chilli relish, roma tomatoes, cheese and rocket.. exactly what you have in Melbourne.

Love the atmosphere, the coffee and food !

The Plain Cafe
50 Craig Road #01-01 Singapore
(Near the intersection with Duxton road)
Tel: +65 6225 4387

Waku Ghin, Singapore

2011-10-21T21:35:00.000+11:00

This post is way behind for the time I went to Singapore (in May) I am lucky enough to join Heidi for her mum's birthday dinner at Waku Ghin, opened by Chef Tetsuya Wakuda who also own one of the country's best, Tetsuya's in Sydney.

There are 4 private rooms that can serve only about 25 people at one time.

Chef bring us a huge tray of these beautiful fresh seafood which going to be cook for us tonight. We are excited already :D

First course : Flan of Oyster with Bacon and Spinach

A combination of Silky Japanese Chawanmushi and a crisp & juicy Oyster is new to me, spinach & bacon rounded up the dish. Good start !

2nd course : Marinated Botan Ebi with Sea Urchin and Oscietre caviar, Signature dish.

OMG, this one is sooooooooo good ! Every components in the dish are very fresh. A very creamy sea urchin, a very sweet Botan Ebi and a salty (not too salty) caviar plus an rich frozen egg yolk underneath... I slowly ate this one as if I don't want it to finish. (actually I think more than this serving will be too much cuz of the richness of it)

Grilled Anago with Foie Gras and Confit of Zucchini

Anago is soft and mild in flavour, pared with the richness of Foie Gras is just nice. Zucchini makes the dish lighter.

Don't you excited when seeing these?

Tasmanian Abalone with Polenta, Tomato and Garlic Cream

The best Abalone I would say. Being a fan of Polenta, nothing to blame about the dish. Love the vibrant colour !

Oh YES !

Braised Canadian Lobster with Tarragon

Not being crazy about Lobster, but I can say this is the best one (am I use too many "the best''? lol) So fresh as Lobster can be. Gosh, until now, even the dish is so good, I wish it is smaller serving...

Sharkskin wasabi grater.

Charcoal Grilled Duck with Potato

Looks quite simple.. but the oh-s0-crisp skin is to die for !

The Australian Blackmore Wagyu Beef Marbling score 9 !!!

The way he cooks is so neat & professional !

Australian Blackmore Wagyu Roll with Wasabi, Citrus Soy Sauce and Grated Radish

When I see the beef, I know it must be good.. but when I put it in my mouth, wowwww, that's called "melt in the mouth"

Citrus soy sauce and grated radish have a lovely acidity, cut through the richness of the beef.

and he asks "Would you like another piece?"

Consomme with Rice and Hirame

Wahh...my stomach can't fit another more (really?). I just have a few spoon of it...

Gyokuro

I can't remember about the tea :P but what Heidi wrote in her blog is "A type of fine and very expensive tea from Japan that is grown under the shade rather than in full sun. Chef Cory explained that this tea requires a low brewing temperature of about 40℃, any higher it would release too much catechins and would result in a bitter taste"

and it tastes like salty seaweed...very interesting !

ok, now that is all for savoury dishes o_O We do need some exercise... Kitchen tour, yeh!

Now you know why the ingredients here are very fresh.

Pastry section.

Beautiful writing !

and now, in dessert room ...

Granita of Grapefruit with Chartreuse Jelly

very refreshing, I like !

Dark Chocolate Mousse with raspberry compote

Ghin Cheesecake, an airy light Japanese cheesecake with a hint of citrus.

Very Tetsuya's style.

Petit Four : Macarons, Green tea truffles and snowballs

I like them all esp the snowball, so buttery with a macadamia nut.

A box of Petit four to take home :D

What a great time !

Waku Ghin
Marina Bay Sands. Casino Level 2, Bayfront Ave Singapore 018956, Singapore
Tel: +65 6688 8507
Open Monday to Saturday from 6pm

2am : Dessert Bar, Singapore

2011-10-20T18:25:00.000+11:00

I had to admit that I couldn't really recall all the details for the dishes I had here. Anyway, only 1 word in my memory for that night is "AWESOME !"

2am:dessert bar is located in the Holland Village.

Pastry chef from Noma, Denmark. Lucky she was there since the Food summit festival.

4 desserts from Rosio (wine matching) & 4 desserts from Janice

Bitters Dessert....Winter Version : whey discs, bitters syrup, milk crumbs, sorrel

Interesting flavour... the sorrel soup was tangy, the milk inside was creamy..like it!

The broth was poured at the table.

Hay Parfait & Strawberries : chamomile broth, lemon balm, oregano, bronze fennel

The wild strawberries have been my favourite since I first tried it at Quay (but I had the frozen one before at my workplace) , so I couldn't be happier when I saw the menu. Densely packed with flavour compared to their industrially grown one. The whole plate is again, interesting. Combination of the herbs and fruit.

Milk & Grains : milk ice cream, biodynamic grains

mmm.. I couldn't remember much but I think I like the grains.

We moved the table to the counter to see how they prepare the dessert. and a better light !

Janice Wong and Rosio Sanchez

We have the desserts with wine matching.

Huldreost Brown Cheese & Beet : brown cheese custard, beet granite, licorice

Love the presentation ! So many textures of beetroot and lucky the licorice is subtle (I am not a fan of licorice in dessert).

brown cheese for sample...

and then we moved on to Janice's Degustation.

Shades of Purple : purple potato, cassis parfait, lavender marshmallows

The plate consists of purple potato puree, blackberry parfait, leather, lavender marshmallows and fruit of the forest sorbet. I like the creamy purple potato puree underneath the most but I am not a big fan of parfait and marshmallows.

Basil White Chocolate : textures of passionfruit

Really like this... so many textures and flavours; passion fruit leather,coconut ice-cream, the puffy meringue, the sauce, the mousse and a tiny cluster of sea grapes! I especially liked the passion fruit leather. It's my first time having Sea grapes which are apparently a kind of seaweed. Delightful.

Cheese Avalanche : biscotti, marinated figs, cantaloupe

Now it is the 3rd plate of Janice's creation, when I was having the last one, Basil White Chocolate, I thought I like it..this one, I like it even more...Mix of sweet and savoury, fruity and dairy tastes, and crunchy and creamy textures.

The biscotti is nicely paper thin, crisp and got a chewy texture from fruits... Love this !

Chocolate H2O : caramel truffle, yuzu sorbet

OMG, what a beauty ! This is the beautiful finale..The consistency of an almost crunchy outer layer and the gooey goodness inside is sublime ! Inside, there is a chocolate caramel truffle. Having it with small balls of yuzu sorbet and gel and bits of praline is heaven !

Once I have this, I can die happily :)

ok.. it was about 1 am. something.. my stomach was full and my head was dizzy .

Rosio's desserts were very interesting, opened my world to the new flavour while Janice's were more familiar and easier (for me) to understand .. All I can say is I love every single detail of her works... Janice !

