Cheese Toasties And Hi

Cheese toastie(no need for fancy names like croque monsieur).is a simple and quick-to-do cheese and bread sandwich, either toasted or fried.

Hi it's Monday and nothing I cooked over the weekend is interesting enough to tell you about. No. Wait. The stewed soy sauce porkcame out better than--a bright blue kingfisher just knocked on my window, and it's 11:41 am, a bit late for calls. They usually come around 9 am--I've ever cooked ever it before. Even Hub said so when Wey shook his head in exaggerated praise. Check here for the revised versionofmy soy sauce pork. Where were we.

Oh yes, I told you I've nothing to blog about today so this is an excuse to say hi to all readers who check in daily. It still thrills me when readers write to tell me what they've cooked from this blog and how their families enjoy their meals. Cooking at home is without doubt cheaper than eating out (leave that for weekends and special occasions) and definitely tons more hygienic, especially in this part of the world. I know it's a lot of effort for those in big cities with what seems like 12 hours instead of 24 but if you have kids especially, get into the kitchen and cook! Even the simplest meals can be more nutritious than the economy dinners in restaurants that are only cheap because the cheapest ingredients are used. Just check out the oil they use.

My kids aren't hot about cheese toasties probably because that's mostly what they had to eat (and instant noodles, but they never got tired of that) while growing up but every time I eat a cheese toastie, I am surprised again at how delicious it is and I can't unde! rstand h ow anyone can get tired of it. So yes, this morning's breakfast was cheese toasties, (or for those who prefer, "grilled cheese sandwich") which everyone knows how to make. Come on you do. It's just melty cheese in the middle (I don't butter) toasted-fried in a frying pan with a bit of melted butter until crispy and golden on both sides (flip once only). If my thighs feel extra heavy, I just toast the toasties open (cheese on top of one slice of bread) under the oven grill. Get gooey cheeses like Gruyere, mozzarella, Gouda, provolone, Emmental, cheddar...so many. Choose the cheese for not just their meltability but also for their taste. I like all those cheeses that I mentioned but not Emmental so yes, be selective. What I used this morning was a combination of aged cheddar and mozzarella, grated coarsely because they came in blocks but slices are handier. Ifyou like some variation, slap on a slice of ham or crispy bacon. For lunch, grilled tomatoes or pineapple or peppers make good sides for the toasties. Yum.


Tilda vintage cheddar, very tasty. You can get it in 800 gm blocks with a wax covering, from Vic Mart in Melbourne. It's aged, but not too much, and still smooth and not too crumbly or sharp.

That's all for this Monday. I've said hi, now's your turn.

Superhero Squad Cake

Hello there, if youve noticed anything different or whatehver youve came to the right place, yes its still thesweetspot.com.my ,just the theme and UI has changed a little so there maybe a little bit hick ups here n there, but for now I think its okay.

So, Superhero. What would you think of ? All the superheroes in the damn world right. Imagine them all fighting on a cake, or well, LOOKS as if theyre fighting! Haha This cake was quite a challenge cause most of the cakes Ive done are for young girls more than boys. So out with the pink, girly, princessy stuffs, in with rustic, rough and masculine colours and design. And when its such a big cake like this, it makes you think for a while.

Im very used to covering round cakes and the edges are not as precise as square cakes. To be honest, square cakes with sharp edges eeeks the hell out of me. It most likely will tear the fondant if youre not careful! So I was quite worried at first with these buildings. OF course its nothing compared to THIS done by Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes (where I took the inspiration from) the width of the cake board is 20 and thus u can imagine the size of it. The tallest building is at about 8 high but because Faris and Faizs party has more that enough food for the guests, this whole the bottom 3 of te cake are foams. Dummy foams are great, they make your cake look bigger and more fantastic without too much wastage of cake. Some may think otherwise. Of course having real cake is best but wastage is no good either. Lets settle with half and half ok!

So what I did was I roll and cut the individual walls with fondant + gumtex (think like how you would build a gingerbread house) for all the buildings 2 days ahead, then just stick it on the frosted cake. The drier it is, the better cause it wouldnt collapse down vertically, but you dont want it to be too dry otherwise its hard to cut through into the cake.

Of course, its also about getting the brick wall textures to make it more realistic and I used some edible dust to colour the walls to make it look rustic. Airbrushing would be uber fantastic but I dont have an airbrush machine just yet. So I shall settle with dust painting haha.

All these little details make alot of different. The picture above is a WIP picture I took with my webcam. There were just fondant walls and some windoes and a dustbin. Add some grass, dust, colour, texture and tadah you have a pretty awesome cake.

Right, the figurines arent fondant. I suck at making figurines. Thank god for miniature toys. !!

