feed the tien

Dumplings & Fried Squid

2012-01-15T04:51:00.001+13:00

OK this is a bit of a cop out because I am on holiday, but that's what holidays are for. Sorry photos are not very good. It was late.

We had these dumplings and this excellent fried squid in August 2011 in Auckland. Unfortunately, none of us can remember the name of the restaurant or the address, except that it's on Dominion Road (I've even tried Google Maps' 'Street View', etc). The front of the shop is glass and has red chinese characters and the word 'dumplings' all over it. We had actually (literally) just eaten at another restaurant in the vicinity (upstairs, several shops away) that A took us to for the Chinese-style skewered, barbecued meat, but for whatever reason, this place just looked like it would serve really authentic dumplings, and so, was irresistible (if any of you know this dumpling place that I am referring to, please let me know). A, who picked us up from the airport and drove us straight to the food, was kind enough to indulge us, even though it was quite late and not one of us could even pretend to still be hungry.

It was about 1 a.m. and the little shop was still full. I thought that they would only be serving dumplings but they actually had a full Chinese menu with a slew of rather interesting items that we probably would have ordered were it not our second meal of the hour. With some restraint, we ordered a plate of pork and shrimp dumplings, which was all we were supposed to have initially, but then succumbed to the enticing photo of the fried squid on the menu and ordered that too.

The squid turned out to be one of the best, most interesting fried squid dishes that I've had. It was served piping hot, with a light, crispy batter laced with the lovely, distinct, piquant flavour of cumin. Absolutely delicious.

The dumplings were good too - juicy and very tasty, especially when dipped with in bit of vinegar. A little oily, but only on the surface and not offensively so.

Must. Return. For. Squid.

Garlic and Spring Onion Chicken Rice

2011-12-19T23:04:00.000+13:00

Strangely, I first tried this apparently common Asian dish in Dunedin. I say 'apparently common' because it seems to be on the menu of most of the Chinese/Cambodian restaurants in Dunedin, yet I'd never seen/heard of it in Malaysia or Singapore, where there is generally a wide variety of all cuisines.

Anyway, we were new in town and A specifically recommended the 'Steamed Chicken Rice' from Sampan (362, George Street, Dunedin). For Malaysian/Singaporeans, 'Chicken Rice' is a particular local speciality, so I will refrain from calling this that. It quickly became a favourite that we (E, S and I) would crave every other week, for many years. I used to drown it with the clear chicken soup that it was served with and that was the ultimate comfort meal for me, regardless of the season or time of day. Of course its perceived comfort quotient increased in sickness and cold weather.

For various reasons (convenience, simplicity, cost/product ratio, etc), this year I came up with my own quick and dirty version. Given that it wasn't a very refined or complex dish to begin with, I think my (slightly different) version is at least just as good Sampan's.

Garlic and Spring Onion Chicken Rice

Ingredients:
Chicken thigh fillets (or whatever cut you prefer)
OXO chicken stock cubes
Ginger (fresh, peeled, about 5 inches)
Garlic
Spring Onions
Salt
Sugar
Rice
Oil

Method:
1. Boil chicken pieces with 2.5 inches of ginger and 1 crumbled cube of chicken stock.
2. While chicken is cooking, finely mince garlic and spring onions (as you can see from the photo, I did not mince the garlic finely enough this time). If you have a food processor, you can just mince them together.
3. Remove chicken as soon as it is cooked, but do not pour away the stock/soup that the chicken was cooked in.
3. Strain stock/soup with a fine cheesecloth (for best results) or let it rest until all residue settles at the bottom of the pot. Skim the oil off the surface if you like.
4. Add rice to rice cooker pot with 1 crumbled cube of chicken stock, the remainder 2.5 inches of ginger and enough soup/stock (make sure to use only the clear broth and try not to scoop up any residue) to cook the rice, then cook rice.
5. Mix minced garlic and spring onions together. The amounts are up to you. I think a ratio of 2:3 garlic to spring onions is about right. Add a few teaspoons of salt and sugar (about 2:1).
6. Heat oil (enough to cover garlic and spring onion mixture) until hot enough to create a sizzle when a small piece of garlic is added. I use a microwave but heating it on the stove would be much better.
7. Pour hot oil over minced garlic and spring onion mixture and mix thoroughly. It should be quite salty as the chicken, rice and soup will be bland. Add salt/sugar and taste again until it is to your liking. You may reheat this mixture if you like, but you don't want the spring onions to wilt too much or turn too dark.
8. Serve rice and chicken topped generously with the garlic and spring onion mixture and some of stock/soup. It is quite a dry dish without the soup, so I like to drench it, but you should only do that if you have properly strained the soup/stock with a cheesecloth, otherwise the fat and residue (from boiling the chicken) makes the rice greasy and pasty.

BBQ Prawns and Mango Salsa

2011-12-03T12:09:00.000+13:00

S made this (with me hovering in the background) in May 2010 and I have been holding out on writing about this, even though it is a real favourite of mine and just about everyone else who has tasted it, because I wanted to get a better photo. The first time S made this, there were no good mangoes available here so we caved and bought canned mangoes, which were revolting (as you can see from the colour in the photo).

Chef John's Mango Salsa recipe, however, was sound enough to withstand our adulteration. Even with the horrible canned mangoes, the salsa was pretty good and we could easily imagine how great it would be with fresh mangoes. S has made this salsa many times since and it is always, always beautifully refreshing, tangy and absolutely delicious. It's that great accompaniment that lends that all-important zing to barbecued, smokey, rich proteins. Unfortunately, despite numerous attempts, this is still the best photo for this dish.

Instead of the salmon in the orignal recipe, that first time, we shrimp fiends opted for Chef John's slightly naughtier 'Barbecued' Shrimp, which incidentally was also finger-lickin', lip-smackingly tasty. Sadly, if I remember correctly, we've only had the shrimp twice (because I'm lazy and rely entirely on S's charity when it comes to cooking).

Zucchini Bros Pizzas

2011-11-20T12:51:00.001+13:00

As promised, since my last review, my friends and I have managed to try five different pizzas from Zucchini Bros (dining-in and taking-away twice respectively). We could have actually tried more than just five of their pizzas, but as always, we discovered a few favourites very early on, couldn't get enough of them and then just kept ordering the same thing!

The thing that sets their pizzas apart from the rest is that their ingredients are more finely minced or chopped and in smaller pieces than other pizzas. Not only does this allow the flavours and textures to be more evenly distributed throughout the pizza, but it also alleviates the problem of toppings slipping off the slice - which often occurs with pizzas topped with large pieces of ham, pepperoni, etc. Ah, gone are the days of slices with just half a disc of pepperoni on either side and a couple of pieces of olives here and there. Now I can enjoy the taste of every single ingredient that is meant to be on the pizza, on every slice! Very clever Zucchini Bros.

#3 - Mexican beef, bacon, capsicum, jalapeno and oregano: Tried this one first with C and S and it was an immediate hit. Spicy and incredibly tasty. I love the almost earthy, spicy flavour of the minced beef and the sharp saltiness of the bacon.

#7 - 4 Cheese – mozzarella, blue, parmesan, cream cheese and oregano: D-the-cheese-fiend's favourite. Very cheesey, rich and tasty. I can only have one slice, but turophiles like S and D will probably have no problem polishing it off.

#8 - Bacon, anchovy, mushroom, black olive and oregano: Again, love the saltiness of the bacon and anchovies, balanced out by the mellow flavours of the mushrooms. Delicious.

#12 - Salami, ham, mushroom, tomato and oregano (sorry no photo): One of the lighter, cleaner tasting pizzas. Milder, but still tasty.

#18 - Smoked salmon, cream cheese, tomato, red pepper and oregano (sorry no photo): A bit too rich and cheesey for me. The textures of the ingredients were also a bit too similar, i.e. soft, mushy. OK, but not one of my favourites.

I should also mention that our favourite ZB pasta is on the 'specials' menu and is served with prawns, spinach/asparagus and peas in lemon butter. It is the same one I wrote about in the first review, but when asparaguses are not in season, they substitute it with spinach and the freshness and sweetness that the spinach brings to the dish is just divine. Don't know why it's not on the main menu even though I've seen it on their specials menu since Dec 2010.

Zucchini Bros.

292 Highgate

Roslyn

Dunedin

Ironic

2011-11-06T19:54:00.000+13:00

It irks me when the dining experience at a place that I intend to review is neither good nor bad. It's just uninspiring. I find it difficult to get motivated to write about it and then when I force myself, it inevitably turns out to be a dull exercise with boring results. That is why I am only writing about Ironic now, when the brunches that I will be talking about actually happened months ago. I just want to get it out of the way, so this is going to be quick and dirty.

Fresh pancakes with bacon, banana & maple syrup (sorry, no pic): Nice hearty serving of pancakes drenched in maple syrup, with lots of banana and bacon. Nothing extraordinary, but good nonetheless.

Garlic Loaf: Nice and buttery and garlicky. Very tasty, but I am not crazy about hard breads, so this was a tad too hard and dense for me.

Ironic handmade prime lamb burger, smoked cheese, spicy tomato relish & aioli in toasted olive & rosemary bread with hand cut fries: The juicy, succulent patty covered with melted cheese, accompanied with lettuce, fresh slices of tomato, bright tasting relish and tasty aioli was excellent. The over toasted, rock hard bun was definitely not and marred what would have been a thoroughly good burger. An awful let down. The fries (on this occasion) were decent.

Pappadelle chicken pasta with spinach, served in a stunning tomato cream sauce finished with roasted pine nuts & freshly shaved parmesan cheese: S's comments - "Good, liked the flavours of the chicken and the pine nuts. Sauce was just okay." ...and not so stunning after all.

Mushroom Soup (of the day) - This was S's dish and I don't remember her saying anything memorable about this. I am sure that if I am mistaken, she will correct me when she reads this.

Fish of the day in a light speights beer batter served with hand cut fries & salad: The fish was unremarkable and the pieces were way too small for $25.00. The salad was somewhat soggy, but the fries were the absolute worst. Under seasoned, undercooked, dense and chalky. Shockingly bad and categorically the worst fries that I've had in a long, long time.

Ironic Cafe and Bar
9 Anzac Avenue
Dunedin

Port Chalmers Seafood Festival - Saturday, 1st October 2011

2011-10-15T18:48:00.003+13:00

It was a mild day - perfect food-festival weather. As S and I made our way to the Port Chalmers Seafood Festival that Saturday, I had my doubts about how enjoyable the event was going to be. My prejudice was based on my experience at a very popular annual food festival that several of us travelled a few hours south for a few months ago. Certain key aspects of that event, in my opinion, were poorly conceived and could have been organised better. These failures became especially apparent in my mind when we saw how well organised the Port Chalmers Seafood Festival was, and what a difference it had on my perception and feeling of what were two almost conceptually identical events.

So before I talk about the food, let me pay my compliments to the organisers again (already did once before on their Facebook page). Despite being aware of the various modes of free transportation that had been arranged for ticket holders, S and I decided not to be green (naughty!) and drove there. As soon as we arrived in Port Chalmers, there were clearly visible volunteers in bright red t-shirts directing people to available car parks. They had maps of the neighbourhood and told us exactly where to go and where there would be plenty of parking. From there, it was just a short walk through town to the venue, which was easy to find as there were volunteers stationed along the route as well as arrows/footprints to follow on the sidewalk.

We go there at about noon, which is when one would expect it to be at its busiest. There were a lot of people (reportedly about 6500), yet unlike in festivals before, we never felt overcrowded or swamped. There was plenty of room for people to move about reasonably freely and the place was set up so that traffic could flow through the shed, outdoors and out of the venue without any congestion. That for me, was the difference between being uncomfortable and wanting to just get through it and leave, and leisurely trying all the different things on offer and just sitting down and enjoying the good food. The volunteers who were continually cleaning up and ensuring that the venue was always tidy were great and definitely deserve to be mentioned. I was also delightfully surprised to find that the portable sinks provided provided lovely warm water. It was very pleasant not to be shocked with icy cold water when attempting to wash one's hands, which is what I've come to expect at these types of events. The only significant oversight was the lack of overhead signage for each stall. Unless you asked for one of the venue maps at the entrance, which were strangely not automatically offered, you would not have been able to tell what each stall offered at a glance as most of the signs and prices were at table level or below and there were always people standing in front of stalls, blocking the signs.

First we had the Thai fish cakes in a steamed bun - the fish cakes were OK but the steamed bun was completely unnecessary and smothered the flavour of the fish cakes. Right next to the fish cakes stall, there was a very long queue, which we eventually discovered was for Harbour Fish's crayfish and other fares, so we quickly became part of that queue. Fifteen minutes later, we had a couple of skewers of grilled prawns, a whitebait patty sandwich and two crayfish halves and found ourselves a corner to nosh our nosh. The whitebait sandwich was bland but the grilled prawns and the crayfish were absolutely delicious! So delicious that we ended the day with ANOTHER two skewers of tasty, tasty grilled prawns and 2 crayfish halves, EACH. They were easily the best crayfish that I've ever had - succulent, firm, delectable chunks of sweet flesh, topped with a little creamy sauce. Bliss!

In between our two visits to the Harbour Fish stall, we thought that the long queue for the seafood paella was indicative of something good. It was not. It was actually one of the worst dishes I've ever tasted. Seriously. I paid $10 for a tiny scoop of rice and a few bits of seafood, then we each had one bite and threw it away. Luckily after that we had some pretty good donuts and bacon wrapped mussels from Top Nosh, and of course finished off with those lip-smackin', finger lickin' crayfishes and prawns.

All in all it was a fantastic afternoon and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Everyone behaved very well, except for those idiots who smirked at of those of us who were queueing up properly for the crayfish and proudly told the people in front of us, "Are you guys seriously lining up? We just went straight to the front and got what we wanted". Pathetic. And those who followed their example were even worse. Have some dignity for goodness sake. We all got our food after a few minutes anyway.

Fish Porridge

2011-09-24T12:34:00.001+12:00

First of all, 'porridge' to me (and other Malaysians/Singaporeans) is a Chinese rice based.....let's call it 'soup'. Elsewhere, it's known as congee to avoid being confused with with what Westerners call porridge (cooked oats). In fact, now most Chinese restaurants in Malaysia and Singapore have 'congee' in the English portion of their menus, even though it has always been colloquially known as porridge. Regardless, a good porridge (like good soup) can have real depth and a wonderfully comforting quality. My mom's pork porridge is one such example, but when I am in the mood for something lighter, I crave fish porridge.

In Malaysia or Singapore, I would get this at a hawker stall or with dim sum at a restaurant, i.e. I wouldn't cook. And as you well know, I only cook when I crave something that I can't buy or convince someone else to cook. I don't hate cooking and am able to cook some things reasonably well, but have none of the desire or passion to cook that consumes S and E. They get very antsy and a little neurotic when they haven't cooked or baked in a while. I am very fortunate indeed to be or have been (E is too far away now *pout*) the recipient of the results of many a cathartic mission in the kitchen - including meltdowns and tantrums when things don't turn out quite right (according to them).

Unlike them, I have no desire to make anything from scratch or in the most authentic, 'correct' way possible. Quite the opposite - if I have to cook, I try to reduce it to the simplest, quickest way to get a result that is to my satisfaction. This recipe is a perfect example - incredibly easy and the produces a fish porridge that is pretty close (S can attest to this) to the 'real-deal' (which includes laboriously making stock with pork and fish bones, etc, etc, which would take half a day at least). The monk fish was delicate and smooth and the porridge had a great savoury flavour with just a hint of the fish's sweetness. The crunchy, freshness of the spring onions, sweetness of the crisp, fried shallots, nuttiness of the sesame oil, sharp saltiness of the soy sauce and slight bite of the pepper are all absolutely essential to this dish and give it the complexity in textures and flavours that makes this dish.

Ingredients:
Monk fish
Ginger (whole)
Anchovy stock
Chicken stock
Medium/Short grain rice

Toppings:
Shallots (finely sliced)
Cooking oil
Spring Onions (sliced about 1cm width)
Ginger (finely sliced)
White pepper
Soy sauce
Sesame oil

Method:
1. Put about 1 cup of uncooked rice in rice cooker pot (mine cooks up to 7 cups of rice) and fill 3/4 of pot with cold water.
2. Add 1 peeled, two-inch piece of ginger and 1 cube of anchovy stock (may be substituted with chicken stock) to the pot and cook.
3. Check porridge periodically. Should take about 1.5 - 2 hours to soften properly. I prefer my fish porridge really runny, so I periodically stir, add water and let it simmer to get the right consistency.
4. While porridge is cooking, prepare the toppings and cut up the monk fish to approximately 2-inch sized chunks.
5. Fill a shallow bowl with roughly enough cook oil to cover all the sliced shallots. You can put the shallots in the bowl and then pour the oil over it, but I prefer to heat up the oil in the microwave first before adding the shallots. Heat oil in microwave on high for about 2 minutes, then test with a piece of shallot to see if it sizzles. If it does, add in all the sliced shallots and heat on high in the microwave for 2 minutes at a time - there's no precise way to do this, you just have to keep heating and checking to see if it has browned enough. Alternatively, you could just fry them in a pan over a stove.
6. When the porridge is close to the consistency of your liking, add the monk fish chunks and 1 cube of chicken stock and stir. Add water if necessary (if there is too much porridge, before adding the fish, scoop up some into a container and store in the fridge for another day).
7. Cook until fish is cooked and consistency is right.
8. Serve in a bowl, drizzled with sesame oil and soy sauce, and topped with spring onions, fried shallots and a dash of white pepper.

Avocado Wedges

2011-09-10T15:52:00.001+12:00

This recipe is from that beer cookbook I reviewed last year, and it's just too good not to share. It has become a real favourite of mine (and S's too!) and we never bother with the cherry tomatoes or chives anymore. No need to gild the lily as they say.

These wedges, combined with the dipping sauce from the 'Sesame Green Beans' recipe from the same cookbook, is one of the best snacks that I've discovered....EVER. A must-try!

Ingredients:
250ml beer (lager) (the author recommends Export Gold)
1 cup all-purpose flour2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1.5 teaspoons paprika
2 avocados peeled and cut into wedges
salt and cracked pepper to season
vegetable oil for deep frying
8 small cherry tomatoes halved (optional)
2 tablespoons chives (optional)

Dipping Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar

Method:
1. Combine the beer, flour, garlic and paprika in a bowl and leave to stand for 2 hours.
2. Cut the avocadoes into wedges (about 1.5 cm thick at the base). Lightly season with salt and pepper and coat them with the batter.
3. Pre-heat oil to 180 degrees celcius (or test with a cube of bread - if it crisps easily and quickly, it's hot enough).
4. Fry wedges in hot oil until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
5. Season again with salt and pepper.
6. Mix dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl, taste and adjust to your preference.
7. May be served with salsa, or cherry tomatoes, with chopped chives.

Cauliflower & Egg Curry (Alison Holst's recipe - modified)

2011-09-05T21:30:00.000+12:00

I have previously blogged about this curry here, but it is so good that I have to share the modified recipe. The photo isn't going to get any better, so I will just use the one from the previous post, even though I don't use peas anymore. It's such a great, satisfying vegetarian dish that I normally just eat it on its own, but of course it would go beautifully with a bed of fragrant basmati rice.

Ingredients

410g can seasoned/normal tomato puree
160ml can coconut cream
1/2 a large cauliflower - cut into florets
4 medium sized carrots - chopped into 2 cm thick wedges
1 onion - finely minced
5 cloves of garlic - finely minced
ginger powder
garam masala
2 OXO beef stock cubes
Brahim's curry powder
4 - 6 Eggs
salt
oil

Method

1. Hard-boil eggs.
2. Saute the onions in some oil (in a large pan or wok) until translucent and then add the garlic. Continue sauteing until fragrant.
3. Add 1-2 tablespoons of ginger powder and 2-3 tablespoons of curry powder (Sorry, I just chuck in whatever I feel like and taste it later on, so I can't give you exact measurements).
4. Continue sauteing for a few minutes until mixture darkens a little, then add can of seasoned tomato puree. Simmer for a few minutes.
5. Add garam masala and OXO beef stock cubes and mix well.
6. Add carrots. Simmer until semi tender.
7. Add coconut cream, mix well, then add cauliflower. Simmer until tender.
8. Taste and add salt (and/or curry powder and/or other spices) to your liking.
9. Add peeled, halved hard-boiled eggs, mix gently and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.
10. Garnish with roughly chopped coriander if you like.

