I Love Food Porn

BYE BYE!!!

2011-08-28T00:28:00.000+10:00

I Love Food Porn has moved and merged with my personal blog... Go go go!!!!!

www.lingtung.com

Food That I Made

2011-02-24T11:11:00.001+11:00

This may come as a shock, considering that I am not a naturally gifted domestic goddess - check out my epic fail at making chocolate chip cookies. But I have been practising so here's some food that I made :-

Strawberries & Cream Sponge Cake

I even have a YouTube video of it! Please don't laugh! Oh wait, please do...I look like such a dork!

Salt & Pepper Wicked Wings

Baked Eggs with Sardines in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

Banana Bread

Sausages & Roast Potatoes with Salad

I'm HUNGRY now, are you?

Bloglovin'

2011-02-22T17:16:00.001+11:00

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3 Kingdoms, Box Hill

2011-02-19T18:24:00.000+11:00

My temp dental assistant from Laos recommended 3 Kingdoms so on that very same night, we went there to eat. The place was relatively busy for a Friday night but we got seated quickly. The people sitting in the table next to us were eating something which smelt and looked delicious. I had high hopes for 3 Kingdoms. Their menu had Chinese, Korean and Japanese food.

For starters, we ordered fried dumplings, kimchi pancake and spring onion pancake to share.

Usually korean pancakes are presented in the formation of a round pancake with slices, like a pizza. But this was just plonked onto a rectangular plate. Sadly, the starters weren't that impressive. Adding to my annoyance was the fact that the starters came out at uncoordinated times, i.e. we'd finish one starter and then sit and wait until the next starter came out.

And then came our mains. Hubby ordered beef bulgogi which was yummy. The meat was well marinaded and was very tasty indeed.

The couple - Minda and Steve - both ordered bibimbap which is stone pot rice with beef and vegetables topped with a fried egg. They seemed to enjoy it.

As for me, I ordered teriyaki fried fish. And boy, it was a long wait before I got my dinner! By the time it had arrived, Steve and Noah had finished their dinner!!!

Was it worth the wait? NO!!! The fish was salty and the sauce was overly sweet = bad combination of flavours. Sigh. I didn't finish my dinner even though I was hungry from the long wait.

Would I go back to 3 Kingdoms? NO! Service was poor. Long and uncoordinated waiting times.

Shoya Nouvelle Wafu Cuisine

2011-02-06T15:27:00.000+11:00

Being total cheap-asses, you may be wondering how we ended up having lunch in Shoya, one of the high-end Japanese restaurants in Melbourne. Well, we were there to celebrate my lovely friend, Minda's birthday. Shoya is situated in one of the lanes in Melbourne's Chinatown and it look deceivingly small from the outside because this Japanese restaurant has 6 levels!

Anyway, Shoya does a number of lunch sets which start from a reasonable $24.80 to $65.

I chose the UME set at $28 which consisted of :-

Savoury egg custard - silky smooth steamed egg topped with an edemame bean which had shitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots in the bottom layer - this was simply gorgeous!

Sashimi - Presentation was excellent. The raw fish was placed on top of half a frozen orange - we wondered whether they would reuse it? Does anyone know?? Anyway, the fish was fresh and tasty with wasabi and soy sauce paste.

Tempura - Two prawns and the rest were vegetables. The tempura batter was light and crispy. Loved it.

Grilled eel - The unagi was simply delicious - very moist and tasty bathed in its sauce. The annoying thing was that I only ate a quarter of this because my Husband ate the rest while I was chatting away to the girls. Grrr!

Teriyaki wagyu beef - OMG! The beef was cooked to perfection. The meat was extremely tender and moist with nice bits of fat through it. I took a bite off the chilli and it nearly killed me - I was surprised that it was so hot!

Mixed steam rice - this was bland in comparison to the rest of the dishes

Green tea ice-cream - Yummy goodness.

Although the food was exceptionally good, I did have a few dislikes about Shoya.

1. For a high end Japanese restaurant, you would think they would serve complimentary green tea - but no, they don't.

2. There wasn't enough time for me to enjoy each of the courses because the food came rushing out. I was even more annoyed that the waiter served the ice-cream BEFORE I had even finished eating the mixed steam rice!

3. We were the only table left on that floor and it felt like that they were trying to rush us out. If I'm not mistaken, they brought the bill immediately after the ice-cream; without us asking for it.

In conclusion : Shoya serves high quality Japanese food but needs to slow down and let slow eaters like me enjoy and savour the food.

Would I go back? Yes, but only if it was for a special occasion.

Grain Asian Cafe, Box Hill

2011-02-05T21:17:00.000+11:00

Melbourne City's Chinatown seems puny in comparison to the suburb of Box Hill. Seriously, there are Asian eateries all over the place here. We fancied a change from our usual haunt, Wong's Lucky Bar (which I have yet to write a review about)and decided to try Grain Asian Cafe which is located in Box Hill Shopping Centre.

