The Trishaw

2016 Foodie Bucket List

2016-02-18T09:25:00.004+00:00

If like me, you are determined to try out a few new culinary experiences this year, I’ve put together a list of destinations that will tempt your taste buds in 2016. Food and travel are two of my biggest passions and this year I hope to combine them more. If you haven’t experienced these four destinations for yourself, make sure you add them to your own foodie bucket list.

Barcelona

The first foodie destination on my bucket list is Barcelona. Like many foodie destinations, food is integral to your stay and there are plenty of fancy restaurants in this city, but I would advise distancing yourself from the tourist spots and taking a tip from the locals and stock up on local delicacies at the market. Rather than limit yourself to hotel prices, try staying in a self catering apartment while travelling to give yourself the freedom to cook with local produce sourced from the local markets. This will be an ideal option for those of you who enjoy cooking. Barcelona has some marvellous markets including La Boqueria. The colourful fruits will be the first attraction but that's not all there is, do venture further as here you will find everything from seafood to spices and everything in-between.

Bangkok

Bangkok has always been high on my bucket list; there is just something so enticing about their phenomenal street food. You can’t help but notice the rows and rows of exotic fruits that line the streets and the rose apples seasoned with salt, sugar and chili should be high up on your list of things to try. There are of course food markets a plenty with the most chaotic of them all being Khlong Toey Market. Located just outside of the city, you can stock up on top quality meats and seafood at Bangkok's best-kept secret.

Istanbul

Istanbul is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines and has been on my bucket list of foodie destinations for a while. Home to one of the oldest and largest food markets in the world; Istanbul is a paradise for foodies. If you find yourself with time to explore, the Grand Bazaar is not to be missed. This famous food market is spread over 60 streets and boasts an incredible 4000 food stalls. This market isn’t exclusive to food, it also sells jewellery and antiques but it is brimming with delicious foodie finds including authentic Turkish dishes such as kidney and liver kebabs. Do remember to try Kizilkayalar's wet burger at Taksim Square, a popular street food you will not regret having.

Toulouse

Toulouse is one of the lesser-known hotspots for foodies, but like other foodie destinations, it has its fair share of markets. One of the biggest and best is the Marche Victor Hugo. For every market there is a Michelin starred restaurant and if fine dining is your thing make sure you pay a visit to Michel Sarran. Cassoulet, Foie Gras and Garbure (a hearty soup) are just a few of the staple dishes to try here. Whether you want fine dining or street food, Toulouse will satisfy your cravings.

So, there you have it, my foodie bucket list for 2016. Have you been to any of theses destinations? What are your favourite dishes?

Superstar BBQ | London

2015-08-25T07:00:00.000+01:00

Everyone loves BBQ and more so in the summer!! As soon as I was invited to review Superstar BBQ, the newly opened Korean BBQ restaurant, I couldn’t say no. As busy as we all are, there’s always time for a meal.

Transformation of Tottenham Court Road Station | Image via Crossrail

In the area that used to be known as Centre Point Koreatown has now been victim of the Tottenham Court Road Station’sCrossrail Project. Along St Giles Street was where one can get the most authentic Korean food in central London. It is a real disappointment as my favourite cosy little Assa is one of them!

Central St Giles | Image via Panoramio

It was quite comforting though, knowing that there’s a new Korean in the vicinity. Superstar BBQ is located at the Piazza of the colourful Central St Giles, designed by the architect Renzo Piano who also did the famous Shard.

We visited Superstar BBQ on a Saturday afternoon and were greeted with smiles as we entered. Surprisingly, it was rather quiet. I suppose it is still very new, plus it’s the August holiday season!

The lunch menu was a mixture of BBQ and the usual Bibimbap. We ordered the BBQ lunch obviously. And were fed rather well with lots of smokey BBQ meat, but it under performed in our opinion. They tasted nice but not to its capacity it could have been. Korean barbeque is usually packed with so much flavour; it does a ‘Wham bam boom’ in the mouth. Not this one though. It was lack in flavour and probably not marinated for long enough. The sauces provided were lack of punch too.

The highlight from this meal was the ‘Korean beef tartare served with pears’. It was very tasty, unique and refreshing all at the same time, something I have never yet tasted so far. I would definitely go back for this fabulous beef tartare!

