SMB - Canberra Food Blog

Alice Thai Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:31:00 +0000

Honestly, i wouldn't have found out about Alice Thai Restaurant if it wasn't for a friend of mine, who raved about how good their Pad Thai was. Alice's location is not exactly the best because their entrance can be easily go by unnoticed and their sign is often hidden behind the dance studio one. Alice's is not very big but you can tell that the owner has meticulously selected the paintings and decorations to create a traditional Thai atmosphere in the restaurant.

On this visit, we have ordered a Crying Tiger (marinated grilled beef with fresh salad and special sauce), Prawn Tom Yum Noodle Soup (hot and sour Thai style noodle soup) and obviously the famous Chicken Pad Thai (Thai style noodle with beansprouts and peanuts). I initially didn't know why this dish was called Crying Tiger but after having the first bite, i was enlightened. Despite its spiciness, the beef was tender and the combination of spices and herbs was delicious.

The portion for the Chicken Pad Thai was generous and i like how it comes with beansprouts and peanuts at the side so that you can moderate the amounts that go into your Pad Thai. The Pad Thai was quite flavoursome but a bit 'wet' in my opinion...i usually prefer it to be 'dry'.

The highlight of the meal for me was the Prawn Tom Yum Noodle Soup. The prawns were big and the soup was tasty with a good balance of spiciness and sourness in it. The noodles were smooth which complemented the Tom Yum really well. *i want more...now

To finish off our meal, we ordered a Taro in Sticky Rice with Ice Cream to share - it was a must order dessert because i am a sucker for anything with sticky rice. Lovely dessert with fragrant pieces of taro incorporated into the warm sticky rice and accompanied by two scoops of vanilla ice cream. The only problem? It wasn't enough!

Overall, Alice Thai Restaurant is a nice restaurant to go to if you want some comfort Thai food or even just for a casual dining. Coming back? I've already been back twice ever since =P

Homemade Orange & Star Anise Infused Quail Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:06:00 +0000

Despite being tired and all, i decided to cook quail for the first time! *YEY

Since it was my first time cooking it, I decided to stick to the fairly traditional combination of flavours - orange and star anise. Overall, the salad tasted nice but i wished the quail was a bit more moist =P. Here is a photo of how it turned out:

Sanur's Balinese Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:36:00 +0000

Hi SMB readers,

Sorry for the lack of posts as i've been quite busy lately but i hope you have all had a wonderful 2011. Wishing you a HAPPY (super belated) 2012 too!

Sanur's Balinese Restaurant was the last restaurant that i've visited in 2011. It was a rainy and cold night after work and all i wanted was a hearty meal. Sanur's it was, since a lot of places were already closed for the holidays. It is a nice looking restaurant boasting full length glass windows and humbly decorated with interesting Indonesian ornaments. The staff is friendly, polite and very helpful in describing what each component was.

We decided to order a Sate Sanur's for starters which was a combination of beef, chicken and prawn satays and it was accompanied by rice cake, pickled cucumber, sambal and Sanur's satay sauce. The satays were nicely served on a small pretty griller but that was just for 'decorative purposes'. Taste-wise the satays were alright but i wish they were served hot instead of near-cold; the accompaniments were nice though, especially the satay sauce.

The rice cakes were quite interesting as they were made by compressing rice together...for a second i thought they were white raddish.

For the mains we decided to order the Rijst Tafel Sanur and Nasi Rames Daging (which i regrettably forgot to take photos of...duh me!). We ordered these two dishes because we wanted to try a few things without having to order lots and lots and not being able to finish them. Rijst Tafel Sanur had steamed yellow rice with fried chicken & perkedel served with peanut chili sauce, empal, battered tempe, sambal goreng prawn, sliced omelet & garlic crackers...this dish was huge, mainly because it was served with the entire chicken. The chicken was nicely seasoned but a bit dry for my liking. The highlights of this dish were the beef & potato croquette, sambal prawn and the yellow rice =P

The other main, Nasi Rames Daging, consisted of Indonesian style of mixed rice with gado gado, beef rendang, perkedel daging, crispy shallots & garlic crackers. Unfortunately i was too intrigued taking photos of the previous dish that i forgot to take photos of this dish...fail! The beef rendang was packed with flavour and the beef was deliciously soft and tender, the gado gado was nice and tasty too.

We were really full after finishing our mains so we decided to only order a dessert to share: Homemade black sticky rice with coconut milk and jackfruit. I love black sticky rice and i thought that the pairing with jackfruit would be quite interesting. Not bad afterall!

Thanks Sanur's for satisfying my craving for a hearty meal!

Digress Restaurant & Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 04:23:00 +0000

We were at Digress Restaurant & Lounge for a Christmas work dinner - a place that was highly recommended by the manager. We were greeted by two Asian-looking lion statues at the entrance before heading downstairs where the restaurant and the lounge are. The restaurant is dimly lit to create a more relaxing environment (but not too good for photo-taking) with the wall recesses adorned with vases in a simplistic manner and tables neatly presented with purple tablecloths. Forgot to mention that Digress' specialty is to serve Italian and Indian fusion dishes which i thought would be quite an interesting combination to try.

The menu offers a lot of choices which made it hard to decide, so we ordered a Naan Basket and some Mozzarella & Paneer Fritters to start with. The naan basket came with 3 different types of naan: fetta naan, sundried tomato naan and garlic naan. The fetta naan was quite nice with the gooey and yummy centre but my favorite was still the garlic naan.

The mozzarella and panner fritters were lovely - nice and crispy on the outside with a soft and melt-in-your mouth texture inside. It came with a jalapeño aioli which gave it a nice kick too.

By the time we finished our entrees, the mains didn't take long to arrive. We ordered a Penne Al Salmon, Chilli Chicken Fusilli, Carbonara Murga and a Navrattan Gnocchi. All dishes were very delicious and the pasta perfectly cooked al dente. The dish that fit the 'Italian-Indian fusion' category the most was probably the Navrattan Gnocchi, the 'fusioness' was not as evident in the other dishes - tasty nonetheless. We also got some Roti to accompany our mains but i don't think they were as good as the naan.

Chilli Chicken Fusilli wasn't as spicy as i thought it would be, but still a lovely dish. Nothing really stood out for me though.