However, the guys weren't hungry so I ended up ordering food for myself and they got drinks. Yeah, how weird is that? The only female eats while the guys just have a drink!!??

Anyway, I'm from Scotland so I LOVE anything deep fried. Can you guess what I chose to eat?

Pat yourself on the back if you answered correctly. I ordered the chicken rib with spiced salt on rice. The funny thing about this cafe is that once the waitress takes your order, you have to pay. A bit weird...but maybe they have had bad experiences with customers who left without paying??

I was pleasantly surprised at the large portion. The chicken ribs had been coated in a light batter and then deep fried perfectly. I enjoyed munching the crispy chicken skin. BUT I could feel the MSG burning my throat after I chowed down 2 ribs. I was also rather disappointed with the lack of spice - the topping of minced garlic, spring onions and specks of chilli were inadequate to satisfy me - it needed more fire. Also, because the ribs were dry, I found it really hard to swallow the dry rice. The dish needed something to help with the dryness, e.g. some cucumber or soy sauce would really help.

In the end, I only ate half and packed the rest into a plastic container to take home. It actually tasted even better when I reheated it for lunch the next day because I added soy sauce and chilli sauce.

Would I return to Grain Asian Cafe? Yes. I saw lots of people order dumplings with soup noodles - so that's something I want to try next time.

Monga Dessert Lounge, Box Hill

2011-02-03T21:14:00.000+11:00

I'm a dentist by profession so I LOVE it when people like desserts because it keeps us in demand - haha. Anyway, I have been to Monga Dessert Lounge a few times and like the boring old fart that I am, I have ordered the same dessert every time - red bean sweet soup with lily bulbs and lotus seeds.

I LOVE this Chinese dessert sweet soup because it comes in a relatively large bowl when it is piping hot - I'm a hot or cold person; I hate lukewarm. The sweet soup has the perfect amount of sweetness for me - many places make this sweeter and often, I dilute it with more hot water. The red beans, lily bulbs and lotus seeds are cooked to perfection too - soft but still got that tiny bit of bite to it. And that is why I have ordered it E-V-E-R-Y time I go there. Some may say that it is expensive for a bowl of sweet soup at $5 - yes it is, but then again, I don't mind paying for something that I enjoy eating.

I have tried their other desserts by sampling the Husband and friends' orders and alas, nothing compares to the red bean sweet soup.

Red bean pancake - I would describe this as red beans wrapped in glutinous rice paste and deep fried. I thought that it was oily but it did have a nice chewy consistency and not too sweet.

Mango sweet soup with popping boba, pomelo, sago and grass jelly - last time I checked, this cost $8.50. It sounded interesting as I have never tried popping boba - it's basically small balls filled with sweet liquid which burst when you bite into it. However, this dessert was lacking for me - the mango was sour, the pomelo was non-existent and the soup base was just far too sweet.

Mango sweet soup with pomelo and sago - this is another mango-based dessert from Monga Dessert Lounge which did not impress me.

Watermelon with herbal jelly drink - refreshing on a hot day

Monga Dessert Lounge is quite a popular hang-out during the weekends. The decor is pretty cool and is supposed to remind you of Hong Kong. I'm being safe by ordering the same red bean dessert every time because everything else I have tried so far is pretty dire to be honest. Would I recommend it to friends? Yes - like I said before, these dessert places keep my job in demand!

(Disclaimer : I am a HUGE fan of mango-based desserts of Hong Kong dessert places like Hui Lau Shan and Honeymoon Dessert so my palate has been accustomed to superior mango-based desserts so nothing else can compare)

The Baths Middle Brighton

2011-02-02T23:18:00.001+11:00

We are currently enjoying massive doses of sunshine in Melbourne. Last Saturday, Noah, Ken and I headed off to Brighton to check out the beach there. As you can see in the photo, there are some cool and colourful beach huts. And behind me were a couple taking their wedding photos there - awesome! Wish I had known about that...

Anyway, we headed off to one of the cafes in Brighton - The Baths Middle Brighton. It was around 11.30am when we got there and that's why the beach was relatively quiet because lots of people were eating in here! We managed to get a table facing the sea and although it was a sunny day, it was still a bit chilly with the sea breeze. (I know, I know! I'm from Scotland and I should be used to the cold but I'm not!)

We ordered our drinks - I ordered a pot of Earl Grey, Noah ordered a Virgin Mary and Ken ordered a latte. Finally, after 20 minutes, we got our drinks. Not off to a good start!! I tasted Noah's Virgin Mary and it tasted like cold tomato soup - yuk! My Earl Grey tea was strong - and I actually wanted to add milk to it, but none was supplied.

