Saturday, January 26, 2008

Happy Australia Day!

Got my piece of the Aussie Day action when we went to Williamstown on the eve :) The weekend atmosphere was in full force as the locals chilled out at the rows of restaurants and ice cream shops facing the harbour. There was also a short fireworks display (too short, actually!) at the jetty that left us wanting more...

...which was thankfully satisfied by Breizoz Crepes (139 Nelson Place, Williamstown), authentic French crepes with the chef/boss hailing from Brittany itself :P The creperie used to be the town's Seamen Mission and its beautiful architecture lends a charming air to one's dining experience.

We ordered a round of dessert crepes each, keeping the flavours simple i.e. butter and sugar and chocolate with red wine and plum sorbet for me :D A glass of cider complements the crepes too. I'd heard so much about the crepes and I finally understood why they were so addictive - spread thin, crisp on the edges and soft in the middle, the fresh flavours simply made us crave for seconds :P

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stormiii at 9:37 pm

0cups of tea

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Chocolat

One of my prized kitchen possessions is New York's famous Mariebelle "Aztec Hot Chocolate" - seen here with its "predecessor", Dagoba's Hot Chocolate with chillies and cinnamon drink :D Mariebelle appears to be an establishment in the New York chocolate scene and other food bloggers have raved about its designer tins and chocolates... very Tiffany's I might add!

This Aztec Hot Choc is proudly made from "single-origin Colombian cacao (63%)" and is so rich that it comes in "granules" instead of fine powder. It certainly makes a good accompaniment to the banana smoothies that I've been blending up lately :D Gracias, Min!

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stormiii at 9:20 pm

0cups of tea

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Hobart to Strahan

Tassie holiday Part 2 - We left Hobart after a hearty brekkie of meat pies, fruits and cheese croissants and took the road to Claremont, where the famous Cadbury Chocolate factory was located on "Cadbury Road" :P Alas, the factory was already closed for the Christmas holidays! Our journey westward took us through a myriad of landscapes, starting with miles and miles of farmland as seen above.

We entered the first of two National Parks in one day (!), "Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair". Serious hikers tackle the famous "80km Overland Track" from the southern to northern part of this park but we were satisfied with a short bushwalk and a nice view of the lake on a blustery and overcast day :D

The second national park "Franklin Gordon-Wild Rivers" was a strange revelation of the vast landscapes that Tassie has - we would be amazed at the views of mountain valleys (one was aptly named "Surprise Valley!"), followed by flat plains with lakes all around. Needless to say, they were a sight for sore eyes and we loved every minute of it :) We also drove through Queenstown, a town built to serve the copper mines (one of Tassie's main industries) - cool and barren looking slopes, almost as if we were on the moon!

Finally, after nearly 6 hours since leaving Hobart, we arrived at the tiny, two street village of Strahan. It was built so that boats could get to the copper from Queenstown in the last century and now serves more as a rest stop for tourists. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful shot of twilight - the last of the setting sun at 9pm :D

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stormiii at 11:04 pm

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

Summer flavours

I returned to Replete Providore; intending to try their famous ricotta hotcakes with Emi :) Too bad, the breakfast menu ends at 11.30am and it was down to simple breads, quiches and some baked goods for dessert. Still, their Smoked salmon quiche with homemade chutney and bitter arugula? rocket? salad was perfect for a summer lunch. Plus a Chocolate afghan (brownie like cookie) for dessert!

It gets too hot to cook in the kitchen sometimes when the 41 deg C heat is trapped within the house :D This has become one of my favourite summer meals - stir fry Chinese mushrooms and lap cheong in sweet, dark sauce, oyster sauce and mirin. Pour over cold tofu and top generously with pepper, spicy shrimp floss, fried onions, garlic and coriander :D

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stormiii at 11:12 pm

3cups of tea

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Cold Rock!

After another trip to Sue's Delights (the KL Hokkien Mee was another winner!), Margie and I drove to Cold Rock at 227 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern for dessert. I'd heard that there is a franchise at Holland Village back in SG and wondered what all the fuss was about :P A long queue was already snaking around the counter as we read the instructions on how to order their ice cream creations - "1. Choose a flavour 2. Choose your topping (everything from M&M's to all sorts of candy) 3. Watch our staff transform your choices into a "cold rock"!"

