Food Adventures

I did say before that I love food and I would definitely consider enjoying good food a hobby of mine. For the past few days, I had such a wonderful food experience from dining out as well as creating my favourite food at home.

So let me recap those yummilicious memories...

Mahsuri Satay
It's a MUST go place if you love satay. The taste is really authentic and it is cooked over a charcoal fire, just liked the ones you get in Singapore or Malaysia.

We ordered a serve (6 pcs) of Chicken Satay, Beef Rendang and Stir-fried Veggies with steamed rice. Dien tried the hot tek terik and I had my favourite Pink Bandung drink.

Chicken Satay served with Warm Peanut Sauce, Ketupat, Cucumber & Onions (just liked in Singapore)

Beef Rendang & Stir-fried Veggies

My MUST-Have when I come to Mahsuri :)

Dinner was really good....I ate so much that I forgot to leave some room for dessert. Grrrr...there will be next time!

Mahsuri Satay
313 Albany Highway
Victoria Park
Tel: 93625062

FOOD: ****
SERVICE: ****
AM I GOING BACK?: Of course, it's always a pleasure!

----------------------------

Chelsea Pizzas Co
Did anyone say that sweet potato and goat cheese make a good combination as pizza toppings? Of course they are! I tried my first sweet potato and goat cheese pizza and it was just heaven! The pizza was really simple - sweet potato, goat cheese, onions and tomatoes on a crispy thin crust. I had 5 slices.......it was SOOOOO GOOOOOD I think I could eat the whole thing.

Chelsea Pizza Company
145 Stirling Highway
Nedlands
Tel: 9386 7833

FOOD: ****
SERVICE: *** (Quick pick-up)
AM I GOING BACK?: Yes, yes, yes...

PS: For those who thinks that Marco's Pizza on Wanneroo Road is good, well, a match is found! I think I need to do a pizza night Marco's VS Chelsea (fight!)

------------------------------

So there were the dining out......but I cook too.....hehehe....and I reckon I'm not too bad a cook. Nope, I like to call myself a chef. Hahaha.

I tried my first attempt on making a cheese cake using Marilyn's secret recipe. My first time making a cake from scratch and I think it's a really successful attempt. Of course, there are plenty of rooms for improvement!

Hmm, next time must try to decorate the cake better.

And tonight, I whipped out one of my hawker favourites - Prawn Noodles Soup, with a little help from Hai's.

Ok, I have talked enough about food....me so hungry and sleepy now......Zzzzz.....

Up Close with a 750 yo

I dashed across the road and ran so fast I thought I was meeting Hidetoshi Nakata (my version of Brad Pitt). But what stood in front of me was this HUGE truck with a BALD tree. Ok, you can see that I'm not a very green person by the sound of it.

This BALD tree is called a Boab Tree and it is native to the Kimberley. It can live up to 2000 years and this one that I saw.....it's 750 yo and it weighs 36 tonne. It created a commotion this afternoon in Subiaco.....jamming up the 2-lane busy street. And I stood there so amazed of this BALD tree and I don't have my mobile with me! (That's the not so nice thing about today, leaving my mobile at home....arghhhhh)

(This wasn't the tree on the truck. I didn't have my mobile phone to capture a pic, I had to google for one)

I was so closed to this amazingly old and bald tree and I had a thought to just go up and touch it. And the most funny thing was that this tree or the vehicle carrying this tree was escorted. There were a little "cherry picker" crane and 3 other cars escorting the move. They were trimming trees on the side of the road so that they wouldn't harm the tree when driving through. And the park ranger was there to supervise. It was really hilarious when I saw them moving other cars parked on the road cos' they are blocking a tree and they removed a road sign as it was in the way. And the TV crews were there to capture the scene. Hah....this TREE has more power than the residents living in the area. Hmm, maybe you gotta live 750 yos to get this sort of power!

Let's hope this one and only Boab tree will like its new home at King's Park.

(Picture credit from Outback Australia Travel Guide and read the full news on The West)

Review: Wagamama

All right, I suck! 2 restaurants reviews and I have forgotten about photos for both. Each time, I awaited for my food eagerly and when they arrived, I "preyed" on it liked a starving animal.

I promise pictures next time.