We didn't order food till after midday because we wanted to order off the Lunch menu. Ken and I ordered Beer battered fish and chips with tartare Sauce ($18) and Noah ordered The Baths Ice-burger with wagyu beef, Swiss cheese and fries ($17). When the waiter took my order, I specifically requested "No salt" - because for some reason, Aussie fish and chips automatically come served with gallons of salt.

Again, we had to wait for over 20 minutes before our lunch got served. I was very disappointed with this slow service...but I was EVEN MORE disappointed when the waiter came out and said, "Fish and chips with no salt on the fish." HELLO? I said "No salt" on both fish and chips!! But I was too hungry to complain. The fish was fresh and the batter was light. BUT dammit, my throat was burning with the amount of salt I consumed from those bloody salty chips.

As for Noah's burger, he wasn't that impressed either. He said "It was alright.." which translates to nothing impressive.

My Opinions On The Baths Middle Brighton

Although it is a popular place because of the location and views of the beach, I did not enjoy my lunch there. Service was slower than me doing a dump when I am constipated. It's true! And the worst thing is - adding unnecessary salt to my chips! Maybe it's a ploy to make people order more drinks? Anyway, I refuse to return to this establishment because it peed me off so much - cannot follow simple orders and slow service.

BBQ At Auntie Sooi And Uncle Bryan's

2011-01-27T16:34:00.000+11:00

From time to time, I still get homesick and I crave family time. I miss all my family and friends in UK...but I know that my new life is in Melbourne, so although I get nervous, I am happy meeting Hubby's family. We were invited to Auntie Sooi and Uncle Bryan's home near Burwood for a family BBQ. (Note - Auntie Sooi isn't really Noah's aunt...but his Dad's cousin...so that makes them second cousins??? Who knows??)

My mouth watered when I saw the food. Yum yum yum! There was an amazing smell of sausages and chicken skewers on the barbie - which was manned by Uncle Bryan.

Auntie Sooi had been busy. There was a big bowl of fried rice, a platter of fried vermicelli noodles, salad and stir-fried green beans.

I piled some goodies onto my plate - fried rice, noodles, salad, green beans, a nicely barbecued sausage and a pork chop. At events like these where I don't know many people, I like to be polite and eat small, polite portions. I don't want people thinking I'm a greedy gut! LOL. But don't worry, I went back for seconds!

It was a lovely day so we enjoyed sitting outside to enjoy the food. After we had filled our bellies, we cleared up the tables and sat and chatted for a while. And then, it was Dessert Time!

What a beautiful fruit platter!!! It was filled with pieces of mango, banana, passionfruit, watermelon, peaches, lychee and grapes. And jelly! There was also chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake - which you can see a bit of in the photo. I didn't take a photo of the cheesecake because I am a cheese-phobic haha.

We had a lovely BBQ that day. Thank you Auntie Sooi and Uncle Bryan!

Auction Rooms, North Melbourne

2011-01-25T00:26:00.000+11:00

Feeling adventurous, me and a couple of guy friends, Jack and Jerry, headed out to North Melbourne for some brunch one sunny afternoon. Auction Rooms is a cafe which was highly recommended by one of our girlfriends. We got there just before midday and even though it was a weekday, the place was busy, but we managed to get a table. As it was a hot day, we ordered some cold refreshing drinks - ginger beer for Jack, blood orange juice for me and an iced coffee for Jerry.

The menu has breakfast and lunch options. After a few minutes of exploring the menu options, we made our decisions and ordered.

I ordered lamb and rosemary pie with mushy peas, salsa verde, rocket and nigella jus. It was well-presented and the aroma was enticing.

The pie crust was light and crispy and the filling was hot meaty goodness! This awesome pie worked well with the mushy peas and the salad greens. I LOVED IT! It was definitely the best Aussie pie I have had so far!

Jacky ordered the opening bid - free range poached eggs, Andrew's choice smoked bacon, braised field mushroom, grilled tomato and sauteed spinach on dench sourdough (put simply, it was bacon, eggs, mushroom, tomato and spinach on toast) It looked appealing but I don't think it would have been substantial enough for my big belly!

As for Jerry, he ordered the knuckle sandwich - braised pork knuckle with piccalilli, rocket and aged cheddar in a warm ciabatta roll with pickled chilli. He said it was fantastic and extremely satisfying. He offered me a bite but because of the cheese (I am a cheese-phobic), I politely declined.

Final Verdict

Auction Rooms is a great place for brunch, but can be a bit noisy with the music (or maybe I'm just getting old!) We had no complaints about the food and the prices were reasonable - think we spent about $20 AUD each. And I will definitely return one day with Hubby in tow - he loves lamb and he loves pie so he would have loved what I ordered!