**Disclaimer: I was invited by Superstar BBQ to review the restaurant. Everything written above is my own honest opinion and will not mislead you in any way or form.

Superstar BBQ

4 Central St Giles Piazza

St Giles High Street

WC2H 8AB London,UK

Venchi the gelato gem | London

2015-07-15T07:30:00.000+01:00

Hampstead is like a green village tucked away in the North West of London. It is such a special little gem that I came to discover thanks to P. He told me to wear some comfy shoes cause we will be doing some long walk. He warned me ahead so I won't make him piggy back me all the way.

After a rather long walk from Finchley Road up and into the hilly residential area with mansions tugged in the midst of greenery, we arrived in Hampstead. There was a shop there that sells one of the most amazing designer furnitures. It was as if a little museum, with the few pieces you would probably find in V&A museum.

With the little calories burnt after the walk, we topped it up some well worth calories. Gelato of exquisite quality, made in the premise. I have already made a note to bring my sister and dad here when they visit this summer.

Dark chocolate and coconut gelato

Venchi

65 Hampstead High Street
NW3 1QP London,UK

Jamie's Italian at Threadneedle Street | London

2015-07-01T07:30:00.000+01:00

Jamie's Italian is all so familiar. It is a name and brand that is known by everyone and in every household. It is somewhere you would visit for a family-friendly rustic Italian meal. I have been to it's Canary Wharf branch a few times and had always enjoyed my experience there.

This time, we thought we shall visit the Threadneedle Street branch, situated right in the heart of the City of London. The building and interior reflects the grandeur of what used to be an old bank. Jamie's team has embraced the style of thisVictorian building and interior, making use of the high ceiling and marbled pillars to its advantage. They matched the incredible architecture and interior with custom-made chairs, solid oak tables and some impressive chandeliers. Even the menu is not the usual Jamie's rustic style. It has been geared up a notch to match its decadent setting. The prices too, were reflective of it.

When I arrived, P had already made himself really comfortable sipping his glass of red waiting for me. He had poured me a glass from the bottle he ordered which as expected, he would be the one finishing up three quarters of it by the end of the night. That's the benefit of my lack of drinking ability. While I lacked in alcohol tolerance, my food intake capacity makes up for it. Oh, 'lucky' him, we eat almost the same amount!

While we were still making decision on our meal choices, we ordered the 'world's best olive on ice' to tame our growling stomach. They were indeed some very very good olives, served alongside some crispy music bread and black olive tapenade.

We ordered the 'octopus carpaccio' and 'seafood plank' to start. Octopus is such a seafood that needs to be cooked with attention as care as to keep them tender. The fact that it was tender and thinly sliced made my day. I have had rubbery ones and they weren't pleasant. A little extra zing and seasoning would have made this carefully made octopus sing an opera.

As P is a fan of pasta with butter, the French in him ordered the 'Summer truffle tagliolini'. It was a simple plate of fresh pasta with silky truffle butter and shaved summer truffle. The pasta was very well made and delicious. Though, I thought it was a little too plain for my liking. My 'Salt marsh lamb' came so prettily presented I forgot we were at Jamie's Italian. The lamb were cooked three ways; stuffed, grilled and crispy. Some extra sauce would have made the dish come together much better as they were a little dry. Sides of crispy polenta chips and vignole (spring vegetable and herb stew) was a joy.

Desserts weren't to miss, even after all the food we had. I had a craving for the panna cotta while P felt like having the white chocolate semifredo. But then we both agreed that we must try the tiramisu. So we ordered three desserts!! Please don't judge our gluttony. It's only fair that we eat to our hearts content after a stressful work week. It was a Friday after all. Panna cotta with black cherries and dark chocolate passed the wobble test. It was light, trifle-like and summery though the dark chocolate was not needed. The white chocolate semifredo was nice. Tiramisu was indeed light, as promised in their menu but we both agree though nice, was not good enough. It was made too fancy, and missed the indulgence body of a traditional tiramisu. The tiramisu was crying out for more love and big fat hug.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience here. The interior was fabulous, food was well cooked and presented though lacked 'je ne sais quoi' for the price. The most memorable dish was for me, the side of vignole. It was simple yet packed full of flavour, something the other dishes lacked; a lift. Our server who was sweet and lovely was a joy to have. I will happily recommend anyone to try this place out for it's sheer difference in it's overall experience compared to other Jamie's Italian branches I have been too.

