Beansprout's Cafe

Ms.G

2012-12-11T22:27:00.002+11:00

Gastro Park

2012-09-29T21:38:00.000+10:00

Brendan Dewar Patisserie

2012-09-28T20:56:00.000+10:00

Kitchen by Mike

2012-09-28T19:00:00.000+10:00

Adriano Zumbo Lab

2012-09-28T10:00:00.000+10:00

Charlotte : coconut sable, soft coconut sponge, pineapple compote, pineapple cremeaux, toasted white chocolate & pepper mousse, toasted white chocolate

V8 : black sesame dacquoise, brown sugar crunch, lychee gel, raspberry sponge, raspberry jelly, liquorice cremeaux, rose chantilly

Chocolate mousse : ancesco chocolate mousse, flourless chocolate biscuit, creme brulee aux the, berry fruits compote, berry meringue sticks

Sepia

2012-09-27T19:39:00.000+10:00

Haha, my blog post is so out of date... This was almost 1 year ago since I went to Sydney. Going there this time, I of course really miss eating fine-dining. Seeing one of my friend went there and she loves it so much, I booked a dinner at Sepia.

Tonight, 3 of us, Ball, N'Ping and I

Couldn't stand taking picture in front of the restaurant. lol

We were undoubtedly having degustation menu

A butter ball, how cool is that?

We opted for choosing our wine by glass instead of wine matching. The sommelier is so great recommended us different wines. Love every wines he served us !

I think its a tuna tartar, gosh, too long I couldn't remember -*-

Sashimi of Hiramasa Kingfish, yukari, beetroot, pickled aka seaweed, belle radish, smoked trout roe, violets

It was so delish ! Also the crispy duck skin is too die for.

Sashimi of yellow fin tuna, Jamon Iberico, poached quail egg,soy dashi jelly,onion cream, wasabi powder, puffed buckwheat, red elk.

Very very beautiful dish, again, love it.

Butter poached Port Lincoln squid, barley miso cured egg yolk, lemon, wild woodland sorrel

I am not a fan of raw squid but this blown me away. The texture and the flavour is so amazing ! Incredible texture !

Scampi tails cooked over Japanese charcoal, shellfish custard, crystallised wakame, dill pickled cucumbers, smoked trout roe, shiso

Once the scampi was in my mouth, I was about to cry... hahaha, It was THAT GOOD !

Roasted pasture fed lamb loin, lamb breast, pine mushroom, Chinese artichoke and celery stem, goat milk, seeded rye, pumpkin, rosemary and brown butter vinaigrette

Interesting enough, seafood here is way too good, so then when comes to meat. It seems pale in comparison. Not bad just like I said. Seafood is too good..haha

Seared rolled David Blackmore wagyu beef, chestnut mushroom, roasted red onion juice, wasabi fried potato and kombu crumb, citrus soy

We were really full at this stage. But yeah, always have space for dessert ! I couldn't recall this one. I think its meringue with lemon cream and sorbet? sure it tasted good :D

“Summer chocolate forest” – soft chocolate, hazelnut and almond praline, rose geranium cream, sour cherry sorbet, blueberry jellies, green tea, licorice, chocolate twigs, crystallised fennel fronds

It was really impressive dessert !

Sorry for the very uninformative, it was too long time remember the details. However, all I remember is I love seafood dishes here very much. The service is great especial the sommelier is very skillful, love all wine he offered. One of the really enjoyable experience. HIGHTLY RECOMMEND !

Sepia Restaurant
201 Sussex Street Sydney NSW 2000
(02)9283 1990
www.sepiarestaurant.com.au

The Wedge Espresso

2012-09-27T07:30:00.000+10:00

Okey, finally I push myself to blog today... As some of you may know, apart from Surry hills area, Glebe also is the place for cafes. After I left Sydney, many new places opened. One of them is The Wedge Espresso. If I am not mistaken, 2 of baristas from Le Monde owned this place.

