Straits of Malacca

This teh tarik was frothy and good in my terms. Although I have yet to find one that meets the one at Mamak

The stuffed wings was probably the highlight. I can taste the char-ness of the wings and it reminded me of my favourite chicken wings back at Greenwood yumcha North Sydney. Mr himself was quite happy with this version.

Char Kway Teow sadly lacks the wok hei. Wasn’t too bad

I spotted the dry wonton mee on the menu. When ordering the waitress mentions there wasn’t any bbq pork but will be happy to replace it with steamed chicken. I was a little sceptical how this will work but I wanted my wonton mee fix so here we go. The wonton noodles tasted really bland, in fact all I can pick up was the oil and flour from the noodles. In the end I had to add more soy sauce. Another interesting thing is rather then steamed wontons they have deep fried wontons. The wontons were the only plus point of the whole dish itself.

The dry wonton mee comes with a side of chicken soup. Their version is comforting and you can’t really go wrong with a chicken soup.

I am a little too harsh in this review – it was their opening night after all. However I am keen to return for the teh tarik and stuffed chicken wings.

The Grand Tofu

The Grand tofu are famous of their “yong tofu”. Now if you are stumped and haven’t heard of Yong tofu – it is basically a noodle soup with stuffed tofu.

You can pick between 3 types of broths

1. Curry
2. Braised soup base
3. Tom yum

The Yong tofu comes with 6 pieces of items. You can pick your 6 items of “stuffed tofu/fish/etc” and even your noodles. I went with the braised soup base and assortment of the stuff tofu, fishcakes, bean curds & stuffed vegetable. The broth was light but it was good since most of the items included are quite flavoursome. The stuffed tofu was very filling and I was so full afterwards.

Teh Tarik. Nothing too special but still happy to have my fix of teh tarik.

Hor fun – Now this hor fun is something. It was amazingly generous with the seafood and the gravy oh boy where do I start! It was so flavoursome that I had to steal a few spoons of it, Mr himself had to stop me.

I already pestered Mr Himself about returning to The Grand Tofu. Both plus points for good food + good value. The restaurant is really packed on Saturday night.

Straits of Malacca:
247,Chapel street
Prahran, VIC 3181
90778853

The grand tofu:
102 Kingsway
Glen Waverley, VIC 3150
95747676

I wanted to bake a cake for the occasion but as previously mentioned in my Shanghai Street post the oven is broken. Instead I made a white wine Sangria. I love the red version but once I tired the white wine version at Flying Fajitas Sisters I was completely sold.

This recipe is quick and simple. It is also so much cheaper when made at home.

White Wine Sangria
recipe adapted from “Delicious” more please by Valli Little

Ingredients
1 bottle of 750 mls of dry white wine such as Sauvignon blanc or Chardonnay
1/4 cup of caster sugar
1 peach chopped
1/2 an apple chopped
1/2 an orange sliced
about 4 strawberries
about 10 mint leaves
1/2 cup of peach schapps or peach flavoured wine (pre-mixed peach drink will work)
ice to serve

* Red Sangria – replace white wine with a dry red wine such as pinot noir or cabernent savignon
* To make this nonalcoholic you can use a sparkling grape juice such as white fronti in replace of white wine, to replace peach wine/schapps add apple juice or peach tea.

1. Combine sugar an wine in a jug or jar. Mix until sugar is dissolved
2. Add the fruit, mint and peach wine/schnapps
3. Stand Sangria at room temperature for 2 hours to infuse
4. Serve Sangria over ice or chill until cold.

I don’t have much to offer my readers but I will be giving away Nigella Lawson’s How to be a domestic goddess.

If you ask me why I choose this book? Because it has been with me ever since I started to bake. It is a book I keep on referring back to – time after again. Although I am not too fond of Nigella’s TV show I am quite fond of her cookbooks especially domestic Goddess. Out of all my cookbooks I have, I seem to cook/bake from domestic goddess the most. I guess it’s pretty much sentimental to me.

