Favorites List (July 2011)

How about a quick hello, and a favorites list today? I love pulling these together and I hope you'll indulge me a bit. While you're occupied, I'll be in the kitchen diving into a couple new titles I picked up at Omnivore Books the other day - two real gems that I'll likely highlight at some point soon. xo -h

- In yellow, please.

- Cy Twombly | Rome.

- Package-free grocery store.

- Instant Love: Polaroid retreat in Marrakesh

- Keetsa mattress: bought one of these for the guest room.

- Clear eyes. Full hearts.

- Pavarotti | Paris | 1965

- The new summer issue of Sweet Paul.

- And hoping for a second print run of this.

- The ultimate XL towel (via Sarah at Remodelista)

- These Murakami beach shots.

- This site.

- This watch

- Teenagers Revive Dead Languages Through Texting (article)

- The boy who inherited rights to Good Night Moon. (article )

- for your sx-70.

- What's in your Kit? series.

- This profile.

- And the clippers from our Little Flower School class.

Promise to be back later in the week with a quick something tasty inspired by a fat sack of summer corn I lugged home yesterday. -h

I took the photo up above at a lovely lunch in St.Helena. We sat at an old farm table on a porch surrounded by vineyards (and chickens!) and good company. Hope to share a number of recipes from this lunch with you at some point.

Continue reading Favorites List (July 2011)...

Good Evening Bangkok, Authentic Thai Food in a Mall

Sawadeekap! As you all know, I am an avid Thai Food lover. Wherever there are good Thai Food, Ill be there to sample it. Most of the Thai Food restaurants were operated from a shop lots in Malaysia. However there are a franchise owned of a Thai Food which opened in major shopping malls in Klang Valley.

Good Evening Bangkok is one of the Thai Food restaurant which operate in a shopping mall. Reside at the Ground Floor of 1Utama Shopping Centre, they made their debut back in year 2008. The restaurant adopts a simplistic yet urban and chic theme that can be seen throughout the restaurant. A perfect location to savour some truly delectable fare. And thats not all. Many patrons, convinced that they have stumbled onto the perfect Thai restaurant can be seen coming back each day to sample the different items on the menu.

Located at the new wing of One Utama Shopping Complex, in Bandar Utama, Good Evening Bangkok sets the stage for a distinctive style of food preparation and presentation, while offering a charming atmosphere in which to enjoy its offerings. I am pretty skeptical on what kind of quality the restaurants got to offer in a mall. Most of the time when I! go to 1 Utama is mainly for fast foods and then proceed for a movie in the cinemas.

But at Good Evening Bangkok, it totally change my view. The food is really authentic till to the extend of their drinks too were truly authentic Thai.

Lime Rose Drink RM8

Kafir lime mix with rose syrup drink which turn out to be a very refreshing and the sour flavor bring out the appetite in me.

Iced Lemongrass Drink RM8

Traditional home brewed lemon grass drink

Roselle Flower Drink Off the menu and available to order

Thai Iced Tea RM9

House Special Good Evening Bangkok RM10

A mix of few fruits ice blended

With all the appetite up and everyone settled down, we were served with the appetizer. I would expect them to start it off with the Mieng Kum. But this round they start it off with the house special, Yam Pla Duk Fu (Crispy Catfish and Mango Salad)

Yam Pla Duk Fu / Crispy Catfish and Mango Salad RM17.90

Deboned and deep fried cat fish topped of on the mango salad with Thai salad dressing is just a perfect way to start off the meal. The mango were not overly sour not too spicy with the red chilis.

BIG Things Are Happening at The Daily Grind, Bangsar Village II & Delectables by Su, The Gardens Mid Valley

BIG is a beautiful word isn't it? Impressive and suitably powerful too I must say. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is perhaps the biggest liar on earth and whoever who came up with the idea that good things only come in small packages must have been trying to make up for their own shortcomings. Seriously, who doesn't like big things? For starters, there is always more to enjoy if you wanted to, or share (or flaunt perhaps) with your friends/family whenever you feel like *ahem* gloating.Big car, big bank account, big house, big beds, big heart, big boys, big br-... I could seriously go on and on, but I'm sure you can see by now why size matters.

You know what they say: "Once you go big, you can't go back. 'Cause nothing else would measure up ever again."

Having said that, we do live in a world of jaded superlatives and it takes a whole damn lot to really wow us. So when our friend and the owner of The Daily Grind invited a few of us to test out their latest invention - a giant burger - we were just nonchalant about it until they pulled out this magnificent wonder of a burger.

Inspired after a couch potato session watching an episode of "Man Vs. Food" (what else?), they started to create the towering O.M.Goodness Giant Burger!: a 6 kilogram monster 2kg of freshly ground juicy beef patty, 1kg of cheese, 1kg of pickles, tomatoes and lettuce patch, and finally sandwiched between 2kg of freshly baked multigrain bun to give a healthy illusion.



We picked up our jaws from the floor just in time for it to be served. This 10-inches diameter burger could easily be carved up into 10-12 slices and shared around. As my elegant BFF puts it, the true test of a good burger lies in its ability to be lifted up, held between your fingers as the juices drip down your wrist, and take a big chomp through the entire cross section. And don't even try to talking at this point. Your jaws will be in for a good work out. And remember to lick up all the spillage too.

