Blogging Break

I am taking a little break from blogging till 6th of June. It is time for me to start preparing for my so called professional paper in full steam. Unfortunately, there are only so many hours in the day so I need to leave this lovely blog aside (for a short while). So till then CHEERS!

Love,
Citygal

The Dip, Goodgod, Sydney

The Dip is named after the substance that kills cartoons in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but its effect on humans is pretty awesome. Run by Levins, (DJ and Weber-blitzing ace) and Bianca Khalil (sandwichface.com), this canteen inside Goodgod inspires "I'm so glad this exists" gratitude.

The golden-brown, addictive fries are piled with fresh salsa (the jumble of tomato is such a great enabler of eating more chips), the Double Bean Nachos ($14) is a fine napkin-messing mass of smoky, earthy pinto and black beans, shot through with salsa, spicy chipotle and tangy lime cream. One bite into the Southern Smoke ($12) sandwich, which is loaded with 12-hour-smoked pulled pork and apple/cabbage slaw, Will made a face that can only be translated via exclamation marks. And choosing between the Ice Cold Guac ($10) and the Cookies & Cream ($10) is like the dessert equivalent of Betty vs Veronica or Brooke vs Taylor. The for and against arguments will continue for ages, although the fact the salted caramel ice cream sandwich will now be sprinkled with crunchy toffee shards probably means it will narrowly out-ace the avocado ice cream and strawberry-mint salsa with waffle chips.

This is the first time I've mentioned an eatery on the blog where I am friends with the people behind it (and declaration: I had two complimentary mini ice-cream sambos at the launch!), but I would still love The Dip even if we were strangers. I think the fact that this place happened to be packed on a bitterly cold Wednesday night the first Wed! nesday s ince it opened and the vibe rated pretty highly on the "how good is this place?" scale, I think that says a lot. Plus, it's so reasonably priced and it's fast food with heart and wit (inspired by everything from Vietnamese avocado smoothies to Ron Swanson). Take a spin, do The Dip.

The Dip at Goodgod, 55 Liverpool Street, Sydney NSW thedip.com.au

Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini

I know you all love a good quinoa salad. And, my apologies, it has been a while since one was featured here. I've been waiting for just the right one to come my way. And here it is :) It was a quirky mix of green onions, dill, sesame, lemon and currants that caught my attention in this version from Maria Speck's new book. Crumbled feta lends a bit of saltiness to play off the sweetness of the currants, and shredded zucchini brings a moistness that can be missing in some grain-based salads. All around, really tasty.

This is one of those recipes that comes together in far less time than you'd think. Quinoa cooks up rather quickly, and I prepped the rest of the ingredients while it was simmering away. It's great as a side, or topped with a fried egg - pictured just above. And I'm imagining it being one of those easy-going summer salads that I can prep in advance and not worry about serving hot. I made quinoa patties with the leftovers, and left notes about how to do that in the head notes down below.

I should also note that I made a few tweaks to Maria's original recipe based on personal preference. For example, I scaled back on the currants a bit. But as Maria mentions, this is the sort of salad that is endlessly adaptable based on what you like. Play around with nuts in place of the seeds, and different fresh herbs in place of the dill. But if you can stand it, try it this way at least once, it's a really fresh combination of ingredients that you might not put together otherwise.

Continue reading Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini...

Brussels Beer Cafe @ Ampang Road, Kuala Lumpur

It was a quiet night at Brussels Ampang and business was rather slow. It would be a better decision to dine at other Brussels outlets for fresher food. The rule of thumb to patronise a shop with good crowd can never be wrong. Anyway the beer was fresh.

STELLA ARTOIS DRAUGHT (abv 5.2%)

Stella Artois is Belgium's best known lager made in Leuven.The history of the beer can be traced back to at least 1366. Stella Artois is brewed with the finest barley and hops.