Carbonara Murga was one of the dishes that tasted the least Italian-Indian-fusion in my humble opinion. But who cares, the chicken was tender and the sauce was delicious!

Penne Al Salmon was simply divine. Even without eating the pieces of smoked salmon, you could clearly taste the salmon infused in the pasta. We all agreed that it was a delicious dish! Again, not much of the Italian-Indian-fusion in it.

Last one of the mains was the Navrattan Gnocchi. The gnocchi was lightly crisp on the outside and soft inside. The sauce was rich and tasty and it complimented well with the gnocchi, now this is a Italian-Indian fusion dish!

Here is a photo of the rotis that we've ordered:

We were incredibly full after our mains but that still didn't deter us from getting some desserts to share! Our desserts looked so colourful and pretty; this is what we ordered: Chocolate Pizza, Mango Kulfi, Gulab Jamun with Gelato and a Tiramisu. My favorite one was the mango kulfi which was packed with mango flavour and very refreshing! The gulab jamun (golden-fried dumplings soaked in rose syrup) with pistachio gelato was not bad; the dumplings had a nice texture and the pistachio gelato was tasty...nice dessert but just not my cup of tea. Tiramisu was probably the least impressive dessert we had, somehow the components just didn't blend well...like a not-quite-there-tiramisu? Last dessert on the table was the chocolate pizza with a chilli cherry (i am so glad that we got the cherry in a separate little bowl). It wasn't a wow dessert as i could have probably made this myself but on a side note, think twice before eating that chilli oil-dipped cherry! *witnessed some interesting reaction*

Digress Restaurant & Lounge is a very comfortable and relaxing place to enjoy your meal and catch up with friends. The service is good and the staff is super friendly. The highlights of this meal for me will be the mozzarella & paneer fritters, the naan basket and the mains.

Kindle Cafe & Catering

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:34:00 +0000

I must confess that I didn't know the existence of Kindle Cafe & Catering (Shop 10, 240 City Walk, Civic, tel: (02) 6169 6169) until a friend, who utterly loves this place, told me about it. You can't really physically see Kindle Cafe when you are walking past and you wouldn't know about it unless you take a detour upon seeing the blackboard sign, if you see it. You should definitely check Kindle Cafe out if you haven't done so and you will certainly be surprised when you find it. It's not your typical looking cafe but a very petite cafe which has vibrant coloured walls and beautiful comfy Victorian-styled couches. The walls are adorned with posters, you have foliage drapping on top of the blackboard specials and a Victorian lamp near the kitchen opening. Everything fits in so well that makes the whole place just nice and welcoming. The staff is very friendly and attentive...ohn, and i like how they serve water with slices of cucumber in it, very refreshing indeed.

We ordered a latte and an ice chocolate to start with while we had a look at the lunch menu. The ice chocolate was okay and the latte was good. We proceeded with our orders and we got a Vegetarian Breakfast and a House Made Beef Burger.

The House Made Beef Burger had house-made beef patties with beetroot dip, tomato, spinach, cheese, caramelised onion, bacon, fried egg and topped with roasted garlic aioli. Enfin, it was a lot of ingredients to fit into a burger and as you might have imagined, it was huge! I couldn't even take a bite like i do with the Maccas' Filet-O-Fish and i was super full after finishing it. The beef patties were nice and juicy and the salsa that came with it was lovely too!

The Vegetarian Breakfast had feta & spicy tomato salsa with some oven roasted mushrooms seasoned with garlic, rosemary & thyme on wilted spinach and toasted Turkish bread and acompanied with homemade baked beans. This dish had lovely bright colours and a tasty combination of traditional flavours - tasty and succulent mushrooms were the highlight for me!

Beautiful place and lovely food! It's definitely the place to be if you want a quiet and cozy place to read, relax or even study over a cup of coffe. Will definitely be back to try other things on their menu!

Sage Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:51:00 +0000

Located in the quiet surrounds of Braddon in the 1920's heritage building Gorman House is Sage Restaurant. You don't immediately see the restaurant as there is a garden bar just outside it - the 'Mint Garden Bar' (same owner)- which serves an array of cocktails and canapes. Going past the garden we manage to make our way into the restaurant which has a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. Sage is understated but it has subtle hints of French elegance that sets the right tone for the start of a good dining experience. More exciting fact is that the new head chef, Clement Chauvin, used to work at a few Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe. Quite promising, we thought.

We chose to go with the 4-course meal ($80) which was enough to try most of the menu without being too full. We started with some House Baked Bread Roll served with Sage Butter which was nice but we were wondering why it wasn't complimentary like in most fine dining places.

Anyways, for the first round entrees we chose:

- Truffled Egg Custard with Crispy Bacon and Parmagianno Regiano Soldiers: everyone agreed that they were awesome. Dipping the soldiers into the smooth truffled-custard and eating them was fun too. Liked the concept of taking a simple breakfast dish and adding a nice gourmet twist to it.

- Smoked Rainbow Trout with Eucalyptus Snow, Carrot Granita and Pea Mousse: although the presentation was not its forte, this dish tasted very refreshing. The rainbow trout was fresh and the eucalyptus snow added a nice lift to the pea mousse.

Second round of entrees, here they are:

- Slow Cooked Pork Belly with Compressed Nashi, Cucumber, Crackling and Cider Jelly: a classic combination of flavours with a contemporary approach. The pork belly was soft and tender and it went well with the delicious cubes of cider jelly, which in turn added a nice sweetness to it. The cucumber and the nashi added some freshness to the dish while balancing the richness of the pork...oh, and the crackling was a nice finishing touch.

- Butter Poached Lobster with Jerusalem Artichoke, Mille-Fuille and Pickled Lemon: the lobster was poached beautifully and quite a nice dish overall.

- Seared Scallops with Roasted Chestnut, Chorizo, Px Molasses and Celery Tips: a well presented dish with generous sized-scallops. The seared scallops were succulent and paired up nicely with the chorizo. The chesnut added an earthy tone to the dish which complemented well with freshness from the celery tips. A classic combination of flavours which played with different textures - lovely!

After the lovely rounds of entrees, we were ready to have our mains:

- Beef Bourguignon with Foie Gras Butter, Parsley Moss and Garlic Chips: another interesting dish with contemporary approach to the classic French beef stew. The beef was soft and tasty but for me, i had my attention drawn to the smoothness of the foie gras butter on the chunk of parsley chiffon. Quite different, i thought...but i liked it.