Halfway across town, another friend has also started putting her little monsters up for sale. I said little because everything is just tiny in comparison to that humungous burger earlier. However, these giant macarons (think the size of an average palm) from Delectables by Su could easily roll over and crush the conventional-sized macarons if they ever get into a fight. See, another reason why big is awesome.



Being oversized has its advantages, it creates the most pleasurable of texture. The top part breaks delicately with a gentle bite to reveal a soft pillowy layer of ground almonds that mashes together with the generous filling.

Currently there are three flavours available: PinkSalt Chocolate, Marmalade and Caramel Latte. The last was easily my favourite among the three. I can't say if it is the aromatic and bitter ground coffee granules at the top which helps to contrast the oozing caramel filling on the inside or if it was just the way it looked (which I found more masculine compared to the other two). The star of the other two flavours were their filling no! doubt, the handsome rich Salted Chocolate ganache in pink shell while a curious kamquat jam lends an oriental twist to the yellow Marmalade version. However, I felt they were much too sweet for my liking.



Anyone who is familiar with Su's products can continue to expect these macarons to be packed nicely - this time individually boxed in a clear plastic container over a small sheer material and tied in their signature bow. A sweet gift for your friends or yourself.

It's time to take a big bite into the sweet life now eh? *wink*

***

The Daily Grind
Lower Ground Floor,
Bangsar Village (old wing)
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-2287 6708

Note:O.M.Goodness Giant Burger!is now available at RM360++. A 48-hours pre-order is required ahead in order to get your burger made to perfection. Put two sparkles at the top and it'll be perfect for birthday celebration.

Delectable by Su
Lot S-213, Second Floor
The Gardens
Mid Valley City
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +6012-508 1855

Note: Giant Macarons are priced at RM10.00 each. They are available in limited numbers at both store, so do call ahead to avoid any disappointments.

Little Greek Taverna @ West End, Brisbane

When MasterChef returned to TV for Season 3, I was stoked as a foodie. I mean what else could you ask for; an hour everyday of television of nothing but food. However, I don't know about you all but after 70 episodes, I am starting to get sick of watching the show. Tired of all the obvious commentary from the random contestants, the crying and panic during the cooking yet near perfect plating and the most cliche of phrases the judges use. As they say, too much of something is never a good thing.


So what does MasterChef have got to do with the dinner at Little Greek Taverna? Well not much except for the fact that one of the judges is Greek. Watching his mom and him go on about Greek food in one particular episode got us wondering down to the place one night.


After hearing the Wife talk about this Greek place at the corner of Browning Street, just off where she works, we risked walking in without a reservation. Luckily, we were given a table but also 1 hour to finish up.


Surprisingly though, they serve pretty fast to ensure you get plenty of time to stuff yourself silly before turning around to the next bunch of customers.

Their Greek Salad although heavy with the oil was refreshing, even though it came with raw onions and pretty salty peppers and olives. Maybe the cucumbers and tomatoes must have done the trick for me.

Tzatziki and the Roasted Eggplant Dip was the perfect way to start off with a meal along with some toasted pita bread.

This is where it starts to get interesting. Listening to the waitress speak Greek or essentially reading out from the Specials list was enchanting. The Dol-Ma-Des, pronounced with a flair was a mince meat and rice wrapped with cabbage. It was a love it or hate it dish among the table, with me finishing up my piece and the Wife giving me half her piece.

The Lamb Shank was on the dry side and again very generous with the oil. However, if you see the trend, the chips are again on the plate.

The star dish of the night, the octopus. Tender and juicy, this must have been beaten close to pulp before hitting the grill. Would go back and order this without any hesitation.

I have been religiously going for gym classes and yet haven't exactly seen any improvements on the weighing scale. Looking back, this maybe why; a baklava, all for myself. Sweet and sticky, just how I like my dessert.

A good casual place for some cheap Greek food, who can complain? Just make sure you call in advance for a table, if not risk rejection, you have been warned.

Address and contact details:

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5 stars. I seem to be hitting all the right spots, cheap and good food, I am on a roll with this!

The Hungry Hog

The Hungry Hog started out as a small-scale catering service, evolving this past month into a suburban cafe that's run with humor and heart.

True to this outlet's name, it's all about the pig here, with no poultry in sight. So loosen your belt and indulge in crunchy, puffy fried pork skin _ deceptively light but devastatingly sinful _ served with a vinegar-based dip.

The signature dish? A bulked-up pork burger, of course, dubbed "3 Little Pigs," topped with streaky bacon, ham, caramelized onions & cheese. Some might say this is too salty and greasy, but we wish The Hungry Hog had piled on the cholesterol and plopped a fried egg here.

Juicy house-made sausages, one laced with fennel & pepper, the other with nutmeg & sage for an aromatic touch. Prices seem low enough to keep Subang's student population as pleased as pigs in mud; RM50 might be sufficient to feed four people.

Five-spice roast pork, since no restaurant like this would be complete without siew yoke. The menu is kept short and sweet, but we wouldn't mind trying their bacon spaghetti & Thai basil minced pork with rice too sometime.

Chunky pork spare ribs, slathered in char siew sauce for sweet, sticky succulence.

A small selection of beer is offered, perfect for partnering with pork.

The Hungry Hog,

71, Jalan SS 15/4C, Subang Jaya.

Closed Mondays.