The Snook is the resident Italian cooking expert, but since I have Fridays off and he doesn’t, I figured it was my turn to treat him to a nice dinner of risotto. So I found a recipe for Asparagus Risotto and headed to the shops. I decided to add a bit of protein with chicken breast but otherwise I pretty much stuck to the recipe as written. The Snook was dubious about the addition of cream and rosemary but he became a convert in the end. It was delicious. I was worried that I’d added too much broth and it was too soupy, but ultimately it glommed together just right into the perfect melange of blessed, blessed carbs. Yum. Highly recommended.
Tag: food
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Candy Sushi
Hmm. I think Candy Sushi would be an awesome addition to this year’s Halloween party! Can somebody send me some Twinkies in, oh, about six months? (Actually, Twinkies don’t really get stale, do they? You could send them to me now.)
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I ate a bug.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
At the last minute, the Snook and I decided to head out for a Valentine’s Day dinner so we got all gussied up – check us out; I wore the orange bridesmaid dress – and headed to the Lord Nelson, a pub and brewhouse that happens to have a very nice restaurant on the first floor. We sat down and had a look at the holiday set menu. “Shall we get it?” I asked. “But it has a seafood plate as the appetizer,” Snookums said, knowing that I don’t really eat seafood. “I’m game,” I said. A few glasses of wine later, out came the plate. There were four prawns, four oysters (two with strawberries and mangoes on them), two scallops with salmon roe, and an honest-to-goodness Moreton Bay Bug. Folks, I ate everything. I really did. The prawns were really good, but I’d had them before. I wouldn’t say I really love oysters yet, but they’re definitely growing on me. (The ones with the fruit were surprisingly delicious.) I was wary of the scallops for fear they’d be fishy, but they ended up being really good. (And the salmon roe – which looked like little orange tapioca balls and is pretty damn gross to contemplate – really did burst pleasantly in the mouth.) Lastly, the bug, as seen in the photo before you. Hell yeah, I ate that sucker. Cross him off my list. The Snook was absolutely floored that I was brave enough to try everything. The thing is, it was all delicious. I don’t know if it’s just that Sydney seafood is particularly good (which it is), or that I”m slowly developing my taste for this stuff (which I probably am), but I am definitely becoming a fan of the shellfish. Yum. The rest of the dinner was excellent – I had the chicken; the Snook the steak – but not nearly the phobia-challenge of the entree. Pretty cool, huh? -
50 Things to Eat Before You Die
50 Things to Eat Before You Die – I’ve had nearly everything on the list with the exception of some of the fish/seafood. I’m still working on that. (Link courtesy of Kristen, who is much more adventurous than me.)
2. Lobster – My one and only lobster experience was on Spring Break 1997 when I visited my roommate Eileen’s family in Boston. We had lobster with loads of butter. I found the texture to be really gross. And then I spent the next 24 hours on the train home puking my guts out. But that could’ve been from the alcohol, I suppose…
3. Steak – Mmm, yes please. I don’t like it as rare as the Snook (who’s been known to eat carpaccio and steak tartare), but as long as the inside isn’t too bloody, I’ll happily eat it.
4. Thai food – I’ve been told that Sydney has more Thai restaurants than anywhere else outside of Thailand. And damn, they’re all good.
5. Chinese food – A Chinese co-worker took me for some authentic dim sum at the North Ryde RSL. It was fantastic. Much better than the crap we used to get delivered in college.
6. Ice cream – Who hasn’t? I mean, honestly.
7. Pizza – I love pizza. I’ve even eat it at Da Michele’s in Naples, the restaurant mentioned here. Best pizza I ever had in my life.
8. Crab – Do crab cakes count?
9. Curry – My current favorite is the Snook’s secret recipe for homemade mango chicken curry.
10. Prawns – Currently the only seafood I can definitely say I like. Mmm, prawns on the barbie dipped straight into garlic butter…
12. Clam chowder – It’s CHOWDA! Tried it in Boston once and thought it was pretty good.
13. Barbecue – Oh, yeah. It tastes best on our very own new barbie!
14. Pancakes – I’m guilty of introducing thick American-style pancakes to the Snook, who is now obsessed with them. So I know pancakes.