- Duck a L'orange with Crispy Skin Breast, Duck Leg Terrine, Pickled Red Cabbage and Licorice:The taste of orange wasn't very evident but the duck was still quite tasty. It was matched nicely with the pickled red cabbage and finished off with a subtle hint of licorice. I wasn't sure how the licorice was going to complement the dish (i don't really fancy licorice) but it turned out to be quite alright. Thumbs up for the beetroot chips!

- Confit King Salmon with Yamba Prawn, Baby Beetroot, Tahini Yoghurt and Sesame Crisp: First impression, overwhelmed by the amount of components in this dish. There were quite a lot of flavours and textures going on in this dish that it took the attention away from the confit king salmon - the main element of this dish. The salmon was beautiful and just melted in your mouth. It went well with the baby beetroot and the tahini yoghurt but not so much with the sesame crisp - it kinda threw the dish off balance. In addition, i didn't think that the Yamba prawn was really necessary.

And finally, what a better way to finish our lovely meal with some desserts:

- Butterscotch Crème Brulee with Elder Flower Ice Cream, Brandy Snap and Salted Caramel: I was expecting the creme brulee to be served in a ramekin but nope, it wasn't. I must say that this dessert totally took me by surprise. The creme brulee came in a shape of a quenelle encased by a crispy and glossy layer of caramel. And yes, we all heard the 'crack' sound! The brulee was very smooth and matched deliciously with the sweet floral elderflower ice cream. Loved the saltiness added by the powdered salted caramel and the crunchy finish by the brandy snap. Beautifully presented and it is a must-try!

- Crepe Suzette with Chilli Orange Ice Cream, Grand Marnier Flambé and Candied Orange: the highlight of this dessert was when the waiter flambe-ed it and we all went static for a second. The crepes were nice, fluffy and they went well with the orange ice cream. It was an okay dessert.

- Black Forest: it was a deconstructed version of the classic black forest which consisted of chocolate sponge, mousse, chantilly cream and sour cherry. I was hoping that all the components would come together nicely but unfortunately that didn't happen for me. The sour cherries were too strong and overpowered the other components.

Overall, we all enjoyed a lovely and satisfying meal at Sage. I was glad to experience dishes which were meticulously put together with creativity and which showcased different combination of flavours and texture - something that you don't find much of here in Canberra. I find Sage Restaurant to be quite promising (although it has areas to be improved upon) and i hope to see greater things coming from them. I wouldn't be surprised if it brought a 'hat' to Canberra next year! Keep up the good work guys!

A weekend in Canberra?

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:10:00 +0000

Here is the article that I wrote for Tiger Airlines Magazine, Tiger Tales, for their July - August Issue. It gives you a rough idea of what to do, where to eat and visit if you are coming to the capital for the weekend! Of course, there are many more good places to eat...drop me an e-mail if you would like some more suggestions.

*Some photographs are not owned by SMB - Canberra Food Blog

Farmer's Daughter

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:28:00 +0000

I came across this newly added cafe in Yarralumla, Farmer's Daughter, when i read its review from a local magazine. 'Quite promising' - i thought, so i quickly looked through my schedule book to see when it was the next free weekend and scribbled 'Visit FM' down.

The day finally arrived and we went to Farmer's Daughter for brunch. It was a beautiful day but we ended up sitting inside because a table was just being vacated. The cafe is not big but it surely utilizes its space quite well with the kitchen and the coffee counter compacted at the back and the rest of the cafe, eating area of course. We sat down at a table bench, which was lovely adorned with some fresh white lilies, and were given a clipboard with the breakfast menu attached to it. It took us a while to choose but we ended up ordering the 'No Ordinary Soldiers', the 'Poached Eggs' and a lovely cup of Red African Hot Chocolate.

Cool and edgy bottle of water!

'No Ordinary Soldiers' was basically three pieces of artisan bread with the first one filled with smoked salmon and light Crème fraîche, the second one with parmesan and loads of rocket leaves and the last one with prosciutto and romesco. Both the salmon and the prosciutto 'soldiers' were packed with flavours but i didn't quite fancy the rocket leaves one. It was dry and it felt like i was eating a whole bunch of grass. It probably needed some sauce to lift it up...even a bit of olive oil with balsamic vinegar would have made a difference.

'Poached Eggs' came with smoked salmon and feta parsley salad on toasted sourdough. The eggs were beautifully poached and yes, the yolk oozed out when i poked it with a fork. The salmon was good and everything went well together...very filling dish. Nothing wow, but a good breakfast/brunch dish.

For coffee enthusiasts, you will be pleased to know that Farmer's Daughter uses Campos blend and as far as i am aware, it is the only place in Canberra that offers it. Since coffee and i don't usually get along too well, i've ordered a Red African hot chocolate instead. I must say that the standards were not compromised, it tasted good and the layer of smooth and velvety foam was just beautiful.

Coming back? Most certainly. Would love to check out some other dishes from the breakfast menu (like the Farmer's Daughter Muesli and the Mushroom Hot Pot) as well as their lunch menu - hopefully i will be more impressed. Oh, did i mention that they are also one of the many cafes that sell Dream Cuisine macarons?

The Curious Chocolatier - Macarons

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 11:54:00 +0000

I've been wanting to get hold of some French Macarons from The Curious Chocolatier, who also makes beautiful packaged designer chocolate bars, for a long time. I kept putting it off because i couldn't bring myself to go to The Old Depot Markets (which only opens on Sundays) and get some - for those who know how the Sunday Bus timetable operates in Canberra will understand why. Fortunate enough, there was a Handmade Market held at the National Convention Centre (in CBD) this month and getting my hands on those highly wanted gems was now possible.

As soon as i got there, my only aim was to find where The Curious Chocolatier was and get my hands on some French macarons before they ran out. I learnt my lesson from the previous Handmade Market where i decided not to buy them earlier but to leave them for later...and yes, i went home empty-handed.

On this visit, I got seven flavours in total and these included: chocolate, lime & coconut, passionfruit, raspberry cheesecake, salted caramel, hazelnut and dark chocolate & raspberry.