Liar, Liar Cafe, Hawthorn

2011-01-20T21:13:00.000+11:00

Have you ever been on a double date? It is super duper fun! Hubby and I went on a double date with this lovely couple, Jin and Jessica for breakfast. I chose the time to meet and Jessica chose the venue. She had been to Liar, Liar a few times and had enjoyed her previous visits.

It was a Saturday morning and the place was heaving - that's a good sign for good food!! Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long for a table. A waitress came round to take our drinks order and craving caffeine, I ordered a mocha. The mocha was lovely - a good balance of chocolate and coffee.

My eyes automatically zoned in on this menu item - the Big Fat Liar breakfast which was eggs done the way you like with mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, spinach and tomato relish. It was definitely right up my street. But alas, I didn't order that. Why? Because we had another double date for lunch in two hours time so I didn't want to over-indulge.

Instead I ordered the BLAT - bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato with aioli on toasted bread.

It was just right. Not too filling for me. It would have been really dry but the avocado helped moisten the dry unbuttered toast. (I would also have preferred a fried runny egg to go with it...hehe)

Hubby and Jin both ordered the French Toast - I had a small bite of Hubby's but I am not a huge fan of French toast so I was not that impressed - but both of them hoovered the French toast up.

As for Jessica, she went for the Pants On Fire - spicy Spanish style baked eggs with pepperonata and chorizo sausage. I had a taste and was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't spicy in my opinion - I can eat really spicy foods. But the tomatoey goo tasted tangy and had a slight kick in it.

We had a great time in Liar, Liar - but the only annoying thing is the location of the toilets. To go to the loo, you must ask the waitress for the key, leave the premises, and walk to another building behind it. Okay, okay, it took about 3 minutes to get there, but still!!

Anyway, I think Liar, Liar is a good place to go to chill out and enjoy breakfast.

I Ate A Frog

2011-01-18T23:57:00.001+11:00

That's a bowl of frog's legs congee! All the way from Singapore. Yes, we just got back from holidaying in Malaysia and Singapore. You know what that means right? Food aplenty! I'm hungry!!! Lots of food blogs coming soon...I pinky promise!

Teru Teru Japanese Cafe, Box Hill

2010-12-09T21:17:00.001+11:00

The husband and I celebrate our first anniversary of meeting each other by going to a Japanese cafe for lunch. We live near Box Hill where there are plenty of places to eat Asian food - Chinese food, Malaysian cuisine, Singaporean delights, Korean and Vietnamese - but as for Japanese, not many restaurants are around in Box Hill. We randomly stumbled upon Teru Teru Japanese Cafe and thought we would try it out. It was busy for a Sunday lunchtime - we took this as a good sign - and we were happy to wait 10 minutes till there was a table free for us.

We were quite hungry and seeing as it was an anniversary celebration, we went a bit crazy and ordered a few dishes. (I say crazy because we are currently struggling financially, so we tend to order cheap dishes and only one dish per person, but not on this day!)

We ordered salmon sashimi - who doesn't love salmon sashimi?!

I like mine dunked in a thick mix of wasabi and soy sauce. Yummilicious. The fish was fresh and very succulent.

The hubby ordered a fried chicken special (chicken karaage??). He loves meat and deep fried foods. It tasted good with a squeeze of lemon juice.

For our mains, I ordered Tempura Udon. I love soup noodles. This one was a tad unadventurous so I added lots of spice to it.

The mixed tempura which consisted of two prawns and mixed vegetables were placed in separate plate which was good, because some restaurants put it on top of the soup noodles which means soggy tempura. However, I didn't really enjoy the tempura because the tempura batter was rather thick. It wasn't light and crispy.

Hubby seemed quite pleased with his main of cold noodles. I forgot to take a photo of his noodles as I was too busy taking photos of my food, but I took a photo of the remains. You can see the big block of ice which was tucked under the noodles to keep them cold.

We were so full at the end of this big meal. I think we will go back to Teru Teru to try other items on the menu. It's a shame that there's no ramen though because I have a ramen craving at the moment.

Yum Cha At Crown Palace

2010-11-07T04:49:00.000+11:00

Apologies for the lack of blogs here, but just because I haven't blogged here, it does not mean that :-

a) I haven't been blogging at all because I blog at www.lingtung.com and also at www.thebestbeautyblog.com
b) I haven't taking photos of my food because I recently acquired an iPhone 4 which is my new favourite gadget - photo quality is not excellent, but it's handy.
c) I haven't been eating as much - hello, I love eating and believe you me, I have been eating lots of yummy food.

Okay, enough chit-chat and let's get on to one of my new favourite yum cha restaurants in Melbourne - Crown Palace in Vermont South - 495 Burwood Highway.