**Disclaimer: I was invited by Jamie's Italian to review the restaurant. Everything written above are my own honest opinion and will not mislead you in any way or form.

Jamie's Italian (Threadneedle Street)

38 Threadneedle Street
EC2R 8AY London,UK

East Street | London

2015-05-19T07:15:00.000+01:00

Gyoza and Bulgogi

Bulgogi

Chap Chae

Chicken Pad Krapow

I’ve walked pass East Street dozens of times and each time, I was curious. Finally, we made it here. East Street is made to convey the South East Asian street food experience which I think was almost spot on. The colour, décor and noise felt like home. We ordered the Korean bulgogi of marinated grilled beef and griddled gyoza (dumpling) to start. Then we moved on to Thai Pad Krapow with rice and Korean Chap Chae for mains. The best of the lot was the Pad Krapow and the rest were a little disappointing for me. The bulgogi tasted nice but was dry, gyoza was lack of flavour and Chap Chae was just ‘meh’. My Spanish friend loved them though. Maybe I am just being a tad picky with my food.

Although the food was not up to par for my standard, we still enjoyed our time there. It was a very casual, fun and exciting place. I can see how many will like this place. It is the perfect place for cheap food off Oxford Street after a full day of shopping and possibly spending lots of money on clothes that we would probably only wear once. I might actually give it a second try next time, with a different selection from the menu. Maybe Nasi Goreng. Who knows. I will let you know my verdict again soon.

East Street

3-5 Rathbone Place
W1T 1HJ London,UK

Bill's | London

2015-05-14T11:52:00.001+01:00

Photo via Bill's

The first time I came across Bill's was when I visited a friend in Oxford. We had brunch there and was impressed by the concept of the restaurant and quality of the food. Just this week, P and I was heading towards Kingsland Road for some Vietnamese but ended up at Bill's in Hoxton Square. It was the terrace that attracted us since it was a rather sunny day. We have learnt to soak up as much Vitamins D as possible while in London as you never know what the weather's installed for us the next day.

We started from the terrace and later moved indoors as it became chilly. That did not stop us from enjoying the evening of well cooked food with quality ingredients. Kale chips was a good healthy start to snack on while our hungry tummy waited for the rest of the food. The pork ribs was tender and succulent with chips that's crisp and fluffy. The coleslaw could have been more moist. It was on the dry side. The fish and chips was good though could have more crisp on the batter. Our happiest moment was when we had our dessert alongside a glass of port. The eton mess was refreshing and not too sweet but the warm treacle tart with honeycomb ice cream was star of the evening! The tart itself was enough to make me return for more.

Bill's is worth visiting especially for a cosy and casual dine out plus a little romance. The staff was a joy, very friendly and nice. They were still very nice when I accidentally knock off the glass on the table behind me while I was wearing my jacket. I'm still not sure whether it was the port's fault or just my pure clumsiness.

Bill's Restaurant - Hoxton Square

1 Hoxtp Square
N1 6NULondon,UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 739 7689

Hakkasan | London

2015-04-29T08:00:00.000+01:00

It is always exciting dining at Hakkasan. The last few times I dined at Hakkasan was for dim sum brunch. Since P has never been there and that I haven't been back in a while, we made a dinner reservation for the OpenTable exclusive special offer. It was a pretty good deal at £35 for 3 courses and a cocktail each.

We were served a dim sum platter and crispy spring roll each to start with. The dim sum as always, are delicately made and presented in small bamboo steamers. The mains we chose were Pipa Duck, and Roast Silver Cod with champagne honey sauce served with seasonal vegetables and steamed rice. The mains were small but don't be fooled by it cause we were pretty full by the end of our fabulous dessert from the a la carte menu. The Coconut Semifreddo was presented ever so cutely like a halved coconut, and my Banana Caramel Delice was a delight with salted caramel and peanuts.

The staff were lovely and very friendly, all with beautiful and genuine smile. It makes the evening very special. The ambience was although busy, was rather romantic. Definitely a great place to bring your date.