I dragged Ping to join my breakfast cuz its really near our house.

The place is really small yet cool.

My cappuccino, beautifully made :)

Ping's Latte

^____^

We shared the lemon taragon poached chicken sandwich (since I wasn't very hungry).. Looked normal but it was delicious, very nice soy lin seed bread (I guess from Sonoma) with the moist & well seasoned chicken...

The Wedge Espresso

53-55 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, Sydney, Australia

Reuben Hills & Campos

2012-09-26T07:30:00.000+10:00

Off from Melbourne to Sydney. Wednesday morning, I called N'Ping and luckily she was free to have brunch with me. I walked from Central station to Reuben Hills.

My skinny cappuccino, miss this kinda coffee so much.

A long black for Ball

Hot chocolate for N'Ping

Doggs Breakfast; Ice cream sandwich with sated caramel

We actually wanted this become our dessert but it came first...hehe

Love the salted caramel, really nice.

Soft baked eggs with Jamon, spinach, ranchero & rye

Eggs were perfectly cooked !

My a-must-order : The NOT reuben wagyu salt brisket, pickled slaw, manchego & horseradish cream on rye

Look at the fatty juicy meaty... yummy !

After brunch, N'Ping & Ball needed to go back to work, then I called another friend, Ping (guy) and he took me to another my favourite place, Campos !

Always busy.

Ping (guy) ordered a cold drip coffee, I think, not really know about it.

For me, of course ! The best Affogato in town !!!!

Also nice croissant :D

The Hardware Societe (revisit 2012)

2012-09-25T07:30:00.000+10:00

If someone ask me about my favourite places in Melbourne, one of them surely is The Hardware Societe. The first time I went there the place was so cute but this time it is even cuter & bigger !

Last day in Melbourne, I had a class at Savour chocolate school at 9.00 am - 4 pm. which means I got 7.30 - 8.20 am period of time to enjoy my last breakfast in Melbourne. Joyce & Brenny didn't want to wake up early so only lovely P'Krit joined my crazy early breakfast :P

A minute I walked in to the cafe, I knew a big smile was on my face :D

My skinny cap, isn't it cute? (coffee from Prade)

P'Krit had a hot mocha which seemed different from what I had last time, looked thicker (better), Once it was getting cold, it started to set ! Just like pure chocolate (in a nice way) haha.

Before I came here, I had what I wanted to order in my head, Fried brioche ! Deryk shown me his picture of fried brioche described as Deconstructed Cheesecake on Brioche with Grand Marnier oranges, looks so amazing ! But then I realized that they change menu seasonally :'(

Fried brioche with lemon curd, cloud meringue and passion fruit.

Luckily I like my brioche, sweet & sour, crispy & soft, buttery & tangy, Oh my ! (however, its way too big for me lol)

P'Krit had a baked eggs with chirozo?

We found it was a little bit overcooked and P'Krit thought it could be added something more interesting. Still not bad.

The place is super cute & cozy, staff is friendly, food & coffee is nice. I would come here every time I visit Melbourne :)

The Hardware Societe
120 Hardware Street, Melbourne
Tel : (03) 9078 5992

The Premises

2012-09-24T14:45:00.000+10:00

The Premises was on my list of a wanna-go cafe in Melbourne but I was no idea where Kensington is. Until I knew that Deryk's new house is in Kensington area... Yes !!! I definitely hit this one.

The place is just at the corner opposite the train station, so easy to find. Even my schedule in Melbourne was very tight, I still managed to have a quick-visit there twice.

My skinny cappuccino, well made !

My second time here, had the skinny magic. Nice and strong (Seven Seeds beans).