To enter:
* You must follow me on twitter @idreaminchoc. If you do not have twitter please subscribe on right hand side
* Please include the right email address. If no response after 14 days. I will redraw the prize.
* Please answer in the comments what is your favourite cookbook and your favourite recipe from it.
* closes 25th of February 5pm. My friend Miss C will pick the best response from her point of view. Sidenote: I am avoiding random comment due to some legal issues surrounding lucky draws.
* It will be shipped from book depository, so please allow time for it to get delivered
* Open to worldwide readers

Once again a big thank you <3

I always wanted a Madeleine tin but didn’t think it was worth spending on. I managed to find this tin in Daiso for 2.80. Of course with such a bargain like that I had to purchased it.

Chocolate Madeleines

Recipe adapted from Donna Hay’s simple essentials “Chocolate”
makes ~ 12 to 15.

Ingredients
2 eggs
75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
50g (1/3 cup) plain flour
2 tbsp of cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
60g unsalted butter, melted
1/4 tsp of vanilla paste
spray oil to grease

1. Preheat Oven to 180 degrees,
2. Place eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the vanilla paste.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa over the egg mixture and fold through the melted butter
4. Spray oil in the madeleine tins
5. Spoon mixture into greased tin until 3/4 full
6. Bake for 10 minutes until cooked

Thanks to Hungry Australian for hosting the Death by Chocolate blog hop.

Moving along, the oven is busted at the new place which meant I can’t even bake or cook things in the oven. I am completely heart broken because my itch to bake needs to be cured. On the good side I am looking forward to exploring many eats of Melbourne (tight budget! yikes). I got a lovely list happening and hope to add more to it. I been reading a number of Melbourne food blogs and I’m very thankfully there is many great blogs out there that has help me in the direction where to go =). What would our lives by without blogs? Nonetheless traditional media has still been my reference point so I love we have the best of both worlds.

On my previous visit to Melbourne I stayed in a hotel called City Garden off Little Bourke st. Everytime we walk back to the hotel we pass this small restaurant called Shanghai Street. It was always packed with lines. The restaurant can probably sit around under 35 people with a few outdoor tables. I admit, if I see a restaurant with a queue, I would think it’s good.

Now we are back and living here so we finally get a chance to see how good this place is. I find myself making comparions back to Shanghai night back in Ashfield, Sydney.

We got seats along the bench against the window (seats 4). It is thursday night around 6:30pm and about 3 couples are in front of us. The wait was about 10 minutes

I spotted hot and sour soup with dumplings on the menu – wanted it so much! Mr himself hates vinegar and anything sour so its a no go zone tonight. I love all things sour, tom yum soup, vinegar, assam laksa, even those evil warheads. I guess another visit some other time.

The wonton soup does not stand out too much. Slighlty above average these are still comforting on a cold day.

The xiao long baos upon arrival are large in size. They meet the mark of xiao long baos soupy and luscious.

The plate of Shanghai noodles I find a bit small in comparison to what I normally see. However it was full of oily goodness and fulfilling the way I like it. Just lacks the size.

Service was a bit rushed but the line was quite long when we left. The bill left a tiny damage on the wallet which is a win in my books.

342 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
03 9600 2250

First time I heard about Albee’s Kitchen was at the Parramatta Malaysian BBQ. Their satay sticks left a memory in my head, it was simply unforgettable. Afterwards one of my work colleagues raved about Albee’s Kitchen. So I was keen to try it for myself. I have previously visited Albee’s twice and both times I was without a camera. I was determined to come back and take photos. I am without my SLR on this visit but Albee’s Kitchen definitely needs to be blogged about.

On the prior 2 visits I have sat in the front part of the restaurant. The interior of Albee’s makes you feel like you have stepped right into Malaysia. This time we walked in and we realise the restaurant was already full. However we were taken through the kitchen and discovered there is two more rooms at the back pheww!