Ok so. whats next?

feedback

Review: Baba Low's 486 Bangsar

I've been reading about this little Nyonya place sometime back but never got a chance to give it a try as it was tucked away in the old housing area of Bangsar. Baba Low's 486 is located in a row of shop houses near Bangsar Heights. Since it's surrounded by houses, there isn't much parking spaces here but most times one can get lucky since most people doesn't park here for long.

Capt'n Hook decided to eat light but somehow he ended up ordering 3 appetisers and of course I took bites of them. The first was Tauhu Sumbat which is basically fried tofu stuffed with cucumber and turnips (sengkuang/jicama) strips drizzled with a sweetish chilly peanut sauce. Baba Low serves a rather plain tasting version with the flavourings only coming from the sauce.



Then there's a Otak-otak served with bread pieces. Kind of a first for us having them with bread. There are 2 largish pieces of cat fish (ikan keli) if not mistaken with bones and all intact. Capt'n Hook who dislikes to eat fish because of bad experience with its bones didn't like the idea of having otak-otak this way. For me, if one has the time to suck on to the meat and bones, then it could be enjoyable.



The popiah is well stuffed with cooked turnips, cucumber strips and sliced omelette. The skin looked homemade to me as it's thickish and not paper thin.



Then my piece de resistance, Nyonya Laksa! It came in a medium sized bowl and looked like a rather small portion but do not be fooled by it's size! The thickish santan (coconut milk) laced soup filled one up rather quickly. Luckily the noodles portion is just nice and has a good number of shredded chicken in it.



I have to order the cendol when Capt'n Hook was on his way for his second bowl. The ice is shaven fine piled over pandan tainted cendol strips and soft kidney beans topped with fragrant gula melaka and coconut milk. I concurred with Capt'n Hook that the cendol here is not too bad at all! The sweetness of the gula melaka is just nice and loved the creaminess of the coconut milk used here.



I've lost the receipt and I can't remember how much we have paid for this meal. The prices are more than coffee shop definitely and it's quite reasonable but I don't mind paying a little more since the restaurant is airy, spacious and quite comfortable, but most importantly the food is not bad to boost.

I was reading The Star and Baba Low's proprietor is from Malacca and is of Baba Nyonya descendant. The family owned an eatery in Malacca and I wonder if it's the one that is named 486 Baba Low?


Baba Low's 486 Bangsar
Lorong Kurau,Bangsar

59100 Kuala Lum! pur
T el: 012-324 7200 / 03-2284 8486
Business hours:7.00am - 7.00pm (Mon-Sat)
Map




I'm submitting this for Muhibbah Malaysian Monday blog event. This event is the brainchild ofShaz (Test With A Skewer) and Suresh (3 Hungry Tummies). Read more here.

Sn @ Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

This recent trip back, I met two friends who unlike me, bit the bullet and said "hey, work is not for me. let's open a place that I can call my own and make it my career."

One of them was the brainchild behind the concept of the milkshake store; Sno orSn as they would prefer.


What they serve is not new, in fact it calls for a reversal in the way we lead life. All this staying healthy and no sweets is getting a bit stale and the feel i get is let's live life to the max and indulge in some calories.


Milkshakes that starts off with an ice cream or yogurt base and you work your way through with candy to blend in and toppings to finish it off.


What make them different or innovative is the introduction of iPads to their ordering system.

Ordering is self service as you run through what you want and what you don't want. With tons of different toppings and blends, it might take a while and I am not sure how effective the 3 iPads will be dealing with a long queue.

When you have friends who are very supportive of their friends (not me in this case), they do the craziest thing and apparently the most expensive milkshake one can buy is RM25.50. Their app desi! gner sho uld definitely fix that and try to create a RM50 option for their supportive fans.

With the pink theme evident from the decor to their cup, it is a colour and a brands that wants to demand attention and it helps when there occasionally hot girls (you got to be lucky to spot them) to serve you your drink.

Located at the Food Court floor of Pavilion.

Verdict: I don't know, why don't you give them a try and tell me instead since what I tasted on my RM25.50 milkshake was essentially peanut butter. A promising concept and hopefully there are plenty of calorie hungry people out there to keep them alive.

Toastina

Love sometimes strikes when least expected. We've never been smitten with salads and sandwiches before, but we're hopelessly devoted to the ones at Toastina now.

A brief introduction: ensconced at the entrance of Sheraton Imperial Hotel's office block, Toastina comprises two outlets in one venue _ a bright, breezy deli that operates between 7am-7pm and a casual, comfy lounge that stays open past midnight.

Toastina's menu is compact, but that makes choosing much easier. For fresh, clean flavors, this mix of fennel, prawns & lime can't be bettered. Fun fact: in medieval times, some believed fennel could ward off witchcraft and devilry.