Overall the macarons looked lovely, had a nice shell and tasted quite nice...however, i would have liked it more if their fillings 'went all the way'. The standouts for me were the raspberry cheesecake, lime & coconut and salted caramel flavours. Not a bad selection of flavours and YEY to more Canberra-made macarons!

Early Doors Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 09:53:00 +0000

Gungahlin is a place that i have never really explored because of its distance from where i live. I haven't been to many restaurants or cafes around that area so it was quite exciting that i got to have a quick lunch at Early Doors Cafe before doing the rest of a photoshoot.

The cafe has a simplistic decor and big windows that allow plenty of light to come in, creating a nice and relaxed atmosphere. Near the counter is a lower shelf filled with magazines and books and above it, there is a nice selection of sweet treats for you to indulge. (They have Dream Cuisine macarons too!)

I started out with a freshly squeezed Strawberry & Orange juice combo and it was lovely! So delicious that i even make my own for breakfast every now and then.

Looks ordinary but it was delicious.

There was a lunch menu on the big blackboard adjacent to the counter and we ordered a Fettucini with Zucchini, Spinach and Roasted Tomato and a Warm Chorizo & Potato Salad with Olives & Rocket. The fettucini was cooked al dente and all the components came together nicely to create a light and delicious dish - suitable for spring season! The chorizo and potato salad was lovely too and i just couldn't get enough of it. The subtle hint of spiciness from the chorizo went quite well with the potato and perhaps a bit less olive would have made it perfect (not a big fan of olives here...).

Fettucini with Zucchini, Spinach and Roasted Tomato

Warm Chorizo & Potato Salad with Olives & Rocket

Lunch at the Early Doors Cafe was quite pleasant and relaxing. The atmosphere is great, the staff is friendly and it seems like their coffee is lovely too! It is a nice little cafe that i don't mind coming back and mothers will be delighted to know that it is kid-friendly too!

Kudos Taste

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:14:00 +0000

Looking for some Japanese comfort food?

Canberra will be pleased to know about a Japanese restaurant that has been recently added to the Canberra House, Kudos Taste (around the same time as Two Before Ten Cafe, which is located in the same complex). The little restaurant is actually a kiosk located in the centre of the complex and a nice and inexpensive place to go for lunch.

I like the little owls imprinted on the blue banner!

Kudos Taste is owned by a friendly Japanese couple and it mainly especialises on traditional Japanese home cooked dishes such as Japanese Curries, Udon, Soba, Donburi (rice bowl dish) and they even have a Japanese breakfast menu (until 11am), containing things like natto (fermented soybeans). Don't expect anything like fancy sushi rolls and sashimi, although they do sell some pre-made sushi rolls (only a few flavours). On this visit, we ordered a Potato Croquette Japanese Curry and an Oyako Don (Chicken and Free Range Egg on a bowl of rice). The potato croquette was crispy and nice but sadly there was only one (cut in half) of it. The curry was good and it tasted just like those that you would get if you were invited into a Japanese home for a meal - healthy and hearty.

Oyako Don was delicious and i absolutely loved the pieces of fried chicken - they were tender, juicy and lovely encased with a crispy shell. All elements came together quite nice except that there was a bit too much soy sauce in my dish. It got quite salty towards the end and i wasn't able to finish my rice. Apart from that, lovely!

Kudos Taste is the place to go if you are looking for some hearty Japanese home-cooked style dishes. Most dishes fall between the AUD 8 - 12 range and they should surely fill you up. Udon and Soba dishes are my next orders for when i come back!

Pelagic Bar & Dining - Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 14:22:00 +0000

As i mentioned previously, i would be back again to try their a la carte menu. So here i am again, but this time for dinner. For some reason, the decor seems a lot more dramatic at night than during the day.I especially liked the brightly-lit shelves full of upside down wine glasses and the colourful school of fish painted on the walls. We got some Lemon, Lime and Bitters to satisfy our thrist while we chose the entrees and the mains.

For entrees, we've ordered the Conchinglie pasta with king prawn, spanish onions & soft herbs and the Seared scallops with crispy pigs ear & shaved radish salad. Conchinglie pasta resemble little seashells and for some bizarre reason i find them quite fun to eat. For this dish, i was perhaps a bit disappointed with the presentation as i was expecting to find some visible king prawns instead of tiny diced pieces of such. Taste wise it was alright (quite light) but having whole pieces of prawn would have probably made it tastier and better. The scallop entree was lovely; generous sized succulent scallops were nicely seared and paired with crispy pigs' ear to add the much needed saltiness and the crunchy texture to the dish.

Conchinglie pasta with king prawn, spanish onions & soft herbs

Seared scallops with crispy pigs ear & shaved radish salad

Next up were the mains, which we ordered the Eye fillet with yorkshire pudding, horseradish cream & red wine jus and the Grilled yellowfin tuna with warm spanish onion, cherry tomato & balsamic salsa. The eye fillet was cooked to medium rare and it was gorgeously tender. There wasn't really a need for the yorkshire pudding to be there but it was nice nonetheless.

The grilled tuna was lovely too. The tuna was cooked perfectly and all the components tasted good as well. However, i felt like there was something missing, something (sweet?) that would bring all the components together to make it a beautiful dish. Nicely executed but fell short taste wise.

Here is the bowl of fries that we ordered to accompany our mains. It came out pipping hot! *nom

Last to come up was, of course, the dessert. We decided to share one as we were already too full to get a dessert each. Sadly they didn't have the Strawberry Festival (the dessert which i ordered on my previous visit) on this occasion, thus we decided to go for the Classic Creme Brulee. 'Crack' is the sound i heard when i gently hit it with my spoon and i was happy to find a luscious custard underneath eagerly waiting to be devoured. The custard itself tasted nice but it was a tad too rich for my taste. I am glad that we shared as i am almost certain that i wouldn't be able to finish one by myself =P

Even though the night was gloomy and rainy, the overall dinner experience was good and it lifted our moods up. The ambience was good and the waitress was very knowledgeable and attentive. The food was nice with just a few misses here and there. Coming back? Certainly, but not sure when...unless you tell me that the Strawberry Festival is back!

Two Before Ten - Cafe & Coffee Roasters

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:31:00 +0000

Just before we headed to Londsdale Street Roasters (again) for afternoon tea, we decided to try a relatively new addition to the Canberra House, the Two Before Ten Cafe & Coffee Roasters. It has a simple and cozy atmosphere and the staff was quite attentive and friendly. What struck me most was the feature wall behind the coffee counter which had designs of strange (but cute?) creatures as well as the funky yellow urchin lights *check them out!

