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Showing posts from August, 2011

Grub Street

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Grub Street, Gaythorne Another one of my impromptu escapade! Lingering at home after work in the morning, I decided to venture out to the north side for some food. Too bad G was still asleep, I decided to venture this quest alone. Grub Street has been on my wishlist for quite a while and it's time to give it a visit. =)  I drove past it and there was already a queue at 9.30 am. Good sign! The shop is quite small with a small dining area and an outdoor area. Stepping into the cafe, you will see the open kitchen immediately and the workers were so calm and collected preparing the meals. I was lucky that I don't have to wait for a table.  Grub Street, kitchen Grub Street sells their own homemade jams.... Assortment of jams Grub Street Menu I like Grub Street's menu, the food is different and special compared to other cafes I have visited; you will not find your usual 'Big Breakfast' or 'Eggs Benedict' here. There's definitely influ

Taro's Ramen & Cafe

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Taro's Ramen & Cafe, Brisbane CBD I've been craving to try other Japanese ramen after visiting Hakataya Noodles in Sunnybank. G told me that Taro's in the city served delicious Tonkotsu ramen too. I managed to persuade MXM to follow me along for this visit today. =) We got there about 1.30 pm and there was still quite a number of people in the cafe. We went up to the counter and I knew what I want to order already.... Tonkotsu ramen obviously. Unfortunately, they have sold out of that broth already for the day!!! I was so disappointed. =( Since we were there, we ordered other dishes: MXM ordered the Shio Ramen- the stock is made of "Golden Triple Soup" blend of vegetables, chicken and dried seafood broth; seasoned with salt and prawn oil; topped with salt loin charsiu pork, egg, sprouts, shallots, fried prawn powder. Shio Ramen - $ 13.90 The flavour of this soup is quite light and not as strong or thick as my miso ramen. With a blend of vegetables

Made in Africa

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  Made In Africa, Moorooka So, this is the second African restaurant that I have visited. Hmmm...... I went there last Friday and since then, I've been really reluctant to write up this post. I bought the voucher ($29) for all you can eat buffet (2 ppl) which include entree, mains and dessert including drinks.  Made In Africa, Moorooka (just above Mu'ooz Restaurant) The place was quite full when B and I got there. It seems that there is only one man who works there. We have to wait quite a while before being seated. Food is self-service and this is what I've got: I got no idea what dish I've taken actually! I think there were two meat dishes (chicken and beef), two lentil curries and mix vegetables. Flavour wise, the dishes tasted pretty good but I was wishing that they were little warmer. The enjera/injera tasted like the ones we had in Mu'ooz. Even though it's 'all you can eat', the food was nearly finished by the time I was goi

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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What's the best way of finishing a whole tub of peanut butter? =) ~ ~ ~ Why not make cookies using peanut butter and might as well add some chocolate chips too? That's what I did! My Kraft Peanut Butter! I like mine crunchy.... Don't worry, the peanut butter doesn't expire until 2012! =) Recipe (Adapted from  Joy the Baker  ) 2 1/2 cups of plain flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt pinch of ground nutmeg 200g unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup crunchy peanut butter (smooth is fine too) 1 cup brown sugar ( I reduced it to 3/4 cup) 3/4 cup caster sugar ( I reduced it to 1/2 cup) 2 eggs Dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 180 C. Line tray with baking paper. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Using a mixer, in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another minute. Add the sugars and beat for 3 more minutes. Add the eggs one a time

Laksa Hut

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Laksa Hut, Toowong Too lazy to drive down to Sunnybank for some Malaysian or Singaporean dishes, I opt to walk to Toowong to satisfy my urge for a bowl of duck laksa. Back home in Malaysia, laksa aka 'asam laksa' is made of fish broth and is usually accompanied by thick rice noodles, vegetables, cucumbers, onions, pineapple and a dash of prawn shrimp paste. But the laksa here is actually known as 'curry mee' back home; which is a coconut-based curry soup.  The restaurant, Laksa Hut has been around for so many years and is famous for its curry laksa, hence the shop's name. Eating there will bring you back home, sort of... The shop is quite small and the tables are placed in the alleyway, thus the feeling of having 'hawker food'. Laksa Hut's Menu I wanted the duck laksa but too bad, it was sold out that night. So, I opt for the seafood laksa. Seafood Laksa - $ 13.50 ? I can't remember the exact price now In this seafood laksa, there w