The food menu looks interesting but unfortunately I had no time :(

The Premises
202 Bellair St
Kensington VIC 3031 Australia
Tel: (03) 9376 7565

Opening hours :
Tuesday to Friday, 7am – 4.30pm
Saturday to Sunday, 8am – 4pm

Squires Loft Steakhouse

2012-09-23T19:30:00.000+10:00

Worked at Bacco 2 years ago, now its time to catch up with my dearest Brenny & Juju at Squires Loft, P'Krit's workplace. (Does he allow me to post here? haha)

We had a bottle of 2010 Stumpy Gully "Magic Black"

Warm bread, I like.

Tiger prawn kebab : char-grilled with Squires Loft baste and served with garlic sauce on the side

Not a big fan of prawn but this was surprisingly good. Their special sauce brings the dish !

Baked mushroom & Fetta with garlic butter

The mushroom was so plump and juicy by it own, pairing with Fetta & garlic was even better. Some more it was a very healthy dish, wasn't it? ;P

Pork spare ribs (500g) : marinated in Squires Loft baste then char-grilled

Okey, once this one arrived at the table.. We were like.. "Ooohhhh..." It definitely was a huge portion of an appetizer. One bite, Juju & I made an eye contact ! Love the smokiness, tenderness of the pork.. and again, love the marinated sauce :)

Don't really need an effort to eat it, not too soft, not too tough, just nice.

If you know me, whenever I got a chance to see the kitchen, my camera is always there ^ ^

Here they are, Brenny, Juju & P'Krit

Come to the main !

Vegetarian Meal : 2 kebabs of mushroom, capsicum & zucchini served with grilled pumpkin and fried onion

Really like this one, good for sharing. All the veggies were sweet and flavoursome.

Rib eye on the bone (400 g). We ordered it with mushroom sauce and garlic butter sauce.

Such a big portion, lucky me sharing with P'Krit

Mine

Side salad

Sticky date pudding with extra ice cream lol

My cap :)

Such a lovely meal, thanks ka ^____^

Squires Loft Steakhouse

166 Toorak Road,

South Yarra Vic 3141 Australia
Tel :(03) 9824 0999

Taiwan Cafe Taiwanese Street Food

2012-09-22T19:00:00.000+10:00

After had such a big eating day from Chez Dre and Burch & Purchese, we still hadn't stopped the day yet. Since everyone left, only P'Krit was the victim who had to be with me for dinner lol.

We were actually not really hungry, then ended up at Taiwan Cafe on Swanton St.

The place is quite small but luckily we can get the table without waiting.

My favourite Taiwanese dish : Braised pork on rice (Lu Rou Fan) 滷肉飯: minced pork stewed with five spice and soya stock served with soya marinated egg on rice.

I first had this one at Cho dumpling King and fall in love with it ever since. Here was not bad but still far from many places in Sydney.

Beef wrap : Spring onion wrap with soya marinated beef slices garnished with spring onion and plum sauce.

Recommended by P'Krit and I love it ! Tasty and interesting cuz they use the hoisin sauce reminded me of a Peking duck. And it was a very heavy dish... I think only half piece already enough for my dinner...haha

Xiao long bao : steamed soup dumplings

Nothing special about it.

Taiwanese beef noodle soup : tenderly braise beef in an authentic herb and spice noodle soup

I was too full for this dish, then had only a few sips of the soup ;P

Even really full after the meal, we managed to get our dessert, a golden sand bun from a shop in China town which I didn't take a photo ^ ^"

Taiwan Cafe
273 Swanston St.
Melbourne, VIC 3000

Tel : 03 9663 6663

Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio

2012-09-22T14:39:00.001+10:00

Our sugary day is still continuing after had a big brunch at Chez Dre. Watching Australian Masterchef, Burch & Purchese became in my a-must-go place in Melbourne.

Extremely excited and noticed that there was a very big smile on my face even we only were in front of the shop ^_____^

I took pictures almost every corners of the place... haha

Happy face :)

Chocolate, strawberry & balsamic vinegar jam! Doesn't it sound awesome? I grabbed this one but still haven't tried it yet ..(too many food in my fridge now :P)

It took us quite a while to decide what to have. 4 of us means we can have 5 pieces? lol (okey, its after a huge brunch, otherwise we could get more). Burch & Purchese does only take away, so we bought the cakes and went to Food court opposite the shop.