PS: For those who are interested, the original recipe called for minced fresh ginger (which I swapped with ground ginger/ginger powder because the fresh ginger doesn't dissolve and leaves chewy bits in your curry), canned whole tomatoes (which I thought made it far too watery and I didn't care for the bits of resistant tomato skin - see if you can spot a piece in the photo) and peas (which I didn't think really added anything to the dish).

Hee Lai Ton (Sheraton)

2011-08-22T00:05:00.000+12:00

I don't go to Hee Lai Ton (aka Sheraton) Restaurant very often when I am back in KL, even though it is one of my favourite Chinese restaurants. It's mainly a proximity issue - it takes 10-15 minutes to drive to my other favourite Chinese restaurant Sin Kee, in Sri Gombak, and about 30-40 minutes to drive to Hee Lai Ton, in Seri Kembangan. Also, compared to Sin Kee, Hee Lai Ton is posher, and the food is better, but more expensive. Therefore, adding the fact that I am normally only in KL for a few weeks, I rarely get to dine at Hee Lai Ton more than once per trip home.

I don't think I've ever had anything at this restaurant that I didn't like - but I am pretty sure that I've only tried maybe 20% of their dishes. Like most normal Chinese restaurants in KL, there's no menu - if there is, it's either written on a board in Chinese characters and/or no one uses it anyway. My marginal grasp of spoken Mandarin and Cantonese and illiteracy in Chinese makes trying to order something new a little bit of challenge, but I have developed a simple solution. Now, when I am in the mood for something new, I just pick a course (i.e. pork, fish, tofu, vege, etc) and ask the waitstaff to recommend something. Then I wait until they name an unfamiliar dish that sounds good and then I quickly interject with "That! I want that!". You have to be quick though, otherwise you'll get into the whole, "No...the one you said before that....nope...before that...." Then, if you get lucky and get something you really like, the challenge is to try to remember what it was called.

My visits are so rare and far in between that by the time I actually go, I would have been dreaming about a particular dish for days/weeks. So you'll have to forgive me if I tend to fall back on the familiar favourites - trying something new is too risky and just doesn't occur to you when there are specific desperate cravings to satisfy.

When I am not in the mood for novelty, there are always the tried and true. The restaurants in KL are so widespread (in suburbs with complicated routes/access) that unless it's in the neighbourhood or you're desperate for a feed in unfamiliar territory, I think it's rare for KL-ites to visit a restaurant that hasn't been recommended to them in some way. My point is, most people already know what dishes are good at a particular restaurant (whether by word of mouth, reputation, media reviews, etc), even if they are dining there for the first time. My father's business associate brought us to Hee Lai Ton and did all the ordering, and even though I don't remember what we had that first time, I am am pretty sure that when we went back ourselves, what we ordered was based on his recommendations.

Below are the dishes that I had at Hee Lai Ton during my last trip home. They include two of my absolute favourite dishes, the 'Yan Lei Har' (Indonesian style prawns) and the 'Har Cheong Kuat' (Pork Ribs).

PS: They also do a good 'yee sang' during Chinese New Year, that my mom likes.

'Yan Lei Har' (Indonesian style prawns): For the record, I don't know if this is actually Indonesian, but that's what they call it. Once I tried to order it by asking for the 'curry prawn' dish and was corrected by the waitstaff. Succulent prawns in beautifully rich curry sauce, contrasted nicely with crispy/chewy slices of 'you char kway'.

Okay, I am pretty sure this was one of the "That one!" dishes I ordered. It looks like 'Choy Heong' tofu, but I know that wasn't what it was called. I dont remember it being particularly good or bad, so I guess it doesn't really matter. This style of tofu, with the meat sauce, is one of my favourites and Sin Kee does it quite well.

Har Cheong Kuat (Pork Ribs): 'Kuat' means bone or rib in Cantonese, but I don't know what 'Har Cheong' means. This is one of their signature dishes. These ribs are incredibly, incredibly tasty, juicy and tender. I cannot think/write about them without salivating. A lot of deep fried things have are tasty on the outside and kinda boring on the inside - not these ribs. The meat is deliciously flavoured right to the bone and the delightful, savoury, light crisp exterior is so tasty that it makes you want to lick it all over before actually eating it. Goes beautifully with the tangy chili dipping sauce.

Standard stir fried asparagus with garlic. Unlike in NZ, we don't seem to get the big fat asparaguses in Malaysia - they're all slim, young shoots like above.

Another 'specialty'. Mangoes are seasonal, relatively expensive and good ones are hard to come by. Most Chinese restaurants serve a fruit platter for 'dessert', which usually comprises of watermelon, honey dew and papaya slices. Hee Lai Ton also serves the usual fruit platter but has made mangoes their speciality. There are always boxes of mangoes stacked next to their 'bar'. Usually their mangoes are good, but on this particular occasion, the mangoes were somewhat bland and lacked the sweetness and sourness that, to me, together with the firmness of the flesh, is the definition of a good mango.

Hee Lai Ton (Sheraton) Restaurant

No 12 Jalan Muhibbah 3

Taman Muhibbah

Seri Kembangan

43300 Selangor

Malaysia

Zucchini Bros.

2011-07-31T12:51:00.002+12:00

Pasta with prawns, asparagus and peas in lemon butter.

I first visited Zucchini Bros. with CP, in December last year. I had always heard good things about it but my not having a car means that the promptness of my trying a new restaurant and the frequency to which I return to a restaurant is somewhat restricted if it is not located in the city centre. I rely heavily on the goodwill of my 'vehicular-ly' blessed, fellow nosh-hound friends, such as S and CP, when it comes to sniffing out exciting new prospects outside the city.

Ravioli in tomato sauce - I didn't taste this so I can't comment.

You will notice the stark difference in the photos from the first visit with CP in December, and the second visit with S, which was only a few weeks ago. This is the thing that I find most annoying about trying to review a place during the winter - if we dine at night, most restaurants are usually too dark for me to get any decent photos. So, my apologies as usual.

Garlic Bread

I may be jumping the gun a little here but I have a feeling that this is going to be my favourite place here for Italian food, even though I haven't tried any of their pizzas yet. The pasta with prawns, asparagus and peas in lemon butter that I had in December was absolutely delicious - bright, subtle and delightfully light and refreshing, which isn't how you would normally describe pasta dishes. CP had the ravioli with tomato sauce, which she said was tasty and just the right portion. We also had the lemony meringue and hot apple cake for dessert - CP wasn't impressed with the former, but I really liked my hot apple cake.

Mussels with tomato, mushroom, garlic and white wine on conchiglie

It took a few months, but I finally managed to revisit Zucchini Bros. with S a few weeks ago. It was a rainy Wednesday night but by the time we left, the place was completely full (usually a good indicator). We started with the nicest, tastiest, fluffiest garlic bread that I've had in a long while. It had just the right texture - slightly crispy crust, but otherwise soft and fluffy - and had a generous spreading of lovely melted garlicky butter. MMMMMMM!

Chili, tomato and mint pesto with red pepper and pine nuts on capelli

Our pastas weren't quite as exciting as the garlic bread or the pasta with prawns, asparagus and peas in lemon butter that I had in December, but they were decent. S had the mussels with tomato, mushroom, garlic and white wine on conchiglie, which was tasty, but according to S, wasn't quite developed/complex enough, flavour-wise. I had the chilli, tomato and mint pesto with red pepper and pine nuts on capelli (with chicken) and thought that it was interesting, but the combination of ingredients resulted in a sort of a (for lack of a better word), 'smooshy' pasta dish, which wasn't texturally ideal. The flavour was pretty good, but I have to concur with S's verdict on her dish, in that it too wasn't quite complex enough to sustain one's initial enthusiasm throughout the meal.

Hot apple cake with caramel sauce and hokey pokey ice cream

Nevertheless, we enjoyed our meal enough that we stayed for dessert and S, influenced by my positive comments about the hot apple cake, decided that we should stick with the tried and true. And it was better than I remembered. The cake was warm and moist, the caramel sauce was seductively rich (not a fan of caramel usually) and the hokey pokey ice cream (which neither of us normally like) was like soft, cool, mild, pleasant interludes between bites of rich, sweet, comforting caramel slathered hot apple cake. Bellisima!

Will be trying their pizzas next. Stay tuned.

Zucchini Bros.

292 Highgate
Roslyn
Dunedin

Mystery Box Challenge - M vs S

2011-07-20T22:29:00.002+12:00

It will probably come as no surprise to anyone that I like watching reality cooking shows like Top Chef, Hells Kitchen and Master Chef. Not only do these shows allow people to ogle at the food, but they educate us on a vast variety of techniques and terms, introduce culinary celebrities to the masses and most importantly (for me), help build our 'must-dine-at' restaurants list. Of course, the challenges that the creators have devised to test the contestants are also very clever and incredibly entertaining. Of these, the one that I thought would be the most executable for the average Joe/Jane, was the Mystery Box.

And so, after about a month of trash-talking, weight-training and anxiety, one sunny afternoon in May, S and M 'cooked-off' in their first Mystery Box challenge. D and I bought about 20 ingredients (brussel sprouts, bok choi, chicken, squid, prawns, risotto rice, egg noodles, peppers, lemons, cheese, bacon, etc...) that were revealed to both contestants at the same time. In the initial plan, they only had about two hours to cook an entree and a main dish each, but they both spent about half an hour just staring at the ingredients trying to figure out what to cook, that in the end, we just let them cook at their own pace. M, being a typical guy, was supremely confident that it would only take him 15 minutes to cook each dish and vetoed my initial proposal of allowing them three hours to cook. In the end, their prep, cooking and plating took about four hours - excluding pondering and tasting! Luckily that gave M's family plenty of time to go to town, come back and participate in the judging.

Being the total nerd that I am, I had created score sheets (on Excel!) so S and M's dishes were judged on presentation, flavour, balance, originality, execution, on a scale of 1 - 10. I also had some goofy descriptions for the scores on either end of the scale (i.e. '10 = Please marry me!', '0 = Stick your head in the oven and turn on the gas', or something like that) but I deleted them and I don't remember exactly what they were now.

Entrees

M's Ravioli with Tomato Sauce: Excellent, very tasty, astonishingly-simple-to-make, sauce. Filling (chicken, bacon and bok choi) was also nice, but pasta was a little undercooked and a little dry.

S's Prawn Stuffed Squid with Egg Noodle Salad: The stuffed squid was quite tasty and interesting, but unfortunately the noodles turned to mush after cooking and was not good. I think it was the type and brand of noodles that we bought rather than anything S did, because we tried another type from the same brand once before and it too turned out a bit too mushy. Can't be certain until we try cooking these noodles in another way (maybe stir-fy?), but probably won't be so inclined. M also used the the noodles the following day and had the same results.

Mains

M's Shrimp ('cos he's American!) Etouffee and Risotto: M wants you to know that his Cajun Etoufee and Italian Risotto was a true international cross-over dish (and in his words), "unlike S's uni~~lateral~~-cultural crap". This is an example of the trash-talking that went on before the challenge. I thought that the etoufee was a little sweeter than I would have preferred, but having never had etoufee, the level of sweetness could have been exactly right. Unfortunately, M finished cooking the risotto a little earlier than anticipated, so by the time it was served, it was a little stiff, but the flavour was decent. Also the pairing of two texturally similar items wasn't ideal, but not disastrous.

S's Baked Chicken with Brussel Sprouts and Kumara and Bacon: Really enjoyed the kumara and the brussel sprouts which were very tasty. The chicken had a good flavour, but was overcooked and so a little dry.

Irrespective of the outcome, we the diners, whose only job was to watch, eat and criticise, appreciate the effort and thought that S and M put into this challenge. It was very, very close, but S emerged the victor and M (who was sabotaged by his own flesh and blood), through the screams and tears, immediately demanded a recount. In the end, after a lot of plate-throwing, he was pacified with the promise of a new Lotus. Other than that, I am pretty sure everyone, including the contestants, had a really good time, enjoyed the cooking, the eating and the company. M is desperate for a re-match but S won't dignify him with one just yet. Stayed tuned....

PS: Special thanks go to P for photographing the event and allowing me to use his gorgeous photos - the ugly ones are mine.

PPS: I may have taken some liberties in my dramatisation of M's character. Maybe.

Tetsuya's

2011-07-05T21:59:00.000+12:00

Pacific Oysters with Rice Vinegar and Ginger

S and I dined at Tetsuya's almost three months ago. My procrastination may by attributed to a number of things: I have been busy at work, the photos did not turn out well because of the low-lighting in the restaurant, but most of all, when I thought about writing a review of a thirteen course degustation meal, I just didn't know where to begin.

Of course, it was fantastic. Even though we had very high expectations (that were met), there were still certain elements of the experience that were delightfully surprising. The problem with a thirteen course meal, however, is that no matter how amazing it is, you just can't remember and/or gush about every single element on all the various dishes. It's just too much. You remember you had a wonderfully decadent meal and enjoyed it immensely. But like being at a good rock concert, you are exhilarated throughout the event, and you recall particular favourite moments, but at the end of it, you can't really begin to describe every little detail about the experience. It's a sensory overload that leaves you happy and on a high, but foggy on the details (no, we were not drinking).

Special mention must go to the staff, who were all extremely professional, exceedingly charming, friendly (which is something that is sometimes traded-off in fancy restaurants), and very, very easy on the eyes. Absolutely unparalleled, superb service. I can't wait to return and would love to have the opportunity to host a dinner with a larger group of friends in of the private rooms one day. But there are so many other famous restaurants to visit too........and that's just Sydney!

S and I couldn't stop talking about moving to Sydney after the fantastic time that we had there - especially at Tetsuya's, Zilver and Jersey Boys. Of course that's barely scratching the surface and there's so much more of Sydney to experience, but I think we're already sold.

Now the food: I freely admit that I didn't know what quite a few of the ingredients were, and that was half the fun. Unless otherwise stated, everything was really good and almost everything was novel and interesting. Like I said, I remember how I felt about some dishes and the meal in its entirety, but not the specific details of each dish. I apologise for the poor quality of the photos. You'll notice that I have only uploaded photos of eleven of the thirteen dishes, because the photos of the first and last dishes were just not fit for publishing. My favourite dishes were the Chilled Cucumber Soup with Sheep Yogurt Ice Cream, which I failed to photograph properly unfortunately (the excitement of the first course might have had something to do with that), Tetsuya's signature ocean trout, the lamb and the sorbet of peone grapes. I didn't have the oysters, but S said that she had never had oysters like that - naturally sweet, meaty and very tasty. Her expression when she had the first bite was priceless.

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Sheep Yogurt Ice Cream: Deliciously cool and refreshing. I especially loved the faint sourish zest that the ice cream contributed to the sweetish soup.

Sashimi of Yellow Fin Tuna with Shishito and Garlic Chips

Marinated NZ Scampi with Curd and Junsai

The startling saltiness and the flavour of the scampi really excited my palate and paired nicely with the soft, bland curd. Very nice.

Tetsuya's Signature Confit Petuna Ocean Trout with Konbu, Apple and Celery

There's a reason why he's famous for this dish. Luscious trout topped with a lovely salty layer of seaweed, complemented with the arresting acidity and slight sweetness of green apples. Beautiful.

Steamed Mulloway with Black Bean and Ginger

I was least impressed with this dish. It was tasty and perfectly executed but was just very similar to the steamed fish that is served in normal Chinese restaurants back home. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but I was just expecting something a little more unusual.

Braised Ox Tail with Sea Cucumber and Lotus Root

Pancetta Wrapped Quail Breast with Pine Mushrooms and Chestnut

De-Boned Rack of Lamb with Eggplant and White Miso

Gorgeous. Wonderfully tender, juicy, delicious lamb, paired with the most scrumptious eggplant/white miso thingy that I have ever tasted. Incredible.

Sorbet of Pione Grapes and Tarte Tartin

Loved the sorbet and the soaked grapes. Don't know what they were soaked in (I suspect there was alcohol involved) but the explosion of juice and flavours was deliciously intoxicating. The flavour of the sorbet was also quite unusual and incredibly refreshing.

Genoa Figs with Leatherwood Honey and Fig Leaf Ice Cream

Chocolate Pave with Cream Cheese Ice Cream and Cinnamon Twigs

I thought that this would be a favourite. Unfortunately, I didn't particularly like the cream cheese ice cream and expected the pave to be chilled (not knowing what a pave is or how it is supposed to be served) - probably because it reminded of mousse. Having said that, it was nice and chocolatey. For me, this would have been the dish to end with. The Chai Mochi that followed was also chocolatey and that tipped me over my chocolate limit for the night - I went from 'decadently-full' to 'oh no.... too... much.....'

The menu - Thursday 14 April 2011

Tetsuya's Restaurant
529 Kent Street
Sydney
NSW 2000
Australia

Gü

2011-06-19T15:24:00.001+12:00

Let me introduce you to my latest food find - Gü. This UK company makes the most divine off-the-shelf desserts. Their full product range is advertised on their UK website, but unfortunately, as far as I can tell, only eight of them are available in the supermarkets here (these and the hot chocolate melting middles). I haven't managed to take very good photos of the ones I have tried, but there are plenty of gorgeous photos on the UK and Australian Gü websites.

I actually first saw them in the supermarkets a few months ago but they were a little expensive so I wasn't in any hurry to try them. I can't remember what prompted me to try the the chocolate pudding a few weeks ago (probably the gaping holes in the supermarket shelves indicating that something is popular), but I am glad I did, and that was the beginning of the obsession with all things Gü. Based on what was sold out first, I have deduced that the local favourites are the chocolate and vanilla cheesecake and the key lime pie, neither of which I have had a chance to try yet.

Hot Chocolate Melting Middles: I haven't managed to take a good photo of it actually oozing, but the photo on the website is an accurate depiction of the real thing. Velvety dark chocolate cake with a molten centre oozing with rich dark chocolate sauce. Divine!

Sensationally Citrusy Lemon Cheesecake: I was so seduced by the chocolate pudding that I was convinced that everything else Gü would equally amazing. The lemon cheesecake is the only one that has failed to impress thus far, and 3 out of 4 ain't bad. I loved that they served them in little glass ramekins but that's about it. My main peeve is that it was far too grainy, when it should have been silky smooth and luxurious. There was nothing memorable about the flavour or anything else. This put me off trying the key lime pie because someone told me that it is the acidity in the citrus fruit that makes it difficult to produce a smooth consistency in a cheesecake because the acid reacts with the dairy or something like that. I don't know how accurate this is, but it stands to reason that if one citrusy cheesecake is grainy, then another citrusy cheesecake from the same company could have a similar texture.

[Edit 22 June 2011: Just tried the Key Lime Pie and it is indeed deliciously tangy and citrusy. Smooth too. Much better than the lemon cheesecake IMO. Mmmm...]

Naughty Gü-ey Chocolate Rolls: Better photos here. Beautifully moist, dark, rich chocolate cake encased in a crisp dark chocolate shell. Perfect for a quick hit of decadence to perk you up in the middle of the day... or whenever.

Cheeky Little Pots of Chocolate Ganache: Better photos here. Luxuriously smooth, soft, dark chocolate ganache. I haven't tried them served hot yet, but they were so good chilled, I am not sure I'd do anything to change that. Perfect size for a rich, naughty treat. Absolutely delicious.

Go get some Gü now. Gü Gü Gü.

Zilver

2011-06-06T18:13:00.000+12:00

Some prawn dumpling thing that was delicious even though I don't know what it's called. Perks of being able to just point at exactly what you want.

A few years ago when I visited Melbourne, my friends took me to a restaurant called Gold Leaf for dim sum. I remember it being really good - possibly the best dim sum that I had ever had at that point - but I don't remember much else, which is a little strange to me because I usually remember specific things that I particularly like/dislike about places.

Meat and Prawn Dumplings - not our favourite, but very popular. Pan fried at a station at the front of the dining room.

As I had previously raved about the dim sum in Australia and because we're so deprived of good dim sum here in Dunedin, when S & I visited Sydney a few months ago, it was right at the top of our list of things 'to eat'. Luckily we had some foodie friends in Sydney who directed us straight to Zilver. The long and the short of it is that we had dim sum at Zilver thrice over four days and now S flatly refuses to eat dim sum at any of the Dunedin restaurants (S now stands for SPOILT).

Har Kau (Prawn Dumpling) - Succulent marinated whole prawns encased in a smooth, stretchy dumpling skin. Delicious.

First of all, they serve dim sum the proper way! - i.e. by pushing trolleys full of food around the restaurant and stopping at each table so that customers can choose what they want. None of the 'modern' ordering dim sum ala carte b.s. that is the norm in KL now. If I remember correctly, I was still in primary school the last time I went to a restaurant in KL that still served dim sum the traditional way. How sad is that?

Char Siu Pau (BBQ Pork Bun) - Fluffy, soft white bun filled with lovely BBQ pork.