I shall let the photos do the talking, but I am salivating just thinking about the food there.

choi sum with oyster sauce

har gaow (= steamed prawn dumplings)

siew mai (= steamed pork dumplings)

char siu cheung fun (= roast pork flatsheet roll)

fried sesame wafer prawns

dan tat (=egg custard tarts)

century egg and pork congee (=rice porridge)

lao sa bao (= steamed runny custard filled bun)

hot steaming gooey sweet filling - mmm

I love. I love. I love. Nom nom nom.

Review Of Menulog

2010-10-27T17:09:00.000+11:00

Menulog is an online Australian restaurant guide and booking service. When I was contacted by a rep for Menulog to review their services, I jumped at the chance. Hello, I love eating!! So I went on their website at www.menulog.com.au to check it out.

Plus Points

Website is user-friendly - no fancy 'schamncy' stuff
Choices are Home Delivery, Pick-Up or Dining Out
Just type in your postcode or suburb and a list of restaurants will show up
Detailed information about restaurants with opening and closing hours, menus and prices
Read other people's reviews which I find very helpful in deciding where to eat
Free to use Menulog and it also offers reward points
Special offers at some restaurants, e.g. 25% off
There is also a free iPhone app for Menulog - I mean, how cool is that?!

Minus Points

Unfortunately, when I typed in my postcode, only 2 restaurants showed up. A measly 2. This means that I have a very limited choice of restaurants in my suburb which will offer Home Delivery (BUT it is possible to email Menulog to inform them of any restaurants which are not there - I shall try that later and see what happens...)

After browsing and checking out the options available for me, I decided to put in an order. It was very easy to do this. Click on the menu to choose your meal and then choose the time you want the meal to be ready. Fill in your details and then wait for the confirmation SMS.

The 2 restaurants which showed up in our area were a pizzeria and a Thai restaurant. I am a cheese-phobic so we went for Thai food at One Thai. Hubby and I decided to pick-up our meal at the confirmed time of 18.30, (i.e. 6.30pm). However, when we got there, our meal was not ready. The restaurant staff had misread the time and thought it was at 8.30pm (i.e. 20.30). We waited for another 15 minutes till they made up the meal. Good thing we decided to go pick-up our meal because if we had been waiting for delivery, we would have been waiting for a long time!

We ordered duck red curry and sweet and chilli fish.

I was slightly disappointed with my Menulog experience although it was not their fault. I blame it on the One Thai staff member who cannot read the time properly in 24-hour digital format!

Would I use Menulog again?

Even though, my first experience with Menulog didn't turn out as planned, I would use it again because I enjoyed browsing through all the restaurants and reviews. Plus, with the reward points scheme, it is an added incentive. Next time, I would like to try the delivery experience and see how that goes. If I do, I shall definitely review my next experience here.

Have you tried Menulog before? Well, now is the perfect time to do so because I have a special Menulog offer just for my readers.

Go to www.menulog.com.au and get $10 off your first order with this code at checkout: 987C33

Details: Available for a user’s first order only, at participating restaurants only (which display the “accepts vouchers”) sign, expires Dec. 31, 2011, min order $20.

I Am Still Alive

2010-10-21T16:39:00.001+11:00

Extreme apologies for the few readers I have on this blog.

I will be back shortly...promise =)

Birthday Party Food Porn

2010-03-20T23:14:00.000+11:00

I arrived in Melbourne last week and was already invited to a birthday party that night. The birthday party of my boyfriend's 3-year-old niece, Sarah. There was plenty of child-friendly food - birthday cake, fish balls, crabmeat balls, skewered fruit kebabs, chicken pie, char siu pastries, pandan cake and jellies.

Turns out Sarah's mum, my boyfriend's sister-in-law made the birthday and pandan cakes!! They tasted amazing and looked like shop-bought cakes! Apparently, when she got married, she did not have a clue how to cook...but a few years later, she has become a domestic goddess!!! In some ways, this has inspired me to try and become a domestic goddess too. I want to be able to bake my children's birthday cakes one day! I tried to make fail-proof chocolate chip cookies but it was an epic fail - link here => Domestic Goddess Project #1. But I am determined not to give up...and one day, WHEN I succeed, I will post up my photos here because it will be food porn!! LOL

Three Course Food Porn #1

2010-03-13T12:22:00.003+11:00

Sometimes, food blogs contain too many words when all you want to do is look at the photos. So without further ado, I give you Three Course Food Porn #1.

Starter

Korean spicy eel

Main Course

Bimbimbap (stone pot rice with meat, vegetables and egg)

Dessert

Devil's Delight - chocolate pancakes covered in strawberries, cream and ice-cream topped with chocolate sauce

Food Porn Factor - please rate it and leave a comment

Instant Congee

2010-03-12T16:21:00.000+11:00

From all my posts so far, it's easy to assume that I never eat at home. But I do.

Eating at home is cheaper than eating out, but cooking for one is not easy, plus I am not exactly a great cook.