Explosive Milk Chocolate & Raspberry

Milk choc & raspberry mousse, exaggerated rasp cream, milk chic Sacher sponge, fresh raspberry compote, chocolate royal biscuit, raspberry marshmallow, chocolate coated pop rocks, mirror chocolate glaze

I chose this, raspberry & chocolate is always my favourite... The mousse is very airy and light, and wasn’t overly rich. The chocolate coated pop rocks, I love pop rocks! It creates mini explosions in your mouth. Such a great way to play with the texture and surprise people.

I also love the fresh raspberry compote, which is a really refreshing raspberry compote. The compote is quite tangy but perfect with other two layers of the different textured chocolate elements.

Milk Chocolate, Pumpkin, Bacon & Maple

Spiced milk chocolate cream, bacon, pecan & milk crumble, pumpkin cream, pumpkin seed cake, smoked maple jelly, milk chocolate mousse, candied pumpkin seed

Such a very tempting name indeed ! Might a bit unusual flavour but I think it is quite nice and very interesting. All the components quite works well for me and candied pumpkin seed adds extra crunch. However, for me, the layer of crumble is too thick... Even you try to get everything in one spoon, still get so much crumble.

Gin & Tonic

Gin & Tonic jelly, juniper berry crumb, lime curd, Gin caviar, lime jelly, lime & white chocolate mousse, brilliant white chocolate spray, lime streusel

Ricky : Oh, it really tastes Gin & Tonic

P'Krit : Yeah, Gin & Tonic

Me : Ummmm (thinking...) Ok, I don't know what Gin & Tonic taste like.

Ricky & P'Krit : ............................

Haha, anyway, I know how a lime taste like :) Lime & white chocolate is a great combination. Gin caviar is actually like tapioca pearls. How clever chef add juniper berry into a crumb as it is commonly used to flavour gin.

Salted Caramel & Chocolate Eclair

Chocolate choux pastry, salted caramel cream, dark chocolate, gold encrusted Murray River sea salt

Everyone loves salted caramel. Just having salted caramel eclair at Chez Dre this morning makes me wanna try B&P version too. In my opinion, salted caramel here is more intense and saltier while Chez Dre's one is milder. The choux pastry at B&P is a bit chewier because they put like a glaze I guess. Chez Dre's pastry got an extra score from Daisy cuz the cookie dough on top makes it crispier.

Baked Lemon Tart with Raspberry Macaron

Sweet vanilla shell, baked lemon custard, glazed meringue and raspberry macaron

Don't just the shell by its look, even it seems really pale but it is quite good. The custard is also nice in texture and flavor.

Sugar overload !

Cute spoons

Ja with Daisy & P'Krit. Really thank Daisy & Ricky to take me taste all beautiful goodies. Thank P'Krit who being not a sweet tooth person joined my day with this much sugar :P

Yummmm...

Really appreciated your friendship, see you again somewhere :)

Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio
647 Chapel Street, South Yarra VIC 3141, Australia

Phone: (03)9827 7060

Hours:

Mon	Closed
Tue-Sun	10am–6:30pm

Chez Dre

2012-09-22T10:30:00.000+10:00

Looking in those instagram pictures of Chez Dre makes me really keen to come here. On Saturday morning, P'Krit and I arrived there at 10.30 am and Bryan was already at the queue (I was so excited meeting Bryan for the first time, I am his fan, his blog is amazing). Then Daisy and Ricky came, followed by other 3 friends of P'Krit so there were 8 of us in total... Yeah, more people, more food :P

Gosh, it took us about 75 minutes for the table !!! yeah, 75 minutes.. I was standing there quite a long time, after chitchatting with new friends, ok I should go inside to take some photo.(actually I wouldn't mind waiting since I had a good time with my new friends)

Looks at those beautiful eclairs !