Secondly, the dim sum at both Gold Leaf and Zilver were far superior than the dim sum that I've had in KL. According to Pops, most of the restaurants in KL now serve mass produced, factory-made dim sum, which is why they mostly taste the same (not terrible, but not particularly good or interesting). The second time we were at Zilver, as we were contemplating what to scoff next, I overheard one of the waitresses saying (in response to a customer's query about when a specific dim sum would be ready) that the 'si fu' (Cantonese for 'Master', as in master of an art, e.g. Kungfu Master, Master Chef, etc) was eating lunch, so whatever it is they had asked for would only be ready later. That obviously means that they actually have a dim sum master and they make their own dim sum in their own kitchen.

Char Siu Sou (Baked Pork Triangle) - beautifully buttery flaky pastry filled with tender, sweetish BBQ pork.

And of course, it shows in their food. Not only did they have some excellent dim sum that I had never seen in any other restaurant, but even their standard dim sum ('siu mai' a.k.a. pork dumpling, 'har kau' a.k.a prawn dumpling, 'char siu pau' a.k.a BBQ pork bun) were exceptional. As I am sure you have surmised, the food was fantastic (with the exception of the roast pork, which was tough, dry and not at all tasty and the fried noodles, which was bland), as it would have to be to warrant three visits in a four day overseas trip. Incidentally, I also had a delicious bowl of 'tau foo fah' (soy bean custard/pudding) that didn't photograph very well but deserves to be mentioned because the flavour was exactly right and it one of the smoothest, silkiest soy bean puddings that I've ever had.

For all others, photos and comments below:

Siu Mai (Pork Dumpling): Unlike the mass made variety that normally has a very finely minced filling, this siu mai was filled with delightful chunks of prawns. The complex flavours and textures were a surprising revelation - this is what it can taste like and now I am probably never going to enjoy siu mai at a normal restaurant again.

Black Pepper Beef - Incredibly tasty and tender. Lip-smacking, finger-lickin' good.

Sam Sek Kou (Tri Coloured 'Cake') - Yam (grey), Radish (white), and Water Chestnut (clear). Quite unusual. I've had fried radish and yam cakes before, but the sweet, sticky, jelly-like water chestnut cake was new. Very tasty, and also very popular.

Char Siu Sou (BBQ Pork Triangles) - As described in earlier photo, delicious and melts in your mouth.

Deep Fried Prawn Dumpling - I am not exactly sure what this one is called even though it is one of the common dim sums and one fo my favourites. J called it fried 'har kau'. Whatever it's called, it's good. Crunchy, crispy (wonton?) skins stuffed with lovely tasty fat prawns, dipped in mayo (I didn't care for the greenish wasabi mayo). MMM!

Seaweed Prawn Rolls - Again, fat rolls of prawns. Can't go wrong with that if you're trying to please me! This was the first time that I had the immense satisfaction of biting into a big springy, tasty, crunchy ball of prawns. You know they say you can't miss what you've never had? Well now I've had it and I want more! This is going to be an expensive addiction if I have to buy a plane ticket every time I need to feed it.

Egg Tart - And to think S was going to leave without tasting this. Just look at the layers of flaky pastry and the golden yellow, smooth egg custard. On our second visit, we managed to get a table right in front of the entrance to the kitchen and so got first dibs on these as they came out, freshly baked and still lovely and warm. We got there at about 10 am that day and had eaten most of what we wanted in an hour. We were both quite full and were going to go to Tetsuya's that night, so it was supposed to be a 'light' lunch. Then I remembered that we had forgotten to get egg tarts the day before. I knew S would want some as soon as she saw them but she thought that she was too full to have anything else. The waitress said that the egg tarts wouldn't be ready until 11:30 am so I figured that if I stalled for a while longer, we could get the egg tarts and S would feel like eating them by then. Luckily, that was exactly what happened and S absolutely loved them. They're like beautiful, rich, sweet, buttery little bites of melt-in-your-mouth sunshine.

Lou Mai Fan (Steamed Glutinous Rice) - Incredibly tasty and perfectly cooked. Normally glutinous rice is very sticky, soft and smooshed together but as you can see, the individual grains of rice are clearly... individual, and firm. It was seasoned well and had nice chunky bits of prawn, chinese sausage and egg.

Green Beans Stir Fried with Garlic and Dried Shrimp - One of my favourite vegetable dishes. Simple, tasty, homey and satisfying.

Char Siu Pau (BBQ Pork Bun) - As described in the first photo. You'll notice that unlike the artificial red colouring commonly found in its mass made cousins, the BQQ pork filling in this bun is a naturally dark caramel colour.

Special thanks to J and L for being great city hosts while we were in Sydney and for recommending Zilver.

Zilver
477 Pitt Street
Haymarket
NSW 2000
Australia

Gaslight & S's Birthday Operation FI3

2011-05-15T17:17:00.002+12:00

[*Updated 7:50 am, 16 May 2011]

Twice baked goat cheese souffle with ratatouille

S had a big birthday about a month ago. Since I am such an abusive slave driver (you know, always throwing recipes at her and making her cook, etc), and it was a milestone birthday, I knew that the usual dinner party and cake just wouldn't do. Being slightly neurotic, I began planning about two months before her birthday. 'Operation FI3' (can anyone who wasn't involved guess what that stands for?) came together with the help of agents K, M, P & J, and a lot of secretive emailing.

Butternut salad, arugula, pumpkin seeds, feta

On D-day, I was surprised at how (almost) seamlessly the plan was executed. Basically, we planned something akin to the 'Amazing Race', except that she wasn't racing against anyone. She was given clues and tasks that she had to successfully complete in order to get her next clue and progress to the next destination. S actually solved some tasks more quickly that we had anticipated, but she finished the entire mission more or less on schedule. Thanks K and M for brainstorming and P playing paparazzi!

Steak frites with sauce borderlaise

J started it off by surprising her with the rules and her first task at 11:00 am. She had to decipher five clues to figure out which five items she had to bring on the mission as 'toll payment', e.g. "An _____ a day keeps the doctor away". After that, she had to solve another clue to figure out where I was waiting for her (at the basketball courts). There, she had to make either five free throw shots or one three point shot. Then she had to find K, who made her play a taiko drill by stamping her feet - the video of them doing this is brilliant and a definite keepsake. Following that, she was supposed to recall missing lines from at least one of two Malay 'pantuns' (poems) that M had prepared - poems that we all learnt as kids. She failed at this - the penalty for failure to complete a task was a tequila shot per offence, to be paid at her party that night. Her last task was to find a spot to photograph the hospital so that the entire building would be in the shot. This had to be done to P's satisfaction - P's an excellent photographer and was following S throughout her mission to photograph the action. Finally, she had to use the first letters of the five items she had collected at the beginning of the mission and five other letters we had given her for completing each task to work out what the final destination was - Gaslight.

Gnocchi with fume, lardons and fungi (spicy bacon and mushroom)

So, at about 1:00 pm, everyone showed up at Gaslight for a much needed feed. I had dined there once before and thought that the simple, decent food and comfortable, casual, aesthetically pleasing ambience would be perfect for an occasion like this. It's quite new and of course, as with anything new, had a few teething issues, but for me, the overall experience of dining there twice was positive.

Fettuccini with fungi (mixture of wild mushroom with mushroom stock and finished with truffle oil)

I have a lot of photos of what everyone else ordered, but obviously can only really comment on what I tasted:

Fettuccini with fungi: I had this the first time I had dinner there. Initially I thought that the pasta was a little bland. But as I ate, I realised that the mushrooms were so well seasoned that you just had to make sure you had a mixture of mushroom and pasta with each bite to get the nice, subtle, earthy flavours of the mushrooms. Simple, rustic and quite tasty.

Gnocchi with fume, lardons and fungi: Had a tiny bite of this from B's plate. Thought the bacon was a little tough.

Fettuccini Marinara

*Fettuccini Marinara (southern littleneck clam in a rich chive cream): I didn't taste this, but thought it was really odd that their 'marinara' was a white cream sauce. People often think that 'marina' means seafood (I did too when I was a kid) but marina sauce is actually a specific style of tomato based sauce. This is the first time I've seen a cream based 'Marina' sauce in a restaurant and I don't know if it's just a misnomer, or intentional.

Pan-fried fresh fish, caper butter, wet polenta with feta and spinach

Pan-fried fresh fish, caper butter, wet polenta with feta and spinach: The fish was tasty, albeit a little over-seasoned. I really didn't like the wet polenta - it's just not my thing and had a strange texture. Otherwise, OK.

Chocolate croissant pudding

Chocolate croissant pudding: I think this really should have been served warm, instead of stone cold. It would have been pretty nice if it was warmed. I liked the crispiness of the top crust, and the thick layers of chocolate running through it, but bottom half was too stodgy and cold. Disappointing.

Chocolate mousse pots with white chocolate mascarpone: Absolutely delicious. Thick and luxurious with little surprising chunks of chocolate (or honeycomb?) throughout the pot. Wanted to order it again at S's birthday lunch, but they had run out. The mousse was rich and sweet enough on it's own without requiring the additional white chocolate mascarpone.

I am keen to re-visit Gaslight to try more of their pasta and French dishes. Their prices are reasonable and as a whole, it looks promising. When they iron out whatever needs to be addressed and hit their stride, I think it could be a favourite Dunedin haunt.

Gaslight Cafe

73 St Andrew Street

Dunedin 9016

Riverstone Kitchen

2011-04-24T10:16:00.317+12:00

Four weekends ago, S, P and I spent a gorgeous, relaxing afternoon at Riverstone Kitchen in Oamaru, as an early birthday celebration for S. This place is something special - they have quirky, quaint gift shops, an aviary, an awesome fort and playground, a nice big vegetable garden, a large chicken and poultry coop, and some random goats just hanging out. And I haven't even mentioned the casual-chic, sleek, comfortable, well designed restaurant. Clearly, a lot of thought, creativity and effort has been poured into every last detail and now it is one of my favourite spaces in NZ (and I am sure I am not the only one who thinks so).

It turned out to be just one of those days that I will always remember with fondness - simple, good, homegrown food, the beautiful, blue NZ sky, lush green grounds, with lots of entertaining features, and great company. I can't speak for the others, but the afternoon there left me feeling quite content and with a happy memory to keep.

I apologise for the brevity, but this is the simplest way to convey my/our thoughts about each dish:

Potato gnocchi, with roast pumpkin, burnt butter, sage and pinenuts: S's main. She loved the gnocchi, the roast pumpkin and the crispness of the sage.

Riverstone fish and chips with fresh herbs, lemon and tartare sauce: P's main. All I got out of him was "really good". I like the look of the rustic, hearty chips but I didn't get to taste any. Luckily, C, my co-worker, recently visited Riverstone Kitchen and ordered this very dish and has proclaimed it 'fantastic!'.

Organic chicken pie with mash and onion gravy: My main. I loved the mash and the onion gravy. The filling of the pie was a little unexpected because it was sweetish rather than savoury, but it was still good. The chicken pieces were a little lean and therefore fibrous, but I suppose that comes with cooking with a conscience and using organic or free range chicken and leaner cuts. The pastry was perfect - just the right flavour, thickness and flakiness.

Sautéed brussel sprouts with roast almonds: We all loved this side dish. Perfectly executed. I loved the slight bitterness of the brussel sprouts and was pleasantly surprised by how well the roast almonds complemented the vegetables and lent that bit of sophistication to the dish.

Steamed Riverstone greens with black olive tapenade: Quite interesting. I've never had vegetables served topped with olive tapenade before but it worked well. I am not a fan of olives, generally, so S may have enjoyed this a bit more.

Caramel and macadamia tart: S's dessert. I think she liked it but after a while found it a bit too sweet.

Chocolate sour cream cake: My dessert. This was every bit as amazing as it looks. Beautifully moist, soft and chocolatey with a deliciously thick layer of incredibly decadent, gooey icing. I am not a fan of berry coulis so I just had the cake by itself. It didn't even need the ice cream or cream on the side.

Feijoa open tart: P's dessert. Again, all I got was 'good' and some nodding.

the chicken coop

the quaint gift shop

the vegetable garden

the awesome fort!

If you need any more convincing, you should also know that Riverstone Kitchen was awarded Cuisine Magazine's Restaurant of the Year for 2010.

Riverstone Kitchen
1431 State Highway 1
RD 5H
Oamaru

Seafood Risotto

2011-04-19T21:22:00.001+12:00

I love a good risotto, but I haven't had good risotto very often. Fortunately, the first one I ever tried was one of the best that I've had, so I from then on, I had a good idea of what it was supposed to taste like. And S's combination of Jamie Oliver's and Rick Stein’s seafood risotto recipes (and winging it) produced a really tasty, rich dish with nice full flavours.

We used scallops and snapper instead of mussels and monkfish, and left out the squid. The scallops were terrible because we used frozen ones (don't ask me why, we were just pushing our luck). We seasoned the snapper fillets with salt and cajun spices and pan fried the fish instead of cooking it with the risotto. We also added asparagus, so with all those ingredients, it doesn't look quite as elegant as something you would get in a restaurant but it was incredibly satisfying. Sorry I can't even write a general recipe for this because S did 99.99% of the cooking (I think I stirred the pot a couple of times...maybe) and I don't remember what she did. But if you just go with these recipes and do what makes sense to you, you should be fine. Risottos seem to be pretty straightforward as long as you take the time to cook it slowly, allow the flavours to develop and the rice to naturally turn rich and creamy. It's worth the effort.

Pier 24 - etc

2011-04-11T21:17:00.001+12:00

It's no secret that I think that Pier 24 is the best, and my favourite, fine dining restaurant in Dunedin. As I often use just about any excuse to go there, my collection of pictures and thoughts about their various dishes is becoming somewhat scattered. Before it gets completely out of hand, here's a post about some random dishes from different visits, as far back as July/August 2010:

This was a amuse bouche made with thai green curry paste and spicy kumara (I think?). It had lovely depth, richness complexity. It's nine months later, and I can still remember the taste.

Vanilla and five spice panna cotta, red wine poached pear, raspberry ice-cream and tuille biscuit - This was absolutely stunning. The perfectly balanced flavours and textures with the slightly acidic, tender, grainy flesh of the wine soaked pear, the pleasantly sourish, smooth ice-cream and the sweet, silky, creamy, luscious, delicate, wobbly, clingy panna cotta, topped with the crunchy, sticky sugar glass shard.....it was so incredibly good, that (after 20 minutes) I can't even think of a suitable way to end this sentence.

Salt and pepper crisp fried squid - This was my favourite reason to visit St Clair for a delicious afternoon snack and to just relax and enjoy the view. It initially caught my eye as a starter on the evening menu but there were always other irresistible starters that edged the squid out, like the pork belly. Eventually, I realised that they had it on the bar menu, and then I couldn't get enough of it. It doesn't get much better than enjoying hot, freshly fried, tasty, lightly battered and crispy squid, with cool ginger beer and and view of the ocean and the blue, blue New Zealand sky. There was also a hint of a spice in the squid (maybe fennel?) that gave it that extra punch. Delicious.

Unfortunately, the last few times I visited, the salt and pepper squid was not on either menu and the other squid dishes that I've tried since (Crisp fried gremolata crumbed squid starter from the dinner menu and squid rings from the bar menu) have been good, but not as good as the salt and pepper squid. But I've just checked the menus on their site and it looks like it's back on the bar menu!!!

Grilled farmed venison noisettes with Parma ham, potato & kumara rosti, avocado hummus, red wine and candied onion pan jus - This is their new venison item, which is good, but the sharp saltiness of the Parma ham is a bit jarring and doesn't seem to quite fit with the rest of the plate. As I have highlighted before, I particularly enjoyed how the sweetish accompaniments enhanced the flavour of the meat in the old venison dish (which was such a favourite that even though I always went with the intention to try something else, I would inevitably order the venison) and have been craving it for a while now. Alas.........perhaps I can hope for it to make a comeback like the salt and pepper squid.

'Claypot' Chicken Rice v2.0

2011-04-04T17:38:00.003+12:00

Very sorry about not posting in the last few weeks. The internet at my place STILL hasn't been restored and it is getting quite inconvenient. I am in internet and 'flogging' (food blogging) withdrawal, so I am posting this even though it's not going to be a very long one.

I've written about making 'Claypot' Chicken Rice once before, but the photo in that post was awful and the recipe was basic. I've taken it up a notch here and the little extras are definitely worth it. This is one of those really easy recipes that will produce a delicious, comforting, and incredibly satisfying, one-pot meal. Great for all you hungry, non-cooks like me.

Random notes: -

I use thigh fillets because:

1. they contain more fat than breast fillets and are therefore far less fibrous and more moist.

2. the fat flavours the rice well, and

3. I am too lazy to deal with chicken pieces even though they would retain more flavour and moisture with the skin on and bone in, AND the fat from the skin would give the dish extra flavour (maybe one day, when I have my dream kitchen - I know, I know, what does a 'non-cook' want with a dream kitchen? Doesn't matter, I still do!).

Claypot Chicken Rice

Ingredients

Rice

Chicken

Chinese Sausage (Lap Cheong)

Ginger

Garlic

Dark Soy Sauce

Shallot

Salted Fish

Spring Onion

Method

1. Steam chinese sausages (as per instructions on packet), then slice (about half a cm thick) and saute in a dry pan until slightly browned and oil is released into pan.

2. Set aside chinese sausage slices and using the same pan, heat cooking oil (estimate what you would need to coat all the rice you are going to use and add an extra tablespoon) and saute a large (about 2-3 inches) piece of ginger until slightly golden.

3. Add uncooked rice, saute until translucent, then set aside (with ginger) in rice cooker pot.

4. Heat some oil and saute garlic cloves (crushed with the side of a knife, but otherwise in one piece) until fragrant.

5. Add chicken pieces and fry until golden brown.

6. Add dark soy sauce and sugar to taste and stir fry well.

7. Add water to the chicken (estimate the amount you would need to cook the rice in a rice cooker, if unsure, use less and add more later).

8. Taste - sauce/broth should be just a bit too salty because the flavours will mellow considerably when cooked with the rice.

9. Pour chicken and sauce/broth over the rice in the rice cooker pot and throw in the chinese sausage slices.

10. Cook in rice cooker as you would cook plain rice. The switch will 'trip' and show that it is done before it actually is but leave it in to continue cooking. Just keep testing the rice to see if it needs more water or if it just needs to be left in longer.

11. While it is cooking, finely slice shallots and chop spring onions.

12. Fry sliced shallots until golden brown.

13. Serve topped with the fried shallots, chopped spring onions and some salted fish.

Eat

2011-03-13T15:13:00.000+13:00

NB: Apologies for not posting anything in the last two weeks. The internet service where I live has been disrupted because of the earthquake in Christchurch. Apparently the servers are in a currently cordoned off area and service may be restored…next month. So until then, posting may not be as regular as I would like. Sorry.

If there is one word I would use to describe the food at Eat it would be 'pretty'. I know that for the majority of us, prettiness is not the first thing we look for in our food, but nonetheless, presentation is important. Everything about Eat is visually pleasing - from the display of freshly baked goods, tiers of friands, the simple, classic wooden chairs and tables, down to each artistic plate of food - it appears as though attention, thought and care has been poured into every last detail. Even the two (differently flavoured) pain au chocolates that we ordered were served on individually decorated plates, when they could have just served them both on a single plate.

Perhaps at this point some of you might be a little concerned that I have yet to say anything about how the food actually tastes. Rest assured, the food is as good as it looks. It isn't quite the best of its kind, but the combination of the beautiful plating, the comfortable, casual-chic, well-spaced dining area, and the excellent, warm service makes eating at Eat a treat for the senses and a large part of its appeal.

The meal that I am writing about is a brunch that we had in October last year, so as one would expect, my memory of the finer details is a little fuzzy. My feelings about an experience, however, is something that I can remember quite clearly, for a very long time. And that afternoon, I remember that we really enjoyed the food, the ambience and the great service. My pancakes, with beautifully charred bacon and grilled bananas, was very tasty and the unexpected strawberries, papaya, passionfruit and grapes accompaniment not only brightened the plate, but also my palate. It is these little surprising extras that definitely heighten one's experience. S was also delighted with her prosciutto (I think?) croissant. The pain au chocolates were both filled with decadent, dark, rich chocolate with elegant flavour twists - one with hints of some berry and the other with hazelnut (I think?) undertones.

I left Eat feeling like I had just been spoilt and pampered - something akin to how you feel when you leave a spa. I think that it must be the same soothing of the senses and special attention that you get that leaves you feeling happy, relaxed and with that elevated hum about you for the rest of the day. Whimsical, I know, but that's what Eat is like.