BRUSSELS' HOUSE SALAD

Garden greens with grilled prawns, capsicum, chicken, olives sun dried tomatoes tossed in balsamic dressing

GRILLED BABY BEEF RIBS
Simple marinated juicy premium beef ribs grilled to perfection

PRAWN BISQUES A rich and flavorful soup made slowly simmered with tiger prawns, carrot, onion, celery, tomatoes and finished with a touch of cream and sherry vinegar

BRUSSELS' STYLE PORK BACON CHEESE BURGER

Brussels' style homemade pork patties with bacon strips an! d top wi th melted cheese and frites.

TRILOGY OF SEAFOOD

Oyster - Drizzled with white wine cream sauce topped with cheese and baked to perfection

Prawn - Stir fried tiger prawn scented with cilantro, mint and paprika (the prawns were not fresh should not have been served us in the first place (: )

Scallop - Pan seared scallop with brown butter and drizzle with balsamico reduction and tomato salsa

AUSSIE RIBEYE STEAK

250 gm pan-roasted ribeye of beef, serve with herb infused potatoes, mini ceasar salad, belini flavored tomato salsa and truffle scented Mushroom Sauce

Brussels Beer Caf, Ampang

No.4 & 6 Jalan 1/67B,
Off Jalan Mengkudu Ampang
54540 Kuala Lumpur
Tel : 03 4251 2888
Fax: 03 - 4260 4888

Coordinate:
N03 09.469 E101 44.854

Four Seas

Less than one year after opening, Four Seas has completely overhauled its concept and menu, transforming from a seafood restaurant into a Chinese one.

Earlier entries on the original Four Seas: August 4, 2010; August 6 & August 27.

One result of the revamp is that Four Seas is no longer pork-free, so customers can now savor sumptuous non-halal favorites such as pork neck "koo loh yoke."

Pork belly in Marmite honey sauce. Irresistibly crisp, with sweet-savory notes.

Wuxi-style braised pork ribs. Heart-stoppingly succulent.

Seafood remains ! availabl e, of course, in Chinese recipes such as "sang har meen." Beware though: this isn't the version that's beloved at outlets in Imbi and SS2. Not bad, nevertheless, with delicate strands of yee mee that soaked up the prawny pungency, though the crustaceans themselves would be better if they held some roe.

Sri Lankan crabs, plucked live from the aquarium and braised with salted egg yolk. Pretty pricey at over RM100 per kilo. But the reality is, we'd be hard-pressed to find fleshier, more flavorsome crustaceans elsewhere in Bangsar. Perfectly prepared.

Monumentally juicy duck meat, endowed with a rich smokiness that lingers on the tongue. Not exactly traditional Chinese, but why nitpick, right?

Claypot chicken. This combination of tender braised chicken, fragrant coconut gravy & hearty chunks of warm, soft yam is a match made in culinary heaven.

Fried rice with Chinese sausages, prawns & tobiko. Sounded interesting on the menu, but tasted rather forgettable, with not much 'wok hei.'

Chilled fruit jellies make for an excellent ending _ an unusually aromatic dessert , perfumed with bits of barley, lemongrass, mint leaves & water chestnuts for a fun interplay of tastes and textures.

Cocktails in a Chinese restaurant? Coolness! Four Seas Orgasm (baileys, amaretto, kahlua, milk) & Lychee Martini (vodka, lime, lychee liquor).

Eyespy Cabernet Merlot (Australia), available by the glass.

A crisp French Hugel Riesling, the perfect partner for much of the food.

Service is exemplary and the setting is as lovely as ever (but not lively).

Four Seas,

Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Seoul Highlights

Oh Hi, Im back from the land of hot guys spicy kimchi. For now, some pics to sum up the entire trip as I forsee I would need many many days to compile everything and put it up. You know, post holiday blues, brain aint working efficiently. Haha

PS: Not so much about the looks, but more of their attire. :X Ok la theyre notexceptionallygood looking except for 1 Thai guy we saw in the airport, and 1 who works in a sewing store. Generally they just have better beauty genes

Ok random pics start now!

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Ok Thats it for now, more in the next few days.

tour