2am: Dessert Bar
21A Lorong Liput, Holland Village Singapore
Tel: +65 6291 9727

Operating Hours: Mon to Sat 6pm – 2am (Closed on Sun)

Pierre Hermé's Plaisir Sucré

2011-10-19T00:38:00.000+11:00

There is no need an introduction for Pierre Hermé, The Picasso of Pastry ! Sadly, I have never tried any his creations "yet"... However, if I can't try his, why don't I make it myself?... haha

Plaisir Sucré, one of Pierre's masterpieces is in my to-bake list long time ago. I saw it has been replicated in the most patisseries. After saw a few people attempted making it at home successfully.. ok, here we go !

As I still have a big chunk of dark chocolate in my pantry, I decided to make this Plaisir Sucré with dark chocolate instead (which would be good since I don't like very sweet desserts)

Things to Improve : Chocolate sheets are a bit too thick (and not shiny enough, actually it was more shiny when I took it out from an acetate), the nozzle for chocolate whipped cream is a lil too small (I don't have a big one) and... Gold leaf is so difficult to use, keep flying !

The most important thing.. the way I cut Dacquoise and praline...haha, bad bad

Nevertheless, I am very pleased for what I have done :)

layers from top : milk choc sheet, milk choc whipped cream, milk choc ganache, hazelnut praline feuilletine & hazelnut dacquoise

Even though I have the "Chocolate Dessert" book which has Plaisir Sucré 's recipe in .. I followed and adapted the recipe from Bossacafez and the recipe below is from there, thanks Evan ^ ^

Plaisir Sucré

recipe source : chocolate desserts by pierre hermé

Ingredients (makes four 11x3cm individual entremet) :

The milk choc sheets :

at least 260g milk couverture choc, preferably valrhona jivara lactée 40%, finely chopped

The milk choc whipped cream :

143g milk choc

218ml whipping cream

The hazelnut dacquoise :

35g ground hazelnuts

50g icing sugar

45g egg whites, room temp

1.5 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted, skinned & halved (I didn't use them all)

The hazelnut praline :

100g nutella or hazelnut praline paste

25g milk choc, melted & cooled til lukewarm

1/2 cup rice krispies or 1/4 cup feuilletine flakes

1/2 tbsp butter, melted & cooled

The milk choc ganache :

95g milk choc

83ml whipping cream

Directions :

1. To temper the milk choc, get ready a candy thermometer as well. place the choc in a clean bowl, then either double-boil or microwave it in short intervals until the temp reaches 49C (120F). Be careful not to let even a drop of water get into the choc as it will seize and render unworkable. remove choc from heat and continue stirring until the choc has cooled to a temp of 27C-28C (80-83F). You'll know the choc is nearing the right temp when it begins to set around the edges. reheat the choc again until it reaches 29-31C (85-88F). It is now ready for use.

To test if you've gotten it right, dip a knife into the choc and put the knife in the fridge for a few secs. it should emerge coated with a shiny nonstreaked layer of choc. Get ready some A4-sized acetate sheets and spread the choc onto the acetate with an offset spatula. Refrigerate for abt 30 secs or until the choc is half set, then remove from fridge and score twelve 11x3cm rectangles with a knife onto the choc. Refrigerate until firm, then remove the choc by peeling off the acetate sheet and breaking them along the score lines. Refrigerate again until ready to use.

2. To make the choc whipped cream, place choc in bowl. Bring cream to boil then pour onto choc. Mix well then place plastic wrap directly onto the choc mixture & refrigerate for 5-6 hrs or overnight. Before using, whip mixture until almost firm then re-refrigerate if not using immediately.

3. To make the hazelnut dacquoise, sift ground hazelnuts & icing sugar together & set aside. In a bowl whisk egg whites until foamy then gradually add in sugar and whisk until stiff peaks. Fold hazelnut mixture into the whites then spread mixture evenly onto a 6-inch baking tray lined with parchment paper. Scatter hazelnut halves on top then press down slightly. Bake in a preheated oven of 165C for 25-30 mins or until browned. leave to cool.

4. To make the hazelnut praline, place nutella/praline paste in bowl then add in the remaining ingredients the order they're listed. Mix well then spread the praline evenly onto the dacquoise, working from the center and spread as far as it will go to the edges. Refrigerate the dacquoise for at least 30 mins.

5. To make the choc ganache, place choc in bowl and bring cream to a boil. stir the cream into the choc until the choc is completely melted. allow the ganache to cool & thicken or refrigerate until pipeable consistency.

6. To assemble, trim the dacquoise along the edges and slice into four 11x3cm rectangles. fit the piping bag with a 1/4 inch (7mm Ø) plain tip and fill the bag with ganache. Pipe a zigzag of ganache over the 4 dacquoises in the middle (go easy on the ganache). Place a milk choc sheet on top, shiny side up and pipe another zigzag of ganache onto the choc sheet. Place another choc sheet over. fit the piping bag with a 1/2 inch (14mm Ø) (I have only 12mm Ø) tip and fill the bag with choc whipped cream. Pipe two straight lines of choc whipped cream on top and top with one last piece of choc sheet. Decorate with toasted whole hazelnuts if desired.

The left over, I just tried to make something fun :P

Chicken Farm Baker's Project # 40 : Play me please!!, Pâte à choux, Passionfruit Meringue Eclair

2011-10-18T23:18:00.000+11:00

Halooooo, I am alive ! hehehehe. Had been so lazy updating the blog (also the suck internet)... Some of you may know that recently I am mad of making a good croissant at home...Yesterday was already my 8th attempt and I still haven't get it right. Whenever I succeed, I will post about it :)

Anyway, today is not about the croissant, its about Eclair ! The thing that sounds simple but hard to make it perfect. My ideal eclair is hollow and neatly puff up with a minimal crack. It is so frustrating if you end up with big cracks on the surface of the eclairs or other choux products which makes it difficult to glaze. (and I still got that crack -*-)

This is my first post of Chicken Farm Baker's Project, a group of people who love to bake (also to eat I think ^ ^) and this time... is about choux. I love making choux pastry since their versatility, you can make many different products out of it... profiteroles, crouquembouches, eclairs, St. Honore, etc.

I was thinking what to make...and I saw Adriano's new product from my friend's facebook, the lemon meringue eclair... ok, I wanna make that one. In my freezer, a bag of frozen passion fruit puree was sitting...

Passion fruit Meringue Eclairs
(inspired by Adriano Zumbo)

Passion fruit curd (recipe by Bacco Winebar Pasticceria)

160 g Passion fruit puree
48 g egg yolks
60 g eggs
48 g granulated sugar
60 g unsalted butter
2 g gelatin (bloomed)

Whisk together sugar, egg yolks and eggs in a bowl. Boil the puree and temper the egg mixture. Pour back into the pot and keep stirring with the wooden spoon until the mixture is a bit thicker (not so long about 2-3 mins and don't let it boil). Take off the heat, stir in gelatin and butter.