Thankfully I am visiting on a Tuesday, that means I can finally cure my craving for dry wonton mee (only served on Tuesday). Albee’s have a daily special for each day of the week. Only on certain days you can order a daily special.

One of the back rooms. It has a less hawker feel then the front.

Cendol

Soy and Cendol.

Lor Bak is a a meat spring roll wrapped in a bean curd sheets, kind of like a sausage. I love the lor bak here. It’s crispy and the sauce goes perfectly with it.

Chicken Satay. If there is one thing you must order here it has to be the satay. This tasted close to the ones I had in Malaysia. Two words totally epic.

The Char Kuey teow is massive. On a previous visit I struggled to finish the whole plate. I ended up eating half and leaving the other half for lunch for the next day. Their version isn’t the best and probably lack a bit of “wok hei” but it isn’t too bad. I am still yet to find a fantastic version of Char kuey teow in sydney

Hokkian Style Seafood Noodles. Like the Char Kuey teow this was massive in size. Mr himself seems please with the noodles and finishes the whole thing!

Char Siew dry Wonton Mee. I did purposely come to visit on a Tuesday to have dry wonton mee. I liked how they have the served the wontons separately. The noodles was drenched heavy in the sauce, which I prefer. Although it came a little close to the one I had back in Melaka is definitely cured my craving for me. Do you know any other places that does a dry wonton mee?

Previous visits I have try the Hainanese Chicken Rice, Mee rebus and Teh tarik . I also recommend the Chicken rice and the Mee Rebus (Thursday special). The Teh Tarik wasn’t frothy enough for me.

I am still yet to try many other Malaysian restaurants in Sydney but so far Albee’s kitchen has topped my list. On your way out, make sure you grab a box of Malaysian desserts (kuih) and a curry puff. The curry puffs are so delicious – they also have half an egg in it.

Address:
282 Beamish St
Campsie, NSW 2194
9718 8302
http://www.albeeskitchen.com.au

I am not to fond of Christmas desserts, I am more particularly interested in the mains rather then the desserts when it comes to Christmas meals. When given a festive dessert during the blog hop I could not think of a Christmas/December dessert I would like. Somehow it hit me later that a yule log is perfect to whip up. Yule log first originated in France and consists of a swiss roll covered and shaped into a yule log.

Recipe adapted from Masterchef  – I have halved the recipe due to my oven size

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup plain flour
3/4 tablespoon cocoa powder
50g unsalted butter melted, then cooled

Milk Chocolate Ganache Filling
1/3 cup pure cream
70g white chocolate, chopped
30g hazelnuts, roasted, finely chopped*

Dark Chocolate Ganache Topping
1/3 cup pure cream
70g dark chocolate, chopped

Decoration
mini marshmallows
about 40 grams of dark chocolate
white writing icing

*instead of chopped I crushed the hazelnuts by placing in a sandwich bag and smashing with a meat mullet

Method

1. Preheat oven 180°C. Grease a 30cm by 35cm Swiss roll tin and line with baking paper.

2. For Yule log, beat eggs and sugar in an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.

3. Sift flour and cocoa together and then sift over the eggs. Pour butter around the edge of the bowl and using a large metal spoon gently fold mixture together. Pour mixture into prepared tin, spread out gently using a palette knife and bake for 8 mins or until sponge springs back. Cover with foil or a tea towel.

4. For filling, place cream and milk chocolate in a heat proof bowl over simmering water. Stir until chocolate has melted and become smooth.

5. For topping, place cream and dark chocolate in a heat proof bowl over simmering water. Stir until chocolate has melted and become smooth.

6. Wait till milk chocolate ganache is cooled then spread filling to the end of roll, leaving a 3cm gap at the end. Sprinkle hazelnuts over filling. Roll and trim sponge. Cut off one end piece about 10cm long on the diagonal and place it alongside the log to create a branch.

