Sardine Sandwich

Sardine Sandwich

Last week, my dear husband asked me to make

and as usual....I was lazy to make it for him and

yesterday he brought it up again and I have no

choice but to make it for him for this morning's breakfast.

1/2 can of sardine in tomato sauce.

2 pieces of lime.

White or wholemeal bread...choice is yours.

Slices of cucumber or tomato.

Cut the lime into half and squeeze the lime juice into

the sardine and mash the sardine with fork.

(Remember to take out the lime seed)

Some like to put in cut chilli and cut onion.....my husband and I do not like it,

we prefer THE original taste of the sardine.....again, choice is yours.

Place some slices of cut tomato on top of the bread and

spread another piece of bread with the sardine.

Fold both bread and cut diagnostically and serve.

I can see my husband face lighted up upon seeing the

sardine sandwich.

;)

Les Deux Garcons @ Desa Business Park, Kuala Lumpur

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Villa Danieli

The future belongs to the young: Villa Danieli recently welcomed a 24-year-old head chef from Turin to help shake things up a little.

It's always a joy to step back into this inimitably charming eatery; this was KL's first Italian outlet that I truly fell in love with, probably eight years ago.

Amuse bouche of chicken with cauliflower mousse.

Asparagus risotto with demi glace reduction. Perfectly firm rice, with a rich taste and an almost nutty texture. Might have worked even better with some scallops on top.

Herb-scented potato gnocchi with seasonal veggies. Based on these few savory recipes, the new chef _ Simone La Gamba _ favors authoritatively aromatic flavors that really stand out but might become a bit overwhelming after awhile.

Desserts have long been Villa Danieli's forte, and the current offerings maintain that tradition. This chocolate & peanut butter semifreddo with berries compote was creamy and dreamy.

Classic tiramisu. One of KL's finest non-alcoholic versions _ moist but not mushy, with a complex sweetness that proved intoxicating in its own right.

Things got even better with these two other tiramisus: Barolo wine-poached pear & caramel-walnut. Customers should slowly and lovingly savor both of these, allowing the blend of beautiful flavors to reveal themselves and percolate on the tongue.

A wine tasting flight: Semillon Chardonnay, Lindermans Premier Selection, Australia; Chardonnay, Penfolds Koonunga Hill, Australia; Sauvignon Blanc, Villa Maria Private Bin, Marlborough, New Zealand.

Previous entry on! Villa D anieli: Oct. 12, 2009.

Villa Danieli,

Sheraton Imperial Hotel,

Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.

Ottolenghi Roast Chicken with Saffron, Hazelnuts & Honey

Life is so full of uncertainties that sometimes I feel a good old home cooked meal seem to bring us back to where it all started.


In a bid to find comfort, I turned to one of my favourite cookbooks, Ottolenghi that showcases recipes from the famous cafe in London. In some ways, places like Plan B and the other BIG outlets have a teeny weeny bit of Ottolenghi in them - the displays of salads, the tall trays of desserts and etc.


I was drawn to this Claudia Roden inspired dish, the roast chicken with saffron, honey and hazelnuts. What a wonderful combination. My mouth was watering when I read the ingredient list. As expected, the whole kitchen was perfumed with the delicate aromas of the chicken baking in its saffron marinade. Not overly sweet, the chicken was well balanced with the roast hazelnuts. Instead of couscous, we dived into the dish with fluffy quinoa instead, a kitchen staple.


The verdict - definitely a keeper recipe that I would make again and again. Give it a try. Incidentally, the saffron tinges the marinade and the juices of the chicken a pale yellow colour - the perfect colour to signify today's momentous Bersih 2.0 rally to seek electoral reforms.


Roast chicken with saffron, hazelnuts and honey (4 servings)


1 chicken, divided into rough pieces
2 onions, chopped coarsely
4 tablespoons ol! ive oil< /span>
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
generous pinch of saffron threads (use good quality ones like Spanish)
juice of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons sea salt flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
100g unskinned hazelnuts
70g honey
2 tablespoons rosewater
spring onions (chopped and optional)


In a large bowl, mix chicken and all other ingredients except the hazelnuts, honey, rosewater and spring onions (if using). Leave to marinate for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Roast hazelnuts on a baking tray for 10 minutes. Remove and leave to cool. Chop coarsely. Place marinated chicken on a baking tray in one row. Pour remaining marinade over chicken. Bake for 35 minutes. In the meantime, mix chopped hazelnuts, honey and rosewater together. Spoon over each piece of chicken after it has been baked for 35 minutes. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Serve with rice or couscous. Garnish with spring onions. - adapted from the Ottolenghi The Cookbook

Summerlicious @ Blu Ristorante, Yorkville-Toronto

Summerlicious is finally back in Toronto and this year there are a total of 150 participating restaurants that offers a delicious 3-course prix fixe menus with prices ranging from CAD $15 to $25 for lunch and $25 to $45 for Dinner.

I had my first Summerlicious Menu at Emily's Birthday where we celebrated at Blu Ristorante and Lounge in the trendy Yorkville Area. Blu's $45 Summerlicious Menu featured the following:

APPETIZER
choice of:
-Blu Caesar
crisp romaine hearts, caesar dressing,
croutons, parmesan chip
-Arugula Salad
goat cheese, walnuts, cranberry
and a chianti vinaigrette
-Soup of the Day
----------------------------------------
ENTRE
choice of:
-Fusilli al Gorgonzola
gorgonzola cheese, leeks, bourbon,
cream sauce and arugula
-Grilled 10 oz Beef Striploin
mushroom veal jus, served with
roasted herbed polenta and peppers
-Baked Atlantic Salmon
honey glazed cipolini, sauted rapini
with a lime, caper, white wine sauce
----------------------------------------
DESSERT
choice of:
-Tiramisu
-Vanilla Crme Brulee
-Chocolate & Raspberry Tartufo

Wanting to try more than one dish Calvin and I both ordered different dishes so we could swap.