Loving the colours of our Dim Sum Platter

Crispy Duck Roll

Pipa Duck

Roast Cod

Coconut Semifreddo

Banana Caramel Delice

The OpenTable Exclusive Offer will be ending 31st May. So hurry up and impress your date before offer runs out.

Hakkasan Hanway Place

8 Hanway Place
W1T 1HD London,UK

Victoria Sandwich with a Twist | Raspberry and Cream Brown Sugar Victoria Sandwich

2015-04-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

One happy and sunny Tuesday, I decided to make a cake to celebrate! Something simple that is yummy and effortless. I have to say it was a little experimental, as with most of my cooking.

On my way home, I bought some double cream and fresh raspberries, not knowing exactly what I was going to make. I flipped through fancy cookbooks, with cake or biscuit bases of genoise, sable and even dacquoise.

I finally settled on the simple and straightforward Victoria Sponge recipe by Mary Berry. I have adapted her recipe, swapping with a few ingredients. See below for the recipe.

Brown Sugar Victoria Sandwich Recipe

Recipe adapted from Mary Berry's Perfect Victoria Sandwich

Ingredients:

4 free range eggs,
225g dark brown sugar
225g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate soda
225g soft butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Please click here for methods of making the sponge cake.

Raspberry and Cream Recipe:

Raspberry jam
400g Fresh raspberries

300ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1. Make the 2 layers of sponge cake as instructed in the link above.
2. Mix double cream, vanilla extract and icing sugar and whip until soft peak. Set aside.

3. Spread a generous amount of raspberry jam and whipped cream then arrange a layer of fresh raspberries on a layer of the cooled sponge cake.
4. Cover the cake with the remaining whipped cream.
5. Decorate with some fresh raspberries, mint leaves and chocolate.

Smack Deli

2015-03-15T08:00:00.000+00:00

To all LOBSTER LOVERS,

Burger and Lobster opened a sister restaurant not long ago. The best part is, it is now cheaper to eat lobster! The concept is all about lobster roll served as fast food. You will have to order at the till and collect your order, like you would at Starbucks or McDonalds. The only difference is that the quality is far higher than any fast food place I know.

“Lobster roll is the new burger!”

£7 for a lobster roll to go and £9 to eat in. That’s pretty cheap for some quality lobster. I have to say, the portion is pretty generous. The lobster chowder, I suppose was made from the lobster cooking liquid plus all the shells. Though nice, it lacked a little acidic punch and depth in flavour. The courgette fries were the star and a must have. It was very crispy and so much lighter than a standard potato fries, it worked really well with the lobsters too. The one pound lobster which is served cold is really good too with lemon mayonnaise.

Ambience in there was trendy, casual and relaxed. Lobster without the fancy pants. Liking it!

Smack Deli

26 Binney Street
W1K 5BN London,UK

Hawker House by Street Feast

2015-03-13T08:00:00.000+00:00

In a building on Kingsland Road recently used for many pop up events just a few minutes walk away from Haggerston Station is where Hawker House has opened this winter. Famed for it's quality street food usually held in Summer outdoors, it is nice to see the same concept made for the winter months.

With three levels to explore, make sure you get there early, before 7pm to avoid the entrance fee of £4.00. I would rather spend £4 on a delicious burger. That's just me. Even if you have to pay and possibly queue to get in to this popular feasting heaven, it's worth it.

We headed straight to the drinks section. Oh, so typical. There were multiple bars serving craft beers, hot cocktails and the other usual. There is also what they call the whisky roulette. Pay £8 for a spin for your luck for a drink from the interesting and extensive list of whiskies ranging from below £8 to £40.

The trader line-up is on rotation and has some very very good ones. We tried Busan BBQ's Kimcheese beef burger and the Pork Belly burger. My favourite was the pork belly of course, though both were equally impressive. Smokestak's thick cut pork ribs were fat, juicy, tender and delicious. Finger licking good!

We'll be back for more!

Remember to check it out soon as their last weekend of trade is on 10th and 11th April. Oh, one tip I have for you is to start queueing for the next one as soon as you get your food. The queues are long!! If you're there with lots of your friends, even better. Each one can queue for one.

Have fun there and eat lots.