On this visit we ordered a Grilled Ocean Trout on Toasted Sourdough with Lemon Pickle, dill & fresh salad and a Oven Roasted Pork with House-made Apple Chutney between fresh Sourdough. Overall, both dishes were good but i think that Two Before Ten needs to brush up a bit on the presentation side - particularly referring to the unattractive salad that came with the roasted pork sandwich.

The roasted pork sandwich tasted a bit dry at first but it was actually alright afterwards (perhaps the pork was just a bit dry on the outside). Loved the combination of apple chutney and the sweet spanish onions with the roast pork - a safe but nice combination.

I personally preferred the ocean trout dish. The fish was lightly grilled and it had a nice delicate texture; it went lovely with the tangy lemon pickle (quite addictive, i have to say). Perfect for those who want to have something light for lunch.

We had a nice lunch at Two Before Ten Cafe and I will definitely come back to try their breakfast menu and also the Pot Pie - something that i saw coming out of the kitchen quite frequently.

Lonsdale Street Roasters

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:46:00 +0000

For quite a while, Milk & Honey (M&H) had been my favorite place to go after lunches or dinners to just chillax and catch up with friends. I have to say that it didn't take long before Lonsdale Street Roasters (LSR) attained an equal standing in my heart. But since LSR doesn't open at night, M&H is still the place to go after dinners =)

There isn't much of a wow factor when you look from the outside of LSR (although i found the coffee-sack-cushions-on-empty-milk-crate seats quite cute) but when you step into that place, you feel like you are in a funky art gallery. Bright colours, striking patterned wallpapers, bicycles hanging off the walls and random 'hazard signs' stuck to the ceiling all come together surprisingly harmonious with the plain solid wooden tables in the cafe. I also quite liked the fact that they took the time to pick out interesting cushions to adorn the wall seatings, check them out!

We were there around lunch time and we decided to order a couple of things to try out the food at LSR. Mind you that none of us is a coffee drinker (no coffee reviews, sorry!) but i heard pretty good things about its coffee! LSR's menu is mainly consisted of sweet breakfast items and toasted paninis. They all sound like your pretty average next-door-cafe food but let me tell you that it isn't. You will be pleasantly delighted to find LSR's own twist in it!

We happily ordered the Devonshire Tea (or Coffee) + Scones with Jam & Vanilla Cream Set and it was delicious! The scone was warm and fluffy (not to mention its size) and went perfectly with the jam and oh-so-delicious vanilla cream. I think i need to emphasize on the vanilla cream here just to reflect on the amount times i was mentioning about it at the cafe. The cream was perfectly whipped and unlike in a lot of cafes, it was super light and fluffy. It melted as soon as you put it into your mouth and for once, guilt didn't prevent me from finishing the cream off. For the choice of tea we chose a Granny's Garden and an English Breakfast and let me tell you that one teapot contains plenty of tea that is sufficient for two people. Granny's Garden had a pleasant fruity (berries) aroma and the English Breakfast was traditionally robust and rich, lovely with milk.

English Breakfast Tea

Delicious Scone with Jam and Vanilla Cream

Next, was moving to something savoury and we decided to get a Whole Chorizo, Fresh Mozzarella, Basil Pistou and Tomato Sugo Panini to share since we've noticed that the serving was quite generous. It arrived not long after the chorizo scent had overtaken the whole cafe and our eyes were joyfully set on the hot panini filled with succulent chorizo and melting mozzarella. We had to attack it before we drooled everywhere; it was really good and i enjoyed the subtle spicyness from the chorizo.

After having our 'main', we moved on to 'desserts' which we ordered the Waffles with Butter and Honey, Toasted Banana Bread with Ricotta and Honey (unfortunately no photos for this!) and a Homemade Yoghurt with Fruits and Vanilla Bean Syrup. Oh, and i also got a cup of hot chocolate which was alright. I would have liked it better if they used real chocolate instead of Dutch cocoa powder - nice and simple presentation though.

The waffles were lovely and according to J, they tasted pretty authentic in comparison to the ones she had in Belgium. If you don't like all the honey drizzled over your waffles, you can ask the friendly staff to serve it separately (like we did). Unfortunately, there is no photo for the banana bread but i was really delighted with the yummy combination of ricotta and honey with banana bread *thumbs up.

We decided to finish our meal on the lighter side with the homemade yoghurt. This came with a little bottle of vanilla bean syrup on the side so that you can adjust the sweetness of the yoghurt to your liking. The fruits were fresh, the yoghurt was light and smooth and everything came together nicely after adding the vanilla bean syrup. Nom!

This is a cafe that i will definitely come back to! The food is superb, the staff is friendly and the whole place is very welcoming and artsy. As i was writing this post, i couldn't help but to think of what to order on my next visit there...slow roasted pork panini? Portobello mushroom with truffle oil panini? Some homemade muesli will be nice too...

The Fish Shack

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:39:00 +0000

The Fish Shack (Petrie Place, off Bunda St. (02) 6248 5885) is a new fish and chips place located where the former Phat Duck was. The tiny place has simple 'marine' inspired decorations and most of its seatings are located outdoors. Although it was still winter last week, the sun was generously out and enjoying lunch al fresco became possible. We arrived just a bit before lunch time to make sure we got a table to enjoy our meals. The Fish Shack only serves fish of the day to ensure that their 'fish-meals' taste the freshest as possible. On this particular visit, the fish of the day was Blue eye cod.

We ordered The Shack Basket, Grilled Blue Eye Cod with Lime and Mild Chilli and Crumbled Blue Eye Cod with Lemon, Pepper and Parsley. It didn't take long for the orders to arrive and the food came in generous portions. The fish and chips and the seafood basket all came in unpretentious paper containers accompanied with tartare sauce, just like the ones you can get from the coast.

The Shack Basket contained soft shell crab, salt and pepper squid, fish, tempura prawns and Thai fish cakes served on a bed of fries. As i said before, the portion was quite generous and i was surprised that it contained more than just one or two pieces of each component. They tasted alright and my favorite one was the soft shell crab (I love them!)