Easy solution : instant congee.

Congee is a Chinese savoury rice porridge commonly eaten for breakfast and when you're sick.

Yep, just add hot water and 3 minutes later, instant chicken congee!

This was my first time trying instant congee and to be honest, it wasn't bad. Healthier than instant noodles, I hope.

Food Porn Factor : 4.5 out of 10 - tastier than it looks but that's probably because of the MSG

Yum Cha At East Ocean

2010-03-11T12:37:00.001+11:00

I was so confused. Being a Scottish Asian, I am used to the term "dim sum", but in Australia, this is known as "yum cha". So I wiki'd it and found this :-

"Yum cha" is a dining experience which involves drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum dishes. "Yum cha" is Cantonese which literally means "drink tea". In the US and UK, the phrase "dim sum" is often used in place of yum cha; in Cantonese, "dim sum" refers to the wide range of small dishes, whereas yum cha, or "drinking tea", refers to the entire dining experience.

Confused much?

Yeah, who cares? Let's eat! Yum cha at East Ocean.

Trolleys go round the restaurant - just like Hong Kong! Weird! I am used to ticking the boxes on a leaflet! The 3 of us just went crazy and ordered random dishes - har gao dumplings, siew mai, XO long beans, congee, pork ribs, etc.

However, my Chinese palate told me that the dim sum was not all that great. Too much MSG and grease!!!

But the company was excellent. I was making my dining companions laugh with my stories about breastmilk!! Breastmilk? Yes, breastmilk! Share with you another time. Stay tuned. LOL

Tempted By Cupcake Porn

2010-03-10T10:00:00.002+11:00

I was shopping with two girl friends, Janet and Lydia, and we walked slowly past Cupcakes On Pitt. The window display of supersized cupcakes was so enticing.

I wonder if the supersized cupcakes are edible or plastic?

But for A$2.50 per cupcake, it was a tad expensive for two students and an unemployed bum (that's me, btw!)...but Miss JJ was extremely generous and treated us to a cupcake each. Thank you!

The selection of cupcakes is vast but eventually, I chose the Cookies & Cream Cupcake. Why? It's the Chinese blood in me screaming out - "Get your money's worth!" Not only do I get cake, but I also get a cookie! I am a diet's worst enemy! LOL

The chocolate cake was excellent in taste and texture. Freshly baked, soft, light and not too sweet. The cream frosting complemented the cake perfectly.

Food Porn Factor : 10 out of 10 - expensive for a little cupcake but worth it!

Crumpet Cafe At Coogee

2010-03-09T13:59:00.002+11:00

What should you do on a Sunday afternoon after a long lie-in? Go for brunch!
Where should you go to on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon? Go to the beach!
What do you get when you combine the both together in Sydney? Brunch at Coogee beach!

There are countless beaches in Sydney. The choice is endless!

Bondi beach is a tourist hotspot. This means that it is packed to the max and restaurant prices are hiked up and there's plenty of those tourist shops flogging those tacky tourist goodies! I was once a tourist, but now consider myself as an Aussie wannabe! Lol! Traitor to my Scottish roots. Sigh.

Whereas Coogee beach is just as beautiful and more peaceful...

Anyway, enough chit chat. Here's some food porn - crumpets topped with scrambled eggs, spinach, sundried tomato and ricotta cheese on the side.

I asked for the ricotta cheese to be put on the side because I am a cheese-phobic! Cheese smells and tastes like "cow"! On rare occasions, I will eat pizza and regret it afterwards. LOL!

Anyway, the scrambled egg was light and fluffy and buttery. It was also not overly seasoned, because being the fussy eater, I dislike salt in my food. I prefer pepper - white pepper, black pepper or any kind of spice. Just not salt.

"Pass me the pepper, pretty please..."

Food Porn Factor : 7 out of 10 - it was a bit boring halfway into my meal...

Sushi Porn At Sushi Rio

2010-03-07T13:35:00.001+11:00

There are limited places to eat sushi in Glasgow. In my opinion, the best sushi place in Glasgow is in a Korean restaurant called Kokuryo.

I was delighted when I landed in Sydney because there are loads of Asian restaurants everywhere - Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and even, Laotian.

Sushi Rio is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants in Sydney. They do platters of sushi, ideal for sharing with a group of friends.

Pieces of fresh, succulent fish. A wide assortment - salmon, tuna, oyster, unagi (eel), california rolls, nigri.

You can also order individual dishes a la carte or sit at the conveyor belt and pick whatever you fancy.

During lunch hours, all the plates of sushi at the conveyor belt is A$3 each (does not include sashimi).

I love eating sushi with a thick paste of 3/4 wasabi and 1/4 soy sauce. How do you like yours?