7. Place yule log on a serving platter and spread the dark chocolate topping all over it and score with a fork. Dust with icing sugar

8. To make the decorations pick three mini marshmallows and “glue” them together using the white writing icing. Melt chocolate and spoon chocolate in a shape of a leaf onto a baking sheet – repeat until all done. Let the chocolate cooled and then placed in the fridge. Once the chocolate is set, peel chocolate off baking sheet and decoration the yule log with the marshmallows and chocolate leaves.

Thanks to 84th&the3rd for hosting the Festive blog hop.

We were only given two seatings 6pm & 8:30pm. I had to quickly dashed to the city from work and trying to arrive on time at 6pm, the perks of not working in the city. I originally thought the banquet was one each but it’s 7 dishes shared between two. It also comes with rice, a salad and a glass of wine each. You are also given the option to switch to a soft drink if you prefer.

Pickled cucumber salad. There is Chinese fungi in this which I love.

Steamed pork wontons with chilli oil dressing. I was hoping for the deep fried version but the steamed pork wontons are still delicious and are quickly gobbled up.

Braised beef on sesame leaf. The coriander took up about half the filling in the roll. Althought I am not affected by this, Mr himself was horrified. You see Mr himself’s least favoutite food (or should I say herb) in the whole wide world is coriander.

Calamari salad with fresh herbs.

Deep fried tofu with caramelised tomato. Tofu and tomato are a great combination and once again another great dish.

Crispy Chilli chicken. Sadly the chicken was quite spicy, so Mr himself had this to himself, he quickly gives me the thumbs up!

Caramelised beef with fresh fennel and radish. This was the highlight of the meal. Saved the best for last. The beef is beautifully cooked, tender and juicy. What more could you want?

iceberg & Herb salad

Overall it’s such a great deal for $79 dollars. I am not sure I would pay the full price of $160. I think it was quite small for two people but it was great that we got to tried the different meals from Bar H. I do look forward to trying it again sometime in the future.

80 Campbell St
Surry Hills, NSW 2010
http://www.barhsurryhills.com/

The last time I made a pavlova was the mini chocolate pavlova stacks. Once again I decided to do another stack version of the pavlova.This pavlova was inspired by chocolatesuze with her love of rainbows . I originally saw a pavlova tree on the interwebs and wanted to replica a rainbow tree. I realise how difficult it was to baked each layer at different cooking times. In the end I settled for each layer of the pavlova to be the same size. Some of the colourings of the rainbow didn’t turned out the way I liked. The violet came out quite grey and the red quite pink. I had so much trouble photographing this, lots of cream meant on some angles a layer couldn’t be seen meaning it wasn’t a rainbow anymore

Pavlova recipe adapted from Donna Hay

Ingredients

150ml egg white (approximately 4 eggs)
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
2 tablespoons corn flour , sifted
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Toppings:
food colouring – red, green, blue and yellow
200mls of pouring/pure cream
250grams of strawberries (about 200grams chopped coarsely and the rest halved)
dark chocolate shavings – white and milk can be used too
* the above can be adjusted according to your taste

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).

2. Place the eggwhite in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, whisking well, until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk until just combined.

3. Divided mixture into 8 even portions. A rainbow generally has 7 colours, I did the last portion of a back up in case the colourings didn’t work out. Add food colouring to each of the portions, each colour for the rainbows (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). Mix food colourings and adjusted for each colour. Spread each layer on a baking sheet in about 8cms in diameter

4. Reduce oven to 120°C (250°F) and bake for about 25 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven.

5. Whipped the cream with a hand held mixer or stand alone mixer for several minutes until thicken. At this stage, add the chopped strawberries and about 3/4 of the shaved chocolate to the cream.

6. Start with the violet layer pavlova and one layer with cream. Continue with the rest of the pavlova layers and cream. Once finished top with the last layer of cream, halved strawberries and the leftover shaved chocolate. The chopped strawberries in the cream help make the pavlova stand up a bit more straight – the pavlova layers when bake don’t come out perfect so the chopped strawberries in between the layers help stablise the tower. It also adds flavour to the cream!