I found cakes here today looks a bit monotone?

One interesting thing is most of the kitchen staff are girls.

My magic.

Believe it or not, we waited for another hour for the food :P

Tropical Bircher Muesli for Daisy

Grand Petit Dejeuner: Poached eggs on sourdough, bacon, spicy herb lamb sausages, potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, smashed avocado with goat cheese & tomato relish.

Poached eggs on Brioche, grilled asparagus, salt cured salmon & lemon caper dressing

Okey, this one is very funny. P'Krit & Bryan ordered this and when the food arrived... We were like.. eh.. where is the brioche? We kept finding, flipping up the salmon to see underneath and still couldn't find it lol So we asked the waitstaff, she left and brought us a piece of brioche without an apology or anything...

My dish: Ricotta stuffed mushrooms, black truffle salsa poached egg, confit truss tomatoes with toasted sourdough.

I was quite enjoy my dish.. cheese, mushrooms.. <3 p="p">

Now come to desserts !

Caramel dome, sorry but I couldn't remember how it taste like :P

Dark chocolate tart

This one is nice, perfectly shiny glaze, crumbly tart shell and nice layers of chocolate ganache and mousse

Tonka bean mousse

Quite interesting for the Tonka flavour compared to the usual vanilla bean.

Salted caramel eclair

My favourite ! Really like this one, the choux were nicely baked with a cookie dough on top. Inside, got a sweet and salty caramel pastry cream and salted caramel..

Lemon meringue tart

My least favourite, too sweet.

French toast with berries compote. 2 thumbs up !!! Another winner for me, the crispy caramelized sugar at the brioche was sooooo yum.

Bostock, not bad but I was too full by this stage ^ ^"

haha, see the long list ! We had done a pretty great job !

After brunch (supposed to be breakfast), we walked to South melbourne market. Ricky stopped by at the seafood kiosk... haha

He still can eat !!!

Me & Daisy :)

Chez Dre

285-287 Coventry Street
South Melbourne, VIC, Australia 3205
Phone: +61 (0) 9690 2688

Rouge Cafe

2012-09-21T13:26:00.000+10:00

After having a big breakfast at Proud Mary, I had another eating meeting lol with P'Krit. I first knew him at a language school in Melbourne since 2007 and last time we met was in 2010. He has been working in Melbourne since then and kindly enough to spend his time with me during this trip.

P'Krit took me to this lovely cozy French-inspired cafe, Rouge, near Toorak station.

Pretty window display

When I came inside, I couldn't stop taking pictures... really cute, this place. When I said I took a lot of pictures, I mean a lot !

ok, after I came back to the table, P'Krit asked me if there are any corners of the place that I don't like... haha

We both had a soy mocha... I love Bonsoy <3>

I think it was the braised duck with mash... even butter was good.

Inside the toilet..hehe

Really like the place. The staff is very friendly too, next time I will have their croissant :)

Before we came here, I have heard so many good things about Macarons at La Belle Miette. We went there to buy some.

Couldn't really remember the flavours but all tastes very nice. Perfect shell and nice filling.

Rouge Cafe

14 Beatty Ave
Armadale VIC 3143, Australia

(03) 9822 3310

La Belle Miette
30 Hardware Lane Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia

(03) 9024 4528

Proud Mary

2012-09-21T10:00:00.000+10:00

I maybe the only coffee lover who had never been to Proud Mary? This time I made sure I gotta go there so I asked 2 brothers to take me...

We arrived there around 10.30 am since Deryk said it will be very crowed afterward.

These 2 cups were ours :)

Our table were at the corner, quite dark and not nice for taking pictures ><

My skinny cappuccino... Sadly to say but I don't really like my coffee here... I found it very sour and got some taste I don't like.. but later I talked about this to Bryan, he told me that first you taste it, you will feel like that but the more you drink, the more flavours you will get and it will be very interesting... ummm, I need to practice more of coffee tasting.