Food Porn Factor : 9.5 out of 10 - platters provide good value for money

Warning : The toilet is miles away so do not go mid-feast because when you return, there will be no sushi left!

Midnight Snack At Harry's Cafe De Wheels

2010-03-06T16:39:00.005+11:00

The only time I eat hot dogs are at BBQ's and to my knowledge, the only place in Glasgow which sells hot dogs is Costco, an American megastore - and even when I went there for food, I never ordered a hot dog, because they served amazing baked potatoes.

Anyway, the friends I met in Sydney were huge foodies too, but only Mr Pistol was a Sydney-sider. This meant that I trusted him most about which places to visit and more importantly, which places to dine at.

High on his recommended list was hot dogs at Harry's Cafe De Wheels.

They also sell pies.

Being a fan of pies, I had the house special Harry's "Tiger" - which incidentally is named after the founder Harry 'Tiger' Edwards - (I was thinking of Tiger Woods LOL) - chunky lean beef pie served with mushy peas, mash and gravy. And guess what? I don't have a photo of it. Sorry. But it was lovely and meaty with a thick gravy, which was slighty salty. The pastry case was a letdown though.

Anyway, here's a photo of me holding onto a classic hot dog. I say "holding onto" because I was just posing with the hot dog which went into Mr Pistol's belly.

I did try the classic hot dog on another occasion. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. I prefer hotdog sausages burnt at the BBQ and not boiled.

I also shared a chilli dog with my sister who paid me a visit in Oz. I detest cheese and the cheesy sauce in the chilli dog nearly killed me! LOL!

Food Porn Factor : 6.5 out of 10 - Give me Greggs sausage rolls any day!

Lowenbrau Keller - Achtung Baby!

2010-03-05T23:03:00.007+11:00

Achtung Baby! This was the title of a U2 album but did you know what it means? It means, "Attention Baby!" in good old German.

I studied German in school and I was told I had a natural talent for it. Now, years later, I remember jack! LOL!

I have yet to visit Germany, but I had a taste of German food in Sydney at The Lowenbrau Keller. The menu offers a wide range of meals - from schnitzels to wurst to pork belly - and plenty of beer!!

I have been there twice already and tried the following dishes :-

Schweinschaxn - oven roasted pork knuckle with sauerkraut and mashed potato
Unfortunately, it looks better than it tasted. Everyone who tried it complained about the dryness of the meat. It was just too overcooked with no retention of the moisture resulting in hard, dry meat. Tastewise, I remember someone complaining that it was too salty. The mashed potato was good though with a smooth texture and nice buttery taste. As for the sauerkraut, let's just say that it is an acquired taste.

Knuspriger Schweinebauch - crackling roast pork belly with Lowenbrau Bier sauce, sauteed potatoes and red cabbage
The pork belly crackling was quite tasty, but it was such a meagre portion for the price you pay ~A$35. I am also a carb-lover, so I did not think there was enough potatoes to balance out the acidic taste from the red cabbage.

And my two guy friends - Mr Pistol and Mr Egg - ordered the Schlachtplatte - sausages, chicken schnitzel, pork belly served with mash potato and sauerkraut to share. Two big lads like them even struggled to finish that meat platter. Good choice for anyone on the Atkin's Diet.

Personally, I like to have some banter with my friends while dining but this was impossible due to the sheer racket caused by the German band consisting of 4-5 oldies dressed in some German folks uniform.

And when they did stop for a break (thank GOD!), they played games - e.g. drinking beer competition and singing and dancing competition - which kept the crowd amused.

I am leaving Sydney next week to move to Melbourne where my boyfriend stays. I am trying to eat at all the nice eateries before I leave and Lowenbrau is not one of them, I'm afraid. Nevertheless, it's a place to take your friends if they are visiting you from overseas, i.e. tourist attraction.

(Tip for any tourists : there's always some coupon for free beer at this place in those tourist booklets when you buy a meal)

Food Porn Factor : 6.5 out of 10 - my Mum makes better roast pork belly crackling!

My Salty Encounter With Ryo's Noodles

2010-03-04T11:18:00.002+11:00

My Sydneysider friend Mr Pistol ranted and raved about this amazing ramen place called Ryo's Noodles.

We went on a weeknight but it was packed to the max and we had to wait outside for 20 minutes till we managed to get a table for 5.

Two of my friends - Mr Egg and Miss JJ - and I ordered the ramen noodles in chilli pork stock soup

My other two friends - Mr Pistol and Miss Tex - ordered the ramen noodles in pork stock soup

Was it worth it to go all the way to Crow's Nest and then wait 20 minutes for a table? NO!

The ramen itself was good with a nicy springy and chewy texture, but the soup base was bad. The soup was thick with chilli oil and extremely salty. My lips were covered in this gooey oily mess when I was eating it and I spent the rest of the night drinking water to try and quench my thirst after the salty encounter.