Shaved chocolate: to make shaved chocolate get a block of chocolate and use a vegetable peeling and start shaving the edge. The results are shaved bits of chocolate.

Thanks to delicieux for hosting the Pavlova blog hop. I can’t add the linkytool thingy due to free wordpress javascript limitations =(

I knew what I wanted before I entered the restaurant, yes it’s the shakshouka that lures me in. Wait I lied I knew what a wanted a few months before the Melbourne trip. Me and Mr himself both fight over the Shakshouka – let’s just ordered two I exclaimed. A bit silly indeed but we both decided to share it and order another dish.

Funky lights on the Ceiling

Single origin coffee. Mr himself loves his coffee so no complaints here.

Shakshouka – baked eggs with roasted peppers & marinated Persian feta. It was quite spicy and a bit rich on the spices but it does not mean I didn’t enjoy it. The baked eggs are gooey and I scoop up every last bit with the bread.

Smoked Salmon with 65/65 egg. The smoked Salmon was delish but the star of the dish is the eggs. The 65/65 means the egg has been poached for 65 minutes at 65 degrees.

Hope to see you again Cumulus Inc!

45 Flinders Ln
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03)96501445
http://cumulusinc.com.au/

My key takes out of the day:

Law session – I think the one comment that stood out the most was “you need to control what appears on your blog when a comment appears, if defamatory you might be opened to be sued.” I tend to leave most comments as they are as I respect my readers thoughts, now I’m quite worried and might have to moderate comments. Check out Dominic Villa’s blog post about further law regarding food blogging.

SEO – I was looking forward this session, I think Michael Gall did the best he could in explaining SEO. It’s not easy trying to explain the idea of a type of “vote” in terms of backlinks. Side note I work in SEO, I was looking forward to it so I can steal his tips (hehe ) for explaining it to people who don’t understand what SEO is

Writing with Valerie Khoo – I realise I was breaking and every tip she mentioned. I am constantly speaking on my blog in a passive tone and realise I need to change to a more active tone.

Simon Marnie on Media – he was honest and came across very warm. I love his perspective from his media side. He mention know he had the most amazing auckland dining experience thanks to bloggers. I dislike the media negative thoughts on food bloggers (and even bloggers as whole). I love how he mention that all media and bloggers just can work alongside each other. He was very engaging as a person.

Ethics – Make sure to mention about being completely transparent about restaurant reviews.

A camera war? It’s on!

Dominic Villa

Valerie Khoo in action, so much passion for writing.

Lunch was Lamb, you can tell how horrified I was. I fully detest Lamb with every bone in my body. I went with the vegetarian option which was the zucchini stack, which ended up being delicious. I was so hungry so I went back for another plate of vegetables (Hey no one was eating it!)

Lamby baaa baa

My zucchini stack lunch, sorry out of focus.

The lamb Masterclass just about to start. How gorgeous is Nonie? All the males were all swooning towards her! Don’t blame them. I love how she took out a saw and just hacked into the lamb.

Lamb in action

Gotta love them food bloggers in action. I took this photo for Lols. Is your back famous here? I can “link” you if you like

There were 4 workshops occurring during the afternoon and you could only attended two. In the end I went up picking the food styling and food photography class. I struggled with both so I was thinking of picking up new tips and tricks.

Styling – Peter was leading the Food Styling workshop, he mentioned he picks most of his props from op shops and Ikea. I love his collection of food props. I’m slowing trying to build a collection as well.

Cake styling

Styling a salad

Photography – Quentin Jones was teaching the photography class. I am afraid I didn’t learn much things “new” but I reckon he did share a few great tips for newbie photographers, especially in the photoshop department.

What happens when you just miss out on chilli crab, no more!

A BIG BIG thank you to the amazing conference team, Without you guys we wouldn’t have such a fantastic day. Big thank you <3 to Reemski, Simon, Trina and Jennifer.

It was lovely to meet so many fantastic bloggers who share a passion and love for food as well. Looking forward to next year!