A dessert of all sorts @ Various places across Melbourne

Ever so often I collect photographs of random things I eat and then realise if I were to ever blog about them, it would never last more than a paragraph or two. So it sits in the ever growing Flickr account of mine before it is forgotten. Instead of going to waste, I guess I might as well share it all with you under a single post. By no means is this original and I am the first to admit that I have taken inspiration (worded nicely) from other blogs in doing what essentially is a summary of places post.


The title says it all and the pictures below speaks for itself and today is all about desserts.

Jocks is not the most gourmet or the most creamiest ice cream I had before but the brand and the flavours is all about fun. Located somewhere near Albert Park, it is so convenient for us to either pop by for a scoop when the sweet tooth acts up or worse still take away a pre-packed tub. Flavours like Rum and Raisin (with real alcohol!) to classic flavours like Peanut Butter and Jelly or just plain old Chocolate, you will be spoilt for choice. Another thing to note is the more than reasonable prices, I remember paying somewhere around 5 dollars for 2 scoops in waffle cone which is a steal compared to Ben & Jerry.


Can't replace our favourite gelato place in Brisbane but will be close to our hearts (or stomach).

A ddress and contact details:

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5 stars. I know its winter but can't wait for summer to come!


From a casual ice cream shop to a posher "sweet studio". Burch & Purchese brings to life a fantasy land for those who craves anything sweet. From individual cakes on display, handmade ice-cream, jams and spreads to biscuits, chocolates and I can't remember what else, this is not for those on a sugar diet. For some reason the Wife wanted to pop by looking for Hot Cross Buns and since they didn't sell any and we didn't want to leave empty handed, we bought a cake.











I remember when I was young and the only place you could buy cakes were from old school bakeries. Those days, cakes don't come in an individual portion per se, they bake a whole cake and they sell to your by slice. Blink an eye and some 15 years later, look where d! esserts have come.


Back to the cake, there's nothing like a good mousse but I would have liked a thicker crust because I am one for texture. I guess another cake would have suited me better but it was still a pretty fine cake and I can't wait to go back.


Address and contact details:





Verdict: 1 cake in and I can dare say this is another spot worthy of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Naturally after B&P, comes the place where we finally found some hot cross buns. French Fantasies may sound a little naughty (think French maids) but is every little bit naughty in their own way by greeting their customers with a variety of pastries and breads on display. The hot cross buns was something like 3 bucks a bun, sacrilegious some would say but it was pure gold once you spread some butter on it and pop it into the oven to heat. Apart from the buns, we had the almond croissant, as good as the french bakery in Brisbane and a good multi-grain loaf which thankfully didn't cost us an arm and a leg.

It also helps that the waitresses has that heavy french accent of course.


Address and contact details:





Verdict: Another 4 stars! Convenience and quality, only a 5 minute drive from my place so I am not complaining!


Don't you feel a little thirsty after all that drooling? Well after some walking at the Doncaster shopping centre, a trip to the supermarket to get some water suddenly turned into a sinful chocolate experience at Koko Black.





It was still pretty hot then so an iced chocolate was called to action. Seriously unless you really really love your chocolate, call one to share, its one heavy drink.





Being greedy we ordered a platter of desserts and I think at this point it was an over kill. Not to mention, there was no real stand outs except for their gourmet chocolates.


Stick to the iced chocolate I say although it's pretty pricey at 11-12 dollars a drink.


Address and contact details:

Verdict: The poor desserts and the poor price point means its really 3! stars a t max.

There you go, my first compilation post, now I wonder if i can collect enough for another theme...hmmm...

Green Rice with Smoked Paprika

This is the green rice recipe that got away from me. It was the last thing I cooked before leaving for New York, and I intended to keep it simple. There was some arugula to use up, and a good amount of cooked brown rice. Oh, and some peas. And a nub of Gruyere. That mint isn't going to last....You see where this is headed? Anyway, I made some green rice, perfectly good, but probably not something I'd bother posting about. Then I added a couple finishing touches, and it turned this into something I was quite excited about, something I'd absolutely make again - so I thought I'd share.

