Hungry Kittens: June 2009

Adam's Oriental Restaurant
http://www.adamsoriental.com.au/

We're on the hunt for a good Singaporean chili crab dish. Ever since Charlie and I ordered the chili bug version at Obsession, I've been tracking the net for a proper crab version.

I did find out that Kingsley's on the riverside serve Singaporean chili mud crab. We phoned up and asked for the market price which at the moment is around $100. Well... I want crab but I might save that for a special occasion later down the track.

Today, we settled for another chili bug, or as Charlie has nicknamed the dish, Shili bug (Singapore + chili... yes, lame I know). I knew that Adam's Oriental did a 'Malay-style' bug which from the description, sounded a lot like the Singaporean style of cooking it. There were also heaps of other things on the menu that sounded appealing to me.

Chocolate and Oranges: Going Jaffa Cake Crazy! (Gluten Free)

3 comments:

Flourless Jaffa Cakes
Home Cooking

I was just lying in bed when a craving for jaffa cake hit me. When I think of jaffa cakes, I have a really PRECISE vision in mind: it's the ones they sell at McCafe. The cake is high and thick with marbled orange and brown. Spread over the top and sides is a thick, luxurious dark chocolate ganache. The texture is sticky but very dense.

The insides of my own jaffa muffins

It's hopeless when you have something in your mind to find a recipe that perfectly matches your memories. I SHOULD have just gone to McCafe and bought one. The problem is, most jaffa cake recipes online aren't marbled. There tends to be an orange and chocolate flavored thing in the ONE batter.

Inside of my jaffa cake - layered orange and brown :)

In essence, it probably wouldn't have mattered much. But I don't need logic. Logic can jump. I wanted TWO distinct colours.

Broadwalk Bar + Bistro

Broadwalk Bar + Bistro
www.boardwalkbar.com.au/

I spotted Broadwalk along Eagle St pier back when I was walking to Jellyfish. It had a nice, open and welcoming vibe so I thought to myself that I'd visit later down the track. A friend of mine told me she had a 'so so' experience with the breakfast at Broadwalk but... I was still curious.

Last night, I was having dinner with a friend and after much debate/confusion/aimless driving, we ended up at Eagle St pier. The adventure started out at West End but because many West End restaurants are closed Monday evenings, we gravitated towards Southbank. There was the intent of going to the Chalk Hotel but an incorrect turn led us into the city so we thought we'd just go with the flow.

To be honest, I wasn't even going to stop at Broadwalk (we WERE going to Jellyfish) but the menu is huge and it caught my eye. I was in the mood for seafood so when I spotted bouillabaisse under the 'mains', I literally stopped in my tracks and decided I NEED to TRY THIS.

Chicken and Cucumber Fried Rice

Chicken and Cucumber Fried Rice
Home Cooking

Fried rice is a classic - simple but so very tasty. I think it's often forgotten about but in my eyes, a good fried rice dish can be absolutely dominating. The other bonus is that you can incorporate a lot of spare or left over ingredients you have sitting in your fridge.

I had some cooked chicken in the fridge so I wanted to use that up in my rice dish. You can use barbecued chicken or any other form of cooked chicken (as long as it doesn't have over-powering flavors). The idea is that you can add in any meat/veggies you like. I think chicken and cucumber is a nice combination. I kept this fried rice dish nice and clean as opposed to dark and heavily seasoned.

I know the ingredients list is long but it's fried rice; lots of the things are optional and the quantities are adjustable.

Grill'd - Grilled Healthy Burgers

Grill'd
http://www.grilld.com.au/

Burgers are yum. Good burgers. Even bad ones. They were a genius invention. Thank you, inventor-of-the-burger!

The lone problem is of course relating to fat and kilojoules, the enemies of our modern day, health-conscious generation. When someone claims they're making HEALTHY BURGERS, my heart sings out for them.