Deryk loves his latte.

Potato Hash: a thick hash brown, grilled bacon, spinach, a poached egg, bagna cauda (a light italian sauce, made up of anchovies, cream and garlic)

Oh dear, looks at that goodness hash & bacon ! Love the way they cut their hash, like a noodle..haha. Our table had a conclusion that this way will make you less filling.

Henrik have the roasted wild mushroom, brioche, chipotle butter, whipped goat cheese and poached egg

I really like this, always love wild mushroom.

My dish : Crispy pork belly sandwich with smoked paprika relish and aioli

Deryk told me that I had to try their pork belly sandwich, it is the winner (also the pork belly sandwich at Earl Canteen)

Ok, it was pretty yummy. The pork is twice cooked I guess. All the fat is rendered from the cooking process which make you feel less guilty :P However, it was too much for me for breakfast, so I gave another half to Henrik..lol

Henrik had their magic mocha.. I tried, very chocolatey but again.. got the sour taste.

Even I don't like my coffee this time, I wouldn't mind come here again to learn more about how good coffee supposed to taste like... Everyone say the coffee is great, so it gotta be great :)

Proud Mary172 Oxford Street, Collingwood VIC 3066, Australia

Phone: (03)9417 5930

Hours:

Mon-Fri	7am–4pm
Sat-Sun	8am–4pm

LuxBite

2012-09-20T13:23:00.000+10:00

Ahem... I haven't update this blog for ages... But hey, I am still alive :) Actually I just came back from visiting Melbourne & Sydney since my last stay there in 2010. Miss over there so much... During this trip, I have only 5 days and a half in Melbourne (3 days in Savour chocolate school with Jerome Masterchef) which means I have only 2 days and a half to complete all my long list of the places I want to go? Ok, that's impossible... Hiah.. I kept thinking what should I do.

Here is how an Instagram helps me... Lucky enough, I follow one Melbourne blogger, Daisy from Never Too Sweet (I follow lots of Melbournien & Sydneysider by the way). I don't know what make me brave enough to comment in her instagram's picture asking her to be my Melbourne eating company (That might sounds insane for others but I think its quite normal for food bloggers? or just me think that :P) . And yeah ! She replied me then we tried to manage our plan via an email.

I arrived Melbourne around noon on 20th Sep and after putting all stuffs at my friend's house in Kensington, I quickly took a train (oh this was my first time using Myki card) to the city to get a mobile sim card and straight to South Yarra to meet Daisy.

LuxBite is in one of the places I wanted to go... It was opened just before I left Australia and many people blogged about it... Here we come !

Bernard Chu and Yen Yee are the visionaries behind LuxBite, originally from Malaysia then moved to Australia, worked with many great chefs both in Sydney & Melbourne... After reading their profile, wow, I am so impressed by their young age for being this successful.

So many, which one should we get?

Daisy introduced me Kirk, her friend who is also a pastry chef at Spice Temple. We 3 people ordered 4 cakes with 3 pieces of macarons lol

Salted caramel, Green tea Pistachio and Ribena Lemonade

Caramel cravings : Caramel lovingly placed between winning chocolate and coconut base

The caramel center is fudge-like, for that much amount, we found it too sweet, if one consumes this by himself, I think he can get diabetic.

Endless love : Giant macarons, lychee ganache, rose cream, lychee and raspberry

It was my favourite out of 4, as you know, it can't go wrong with perfect macarons shell, rose and lychee.

Supersized love : Ferrero Rocher with housemade nutella, praline cream and Piedmontese hazelnut

This one is also nice, like you eat a big piece of Ferrero Rocher !