Eat
4 Dowling Street
Dunedin 9016

Yee Sang (Homemade)

2011-02-21T23:07:00.002+13:00

Every time I don't get to go back home for Chinese New Year, one of the first things I whine about is that I won't be able to have Yee Sang (a special salad that is normally only available during Chinese New Year in Malaysia and Singapore). It just did not occur to me to make our own - maybe because nowadays you'd only get the kind with the dehydrated vegetables at restaurants and supermarkets. Stupidly, for longer than I care to admit, the thought "how are we going to dehydrate the ingredients?" was the one thing that was floating about at the back of my head that was preventing me from coming to the now blindingly apparent solution. The haze must have lifted at some point because randomly, I put two and two together: the memory of my parents telling me that when Yee Sang was first introduced in KL, all the ingredients were fresh + that means we don't have to have dehydrated ingredients for Yee Sang = we can make our own Yee Sang with fresh ingredients. Doh!

So we made it by roughly following this recipe and it turned out brilliantly. S and I were both amazed and how closely it resembled what we normally get back home. One would think that there would be a drastic difference in taste when replacing dehydrated ingredients with fresh ones - but there really wasn't. I think the key ingredients were the toasted sesame seeds, the plum sauce and lemon juice. The first time we made it, we left out the lemon juice and the sauce wasn't quite right. The second time, with lemon juice, it was perfect. This tasty dish delivers a delightful myriad of flavours and textures - juicy, sweet, sour, savoury, crunchy, soft, crispy, nutty, soft, tangy, fresh....MMMMM! Every bite is just irresistibly refreshing, like a burst of 'happy' in your mouth. I don't think we will be able to resist not making this again even though it's not Chinese New Year anymore. S?

We adapted the recipe slightly because we couldn't get things like pomelo here, and as usual, we added/omitted whatever felt right:

Second Attempt (close to perfect)

Yee Sang (adapted from here)

Ingredients
(adjust to your preference)

Fresh salmon, sliced into thin fillets (season with lemon juice, a pinch of five spice powder and pepper)
Carrots, finely julienned
White radish/daikon, finely julienned
Pomelo, separated down to individual sacs or small segments (if you can get pomelo)
Pickled ginger, finely sliced
Pickled onions, finely sliced
Mango, julienned
Roasted peanuts
Toasted sesame seeds
Fried wonton skins
Fresh coriander

For the dressing :
Plum sauce mixed with lemon juice (about 2: 1, should still be reasonably thick)
Oil (we used canola)

Method

1. Make sure you buy the freshest fish for the dish and slice the fillet into thin strips. Season as instructed.
2. Arrange all the ingredients into sections on a large serving platter.
3. To serve, pour plum sauce dressing and oil over the salad then immediately toss the salad with chopsticks (and friends preferably) as high as you can (the higher the luckier apparently) without too much of it ending up on the table/floor, while making loud proclamations of good luck and fortune for everyone for the New Year.

Din Tai Fung

2011-02-13T11:04:00.005+13:00

Originally from Taiwan, Din Tai Fung has branches all over the world and is immensely popular in KL and Singapore. It is one of my favourite, nicer, Chinese restaurants particularly when I feel like going to a comfortable, pleasant, modern place for a delicious, quick, simple, reasonably priced meal. Like Fong Lye, Din Tai Fung restaurants are well presented and look like they would be quite expensive to dine at, but are not. If I remember correctly, the average individual meal was priced at about S$10 or under RM20.

The two things that I always order at Din Tai Fung are the Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Pork Dumplings) and the Fried Rice with Pork Chop. If you've never had Xiao Long Bao before, you're in for a real treat. These dumplings are special because they are made to hold broth inside the dumplings. The explosion of flavour from the broth from the first time I bit into one of these delightful, delicious, juicy, succulent little packages, was unforgettable. These dumplings are normally dipped in (or topped with) a bit fresh ginger and vinegar, which contributes that bit of acidity to the full flavoured dumplings and sets off the party in your mouth. It was quite a task, trying to photograph an open dumpling to show you the broth within, while desperately inhibiting the natural urge to slurp it all up in one mouthful.

Besides the Xiao Long Bao, of course, the Fried Rice with Pork Chop is another one of their extremely popular dishes. I know you can get fried rice just about anywhere, but like my sweet and sour pork complaint, it's one of those things that is taken for granted because it's so common and easy to make that no one really makes an effort to perfect it - until Din Tai Fung. In my opinion, their simple, classic, unadulterated Fried Rice is close to perfection. Their famous Pork Chop, which you can also order on its own, is always seasoned and cooked perfectly, beautifully tender and very, very tasty. There's no special glaze or sauce to dress it up, and no need for it - the dish is exquisite in its simplicity.

This visit, I also ordered some stir fried vegetables (might have been spinach), which was fresh and clean tasting - not overly seasoned or drenched in sauce. The sight of the bright, green young, tender shoots has reminded me of another pet peeve of mine - when restaurants serve vegetables 'old' vegetables, i.e. vegetables that were harvested later in the growth cycle. 'Old' vegetables are often tough and bitter, which is why back home, normally only young shoots are used for cooking. I think I've been served 'old' vegetables here (in Dunedin) more times in eight years than I have ever been in all the years back home. The point I am trying to make is that the vegetables at Din Tai Fung were young and tender and very good to eat.

Finally, I also had a dish of fried prawns with a mayonnaise-base dressing (might have been called 'Salad Honey Prawns' or something like that). I don't remember it being particularly spectacular, but I think it was decent enough. Something in the back of my mind tells me that I thought it was a bit sweet and that the flavour required some complexity and depth. Still I ate it all, so it can't have been bad.

Oh I want some Fried Rice with Pork Chop now. Writing about Chinese food during Chinese New Year when you're away from home is just masochistic.

Raffles City Branch
252 North Bridge Road

#B1-08/09/10 Raffles City Shopping Centre
Singapore 179103

Mid Valley The Gardens Branch
Lot LG-207, The Gardens Mid Valley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra
Kuala Lumpur 59200
Malaysia

Carbonara

2011-01-31T17:01:00.001+13:00

Once again S tried a recipe by Chef John of Food Wishes, who has yet to fail us, which turned out beautifully and was immediately flagged as one of our favourite, 'sure-to-impress' aces. Beautifully luscious, without being too rich, absolutely delicious and satisfying - this is one of those dishes that will leave you with a goofy grin of postprandial bliss/stupor. And, it's doesn't contain any cream - "for real"! You MUST try Chef John's Carbonara recipe.

Caesar Salad

2011-01-15T10:42:00.000+13:00

Once upon a time, I had a craving for a Caesar Salad. If I had been in KL, I would have gone to the one place that (until then) I thought had the best Caesar Salad. But I wasn't in KL and it isn't as easily available at restaurants here. So, I did the only thing I could do - found what looked like a good recipe on the net and convinced S to make it. And that is the story of how 'we' made and discovered the best Caesar Salad that we have ever tasted.

The dressing is deliciously tangy and mildly acidic and most importantly (now that I am older, wiser and more discerning) does not impart the kitschy sweetness that is present in most supermarket and restaurant Caesar dressings. Thrown together, the crunchy, savoury garlic croutons, nutty mellow Parmesan, crisp, fresh cos/romaine lettuce and the comforting taste and texture of hard boiled eggs tossed in the lovely dressing forms a dish with wonderfully complex flavours and varying textures. Normally we top it off with sinful pieces of salty, crispy streaky bacon, but this time we opted for the slightly more elegant and subtle, but just as gratifying, grilled garlic prawns. Absolutely, mouth-wateringly delicious.

The recipe is easier than it looks. Don't be afraid to try it. Below is a simplified version of the recipe:

Caesar Salad

(simplified and slightly modified from here)

Ingredients

Croutons:
2 large garlic cloves (feel free to use more - we do!)
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 cups French baguette slices cut up into 1/2 inch cubes (we normally just use the whole baguette and adjust the other ingredients to taste)

Salad:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 medium garlic clove, crushed
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste or 4 flat anchovies
1 teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup virgin olive oil
2 medium heads of Romaine/cos lettuce (just get a couple of bags of the ready to eat, pre-washed kind)
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Additional Toppings:
Hard boiled eggs (halved)
Crispy streaky bacon (bake in oven until crispy), or
Grilled garlic prawns (use same method (steps 1-3) as prawns in Chili, Garlic Prawn Vermicelli recipe)

Method

Croutons:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Crush the garlic cloves with the side of a chef's knife or with a garlic press.
3. Slice up the baguette and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.
4. Combine garlic, oil, salt, and bread cubes in a bowl.
5. Mix until cubes are coated evenly.
6. Spread the coated cubes onto a baking sheet and bake until the croutons are golden (about 10 minutes)

Salad:
1. Crush the garlic.
2. If you are using flat anchovies out of a can, mince one or two to make 1 1/2 teaspoons worth.
3. Shave the Parmesan cheese. It's always better to grate it yourself if you have the opportunity.

4. Bring a pot of boiling water to boil, add egg and cook for just 45 seconds....NO MORE. This is coddling the egg. Remove from heat and let it cool off.
5. Meanwhile, mix the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt & pepper, anchovy, mustard and capers in a bowl.
6. Crack egg and add to these ingredients. Whisk until smooth.
7. Now for the tricky part. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream while constantly whisking again until smooth. Reason: if you add the oil too quickly, the dressing will be separate and not emulsify.
8. In a big bowl, add half the dressing to the Romaine/cos lettuce and toss.
9. Add remaining dressing, hard boiled eggs and croutons and toss again.
10. Top with shaved Parmesan and crispy streaky bacon or garlic prawns and serve.

Choong Kee Kampar Claypot Rice

2011-01-04T19:54:00.001+13:00

Claypot Chicken Rice with Chinese Sausage and Salted Fish

Claypot Chicken Rice has always been one of my favourite, often-craved dishes. The problem was, I could never reliably get it from any one place. Luckily, during the last trip home, my friend A told me about Choong Kee Kampar Claypot Rice. He has been a patron of the immensely popular original restaurant in Kampar (duh), Perak, his hometown, for many years and he assured me that their Claypot Chicken Rice is indeed, very good. He, however, could not attest to quality of the food at the new branch that they had established in Petaling Jaya - never having been there before. I wasn't about to drive to Kampar, so I had to trust that they brought their recipe for success to the PJ restaurant too (pun cringe intended).

I was very happy with this discovery. I don't know if it is as good as the outlet in Kampar but the Claypot Chicken Rice that I had at their PJ outlet was one of the, if not the, best that I've ever tasted. Most noticeably, the rice was absolutely perfectly cooked and came apart as loose whole grains, rather than the hard, burnt, clumpy rice that you usually get with this dish. The chicken pieces were moist, tender and beautifully flavoured, together with the rice. The interspersing mild sweetness of the tender slices of chinese sausage (lap cheong) and the sharp saltiness of the melted salted fish that topped the dish were the critical supporting components that added depth and variety to the flavours and textures of this scrumptious, hearty, intensely satisfying one-pot meal.

Stir Fried Lettuce (Yau Mak)

the Menu

Besides their speciality, they also offer special steamed soups which we did not try because I'm not really a soup fan, and a small variety of fresh stir-fried vegetables. We had the lettuce (yau mak) and the bean sprouts, which were both very tasty. They open at 12 noon and apparently the line forms very quickly. They close sometime in the afternoon and re-open again in the evening. They are also closed in the middle of the week, for one day (can't remember which), so please ring the number at the top of the menu in the photo (right) to check. You wouldn't want the agony of craving Claypot Chicken Rice and making your way there only to find that they're closed. It isn't exactly around the corner from where I live but the food is good enough that I would drive (or be driven ;)) across town and risk getting stuck in KL traffic to have it. It is definitely going to be one of my regular 'must have's during my annual visit home. Special thanks must go to A for the recommendation, which allowed me to finally succeed in my quest to properly satiate my claypot chicken rice craving - an endeavour with which, for many years, I have had no luck.

Bean Sprouts (Mung Beans)

Choong Kee Kampar Claypot Rice

No 80 Jalan SS22/25

Damansara Jaya

47400 Petaling Jaya

Selangor

Malaysia

Drexels

2010-12-28T11:46:00.000+13:00

On the morning we were to leave Christchurch (after the 'Robin Williams weekend'), S and I discovered Drexels. We were meandering around the Riccarton mall and were almost going to settle for dumplings when I suggested that we check the directory for other options. Nothing really jumped out at us and Drexels sounded like just another cafe/brunch place but we decided to stroll over to have a look anyway. The place was packed and there were at least 10 people waiting for a table. We took one look at the menu and the charming American-diner-like ambience and we were sold. Besides, a crowd is usually a pretty good indicator that the food is good (don't get me started on the times when this rule has failed me). We had to put our names down on the waiting list and were told to come back in about half an hour (maybe an hour), but hell, it was worth it.

When we came back, it was about 11am and the breakfast crowd had left - the place was still full, but there was a little more breathing room. We were seated in a large booth (for just the two of us, i.e. they didn't keep us waiting just because there were no small tables available) with little fresh pots of jam and butter and a little jug of milk already on the table. Everything was spotless, even the jug of maple syrup (which as anyone knows, is next to impossible to use without leaving some syrup on the spout) - I was very impressed. S pointed out that they clear everything off the table after each customer leaves and set it up again with fresh, clean jugs of maple syrup, sugar pots, butter, jam, etc. On top of all that, after you order, they bring you free toast that you can enjoy with the lovely fresh butter and jam. Being city folk, that thing on the table that looked like a scoop of vanilla ice-cream (pictured above) threw us for a while. I thought it was (whipped?) cream or something and thought it strange that I never heard of Americans spreading cream on their toast. You see? - Honest reporting, even at my expense. A few seconds later, S said that it was butter - of course! I was so busy enjoying the toast that I didn't even bother thinking about it. Stop guffawing for a while and try to understand - we'd never seen butter that looked like that. Hitherto, the only butter we've had experience with came in the form of bright yellow, hard, blocks, usually wrapped in gold foil. This butter was almost white and beautifully fluffy. Divine!

S had the Three Egg Omelette, Italian style (stuffed with ham, salami, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese), which was perfectly cooked and delicious. It wasn't greasy (as omelettes can often be) and the tomatoes provided a burst of freshness and slight acidity to each mouthful. My fear of using fresh tomatoes in a dish like this is that they weep and turn the whole dish soggy - luckily this omelette was well executed and did not suffer that fate. S was also very impressed with the hashbrown, but I can't remember exactly why - something about "this is what hashbrowns are supposed to taste like". I was kind of focussed on my own plate.

My breakfast was the Full Waffle with banana and bacon (as advised on the menu) and it was sublime! Without a doubt, the best waffle dish that I have ever had. The servings were very generous - I got lashings of fresh bananas of the perfect ripeness (not too mushy or green) and perfectly grilled, lovely savoury bacon and the waffle was nice and thick, as proper waffles should be. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and had that exact waffly texture and flavour. Beautiful! Any waffle lover will tell you that there's nothing quite like the sight of a real, authentic, thick waffle with lovely, large deep pockets to collect all that deliciously sinful melted butter and maple syrup. MMMM! The combination of the sweet waffle, maple syrup and bananas and the savoury bacon and butter was just heavenly.

As soon as we left, we were contemplating our next trip back to Christchurch just to dine at Drexels again. Nothing like a good, incredibly satisfying Sunday brunch to kick off your week, I say.

Drexels - Breakfast Restaurant

Westfield Mall

Rotherham St

Riccarton

Christchurch

Liquidity

2010-12-19T16:38:00.002+13:00

Black Tiger Prawns with Coconut Sambal

When S and I were trying to think of a nice place to dine at in Christchurch, I suddenly recalled being told by the proprietors of a Dunedin cafe that Liquidity was very good. They especially mentioned the pork belly and tiramisu, and we just wanted a nice meal at a good restaurant, so we decided to go with what we had heard. Unfortunately, we found that the food and service at Liquidity left much to be desired.

Japanese Spiced Squid

First of all, the wait-staff were inattentive. We walked into the restaurant and stood around waiting and looking around for at least a few minutes before anyone attended to us, even though there were several staff standing and walking around doing absolutely nothing. I was already unimpressed, but they could have still changed my mind if the food was good. No such luck.

Japanese Spiced Squid - See the oil at the bottom of the glass?

To start, S had the black tiger prawns with coconut sambal and I, the Japanese spiced squid. The 'coconut sambal' was far too salty and the dish as a whole was a little too heavy for a starter. My squid wasn't scored so most of the seasoning slipped off the pale, rubbery, overcooked, not very tasty, greasy pieces of squid. If you look carefully at the second picture of the squid, you will see the amount of oil and seasoning that had collected at the bottom of the glass. It was not very appealing. Worst of all, S found a piece of hair in the rice and when she pointed it out to the waitress who came to clear our plates, all the waitress could manage was, "Oh, that's not very nice is it? I will tell the kitchen staff". Where was the apology?! It doesn't matter if you're not the one who made the mistake, you are representing your establishment and you need to apologise if there has been such a embarrassing, serious oversight. I was appalled, to say the least.

Five Spiced Monkfish with Seared Scallops

Of course, then I was wary, albeit still (inexplicably) hopeful, about our mains. Alas, S's five spiced monkfish with seared scallops was 'blah' at best and my braised pork belly was served with a completely burnt black top layer. I was somewhat stunned. Still I ate it, thinking that maybe there was the tiniest possibility that that's how it is supposed to be served. Of course, I should have trusted my first instincts. The black top layer was tough, sticky and of course, tasted burnt and the rest of the pork belly was overdone, dryish and quite firm. I should have sent it back...I need to learn to start doing that especially when I'm served substandard food at high-end establishments. I do tell them what I think of the food, if they ask, but sometimes that just isn't enough. Needless to say, we did not order desserts, even though we had been looking forward to trying the tiramisu.

Braised Pork Belly

Viva Madrid

2010-12-12T15:20:00.000+13:00

Five days after I got back from KL, S and I drove to Christchurch for the Robin Williams show. There, we had two absolutely abominable meals (at Ancestral and Liquidity), some good grub from Viva Madrid at the Arts Centre Weekend Market and Dream Garden, and an excellent breakfast at Drexels. I will elaborate on the rest some other day - today the focus is on Viva Madrid.

I first had churros about two years ago in Melbourne, in some churro speciality cafe. Churros were all the rage there at the time, so I had to see what the fuss was all about. The churros at that cafe were rock hard, dry sticks served with thick, lumpy, 'overcooked' melted chocolate. That put me off churros completely, until three weeks ago.

S and I were at the market prowling for a tasty breakfast treat when we spotted the very chic looking Viva Madrid caravan. There must have been something seemingly authentic and likeable about Viva Madrid and its proprietor (must have been my weakness for paella, which was also on the menu) because we 'threw caution in the wind' and ordered some churros. Hah. I must admit that I bit into the first churro with some apprehension, despite being convinced that they had to be far better than the ones I had in Melbourne. Luckily, they were. Curved into elegant loops, unlike the roughly cut sticks I had in Melbourne, these churros were light, crunchy and crisp, but still slightly soft and chewy on the inside. We opted to go without the chocolate dip, so we were really able to taste the sugar coated churros as they were - and they were good. My only comment would be that I thought they were very slightly overcooked, which is easy to do because they are quite thin and they have grooves. Maybe that's how they're supposed to be, but I think they would taste even better if they were either a bit thicker, or spent less time in the frier.

I tried to order the paella at the same time, but it wasn't going to be ready till about lunch time, which was a bit inconvenient. We were pleased enough with the churros, however, that we decided to meander around town until lunchtime just so we could go back to Viva Madrid to get some paella. And I'm glad we did. It was very tasty and had a quite intense, complex seafood flavour. The lemon juice provided the nice acidity and brightness on top of the bold flavoured, pleasantly oily, yummy, hearty paella. A far cry from that paella recipe that we tried from that beer cookbook. Still, the best paella that I ever had was at Moussandra, in KL, but I'll have to get some pictures before I write about that.

Lockies Fish & Chips*

2010-12-04T12:01:00.007+13:00

Just 30* minutes north of Dunedin (by car, headed towards Christchurch), in a little town called Hampden, is a modest little shop that makes the best fish and chips that I've ever had. It's actually a residential house that has been partially converted - the rest of the house still looks like a home and I suspect that the family that owns the business live there, which makes it all the more endearing and authentic. Lockie's fish and chips are so good, that we actually went to the trouble of bringing our own tomato sauce (because we prefer it to the kind being sold there), to ensure optimal fish and chip chomping satisfaction.