Midnight Snack: Oat Hotcakes with Stewed Apple and Raspberries

Oat Hotcakes with Stewed Fruit
Home Cooking

I was having a bit of trouble sleeping tonight and my stomach was grumbling every couple of minutes. Finally, I decided that something had to be done. The trouble with midnight cravings is you tend to want to overload yourself with sugar and butter. I've done enough of that lately with my babka and all so I was determined to find a relatively 'healthier' option.

There's a recipe in Bill Granger's 'Feed me now' for oaty breakfast hotcakes. I didn't follow that particular recipe but it inspired me to make my own version.

These hotcakes are REALLY healthy - almost fat-free and very low on sugar. The fruit is stewed in sugar syrup but it's an optional accompaniment to the hotcakes. I thought the hotcakes also tasted great with just a bit of low-fat vanilla yogurt on the side. It's really up to you.

Yum Cha at Landmark

3 comments:

Landmark Restaurant
Shop 101, Sunnybank Plaza Shopping Centre, Sunnybank

I must admit, Masterchef has done my head in again. Watching the guys out in Hong Kong munching on yum cha sent my craving meter through the roof. My stomach was relentless in demanding dim sums and tea. The only solution was to comply.

There is really not a lot of choice available for getting yum cha in Brisbane. I feel like the market is pretty much dominated by Landmark. It's the lone Chinese restaurant out of the CBD that has that BIG restaurant vibe. If you want to have a Chinese wedding reception, there's not a lot of choice besides booking out Landmark. I know there are a few other places in the valley and whatnot but generally, Chinese families that I know don't bother traveling out there and would much rather go to Sunnybank.

Despite knowing all this, I still wasn't ready for how busy Landmark was. We went there on a weekday for lunch and the line was nearly out the door. We got a ticket and waited approximately 15min before finally getting a seat.

Indian Salmon Curry

Indian Salmon Curry
Home Cooking

I bought ingredients to cook this dish a while a go and only got around to making it today. This is a recipe from Bill Granger's 'Feed me now'. The alterations I made are quite slight: I vamped up the spices, used curry powder instead of curry leaves, added sliced bamboo (not at all authentically Indian, I know) and stirred in some canned salmon rather than fresh salmon fillets.

Whatever you make of this dish, it's a great, healthy idea for lunch or dinner. The spiciness makes it nice for Winter but there's nothing heavy or 'bad' in the curry, not cream or even milk. Let's not forget that salmon is loaded with nutrients too.

Barolo Modern Mediterranean Dining

Barolo
http://www.barolo.com.au/

Many times when we need FOOD, I get confused and instantly forget the list of places I want to visit. Maybe I'll try physically writing a list...

Anyway, Barolo was an occasion when I actually knew exactly what I wanted. The criteria for the evening was: pasta in the CBD. Barolo describes itself as 'modern Mediterranean' and had some knock-out pasta dishes on their menu (yes, I research these things online). I was really eager to give it a go.

Ultimate Indulgence: Chocolate Babka

Chocolate Babka
Home Cooking

Lots of sources I've read for making babka claim that it will be one of the fattiest, sugar-loaded recipes recipes you'll ever attempt. I ignored all that and went for it anyway. Until a couple of months back, I had no idea what babka was. I've heard references to it on Seinfeld (you much get chocolate babka and not cinnamon babka if you want to impress) but could never put name to image or taste.

One fateful day, I had a taste of the choc-cinnamon babka at Max Brenner in Sydney. It was, in one word: delicious. I had it warm and topped with oozing chocolate. It's still such a fresh memory in my mind.

It didn't really occur to me to bake my own babka until I came across a recipe in Nick Malgieri's 'The Modern Baker'. I really like this cookbook and he gives a lot of tips so I thought that if ever I'm going to try and make my own babka, this is the recipe I'll follow.

Malaya Corner Restaurant

4 comments:

Malaya Corner Restaurant
Shop 38, 341 Mains Rd, Sunnybank

I thought I had the eateries around Sunnybank all tried and tested. Wrong. Malaya is one of those places that I've heard friends rave about but I was sort of skeptical and so it's managed to skip my restauranting radar.