Transfer passion fruit curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap, until cold.

Vanilla pastry cream (recipe by Adriano Zumbo)

500 ml milk
125 g egg yolks
125 granulated sugar
50 g corn flour
50 g unsalted butter
1/2 vanilla bean

Place milk and vanilla bean in a saucepan. Heat gently until the milk boils, remove from the heat. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl until thick and pale. Gradually whisk in the milk. Return mixture to same saucepan and stir over medium heat until the custard boils. Spread over a tray to cool rapidly.

Cover the surface of the custard closely with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming, at 55°C transfer to a bowl and stir through butter and refrigerate to cool completely

Passion fruit pastry cream

Mix the Passion fruit curd and pastry cream with 1 : 2 ratio

(these recipe, you will get more passion fruit cream as you needed, who cares... just use the rest spread on toast ^_^)

Pate a choux (recipe by Tiny Bakery)

50 g unsalted butter
75 g water
50 g milk
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
75 g Cake flour (I used All purpose flour)
2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 200ºC . Lightly grease 2-3 large oven trays and set aside.

1. Combine the water, milk, sugar, salt and butter in a large heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and using a wooden spoon quickly beat in the flour. Return saucepan to the heat and continue beating until the mixture comes together and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cook stirring over low heat for a further 1-2 minutes to cook out the flour. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Transfer to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture to release any more heat. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time. Beat well between each addition until all the eggs have been added and the mixture is thick and glossy. Beat for a few more minutes, or until thickened.
3. Pipe the batter using a large plain or star tip on parchment lined sheet pans. Brush with egg wash lightly if desired.
4. Bake until the products are crisp when pressed on the sides about 35 minutes.
5. When cool, fill with Passion fruit pastry cream

Italian Meringue

150 g granulated sugar
52 g water
75 g egg white
pinch of salt

Cook the sugar and water until 118C (soft-ball stage). When the syrup reaches 110C, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and salt on low speed until foamy. With the mixer running, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites, and beat on high speed until mixture has cooled. Use immediately.

Verdict : Taste-wise, I quite like it but in term of presentation, I think my eclair is too small compare to the meringue. I used St honore tube to pipe the meringue and found it too big. I should find some smaller tube next time :)

sorry guys, forgot to take picture of the filling :P

Intensement Chocolat

2011-08-31T23:54:00.017+10:00

Feel like baking something complicated as well as want to get rid of my 2.5 kg of chocolate I bought back from Singapore, once I saw "Intensement Chocolat", the elegant looking cake in Laduree Sucre book, I knew I had to make it !

This decoration was not my first plan, I wanted to do it like the one in the book. But because I glazed the cake not so neat, I had to conceal it by making some tempered chocolate which you can see in the picture... another failure...haha. When I took it out from the acetate, it was broken :P

One more thing, the recipe is called for 70% dark chocolate but I had only 57% one, that is why my cake looks more lighter in colour. I also reduced the sugar a bit but the cake still was too sweet for my liking but very okay for others. They all love it !

Put a macaron on top might make it look better. Which one do you prefer?

The original, perfecto !

Just took it out from the fridge, so you can see the white chilled glaze, but can't help. I need to cut it after this.

Now... I am revealing the recipe... which took me more than 30 minutes to type >< (seriously they are 10 pages in the book !!!!!)

Intensement Chocolat

For 8 people

Preparation: 4 hours Cooking time: 37 minutes Resting time: 2 hours and 50 minutes

Chocolate macaron

85 g ground almonds (almond flour)

80 g confectioners’ (icing) sugar

5 g unsweetened cocoa powder

20 g chocolate (minimum 70% cacao solids)

2 egg whites + 1tbsp whipped egg white (I just mixed it all together)

70 g granulated sugar

Dark chocolate sponge cake

20 g all-purpose flour

15 g potato starch (I used corn starch)

10 g unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs

50 g granulated sugar

Cocoa syrup

25 g granulated sugar

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

5 tbsp water

Dark chocolate ganache

125 g chocolate (minimum 70% cacao solids)

125 ml heavy (double) cream

30 g butter

Chocolate mousse

4 eggs

40 g granulated sugar

160 g chocolate (minimum 70% cacao solids)

40 g butter

1 pinch of salt

Dark chocolate glaze

100 g chocolate (minimum 70% cacao solids)

80 ml heavy (double) cream

40 g whole milk

20 g granulated sugar

20 butter

Dark chocolate flakes for decoration

Equipment

Round ring mould 8-inch diameter, 1.5 inches high (I used 7-inch diameter, 3 inches high)

Piping bag fitted with a 10-mm plain tip

Round cardboard cake board

Pastry brush

CHOCOLATE MACARON

1. a. Combine the ground almonds, confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor and pulse to obtain a fine powder. Sift through a sieve to remove any lumps.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water or in the microwave oven until it is lukewarm (35c)

b. In a clean, dry bowl, whisk the 2 egg whites to a foam. Once they are frothy, add a third of the granulated sugar and whip until sugar is dissolved; add another third of the granulated sugar, whip for another minute; finally add the remaining granulated sugar and whip for 1 more minute. Pour the melted chocolate over the whipped egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, roughly incorporate the chocolate, and then immediately and delicately fold the sifted mixture of ground almonds, confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder into the chocolate and egg white mixture. In a separate small bowl, beat the remaining 1 tbsp egg white until just frothy. Then add to the final mixture, folding gently to slightly loosen the batter.

c. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and draw an 8-inch diameter circle on each. Transfer macaron batter to the piping bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe a disk onto one of the sheets, filling in the drawn circle. Bake for approximately 25 minutes (at 300F l 150c l gas mark 2). Allow to cool.

DARK CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE

2. Preheat the oven to 340F l 170c l gas mark 3.Sift together the flour, potato starch and cocoa powder.
Separate the egg yolks and egg whites. In a bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks to liquefy.

3. In a large clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites to a foam. Once they are white and frothy, incorporate the sugar and continue to whip until firm. Immediately add the egg yolks, lightly folding in with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle in the flour, potato starch and cocoa powder mixture and gently combine.

Transfer batter to a clean piping bag fitted with a plain tip. On the second prepared baking sheet, pipe another 8-inch diameter disk. Place in oven and bake for 12 minutes.

COCOA SYRUP

4. In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and cocoa powder. Add the water and bring to a boil. Allow to cool.

DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE

5. Using a knife, finely chop the chocolate on a cutting board and transfer to a large bowl. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chopped chocolate in 3 parts, making sure to combine well with a wooden spatula after each addition. Mix until homogenous. Cut the butter into small pieces and stir into the ganache until smooth.