Initially, I found the bright (approaching neon), yellow colour of the battered fish a little unusual, but I quickly got over it as soon as I took my first bite. Delicious, large, plump, juicy pieces of perfectly cooked fish, encased in beautifully fried, light and crunchy batter. Simple food, done brilliantly well. What more can you ask for? There's nothing more satisfying than having a big bite of solid, good food. Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy refined, elegant, 'sit at the table with three forks and knives' dining when the mood strikes, and the food is usually excellent, but nothing quite compares to hands on, basic, comfort food. MMMMM! The beer battered chips were also excellent - thick, chunky and soft on the inside, with a tasty, crunchy coating. Enjoying all that sitting outside at a picnic table, on a beautiful, sunny, New Zealand day with one of your best friends = quiet bliss. The only thing that was missing was a cold, refreshing drink of homemade iced lemon tea. Ah, life's little pleasures.

Just remember, when you are placing an order, that one order of fish equals two* actual pieces of fish and one order of chips, is a lot of chips (we couldn't finish it all). You can't really tell from the pictures but the serving box is about the length and width of a sheet of A4* paper, i.e. the portions are agreeably large! And I love dipping my fish in both tomato and tartar sauce (even though the fish is great just on its own), so you may want to add a tub of tartar sauce to your order.

It's a gorgeous day out there today, so all of you hop into your cars and putter along to Lockie's for a good feed. It's right on the main street, so you can't miss it.

[*Edit 5:55pm: So after I wrote about this, of course I felt like having it. So, D and I went to Hampden, and thus, discovered several inaccuracies in my reporting. They are as follows:

1. From Dunedin city (proper), the drive to Hampden actually takes almost an hour, not 30 minutes. It is slightly under 30 minutes if you start timing from the Dunedin city border, but why would you do that?
2. They do sometimes give you two pieces of fish for every order of fish, but that only happens when the two parts of a blue cod fillet separate. Today we ordered 'three blue cod' and got three pieces of blue cod (shaped sort of like Vs, because that's how they are filleted).
3. OK my memory of the size of the serving box may have been a little distorted. It's not quite the size of an A4 piece of paper, maybe like one or two inches shorter in length, but it still makes for a large meal. We were just a little too full after today's tuck in.
4. The name of the shop is officially 'Lockies (sic) Takeaways' (as printed on the receipt). No apostrophe and no mention of fish and chips.

My apologies.]

Lockies Takeaways
30 London Street
Hampden

Ayam Bing (sans the 'ayam')

2010-11-21T20:50:00.007+13:00

Barbecue Pork (foreground) and Roast Pork (background)

'Chicken Rice' (Kai/Gai Fan in Cantonese; Kai/Gai = chicken; Fan = rice) is one of my absolute favourite and most craved 'dishes'. In many Chinese establishments, irrespective of the country, the chicken is only one of several main meats offered at 'Chicken Rice' stalls or restaurants. Sure, there are some that specialise in chicken only, but most also serve a medley of roast or barbecue meats. The Poached (Pak Caam Kai) or Roast Chicken (Siu Kai) is most commonly accompanied with Barbecue Pork (Char Siu) and Roast Pork (Siu Yok). Roast Duck (Siu Ngap) is a little harder to come by and Roast Goose (Siu Ngor) is a rare find, in Malaysia.

In my opinion, the success of this dish depends almost as much on the rice, as it does on the meats. If you've ever had really good, fragrant, beautifully flavoured, thinly oiled 'Chicken Rice' rice, you know that you'd be almost as happy eating just the rice with the cucumbers and the tasty sauce that is drizzled over the roast meats. It's just absolutely delicious and a critical component to the dish.

Roast Pork (foreground) and Barbecue Pork (background)

As with most things in life, however, you can't get it all from one place. I love the rice and roast chicken from the Nasi Ayam Hainan stall in Medan Selera, Taman Melawati, but when I'm craving roast pork, I go to Ayam Bing (ayam = chicken, in Malay) at Sri Rampai. Bing's roast pork is so good that you shouldn't even bother going at lunch time because it's usually sold out by then. I like to get there by 11:00 am, but I am told that they open really early - maybe even before 10:00 am.

The skin is always deliciously crispy and savoury and the ratio of lean meat to fat and crackling is always perfect. Occasionally, if you're unlucky, you might end up with some pieces that are mostly fat, but that has only happened to me once, and I've been patronising Ayam Bing for over a decade now. The lean portion of the meat is just firm enough - neither too soft, nor too hard/overdone. I only point this out because I had some disappointing roast pork at Crystal Jade Restaurant, Pavilion, a few weeks after that. I am not sure if it was because they picked meat that was too marbled, or they over tenderised it, but the supposed lean portion of the roast pork was far too soft, smooth and texturally similar to the fat portion and the skin was a little sturdier than it should have been. I was not impressed, particularly because if I'm going to pay about RM 30 for a few pieces of roast pork, then it should be nothing short of stellar.

The barbecue pork at Ayam Bing is also pretty tasty, but not outstanding. It is properly caramelised and has the correct smokey, sweet flavour, but is a little too lean and sliced a bit too thinly, and thus fails to deliver the big flavour hit that it could. Nevertheless, Ayam Bing ranks at the top two on my list for best roast pork (the other being Imbi Palace), but if you factor in price, then Ayam Bing wins hands down. I'd take excellent, simple, cheap stuff at a roadside stall over pretentious, polished versions of the same street food at posh restaurants any day.

Restoran Ayam Bing

2B Jalan 46/26

Taman Sri Rampai

Kuala Lumpur 53300

Malaysia

Hokkien Mee and Singapore Fried Bee Hoon

2010-11-07T17:33:00.000+13:00

Sorry I was MIA last week. Had major issues with my internet connection, which were resolved only yesterday.

Hokkien Mee

My craving for Hokkien Mee began about a month or so before my trip back to KL. It got to the point where I was desperate enough to think that there was a possibility that I could get something that remotely resembled the real thing at HS South East Asian restaurant in Dunedin. It was awful, flat and watery (as was D's Beef Rendang). I barely touched it. I've been told that some of the other dishes there are decent, but I am not sure that I would brave another visit.

Pictured above is what real Hokkien Mee (from Sin Kee Restaurant in Sri Gombak) looks like. I wanted to go straight to Sin Kee from the airport when I landed but Mom thought it was a little late. Still, it was one of the first things I ate since I've been home, I've had it twice already and I still want more! The luscious, fat, slippery noodles coated in tasty, thick dark sauce, littered with wilted choy sum, lean pork slices and lovely, crispy fried pork fat is just absolutely delicious and it is, without a doubt, my favourite stir-fried noodle dish!

Singapore Fried Bee Hoon

Sin Kee is usually the 'go to' restaurant for me whenever I want to enjoy some good Chinese food with family and friends. The Singapore Fried Bee Hoon (bee hoon is also know as rice vermicelli) is, I think, one of Mom's favourite noodle dishes. It is tasty and well-fried, i.e. the noodles are not too dry or too soggy. The startling saltiness of the dried shrimp, the sweetness of the chopped barbecue pork pieces, the fresh burst of juice from the mung beans, and the bite from the sliced chili give the dish a nice variety of textures and flavours.

You may expect a few more posts about food from Sin Kee in the coming weeks, among other things. The next time I visit, I will try to remember to get the address of the restaurant.

Kitchen Toys

2010-10-24T14:46:00.004+13:00

Here are my recent acquirements for the kitchen.

A couple of weeks ago, S and I were on one of our usual visits at Total Food Equipment when I spotted the cutest set of measuring spoons. Usually, we exercise some self-restraint and simply walk around and lust over the shiny, pretty gadgets, and then leave empty handed. This wasn't one of those times. I'd been looking around for a nice set of measuring spoons, but couldn't find any that I was partial to, until then. These spoons are made of thick, good quality plastic and have a nice weight to them that make them feel like they're made of metal. Each spoon has a ring at the base so that it will stay upright on a flat surface, like a bowl, and a little spout, making them look like the cute little offspring of a mixing bowl and a measuring jug (except for the handle bit). Of course, I couldn't resist.

I also gave in and purchased this pretty, square, sturdy, self-standing Joseph Joseph colander which I had been eyeing for months. This is my first Joseph Joseph acquisition, but their products have always caught my eye and I love most of their designs.

Then, several days later, S surprised me with an early Christmas present! A box set with a Microplane box grater and a zester/grater. I've only used the zester/grater so far and it grates beautifully. Not only are you less likely to grate your fingers because it is well designed and sharp, it also reliably produces gratings that are fine and consistent in size. I can't wait to try all the different panels on the box grater!

Otago Farmers Market

2010-10-17T15:22:00.003+13:00

Critic Issue 28 – Food Column

Every week, the masses crawl out of their warm cosy beds on a Saturday morning to head to the Otago Farmers Market (Dunedin Railway Station north car park, Anzac Avenue). I know that a lot of people get their supply of fresh meat and vegetables from the market, but I am one of those silly city-slickers who were brought up on supermarkets and haven’t changed my habits, yet. So, when I go to the market, I tend to spend all my money on the wide variety of scrumptious, ready-to-eat food.

The first thing on my mind is usually, “I want a bacon buttie!” Even when I don’t, as soon as I get a whiff of the intoxicating aroma of bacon cooking, I want one. The proprietor of Touch of Dutch has long been dubbed ‘Bacon Buttie Man’ by his customers and the business has become so well known by that name that they now have a Bacon Buttie Man logo emblazoned on the side of the truck and on their wrappers. They also offer yummy Eurodogs, but there’s a reason it’s ‘Bacon Buttie Man’ not ‘Eurodog Man’. Sandwiched between two soft pieces of white bread, are layers and layers of delicious, perfectly grilled shaved bacon mixed with lovely caramelised onions and a perfectly complementary sauce mixture of ketchup, mustard and corn relish. I challenge you to bite into one of these and not make the “MMMMHH-this-is-so-$%^&*@-good” sound!

The other thing that emits the most wonderful, irresistible, drool-inducing scent are the tasty, tender, beautifully marinated barbecued lamb kebabs from Koau Flowers. Nine times out of ten, I find myself automatically following my nose to their stall to get some. For something sweet, I go to The Tart Tin. I particularly like the pear tart and the brownie. I particularly like the luscious, velvety pear tart and the very chocolatey brownie, but Matt Cross (aka Cupcake Guy to me and my friends) also offers a variety of other tarts, cupcakes, lemon bars, and micro-cakes and a big, friendly grin every single time you approach his table. There are of course, numerous other extremely popular vendors like La Crepe, where you can get good, sweet and savory crepes, and Pie Time (aka Who Ate All The Pies?), which specialises in gourmet pies, but by the time I have my favorite buttie and kebab, and sometimes a waffle too, I am usually too stuffed to eat anything else - which is why there are quite a few things from other vendors that I haven't had the chance sample yet.

Even though I don't often buy fresh vegetables or meat from the market, I do go there specifically for the fruit. Before coming to NZ, I had quite an aversion to apples. Then I had my first Pacific Queen. It was so fresh, crunchy and sweet, and the skin was so taut that when I bit into it, that it made an audible 'snap/crack!'. It is a little late now, but when in season, NZ apples are amazingly delicious (almost unbelievably so, if you grew up in a place where only imported, sub-par apples were available). I usually get the pacific queen and the pacific beauty variety from Ettrick Gardens.

For those of you who will be spending the summer here, look out of the Big Fat Cherry Company in January.

Paasha and Yilmaz

2010-10-10T15:52:00.001+13:00

Critic Issue 27 – Food Column

Shaslik

Hummus

When I am in the mood for a little treat, Paasha Turkish Cafe (31 St Andrew Street) is one of my preferred places to go to for a nice meal. The service is always friendly and attentive and the overall ambience is pleasant and comfortable for relaxing and catching up with friends. The primary draw, of course, is the good food. Being a creature of habit, I tried a few things on the menu, struck gold one after one or two visits and have been ordering the same thing ever since – the hummus starter and the Shaslik main. The hummus (chickpea and tahini paste, infused with lemon juice, garlic and oil) deserves a special mention because it is really tasty, goes with everything on the menu and is the best hummus that I’ve had thus far. There is something incredibly satisfying about stuffing yourself with big mouthfuls of the excellent hummus and hot pita bread. My favourite main, the Shaslik, consists of two skewers of beautifully char-grilled, marinated lamb cubes, bell peppers and onions, accompanied with cous cous, pasta salad, salad, hummus, hot pita bread and sauces of your choice (I always ask for the Paasha’s Special, Garlic and Halep sauces). The cubes of lambs are tasty and the fresh, tangy sauces complement them particularly well. My only gripe is that the meat is a little tougher than I would prefer, but the overall experience is such an enjoyable one that it’s one of those things you can just ignore.

Chicken on Rice

Beef Roll

I know that this next place is actually already pretty well known for their pizzas and kebabs but I only visited it for the first time this week. I was pleased that they lived up to their reputation, even though I did not get to try their pizzas. Yilmaz (906 George Street) is a quaint little place with a lot of character and heart. Customers are greeted with big, warm smiles, the portions are large, the prices reasonable and best of all, they keep student hours, i.e. 11am – 10:30pm, seven days a week! What better way to warm up on the way home from the library than tucking into a good ol’ beef kebab (a.k.a roll)? I tried the Chicken on Rice, which is marinated chicken served with rice, fresh mixed salad, hummus and your choice of sauces. Unfortunately, on my plate, the hummus was MIA, so I couldn’t, as originally intended, compare it to Paasha’s. The chicken was a little fibrous because they used lean chicken breast, but it and all its accompaniments still made very a good meal. About halfway through it, I didn’t even mind the leanness anymore. I have no complaints, however about the Beef Roll. The roll was large, well filled with salad, hummus, tender, deliciously flavoured meat, and sauces and well toasted. Absolutely scrumptious, and at $9.50, a really good bang for your buck. I’ve also heard good things about the garlic bread and already have a plan of attack for their pizzas.

Bakeries

2010-10-03T16:53:00.004+13:00

Critic Issue 26 – Food Column

Madeleines, Almond Croissant and Pain Au Chocolat

Nestled in Roslyn Village is a bakery that has built quite a reputation just from word of mouth, particularly through the locals. The regulars know that you have to get in early because the popular items can sell out before 8am, and then you would have to wait another week to satiate your cravings – it is open for business only once a week. By 7:30am, there is usually a small crowd at Highgate Bridge (300 Highgate, Roslyn Village), which is better known as The Friday Shop/Bakery, waiting to get their hands on the fruit tarts, croissants, pain au chocolates, meat pies, quiches, etc that line the shelves and tables of this otherwise sparse, no-frills shop.

I was after the pain au chocolates, madeleines and of course, the croissants. I had heard from more than one source that The Friday Shop’s croissants are the unquestionably the best in town. They did not disappoint – the pastries were light and flaky, and smelt heavenly, as freshly baked, butter-laden pastries often do. The almond croissant was filled from end to end with rich, melt-in-your-mouth, sweet, almond butter and encrusted with almond slices, so from the very first bite, you experience the intermingling of the different textures and flavours from the sliced almonds, the pastry and the filling. In comparison, the pain au chocolate is not much to look at, but the winning contrast between the faintly salty, flaky pastry and the sweet, smooth strips of chocolate within, makes it my favourite item. At first glance, it looks as though there isn’t enough chocolate filling, but I think that, unlike the more common chocolate drenched pastries found elsewhere, they have intentionally restrained themselves with the chocolate in order to maintain the fine complementary balance between the two, where neither the pastry nor the chocolate is the dominant flavour. The distinctly, but not overwhelmingly, orange flavoured, springy madeleines are also very good. There were so many other things to scrutinise and contemplate trying but with the pressure of the crowd of people waiting in line behind me, I got what I was familiar with and got out quickly. There’s always next Friday…

Mince Pie

The Bakers Dozen (43 Mailer Street, Mornington) is another, more accessible, bakery that I go to for pies and chocolate lamingtons. That’s not all they have, of course, but I believe they’re known for their pies. Like The Friday Shop, you will probably miss out if you get there late, but here, ‘late’ is more like 2-3pm in the afternoon, not 8am. I always get the chicken curry and the mince pies. Their delicious pies are always hot and fresh, with nice, light-ish, flaky pastries and, tasty fillings with real, lean meat. You won’t be going back to supermarket pies once you’ve had one of these. [Edit: Also previously posted about the chicken curry pie here.]

Tiramisu & Brownie

2010-09-26T18:46:00.008+13:00

Critic Issue 25 – Food Column

These are a couple of my favourite, effortless, sure-to-impress recipes to satiate those sweet cravings. This blend of a Gordon Ramsay recipe and a random recipe, makes one of the best Tiramisus that I’ve ever had - sweet, luscious and creamy, with just the right chocolate and coffee overtones. Plus, it sounds fancy but is actually easily thrown together – which means that you will impress, without doing much at all.

Tiramisu

Ingredients:

250g mascarpone

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp Marsala, brandy or Tia Maria

150ml strong coffee or espresso, cooled to room temperature

150ml single cream

4 tbsp icing sugar

Sponge fingers (savoiardi)

Chocolate shavings

Hot Chocolate powder

Method:

1. Whisk the mascarpone with the vanilla, Marsala and 50ml coffee, until everything is thoroughly mixed together. Whisk the cream with the icing sugar until smooth, then fold in the mascarpone mix. Pour remaining coffee into a wide, flattish bowl.

2. Take one sponge finger at a time and dip it in to the coffee for one second, remove and arrange at the bottom of a 2-3 inch deep, glass container. Repeat until you have a layer of coffee soaked sponge fingers.

3. Spoon a layer of the mascarpone mix onto the first layer of sponge fingers, then top with a layer of hot chocolate powder and chocolate shavings. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make another layer.

4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer to allow it to set and flavours to infuse. Cut into squares with a soft, plastic spatula, serve and bask in the adulations.

Also, everyone needs a good, fuss-free brownie recipe for chocolate emergencies. Of all the brownie recipes that my friends and I have experimented with, this one (that C found) is by far the simplest and yields brownies that are just as heavenly, moist, chocolatey, decadent and guilt-inducing as the complicated recipes. Commit it to memory.

Brownie (adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cups flour

3 whole eggs

1 cup melted butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 175°C.

2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix until combined completely.

3. Pour and spread the batter into a greased/floured or lined 9X13 baking pan.

4. Bake 25-40 minutes or until a skewer test comes out clean.

5. Scoff while it’s fresh out of the oven and still delightfully warm, with some vanilla ice cream. Also keeps well….apparently.

Chopsticks 101

2010-09-19T18:29:00.002+12:00

Critic Issue 24 - Food Column

Pork Spareribs with Orange Sauce and Vegetables

Judging by the lunch and dinner time crowds, many have already discovered the good, reasonably priced food and great service at Chopsticks 101. The current proprietors have kept the menu they inherited from the previous owner, which comprised of generally Malaysian-Chinese food, but I would attribute their newfound popularity to their new menu, which features a long list of (what I assume are) favourite Taiwanese dishes.

Roast Chicken Leg with Veges

The first thing that I tried from the new menu was the ‘~~Crispy~~Roast Chicken Leg with Veges’ ~~which is a bit of a misnomer since the chicken isn’t actually crispy, but delicious nonetheless~~ [Edit: After I wrote this, I discovered that they had crossed out 'Crispy' on the menu and scribbled the more accurate "Roast" in its place]. The chicken is saturated in a nice, savoury, mild but distinct herbal flavour, drizzled with the same tasty sauce (every last drop of which I try to mop up with the rice) and accompanied well with blanched vegetables. It is now my favourite Chopsticks 101 dish, despite some other strong contenders. I also really enjoyed the ‘Pork Spare Ribs with Orange Sauce and Vegetables’, which tasted great, even though it was a little difficult and messy trying to get the meat off the bones. When I did, however, the meat was beautifully, savoury and coated with a yummy, sweet, orangey sauce, which gave it a pleasant combination of savoury and sweet flavours.

Crispy Roasted Pork Belly with Tofu in Earthen Pot

The ‘Crispy Roasted Pork Belly with Tofu in Earthen Pot’ is second on my ‘favourite Chopstick 101 dishes’ list with tasty, savoury pork pieces, tofu, mushrooms and vegetables soaked in delicious gravy, all in one scrumptious, hearty, satisfying, ‘one-pot’ meal. Again, the pork isn’t actually crispy, but it’s still good. Perhaps the nicest surprise of all was discovering that Chopsticks 101 serves decent ‘Sweet & Sour Pork’, which, since coming to Dunedin, has been a bit of a mission to source, even though it is the one of the most common, stereotypical Chinese dishes. Now, I can just go to Chopsticks 101 for a quick and easy sweet and sour pork fix, instead of contemplating cooking it or going for a pricey, proper, three or four course Chinese dinner.