Foccacia Bread

The Bread was served slightly warm and had a nice Herb Crust. It was Dense and nicely salted.


Calvin's Appetizer: Blu Caesar (Crisp Romaine Hearts, Caesar Dressing, Croutons and Parmesan Chip)

I had a small taste of the Caesar Salad. The Romaine was crisp and I enjoyed the Garlic Dressing.


Arugula Salad: Goat Cheese, Walnuts, Cranberry and a Chianti Vinaigrette

This was my appetizer. The Arugula Salad was delicious. The Dressing had a nice Sweet and Acidic Balance. I loved the mixture of Arugula, Cranberry, Walnuts and Goat Cheese.


Grilled 10 oz Beef Striploin, Mushroom Veal Jus, served with Roasted Herbed Polenta and Peppers

This was Calvin's Main Course and I definitely enjoyed it more than my Main Course. The Striploin was well seasoned, had a nice crust and a Meaty Texture.


Baked Atlantic Salmon, Honey Glazed Cipolini, Sauted Rapini with a Lime, Caper, White Wine Sauce

This was my main course. This would have been a perfect Fish Dish had they not overcooked the Salmon which made it dry (I requested to have it Pink in the middle).


Vanilla Creme Brulee

This was Tina's Dessert. I had a taste of it and found it to be ok. One could definitely taste the Vanilla inside but the texture was a little too smooth for my liking


Chocolate and Raspberry Tartufo

Tartufo (Italian Ice Cream) was my Dessert. The Dark Chocolate had a nice bitter flavor but I didn't quite like the dense texture of the Tartufo. It was still a little Frozen.


Tiramisu

This was Calvin's Dessert. The Tiramisu was beautifully presented but tasted so-so. I had a couple of spoons of this dessert and found the Savoiardi was dry giving it a hard and chewy texture. Maybe it's because I took it from the edge of the Tiramisu


Overall I enjoyed my Arugula Salad and Calvin's Steak. If only they cooked my Salmon Pink in the middle it would have been perfect! Food aside, the ambiance of the restaurant was Romantic and was definitely a good place to celebrate Emily's Birthday!


Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5
Price: $$$$$ (Approximately USD $55 per person)


Contact Information
Address: 17 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto, ON M4W 1L4
Tel: +1(416) 921-1471
Web: www.bluristorante.com
Map:

View Larger Map

Ginseng With Wolf Berries Chicken Soup

Ginseng With Wolf Berries Chicken Soup

Hi, everyone. I know I have not been blogging about my recipes.

Due to : 1st - Lazy. 2nd - Lazy. 3rd - Lazy.

My office work pilling up and up and work never comes down.

There is one time, when I wanted to give 24 hours notice and

leave everything behind......... :) and :(

One skinless chicken carcass.

Cut into 4 pieces, wash and drain.

Few pieces of Canada Ginseng and one handful of wolf berries.

Wash and drain.

Once the water in the pot, boiled vigorously,

pour in the Chicken Carcass, Canada Ginseng and

Wolf Berries.

Cover and boil for 20 minutes with high fire.

After 20 minutes, lower down the fire to medium

and scoop out the oil on top of the surface and

boil another 30 minutes and

lastly lower down the fire to small and boil another 1 hour.

Drink the soup while it is hot or you can have it

together with your rice and other dishes.

My daughter drank more than 3 bowls because

she said it is bitter and delicious!

We have MOVED

Announcement: We have now MOVED!


Please visit us at:

www.broughtup2share.com

Owning our own home now
Thanks for supporting us!

Palalada Restaurant (by Alun-Alun)

While shopping in Grand Indonesia, I discovered there was a restaurant inside Alun-Alun store named Palalada. I tried it for a quick meal, during a Sunday afternoon. It was not very crowded compared to many of the other restaurants of the mall.

They serve fancy Indonesian cuisine, at relatively high prices. Stupidly, I ordered one of the only western dishes they had (Boneless Chicken), so I cannot give a fair review of their Indonesian food. I did tried their Bebek Goreng though (Fried Duck).

I thought the duck was very well-presented and it tasted excellent, but it was so tiny there was hardly anything to eat. The chicken was a very common dish, made with a lack of creativity, and even though it wasn't bad, I could have eaten the same thing in a pub on Jalan Falatehan.

Overall: From my small experience in Palalada, I don't think this restaurant is a must-try in Jakarta: T! he desig n is disappointing knowing the place is owned by an antique shop and the food is pricey (around Rp100k for a meal). Maybe I need to try it again and go for the Indonesian food. Actually, I heard very positive comments about their soto from a friend, who considers Palalada to be one of the best venues in Jakarta for Indonesian cuisine.

Opening Hours:

Everyday from 10am to 11pm

Palalada Restaurant
Alun-Alun Indonesia
Grand Indonesia West Mall, Level 3,
Jl. M.H. Thamrin No. 1, Jakarta

Phone number: +62-21 2358 0870
Website: http://www.alunalunindonesia.com