Basque potatoes & honeyed carrots with pickles & toasted rosemary bread. Not afraid of carbs? This is absolutely ambrosial _ a mushy, baby-food blend of the creamiest potatoes possible and fragrantly nectarous carrots. Who needs meat anyway?

Waldorf salad with crab meat & micro cress. Here's one that packs a protein punch, with heaps of sweet, succulent crab meat. Toastina's salads cost RM12-22; reasonable enough.

Who knew our favorite recipe this year would basically be a hot dog? Take two thick, luscious sausages, then slather them with guacamole & olive tapenade, rest everything on a bed of ripe avocados and sandwich it in soft, fresh bread. The result is some kind of miracle _ comfort food to enslave us eternally. Note: this 500-gram, 38-ringgit behemoth should be shared.

Customers can customize their sandwiches with a nice range of bread (baguettes, ciabatta, focaccia), fillings & toppings. Here's our personal creation, served warm and juicy: charcoal bread stuffed with turkey, cranberry, arugula & brie cheese, topped with jicama salsa.

Alas, not everything is exemplary here. These beef ribs from the bar menu sounded brilliant, coated in a coffee-&-orange glaze. While they were meaty and flavorsome, it's impossible to relish ribs that are only marginally less tough than leather.

Colorful desserts are an attraction too. This Linzer tart proved to be a pleasure, boasting buttery pastry that oozed with rich raspberry jam.

Zurich cookies. Those are pistachio crusts at both ends, right?

Boiled cookies. Sugary treats, laced with coconut, nuts & dried fruits.

Toffee hot chocolate & vanilla honey ice-blended. Excellent.

Wine is available of course, as well as cocktails & hard liquor.

Toastina,

Faber Imperial Court,

Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Carlsberg Bring Grimbergen Premium Beer To Malaysia

Last week I attended an event organized by GAB Malaysia and Brussels Wisma Hap Seng.

They were launching for the new beer in town called Grimbergen.

Grimbergen is a contemporary abbey beer, the outcome of passion and authenticity, whose roots go back to medieval abbey life. The traditional values have been translated into a contemporary context.

With a logo of a golden yellow falcon with the year stated on the label as old as the year 1128, this beer is one of the oldest in history. Grimbergens origins can be traced to 1128 when St. Norbert founded the Abbey of Grimbergen in the village of Grimbergen near Brussels in Belgium. The Abbeys Norbertine Fathers helped those in need, primarily by offering food, drink and shelter to passing pilgrims. The area surrounding the Abbey produced hops and barley of the highest quality over a number of years the Fathers perfected a range of Grimbergen recipes that were eagerly drunk by patrons of the inn attached to the Abbey.

Today, the Norbertine Fathers continue to conduct charitable work in the local community surrounding the Abbey of Grimbergen. They also continue to pay close attention to the manne! r in whi ch Grimbergen is presented to its consumers.

The license to brew and distribute the Grimbergen brand was acquired by The Carlsberg Group as a part of the Scottish and Newcastle acquisition.

The drink also were accompanied by some of great food prepared by Chef Jochen Kern (Director of Cullinary Art of Berjaya School of Hospitality KL). The foods were created with Grimbergen beers infused which goes along very well with the beer.

Baked Mussels with Cheese, bacons and Grimbergen beer infused.

Garlic Breads

Weiner, beef ball, deep fried beer batteredsquid rings and potato fries

My favorite still goes to the pork belly .. A good glass of beer will never go wrong with a piece of SIU YOKE!

Wine Sediments - News and New Products April 2011

Berry Brothers Wine Buyer David Berry Green seems to have taken root in Piedmont; the company is offering the chance for one lucky winner to join him and "experience the life of a wine buyer". Head over to http://www.bbr.com/about/becomeawinebuyer for details of this amazing competition. You will need a video camera...

"The lucky winner of this exclusive competition, along with a friend, will have the chance to see behind-the-scenes of David's day-to-day life as a buyer in this stunning region of Italy. You will shadow him as he visits the vineyards that supply Berry Bros. & Rudd with wine, as well as taste the samples in the cantinas. As well as walking among the vines and tasting some of the region's most acclaimed wines with David, there will also be time for some cultural visits to food producers, a local market and time to explore the beautiful city of Turin."

Another email from a Champagne house urging interest in a new box or metal label? Not this time for Ruinart has just launched a Ruinart Interpretation Giftbox: "an innovative and interactive way to taste and discover Ruinart's cuve, Blanc de Blancs".

The Ruinart Interpretation Giftbox explores the aromatic bouquet of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, revealing the eight contributing aromas of the signature cuve to offer a unique tasting experience. This beautifully crafted set brings to life an initiative that was designed to reveal the secrets of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and to present a sociable format to discover the cuvee wine.

