New Year Revelation

I went to a friend's birthday party at Hugo's Lounge, Kings Cross. I realise that I love my alcohol; had a Corona Extra, followed by an espresso martini (thanks to the bartender). Surprisingly, I hold alcohol quite well, too, considering that I don't drink much. :) 


We were served good pizza, too... the prawn pizza was so good that I over-indulged. :P It gave me the idea of making pizza for dinner... mmm...

New Year Revelation

New Looks + Current Favourites

Photo from DolceGabbana website

Brocade.

Chiffon.

Crochet.

Lace.

Silk.

I am in love with Dolce&Gabbana's Summer 2011 collection.

New Looks + Current Favourites

Family

My parents are here on a so-called cooking tour (my father has a unique sense of humour).

They're here to cook for us while my sisters sit for their mid-term exams. They have been here for nearly two weeks now.

I have been busy with work, as usual, and I have not had time for updates.

Please stay tuned until I do. :)

Family

Stillwater Restaurant and River Cafe 19th April, 2010

Stillwater at one end of the Cataract Gorge.

This jewel of a place is situated at Ritchie's Mill, a historic site dating back to the late 19th century. The original granary is now the wine cellar of the restaurant. It overlooks the Tamar River, which could probably be stunning in the daytime. Have a look at Stillwater's website for the detailed history about Ritchie's Mill. I read about Stillwater in the Australian Traveller magazine, and since we would be staying at Launceston, I made bookings the week before for my birthday dinner.

We arrived slightly earlier than 8pm, and were seated in no time at all close to the entrance. The lighting was dim, with a small oil lamp on each table, soft music in the background, and a small, pleasant crowd. Out attending waitstaff soon came with our menus.

Outside of Stillwater

Cosy interior.

We declined to have the degustation course, and the À la carte menu seemed more appealing. So far, we have not had oysters, and as KT said, coming to Tasmania and not have Tasmanian oysters would be a great shame. Therefore, I opted for the oyster shooters as entrée, whereas KT decided on the sashimi-style whitefish.

For our mains, KT chose the eye fillet of Tasmanian grass-fed beef, and I chose the roasted duck.

We also decided to share a dessert, so we chose a vanilla and butter-roasted peach.

Whilst waiting, we were served with crispy wonton strips with a sweet and sour chilli dip. How creative! I now know what to do with leftover wonton wrappers! Happily munching on the wonton strips, I jotted down the menu in my notebook.

Then came the entrées, KT's looking like a creation inspired by the autumn forest floor, and my oysters bobbing in a citrusy liqueour, waiting to be slushed into my mouth.

Sashimi-style whitefish with Asian black sesame dressing, lemongrass, ginger, coconut mousseline, and shiso - both a mouthful in name and taste!

Thai Style 'Lease 65, Moulting Bay' oyster shooters with nam jin dressing and dashi froth - this is one shooter which I can't have too many of!

The entrées were visually appetising, but in our mouths, the flavours and textures were amazing, I was very impressed with the oyster shooters, the nam jin dressing was the correct balance of sweet, sour, and spicy, and rounded off by the sea-flavour of the dashi froth. KT raved about his entrée; the only time he was over-the-moon about fine dining was when he had the melt-in-your-mouth pork belly at Aria. I could understand why: the way that everything was arranged, the flavours and textures created, hinted at the skills of the creator.

I was in such state of euphoria that I dared not take a sip of water for fear that I would lose the wonderful taste still lingering in my mouth. The entrées won us over, made us buzz with anticipation of the mains.

KT reading the Stillwater review in the Australian Traveller

The mains arrived as pieces of art - roasted duck breast splayed atop of the butternut pumpkin semolina "gnocchi" (it was more of a mash than a gnocchi?), duck leg perched on top of a round of foie gras, sugar snap peas seemingly thrown carelessly over a pool of duck essence - the duck breast and leg was so, so tender and flavoursome, the duck essence divine.

Roasted duck with baked butternut pumpkin semolina gnocchi, foie gras, sugar snap peas, and duck essence

KT's main - I loved how the Asian-inspired theme was carried through seamlessly from entrée to main. While the beef was beautifully succulent and tender, and the ponzu sauce a wonderful complement, I couldn't get much of the sweet beetroot glaze - it was too sticky and most of it was stuck onto the plate!