BEGINNING OF ASSEMBLY

6. Cut the disks of chocolate macaron and chocolate cake to fit properly in the mould. Place a cake board the size of the mould on a round platter. Line the mould with aluminum foil to make unmoulding easier and place on the cardboard. Place the macaron disk in the mould and pour in the ganache. Put this assembled preparation in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

7. a. Using a knife, chop the chocolate on a cutting board and place in a large heatproof bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to bowl. Place over a pan of gently simmering water and melt the chocolate and butter, stirring together.When the mixture has melted, remove from heat and allow to cool to barely lukewarm (18c to 20c)

b. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and place in a bowl. Set egg whites a side.

c. Lightly beat the egg yolks to liquefy.
Place the egg whites in a large clean, dry bowl with a pinch of salt. Whip to a foam. Once they are white and frothy, add the sugar and continue to whip until firm. Immediately add the egg yolks, incorporating delicately with a whisk, but do not whisk; simply start with the whisk in the center of the bowl, work up the sides of the bowl and bring back down towards the center, all the while turning the bowl regularly. This will result in a smooth and homogenous mixture.

d. Incorporate ¼ of the egg mixture into the butter and chocolate, by gently folding in with a rubber spatula. Pour this entire mixture back over the remaining ¾ of the eggs, always mixing gently, by starting with the spatula in the center of the bowl, working up the sides and bringing the preparation back down towards the center.

e. Remove the assembled preparation from the refrigerator. Transfer the chocolate mousse to a clean piping bag fitted with a plain tip. Pipe a thin layer of mousse in a spiral into the mould. Place the chocolate cake on top. Using a pastry brush, soak the cake with cocoa syrup.
Fill with remaining chocolate mousse to the top of the mould and smooth the surface. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Take out of the refrigerator and remove the mould and aluminum foil.
Cover cake with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill.

DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE

8. Using a knife, chop the dark chocolate on a cutting board and transfer to a large bowl. In a saucepan, bring the cream, milk and sugar to a boil, then pour this hot liquid over the chopped chocolate. Add the butter and combine until smooth. Allow to cool to lukewarm.

9. Place a wire rack on a clean baking sheet.
When the glaze is barely lukewarm, remove cake from the freezer and place on the rack. Remove plastic wrap. Using a ladle, immediately coat the entire cake with glaze. Use a palette knife (or offset spatula) to spread the glaze and smooth the surface. Allow to rest for 2 minutes to set.
Slide the tip of a knife between the cake board and the wire rack to slightly lift the cake. Using the knife, scrape the excess glaze off the bottom and apply chocolate flakes around the base.
Decorate the top with a line of white chocolate and dark chocolate shavings.

The texture was incredible ! The whole process is not too difficult to attempt, just a bit more works.. I think I would make it again only when I got 70% dark chocolate, just to make sure how delicious this recipe can be :)

YUM !

Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin

2011-01-18T18:43:00.009+11:00

There are 2 Thai restaurants managed by foreigner that came up to my mind, Naam & Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin. The first one offers an authentic Thai cuisine whilst the latter one serves you the modern Thai cuisine in degustation style. I told Nut we should start with the fancy one first. Chef Henrik Yde-Andersen and Chef Lertchai Treetawatchaiwong from Kiin Kiin in Copenhagen chose to opened their second restaurant at Siam Kempinski Hotel.

Sra Bua offer 3 courses lunch at 1,500++ and 10 courses dinner at 2,400++ at the time we went there (in January 2011). We came here for lunch.

Chilled Lemongrass & Pandan tea, subtle and not too sweet.

'ข้าวเกรียบสาคูกรอบ' Seaweed Tapioca, battered and deep fried seaweed like the Japanese snack.

Nibbling : 'ขนมกรอบถั่วเหลืองเมอร์แรงกับเม็ดมะม่วง' Soy Meringue Roasted Cashews, 'รากบัวกรอบรสมะกรูด' Keffir Lime Leaf Scented Lotus Root and Oyster Dip

The soy meringue was sweet & salty. If you like Tom yum (Thai spicy soup), you will like the lotus root. For me, the oyster dip was the highlight. It tastes like fresh oyster with Thai seafood chilli dipping sauce but in light airy version.

Love it!

Starter: 'ยำกุ้งแม่น้ำกับส้มโอและดอกไม้' Yam goong river prawn salad with pomelo and orchids

Thinly shaved cucumber, daikon, and celery dressed in a spicy dressing added the crunchiness to the dish. First I tasted it "oh, this is spicy !" This made us believed that this place definitely provide us the real Thai flavour, not compromise to the western tongue. However, there were too little pomelo in the dish.

Starter: 'แกงแดงเย็นกับกุ้งมังกร' Gang dang frozen red curry with lobster salad

The way they present the dish made it look a bit messy as you can see the sauce from the lobster at the rim of the plate.

We dig into the middle of the plate and found the red curry ice cream underneath the foam (forgot what flavour of the foam). A little sweet (maybe too sweet for my liking) and spicy as the red curry should be.

Main course: 'ต้มข่านกกระทา' Tom Kha Quail, quail in coconut milk with galangal and mushrooms

There were 2 pieces of quail in different style of cooking; poached breast and confit leg split by super crispy thin skin. The broth was poured by the waitstaff at the table. I am not a big fan of Tom Kha but really enjoy this. The broth was light, flavourful, slight sour and spicy. The meat itself were juicy and chef also gave us a surprise of small pieces of stock jelly at the bottom of the dish.

Main course: 'แกงเขียวหวานปลาแฮรีบัทใส่บีทรูท' Halibut fish in green coconut curry and beetroot

Have you ever seen red green curry? haha. Underneath the foam was green curry and roasted pureed eggplant (which I love) gave a smokiness to the dish. It was quite tasty and need to eat with rice. (We each were served a bowl of rice). The let down thing was the 3 piles of beetroot which were tasteless.

Here come desserts ! I had to admit that I didn't expect about desserts at all. But....

Dessert: 'เค้กกล้วยหอมกับกะทิ' Banana Cake with Salted coconut ice cream and caramelized milk

We were ooh and aah when the huge wooden plate was brought to our table. But it was even better once I tasted the first spoon. Really like this ! The warm banana cake was made from 'Pisang Mas' bananas (กล้วยไข่) which made it more special than normal banana cake. Eating with the salted coconut ice cream and the sauce, Oh my ! Sweet & salty, hot & cold, smooth & crunchy (from the toasted coconut flakes).... What else can I ask for?

Dessert: 'ไอศกรีมชา กิน กิน' Cha Kiin Kiin Jasmine and Earl Grey

While the first dessert was rich and hearty, this one was so light and subtle. The waitstaff told us that the dish consists of Earl grey tea, Thai tea and Jasmine tea. Without asking, we thought that the ice cream was flavoured with Earl grey tea and Thai tea and the white foam was Jasmine tea flavour sprinkle with white chocolate. Another great dessert !

We were so full at this stage but still discussed about having coffee & petit fours (additional 325 Baht++). Finally our gluttony won !

Nut had Doi tung espresso and I had ginger tea.