15. Pasta – We don’t eat it so much these days – damn carbs – but I still love it. The more garlic the better.
17. Cheesecake – *drool*
18. Lamb – I’d never eaten lamb before moving overseas, but now it’s my favorite meat ever. Too bad the drought has made it prohibitively expensive right now.
19. Cream tea – My favorite was at the Orangery in Kensington Gardens. Lovely.
21. Oysters – The Snook finally convinced me to try one – raw with squeezed lime – last Valentine’s Day. I didn’t mind it, actually!
22. Kangaroo – Yum. Ma Snook brought us some fillets last year that were superb.
23. Chocolate – The Snook prefers his darker and less sweet than I do, but we’re both chocoholics.
24. Sandwiches – I’m ashamed to admit that my favorite is the Chicken Caesar from Pret a Manger in London.
25. Greek food – I make a mean moussaka.
26. Burgers – I’ve come to love the Aussie version with fried egg and barbecue sauce. I’ll still pass on the beetroot, though.
27. Mexican food – This is the one thing I really miss living in Sydney.
28. Squid – I’ve tried deep fried calamari. That counts, right?
29. American diner breakfast – Again, I converted the Snook. He’s now a big Denny’s fan.
30. Salmon – I don’t eat fish, but last year I was so drunk at a wedding that I happily ate the smoked salmon appetizer. And it was pretty good!
31. Venison – My childhood aversion to deer hunting pretty much vanished once I realized that venison tasted good.
34. Sushi – I tried it a couple times to appease the Snook. Not a huge fan.
38. Kebabs – The best kebab in the world comes from a little shop on Fulham Palace Road in London, near the Hammersmith Broadway pedestrian underpass. Get it with garlic and chili. *drool*
40. Australian meat pie – I’ve decided that they’re a more-then-acceptable hot dog substitute at the cricket. I still haven’t been to Harry’s Cafe de Wheels, though.
41. Mango – I’m not a huge fan of it raw, but in chutney or curry it’s sublime.
43. Octopus – I’ve had deep-fried baby octopus a couple times in Australia. Mostly rubbery, I thought.
45. Roast beef – Yum. I even ate it in England, which probably means I’ve got BSE now.
46. Tapas – There used to be a great tapas place near our house in Newtown. Sadly, our patronage wasn’t enough to keep it afloat!
50. Cornish pasty – Scarfed a few while travelling in England. Wonderful. -
YUM-CHA!
“Its the time again where your stomach yearn for the delicious YUM CHA.” I received an invitation earlier this week to join an underground Yum Cha club at my office. I told Gilbert the organizer that I’d had it once before but hadn’t really liked it. He told me that the key to a good yum cha experience was having somebody there that knew how to order. He wasn’t wrong. I went along at lunch today and loved everything he had them put before me. Pork buns, broiled eggplant with prawn, steamed choi, spring rolls, dim sum, everything. Sooo good. And now I’m stuffed.
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Aussie survey
Vegetarian Survey: A friend of mine is working on a project to write a business plan for a vegetarian food store. She distributed this survey around here at work and I offered to post it on the ‘Net for her. Please take a second to post your responses in the comments. It’ll only take a second and I know she’d appreciate it! It’s technically only for Australians, but you international types can play along too, I guess.
Meatless Meals Eaters – Research Questionnaire
This survey is designed to explore the habits and purchasing intentions of frequent and sporadic eaters of meatless meals. Thank you for participating.
1) Which of these statements best describes your meat eating habits?
a. I do not eat meat.
b. I eat meatless meals at least 4 times per week.
c. I eat meatless meals at least 2 times per week.
d. I eat meat in every meal. (answer question 6 only)2) What are your reasons for eating meatless meals? >> Select all that apply
a. Health and/or wellbeing reasons
b. Ethical reasons (animal rights, the environment, etc)
c. Religious reasons
d. Other: ____________________________________3) Have you ever purchased frozen/refrigerated meatless meal or meat substitute (vegetarian nuggets, soy sausages, etc)?
a. Yes, more than once, and I plan to purchase it again in the next 6 months.