Sweet and Sour Pork

I also love the 'Deep Fried Tofu' which they served topped with sweet chilli sauce and crushed peanuts (I think). Thin, slightly crispy skin, encasing nice, soft, mushy tofu! Mmm...

Deep Fried Tofu

There are several other items on the menu that I have been eyeing, like the stewed and roast duck dishes that I haven’t had a chance to try yet, because most of the time I just can’t resist ordering my usual favourites. Chopsticks 101 makes a great food haunt because, as mentioned at the start, not only is the food good and relatively cheap, the staff are welcoming and friendly, which, altogether, makes it a rather pleasant place to patronise.

Chopsticks 101

380 George Street

Dunedin

Croque Monsieur

2010-09-12T15:58:00.004+12:00

Critic Issue 23 - Food Column

As a continuation of last week’s French theme and Meryl-Streep-movie mania, I went hunting for this recipe after watching ‘It’s Complicated’. The Croque Monsieur, which loosely translates as ‘crispy’ or ‘crunchy’ mister, is basically a fancy toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Not being cheese-crazy, I wasn’t sure that I would like it, but it turned out to be unexpectedly tasty (at least on our first attempt). The first time we made it, the Croque Monsieur was delicious, albeit somewhat rustic looking because we couldn’t cut the ciabatta into nice, even slices. It was nice and crunchy around the edges, but soft and cheesy in the middle, giving it an interesting, somewhat unusual texture. Just looking at the recipe initially, I was concerned that combination of the white sauce and cheese would be overwhelming. But, the mustard gave the sandwich the critical piquancy required to cut the richness of the white sauce and cheese, and so the flavours were actually very well balanced. On our second attempt, we tried to use normal, thick cut pre-sliced bread, and it turned out too dense and soggy because the bread wasn’t dry enough. If that wasn't bad enough, we must have played around with the amounts a little because the flavours were milder, so it wasn't as tasty. Of course, the second attempt was when we decided to make double the amount we had the first time. Ugh, not pleasant. Moral of the story, get the good stuff and remember to taste as you cook!

Croque Monsieur

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

A pinch each of salt, freshly ground pepper, nutmeg, or more to taste

6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups grated)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (packed)

8 slices of French or Italian loaf bread

12 ounces ham, sliced

Dijon mustard

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Make the béchamel (white) sauce. Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium/low heat until it just starts to bubble. Add the flour and cook, stirring until smooth, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, cooking until thick. Remove from heat. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in the Parmesan and 1/4 cup of the grated Gruyère. Set aside.
Lay out the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, a few minutes each side, until lightly toasted. For extra flavour you can spread some butter on the bread slices before you toast them if you want. (Alternatively, you can assemble the sandwiches as follows in step four and grill them on a skillet, finishing them in the broiler with the béchamel sauce.)
Lightly brush half of the toasted slices with mustard. Add the ham slices and about 1 cup of the remaining Gruyère cheese. Top with the other toasted bread slices.
Spoon on the béchamel sauce to the tops of the sandwiches. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyère cheese. Place on a broiling pan. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

Jizo - Addicted!

2010-09-06T19:36:00.005+12:00

I have previously raved about the Original Teriyaki Chicken sushi at Jizo (twice, because once just wasn't obsessive enough) and most of my friends here know that I am addicted to the food at Jizo. I have since discovered several other divine, mouth-watering dishes that quickly became 'must-orders' every time we patronised Jizo (which is pretty much weekly and sometimes even twice a week!). The following is my dutiful report on my favourite Jizo items:

Karaage Chicken

Karaage Chicken - Juicy, crispy, crunchy, deliciously tasty, succulent fried chicken pieces, which I think is even tastier when dipped in the Jizo mayonnaise salad dressing, even though it comes with plain mayonnaise. The problem is, I prefer the garlic dressing for the salad. Nevertheless, my desire for Karaage dipped in Jizo mayonnaise always supersedes my preference for the garlic dressing because having the Karaage without the Jizo mayonnaise dressing is a diminished experience, in my opinion.

Salmon, Avocado & Mango roll

Salmon, Avocado & Mango roll - This is one of the most refreshing, delicious, bright, clean tasting sushi that I have ever had. I don't even like raw salmon, normally, but this is an exception. I think it's the mild sweetness of the mango slices, coupled with the perfectly flavoured (and cooked), sourish sushi rice, that gives it its delightful fresh and bright quality. And, the light, creamy sauce dabbed on each piece rounds it all off with just a little richness. The combination of ingredients also make it beautifully colourful and pretty and I get a little happier just looking at it. Like bites of rainbow. Stellar.

Kushiage Tofu

Kushiage Tofu - Grilled (I think) tofu pieces with a tasty, sticky, caramelised coating of teriyaki or miso sauce. Smells heavenly and is mouth-watering-ly tasty. Yum yum!

Teriyaki Chicken with Curry

Teriyaki Chicken with Curry - Bite-size, tender, teriyaki chicken pieces, accompanied with rich, thick, tasty Japanese curry. Hearty and so satisfying, especially if you're hungry.

Agedeshi Tofu

Agedeshi Tofu - Tofu with light, crunchy coating, in nice, light, clean tasting soy and ginger sauce, topped with spring onions. The spring onions and the ginger in the sauce gives the dish a nice freshness and, combined with the sauce and the crunchy tofu, results in a delicious dish with a wonderful combination of textures and flavours.

Chicken Katsu with Curry

Chicken Katsu with Curry - J's favourite. Can't go wrong with the curry and they know their way around the fryer at Jizo, so you don't get thin, hard pieces of overcooked chicken. You get, as you can see, a nice, juicy, thick piece of crumbed chicken breast.

Jizo's Original Teriyaki Chicken Sushi

Jizo's Original Teriyaki Chicken Sushi - I just had to put up another picture this because they're just so beautiful I could weep. I can't get enough of the Teriyaki Salmon sushi either. This is just about as close as you can get to perfection on earth. Glorious, exquisite, euphoric, and unrivalled....for now.

Jizo Japanese Cafe & Bar

56 Princes Street

Dunedin

Sole Meunière

2010-08-26T13:44:00.013+12:00

This post is for J.I., a very kind reader who, upon reading about my obsession with some of the food in the movie Julie and Julia in Critic (pg 33, or here), sent me his copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Thanks J.I.! Even though we still haven't tried anything from the definitive, preeminent cookbook (Boeuf Bourguignon is first on the list!), Sole Meunière should suffice as a tribute, temporarily. This was apparently the 'life changing' dish that Julia Child had in Paris that ignited her love for French food and cooking. And I can see why.

The Sole Meunière was wonderfully zesty and acidic and had a lovely, smooth, very subtle buttery flavour. It was not in the least bit sickeningly rich or greasy, as one might reasonably expect in dish with this amount of butter. The edges of the sole were nice and crispy and each bite of delicate, tangy sauce coated sole flesh melted in my mouth with an immediate rush of clean, slightly tart but still rich, full, flavours. Bliss! It's one of those dishes that does not immediately 'knock your socks off', but tastes better and better with each mouthful. Towards the end, in butter induced euphoria, I almost believed that it was the best fish that I had ever tasted. I can't wait to make this again.

We, naughtily, did not use Julia Child's Brown Butter recipe because we couldn't be bothered clarifying the butter, so we used this recipe instead. Below is my simplified version, of an already very simple recipe:

Sole Meunière

Ingredients:

4 sole filets (6 - 8 ounces)

4 tablespoons butter (apprx 56g)

1/4 cup of dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)

juice from half of one lemon

flour to dust fish (1/4 cup)

1 teaspoon fresh minced parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat a large saute pan on a high setting, while the pan is heating season the flour with salt and pepper.
Dust the sole with the seasoned flour.
Add two tablespoons (28g) of butter to the saute pan and melt until slightly bubbly.
Add the sole filets to the saute pan making sure you do not over crowd the pan, or they won't brown.
Fry each side until golden, then remove from pan.
Add the remaining butter and continue to cook until the butter begins to turn brown slightly.
Once the butter begins to turn brown quickly add the white wine, lemon juice and parsley (you may premix the white wine, lemon juice and parsley so that it is ready when the butter browns).
Pour the butter sauce over the sole and serve.

The Palms $10 Lunch Menu

2010-08-22T11:28:00.037+12:00

Critic Issue 21 - Food Column

'Pumpkin Risotto'

I have mixed feelings about The Palms Restaurant. Over the years, I’ve had several really good dishes but also several ‘so-so’ meals there. Still, The Palms has stayed on my ‘good’ list. So, when I heard about their $10 lunch menu, the prospect of having posh, cheap lunches was very appealing. My friends and I have lunched there twice and I have….mixed reviews.

'Fish Cakes'

At our first lunch, S had a delicious, elegant, beautifully balanced pumpkin risotto (it has a more elaborate description, but unfortunately, I neglected to record it) which she very generously shared with me because I was very disappointed with my order…and it was my birthday. You know you have a good friend if she’ll offer to swap half of her ‘something delicious’ for half of your ‘something bleh’. I, unluckily, ordered the ‘Fish and potato cakes infused with fennel, maryrose sauce and dressed greens’, which was altogether rather bland. We also indulged in an apricot (I think) crème brûlée with pistachio biscotti and a coconut and pineapple thing (the name escapes me, sorry!). The coconut and pineapple thing wasn’t bad but it was the crème brûlée that we had high hopes for because we once had a fantastic, luxuriously rich and smooth coffee crème brûlée here (for dinner). It (apricot crème brûlée) was pretty good, but not as luscious as that fabulous, coffee flavoured one.

'Creme Brulee'

Yesterday, on our second visit, I, thinking I couldn’t go wrong this time, ordered the ‘Rich tomato risotto, spicy chorizo and parmesan puff pastry twist’. I was wrong. I’ve had some amazing risotto in my time and this one was a little one dimensional in comparison. It was okay and wasn’t bland or anything like that but it didn’t have the depth of flavour that a risotto can have. S, two times lucky, had the ‘Chipotle braised chicken tortilla, cheese, capsicum, bean sprout salad and Greek yoghurt’, which was very, very good. The nicely sauced, succulent chicken pieces wrapped up in tortilla were not only incredibly tasty, but also beautifully presented. This time, I was not offered half of the ‘something delicious’!

'Chicken Tortilla'

To be fair, I’m pretty sure I had higher expectations because it was The Palms, as opposed to any other normal restaurant in town with a $10 lunch menu. The portions were mid-sized, which is an understandable trade-off for the quality food and low price, and perfectly fine as an occasional treat. So you may be left wanting more if you only order a main, but that simply means you have room for some dessert after.

'Tomato Risotto'

The Palms Restaurant

18 Queens Gardens

Dunedin

In Betweens

2010-08-15T15:14:00.006+12:00

Critic Issue 20 - Food Column

The reality is that fantastic food places are rare and far in between, particularly in a small(ish) city like Dunedin. We are lucky enough to have a few restaurants that serve exceptionally good, sometimes even outstanding, food but the rest mostly just fall in the “not bad”, “okay” or the “sometimes some things are good” categories. These “in betweens” are essential to our gastronomic happiness. We need to be familiar with “not bads” and “okays” of the world to preserve an un-jaded palate and to be able to identify the “fantastics” when we encounter them.

This week’s column is a tribute to the “in between”. These are the dishes that I order most frequently when I dine at these establishments and I think they’re pretty good. At Thai Over (388 George St), I always order the ‘Vietnamese Fried Fish Steak’, which is battered fish fillets with stir fried tomatoes, red onion and mushrooms in a mild garlic, chilli and black pepper sauce, served on a hot plate. It is the tasty, mildly peppery sauce that coats the fish and mushrooms that does it for me, and I wish there was more of it so I wouldn’t have to rub my fish pieces on the bottom of the plate to soak up more sauce, but it’s still good. I also like the ‘Tom Yum’ and ‘Green Curry’ at Thai Over and the excellent, efficient service provided by a petite staff member who has now memorised my approximately fortnightly ‘Vietnamese Fried Fish Steak’ order.

At Korea House (450 George St), my favourites are the ‘Bibimbap’ or ‘Kimchi Pork’. I really enjoy the spiciness and the variety of textures and flavours that you get from the nine or ten different toppings that go on the ‘Bibimbap’. The ‘Kimchi Pork’ is just stir fried pork and kimchi, which doesn’t sound very fancy but is nice and tasty (and slightly spicy), if you like kimchi. As a general rule, the barbecue meat dishes are also good choices. Most of their mains come with nice little side dishes of kimchi, mung beans and cubed potatoes (I think). Instead of the cubed potatoes, they used to include a type of seaweed, which I quite liked, but alas, not anymore.

And finally, whenever I have a hankering for ‘Kimchi Fried Rice’, I go to Tokyo House (367 George St), where the dish is not overly dry and the kimchi and beef pieces are juicy and succulent. Tokyo House also serves relatively cheap, fresh sushi and decent teriyaki and curry dishes. The biggest (no pun intended) plus point for Tokyo House is that the meal portions are quite large and the prices are reasonable, which enhances its appeal for those of us with healthy appetites and limited budgets.

Gordon Ramsay's Crepes Suzette

2010-08-09T15:43:00.002+12:00

So we were eating paella and watching two French restaurants face off on F Word. When the dessert course came up, Gordon demonstrated how to make Crepes Suzette. I think, before the 30 second clip was even over, S was already on her laptop asking Google for the recipe. And, as soon as the show ended, S hopped off the couch and announced that we were making Crepes Suzette, "NOW"! I did not protest.

I, always her humble assistant, was put in charge of segmenting the oranges - which seemed daunting to begin with but was actually incredibly easy. When the job was completed, the segments looked as though they were quite professionally done, even if I do say so myself. After everything was put together, we decided to go one step further and got the blow torch out. We thought it would be a good idea to dust the oranges with sugar and caramelise (is that the right term?) them with the torch - hence the burnt bits in the pictures. It didn't really turn out exactly the way we wanted it to (think thin crème brûlée shell, S suspects that we should have used caster rather than icing sugar), but there were still tiny bits of caramelised sugar and it still tasted great.

Wonderfully soft, light crepes scattered with lovely juicy, citrusy sweet, sauce soaked orange segments, with faintly crisp edges. Absolutely mouth watering-ly, delicious.

Chili, Garlic & Prawn Vermicelli

2010-08-02T08:03:00.005+12:00

NB: I recently edited this post/recipe (originally posted 28th October 2009) for a Critic article and am re-posting it because this version is cleaner. Plus this is one of my absolute favourite dishes, so I'm sharing it, again!

This is the dish that I am most proud of, even though I am not sure that I have the right to be proud of something that isn’t an original idea. I watched Jamie Oliver make something like it on TV once so I just followed the basic rules and added/changed whatever I felt like. Also, it isn’t a particularly unusual or novel dish. It is, however, absolutely delicious and that is why it is my favourite thing to make whenever I feel the urge to impress friends or family. Everyone I've ever made this for has loved it and has asked me to make it for them again.

I just love rich, nutty taste that you get when you bite into lovely golden brown slices of sautéed garlic. Combine that with tasty, springy grilled prawns, the zing of chilli flakes and the mellow, woody taste of shaved parmesan, and you have yourself a winner! Who cares about garlic breath when something tastes this amazing? Plus, as with everything else I cook, it is incredibly easy to throw together - so easy that I always keep a bag of frozen prawns in the freezer and a bottle of anchovies in the drawer just in case I feel the need to whip this up. Try it.

Chilli, Garlic Prawn & Vermicelli

Ingredients:

Prawns

Anchovies (80g, bottled in olive oil)

Garlic (Thinly sliced. Lots. There's no such thing as too much.)

Italian Herbs

Chili Flakes

Vermicelli (or any pasta of your choice, IMO it goes best with vermicelli)

Olive Oil and Salt

Parmesan (shaved)

Method:

Pat dry prawns and marinate in minced garlic (mince some of the slices), salt and olive oil to coat. Mix well.
Boil water with salt and oil in pot to cook pasta. Monitor as you cook.
‘Grill’ prawns in hot dry pan until golden on each side. Prawns cook quite quickly, so be careful not to overcook them.
Remove cooked prawns from pan and reduce the heat to medium.
Pour in all the oil from the bottle of anchovies (it is important to use the oil from the anchovies), then when pan has cooled a little, add the anchovies too (if you add them immediately, the pan may still be too hot and they may burn). Add more olive oil if required.
Sauté anchovies for a while then toss in all the sliced garlic and sauté until soft and golden brown. Most of the anchovies will dissolve.
As soon as garlic slices start to brown, reduce heat to low. Add chilli flakes and Italian herbs and salt and mix well. You have to a bit more salt that you usually would, otherwise it will be bland.
Drain vermicelli, add to pan and toss well with other ingredients. Taste to see if it needs more salt. Add as necessary.
Serve topped with shaved parmesan.
Take one bite, widen your eyes and exclaim "OMG this is SO good!", then gobble it up and go for seconds.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

2010-08-01T15:15:00.008+12:00

Critic Issue 18

NB: If you're wondering what happened to issues 16-17, I had to use some of the material already posted on this blog and didn't want to repeat myself. I have/will post the new bits that were tacked on in those articles.

I’m a big fan of FoodWishes.com. Every recipe of Chef John’s that we’ve tried has turned out perfectly, and that is not something I can say about any of the current celebrity chefs. I’ve always wanted to have a typical ‘Southern’ meal, which to me, having been influenced by pop TV, equals fried chicken, cornbread and sweet potato pie. I have never been to the southern American states and have no idea whether any of this is actually ‘southern’, but regardless, this week's theme is (loosely) Southern food. Naturally we turned to our favourite authority on American food, and found a great ‘Buttermilk Fried Chicken’ recipe. The chicken turned out beautifully with a nice crispy, crunchy coating and deliciously tender, juicy, tasty flesh. It pays to invest in a proper thermometer to get the temperature of the oil right, but not critical if you make sure the oil is very hot before frying. We also made some corn bread, which was pretty good and really easy to make, and blanched green beans, for the full southern experience. All in all, it was a really good, satisfying meal, which is the ethos of Southern food (according to my TV).

I know (or hope) you're thinking, "Where are the mashed potatoes?!!". We contemplated making stock standard mashed potatoes or trying our friend E's Parsnip and Cauliflower puree recipe, and ended up doing the latter (it's the bed that the green beans are on, in the picture). It didn't turn out as 'mashed-potato-like' as I would have liked (maybe we added too much water because the damn thing wouldn't blend properly) but it was a little too airy/watery for my liking. It had a nice garlicky flavour, but there was just no bite to it. I might be tempted to try this again (will adhere strictly to the recipe if I do try it again) if I get a flash blender sometime in the future.

If you're going to try making the corn bread, click on the link to the original recipe and read the comments from people who have tried this recipe. Most people prefer it a little sweeter (so add a bit more sugar) and some added a can of corn. We forgot to add more sugar this time around so it wasn't as good as the first time we made it. Also, if you leave it in the oven for too long, it will dry out, so don't.

Corn Bread
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar (will taste better if you use a bit more sugar, see comments on original site)
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup shortening

Method
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the milk, eggs and shortening; beat for 1 minute. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 220˚C for 20-25 minutes or until bread is golden brown and tests done.

On a separate occasion, I had an insane craving for Lemon Bars after watching an episode of Las Vegas, where the chef made lemon bars. I had never tasted them before but I knew I had to have them, so I found the easiest recipe online and….got D and S to make them. Even though they were not exactly like I imagined they would be (I thought they would be more custardy) they were still very good – soft, sweet, satisfying, lemony filling with a nice chewy crust. This recipe is a keeper.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients:

250 g sifted all-purpose flour

120 g confectioners' sugar

225 g butter, melted

4 eggs

400 g white sugar

3 g baking powder

30 g all-purpose flour

150 ml lemon juice

Method:

Preheat oven to 175˚C. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups flour and confectioners' sugar. Blend in the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light. Combine the sugar, baking powder and 1/4 cup of flour so there will be no flour lumps. Stir the sugar mixture into the eggs. Finally, stir in the lemon juice. Pour over the prepared crust and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until bars are set. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Dust with icing sugar (optional).

Gordon Ramsay's Cookalong Christmas Paella

2010-07-27T22:15:00.004+12:00

S and I both love watching Gordon Ramsay's F Word, Cookalong Live and Hell's Kitchen. He is entertaining, intense, doesn't mince words and best of all, his recipes are relatively straightforward. Between the two of us, we have tried quite a few of his recipes that have generally turned out well, but only managed to photograph a few. As luck would have it, one of the ones I photographed isn't one of his better recipes.