Belgian Beer Cafe Brussels

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G and I wanted to visit Belgian Beer cafe for quite sometime. Finally, both of us had time today to give this place a go. Having read  Hungry Kitten 's post about this place beforehand, I was a tad worried about the service there and it sounded like I need to dress up before I go. Well, I wore a pair of high heels, skirt, etc ... and guess what happened later? Somehow, I managed to land on my bottom while walking down the stairs in the train station. Ouch!!! Btw, I did not curse and was smiling instead... smiling at myself of how silly I was ... At that moment, I knew what to write for the post! =) Back to the restaurant itself, even though the website stated that they are open from 11.30 am onwards, lunch starts at 12 pm only. Having some time to kill, we walked to the nearby open markets. First customers to arrive and were served some complimentary breads ... Multigrain and rye bread Left: Hoegaarden White - $8 Right: Belle-Vue Kriek - $8 Since we were in a bee

Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread

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Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread Recipe (from  Joy the Baker  ) 1 1/4 cups of plain flour 1/2 cup of brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 tsp canola oil 1 large egg, beaten 2 medium egg whites, beaten 3 large bananas, ripe 1 cup of quick oats Dark chocolate chips Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients including oats and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Add oil and whole egg and mix thoroughly. Mashed Bananas (Add more bananas for more flavour) Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Batter will be fairly thick. (I added dark chocolate chips into the batter too) In another bowl, with an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs whites until medium stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions. (I think the egg whites allow the batter to be less dense and not so thick) Pour batter into a loaf

Grill'd

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Grill'd, Fortitude Valley Sweet Chilli Chicken  with panini bun  - $ 9.90  Grilled chicken breast, beetroot, shredded carrot, salad, relish & sweet chilli mayo  Crisp and fresh salad Grilled to perfection chicken breast Tasted a little plain, wishing for a stronger flavour of sweet chilli mayo Moroccan Lamb with traditional bun - $11.90 Grilled lean lamb pattie with roasted peppers, tzatziki, salad & relish Good combination of flavours (roasted peppers, tzatziki and lamb) Fresh and crisp salad  Hot Chips - $4.30 with Herbed mayo and tomato relish Thicker cuts than normal Crunchy on the outside and soft inside Rosemary herbs and salt on chip s [can be nominated as my top two chips after Salt & Battery] Overall, Grill'd is a good place to dine in if the cravings for fast food hits you. Patties promised to be super low in fat and with the amount of salad in the burger, we won't feel that guilty when we crave for a burger now and again .

First attempt of making bread!

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I had the urge of making bread last weekend and instead of baking plain bread, I attempted to make pretzels. Yup, you hear me correctly: PRETZELS! I'm crazy and too ambitious ... Browsing through various blogs, I found this post  'How to Make Soft Pretzels' by Joy the Baker  and it seems like a good place to start with. Recipe (adapted from Joy the Baker) 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp salt 2 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast 3 3/4 to 4 cups of plain flour 1 egg (lightly beaten) 1 tbsp baking soda Water Toppings for pretzel: salt, cheese, cinnamon sugar (up to your own liking) Methods : Stir sugar, yeast and 1 1/2 cups of lukewarm water in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Stand until foamy (takes about 5 minutes). Whisk together 3 1/2 cups of flour and 1 tbsp salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir until it forms a dough. Dust work surface with flour, then turn out dough and knead, gradually dusting with enough additional flour to make a smooth sticky

Little Larder

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Little Larder, New Farm New Farm seems to be the place to go to for breakfast! Following my GPS, I drove past Cirque and Chouquette before reaching Little Larder. I am amazed looking at people queuing in both Cirque and Chouquette. Well, I am not surprised to see that there's already a line in Little Larder too.  G and I waited for about 10 minutes before we got our seats. Unintentionally, I heard one of the worker said to a customer that he can make a booking in the future and don't have to wait in line that time. Maybe this is only for the regulars because she did not tell us this. That morning, I opt for juice instead of coffee. I had coffee the previous night and could not sleep until late... Watermelon, pineapple and mint juice - $5.50 I can definitely taste the watermelon and pineapple but not mint unless I chew the mint leaves. I should have ordered the coffee or smoothie, I guess. Eggs benedict with smokes salmon and spinach $ 16 I haven't had eg