I always hear very positive reviews about Wagamama. A friend from the UK was telling me how great it was back that. I had a taste of Wagamama experience last year. It wasn't great I must say. My feedback then were:

1. Food overated. Taste was ordinary.
2. No value for $.
3. Service sucked!

Last night, we decided (or I should say - I decided) to give Wagamama a second chance. I told myself to go in with no biasness and try the food just liked a first time diner. We ordered gyoza for entree, Wagamama ramen (served with grilled chicken, fish, prawn, tofu, Jap fishcake and wakame) for me and Chicken Katsu Curry rice for Dien.

The gyoza came with a vinegar-liked dipping sauce and I really liked it. I reckon they could do better by stuffing the gyoza with abit more fillings. Minced chicken and cabbage aren't too expensive isn't it?

Ramen....my impression of ramen is this hot, steamy, noodle soup that comes with a mouth-watering to-die-for whiff when it's being served. None of that. It was not steamy hot. OK, there was steam but not the HOT HOT steam that I like. In terms of taste, sigh, I guess a neighbourhood Japanese takeaway could do better. These were the "highlights":

1. Grilled chicken was dry. I hope it wasn't yesterday leftover chicken in the grill. Or the roast chicken special you get in Coles or Woolies before the end of the day.
2. Grilled fish. What fish? Didn't see any fish in the bowl. Or or was it that piece smaller than a 20-cents coin?
3. Grilled prawn was OK. It tasted what prawn should be.
4. I got 1 piece of fried tofu and 1 piece of fish cake.

This is supposed to be THE RAMEN of Wagamama. It's called the Wagamama Ramen with a huge price tag of $17.20. (you can get a packet of Nissin Tonkatsu Ramen from any asian grocery store and it costs only $1.75 and it tastes better)

Dien's Chicken Katsu Curry wasn't too bad. He said it's worth 3.5-4/5. I gotta admit it didn't taste that bad. The server was very kind to accord his special request to have the curry sauce on the side (in case the sauce is too spicy hot).

Our total damage for the night was $33.75 (after Entertainment Book discount). Both of us reckon we could get better dessert elsewhere.

Wagamama
Cnr of Rokeby & Roberts Rds
Subiaco
Tel: 9388 6055

FOOD: **
SERVICE: ***
AM I GOING BACK?: Well, Wagamama you got your 2nd chance but you still can't prove yourself as 'Positive food, Positive experience'. I'm sorry.

Review: Shilla Korean BBQ Restaurant

Korean food leave a very deep impression in me. When I was in Seoul, Korea, I experienced the Korean hospitality and the fine cuisine. I have been having western food for the last few days and I'm really sick of it. Call me an Asian...I still favour rice and noodles anytime. So last night, it was my turn to pick a restaurant and Shilla Korean caught my eyes.

I have to start from the beginning as I feel that my dining experience starts from my first contact (telephone call) with Shilla restaurant.

I rang up about 5pm to enquire about the restaurant opening time. I had been told that the restaurant opens at 6pm for dinner. The man over the phone asked me if I have their address and I said yes, the Entertainment Book has the address printed. He pointed out that the information was not enough. He followed by giving me very specific instructions to locate the restaurant in East Perth.

We parked at the undercover carpark where the restaurant is located. When we stepped out of the lift, we were delighted that a man was waiting for us. He asked if we were going to the restaurant and we said yes. He showed us to the door and handed us over to the waiter who showed us to our seat.

The restaurant has a very simple decor, very pleasant and not clutter. The ornaments and the light Korean music playing in the background brought me back to my days in Seoul.

We chose to go straight into mains where we cooked our own food at the table. We picked a Wagyu Beef and a Chicken Bulgogi set. Our table BBQ was setup and shortly after, our meals were brought in. We let the waiter starts the BBQ for us. The meat started to sizzle and I could smell the fragrance of the marinate. The waiter later came to check on us and told us not to overcook the beef...Ah, he must be a medium-rare lover just liked both of us!

The meat was very tender and the dipping sauce complemented the meat without overpowering it. We had 4 side dishes (a light salad, pickled beansprouts and mashed potatoe and pumpkin and Kim Chi) that came with the set. My favourites are the Kim Chi and the mashed potatoe.

The food portion is not the regular Australian portion sized. The food was served just liked in Korea, very proportionate for a meal. By the end of the meal, we were not stuffed but pleasantly filled. We even have rooms for dessert.