Maybe it was because we didn't use a 'paella/large enough frying pan'. Or maybe it was because we forgot to heat up the store bought vegetable stock before pouring it into the mix. Nevertheless, these oversights/omissions would have only addressed the moistness issue, not the taste. Gordon's Christmas Paella (as seen on Cookalong Live) wasn't inedible, but it was bland and rather wet and risotto-like. I didn't really mind that it wasn't as dry as a paella should be, but the lack of flavour was unacceptable and thoroughly disappointing.

In retrospect, the dubious use of vegetable stock, rather than fish or seafood stock, in the recipe should have set off warning bells. Dissatisfied, I looked up meat paella recipes on the same website and found exactly the two missing things that I thought should have been in the recipe - in the meat paella recipe, the meat is cooked in the pan first, then the oil from the meat is used to flavour the paella rice and chicken stock is used. Therefore, to maximise the flavours of the seafood, I think Gordon's recipe should have had us searing an oily fish like salmon or cod, skin side down, in the pan first (or whole prawns, etc) and using hot fish or seafood stock.

We will definitely be making (or at least trying to make) paella again, since we love it and are on the hunt for a perfect recipe, and maybe next time, if we're in the mood for seafood paella, we will try Gordon's recipe again with our modifications. Otherwise, we will be testing this Chicken and Chorizo Paella recipe.

Anyway, we sat down with our bowls of paella and watched this episode of the F Word. By the end of the show, S was ready to try another recipe of Gordon's (from the show) to make up for the disappointing paella. To be continued...

Banana Bread

2010-07-20T21:08:00.010+12:00

[Edit 25 May 2011: Updated recipe for perfect results!]

This has been my absolute favourite Banana Bread (or cake) recipe since C first shared it with me (Thanks C!), about six years ago. Maybe I'm just biased but no other banana bread or cake that I've tried since has surpassed it. And if that isn't enough, it is also so ridiculously easy to make it's almost idiot-proof - a deciding factor for me when selecting recipes!

Fresh from the oven, this aromatic (most baked good smell wonderful and this is no exception), mildly banana flavoured Banana Bread is deliciously soft, chocolatey, warm and comforting. It freezes well too, so you can make a few loaves, freeze them and just pop a cold (defrosted) slice in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to recapture that ‘oven fresh’ goodness. The chocolate chips will melt into heavenly pockets of goo within the lovely, soft, warm, bread/cake. Say it with me - Mmmmmmm!

The original recipe may be found here. ~~I haven't made changes but I have edited it for brevity.~~ I have tweaked it very slightly to my liking - this tweaked version produces the perfect banana bread IMO.

Banana Bread

Wet Ingredients:

60 - 70g softened butter

2 eggs

2 very ripe bananas

2/3 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Combine the wet ingredients above in a bowl then squish the banana with a fork and mix the ingredients together until mushy. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients below and mix well with a whisk.

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/2 cup chocolate chips (Nestle's dark chocolate bits is best!)

Then combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are blended together. You may mix in a handful (1/2 cup) of chopped walnuts, pecans, dried cherries or apricots at this point if you prefer. Pour the mixture into greased loaf tins and bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Simon & Alison Holst's 100 Favourite 20 Minute Dishes Cookbook

2010-07-11T21:18:00.003+12:00

Critic Issue 15 - Num Nums

When I happened upon Simon and Alison Holst’s ‘100 Favourite 20 Minute Dishes’ cookbook at D’s family home some months ago, I decided that it would be a good way to gain some insight on Kiwi home cooking as well as test the recipes of this Dunedin/Kiwi icon. Based solely on the appealingness of the pictures, we have tried six recipes, with varied results. The first, and the reason the cookbook came out of the cupboard in the first place, was the ‘Orange Syrup Cakes’. Fresh out of the oven, the cakes were nice, soft, warm and orangey but not so much after they’d been left to stand (for at least an hour, as instructed).

A few weeks later, we tackled two more recipes - both were relatively easy to make and I enjoyed the ‘Curried Cauliflower and Eggs’ so much that it has become a staple for me. The combination of cauliflower, eggs, potatoes and peas coated in mildly spicy, thick curry is great and it’s one of those tasty and hearty vegetable dishes in which you don’t miss the meat. Of course, each time I’ve made it since, I have modified the recipe to suit my laziness. As a result, the most recent attempt just wasn’t up to par, so I will have to go back to the original recipe.

The ‘Beef Stroganoff’ also turned out well, but we foolishly omitted an ingredient, which compromised the end result. There was a nice winey, beefy richness to the sauce but it was thin and lacked (for want of a better word) ‘punch’. That’s what we get for leaving out the sour cream, which would have given it a fuller flavour.

We did not have as much luck with the next three recipes. The ‘Stir-fried Chicken & Mushrooms’ recipe had, in my opinion, several superfluous ingredients, making it a little fussier than it needed to be. It turned out okay, but a week later, I managed to concoct a better version with far fewer ingredients and steps. The ‘Fish Battercakes’ were a complete and utter disaster. The batter was thick, hard and tasteless and those are the three things you don’t want in something battered and fried.

All the components of the ‘Black Forest Roll’ on the other hand, despite failing to turn into a roll, were delicious. The top layer of the cake stuck to the baking paper, even though we buttered and sugared the paper as instructed, and the cake cracked and all the filling oozed out the ends when we tried to roll it up. There was nothing to be done except scoop up the mess, dump it in a bowl, slap some extra filling on top and eat it all with a spoon. The undisputed star was the divine, luscious, sweet whipped rum cream filling (beat 1 cup of cream with ¼ cup icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of rum until thick). I’d recommend this as a cheat to enhance your desserts. There are about seven more recipes that I would like to try, and overall, it’s a pretty handy cookbook even though the instructions are a little more lengthy than I would prefer and the recipes aren’t as ‘quick and easy’ as I imagined 20-minute recipes would be.

Bruschetta Reprise with Garlic Prawns

2010-07-03T19:40:00.001+12:00

About two months ago, I finally re-created the Garlic Prawns Bruschetta that I discovered at Oriole late last year. It was absolutely delicious, a hit with everyone, and therefore definitely worth all the slicing, seeding, dicing and sautéing. I've described them before, so I won't repeat myself. If you would like to try this, just incorporate the following steps into the Tomato Bruschetta recipe:

Finely slice garlic.
Season prawns with olive oil, salt and garlic.
Pan fry prawns and garlic slices in a hot, dry pan until golden brown.
Top each piece of tomato bruschetta with a prawn and a slice of sautéed garlic.
Immediately take a big bite, savour and commence synchronised gushing with friends and family.

Jitsu

2010-06-24T21:29:00.004+12:00

I have to admit that I haven't been to The Jitsu in quite some time. These pictures were taken in February. Since then, I have been infatuated with Jizo and the infatuation is only wearing off now. I am at that point in the relationship where the rose tinted glasses have come off and I've discovered that there are some things that they don't do well. And, there are some things they don't do at all, like Unagi Don or Prawn Tempura.

Enter The Jitsu. Whenever we needed a sushi fix (and to whine and unwind), S and I used to go to The Jitsu and order a couple of sushi rolls, Agedeshi Tofu and Age or Yaki Gyoza. There's nothing like good food and great company to put me in the right mood again. It's my 'reset' button. If I am agitated and tense before (as I usually am at the end of a work week), I am mellow and relaxed after. It's a fail-safe formula.

I digress. These are the dishes that I like the best at The Jitsu:

Yaki Gyoza: These are the best that I've had in Dunedin. The bottom of the dumpling is crispy, which gives it a little extra bite, and the filling is juicy and delicious. I get lucky sometimes when I bite into them and there is (what looks like) a spoonful of broth or juice in the dumpling and I get to slurp up the juice before gobbling the rest of the dumpling. Yummy. The deep fried Age Gyoza is also good (crispier and just as tasty), but I prefer the pan fried and steamed Yaki Gyoza.

Agedeshi Tofu: It's tofu with a nice, fried, crunchy coating in a soy sauce mixture. I love it but there isn't much to say about it. Not the best that I've had but still pretty decent.

Unagi/Unaju Don: I don't know why they call it Unaju here when it is Unagi everywhere else. Regardless, I love the grilled eel on rice, especially when the soft, slightly chewy eel has been grilled well so that the edges are just a little bit crisp and the sweet glaze is caramelised. Like all fatty fish, this is delicious when warm, but not so much if you let it get cold, so wolf it.

Prawn Tempura Sushi: As I have mentioned numerous times, I love prawns, so of course, I love Tempura Prawns. What's not to love? Stick them in a a sushi roll? Great! These are particularly good if they are freshly made and served hot (i.e. the prawns have been fried to order). Some places make it with cold tempura prawns that have just been lying around, and it's usually a big disappointment, but I don't think that I've experienced that here.

Salmon Jitsu Plate: I've only had this once. I liked it but the glaze was a little too sugary sweet (as opposed to a more natural sweetness like the sweetness of honey or fruit) for me and picking out the bones from the salmon steak was a real pain in the butt. On the plus side, the mango salad was really tasty and although the dish is probably not an authentic or traditionally Japanese dish, at least it's something different.

Verdict: The Jitsu may not be the most authentic Japanese restaurant in town, but the food is decent and some dishes are, in my opinion, among the best in town. Hmm, now I feel like some Yaki Gyoza and Unagi Don.

Edit 29th June 2010: I may have to take this back. Ate at Jitsu last night and was very disappointed. The Yaki Gyoza, in particular, was nothing like what it used to be and the Unagi Don was just alright. I also tasted a little of D's Yakiniku Beef and was not impressed - meat wasn't charred enough and the sauce was too heavy and sweet and there was too much of it.

The Jitsu

133 Stuart Street

Dunedin

Pier 24, Again!

2010-06-15T21:46:00.010+12:00

As I have previously confessed, after my first visit, I concocted a cunning, selfish plan to use S's birthday as an excuse for another indulgence at Pier 24. Even though I have made my birthday present to her sound purely selfish, I did in fact want her to share my latest, exciting dining discovery - so that we can enthuse and gush about the food together.

Starters

Roasted tomato & fennel puree soup, with monk fish and smoked prawns, mint & lemon mascarpone & parmesan crackers: S's comments - The soup had a smooth tomato flavour, with just a hint of fennel. Was pleasantly surprised at the flavour of fish and smoked prawns, which had good firm texture which made them nice to bite into.

Crisp, slow cooked pork belly pickled ginger & red cabbage slaw with toasted cashews, sweet tomato chilli jam: This was amazing! The pork was succulent, tender, juicy and bursting with flavour and the skin was crispy and savoury. I loved the way that the refreshing, acidic, sweetish-sourish pickled ginger and red cabbage slaw complemented the savoury unctuousness of the pork belly and just elevated the dish to another level. I have had cravings for this ever since! The only, not necessarily critical, thing that came to mind was that, though probably the best executed Western style pork belly that I've had, the skin was still a tiny bit sturdier than what would have made it perfect. I don't know how they do it, but the skin on good Chinese style roast pork back home is very light and crispy and is the highlight of the roast pork eating experience.

Mains

Braised Cadrona merino shank croquette, grilled double lamb cutlet, tomato braised fondant potato, caper & port jus: S's comments - Oh so yummy!!! Well cooked and so flavourful. The best (and most surprising) part of the dish was the lamb shank croquette, which I was aware of because I read it on the menu but totally forgot about until I cut into the croquette. The softest and juiciest lamb shanks I've ever tasted.

Roasted mahi-mahi fillet with crisp potato scales, sautéed green beans & asparagus with rocket aioli dressing: They didn't have mahi-mahi so it was actually kingfish and the potatoes were different too, but I can't recall what they were. This is what happens when you write about something you had two months ago. I really enjoyed this boldly flavoured fish. As soon as I tasted the savoury crusted fish, I felt that the flavours were very familiar but I didn't realise what it was until S pointed it out - it tasted like the southern Indian fried fish that we get back home when we have 'banana leaf rice'. When I order this again next time, I won't start with the pork belly because both dishes have intense flavours and are quite savoury. If I had started with something sweetish and more subtle like the 'prawns in wasabi mayonnaise', I would probably not have noticed the savouriness of the fish quite so much (I only 'noticed' the savouriness of the fish halfway through the dish).

[Edit 8th August 2010: The kingfish is now on the menu with the following description - Roasted King Fish fillet with masala spice dust, sautéed green beans & fennel crisp potato scales with horseradish & lemon cream sauce.]

Mixed leaf salad, parmesan & basil dressing: Loved the taste of the delicious, mellow basil dressing, interspersed with the occasional nutty, fuller flavour of the parmesan shards.

Desserts

Warm dark Belgian chocolate cake served with a tart plum puree, vanilla mascarpone: S's comments - MMmmmmmm :) The cake was so soft, moist, and chocolatey.

Bitter chocolate ganache tartlet, strawberries in burnt honey & raspberry syrup, vanilla bean ice cream: Oh. My. God. This was beyond divine. I don't know why I keep thinking of this but if a gold bar tasted like chocolate, this is what it should taste like. Luscious, silken smooth, soft but solid, decadently rich, seductively shiny and potently chocolate(y?) - this is one of those things that tastes so amazing your brain switches off, you go stupid for a while as you do nothing but savour it and groan with pleasure. A chocolate lover's kryptonite. I don't know what else I can say except, try it.

Verdict: The second visit surpassed the first so I am looking forward to a third visit. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long. I already have a few things in mind that I would like to order.

Pier 24
24 Esplanade
St Clair Beach
Dunedin

Mei Wah Takeaways

2010-06-06T13:27:00.002+12:00

Critic Issue 14 - Num Nums

Soy Sauce Chicken

Everyone has a favourite takeaway shop, and mine is Mei Wah Takeaways. Since fish and chips and the like have been covered in the Review Issue (issue 9), I am going to focus on ‘the other stuff’. The two things that I order the most at Mei Wah are the ‘BBQ Pork and Tofu on rice’ and the ‘Soy Sauce Chicken on rice’. They taste great and you get quite a decent portion for $8.90. Now, if you are one of those people who are grossed out by the texture of tofu, do not order the BBQ Pork and Tofu – duh. The tofu used in this dish is the really soft, smooth (silken?) kind and of course, when stir fried with barbecue pork and vegetables, breaks up. The end product isn’t particularly pretty but is quite tasty. The barbecue pork pieces are sweet and tender and the sauce that everything is stir fried in is savoury, garlicky and slightly spicy. Perfect hearty, comfort food for a cold day. If you can’t stand tofu, you can simply order the ‘BBQ Pork and Vegetables’ instead.

BBQ Pork and Tofu

The ‘Soy Sauce Chicken’, which is my favourite Mei Wah dish, is absolutely delicious. The chicken is delectably tender and moist and very, very tasty. Most of the time, the actual flesh of the chicken is quite bland and it’s the sauce or the flavour from seasoning on the skin that makes a chicken dish taste good. Soy Sauce Chicken, however, is traditionally made by steeping the chicken in a soy sauce mixture for quite some time, which allows the flesh to absorb the flavours, making it extra tasty. I don’t know if that is how they make it at Mei Wah, but whatever the recipe is, it’s a good one.

Half Honey Chicken

The ‘Honey Chicken’ is another, quite spectacular Mei Wah speciality. Basically it is honey flavoured deep fried chicken and you can order half a chicken, the whole chicken, with or without rice. The caramel brown skin is beautifully thin, crispy and savoury, with a light honey coating to give it that mildly sweet, honey flavour. Biting into a piece and tasting the salty sweetness of the skin coupled with the juicy, mouth-watering chunks of chicken is bliss, particularly when you have that ‘fried chicken craving’. I prefer this to KFC when I need my fried chicken fix.

Chicken and Cashew Nuts

I also like the ‘Chicken and Cashew Nuts’ dish, which, besides the chicken, comes with loads of cashew nuts and vegetables. The serving is such that I always have to split it into two meals. I realise that I have written about mostly chicken dishes, but generally you can order the same type of ‘stir fry’ dish with lamb, beef or seafood. I also really appreciate that most of the stir fry dishes come with vegetables, because then I can be lazy and not worry about my vegetable intake for the day.

Finally, if you’re on a budget, you may be interested to know that Mei Wah, which is just a little over a block away from the St David lecture theatres, offers really cheap lunch specials such as, a variety of fried rice, meat and vegetable and sweet and sour dishes for only $5.90, seven days a week. I think that these would fill you up a bit more than fish and chips or burgers.

Mei Wah Takeaways

660 Great King Street

North Dunedin

Pier 24

2010-06-05T14:23:00.003+12:00

Sorry this is long overdue. We visited Pier 24 at the end of March and it's now June. I shall endeavour to write within a couple of weeks of visiting a place from now on, but there are still a few places from months ago (and some from last year) that I haven't written about. Bear with me.

I fortuitously first heard about Pier 24 a week before D's birthday. We were at a pot luck at M and H's (the same potluck for which D made the Triple Choc Brownie) and M, who always makes it a point to tell me about any interesting dining experiences, mentioned that they recently dined at Pier 24 as a large group and it was great. H even said that "the steak was like beef flavoured butter". That settled it.

Ideally located at St Clair Beach, the glass panelled exterior walls of Pier 24 allow patrons to enjoy a view of the esplanade and the water, no matter where they are seated. The interior décor is sleek, modern and polished, as was the service and the food. We ordered the following:

Starters

Mille feuille of prawn in wasabi lemon mayonnaise, with avocado, roasted cherry tomato dressing wonton crisps: Clean tasting, subtle and refreshing. I enjoyed the creamy, faintly wasabi flavoured mayonnaise and the crispy wonton skins but wasn't blown away. This brings to mind something that I've had back home and I think perhaps it would be interesting to serve this mayonnaise with whole, extremely lightly battered, fried prawns, for little extra texture and flavour.

Hummus & green olive tapenade, crostini: D ordered this because he had something before we went to dinner and he wasn't very hungry. He said it was all right.

Mains

Char grilled beef fillet, confit portobello mushroom, purée potatoes with truffle oil, caramelised onion glaze, parmesan & pepper crisp: This was D's main and he was very happy with it. I deciphered this from his nodding and his "wow, that's pretty good," as he savoured the meal, and believe me, that's about the most that I ever get out of him when it comes to commenting about food. I had a bite of the beef and concurred that it was indeed very good.

Grilled venison medallions, roasted garlic butterbean mash, maple roasted pears, pickled ginger and sherry vinegar glaze: This was fantastic. The lovely, melt-in-your-mouth tender venison was perfect, as were the accompaniments. I loved, loved, loved the way the mellow sweetness of the roasted pears and pickled ginger melded with the natural savouriness of the venison and the smooth, subtle mash rounded off the glorious symphony of flavours that was going on in my mouth. There is nothing else to do except make uncouth guttural noises and go "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"!!!

Steamed spring greens, soy & sesame dressing and Roasted seasonal vegetables, honey mustard vinaigrette: Both were well done but I particularly liked the steamed spring greens with the soy and sesame dressing. The green beans were just barely steamed and so were still crunchy and had a raw freshness to them. I really enjoyed the soy and sesame dressing, which was light and faintly savoury, sourish and sweet, all at the same time. That, together with the nutty, smokiness of the sesames, turned plain ol' broccoli and green beans into something quite special.

Desserts

Chocolate fondant, orange poached pear, dark rum & berry coulis, vanilla bean ice cream: D is a chocolate fiend and will usually order the chocolate dessert, no matter how good other desserts sound. This was his. I thought it was good, but he is not a fan of desserts that are served warm.

Ginger & lemon tart, fresh strawberries with limoncello syrup: I am a fan of all things citrus. Although I was expecting a 'tart' to be more dense, not have quite so much height and not be at all creamy, I still liked it. The filling was subtly citrus-y sweet, smooth, creamy and cheesecake-like. If I had no expectations at all of what I had ordered, I would probably have been a little more enthusiastic about it.

Verdict: I was happy enough with the experience to use S's birthday (which was only two weeks after D's) as an excuse to return. My self-serving birthday present to her was a dinner at Pier 24, and it paid off. The meal we had on D's birthday was very good, but the meal we had on S's birthday was amazing. To be continued...

Pier 24

24 Esplanade

St Clair Beach

Dunedin

Indian Summer

2010-05-30T19:58:00.004+12:00

Critic Issue 13 - Num Nums

Indian Summer is my new favourite Indian restaurant. The cool floor to ceiling glass windowed restaurant front gives the place a comfortable casual-chic feel, making it the kind of place that you could just pop in for quick, casual meal on a whim, but also where you would think going for a special occasion. The genuinely polite, friendly, exemplary service shown by Ram and his staff is especially noteworthy because while the service at most establishments is generally polite, I am rarely struck by service that feels instantly sincere and unpretentious.