We also ordered gyoza dumplings to share. They taste better than they look!

Food Porn Factor : 6 out of 10 - not happy with the heart attack-inducing salt and oil combo!

Ryo's Noodles

125 Falcon Street

North Sydney

NSW 2065

‎(02)9955 0225

Sydney Fish Market - Pescetarians FTW!

2010-03-03T10:51:00.003+11:00

I was on a pescetarian diet for 1.5 years of my life. What's that you ask? Well, a pescetarian diet consists of all kinds of seafood and fruit and vegetables, but no meat nor poultry.

Now I am considering a return to this pescetarian diet because of Sydney Fish Market. This place is packed full of fresh seafood - salmon, oysters, mussels, lobsters, you name it, they got it!

My companion and I shared tuna and salmon sashimi which was fresh and more-ish, i.e. the more you eat, the more you want!

I ordered this fisherman's basket which consisted of battered seafood stick, battered fish bites, calamari rings, fried squid on a bed of fries.

One word : SOGGY! I was bitterly disappointed.

But with so many amazing and appetising seafood to offer in the many stalls, I was already planning my next visit to the Fish Market - another story which I will share with you on a later date.

Food Porn Factor : 7 out of 10 - sashimi yes, soggy no!

Sydney Fish Market
Pyrmont Bridge Road
Pyrmont
NSW 2009
(02)9004 1100

Bourke Street Bakery Has Liquid Gold

2010-03-02T19:49:00.003+11:00

When I first tried the mocha in Bourke Street Bakery, I did not pay much attention to it. It was lovely and warming with a subtle nutty taste...but then, I started craving it a few days later! I just could not stop dreaming about the rich aroma of chocolate, coffee and nuts! I order the mocha every time I go there and when I drink it, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It is the best coffee I have ever drank; it is indeed liquid gold!!!

Bourke Street Bakery's Mocha aka Liquid Gold

And the baked goodies are also delicious too. I have tried numerous items on the menu and here are my favourites.

#1 - Carrot Cake

I was never a fan of carrot cake until I tried this baby! Surprisingly more filling than it looks. Lovely nutty texture with a hint of sweetness complemented perfectly with the light fluffy cream filling.

#2 - Strawberry & Vanilla Brulee Tart

Crunchy burnt sugar topping with a tasty custard filling encased in a light biscuit basket. I also tried the ginger brulee tart but I did not like it as much as it was far too sweet for my liking.

#3 - Pain Au Chocolat

Mmm...flaky pastry filled with chocolate!

#4 - Chicken Pie

Hot chicken pie filled with chunky bits of chicken and vegetables in a lovely thick sauce.

#5 - Lemon Curd Tart

This tart has the right balance of sweetness from the sugar and the sourness from the lemon curd. It almost has a cooling effect from eating it with a fresh aftertaste.

Bourke Street Bakery is a small hidden corner shop in Surry Hills with limited seating areas. However, there is a park across the road which is a great place to chill and eat these delightful goodies.

I also noticed that there is a Bourke Street Bakery Book for anyone who is interested in trying to replicate these baked delights. Not me though. I was born to eat, not to bake! LOL

Food Porn Factor : 9 out of 10 - where else can you get liquid gold?

Bourke Street Bakery Surry Hills

633 Bourke Street
Surry Hills
NSW 2010

(02) 9699 1011‎

The Maling Room - Where It All Started...

2010-03-01T12:00:00.008+11:00

I was down in Melbourne visiting my boyfriend, Mr Dorky, when one of his friends, Miss Zoo, invited me out for lunch on a Friday afternoon. This was my third time meeting her, but this time, we were alone without our other halves, which gave us a chance to get to know one another.

We talked about her forthcoming wedding in April and then we talked about my aspirations to be a writer and I told her about my website which I was about to launch.

When our food arrived, I whipped out my pink Sony camera and proceeded to take pictures of the wonderful feast. Miss Zoo asked me what I did with these food photos and I said that it was just to post up on Facebook. She then said that I should start a food blog, but I shrugged off the idea because I didn't think I had the photography skills.

However, I thought more and more about it. I love blogging. I love food. So here I am, giving food blogging a try!

Without further ado, feast your eyes on this breakfast food porn at The Maling Room!

Miss Zoo ordered scrambled eggs with vintage cheddar and mushrooms topped with truffle oil

And I ordered bacon, fried eggs and spinach

Not only was the presentation beautifully executed but the food was delicious and extremely filling. It's not your usual greasy spoon affair and this was reflected in the prices - which is a bit hefty for an unemployed bum like me. LOL!

Food Porn Factor : 10 out of 10 - since it was this place which triggered the idea of this food blog!

The Maling Room

206 Canterbury Rd

Canterbury

VIC 3126

(03) 9836 9889

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