Eye fillet of Tasmanian grass-fed beef, with yuzu, green olive, potato/parsnip and dashi gallette, ponzu sauce, sticky beetroot and dashi foam

We also had a side of roasted honeybrown mushrooms with soy butter - the mushrooms soaked up the soy butter wonderfully - I have since tried to replicate the soy butter, and used it as a stir-fry sauce for sugar snap peas and mushrooms - so versatile and yummy!

Roasted honeybrown mushrooms with soy butter

After the mains, we were pleasantly full, and were in no hurry for dessert. When it did arrive, all eyes were agog. It looked too pretty to be eaten! When I sunk my spoon into the peach, it gave way without resistance, and was warm and buttery. I followed that with a spoonful of cold parfait - decadent! The dessert was made to share, which I was glad to do so with KT.

Vanilla and butter-roasted peach with parfait of Lindt chocolate honeycomb/pistachio semifreddo and white chocolate sauce

I wasn't sure if I wanted to eat it or admire it

Peppermint tea, the bill with petit fours of mini macarons and something coffee-ish

I finished off with a peppermint tea. Close to 9pm, we were one of two tables left, so KT asked for the bill, whilst I sipped on tea. The bill was presented with petit fours of mini macarons and a coffee, chocolate biscuit-thing.

Before leaving, I asked KT if he could get the chef to autograph the Australian Traveller magazine, which the chef happily did so. :)

KT reckons that Stillwater could give Aria a run for its money, and I agreed. Every dish was well-thought of and well-executed, nothing pretentious, and delicious. It's a must-go for anyone seeking a quality dining experience.

Stillwater River Cafe, Restaurant, Wine Bar
Situated in Ritchies Mill at the bottom of Paterson Street across from the Penny Royal Hotel
03 6331 4153

Stillwater Restaurant and River Cafe 19th April, 2010

Daniel Alps at Strathlynn 19th of April, 2010

It was an affair to remember....

A lunch affair, that is...

At Daniel Alps at Strathlynn.

Daniel Alps at Strathlynn is situated in the Ninth Island Vineyard at Rosevears, overlooking the Tamar River. Rosevears is about 20 minutes away from Launceston.

We arrived slightly earlier than 1pm, and were seated promptly. Three-quarters of the restaurant walls had windows, so regardless of where we were seated, it was guaranteed with a view. The scenery from the inside of the restaurant was magnificent.

I read the review in the Australian Traveller Magazine that the menu at Daniel Alps' changes daily, in keeping with the local produce. I wondered what treat was in store for us.

No sooner were we offered the menu, I started jotting down dishes I thought were inspiring / interesting. KT ordered the Springfield venison with du puy lentils, beetroots, and red onion (entree size), whereas I took a fancy for penne with meat ragu, sage, and truffle oil. We also ordered a side of herb potatoes, and for dessert, the soft-centred Callebaut chocolate pudding.

The maitre'd spotted me taking notes from the menu, and signalled for the attending waitress to give me a copy of the menu. She then told me that the menu changes daily. How very attentive of them!

It didn't seem too long before the dishes arrived; I was so absorbed with the beautiful surroundings. The dishes we ordered were equally as captivating, KT's venison was succulent and moist. The lentils were flavoursome and smoky, a beautiful accompaniment to the venison. The beetroots - one of KT's least favourite vegetable - were sweet, so much so that KT made no fuss over finishing those beetroots, even after I told him what they were.

When I took the first forkful of penne, I was in love. The ragu was rich and silky, the flavours lingered in my mouth. It was not starchy or heavy at all. Never had I enjoyed pasta so much. Even now, I would recollect the flavours of the penne, and my mouth would water.

Springfield venison with du puy lentils, beetroots, and red onion

Penne with meat ragu, sage, and truffle oil


Herb potatoes

More than happy with our mains, I then ordered a peppermint tea, while we waited for the dessert.