Petit fours Clockwise - Marshmallow dusted with shredded coconut, White chocolate coated frozen green grape, White chocolate crispy rice, Peanut butter truffle, Coffee macaron (the middle) and Salted & Sichuan pepper chocolate

Sorry to say but they were all disappointing. If I could change, I would stop at the dessert to make the meal happy ending.

Overall, we had a great time enjoy the food which taste authentic but presented in the modern way. I really like the nibbling and the dessert. If they improve their petit four, that would be great !

Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin
Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok
991/9 Rama I Road, Bangkok, 10330
Tel : +662-162-9000

Ohana Fresh Cafe'

2010-12-05T14:12:00.007+11:00

The best coffee I have had in Bangkok !

As you may know, living in Sydney & Melbourne, 2 seriously good coffee cities creates such a troublesomeness for you to have coffee. Fortunately, many friends of mine recommend me this place since when I was in Sydney.

Walking about 10 minutes from Phrompong BTS, finally you will see the glass-box entry hidden among beautiful greens. The menu is simple; pastas, sandwiches, salads, soups and some homemade style desserts.

As the owner is so into the coffee, of course you gotta try it when you come to Ohana. This was my second time here. The first time I had a skinny cappuccino and a croissant. I tell ya, both were great. The smooth creamy shiny milk froth with an aromatic strong coffee, the french-made buttery, melt in the mouth croissant... heaven ! I immediately thought that I had to take my mum here, she also loves coffee (also I can try more food :P)

A cup of lovely cappuccino ฿90, took the picture from another end of the table... blur.. haha

Mum's flat white ฿90. Not so many cafe in Thailand serve flat white, perfect for the people who don't like lots of milk froth as in Cappuccino and too weak in coffee like latte. (my mum is one of them)

Oh la la.... My mocha ! ฿110

It was the darkest cocoa powder on the coffee I have seen. Once I sip... OMG, sooooo goooooooood ! Not too sweet, just perfect ! I couldn't stop sipping it, finished it in one go.

Ohana also serves a good looking green tea latte and iced coffee, I wanna try as well but can't help myself from not ordering cappuccino or mocha... haha... We did try some food. There are lunch sets which are quite value for money.

Spinach soup

Pumpkin soup

Both soup were not so fancy, quite light and easy to drink.

Spaghetti with chicken & mushroom cream sauce.

mmm.. too light for my liking.

I couldn't remember what this sandwich is -_-'' I think it was roasted beef with ham? Whatever it be, it was so delicious. Love the balance of toasted bread and tasty filling.

Duck confit sandwich with onion marmalade, grilled cos and melted cheese

Looked really good but it would have been done better. The buttery bun would be a lot better if toasted and the duck smell was a bit too strong for me, maybe it was like that only that day.

A not-so-wow brownie. I heard that they do the good waffle, should try next time.

Since then until now, I keep telling people where the best coffee place is.... Now you know :)

Ohana Fresh Cafe
50/4 Sukhumvit Soi 24, Wattana, Bangkok
Tel : +662 661 1930

ISAO Japanese restaurant

2010-12-04T13:56:00.008+11:00

I am always happy when my mum come to Bangkok with me, why? It means I will have chances to go eat at many fancy places with no guilty. Bringing mum to eat a good food, such a great daughter :P

At 5 pm. I was trying to make a booking at Isao, the modern US twist sushi place for 5 at 8 pm. (I know it was a bit late). The other end of the line said that they were fully booked till 8.30 pm. but they will call me back if there are any seats available before that. Mmm... I thought I'd better find another place, don't wanna have dinner that late.

About 7.30 we parked our car and about to enter to another Japanese restaurant. Suddenly my mobile was ringing. Aha... the staff from Isao called to let us know that now they had some seats ready for us. I asked mum whether she mind to go Isao since we were at Sukhumwit 55 and Isao is at Sukhumwit 31. She said just choose the one I want ;)

Finally we were here.

The place is more relaxed homey feel than what I thought, informal style.

The warm welcome from the attentive staff is impressive. We asked for the recommendation and got a detailed explanation of the entire menu. One of us is allergic to prawn, the staff pleased us by making sure that all dishes we ordered had no prawn in.

Seaweed salad ฿100 : marinated seaweed piled upon a bed of cucumber.

An oldy goody.

Gomaae ฿60 : Blanched spinach chilled and served with sweet sesame sauce.

This dish here was a bit different from the one I have had before. Normally the sauce was white, sesame taste. This one was on the sweet side and got miso taste. Still like it.

Fried tofu ฿100

It was hard tofu which I less prefer than the soft one.. but the flavour of the sauce is awesome.

Gy0za ฿100

Mum's the must-order dish in Japanese restaurant. I did not try it but believe it was good.

Vocano ฿250 : Baked scallop in spicy sauce. (sorry for the blur picture)

It was a bit sweet and spicy yet so creamy. Not everyone's cup of tea but I do not mind :)

Winter ฿250 : Ebi, crab meat, spinach, avocado, kaiware, carrot, daikon, wrapped with cucumber sheet served with miso sauce.

Really like it, super refreshing. First I was a bit worried about the crab meat that gonna be fishy but it was not. Love the crunchiness of the cucumber and all those fresh ingredients.

Sushi sandwich ฿300 : Spicy Tuna and Salmon stuffed between layered of sushi rice with tempura batter, ebiko and scallion.

My mum who is not a raw food fan, however, really like this dish. The crunchy of the tempura batter, the fresh soft texture of the fish and their special sauce easily win one's mind.

Dragon ฿ 420 : Prawn tempura, ebiko, crab meat and cucumber wrapped with fresh water eel and avocado.

My all time favourite, eel & avocado, how can this combination go wrong?

Chicago spicy crazy ฿ 295 : Salmon, tuna, white fish, avocado, scallion with ebiko.

I don't think I detected the spiciness, nevertheless, it was nice as it should be.

Spider ฿290 : Soft shell crab roll with avocado and ebiko.

Most of the time I eat sushi roll, I tent to order Dragon & Spider. Juicy crispy soft shell crab... yum !

Blurry me and my mum

Mum's young friends ... hehe

ISAO Japanese Restaurant
5 Sukhumvit 31. Khlong Tan Nuea, Wattana, Bangkok 10110
Tel : +662-258-0645

THANN Boutique Cafe

2010-12-01T11:51:00.005+11:00

Thann is a famous brand for a spa product, the cafe is also very impressive with the decoration of myriad cardboard leaves

The place makes me feel calm and relax.

We came here for an afternoon tea, sadly looking at the cakes display, not many cakes were there.

N'Dream had a cup of tea. I couldn't remember, maybe it was an earl grey.

I, of course, opted for a cappuccino. Not too bad.