That is, until recently when a friend took me there. We had a pretty early dinner on a weekday so the place wasn't that full. Malaya has a reasonably spacious floor area with a slightly cafeteria-feel. the menu is extensive and there are so many pages of things to look through.

"A Chai Latte ATE me" - The Three Monkeys Revisited

Three Monkeys Coffee and Tea House - Revisited
58 Mollison St, South Brisbane

When I thought about re-blogging places I've already visited, it did occur to me that this might be perceived as pointless and space-consuming. I argue that it's not (obviously, since I'm the one writing and publishing this post). If I revisit somewhere and the new experience is significantly different to the previous one, I feel like my readers have a right to know! This might mean new food, a sudden lapse in standards, renovations or whatever.

In the case of Three Monkeys, there's not much point in me constantly updating you with new cakes that I try there because well, they don't even have a set selection of cakes. There's new stuff going in by the hour...

What I do want to talk about is this awesome Chai tea I had. I ordered it with soy milk (extra 50c) and was thinking - this better be a bloody good Chai because it's so exxy.

Caravanserai

Caravanserai
http://www.caravanserairestaurant.com.au/

When I'm planning to go out and eat in a group, I can't help but think of Turkish or Greek food. The servings are generous and it's a style of cuisine that begs to be shared and eaten with friends or family. Even the environment of most Turkish restaurants are conductive to group situations: loud, colourful and warm.

I read about Caravanserai on Vogue Forums a while back and had it mentally bookmarked for a future event. It's located in West End but because my knowledge of West End doesn't extend much beyond the Boundary and Melbourne intersection, I hadn't ever seen it around. Last night, I had a small gathering with old highschool friends and we ended up at Three Monkeys so I thought it was the perfect time to find Caravanserai and try it out for dinner.

L'Acadamie Hotel - bargain 3 courses

L'Acadamie Hotel
http://www.lacademie.com.au/

My mum's not as much of a foodie as me but every now and again, she'll give an excellent recommendation. I've been to a few 'training' food institutions before - namely the Mt Gravatt Tafe, Southbank Tafe and UQ Customs House. Most of these were good experiences so I was keen to try L'Acadamie which is the Shafston College's teaching facility.

The fact that sealed the deal was: $14.95 3 course meal. At that price, there's no reason not to at least give it a go. I made a booking for weekday lunch and it really wasn't difficult to get a table.

Endless Noodles

Endless Noodles
Shop 1/70 Pinelands Rd, Sunnybank Hills

I've already pondered over how my 'taste' has changed since I was a child. There's the broad pattern of change. Point in case: I used to detest all forms of seafood. Now, though I'm not a seafood expert/connoisseur/snob by any means, I'm tentatively exploring seafood on menus more and more.

This is slightly on the same vein of thought but as well as these MACRO taste changes, I get MICRO food changes. Profound theory? Possibly. What this means is basically: periods of craving a certain type of food. At the moment, as we're aware, it's Italian. For a while, it was noodles. Sometimes, I have a really specific desire in mind. In my noodle phase, I was specifically after rustic, handmade noodles with simple flavors.

Perhaps subconsciously, what my body was trying to say was that it was craving Endless Noodles. Endless Noodles is the only place I know that makes dishes exactly like what I was after (that's not entirely true - there's one other place but I had a dispute with the owner there and basically got kicked out so it doesn't count).

Vegan Wild Mushroom Risotto

Vegan Wild Mushroom Risotto
Home Cooking

I was at the shops with a list all prepared for getting ingredients to make a salmon curry. Evidently, I got distracted (as usual) and bought 2 punnets of mushrooms: portobello and Swiss brown.

Pondering over what to do with these... I went for the obvious options: a pasta and a risotto. This is the risotto that I made. I'll post my mushroom carbonara later on.