Crumbled Blue Eye Cod with Lemon, Pepper and Parsley also comes on a bed of fries (by default) but since we wanted to try the sweet potato wedges, we paid a bit more to get them instead of the fries. And let me tell you that it was worth it, the wedges were big and delicious! On the other hand, the crumbled blue eye cod tasted normal - perhaps a bit dry for my taste.

Lastly, the Grilled Blue Eye Cod with Lime and Mild Chilli was quite nice. I reckon that this grilled version tasted better than the crumbled version mainly because it was more tender and juicier. The lime and mild chilli flavours were not prominent but still went quite well with the fish.

Overall, lunch at The Fish Shack was quite pleasant. The food was alright and the staff was quite friendly. The atmosphere was quite relaxing that even at some point, the occasional breeze made me feel like i was really at the coast having my fish and chips. The highlights for me were the soft shell crab, sweet potato wedges and the grilled blue eye cod. Since i am not a big fan of fried food, i might opt for a grilled/steamed fish with sweet potato wedges or the soft shell crab burger next time!

HK: Australia Dairy Company (澳洲牛奶公司)

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:21:00 +0000

Australia Dairy Company is a popular Hong Kong style cafe in Hong Kong, it is the kind of place where you'd expect a long queue before going in. The cafe is quite busy and crammed; consider yourself lucky if you don't end up sharing a table with someone you don't know. The pace at Australia Dairy Company is fast: you order, eat, pay and leave...all in about 20 minutes or so. It's not the type of place where you can sit down, chat and relax or else you will start getting 'the stares'. Why Australia Dairy Company? Honestly, I have no idea. It has nothing 'Australian' about it in terms of the decor and food...perhaps the milk they use?

On this particular visit, there was a mini-queue so it didn't take long before we were seated. We ordered the Breakfast set to share, which came with a macaroni in soup with ham, toast with eggs and a Hong Kong style milk tea (HKD26)...oh, and we got a Steamed Milk with Egg Whites Dessert (燉蛋白牛奶 HKD20) too. The food arrived incredibly fast and the portion was quite generous, especially for that price. The macaroni was alright and it felt truly 'Hongkonese' to be eating macaroni for breakfast. The buttered toast was good and it tasted lovely with the light and fluffy scrambled eggs (a bit oily though); the milk tea was rich and deliciously smooth.

Australia Dairy Company is also well-known for its Steamed Egg Desserts: Steamed Milk with Egg Whites and the Steamed Egg Custard with Almond. We ordered the first one which had a rich milky taste and a smooth velvety texture. Thumbs up! It's recommended to order both desserts hot as they tend to be 'smoother and lighter' than the cold versions.

If you are eager to experience an authentic busy Hong Kong style cafe, Australia Dairy Company is the place to go. The food is inexpensive and tasty; the scrambled eggs and the steamed egg desserts are the must-order items from the menu. Approved by locals ;)

Australia Dairy Company

G/F, 47-49 Parkes Street, Jordan

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2730 1356

Ona Coffee House

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:16:00 +0000

Although i am not a coffee drinker myself, I love going coffee houses. I love everything about them: the environment, the people, the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans, the laboratory-like tools used in certain coffee and the smell of freshly prepared food.

At the moment i stepped into Ona Coffee House (68 Wollongong Street, Fsywick (02) 6162 3320), i loved it. The place's decor is simple but it has a few stand-outs such as the lovely clock with Roman numbers, the barista-to-be room, the display of fresh artisan bread by Brasserie Bread and the various awards that Ona has won (including one for latte art). If you are a coffee aficionado, you should try their siphon, pour over filter or cold drip from 'The Brewery' selection.

We happily sat down by the window and it didn't take long for the friendly waitress to serve us. We wanted to order the specials of the day but since they'd ran out, we picked our dishes from the normal menu. We got the Roasters Breakfast, the Oriental Duck Burger (served with fries) and a Mocha. The portions are generous and filling. The Roasters Breakfast consisted of mushrooms, asparagus and eggs folded with dill & fetta on sourdough bread. I loved the huge and succulent mushrooms as well as the sourdough bread, but didn't fancy the slightly undercooked asparagus and the overcooked eggs - I was expecting them to be soft and fluffy so that they would go well with the slightly-melted fetta.

The Oriental Duck Burger was a twice-cooked shredded hoi sin duck in a fresh Turkish bread with mushrooms and Asian vegetables. I was slightly disappointed with this dish because it wasn't the type of duck burger i was expecting. The shredded duck contained too much sauce which made the burger soggy and the duck itself didn't taste all that fresh. On the other hand, the complimentary fries were deliciously light and crispy.

My Mocha had a nice aroma and was surprisingly velvety *thumbs up.

My time at Ona Coffee House was quite nice and pleasant, apart from a few food mishaps. I enjoyed my lovely cup of mocha and it was very satisfying to have my brunch while witnessing the beautiful aromas of coffees and freshly baked breads coming together. Lovely place, I'd say!

HK: Kong Wo Dou Bun Chong (公和荳品廠）

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:13:00 +0000

Tofu pudding ( 豆腐花) is one of my favourite Chinese desserts made of very soft tofu which can be served hot or cold. While in Hong Kong this time, i had a mission to find an awesome place that served tofu pudding. After some 'research', i was directed to Kong Wo Dou Bun Chong in Sham Sui Po. This little tofu place still retains the essence of the old style Hong Kong eateries with folding tables, round wooden stools and large fans all around. It even has a large ceramic dragon-embossed pot where the tofu pudding is made and subsequently scooped out into smaller bowls.

Kong Wo sells all things made of soy beans such as soy milk, tofu pudding fried tofu and stuffed beancurd. Since it was hot, i ordered a bowl of cold tofu pudding (HKD7) and a cup of soy milk (HKD4). The soy milk was delicious and not overly sweet - perfect for the hot weather; the tofu pudding had a nice silky texture (hot version is even silkier) and was slightly sweetened. You can always add the 'yellow sugar' that is readily available if you prefer the tofu pudding to be sweeter.

Overall, i enjoyed my dessert time at Kong Wo and will certainly be coming back. Delicious soy milk and silken tofu pudding definitely made my day! Apart from being a healthy and inexpensive dessert (both items added up to HKD11 which is only around AUD1.5!), i got to 'experience' an old style Hong Kong eatery!