Refreshing peppermint tea

Soft-centred Callebaut chocolate pudding with raspberry sorbet and Chantilly cream

The pudding was served with a raspberry sorbet and Chantilly cream. In a nutshell, the dessert was heavenly, perfect for that sunny Autumn day. The pudding, soft and creamy in the middle, was balanced by the tartness of the sorbet, and rounded by the Chantilly cream.

"Strathlynn is the type of place around which you organise the rest of your touring itinerary so that you arrive right on lunch time..." as quoted on a review website.

I could not agree more, as that was precisely what we did.

If you're travelling to Launceston, definitely make Daniel Alps at Strathlynn a must.

Daniel Alps at Strathlynn

G95 Rosevears Drive, Rosevears, Tasmania.

03 6330 2388

Daniel Alps at Strathlynn 19th of April, 2010

Life is a Fruit Cake

My mother has a very good recipe for fruit cake, perfect for festive seasons. She would make the fruit cake almost every time us children go home. For me, my mother's fruit cake is more than just good food; it conjures up one of the happiest and most memorable moments in my life.

For this year's Christmas, I would like to get the recipe off her to try to make. My first year of Christmas in Sydney after seven years. Even though I would not be at home to see my family, I would like to try to make a little magical moment here in Sydney.

When I get the recipe, I would post it up together with my experience of making the fruit cake on my own. Hopefully, I can garner help from C. :P

Life is a Fruit Cake

Recently

I've been doing a lot of things recently...

I've renewed my bracelet project - making bracelets out of ribbons with bead / embroidery patterns. I'm getting better at the designs and the final products look much more presentable.

I've made a hard cover book from scratch... I'll upload the pictures soon... but for the first try, I'd say that it's a pretty decent book.

I've tried two different recipes of tiramisu. The first one, an oven-baked item, although it looked disgusting in presentation, surprisingly tasted good. I've just tried out the second recipe tonight, I'll only know the result tomorrow. ;)

I also cooked clay pot chicken rice tonight for the very first time. It was a bit wet, but it tasted good, much to my surprise.

I've also fallen in love... with life. There are so many things that I have tried, that I have yet to try... I can't wait to wake up every morning to start something new.

Unless, of course, I have to wake up to work. :P

Recently

Petaling Jaya in Sydney

" ...it felt as if I was back home in Petaling Jaya (PJ)..."

It was a usual Sunday morning. I had choir practice in the morning, after which the choir sang during mass. I enjoyed singing Byrd's Agnus Dei and Ave Verum Corpus, although to my chagrin I sang my part slightly earlier half way through Ave Verum Corpus, and the choir conductor, GP, noticed it, and gave me a knowing smile. He did comment to me after mass that it wouldn't have been noticed by the congregation. I tend to slip up when I get excited... perhaps over-excited.

It was during mass when Father John gave his sermon, and I was lost in reverie, that I noticed a bird chirping, its sound resonating through the church, almost as if it was listening to Father John speak and replying fervently. It was then I realised that when one is lost in one's own world, the world is lost upon one. I'm sure the bird was trying to tell me to wake up and pay attention; I have been absorbed into a world of my own lately, and if I could snap out of it, things would be clearer to me.

I had lunch at the Fish Market; I haven't been there for more than a year at least. I sat on grass at Wentworth Park; the feel of slightly damp grass and the sun on my skin is difficult to explain. I feel alive, not just living.

Walking to the bus stop behind World Square to catch the bus back to college, I noticed that it was quite humid, and although the afternoon sun made its exit behind the clouds, it felt as if I was back home in PJ. I do miss home.

Petaling Jaya in Sydney

Aus liebe zum Automobil, Fräulein?

Oh ja...

I am so in love withVolkswagen at the moment...

After watching Goong (hot hot hot Korean series) and seeing Knocked Up at the cinema, I am convinced that Volkswagen and I are destined to be together. So much so that I did some research on the Volkswagen Australian website, and got them to post me some catalogues.

I want to own one of these...

Volkswagen Jetta

Never mind the insignificant detail of not having at least $40,000 at the moment. One could dream, could one not?

Oh ja...

One day (hopefully in the not-too-distant future)...

Aus liebe zum Automobil, Fräulein?