Nobu

For coffee & dessert...

Green tea trifle mousse, vanilla brulee, almond & coconut meringue, milk chocolate ice cream, lime & vanilla foam

Tofu cheesecake, green tea crumble, berry compote

Mochi - Japanese handmade rice cakes - in green tea, strawberry & azuki bean flavours

- T

"Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first."  ~Ernestine Ulmer

Maze by Gordon Ramsay

The foul-mouthed chef's first Australian restaurant...

We had the 7 course degustation menu

I am obsessed with good bread. Served here with sea salt and seaweed butter.

Marinated beetroot with goats curd, Cabernet Sauvignon vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts

 Seared yellow fin tuna, white radish, yuzu, enoki mushrooms, black garlic 

Applewood smoked kingfish, fennel purée, pickled celery, globe artichoke, finger limes

Pan seared scallop, caramelised kelp, samphire, mussels, Champagne foam

Roasted quail, black olive caramel

 Pan roasted barramundi, butternut squash, compressed cucumber, pumpkin seeds

 Lamb cannon and shoulder, cauliflower purée, anchovy, stinging nettles

 Exotic fruit vacherin, passion fruit and banana sorbet

 Maze “lamington”, rosella jam

Petit fours - Bite-sized balls of strawberry ice cream dipped in creamy white chocolate!

 Complimentary Maze after-dinner sweets to take home

Love,

T x

"Great restaurants are, of course, nothing but mouth-brothels.  There is no point in going to them if one intends to keep one's belt buckled."  ~Frederic Raphael

Dainty Sichuan

Known for extremely spicy (and yummy) food...

Left: Spicy, sour salad Right: Cucumber in sesame oil and garlic (served cold)

Clear glass noodles stir fried with minced beef, chilli, spring onions - my fave!

Spicy fish paste egg plant

The only other dish with no chilli - stir fried chicken with mushroom, onions & veg

Spicy crab

Spicy lamb

Hutong Dumpling Bar

I've been wanting to blog about this fabulous dumpling place for awhile now.

I admit, when I first entered what looked like a clean, upmarket restaurant and was promptly greeted by a friendly smile, I immediately regretted making a booking.

A real, authentic dumpling place should be dirty, run-down and have atrocious service...

 ...or so I thought.

 The customary fresh ginger in soy.

Vegetarian dumplings.

Xiu Long Bao (soup dumpling) is what the restaurant is most famous for. SO YUMMY!

I originally thought that soup was somehow delicately piped into a pre-made Xiu Long Bao, but I have actually been told that solid meat gelatin is instead wrapped inside the dumpling and melts into soup during the steaming process.

Pork dumplings.

Mapo Tofu - A chinese dish from the Szechuan province. Tofu cooked in a spicy chilli and bean sauce with minced pork and spring onions.

Claypot style eggplant and scallops.

Fried long beans with salted pork bits - my second favourite to the Xiu Long Bao!

Spicy salt and pepper chicken ribs.

We are already making plans to return for their Peking Duck - a dish we couldn't help noticing other tables order. Oh, and despite what I've read online - service was polite and efficient. I had no complaints whatsoever.

Hutong Dumpling Bar is part of the boutique Cullen Hotel on 162 Commercial Road, Prahran. The venue is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and bookings are recommended.

Cheers x

"When it comes to Chinese food, I have always operated under the policy that the less known about the preparation the better." ~Calvin Trillin

A weekend in Malaysia...

As I am about to write this post, I think about the moments just before the plane lands in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and the standard inflight video that Malaysia Airlines plays for first-time visitors to the country.

In the video, TV presenter Asha Gill gives viewers a snapshot of what to expect of their time in Malaysia, and proclaims that "food is the centre of our universe."

She wasn't kidding.

This is not even half of the local delicacies I had the opportunity to eat and photograph during my short visit home.

Oyster omelette topped with coriander, served with a chilli dipping sauce.

Pork ribs cooked in a Marmite marinade.

Pippies cooked in soy, garlic and curry leaf, served on a bed of lettuce.

Stir fried baby kai-lan (chinese broccoli) with garlic.

Deep fried fish with a light soy sauce, topped with ginger and coriander. My favourite!

Spinach tofu and chinese mushrooms.

Bak Kut Teh (literally translates to meat bone tea) - pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs for hours, served with a variety of mushrooms and tofu puffs. Also eaten with the chinese version of savoury doughnuts - yummy!

Rice noodles in a coconut broth, fried fish head, ginger, spring onions and salted vegetables.

Rice noodles in a clear pork broth with pork balls, kai lan, and garnished with fried garlic.

A traditional Malay spread - taken from the wedding reception dinner I attended. All dishes served with Biryani rice.

These are the things that dreams are made of!

-Trish

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet."  ~Fran Lebowitz

Las Chicas... again

I realise I only blogged about my local breakfast joint Las Chicas four weeks ago, but I still clearly can't get enough as evidenced below...

Yes, it's a bagel... again. The infamous BBB (Bikini Blowout Benedict) - two poached eggs on a sesame seed bagel with grilled bacon, avocado and hollandaise sauce.

This was a slightly different take to the regular omelette where all the ingredients are mixed in together. Instead, it arrived as a fried egg with cheese, served with roasted tomato, ham and rocket lettuce. This was very average - would not order again.

More details about Las Chicas can be found in my original blog post.

Cheers x

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." ~John Gunther

Important Message

I know that I am not alone in my love for animals.

Please sign a petition to help stop plans to build an animal testing laboratory in Malaysia and pass on to your friends.

Thank you.

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." ~ Immanual Kant