Hawker House - Street Feast

260-264 Kingsland Road
E8 4DG London,UK

I ate crickets at Wahaca! | London

2015-02-03T12:01:00.000+00:00

Happy New Year!! Oh yes, I know it is a month late but there is a very good reason. I have been really busy preparing for my product launch. What products and when? Well, I shall keep you curious for now but I promise to tell closer to launch.

The last few months have been tremendously exciting and tiring for me since I can only work on this project in between slots of spare time after work and on weekends. My hobby of salsa-ing my evenings away has been history for now but hey, I’m sure I will be back on the dance floor soon. Well, at least I hope. And between my multi-tasking, I do let lose for a few hours once in a while to spend some quality time with P and with some friends.

The cricket!!

One of my first few meals back in London this 2015 was CRICKET!! Yes, I mean the ugly looking black insect that makes weird noises. It still creeps me out looking at pictures of cricket! We must have been possessed ordering it at all. Well, I only made it to try one fried baby cricket that was served with lots of baked cheese. So it was not like they were crickets on sticks. Actually, if you did not know that was cricket, it could have been any crispy thing! Lucky P finished off the rest. I was actually well surprised. He thought there wasn't enough insects on the plate! Aiks!! Wahaca serves crickets!! So if you are feeling adventurous for some crispy insects, Wahaca is the place to be.

Luckily, Wahaca has much more to offer other than crickets. As usual, food and service here is wonderful. We had double portions of plantain taco, slow-cooked pork burrito, Chapulines fundido (the cricket dish with salsa and melted cheese), and the Rajas Taco with blue corn tortillas. All was good except the cricket toppings.

If you are a curious soul, there is no harm trying. It isn’t all that bad.

Wahaca

Multiple location

Pork Chop with Cumin & Coriander

2014-12-19T10:46:00.000+00:00

From Tom Kerridge’s Barnsley Chop to my adapted version of Pork Chop. For those of you who like me did not know what Barnsley Chop is, it is as its name suggest, originates from Barnsley. It is a double sided lamb chop cut right across the loin as explained on this website. As much as I wanted to make Barnsley Chop the way Tom does it, I was only able to get the Pork Chop where I was. I must say, it tastes just as good. I even served it with some spicy couscous, salad and orange pork sauce. It was quick and tasty. Believe or not, I made that on a weekday after work.

This is a book I know that will be well used. I will probably make more recipes from this book during my two weeks off work for Christmas and New Year.

Happy Holidays, to all of you! I shall see you in the new year.

If you have not bought his book yet and would like to make this yummy Barnsley Chop, there's brief recipe here.

Cup Julienne (Pie Tee)

2014-11-18T08:00:00.000+00:00

Traditionally, this recipe is to make Pie Tee (top hats). The ingredients usually calls for Yam bean but I have altered the recipe with ingredients that are easily available in the supermarket here. So yam bean has been substituted with swede. Of course, you can use the original ingredient of Yam bean if you can get it at your nearest supermarket.

Photo via Hanamemories

The traditional case can be easily bought in Malaysia but there isn't any available here so instead of making the traditional cups from scratch which I deem tedious, I have created an alternative way of making a cup / top hat to stuff the fillings. Wonton skin was used and it only takes a couple of minutes to make it so nothing as complicated as making mixture and deep frying each and every case.

Cup Julienne / Pie Tee Recipe

serves 6

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil
20 wonton skin / wrapper
3 cloves garlic (minced)
300g yam bean / jicamma (julienne) *I used swede
2 large carrots (julienne)
1/2 caup water
2 tbsp light soy sauce to taste
ground white pepper to taste

spring onion (thinly sliced)
fried shallots

Methods:

1. Preheat oven at 180^oC. Brush some oil on a mini cupcake tray. Place a square piece of wonton skin. wrapper in each cupcake mould. Brush with more oil over the wanton skin so it takes the shape of the cup. Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for a few minutes until golden brown. Repeat. Be careful not to bake for too long as it turns golden really quickly. When the cups are ready, remove the wonton skin cups and place on a wire rack to cool.

2. Heat some oil on the wok and sauté garlic, then add yam bean and carrots, and fry for 1 minute. Add water and cook until water is reduced and absorbed. Then add soy sauce to taste. Cook until moisture is reduced so it will not make the casing soggy when assembled.

3. Scoop a spoonful of cooked yam bean and carrots into the baked wonton skin cup. Make sure to squeeze out any moisture if any. Serve with some sprinkling of spring onions and fried shallots.

