Dinner with the hubby

I was absolutely famished after work today. So the husband brought me out to dinner at a little corner Japanese joint in the city.
I had to order my favourite raw salmon on rice again. And he had Katsu Don. Nothing special really. Just that it SO reminded me of our first visit to Japan. *sigh*

Mum's at it again.

This time she's gone asian. My favourite chilli crab!!!

I'm in heaven. *Glee*

oh... did I mentioned I made a gingerbread house...

Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival

Today is the Mid-Autumn Mooncake Festival.

I love eating the little lotus paste cakes. Especially the ones with egg yokes in them. yummm!

The atmosphere here in Sydney is quite different from Singapore. It doesn’t have the intensity that normally builds up before this celebration. Though I have to admit I was quite stunned when I heard a radio presenter wishing his listeners a Happy Mooncake Festival.

It put a smile on my face. But it was still not the same.

Back in Singapore. Kids would have already bought their lanterns and lighted them up in parks. Jurong Chinese Gardens would have had her annual display of the largest lanterns imaginable. Stores everywhere would have already sold hundreds of the beautifully flowered boxes of cakes. Tea and yams would have been brewed and steamed to compliment the sweetness of the lotus paste cakes.

My family would now be gathered around a table with a display of the little sweet cakes, sampling the different boxes bought from various “Best Mooncakes” stores in town.

And I?!

I managed to steal a slice at our church’s mooncake party with a spec of egg yoke dangerously hanging on.

How sad…

Shot glasses and Spoons

We had a US visitor from work flown in this afternoon. And to welcome him properly into Australia. We thought we’d bring him out to dinner at a nice restaurant down by The Rocks.

Choice of restaurant. Ocean Room.

We were seated at a cosy corner with high lounge seats facing the Opera House. It was truly breathtaking.

I love how the entrées were served in little shot glasses and spoons. So intricately garnished and intriguing! It feels almost wrong to touch them!!

I had to take a picture of it. Hehe… how embarrassing.

Yum Cha and Paddys Market

We met up with the family for Yum Cha in Chinatown.

You could always tell if a restaurant serves good or bad food. The unmistakable sign of the long snake queue that marks its reputation and worth of your time.

It is amazing how long people, mainly us Asians, will wait for a good chao! I personally couldn't give a stuff. But lucky for us, auntie has already managed to secure a table prior so we were spared of the agony.

We walked pass the lines of restless but determined patrons feeling absolutely privileged. They gave us dirty looks in return.

After lunch, the family decided to wonder through Paddys Market in search for fresh fruits and veges.

The few times I visited Paddys are usually the eve of flying back to Singapore. Paddys is good for picking up simple souvenirs like kiddie aussie [made in china] T-shirts, nougats, nuts of all sorts, turkish delights, Kangaroos and Koala [again made in china] stuff toys, dried fruits, and those great little Koala clip ons.

This time round, it was just veges and fruits for the week. And those mouth watering sugar coated almond nuts.

Sugar coated almond nut….. arr [whatever sounds Homer makes]…..

Chocolate fondue

A couple of our friends invited us over to dinner.

Milt and Suz are great hosts, so I knew it was going to be a night of good conversations and fabulous food.

[The picture is a result of me mucking around with the camera at home before I left.]

She still has the roast cooking away in the oven when we arrived. The aromas that ozzes out from your host's kitchen always feels so warm and inviting!

Dinner was great as usual. We had cheeze twists, broccoli soup and chicken wrapped in bacon.







For dessert. Chocolate fondue with strawberries and bananas, pear pie and lemon cake. yum

I am so stuffed! And soooo chocolate out.

Japanese Curry

I was browsing through the Asian aisle at Coles Supermarket on my usual grocery shopping Thursday nights, and spotted Japanese Curry Paste.

I've always been a firm believer of cooking curry from scratch. Yes. I'm talking about the pain staking task of making the paste from blanding the different curry powder and spices, using herbs as flavoring and chilli for color and punch. In short. The jazz.

I blame this ridiculars obession (despite the knowledge of great packed paste I know I could get from the supermarkets these days) on my mum who views anything remotely canned or in sachets as evil and cheats in the world of culinary skills.

Anyhow. I thought it was time to throw away this urban myth and give this harmless looking paste a go.

We had seconds that night.

There is no going back baby!!!

The passing trays

We attended a friend’s 30th Birthday party bash. It was held at the Harbour View Hotel down at The Rocks.

I am a fan of cocktail food. I love to bland food of different flavours and texture in my mouth. The contrast of sweet and savoury, crisp and chewy, hot and sour. Just thinking about me makes me salivate!

There were waitresses walking around with trays of noodles in little take away chinese boxes, kebab sticks, tiny drumsticks, oysters, spring rolls, cocktail sausages. You know. Party food.

The trick is in finding a strategic spot in a heart of the passing trays route. Once planted in, stand steadfast and do not budge till you have had your fill. Very tricky…