Brownie Trifle caught our eyes, it looked very attractive among all those typical cakes. The chocolate brownie & chocolate sauce at the bottom, white chocolate custard and whipped cream. Once my spoon dig through the whipped cream, I felt it was interesting, I even took the picture of the cream before I tasted it, it looked very different from whatever cream I had ever seen. After we tried that whipped cream..... speechless. It got the weird gritty texture, imagine the over whipped cream that the fat & the water separated, fold-in nuts into it, even worse. The rest of the dessert was okey though. We asked the waitstaff about the cream (it was that bad) and we were more surprised to know that it was their signature dessert and the weird texture whipped cream is the chef's intention o_O

Sorry we couldn't eat it, the waitstaff was professional enough unexpectedly offering us a brownie instead.

Luckily the Blueberry cheese pie was well-balanced flavour.

The brownie with a too icy vanilla ice cream

Sorry, are we too picky? Maybe we expected a lot more from this hi-class place. By the way, my friend told me that the food there is sensational. Okey, we chose the wrong thing.

THANN Boutique Cafe
1/F Gaysorn Plaza 999 Ploenchit Rd., Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel : 66 2656 1061

Treecreeper

2010-11-29T11:36:00.005+11:00

One fine day, N'Dream & I felt like eating some sweets, lucky enough P'Koy was able to join us. At first we planed to go Jim Thomson. Hopelessly finding the parking, we quickly changed our mind came to this place because of the big car park lol

Night time it is a fine Italian restaurant but at day time it is the bakery, nice huh?

Aren't this tray of macarons pretty?

Interior is just sweet and cute !

Here come the cakes .....

Banoffie cake

Simple chocolate chiffon, banana cream, chunk of banana and drizzle of caramel...not bad.

Lychee & rose cake (forgot the name)

I quite like this one, a lil tangy, just that the red colour is too artificial?

Horlicks cake

I had never had the Horlicks before, however, I didn't taste any Horlicks in the cake.

Chocolate & Rose macarons, still not like the one I am looking for but it is good enough to sell.

Hot tea for P'Koy

Cappu for me, a bit above average (Thailand standard)

and yeah, the meal was on P'Koy. Thanks ka (-/\-)

Treecreeper
126 Soi Saladang 1. Silom Rd.,
Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand

Water Library

2010-10-22T14:23:00.006+11:00

First time I got chance to meet the famous L-Nets from Pantip, excited :D

L-Nets came here before but he was kindly enough to dine here again with me. They got 2 choices of lunch set: 2 courses for ฿850++ & 3 courses for ฿890++

Of course we chose the later one.

This restaurant serves Minaral water from around the world, I just chose one of the cheapest :P

Roll & Imported Croissant, quit okey.

Homemade Tofu - Foie gras, Shitake emulsion, Benito flakes

Signature dish, and I like it ! The tofu was silky smooth, the texture is similar to egg tofu. The sauce was rich, the flavour was so intense almost too salty but eating it with the tofu was just perfect.

Frog legs tempura - Celeriac Remoulade, Garlic Herbs butter with Sanako pepper

This dish has not much thing to rave about, the sauce was a bit weird pared with the remoulade.

Crispy Chilean Seabass - Mushroom Bacon Ragout, Ponsu White Truffle Oil Butter

Another signature dish. It was my first time to have Chilean Seabass, the flesh was buttery almost like Cod. For me, the mushroom ragout was the real winner ! Oh my, its so good. Similar taste profile as the sauce in the tofu dish. It was one of the best mushroom I had. The day later, I felt like eating the mushroom again, it was that good!

Sous Vide of Chicken Supreme - Caramel Corn, Roasted Chicken Jus with Pommery Mustard

This dish was again too ordinary which I was not surprised. I didn't expect anything from the name. Don't get me wrong, it was not that bad, just .... the chicken itself was breast which getting dry easily even being cooked with sous vide method. and the sauce, I dunno, for me it was too much.

Yuzu Panna Cotta with Mint sorbet and Orange Compote

I really like the presentation of the dish. It was clean and simple. However, sadly to say, it was the strangest (trying to use the nice word) panna cotta I have ever had. The texture was so weird. For the sorbet, I am not a fan of Mint in dessert, so I have no comment.

Valrhona 72% Chocolate cake with poached banana ice cream

At least, it was better than the former dish.

Cappuccino & Iced lemon tea

Another great place, even I think this place is hit and miss. For dinner, they serve the tasting menu which I would love to try one day if I got enough money :D

Water Library
Chamchuri sqare, Unit 217, 2nd Floor
Payathai Rd., Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Thailand
Tel: 66-2160-5188-9, 66-2160-5199

Coco Curry & After You Dessert Cafe

2010-10-21T14:34:00.008+11:00

My first review in Bangkok after I came back here... Ploy and I planned to try dessert at After You Dessert Cafe at La Villa Ari. Then I called Ake for joining us, without hesitate, Ake arrived the place before us about 30 mins...haha

We chose Coco Curry to fill our tummy before dessert, its one of the place I really wanted to try when I was in Sydney.

Pickles, seems that it is a must have in Japanese curry dish.

Omlette rice with chicken & mushroom cream sauce with Japanese curry

Happy Ja & Happy Ploy

The flavour was good, just that I prefer it a bit hotter, Am I too picky :P ?

Then,

We had to wait about half and hour before we got the table.

Chocolate lava cake ฿145 (Signature dish)

Very small and nothing exciting, I won't bother having it again.

Strawberry Trifle ฿145

The staff recommended this but again, disappointing. The dry butter cake and whipped cream were boring and overpriced. Lucky the sauce was nicely tangy.

Chibuya Honey Toast ฿165 (Signature dish)

Fortunately, this dish was morish. The giant buttered caramelized toast was buttery, crispy outside and soft inside. 2 big scoops of ice cream were goooooooood !

Coco Curry / After You Dessert Cafe
2nd Floor, La Villa Ari
Phaholyothin Rd., Samsen Nai, Phaya Thai, Bangkok, THAILAND 10400

Bruschretteria 102

2010-09-30T14:11:00.004+10:00

Another cafe that Monica recommended me I had to go, Bruschetteria 102. If you know how often she goes to this place, you definitely wanna try :)

Don't you love the decoration & atmosphere ?

I saw this table and told myself to have it after savoury.

Nutella Coffee

We ordered 3 and got all different deco :) After I finished it, I ordered another one which was my first time ordering 2nd coffee in the cafe, how good it is.

Kimmy, me and Stella, LCB friends, I miss you guys. Kimmy is now working at Tetsuya's and Stella works at Victoire, I am so proud of my friends :)

Pear, parma and olive tapenade bruschretta

I forgot what it is ^ ^''

Panna Cotta with berries sauce

Good for summer, just a little bit too much gelatin but still good in flavour.

Buongiourno, he is such a charming guy !

Happily looking at the macarons, we were offered one of each macarons by Buongiourno... wow..hehe

Maybe he didn't know I just put on 3 kg before he did this lol

That evening, Nut luckily won the price attending in Adriano Macarons demo class in MidCity. Can bring 1 friend along, I immediately said "me me !''