Tips:

Yam bean / jicama is a little difficult to get in London so if you are unable to get it near you, substitute with swede. It tastes as good.
Wonton skin can also be substituted with filo pastry.

Beef Rendang

2014-11-17T09:38:00.000+00:00

A French man once asked me where I was from. I told him I'm Malaysian. One of the first things he told me was that he had one of the best Malaysian food in Australia called Beef Rendang! I wasn't sure how to react to that; surprised for knowing Beef Rendang as a delicious Malaysian dish, or that the best Rendang he had was in Australia. We became good friends since then and I am still amused by that comment till this day. I've a feeling we're good friends because of this rendang.

So here's the Rendang Recipe that I like. It does take quite a few hours and patience to make this dish but it is well worth your time. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

If you would like to learn more about Rendang and its origins, here's an explanation on Wikipedia.

Beef rendang served with rice

Beef Rendang

recipe from No Recipe

serves 5

Ingredients:

For spice paste:

1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
2.5 cm fresh ginger (roughly chopped)
4 large cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
200g shallots (4 large shallots roughly chopped)
3 tbs chilli pepper flakes (or to taste)

For the beef:

2 tbs vegetable oil
900g casserole / braising beef (chuck/blade), cut into large cubes
2 stalks lemongrass (white part only, smashed)
4 kaffir lime leaves
2.5 cm galangal (sliced)
1 can quality coconut milk
1 tbs palm sugar (or brown sugar)

Methods:

Please refer to the original site I got the recipe from, for the methods. Marc explains it really well with pictures to help you along the way.

100 years of Rememberance Day

2014-11-13T08:00:00.000+00:00

Remembering those who gave their lives

For those of you who did not manage to see the Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red art installation at the Tower of London to mark 100 years since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the First World War, here are some pictures I've taken on the weekend.

This powerful art installation is created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins and Olivier award winner stage designer Tom Piper to commemorate the service men who were killed in World War I. The installation consists of 888,246 hand made poppies representing each British military who died during the war. The installation was officially opened on the 5th of August. The poppies were first installed on 17th July and was continually planted until 11th November on Armistice Day.

On our way towards Tower of London, we made a detour for a walk in the city

At Leadenhall Market

Then we stopped at Hung Drawn and Quartered Pub for a pint. Or in my case, half.

"To be hanged, drawn and quartered (sometimes rendered hung, drawn and quartered) was from 1351 the penalty in England for men guilty of high treason, although its use is first recorded during the reign of King Henry III and that of his successor, Edward I. The convicted were fastened to a wooden hurdle which was dragged by horse to the place of execution. Once there, they were ritually hanged (almost to the point of death),emasculated, disembowelled, beheaded and quartered (chopped into four pieces). As a warning against further dissent, these remains were often displayed at prominent places, such as London Bridge. For reasons of public decency, women convicted of high treason were burnt at the stake." via Princeton.edu

Installation of the Poppies

Making of the Poppies

Hotel Principe Filipe at La Manga Club, Murcia | Spain

2014-11-06T08:00:00.000+00:00

Murcia has never really been on my to visit destination in Spain. It so happens that we had a wedding to attend in Murcia that I found the wonderful Hotel Principe Filipe at La Manga Club.

Hotel Principe Filipe (image via Championship Tennis Holidays)

We were really impressed as soon as we arrived. All the staff had very good English and were very friendly. La Manga Club is a large resort that felt to us like a town on its own with all facilities available on location. There were supermarkets, shops, spa, restaurants and all sorts of sports facilities (golf, tennis, football, netball, diving and more) available. As it is so big, the hotel provides complimentary minibus to make getting from one place to another a breeze.

Hotel lobby

The view from our room

What to do at La Manga Club?

Depending on the purpose of your visit, La Manga Club definitely fills many requirements. There's swimming pool, spa, golf, tennis, football, netball, hiking trails, biking, diving and lots more. There are also beaches nearby but I suggest to take the complimentary mini bus ride to the La Cala beach.