Apple of my eye : Chamomile cream cheese mousse, kiwi jelly, spiced apple compote, green apple glaze, caramelized apple skin as the stalk

I quite like this one (but not for daisy). I think it was quite refreshing compared to others. I tasted chamomile, I tasted spices and especially, I like its look.

Really like this Ribena Lemonade. I had no idea what Ribena is.. Everyone said it is a drink.

Bernard kindly gave us try his new creation of macaron... Moon cake flavour ! I know, it sounds awesome, rite? There is a Lotus paste in the filling...I like !

I was too full then skipped my dinner, and ended up very hungry around 10 pm... hahaha

LUXBITE SOUTH YARRA
38 Toorak Road
South Yarra, VIC, 3141 Australia
P: +61 398 675 888
E: info@luxbite.com.au
Open 7 days, 10.30am - 7pm

Paris Paris Part 2

2012-09-06T00:36:00.000+10:00

Ok.. more photos... I quickly update this post since I just came back from Melbourne & Sydney... Lots of great food post is coming ! ^ ^

Paris Paris Part 1

2012-09-05T23:38:00.000+10:00

When an unexpected trip came to me, of course I grabbed it. Unfortunately, August is the worst month to go to Paris (if you are there for eating !) because it is the vacation month for French people... Most of the shop, patisseries and boulangeries are closed for a month T___T

Nevertheless, it is, still, a wonderful trip :)

Magnum Chocolate Masterclass

2012-06-07T20:00:00.000+10:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Belgium chocolate workshop which was a part of the press conference launching the new Magnum that replace the chocolate coating with the real Belgium chocolate. The event was held at the Okura Prestige Bangkok, Wireless rd.

Sorry for the quality of the photo. Forgot to bring camera, so all photo is from iPhone.

Gotta have some savory things before sweets, right? My friend, Pink, said that here serves one of the best cocktail food for this kinda event.

After filled up our tummy, we entered into the room... chocolate room?

I thought there would be a few people, but I was wrong. There were only 5 bloggers but lots of other guest.

Belgium chocolate, so who else can present it better than Belgium chocolatier? Chef Jean-Louis Graindroge, the head chef from ‘Duc de Praslin Belgium’ Chocolaterie of course suits the event.

One of the cutest thing I have seen... Magnum flash drive ! Happy me :)

Chef Jean-Louis taught us the history of chocolate and the way they were processed. And of course, we couldn't truly know about chocolate without tasting ^__^

As we all know, chocolate basically can be categorized in to 3 ; Dark chocolate, Milk chocolate and White chocolate. A box of 6 pieces of chocolate was placed in front of us with a cup of black tea to clean our palate for each tasting.

1. Swiss White Chocolate (claimed to be made from the best milk, tastes sweet and creamy with a hint of vanilla.)

2.English Milk Chocolate (Chocolate with a caramel-ish character)

3.American Milk Chocolate (Chocolate with more nutty than English one)

4.African (Peru) Dark Chocolate (64% quite green and strong flavor)

5.Asian Milk Chocolate (Compound chocolate with vegetable oil. Fake chocolate. Taste like plastic)

6.Belgium Milk Chocolate (56% rich chocolate flavor. Creamy. Slowly melt in your mouth.)

Here come to wine pairing.

White chocolate with Proseco

white chocolate with the raspberry ganache & berries... love love.

Milk chocolate filled caramel which taste stronger, paired with Proseco.

Dark chocolate with hazelnut praline paired with red wine.

All bonbon tastes quite yummy ..hehe

Now it is time for us to create our own Magnum plated dessert.

My dish, I just took the things I wanna eat... like buffet, huh? lol

The new Belgium chocolate Magnum will be launch around end of June. There are 3 flavors; Chocolate truffle, Chocolate with almond and Classic... Stay tuned to try them :)

5 of us (food bloggers) N'Mee, N'Boong, P'Wan, Me and K'Pink :)

Special thanks for K.Fern and K.Ann, PR Team for inviting us :)

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