The finishing touches? Smoked paprika and toasted pine nuts. Doesn't sound particularly special, right? But it was one of those things. Remarkably good. I've been on a bit of a smoked paprika kick lately, using it instead of chili peppers, or curry powders, and the like. I thought it'd add some depth and flair here. And it did. The paprika brings a smoked-out boldness that works brilliantly with the creaminess of the pine nuts and the spicy edge of the arugula. I don't want to completely oversell this, but I thought the flavors came together in a really nice way.

I could imagine making a smoked paprika oil and using it as a drizzle in place of the ground spice, or taking the whole thing in a different direction entirely - using any leftover spicy lemon coconut sauce you might have in place of the arugula butter, and still finishing it off with the paprika and pine nuts...

Continue reading Green Rice with Smoked Paprika...

Kam Wan Ipoh Garden Food Court

I finally get to eat at a food court in Ipoh. Food court is a 20+ years phenomenon when hawkers were hounded of the streets like stray dogs. So unlike Kuala Lumpur, hawkers are systematized and organized. It is an off the grid thing especially for those so use to hawkers' colony sprouting almost overnight along road shoulders. Ipohan will remember Tong Sui Kai put together in site near Sam Tet School. In Penang and Kuala Lumpur food court is a government (less so) and a private sector initiative. Huge hangar like structure being put up and stalls rented out to hawkers,

Kam Wan is next to Woolley Food City. It is like a longhouse with frontage for each stalls to ply their trade. There was plenty of choices. Take your pick. Traditional Ipoh food plus more modern ones that the traditionalist will eschew like me. I try to pick ass many Ipoh-style food as possible. The only food out of the whack were some deep-fried mantis shrimp.It was 8:30pm on Wednesday but surprisingly the place is just a third occupied unlike in times past. Signs of time and also the competition from choices elsewhere. Part of the issue may the the food as I found some of it were very ordinary.

Brown Squid with Kangkung with Peanut sauce. This is by far the best dish of the night. The sauce was excellent and brought life to the bland squid and kangkung. The attraction is usually the sauce and the chewy,, firm and dense texture of the squid mixed with the sauce.

Sengkuang/Jicama Roll whu\ich was ! my child hood favourite. Lack the oomph and fragrance from being served immediately after deep-frying. It is like the sweet potato tong sui without the pandan infused fragrance in the soup. Average dish but good to renew acquaintance with a favourite.

I was told these were Parang Fish Balls. Average in texture and taste also.

Duck Leg Wrap was the best literal translation from Cantonese into English at least for me. These can be found mostly in mobile steamboat trucks in Kuala Lumpur. I don't usually eat them there eventhough available as they are already cooked and ready to eat but the cruncher is that these have been exposed to the elements and what nots and one is not supposed to dipped it into the boiling pot of water to sort of to sterilise plus cook it. Inside was mostly char siew. Nice texture, felt solid to taste and chew. Kind of enjoyed it after years of going without it.

Fresh Lala in Savoury Sauce. The sauce was average. I know the Ipohans would disagree as my taste bud is more KL and prefer stronger mix of tastes, smells and flavours. I do like bigger ones and also more succulent meat. Not so easy to get those so got to make do with another palatable dish for the not so choosy.

Mantis shrimp deep-fried in Batter. This stalls have lots of these mantis meat ready and was already dipping them into batter and deep-frying it a cauldron of hot oil in a big wok. The batter was has nice fragrance. Great stuff and this dish can be addictive. Like an expensive plate of chips/crisps of a meaty kind rather than from potatoes or cereals. Recommended.

Footnote: There are to try, give it go as it won't burn a hole in the pocket.

SML

The Pureimagine has added a photo to the pool:

SML
Nikon D300S, Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.4G

A Walk Down Memory Lane @ Chinatown

A maddening pace; the bustling scene at Petaling Streets (in)famous Madras Lane -Imagine a short distance away youll be witnessing the gory scenes of squawking chickens slaughtered on the spot and butchers having a whale of a time dissecting parts, and here we were oblivious to the chaotic surroundings; picking on favourite pieces of Yong Tau Foo, and slurping on plates of Chee Cheong Fun.

Dear fellow Malaysians . here I am blogging live all the way from down under .. Singapore, not Australia. A bit lethargic from the eating and paying attention in class; attending a workshop for 4 days and good to know that this one adheres strictly to the 8 hours per day maximum rule, and NO homework in the evening! Jump for joy?!