Surprisingly, both Margie and I ended up choosing good ol' fashioned Orange Sherbet and mine had Jaffa (chocolate balls with orange coating) mixed in. The "cold rock" effect was actually done on a cold plate (similar to that Japanese chain in SG where you "fry" your ice cream). Anyhow, I couldn't see much of it as the sherbet started melting as soon as I held it in my hands :P I think I"ll stick to ordering just their ice cream flavours - they've got yummy sounding ones ie. apple pie, chocolate peanut swirl, etc.

stormiii at 6:35 pm

0cups of tea

Monday, January 14, 2008

Work fever!

Ladies & Gentleman, presenting Megan Vardy - my colleague who sure knows how to inject some fun and life when all is quiet at work :D

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stormiii at 6:29 pm

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Friday, January 11, 2008

Hobart!

Finally! After a heartfelt and belly-aching family reunion in MEL (fantastic European cuisine at Rathdowne Tavern, sorry - no pics! Too busy eating!), we left for a week's vacation in Tasmania. First stop - Hobart. Founded in 1803 as a penal colony, Hobart is the Tassie state capital and one of Australia's oldest cities. Like most coastal cities in Oz, Hobart was built around the harbour/inlets of the Derwent river. It has a rich shipping history and this tradition still lives on in events such as the American Cup yacht race from Sydney to Hobart.

Quaint and charming homes dot the rolling hills, while beautiful boats dot the extensive shoreline. Wouldn't it be nice to wake up with this view every morning? :)

Some of the more historical buildings around the Esplanade area are also well conserved. I discovered that IXL Jams originated from Hobart! Today, the old jam factory houses a chic restaurant and a cool looking design shop.

A pretty and helpful waitress who took care of us at Rathdowne Tavern turned out to be from Hobart and she gave me a few recommendations for a good seafood meal :D We dropped into Fish Frenzy (Elizabeth St. Pier, Hobart) to see if it's "Arguably the best Fish & Chips in Australia!" rating was any good :P

And we were bowled over by the freshness and taste of it all!!! Seafood chowder with juicy and large chunks of mussels, scallop, fish and veggies.

Grilled Blue Eye Trevalla - the other well known fish in Tassie besides salmon.

Spicy Calamari salad - curried calamari balls and asian greens :)

And the creme de la creme - a fisherman's basket/packet of giant calamari rings, beer battered blue eye trevalla, mussels and chunky fries.... topped with lime juice, salt and vinegar = YUM YUM YUM!!!!

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stormiii at 11:41 am

1cups of tea

Saturday, January 05, 2008

C'est chaud!

Back from the holidays and it's blazing HOT in Melbourne!!! Another 40 deg C day and I'm hiding in the cool living room with my housemates while the sun rages on outside. One thing I love about summer is the fruits :) Juicy and sweet white peaches, even yummier and huge mangoes, dark red cherries and the leftovers of spring's strawberries. My latest discovery is the Kenwood stab mixer which I've used to make strawberry smoothies - blend strawberries, milk, vanilla yoghurt and honey together... voila! No need for BOOST juice :D

We discovered a little gem of a place in Clayton. Sue's Delights (Dandenong Rd opposite Clayton Rd) is owned by a friendly uncle called Victor and his wife. The words "Malaysian & Singaporean food" are proudly emblazoned on the doors; as are other signs ie. "Durian", "Cendol served today", etc. :P Turns out that the couple are Melakans who stayed in SG before moving over here. They specialise in true blue Melakan/Penang/SG dishes and even serve gems like "Assam laksa, Curry Capitan" on certain weekends!!

I immediately zeroed in on the Mee Rebus, a dish which I'd not eaten in ages. The gravy was a little on the salty side but thick and authentic. Even the sight of sliced hard boiled eggs made my eyes light up :P

A perfect end to lunch on a HOT day - Emi and Chris had Ice Milos while I slurped up the sweet red beans and homey taste of gula melaka in coconut milk. Cendol - I guess that's the taste of home for me :)

stormiii at 5:06 pm

3cups of tea