For dessert, Dien had the Dessert Special for the Month - Deep fried banana balls served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, red bean paste and berry preserve. I picked the Korean pancake with red bean paste and vanilla ice-cream. Dessert was so delicious. The banana balls go well with the red bean paste...I could eat the red bean paste on its own! Hmmmmm.....

Our dinner cost $70.50 after the Entertainment Book discount. It was such a wonderful experience and for sure, we would return next time with friends or family (and we could try new stuff!!!)

Shilla Korean BBQ Restaurant
Unit 74, 20 Royal Street
East Perth
Tel: 9221 7171
Opens 7 days for dinner

FOOD: ****
SERVICE: ****
AM I GOING BACK? : Hell Yes!

Food glorious Food

There is a Chinese saying that "Chinese eat anything that have legs and fly in the sky (probably not the aeroplane)" I, for one, enjoy eating and willing to try new food each time. Maybe you can call me a EATER. Nah, maybe just a Connoisseur. I enjoy my food and good food makes me HAPPY.

I can't possibly cook everyday, so twice a week, we dine out. That's the time where I would play food critic. We have an Entertainment Book (to support my charity) as well as a great opportunity to try new places.

I have decided to share these new dining experiences here so that anyone who is looking for a night out can have an idea what to expect. The reviews would be based on any ordinary person reactions....I'm not going to act Gordon Ramsay...I will be honest [read: blunt at times] and share my dining experiences.

hiberNation

0.7 degrees for 2 days!!! It's really BLOODY cold and I'm wishing for the warm weather from anywhere that is experiencing summer at the moment.

As you can see, I'm not a very winter person. I'm a super whinger when it comes to winter. I want to be a BEAR and hibernate the whole winter season if I can. There is no snow in Perth, only rain and cold wind. I left the house this morning with 3 layers, a scarf around my neck and my leather gloves.

Funny thing is that when I was driving out, the sun is coming up and I have my sunnies on....the look is just contradicting! I'm all wrapped up liked a bak-chang (rice dumpling) and I have my cool sunnies on...ehhh...it's looks very unglam (I think!)

Anyway, the weather bureau said that the cold nights/morning would be ending soon. There wouldn't be more of these 0.7 degrees nights/morning...only 5 degrees...WHAT THE???!!!

With one-third of WA's gas supplies cut by an explosion on the Varanus Island gas plant, public has been asked to to cut back their energy use, including heating. Ahem...how do you cut down on heating when it's that COLD??? I don't want to freeze to death, you know??!! Also, public has been asked to cut down shower time to 4 mins. PLEASEEEEE.....I'm only onto my hair by the 4th mins...How can one take a 4-mins shower? Where exactly are you cleaning? Or maybe there isn't much cleaning to do. Just turn on the tap, stand underneath the warm water, run soap on your head and when the "soapy" stuff flows down from top to bottom, that is supposed to clean you? My shower time is 15 mins, period. And we use a solar hot-water system at home...so I guess I'm entitled to my 15 mins shower.

Call me environmental unfriendly or whatsoever....I don't care. This is living. Why is it all households have to help conserve energy and the big corporations out there can waste it? It doesn't make sense at all.

Kallang Roar - The Movie

I know Ding An when I was in Uni. We stayed in the same house (campus hostel) and for 1 year and we had the best fun as housemates.

We took turns to make dinner and you know what? Ding An is a very good cook. He planned his menu and diligently searched for recipes. He will then go to the supermarket to shop for ingredients and by dinner time, you will see him in the kitchen whipping up his dishes.

We had crazy times....we went clubbing, drinking and then supper at 4am before going home to sleep. We drove down to Albany then Margaret River for one Easter long weekend, realising the countryside is so boring. Hahahaha....we took out videos and watched in the room and Ding An, the infamous bartender was behind the counter perfecting his Midori. I was a bad drink critic...every batch tasted liked cough syrup...I think I made him coughed blood....LOL

Anyway, this aspiring young lad has now turned out to be a promising film director. His first movie is going to be shown ISLANDWIDE on 21 Aug 2008. Look out for this new movie about Singapore soccer called KALLANG ROAR - THE MOVIE. A Cheng Ding An Film.

Check out the official trailers...and make sure all of you catch it hor!