The Ruinart Interpretation Giftbox contains a bottle of Ruinart Blanc de Bl! ancs and eight vials; each containing one of the principal aromas that make up its bouquet (jasmine, lemon, citron, pineapple, peach, pink peppercorn, ginger and cardamom). Thin strips of unscented paper are neatly stored in a small drawer used to help participants play the Interpretation game, guess the beautiful smells found in the individual vials.

The ninth and final vial in the giftbox is the masterpiece collaboration between Frdric Paniotis, Cellar Master for Ruinart and Anne Flipo, the 'nose' from the IFF (International Flavours and Fragrances). The vial contains their aromatic interpretation of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs."

The Ruinart Interpretation will be sold at Harrods and Selfridges and will be available at 85.

This month has also seen the launch of The Hungarian Wine Society (www.hungarianwinesociety.co.uk), who are offering the "most extensive range of Hungarian wines available in the UK".

Two of Hungary's wines are famous the world over. The sweet white Tokaji was named 'King of Wines' by Louis XIV, and 'Bull's Blood' (the red now known as Bikavr) is reputed to have fortified the defenders of Eger against Suleiman the Magnificent. We hope British wine drinkers will be able to name a few more in years to come!

We believe in giving back to the country that produces our wines, and The Hungarian Wine Society will give 10% of its profits to a Hungarian charity chosen by the public. Anyone can nominate a Hungarian charity of their choice through the society's Facebook group (http://tinyurl.com/6b2fao4) or Twitter feed (http://tinyurl.com/4kq9d2u). The person behind the winning nomination will win a mixed case of wine worth 200. The winner and chosen charity will be announced in the first week of May."

Grilled Chicken and Laab, Together. Literally.

We love laab. We love gai yang (grilled chicken). So when our Chiang Mai food-obsessed friend Wilaiwan told us of a place serving a combo of these two dishes there was no doubt that we'd make our way there as soon as opportunity presented itself.

The lanes limbing south off the stretch of Thanon Suthep east of Nimmanhaemin Road were -- are still, really -- the "main streets" for little villages. Few have street signs. Don't worry -- ust tell your taxi, tuk-tuk, or songthaew driver to drop you off on Suthep Road at roongpayabaan suandook (roong-pah-yah-bahn soo-ahn dawk). Opposite the large patch of green is a gray concrete fence anchored by white painted posts. Enter the peaceful lane,

proceed to the stall sporting a yellow sign with not-very-attractive photographs of various dishes and fronted by a green-framed blackboard menu, and prepare to be amazed.

The kichen is humble (it usually is, in these kind of places), but beautifully lit by a skylight.

Magic happens there.

First, in the form of the dish that lured us beyond our adopted neighborhood o! f Gat Lu ang -- is an inspired creation of smoky grilled chicken, roughly minced and mixed with toasted rice, chopped green onions, roasted ground chilies, lime juice and fish sauce. An average Isaan-style laab, basically, but made with grilled bird. Which makes it about ten steps above average.

Perhaps even more intriguing is the restaurant's tom yam gai bak makham, a sour chicken soup floating sliced green onions and sawtooth coriander, grilled red chilies smashed with the side of a cleaver, lemongrass, bone-in chunks of tender chicken, and young tamarind leaves. Sawtooth coriander adds an agressive herbiness that counters the tom yam's ferocious chili heat. And each spoonful packs a double dose of tartness, a sip of limey soup followed by the sourness that leaks from the feathery tamarind leaves as they're chewed.

More reasons to love this place: yam khanaa, a sweet-sour "salad" featuring the stalks and leaves of phak khanaa (aka gailan, or "Chinese broccoli"). We could have gone with a bit less sweet and rather more hot, but the general concept -- one of our favorite vegetables served lightly blanched instead of stir-fried, as it usually is -- is one we can certainly get behind. Especially when it's embellished with sweet fresh shrimp, as this one is.

Thai eateries of this sort don't often offer khong waan (sweets), but both this spot -- and its neighbor, which serves housemade kanom jeen (more on that later) -- offer law chawn, short squat pandan-flavored noodles similar to Malaysia's cendol, but made with rice instead of mung bean flour.

It's a self-serve set-up: bowls of law chawn, taro chunks, and fresh daeng tai (a local cantaloupe) are arranged on a table in front of a vat of palm sugar-sweetened "broth" and a dish of coconut cream. Choose your "soup" ingredients, add broth and a drizzle of coconut cream, and top with ice.

Immensely refreshing, even in this abnormally cool hot season.

Tom yam gai bai makham (the tamarind leaves are a seasonal item but tom yam gai is always on the menu), laab gai yang, and more. Lane off of Thanon Suthep opposite roongpayabaan suan dook. Look for the yellow sign with photographs of dishes -- it will be on your right. Daytime -- opens around 930am, stays open till at least 6 or so.