b. Yes, once, and I plan to purchase it again in the next 6 months.
c. Yes, once, but I do not plan to purchase it again anytime soon.
d. No, but I intend to purchase it in the next 6 months. >> go to question 5
e. No, and I do not intend to purchase it anytime soon. >> go to question 54) Where have you purchased frozen/refrigerated meatless meal or meat substitute? >> Select all that apply
a. Convenience stores (7-Eleven, petrol station stores, etc)
b. Supermarkets
c. Health food stores
d. Other: ________________________________5. Where do you eat meatless meals? >> Select all that apply
a. At home
b. At work
c. In restaurants or cafes
d. In fast-food outlets
e. Other: ________________________________6) In 12 months you expect to be eating meatless meals:
a. More often than today.
b. As often as today.
c. Less often than today.7) How often do you have quick meals (pastries, pizza, sandwich, etc, with or without meat) at convenience stores?
a. At least once a fortnight
b. At least once a month
c. Once every two months
d. Rarely
e. Never8) Have you ever purchased food from a health food stores?
a. Yes, more than once, and I plan to purchase again in the next 6 months.
b. Yes, once, and I plan to purchase again in the next 6 months.
c. Yes, once, but I do not plan to purchase again anytime soon.
d. No, but I intend to purchase in the next 6 months.
e. No, and I do not intend to purchase anytime soon.Your gender: a. Male b. Female
Your age group: a. 18-24 b. 25-34 c. 35-44 d. 45-54 e. 55+
Your residential postcode: ______________ -
KFC Shame
I ate a KFC Kid’s Meal for lunch today, just because it came with a Powerpuff Girls pink clip-on coin purse. My co-workers were horrified. My purse is awfully cute though! (Forgive me, Dr. Atkins!)
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Summit Restaurant Review
In accordance with our tradition, the Snook and I headed out last night for a fancy dinner to celebrate our anniversary. We’d booked a table at the Summit, which is the revolving restaurant on the 47th floor of the Australia Square building. We were lured in by this review: “Very James Bond, circa Diamonds Are Forever. But after a few drinks it turns very Austin Powers, circa The Spy Who Shagged Me. Groovy, baby.” Who could resist that? So we got all cleaned up and headed out.The decor is very retro with deep red carpet and molded white space chairs. The view was fantastic. We were there at 7:30 so it was dark and we had the whole lit-up city to look at. It did take a while to adjust to the “outer-half-of-the-room-is-spinning” thing. (It reminded me of the White Water Landing platform at Cedar Point, actually.) The rotation was very slow – it took us over two hours to go all the way around – but it was still very noticeable. I can’t imagine how annoying it must be for the waiters to constantly have their tables moving in relation to the kitchen. As is apparently the custom at revolving restaurants, a lady came around with a camera and took several pictures of us. Later on in the meal she brought back the proofs so we could check them out. My favorite was the photo above. Pretty nice, huh? I may get some copies made for our parents. (We also bought another one of the Snook by himself in which he looks like the sleaziest lounge lizard in the history of the world. I burst out laughing when I saw it. It’s hilarious. I’ll post it sometime soon.)
The food was really good. My starter was veal fillet on angelhair pasta with pesto and basil, and for the main I had venison wrapped in pastry. Both were incredibly yummy. The Snook had the “game trio” to start (venison, quail, and ‘roo) and then the seafood risotto. For dessert he had sorbet and I had the almond and amaretto parfait. I’m still drooling. Oh! And I finally had a mojito! I liked it a lot. I’m not a wine connoisseur myself but the Snook felt that the list was very good and the wines we bought by the glass were excellent. Overall the food cannot be faulted. It wasn’t as orgasmically over-the-top as Rockpool but it was better than Wildfire. Service was good but they didn’t seem to have enough staff on and we often had to catch a waiter’s attention when we needed something.
Final rating: 8.5/10. Excellent food, okay service, great view. Of the Sydney restaurants we’ve visited, I’d only rate Rockpool and Bennelong higher.
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Happy birthday to me…
Why yes, those are Wonder Woman Underoos. I was a cool three-year-old.