Kong Wo Dou Bun Chong
G/F, 118 Pei Ho Street, Sham Sui Po
Kowloon, Hong Kong
tel: (852) 2386 6871

HK: Ovenhouse Deluxe

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:47:00 +0000

Sorry for the lack of updates but now that i am back in the capital, there will be more blog posts. I've been away for close to 5 weeks in the land of awesome shopping and eating, Hong Kong (especially now that Australian dollar is so strong!)! It's good to be back and enjoy the not-so-hectic pace that Canberra has to offer but not so keen on the freezing weather though =P

Anyways, here is my first Hong Kong blog post for 2011.
***

We found Ovenhouse Deluxe purely by accident as we were walking around Tsim Sha Tsui. It mainly does cakes, breads and cookies for take-away because it doesn't have many seats in it (8 seats max., i think). It also has quite a vast collection of wines from what i saw. Ovenhouse has a simple and classy decor which gives it a bit of a high-end feel. The cakes are placed neatly behind the cake counters and the cookies are nicely packed in bags. There is a small section at the end of the counter where you can sample their cookies. On this visit, we tried the two cakes that looked the most appealing to us: Lady Peach and Charcoal.

Lady Peach is a sponge cake filled with white peach mousse and white peach champagne coulis in between. The name definitely suits the cake's pretty appearance and it was the 'looks' that sold it for me. Taste-wise it was a bit weak on the peach flavour and the mousse felt a bit 'hard' (probably had a bit too much gelatine).

The other choice was Charcoal which consisted of green tea sponge cake layer with green tea panna cotta & rich black sesame mousse, finished with a chocolate leaf. The taste of sesame was a bit more prominent than the green tea; the sesame mousse was soft and nice and it contrasted well with the crunchy sesame layer. Charcoal was my favorite out of the two cakes.

Both cakes were HKD38 each (~AUD 4.5) which is on the pricier side for Hong Kong standards. And yes, Hong Kong is filled with so many cake places that it's not even funny. I wish i had a super elastic stomach to fit all those sweet goodies in!

Overall i had a nice time at Ovenhouse Deluxe and i wouldn't mind coming back to try more cakes and perhaps buy some cookies for gifts - these are packed nicely but taste-wise, they are ordinary.

Ovenhouse Deluxe

Shop 36, G/F, K11 Art Mall,

18 Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2736 8816

Bicicletta

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 07:48:00 +0000

*UPDATE: Bicicletta is back in business!

Sorry for the lack of post, but i am currently overseas and not having much time to update my blog. Sorry guys! Here is a quick post of one of the cafes that i visited before i departed to Hong Kong.

Bicicletta (Unit 1/15 Edingburgh Ave, Acton (02) 6262 8683) is one of the latest additions to the chic and modern NewActon precinct. I was there for an early Saturday breakfast and had good feelings about it after checking their website and knowing where they were located. Bicicletta is a nicely decorated Italian cafe with both indoor or outdoor options. We sat outdoors so that we could enjoy a nice view of the precinct while having our breakfast.

We ordered Big Bicicletta Breakfast which had a choice of fried or scrambled eggs (we chose the latter) served with Italian sausage, bacon, mushrooms, sauteed spinach, roast tomato and asparagus; we also ordered Salmone which had smoked salmon served with fresh goats’ cheese, avocado puree and homemade pan brioche. Ohn, and we got an affogato too!

The service was alright and we were served the affogato not long after we have ordered. I am no expert in coffee but i didn't really like the so-called Bicicletta blend. It tasted bitter and sour at the same time - not exactly what i was expecting.

The breakfast dishes, however, took a while to come to our table. Both dishes tasted alright but wasn't impressed by the fact that most elements were already cold by the time we got them - especially the eggs and sausages. Big bicicletta breakfast was alright (apart from being cold-ish) and the asparagus and the spinach were my favorites.

I liked the Salmone more than the big breakfast and it was alright to have it cold. Most elements blended quite well together; the subtle sweetness from the brioche with the saltiness from the smoked salmon and the sourness from the capers. For me, a hint of goat's cheese was enough to complement the other elements.

In general, Bicicletta is a nice and relaxing place to go for breakfast. The waiter had a cool (perhaps) Italian accent and he was quite friendly too. The only negatives for me were the taste of the affogato and the issue with the big breakfast being served cold. Apart from that, not a bad cafe.

Baby Elsie's Dedication Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:05:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, J and I decided to make a baby dedication cake for one of our friend who had just had a baby girl recently. We started throwing some ideas around and we finally decided to make a chocolate mud cake covered with pink and white fondant topped with a few baby-related decorations. I was originally planning to make a fondant bear but since this year is the year of rabbit, i ended up making a pink rabbit.

Having had experience making a 21st fondant cake last year, we knew that this one would be a lot easier because we were just going to make a one-tier cake - so no spending countless hours ganaching gazillion of cupcakes and covering them one by one (don't get me wrong, it was fun but just time consuming).

J made the mud cake in the morning so that by the time I finished work we could ganache and decorate it. I made the pink rabbit the night before just to make sure it had enough time to dry and harden. The most fun part was making the decorations and putting them together on the cake. Believe it or not, the pacifier was the trickiest decoration to make despite it being the smallest of them all =P

We were quite satisfied with the final product (although there are plenty of areas to improve in) and glad that the parents liked it too. Enjoy the photos =)

Pelagic Bar & Dining

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:05:00 +0000

Decided to have lunch at Pelagic Bar & Dining (Shop 2, 131 London Circuit, Civic (02) 6162 0752) and try their special lunch menu for $15 which has options of pasta, risotto and fish. We both decided to get fish as seafood is their specialty and they get it fresh everyday. Pelagic Bar & Dining has a simple and contemporary ambience with a cool feature wall fully decorated with fish. The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable which is always nice when you can't decide on what to order.

I can't recall each dish's exact names but this is what we ordered: Crispy Snapper with salsa vinaigrette and Char-grilled salmon, asparagus and salsa verde. Both fish were cooked quite nicely but i particularly liked the crispy snapper as the salmon was a bit salty for my liking. Fortunately the salsa verde helped to neutralize the saltiness from the salmon and the arparagus were superb! Our mains were accompanied by Mixed leaves salad with balsamic dressing which was ordinary.