Rhine, Sous chef, is very helpful and informative person during the demo, nice guy. And of course, Adriano, u rocks :)

Bruschretteria 102
102 Albion St., Surry Hills, Australia, 2010
Tel : (02) 92 813 653

Spice I am & House

2010-09-29T14:00:00.001+10:00

First of all, I have to thank Monica very much for being my company to my last chance visiting Spice I am before I left Sydney :)

Me : We are 2 people, if we order 3 dishes, we should be able to finish it?

Monica : Lets make it 4, we can do it !
Me : ..... OK !

Mieng Kuay Teaw : Sliced pork, bean sprouts, mint wrapped with flat rice noodle $7.0

Red curry with roasted duck $25.90

My all time favourite at Spice I am... You gotta try it yourself. The curry was so flavoursome and rich in the coconut, I have never seen this in other places before.

Crispy pork belly with Basil : stir fried pork belly with Thai holy basil topped with crispy holy basil $17.90

OMG, its the dish I always dream about ! I think I have to order it everytime I come here.

Prawn with Tamarind Sauce $25.90

Deep fried battered prawns in Tamarind sauce came last when I was quite full. The sauce was different from what I know about Tamarind sauce.

We almost couldn't even walk straight after such a heavy meal.

However....

hahahaha, Monica told me I had to try this dessert (obviously its her favourite, being mentioned in her blog many times :D)

BTS (Better than sex)

Toasted buttered brioche topped with Pandan ice cream & caramelized palm sugar syrup

Even I am not a fan of Pandan thingy, I love the dish so much, Thank Monica !

How big it is? (even compared with our big faces :P)

Thanks again, Monica, I wish I can meet you again some day ^ ^

Spicy Sichuan & San Churro

2010-09-28T13:08:00.003+10:00

Tonight we were craving for some spicy food, so we chose the Spicy Sichuan in Glebe.

Arrived there quite early (and the weather was a bit hot, not really good for oily spicy food?), we were a first few tables at the place.

This time I didn't take the picture of the menu, so I don't really remember the name of the dish..hehe

Water Cooked Fish (Shui Zhu Yu)

Sweet & sour pork rib, way too dry.

Braised pork belly with pickles... dry as you can see from the picture.

Spicy cumin lamb

For me, I was a bit disappointed for the food, other Sichuan food I tried were a lot better.

Not far away from the restaurant, it is San Churro.

What is better than sweets after spicy meal? :)

Spicy Sichuan
9 Glebe Point Rd., Glebe, 2037
Tel : (02) 9660 8200

The Bunker

2010-09-27T13:19:00.001+10:00

Heard a lot about this cafe, I asked Meylissa, also Howey & Silvia to join me a brunch.

So cool menu.

Skim cappuccino & affogato.

Iced mocha & iced coffee.

Omlette of goats curd, pine nuts & rosemary hollandaise $14

Mushroom on Toast : mushrooms tossed with wilted spinash, fontina & grated nutmeg on Soy linseed toast $14

Ermm... I forgot what it is -_-" but from my memory its kinda spiced minced beef on toast.

Extra mushroom $3.50

Luv the deco.

The Bunker
399 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst 2010
Tel : (04) 0440 7349

Restaurant Balzac

2010-09-25T14:55:00.011+10:00

The Gang & I came here, Restaurant Balzac for a fine dinner.

We were seated at a quite dark table which was not good for us.

We were the first table of the night..haha

Sourdough (White & Dark rye) with butter

A bit disappointing.

1st course : Salt Cod Beignet

Quite like the Japanese cream croquette, inside got a small stripe of fish & a bit of greens.

Guy team : Ball, Top and Tan

2nd course : Tomato Consomme with Poached Snapper Cheek

It was my least favourite of the night, too sweet for my liking, N'Ping like it though.

3rd course : Marinated Black Kingfish and Ocean Trout with Orange, Fennel and Poached Scampi Tail

2008 Reichsrat Von Buhl Riesling - Pfalz, Germany
This dish was great in term of colourful presentation and refreshing flavour, like it !

4th course : Pan Fried Mirror Dory with Baby Heritage Carrots, Toasted Cumin and Dried Orange Skin

2008 Anselmi 'San Vincenzo' Soave - Veneto, Italy
The fish was perfectly cooked, also the condiments were making the dish well-rounded

5th course : Risotto of Broad Beans and Marjoram with Braised White Rabbit and Fresh Morels

2008 Bourgogne, Lucien Muzard et Fils - Burgundy, France

I like the rice itself, the rabbit was a bit dry.

6th course : Braised Beef Brisket with Sauce Bordelaise and Parsnip Fondant

2007 Cotes-du-Rhone, Tardieu-Laurent - Rhone Valley, France

I chose the beef brisket for 6th course, not disappointed. The brisket was fatty soft, melt in the mouth.

Bone marrow heaven !

6th course : Roasted Rack of Lamb with 'Petit Sale aux lentilles

Tan, Ping and Ta chose Lamb dish and it was also great, a bit lamb-ish (but fine for me). Nicely pinky and well-seasoned.

Gal team : Ping, Ja and Ta

7th course : Citrus Jelly with Spiced Panna Cotta and Peanut Praline

I really like it, the top part was perfectly creamy and the citrus jelly has a nice alcohol hint... :P (also perfect gelatin ratio).

8th course : Bread and Butter Pudding with Pain D'Epice Ice Cream

NV Dutschke The Tokay - Barossa Valley, S.A.

(Ping's Birthday)

The best bread and butter pudding I have had, Oh my. I am usually not a fan of it but I would love to eat this often.

I was too full for coffee, The rest of the table got some hot chocolate and flatwhite.

Petit fours : Fruit jelly & Orange blossom marshmallow

Another greatest meal with lots of love & laugh !

Restaurant Balzac
141 Belmore Road, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia
(02) 9399 9660

Le Monde

2010-09-24T15:49:00.007+10:00

Nut and I was busy deciding where to eat about 2 months before I came back to Thailand.. We managed to come here.

Breakfast degustation is available on Fridays and Saturdays and costs $35 per person

They do only 2 sitting; 9 am & 11 am with a maximum of 5 people at each sitting

Nut was seriously reading about coffee beans.

Granola & Watermelon with black olive, frozen grape, vanilla bean yoghurt & baby mint.

I am normally not a big fan of watermelon by itself but when it comes on the plate with the chef's smart creative, I always like it. The watermelon was crunch, juicy and refreshing. The yoghurt gave a tangy taste and the nutty toasty and crunchy of granola. The black olive sand made it special not only for the presentation but also for the flavour. Only frozen grape that I didn't like.

Clover coffee came in Chemex karafe

Like the menu.

2nd course : 'The B L A T' - deconstructed BLT

This was what I looking for :D

Dehydrated kale and so creamy avocado mousse

Tomato paper. When I tasted only itself, don't really like it but eating it as a whole sandwich, it was very important ingredient, adding the tangy and salty flavour.

Housemade mayonnaise, very tasty.