Castelli's Fresh Pasta Cafe and Pizzeria

4 comments:

Castelli's Fresh Pasta Cafe and Pizzeria
2/11 Nash St, Rosalie

If I could pick my dream house/apartment now, I'd plonk it in Rosalie. It's my favorite suburb to chill in, beating other great contenders like West End, New Farm and Bulimba. I dig boutique village suburbs. The idea is: walk down the street and there are cafes, gourmet delis, restaurants etc at your doorstep.

Nash St in Rosalie has this vibe perfected. It's never rowdy or dangerous. My only qualm is that it's hard to find a parking spot but I suppose that wouldn't be a problem if I lived there.

Castelli's is somewhere I had passed on several occasions and wondered about. Again, in my pizza/pasta-craving mood, I thought I'd finally give them a go.

Pistachio, Yogurt and Cardamom Cake with Lime Syrup

Pistachio, Yogurt and Cardamom Cake with Lime Syrup
Home Cooking

Whilst I never feel like munching on roasted pistachios as they are, I am a huge lover of pistachio-flavored things. I don't mean anything with that 'fake' flavor or anything green... it's a little bit more sophisticated than that. But not much.

I totally dig pistachio gelato (only the good stuff though) and pistachio cakes and things naturally attract my attention. I've put off making any pistachio dessert myself because they are quite expensive.

Il Centro Restaurant and Bar

Il Centro Restaurant and Bar
http://www.il-centro.com.au/

Cruising around the riverside, it's pretty hard to miss Il Centro. I have been to Cha Cha Char and because they're direct neighbors, it was instinctive for me to have a peak at what Il Centro had on offer. One thing I noticed from a while back is that they put a lot of emphasis on their pastry chef. Now, I LOVE desserts and when I read that, Il Centro instantly got a place on my list of 'restaurants to visit'.

This was a couple of years ago... the fact is, I have MANY restaurants I want to try and when an occasion comes about, I tend to blank out and stick with what I know and love. Yesterday marked the end of my exams for semester 1. In recognition of my current 'Italian craze', I thought that it would be the perfect time to FINALLY try Il Centro.

Thai Mountain Restaurant

Thai Mountain Restaurant
8/21 Goggs St, Jindalee

I've been told that I once went past this restaurant and said "this place looks good - we must try it". The thing is, I don't actually recall saying that because I don't even remember noticing this restaurant before but Charlie had mentally cataloged it as somewhere to take me. What a nice guy. We went there spontaneously one weekday evening and it was surprisingly busy. If you're familiar with the area, you'll know we don't have a lot of fancy shmancy restaurants so anything that managed to GRAB THE LOCALS get elevated to 'potentially awesome' in my books.

The restaurant is small. There's a bit of outdoor dining space but the night we went, it was FREEZING so I didn't even think about sitting outside. The first thing I noticed is that the staff wear really cute 'costumes'. Really cute.

Capri Cafe and Bar

Capri Cafe and Bar
http://www.capricafe.com.au/

It's official: my craving for Italian food is insatiable. I keep thinking that it's about time I started getting in the mood for a different type of cuisine but nope... pasta is on my mind. It's an affliction.

It so happens that Charlie has also caught the bug. With him it's more specific: seafood pasta in a creamy sauce loaded with chili.

We set out one day with this in mind. I wanted to try Arriva in New Farm but it wasn't open for lunch. Neither was Ciccio's (one of our favorite pasta bars). Finally, in a state of near-despair, we remembered Capri in the Emporium. Charlie had actually been there before but for some reason, thought it was a Spanish restaurant. I had never been there but was pretty sure it was an Italian restaurant. I think I was right in the end.

Six Degrees

Six Degrees
4/30 Station Rd, Indooroopilly

I have a 'thing' for boutique. Boutique clothing stores, cafes etc. Six Degrees was recommended to me as a place that had a bit of an artsy, cozy vibe. That made me think of Three Monkeys, which I love, so it definitely got me curious.