And Orchard Road is within walking distance; this shopping haven that most would be tipping over their toes and falling head over heels at the mere mention of retail therapy. Although for this Motormouth who has been warped from the quaint, renegade town of Ipoh to KL for a good 1.5 years, the sight of towering (menacing) cold, lifeless towers and mega malls spanning floors after floors of temptations (evil temptations) holds lesser of a charm.

Still, allow me to pen down a few jarring thoughts playing over my head for the last few weeks; and this evergreen story of Petaling Street ..

Clockwise from top left : Chinese sweet peanuts pancakes (ban chang kueh/apom balik), the gone-entrepreneur ! Air Mata Kuching, Kim Soya Bean that has seemingly decades of legacy and served a few VIPs along his journey, and sweet round, chewy little balls of sweet potato given the deep-frying treatment.

I have probably written a dozen stories of street food in KL, and a piece or two on Petaling Street. The most emotionally-driven one was the recent . Yook Woo Hin and the imminent movewhereby Jalan Sultan was about to be literally .. demolished to pave the way for development. Or what was seemingly it in spite of the uproar. But the issue has subsided, and traders have been assured of prolonged happiness. Ever after.

Until the next MEGA project comes after the GE.

The most glaring difference between Malaysia and Singapore? These.

It will probably be in a tourists best interest to scout Petaling Street and its vicinity for cheap buys (usually after the sun has gone down) and fake goods, though dont be surprised to find hungry locals devouring pieces after pieces of fish smothered in spicy gravy and wrapped in banana leaf before being grilled, pots of chicken rice, or the after hours of booze-ing on a Saturday night and tucking into gloriously greasy and glistening claypout lou shu fun.

You see, I daresay you have not experienced the true legacy of KL street food until you have covered at least 30% of the stalls around this part of Malaysia aptly named Chinatown.

Kim Soya Bean : A trader still selling the same soya bean curd (tau fu fah to you and me), and soya milk drink to the sweet-toothed locals. And occasionally, curious passer-bys. This was the first time for me though, as I usually passed this off for the Longan Drink.

I thought of going into details, of drawing maps and pointing out routes to take, alleys to avoid, rundown of stall by stall on what theyre good at, or where you should avoid like the plague. Or at least, save the space in your tummy for the others.

But then again, whats life without some measures of mystery and joy of discovery? I stumbled upon most of these stalls by stroke of luck.

I did not have access to blogs back then, nor did I prepare for a food hunt in the manner that I am casually irritating most of my peers now.

Yes, the air may choke you. The smoke may blur your vision. And the scorching sun may torch your fair and smooth skin. But wheres the curious spirit you knew you had in you back when youre a kid? That the first thing you thought about was not sunscreen or umbrella, or air-conditioners but galloping in glee to buy a pack of Mamee?

Constantly stuffing the chillies, bitter gourd and brinjals with the fish paste; Yong Tau Foo has never been ONLY about beancurd.

And this journey took us to the small alleys that some may find hideous. Obnoxious back lanes being fertile grounds for all strays, pests and germs. Yet, youll bear witness to happy faces relishing their bowls of curry laksa, pairing off the multiple pieces of Yong Tau Foo with a plate of Madras Lanes signature Chee Cheong Fun (steamed rice rolls served with a variety of sauces, pickled green chillies and a dash of sesame seeds) and finishing off with a glass of herbal tea. Or coffee/tea.

At times, its the willing spirit and adventurous soul that will over-rule logic. Food is the antithesis of logic anyway. For me, at least.

An inviting collage of Madras Lane (and Petaling Street) classics; the Chee Cheong Fun in a very light dressing of soy sauce and shallot oil, with a dash of sesame seeds, complemented by pieces of YTF dunked into a savoury (a little MSG-laden) soup, and the scarily oily curry laksa. The Tau Fu Fah came from Kim Soya Bean though.

I will not go into depths with the hawker fares here. No, not because of the relentless preaching of discovery, adventures, etc. But my fingers are numb from the crazy cold air-conditioning blasting over this direction.

The street food here deserves a 3 out of 5, at best. Dont get me wrong, the experience and legacy was all the more reasons for a visit. But the curry laksa was in fact, quite disastrous; yellow noodles strong with lye water taste swimming in ! a broth thats half oil, half curry. The CCF was good, being one of the better ones yet came cold (was not steamed on the spot nor re-steamed before serving) and lacklustre. The Yong Tau Foo were okay, but definitely paled in comparison to O&Ss, Ampangs, Jalan Peels, and of course, Puchongs.