6hrs slow cooked pork belly.. Oh so juicy !

The chef recommends tasting a little of each component first,

and then just eating the rest of it as normal sandwich. Ahhh, such a serious breakfast.

My house blend Piccolo latte

3rd course : Iced coffee w fresh blueberries, salted pumkin seeds and chocolate. The chef comes out and pipes the iced coffee cream on top

and sprinkles the dessert with grated chocolate.

Really good, everything was well compliment each other. Texture, flavour, temperation.. all made us so satisfied.

They also serve other baked goods. I got chance to try the apple muffin on the other day, not bad.

Le Monde Cafe
83 Foveaux St., Surry Hills 2010, Australia
Tel : (02) 9211 3568

Baffi & Mo

2010-09-22T23:03:00.001+10:00

Craving for a big breakfast, I don't hesitate to go to Baffi & Mo, one of the best breakfast place in Sydney.

Hot skim mocha

The winner : Potato hash stack with double smoked ham, avocado, fresh tomato, asparagus and lemon dressed rocket topped with a poached egg

Ooh la la !

Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney

2010-09-22T14:51:00.018+10:00

Rockpool, finally I came to Rockpool Bar & Grill !

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, the restaurant is extremely dark, blogger's nightmare T^T

There are more than 2,000 Riedel Riesling glasses hanging in the restaurant

Bread

& (normal) Butter

Tuna Tartare, Moroccan Eggplant, Cumin Mayonnaise and Harissa $29

Nut & I already decided what to have for main like a month ago lol. So we just need to choose entree and sides. Only 1 entree was chosen is Tuna Tartare, which was different, Morrocan style. Fresh, rich and well seasoned.

and for the main, we ordered the same thing (not our typical dining culture lol) since we thought that it would't be enough for the great dish.

Rib-eye on the bone 350g 80 days - Cape Grim dry aged 36 month old grass fed $60

(Medium rare for me & Rare for Nut)

We ordered 2 side dishes (more than enough, we couldn't finish both of them)

Sauteed Covolo Nero $9

Taste like Chinese braised veggies, but I like..hehe

Potato and Cabbage Gratin $9

The small size was so big for us, creamy and got a nice breadcrumb crust on top.

Béarnaise sauce

The beef was good but maybe we expected too much for Rockpool? We did enjoy Tuna Tartare and side dishes more than the steak, (disappointed)

OMG, too full, really ! I haven't been this full for 10 years.. hahaha

but.....

Doughnuts with cinnamon pecan ice cream and apple sundae $19

ok, we don't think it is not easy for us to come back here, so we had to order dessert? It was ok, but they gave us so many doughnuts..haha

My stomach was almost explode ><

Rockpool Bar & Grill
66 Hunter Street, Sydney 2000
Tel : (02) 8078 1900

Unexpected Melbourne Trip

2010-09-20T22:55:00.002+10:00

Got a chance to go for a quick trip in Melbourne for weekends

Started the first meal at Blok M, grilled marinated oxtail.... so good !

Breakfast at Commercial Bakery, I tried this place twice in 2007. The pastries are ordinary but the coffee is good.

Can't go to Melbourne without visiting The Hardware Societe, this time they have so much more macarons !

Clockwise from top left :
1. The beautiful arranges of macs at The Hardware Societe
2. The dark chocolate tarts were from Commercial Bakery, very very good.
3. Once arrived home, Macs were messy but taste great.
4. Takeaway cappuccino from Mr.Tulk

The best KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) @ Gami

Il Fornaio st kilda

The famous Snicker Bar (very good but also very expensive), some chocolate cake Deryk ordered.. the chocolate cake was ok but the Liquorice ice cream was horrible, just not our type T T, housemade rose marshmallow.

Finally, I got to try Duncan's Macarons... still prefer La Renaissance's one.

Teh Tarik @ Old town kopitiam, China town

Good food indeed !

Finally, last meal, Shocolate !

B-52 Macaron on the plate and Iced dark chocolate.

TOO BEAUTIFUL TO EAT ! (but we did)

Bacco Winebar & Pasticceria

2010-09-16T17:12:00.002+10:00

Since I had started working, I had never tried the food at a winebar yet. Before I finished the job at Bacco, Brendan & George let me enjoy a wonderful meal here :)

I like the open kitchen here, want it in my (dream) kitchen too :)

The place I always walk pass by (or sometimes steal some liqueur for making pastries :P)

They serve such awesome cocktails, I love them all (I did try friends' cocktails too lol)

Sour dough from Sonoma (The best)

Antipasto per due : Italian cured meat selection of cheese with pickled vegetables, arancini, marinated eggplant and zucchini served with sourdough bread, for two

I like, got so many little things to nibble :)

Cheese platter (3 kinds) and I forgot the Italian name of the menu lol

George, my friends said you are very handsome ! hehehe

Italian beer?

Capresse : Buffalo mozzarella with Roma tomatoes, basil and oregano

Simple yet delicious.

Roasted potato with rosemary & seasalt

Pesce Spada Arrosto : Wood fired grilled swordfish loin with zucchini and lime infused olive oil

Meylissa's & Brendan's dish.

Faraona Ripiena : Montasio stuffed guinea fowl with silverbeet, red cabbage and orange sauce

Denny & I had this dish.

It was my first time having guinea fowl recommended by George, the flavour was rich and meaty. I also like the veggies and the sauce on the plate.

Joyce's : Costoletta di Vitello : Wood fired grilled grain fed veal cutlet served with pumpkin puree and asparagus, I like :D

Thanks you all, I love you guys !

Bacco Wine Bar Pasticceria
3/2 Chifley Square Sydney NSW 2000
Tel : (02) 9233 95552
Open Weekdays 7am-5pm

Longrain

2010-09-15T16:57:00.003+10:00

I myself determined that I had to try Longrain before I left Australia. We, 3, told the staff that we really wanted to try as many dishes as we can, so the staff kindly managed to give us a smaller size of food ;)

Eggnet filled with pork prawns peanuts caramelised coconut with a cucumber relish (signatured dish)

Sadly, nothing to rave about.

It is already small size..haha

Twice cooked angus beef ribs with crisp chilli garlic eschallots & lime leaves

P'Lek's friend is the chef working there and she said we must try this dish, its a Bomb!

The most beautiful beef rib I have never seen ! The beef was succulent, tender but still had some bites. The dish was made a lil sweet but eating it with the fried shallot, garlic and other herbs on top was the perfect balance.

hohoho, how happy I am?

Mussaman curry of mirool creek lamb with potatoes, baby onion & pineapple juice.. not really similar as Thai massaman but very nice.

Caramelised pork hock with 5 spice & chilli vinegar

It is the dish I told myself I had to have... heard a lot about its reputation.

and I love it, so beautifully gelatinious.

Oh my, so full ><

Longrain Sydney
85 Commonwealth St., Surry hills, NSW 2010
Tel : (02) 9280 2888