Crispy Snapper with Salsa Vinaigrette

Char-grilled salmon, asparagus and salsa verde

Mixed leaves with balsamic dressing

After having our mains we ordered a Strawberry Festival to share. It's a dessert that presents strawberries in seven different ways; the dish contained strawberry bavarois, strawberry sorbet, strawberry granita, fresh strawberries, dried strawberries, strawberry chips and a strawberry dust to finish off the presentation. Although it was all strawberries, there was a nice balance of sweetness and sourness in the dish. It not only looked pretty (in shades of pink and red) but it tasted delicious too, definitely the highlight of our lunch! *recommended

Lunch was satisfying and the lunch specials were quite good. The highlight was definitely the Strawberry Festival dessert which i don't mind going back for. Their a la carte menu looks nice too, so i might give it a go sometime!

Debacle for breakfast

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Sun, 15 May 2011 13:13:00 +0000

It was a nice and sunny day when we headed to Debacle (30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon (02) 6247 1314) for an early breakfast. Its decor is simple and rustic which makes the place quite cosy and laid back; the atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming which makes you want to come back. I guess it is also a very popular place amongst families with kids as i've never seen so many kids/toddlers in a cafe. They, too, seemed to be enjoying the food as much as the adults did.

On this particular occasion, we decided to order a Debacle Recovery Breakfast (Fried eggs on toasted sour dough, grilled tomato, baked beans, bacon, potato rosti, sausage, sauteed mushroom and a choice of coffee & tea) and Housemade Crepes with Braised Strawberry & Double Cream.

Debacle Recovery Breakfast was quite filling and the mushrooms in it were very juicy and delicious! I also liked the potato rosti which was quite different from what i expected; it looked more like an arancini and it went well with the saltiness from the bacon.

It's always nice to finish the breakfast on the sweet side and the crepes did not disappoint. The crepes were light and fluffy but not too sweet, which complemented well with the braised strawberries. The double cream, on the other hand, was a bit too heavy for my liking so i decided to not have it with the crepes.

The breakfast at Debacle's was good and satisfying and the crepes were my favourite. Their Smoked Salmon Rosti seemed to be a very popular dish and i might give that a try next time.

Dickson Asian Noodle House

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Sun, 08 May 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Sorry guys for the lack of posts! I was busy finishing an article about Canberra for Tiger Airways! >.<"
Anyways, i am back!
**
I haven't been to Asian Noodle House (4/19-29 Woolley Street, Dickson (02) 6262 5903) for a long long time and as far as i remember, my last meal there wasn't that great. Past aside, i decided to give it another go after hearing a few good comments about it and seeing its high rating on Urbanspoon. 'Maybe they have really improved afterall' - i thought to myself.

The restaurant hasn't changed much, the same dark square tables and plain walls with minimal decor. We went there for lunch and ordered a Duck Laksa and a Hainan Chicken Rice. I must say that the laksa was not bad. The soup was very tasty but i just wasn't really happy with the random artificial-looking chunks of duck inside of the soup. At least at Streets of Asia, you get a nice chopped up roast duck drumstick.

Then there was the Hainan Chicken Rice. At first sight i went 'Wow, the portion is quite generous". Second glance i thought to myself "O-kay, it looks dry". The disappointing thing with this Hainan Chicken was that it had no skin nor bones, it felt dry and they just looked like pieces of chicken that are put in noodle soups. I was quite disappointed with the dish and it was quite painful to finish the whole plate of dry chicken pieces, although the sauce did help in a way.

Overall, lunch was not all that satisfying. The laksa was okay but not the Hainan Chicken Rice. I gave it a second chance and sorry to say this, but i won't be coming back anytime soon.

Green Tea Daifuku with Red Bean Filling

noreply@blogger.com (Yuki) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:40:00 +0000

I heart Daifukus!
I love their chewy texture and the different types of fillings that they can come in.
Daifuku, meaning 'great luck' in Japanese, is a confection comprised of mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with a sweet filling. I've always been hesitant to make daifuku as i was scared to stuff things up. The closest thing I've ever made was Tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) with sesame filling which only involves boiling and not steaming and handling hot mochi.

Anyways, i did put my fears aside (also because i was craving for some daifuku really badly) and went for it. I got all the ingredients that i needed and started my daifuku-making. I did some research beforehand and decided to follow a video recipe by Cooking with dog. I did not make Strawberry Daifuku (as shown in the video) but Green Tea ones with red bean filling. I kinda doubled the quantities as i wanted to make more than just six Daifukus and i used a can of Morinaga Yude Azuki Boiled Red Beans and some green tea powder.

The daifuku turned out delicious but the filling was a tad sweet - perhaps i should make my own red bean filling next time =P Sorry for the not-so-good-looking daifukus, i promise to brush up my 'wrapping' skills.

So here you go!

Green Tea Daifuku with Red Bean Filling

[makes about 12 daifuku]

- 200g Glutinous Rice Flour

- 3 1/2 tbsp Caster Sugar

- 200ml Water
- 2 tbsp of green tea powder
- 1 can of Morinaga Yude Azuki Boiled Red Beans
- Potato Starch (for dusting)

1. Shape the Red Bean filling into balls and set them aside in the fridge.

2. Sift the glutinous rice flour and green tea powder together. Add in the caster sugar.

3. Add water to the mixture in step 2. Using a spatula, stir the mixture until you reach a 'paste-like'

consistency.

4. Pour into a non-stick bowl (i brushed mine with oil as i didn't have one) and place it in a steamer. Steam it for 15 minutes on a high heat. The mochi should look thick and slightly translucent.

5. Line a baking tray with baking paper and dust potato starch over it. When the mochi is ready, transfer it to the baking tray and dust potato starch over it. Dust your hands with potato starch before handling the mochi as it is very sticky. Flatten the mochi slightly and cut it into 12 portions.

6. Take one piece of mochi, flatten and stretch it out until it forms a round disc. Dust off any excess of potato starch and place a red bean filling in the middle and wrap the mochi around it by pulling and stretching the mochi. Shape it into a round ball and seal the seam by pinching it.

7. Do the same with the rest of the mochi. (Note: Work quickly as the mochi gets less flexible as it cools down)

8. Leave the daifuku to rest at room temperature for at least an hour before serving. Store any leftovers in an air tight container at room temperature for no more than 3 days. Itadakimasu~