While exploring the detailed menu, which has useful little symbols identifying items that are vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, gluten free and contain nuts (makes no difference to me, but I had never seen that before and thought it was pretty awesome), I noticed that they offered a few items that I have never seen on other menus, which makes Indian Summer a little more interesting. In the five minutes that I took to decide what to order, D sneakily inhaled the entire lovely, mango-y, yogurt-y, super thick ‘Mango Lassi’ drink that I ordered. Ram noticed the offence and brought me another ‘Mango Lassi’, but D downed that one too. We started with the ‘Vegetarian Platter’ which comprised of samosas, pakoras, onion bhajis and tandoori mushrooms. I particularly enjoyed the delectable, juicy, vermillion orange coloured tandoori mushrooms. The pakoras and onion bhajis were tasty, light, and crispy, unlike the sometimes thick and doughy varieties found elsewhere, and we really liked the delicious, refreshing, light mint chutney that accompanied the platter.

On Ram’s recommendation (I would never have ordered it otherwise because I have never liked any Kadai curry anywhere else), I had the ‘Kadai Prawns’ (prawns cooked with sautéed onions, capsicum, tomatoes, cumin & coriander seeds and finished with lemon juice & fresh coriander) which was amazing and unquestionably the best Kadai I have ever tasted. The sauce had a certain depth and flavour that I can’t put my finger on, the ingredients tasted fresh, the capsicums were firm and crunchy (the vegetables in curries are often mushy at other places) and the decent sized prawns were nice and springy. I could not get enough of it. We also savoured the beautiful, melt-in-your-mouth tender pieces of lamb, in the blissfully rich, smooth but not sickeningly creamy spinach sauce that was the ‘Saag Lamb’ (a spinach based sauce tempered with fenugreek, ginger and garlic). This too, was the best Saag that I have tasted. At that point, we were in a state of prandial euphoria. Our third curry was the tasty, chunky ‘Chana Masala’ which is made with whole, firm, chick peas cooked with onion, garlic, ginger and spices. The curries were served with rice and on top of that, we had some ‘Garlic Naan’. Needless to say, we were very happily satiated.

If the fantastic service, pleasant ambience and great food weren’t reasons enough to keep me going back, I also noticed that after the meal, I did not experience any curry reflux (as is often the unpleasant but inevitable consequence of eating curry) or lingering aftertaste. Indian Summer must be doing something different because for the first time ever, I walked away from having a curry filled meal with a clean feeling palate (and esophagus), not groaning or feeling sick from ‘too-much-curry-itis’. Absolutely brilliant!

Indian Summer

Carnegie Centre

110 Moray Place

Dunedin

Quick and Easy Recipes

2010-05-23T18:51:00.001+12:00

Critic Issue 12 - Num Nums

With the exams around the corner, I thought I would share a few really easy recipes that you can whip up when you need a 20 – 30 minute break from studying. These dishes keep relatively well so if you make enough to last a few meals, you will always have some proper food in the fridge when hunger strikes and will only have to mess around in the kitchen once or twice a week. NB: Always remember to taste as you cook and so you can adjust the flavours to your liking.

Thai Green Curry (re-posted): This is one of the easiest things to make, when you use the Mae Ploy Green Curry paste that you can buy at any supermarket. Just follow the instructions on the container. I used chicken thighs and added sliced water chestnuts (canned) and green beans (use whatever vegetables you like – I used frozen green beans because I was lazy). The thing I love about making this myself, at home, is that I can use as much of the paste to make it as spicy and/or potent as I like. Sautéing the green curry paste imparts a lovely pungent aroma which is then mellowed by the addition of the coconut milk. The result is a delicious, thick curry with a nice depth of flavour (considering that a store bought paste was used) and just the right level of spiciness to leave a little bite on your tongue. Mmm-mm!

Pasta Bake version

Pasta Bolognese: I know, I know, almost everyone knows how to make Bolognese so why am I wasting your time? Well, I think this version is probably better than most of the crap I have had at restaurants, so I am sharing. Just sauté minced garlic (lots!) in olive oil until fragrant, then add minced beef (you can substitute half the mince with grated carrots if you feel like upping your vege intake), an OXO beef cube and brown. Stir in store bought Bolognese sauce (I like Leggos) and simmer. This is what takes it to the next level – pour in red wine (something you would drink, around $15; twice or thrice around the pan) and simmer until sauce is thick. When done, sauce should be rich, velvety. Serve on cooked pasta of your choice. Alternatively, substitute the Bolognese sauce with one of the tomato based Pasta Bake versions, mix pasta and sauce in an oven proof dish, top with grated mozzarella and bake until golden brown.

Mom’s Black Pepper Chicken: Marinate chicken thigh pieces in dark soy sauce, some pepper and sugar. Coat potato slices (about 0.5 cm thick) in a little oil and salt and pan fry until golden brown (won’t be cooked through), then remove from pan. Marinate some Sauté sliced garlic in oil until fragrant then add marinated chicken and potatoes. Stir fry until chicken is cooked. If you like lots of sauce, add more water, dark soy sauce, pepper and sugar to taste. Otherwise, just taste and add whatever you think is necessary. This should yield delicious savoury, peppery and slightly sweet juicy chicken pieces with tasty gravy. Serve with steamed rice, or if you can’t be bothered, on bread.

Mexican Café

2010-05-23T11:07:00.005+12:00

Ceviche

On M's recommendation, S and I visited the Mexican Café when we were Christchurch in March to see (dare I say it?) Cliff Richard. If M, who is American, a foodie and was once my very critical supervisor, thinks that the food at the Mexican Café is a decent representation of Mexican food, then it must be all right - I have to take his word for it because I haven't been anywhere near North America. The restaurant was charmingly rustic, and filled with bottles of alcohol - I am not kidding, the structural beams across the ceiling and the entire back wall of the bar were lined with bottles of alcohol of all shapes, colours and sizes (but unfortunately, I have no evidence of this as I stupidly did not take proper photos). The theme, decor and entire feel of the place just made you want to throw hands up in the air, toss your hair and scream 'PARRRRR-TAAAY' (and this was 5:30pm in the afternoon when there were only a few other patrons)!

S began squealing as soon as she spotted Ceviche (fresh fish cold cooked in a marinade of lemon juice, chillies and coriander) on the menu. I must admit, I too have always wanted to try Ceviche, so that became our starter and we loved it! It was beautifully clean and fresh tasting, tongue tingling-ly acidic, had an incredible 'zing', and was eye-widening-sit-up-straight-wake-you-up refreshing! I have never had anything like it before and it was a revelation. I think I speak for both of us when I say that we would probably jump on any excuse to go back to Christchurch just so we could have this again.

Fish Taco

M told me that he had the Fish Taco and it was good, so that was what I ordered. While I appreciated the fact that it was light and clean tasting (i.e. fish and tacos weren't at all greasy), I felt that the flavours were just a tad too subtle. Maybe that's what it is supposed to be like, what do I know? Otherwise, everything else was executed perfectly and I would have been raving about it. S had the Chicken Flauta (pieces of chicken breast marinated with garlic, onion and olive oil then sautéed in Mexican Cafe salsa, wrapped in a flour tortilla with lettuce and tomato and topped with guacamole and sour cream and served with beans and rice) which, if I remember correctly, she quite enjoyed. The thing she couldn't stop gushing about was the beans that came with it. The first words out of her mouth after she tasted them were, "Mmmmm! So this is what beans are supposed to taste like! You have to taste this!". Luckily for her, I am impartial when it comes to beans, so she did not have to fight me off. I am sure I tasted the chicken as well, but nothing stands out in memory for me. S reports, however, that "it was well seasoned and did not taste like the Fish Taco, which is a good thing", meaning that at least not everything tasted the same, which is what you get at some places.

Chicken Flauta

The verdict: The Ceviche carried the team. I would definitely go back for that, and to try some of the other items with bolder sounding flavours. S, when are we going on our next road trip?

Mexican Café

Upstairs

110 Lichfield Street

Christchurch

Table Seven

2010-05-16T12:02:00.002+12:00

NB: Sorry, I couldn't take good photos because of the low lighting.

Critic Issue 11 - Num Nums

Barbecued Prawns and Scallops

Table Seven is probably one of the closest posh restaurants to campus. Located above the SBS building on George St, the large windows that surround the restaurant afford a nice elevated view of all the activity on the main street below, without actually having to be a part of it. With three distinct sections – the dining, the bar/sofas and the ‘entertainment’ areas – the overall ambiance is modern, sleek, chic and very appealing. The one thing that I really appreciated (and is a rare find these days) is that the tables were very well spaced so diners had their own private space and were not bumping elbows with the next table or having to squeeze between tables to get by. I also noticed that all the diners received personal attention from the manager Steven, who not only made food and wine recommendations, but also explained the background of particular dishes. It is finer details like these that make Table Seven the sort of place that I would think of going to after work for coffee and drinks and to relax and unwind with friends.

Veal Shanks

We started with the ‘Barbecued Prawns and Scallops’ which were marinated in garlic and lime oil accompanied with a roasted red pepper arancini, which is IMO quite an interesting and unusual combination. According the Steven, they tried to remove this from the menu once and were met with vehement protests from their customers. The prawns were tasty and springy, the scallops were smooth and soft (i.e. not overcooked, which is common when ordering scallops) and the arancini, which is basically an Italian style fried rice ball, had a nice crispy coating and lovely, rich flavoured rice within.

Chicken Breast

We then moved on to our mains - my friend was delighted with her ‘Veal Shanks’ which were beautifully tender, had great natural flavour and were complemented well with the very tasty horseradish mashed potatoes and smoked olive cassoulet. I too enjoyed my succulent ‘Chicken Breast’ stuffed with lovely, yummy, buttery asparagus and Parma ham. The only disappointing item of the whole evening was the risotto that was served with my ‘Chicken Breast’, which was stiff and cake-ish.

Panna Cotta

Even though at that point we were already full, we decided to try some of their desserts and luckily we did, because my dessert was the highlight of my meal. The vanilla and lemon ‘Panna Cotta’ with almond tuilles and poached fruit was luscious, creamy, subtle, smooth and the perfect exclamation point with which to end my meal. I must admit that as I observed my beautifully wobbly ‘Panna Cotta’, all I kept hearing in my head were the words of Top Chef Masters judge Jay Rayner: “Panna Cotta, when set right, wobbles like a woman’s breast”, so I kept prodding the poor thing just to amuse myself. My friend’s hazelnut and white chocolate ‘Gianduja Semifreddo’ was equally delicious – sweet, smooth and creamy – served with gorgeous hazelnut glass biscuits.

Gianduja Semifreddo

Our entire meal, plus a nice glass of wine, came up to only slightly over $100, which is reasonable (and cheaper than some places) considering the impeccable service, pleasant ambience, good food and larger portions that they serve compared to other posh restaurants. We were both completely stuffed and satisfied and I will definitely be returning for more Panna Cotta (and then some).

Table Seven

Upstairs, Corner of George & Hanover Sts

Dunedin

five0nine

2010-05-09T16:38:00.006+12:00

Critic Issue 10 - Num Nums

At just over two months old, five0nine is probably the freshest face (in more ways than one) in the Dunedin ‘café’ scene. Specialising in Taiwanese bubble tea, a sweet, flavoured tea based drink, five0nine offers a pleasant alternative to the usual coffee/tea options at other cafes. For the uninitiated, there are generally two kinds of bubble tea – the ones with milk and the ones without. The flavours for the non-milk variety are usually fruity (e.g. peach, lychee) and the flavours for the milk teas are typically non-fruity (e.g. taro). The thing that makes these drinks special is the addition of ‘pearls’ or jellies which give you something to suck up and chew on intermittently while you enjoy the flavoured tea. The ‘pearls’ are actually little, chewy, slippery, tapioca balls, about one centimetre in diameter each, that rest at the bottom of the drink, waiting to be eaten. It is the apparent similarity of these ‘pearls’ to bubbles that gives this drink its name, although some sources believe that it is more accurate to attribute the name to the foam that is created due to the shaking method of making bubble tea.

I tried the ‘Original Milk Tea’ with pearls and the ‘Lychee Black Tea’ with mango jelly. Both the black and milk tea, surprisingly, were light and delightfully refreshing. For some reason, I had expected the milk tea to be thick and heavy, and was happy to be proven wrong. Both drinks had pleasant, clean flavours but I preferred the texture and the extra burst of fruity flavour that I got from the mango jelly pieces, which is made out of nata de coco, compared to the pearls. Besides bubble tea, five0nine also offers some quick and easy Taiwanese snacks like steamed pork/pork & vege/vegetarian/red bean buns and the deceptively small but hearty ‘Braised Pork with Hard Boiled Egg on Rice’ for only $3 - 5. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to try any of the buns but I did get a taste of the pork on rice, which was a decent, filling meal for under $5. The meat used was a little too lean for this dish, which compromised the flavour and texture slightly, but as it turned out they were unable to add the usual portion of pork belly into the dish that day because it was unavailable.

The best thing about five0nine is that its opening hours are from 11 am – 11pm, which means that hungry students traipsing home from the library won’t have to go hungry anymore. That is one of the main reasons that the young proprietors, Ariel & James, have decided to keep their doors open late, having been Otago students themselves. They have taken great efforts to ensure the quality and authenticity of their products. Their bubble tea ingredients are imported directly from Taiwan and they have practised their drink making skills so that their drinks always taste consistent, no matter who makes them. So if you’re feeling peckish, try something different and visit five0nine.

five0nine

7 Frederick St

Dunedin

Zwilling J. A. Henckels

2010-05-05T21:54:00.004+12:00

D did well - 17.5 inches of glorious, gorgeous, gleaming, irresistible, razor sharp steel. Oh just in case you hadn't noticed, I have a thing for knives.

Soy Sauce Chicken

2010-05-04T21:10:00.004+12:00

This Soy Sauce Chicken was made according to a recipe from Rasa Malaysia. It didn't turn out as well as we hoped - I was expecting it to taste more like my favourite Soy Sauce Chicken from Mei Wah (which I already have pictures of and will write about soon hopefully) but it actually tasted more like 'Tau Yew Bak' (soy sauce pork), except with chicken. I know there is little difference in the name, but in my opinion, Soy Sauce Chicken and Soy Sauce Pork (should) taste very different. 'Tau Yew Bak'/Soy Sauce Pork is heavily spiced with cinnamon and star anise and is sweet whereas the Soy Sauce Chicken that I love from Mei Wah is savoury and has a subtler soy flavour. This Soy Sauce Chicken turned out smelling like 'Tau Yew Bak' and was far darker than the Soy Sauce Chicken that I am used to. It was quite salty, yet also carried the sweetness of the star anise and cinnamon spices. It was edible, but I wasn't crazy about it and I won't be using this recipe again. I also didn't think that the (again quite salty) ginger and scallion dip was necessary since the chicken was very strong tasting as it was. Usually these garlic/ginger/scallion toppings complement the plain/mild tasting chicken in steamed/boiled chicken rice dishes.

Oh well...my hunt for the perfect Soy Sauce Chicken recipe continues...

Mamma Mia Pizza

2010-05-02T22:25:00.007+12:00

Critic Issue 9 - Num Nums

Magherita

I have been fantasizing about biting into a slice of pizza from Mamma Mia Pizza since the craving struck at mid-afternoon yesterday. You know you got it bad when you try to weasel a ride to Wakari out of at least three people and fail… and then you start thinking about buying a car. I visited Mamma Mia Pizza several weeks ago and was immediately hooked. Everything about this quaint little pizza takeaway is charming – from the rustic, fresh, light and incredibly tasty thin crust pizzas to the affable pizzaiolo and owner, Michal Rozenberg.

Vegetariana

We had the ‘Bread Sticks with Aioli’ and the ‘Magherita’, ‘Quattro Stagioni’ and ‘Vegetariana’ pizzas. The rich, tangy homemade garlic aioli was delicious, as were the pizzas, but my favourite was the Magherita. Though crispy and thin crusted, the pizzas retained a nice chewy texture and had beautifully balanced flavours. What was most noticeable to me was the how light and clean tasting the pizzas were, compared to the more common, heavy, thicker based, over flavoured varieties.

Quattro Stagioni

Michal achieves the great authentic texture and taste of his pizzas by baking them in a traditional stone floored pizza oven, with no trays, at up to 400˚C and uses only the freshest ingredients for his toppings. He takes no short cuts in the pizza making process and it is this commitment to authenticity that makes Mamma Mia Pizza unique, thus garnering a loyal following. Michal trained in his native Slovakia under the chef of the best Italian restaurant in town, who apparently would make even Gordan Ramsay seem approachable. He then went on to work in Austria and Italy and found that no matter where he went, good pizzerias used basically the same techniques and offered simple menus.

Napoletana

Michal has staunchly refused to adulterate his pizzas with the barbeque sauce swirls and cranberry/apricot flavours that are so popular at other pizzerias and believes that some pizzas, with the right ingredients, can be even healthier than vegetarian dishes. Mamma Mia’s menu comprises of mostly traditional Italian pizzas and was designed to give customers a flavour tour of Italy, from the lighter South Italian pizzas like the cheese-less ‘Puttanesca’ (olives, anchovies, capers and garlic) to the richer Northern Italian pizzas like the tomato sauce-less ‘Tre Formaggi’ (ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, basil, prosciutto). Michal also maintained the original Italian names of the pizzas to amuse him when his customers place their orders.

al Pesto

I succumbed. I stopped writing in the middle of the last paragraph and my friend and I have actually just wolfed down the ‘al Pesto’ (rich, nutty and garlicky) and ‘Napoletana’ (salty anchovies scattered over a bed of lovely fresh, subtle tomato sauce) pizzas and some bread sticks and aioli. Even stone cold, his pizzas are delicious and so satisfying, though I wish Mamma Mia had some space for a few fold out tables and chairs where people could just buy a cold drink and eat their fresh, hot pizzas right away. Go get some immediately. If you don’t have a car, take the 51/32/33 bus from Hoyts to Helensburgh. It is definitely worth the trouble.

Mamma Mia Pizza Takeaway

124 Helensburgh Rd

Wakari

Golden Harvest - Revisited

2010-04-28T21:06:00.004+12:00

Sweet and Sour Pork

Last month I had a great meal at Golden Harvest with a couple of friends. As they weren't familiar with Chinese food, I was allowed to take charge of the ordering, so we ended up having some of my favourite dishes.

Kung Pou Vegetables

I've always loved Kung Pou Chicken. The Kung Pou Chicken at Golden Harvest isn't exactly like the kind I am used to, but it's still pretty good. Instead of the usual cashew nuts, they serve their Kung Pou with peanuts and fried sweet buns (man tou). Their version is a little sweeter and not as riddled with dried chillies (and therefore not as spicy) but hits the spot for me nonetheless. The crispy, sauce soaked, sweet buns and peanuts keep the dish interesting because with every scoop, your palate gets a variety of textures and flavours - soft, chewy, nutty, crunchy, sweet, savoury, etc. This time around, I ordered the Kung Pou vegetables instead of chicken (both are equally good), because I had known for days that I wanted to order the Crispy Chicken.

Crispy Chicken

Ah, the Crispy Chicken. Salty, crispy skinned, juicy, tasty chicken pieces. What more could anyone ask for? Mmm, I think this is my favourite dish at Golden Harvest. There's something so incredibly satisfying about biting into a piece of beautifully cooked, crispy skinned chicken. I automatically recall the smell and taste of it (and drool a little) every time I look at the picture. I will need to get a fix very soon.

To offset the savouriness of the chicken, I ordered the Sweet and Sour Pork (the last time I dined here, I made the mistake of ordering a few dishes with the same flavours). It actually looked like and tasted like decent sweet and sour pork, which is more than I can say about the stuff that I've had at other establishments here. The first few years I was here, I was amazed at what some places were passing off as "sweet and sour pork" and incredibly annoyed that for something so common, edible, authentic sweet and sour pork was scarce. Having said that, even in Asia, it is difficult to find a place that serves really good sweet and sour pork. It's probably because it is such a common and simple dish that nobody thinks it's worth the time or effort to pay attention to the details and perfect it. If anyone knows of a place that serves outstanding sweet and sour pork, do tell.

Anyway, at the rate we were yakking, we were lucky that we had all that good food to keep us going. We were very happy with the meal (and the company) and left feeling content with just the right level of 'fullness' in our bellies. No matter the quality, a dining experience is always marred if you are left feeling uncomfortable and/or sick because the food was too rich/much.

Golden Harvest Restaurant

218 George Street

Dunedin