Just the perfect setting for a stroll on a Saturday morning.

The classic Lok Ann Hotel; an establishment that has to be praised for the sheer tenacity of enduring the evil lure of commercialization and challenges

And why should you come to Lok Ann if youre not planning for an authentic backpacking experience? The sponge rusks, for a start.

Simple, basic idea of creating an indulging snack from bread, butter and vegetable ! oil etc, dried to a crisp without any measure of moisture within, grab a container and let these bring back good old memories of your childhood to you.

Unless you grew up on Haagen-Dazs and Chatime, then I cannot help you.

And yup, thats a wrap. Took me double the time to write this piece because Im practically frozen in place.

Singapores fine so far, with many new restaurants opening up along the stretch of Orchard Road, and the perimeters. It has been a year to be exact, since the last visit. Will do another post if time permits tomorrow, but next week will be a goner too IF everything falls into place.

And you can bet your bottom dollar Ill be darn stretched and strained by end of May

Madras Lane Chee Cheong Fun, Curry Laksa, Yong Tau Foo (all curry laksa and chee cheong fun stalls are in the same row, opposite of the Yong Tau Foo stall)
@ Pusat Penjaja Tun HS Lee

Kim Soya Bean & Tau Fu Fah
- Diagonally opposite of Hong Leong Bank on Jalan Petaling junction

Petaling Street Air Mata Kucing (Chilled Longan Drink)
- Junction of Jalan Petaling & Jalan Hang Lekir
Opens 10am-11pm

On Jalan Hang Lekir, you can find Koon Kee Wantan Mee & Hon Kee Porridge (next to each other), and opposite of these will be the Sweet Potato Balls Stall & Simply Curry Puffs Stall (next to each other)

Chinatown Sponge Rusks @ Washington Cake House, Lok Ann Hotel
113, Jalan Petaling, 50000 Kuala Lumpur

>> More on Petaling Street HERE

New Orleans @ Sunway Resort

Goodbye, Avanti; hello, New Orleans! Sunway Resort Hotel swapped risotto for gumbo this week, replacing its longtime Italian restaurant with a Creole-and-Cajun one.

Mardi Gras masks are scattered across this spacious venue, where a band sets the tone for a Louisianan evening with renditions of "What A Wonderful World" and "Summertime."

Meals here kick off with complimentary old-fashioned Southern corn bread, fresh-tasting, flavorsome and not too crumbly.

Gumbo, thick with chicken, sausages and okra, garnished with steamed rice and herbs. Seems slightly too salty, butconsultant chefSohan Ahluwalia, a New Orleans native who ownsTokyo's pioneering Bourbon Street eatery, insists it's because of the strong seasoning.

Ahluwalia is leaving the kitchen in the capable hands of fellow chef Sebastian Arnold, who's moved from previous hotel postings in the Middle East to ensure Malaysian customers enjoy the crispiest Cajun-spiced shrimp possible, fried in corn flour and bread crumbs.

Mississippi Mud Balls, made of chicken and beef, served on a classic Creole sauce. Prices are slightly on the steep side, but portions are princely. Expect to spend RM100 per person for a belly-busting three-course meal without wine.

The E.N.D. of the savory courses: black-eyed peas _ soul food with a real boom boom pow of creamy flavor. Just can't get enough of this.

Bread pudding, baked with raisins and pecans, served with caramel sauce.

Banana Foster _ marvelously soft but not mushy, sauteed in butter and cinnamon! , flambe ed with bourbon and served with ice cream and cocoa powder.

Hurricane (white rum, bourbon, southern comfort, orange juice, mango juice, cranberry juice) and Mr Funk (peach liquor, cranberry juice, sparkling wine).

Beringer Stone Cellars Merlot (2008) and Saltram Makers Table Shiraz (2010).

Milk Punch (bourbon, amaretto, cream, vanilla).

Service here is sparkling, befitting of the Sunway Resort's reputation.

New Orleans opens for lunch and dinner on weekdays and for dinner on Saturday.

New Orleans Bar and Grill,
Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa, Bandar Sunway.