I had driven past Six Degrees a few times before I ate there and I was doubtful because from the outside, it looks like such a plain (but pink) building. As soon as you walk inside though, you can make out the little booth seats, artwork on the wall and the special kind of clutter that makes you feel comfortable rather than messy.

Cream Patisserie Boulangerie

Cream Patisserie Boulangerie
http://www.creamstyle.com.au/

I may or may not have mentioned this before but before I moved from the East side of Brisbane, Cream was my favorite cafe. Hands down. It opens till late on most nights and that was great for me to go on spontaneous 'cake runs' (great for exam-time sugar fixes).

The cafe sells its own desserts and pastry items and from my multiple experiences of breakfast, lunch, coffee and sweet goods, it is consistently good. Notable favorites have included: their tiramisu (which got my mum addicted to tiramisu as a whole), chocolate sour cream cake and eggs benedict (my first ever eggs benny was had at Cream). They do an awesome hot chocolate that is so thick, you have to spoon it out.

Pork Wontons in Chili Coconut Broth

3 comments:

Pork Wontons in Chili Coconut Broth
Home Cooking

This recipe was really loosely based on one from "Feed me now" by Bill Granger. When I say loosely, I'm 'not at all really'. I saw his recipe and was very close to following it but got distracted.

The change-of-mind trigger for me was that I bought a bunch of bok choi and it was much too much to use in the broth alone. I also didn't have chicken mince like I thought and so it clicked in my head: pork mince + chopped bok choi = wontons. Bill Granger's recipe was for spiced chicken meatballs basically so you can see where the deviation lies.

The Purple Olive

The Purple Olive
www.thepurpleolive.com.au

I've been in the mood for Italian food a lot. In a recent cookbook splurge, I picked up Jamie's Italy and the descriptions and photos are just stunning. I have dreams about pasta. It's incurable.

Being of Oriental heritage, I unfortunately don't have an Italian grandmother to lovingly create pasta dishes for me on a whim. The best I can do is make my own lazy versions (canned tomato + mince with store-bought dried pasta shapes and loads of Parmesan) or drag someone out to a restaurant with me. The someone is not strictly necessary but I'm not a huge fan of eating by myself.

As I was researching the supply of Italian restaurants in Brisbane, The Purple Olive came up a number of times. I had heard of the place before through a friend. I can't remember if she went or if she had a good time but assumed that if it didn't drill into my head, at least it wasn't any negative feedback.

Obsession Restaurant Bar

Obsession Restaurant Bar
http://www.obsessionchinese.com.au/

Isn't it great when you stumble across a great shop, bar or restaurant by chance? This rarely happens to me. Almost every time I dine spontaneously, the experience is less than memorable. That probably goes some way in explaining why I'm adamant about pre-planning everything. EVERYTHING. Yes. I'm one of 'those' people.

The other day, I had a moment of 'go with the flow' and we were in Southbank just wandering around, looking for somewhere nice to eat. I was ready to dive into Ginga sushi train but Charlie said he was in the mood for 'anything but sushi'. After more wandering, we suddenly stopped in front of a restaurant and I thought 'oh! I've never seen this place before'.

I think Obsession is relatively new. It's located next to Viet De Lites so either it wasn't there when I ate at Viet De Lites or I didn't notice.

Mussels and Linguine with Creamy White Wine Sauce

Mussels and Linguine with Creamy White Wine Sauce
Home Cooking

I had a LOT of mussels left over from the paella (serves me right for getting 1kg bulk lots of anything) and I didn't want them to die on me so I decided to whip up another simple mussel dish.

This idea is not original, obviously. Mussels with cream, wine and chili is a polygamous marriage made in heaven. I was, however, inspired by the little leaflet I got with the mussels. They suggested steaming the mussels with white wine and serving them with the residual stock + some crusty bread. I decided to do essentially the same thing but with pasta instead of bread.

Mixed Paella - loaded with pumpkin, chorizo, pork, prawns and mussels