Chocolate Sour Cream Cake

Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
Home Cooking



It's been so long since I last put some batter in the oven that I've started doubting whether or not I can bake at all. Is it harder than I remember? Would my new attempts be complete failures?



Well, only one way to find out.

I had originally purchased ingredients for making a brownie (i.e. tonnes of chocolate and butter) but because I just ate some brownie at Flamingo on Saturday, I decided to change tactics.

Our fridge was bulked up with left over sour cream from my chicken pie so when I saw the chocolate and sour cream cake in Nigella Lawson's 'How to be a domestic goddess', I knew it'd be perfect.

ShliX for a pre-summer gelato hit

ShliX Gelato
http://www.shlix.com.au/



Imagine being sick and feverish in a sweaty, isolated bed for an entire day. That's me today. Now, picture the exact opposite and that was how I spent my Saturday.

As previously mentioned, I got coaxed into a day time Valley shopping trip. The weather was a-mazing with just the right amount of "I'm getting too hot under the sun". All this translates to ICE-CREAM weather and when we walked by ShliX, there was no way I was going to pass up some gelato.



ShliX is located on Brunswick St and presents as a small, street/edgy gelato store. Apparently they have lunch items too but I've never tried that.

Maggie Beer's chicken, olive and lemon pie with sour cream pastry

Chicken, Olive and Lemon Pie with Sour Cream Pastry
Home Cooking



The moment I saw this recipe in the one and only issue of the MasterChef magazine that I bought, I knew I had to make it. I proposed this to Byron as a cooking project but from memory he probably vetoed my suggestion in favor of making curry instead (you'll notice most of the cooking posts are his doing and the majority of those are curries).



Now, many months later, I finally took the plunge and bought the necessary ingredients required to make this pie. Scratch that. What actually happened was that I delegated that financial task to my lovely parents.

Flamingo Cafe

Flamingo Cafe
5B Winn Street, Fortitude Valley



Today I was summoned out to a spontaneous shopping adventure in the Valley. Well, it wasn't spontaneous for Hien, who had been planning to splurge his hard-earned cash for weeks... but it was for me, because I had intended to spend this afternoon studying.



Though I've gradually lost interest in shopping (chronic lack of funds kills the most enthusiastic buying urges), it was a great day out. Nice weather and not too busy in the Valley. I guess it was day time after all. Valley silliness doesn't start till midnight on a Saturday.

We wandered into the alleyway where The Outpost (fashion boutique store) was located. What caught my eye right away was the bright, eclectic-looking cafe behind the clothing store. After a quick browse through the shop, we headed over to check out the cafe.

Sakuraya

Sakuraya
Shop 1A, Market Square, 341 Mains Rd, Sunnybank



Today was a really bad day for being decisive about what to eat. I initially was bent on Vietnamese but the closer we got to Sunnybank, the less certain I was. We ended up trawling through the entirety of Sunny Park Plaza before progressing to faithful Market Square.

I've known about Sakuraya for a while now though it is relatively new. A friend of mine went and said it was expensive so I automatically wrote it off. Since we were right there though, I opted to have a look for myself.



Rather than a paper menu, Sakuraya has a few display meals on their counter with the prices. I decided it didn't seem too expensive because most of the meals were in a set with lots of other dishes.

The Red Hen

The Red Hen
63 Hardgrave Rd, West End



I spotted this restaurant in the Entertainment Book and was always curious to try it out. I know some people are of the mindset that Italian food out is a waste of $ because you can make it better at home... but I HAVE HAD good pasta/pizza experiences out of home and I'm open to finding more (even at the risk of getting duds).



After an 'adventurous' drive through West End (wherein I discovered we were travelling the opposite direction to what I wanted on the GPS and then the boys criticized me once again for failed navigational skill), we finally came to The Red Hen nestled among many Vietnamese restaurants. The strip seemed popular and I want to go back to try more.

Kangaroo Point and Kings Food REVISITED (for a BIGGER feast)

Kings Food plus night time wanderings
Shop 25, Market Square Shopping Centre, Corner McCullough and Mains Rd, Sunnybank



I was introduced to Kings Food back in March (feels like a million years ago) and blogged it here. I feel like an update is justified especially because my most recent visit showcased much more variety in food. The good thing about somewhere like Kings Food is that the menu is reliable, so that makes my previous review still relevant.



We headed in with a feast in mind and ordered 3 items to share, plus soup, between the three of us.

Mundo Churrasco

Mundo Churrasco
http://www.mundochurrasco.com.au/



I was privileged with the task of helping a good mate of mine find somewhere to host his birthday party dinner this year. After tossing through some mighty fine suggestions (Lefkas Taverna, somewhere I've always wanted to go, just barely missed the cut), we ended up selecting Mundo because he just couldn't get past the notion of a meat buffet.


I've had a few experiences with churrasco before, both in Australia and overseas. The concept originates from Brazil and the idea is you sit at a table whilst waiters come around with giant skewers of grilled meat and they shave some off for you. Churrasco is limitless and is guaranteed to appeal to anyone who enjoys their meat. When I had it in China, there was also a salad bar with greens, desserts and so on but every restaurant is different.

Comfort at My Table

Comfort at My Table
http://www.comfortatmytable.com.au/



Mochi and I were long due for another catch-up over food. I first saw Comfort at My Table on Urbanspoon and clicked it because of the name. I had forgotten all about it but when I asked Mochi to pick a spot, this is where we ended up.



The little cafe serves up breakfast, brunch and lunch. It's located on Cribb St which is adjacent to Park Rd. From the street, I thought it would be small and cozy but the inside was more spacious.

Maharaja Palace

Maharaja Palace
http://www.maharajapalace.com.au/



It's that time of the month again. I can't last more than 4 weeks without getting a craving for Indian food. This time, it was HUGE. Stewing up a pot of curry/dahl at home wasn't good enough. Even ordering a few curries out wasn't good enough. We wanted nothing less than an Indian banquet.



Regulars at Indian restaurants will know that most offer something called a banquet. It is a bit like a 'set meal' and though every place does it differently, the general idea is that you pay according to how many people you have and in return, entrees, mains, sides and (if you're lucky) dessert are all taken care of. Banquet is associated with 'abundance' and 'feasting'. If I want to stuff my face and wobble out with my belt undone, banquet is the way to go.