Gaslight & S's Birthday Operation FI3

[*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 a few 'agents' 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 P for 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 the next agent, 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 another agent 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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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