Please do not make the same mistake as us. We opted to walk to the beach which we thought does not sound too far at all. It was not a smart choice to do upon arrival and not knowing our bearings yet. We were walking in the sun at about 30 degrees Celsius towards where we thought was suppose to be the beach, which was not a problem at all. Unfortunately we got lost in the mountains and had to hike up and down on the dangerous rocky path less taken that was also filled with thorny plants. Some section of the hike was so steep, a missed step would send us tumbling down. Worse yet, I was dressed to go to the beach, so not sneakers!

We got to this point alright and is still the correct route. We went straight down to instead of turning right.

Oh yes, this looks so near but nope, there is no beach down there. Only a cliff!

10 minutes into it and still thinking it was an adventure; so we were enjoying the view and got carried snapping away.

This was when it got real

Yes, we were mostly on the tip and sometimes in the middle but no where near the beach cause we didn't know where it was! No connection either so having a cellphone was useless then.

Yes, I look happy here but was actually exhausted from the hike. This was when we thought we were near the hotel. A little more walk but almost there.

We were lucky we found our way back after 3 hours of hiking and getting lost! Good thing we were out early and were still bright and sunny when we found our way back to the hotel. We even had time for a swim in a pool, a nice bath and then tapas at La Bodega for dinner.

Tapas at La Bodega

A couple of pictures from the Spanish wedding we were at. Crazy fun wedding, as expected. Congratulations, my dear Naza.

At the wedding

Had a dance with the Bride's father. He's such a fun dad.

Tennis Club

When we were not at the wedding, we managed to squeeze in a tennis match on the clay court, which was first for us but real fun. After years of not playing tennis, it was nice to start again. It felt even better knowing that Andre Agassi used to train here.

Look who was here! Andre Agassi and Sir Cliff Richard!

Lots of cactus

Does this remind you of something? ;)

At the tennis club, there are 28 courts of which are 20 Clay Courts, 4 Hard Courts and 4 artificial Grass Courts. It is a large space with all the facilities you need on location. On the grounds of the tennis club were also manicured bowling greens for Boules, Squash courts and Gymnasium. Mini Golf is also available at a short walk away next to the car park.

The Leadbetter Golf Academy

On our last day, we managed to bump into David Haye, the professional heavyweight boxer at breakfast.

See the man sat outside in the sun? That's David Haye ;) And this, the luscious holiday breakfast.

View from the restaurant Terrace

After the last breakfast of our stay here, we had a walk before our first ever gold lesson! So excited and really glad P initiated it. It was real fun and I might actually continue learning. According to Juan, our instructor, I have a beautiful golf swing which many can't master even after 2 years of learning. Woohooo!! A natural, he said! So proud of myself. Might be the dancing genes that gave the swing some grace.

With my instructor, Juan. He was great and had lots of experience.

La Cala Beach

On our last day, we managed to spend some time at the La Cala Beach we intended to go to on the first day. This time, we took the minibus instead and got there with no drama.

Do you see a Polar Bear rock?

CARTAGENA

If you are not much of a sports person, or that you need a change, there's Cartagena only 20 minutes drive away. More about Cartagena will be posted next.

Four days at La Manga and I still think we have more to do here. I would actually love to be back here again and maybe next time, I can play proper golf on the greens and not just the driving range. And also, the next tennis match with P will not be a tie again but a WIN.

Hotel Principe Filipe @ La Manga Club

La Manga CLub
Murcia, Spain
Tel: +34 968 331234

**If you would like to read more, do follow me on twitter, facebook or instagram for more updates.

Toconoco Cafe | London

2014-10-28T08:15:00.000+00:00

For a long time now, the only Asian restaurants between Shoreditch and Dalston was just Vietnamese. Now, there is Tonkotsu East for ramen (new post soon) and this cute little Toconoco cafe that is family / baby friendly.

The counter where you order

The interior is all white and wooden, typically minimalist of the Japanese style. The counter where you order, is the barista and entrance to the kitchen on the left. The shelves below the counter were filled with many useful Japanese ingredients, it makes it much more convenient for us to get Japanese ingredients now. No need to track all the way to Chinatown.

Loving the tree branch decor with lights on the ceiling

Black sesame latte, cappuccino, cupcake

The black sesame latte was so good, we came back in the afternoon for more. The cupcake though was stale, probably from the day before.

Egg miso mayo with spring onion, sesame oil and chilli flake on toast

Toast

Salted kombu rice balls and miso soup; green tea latte

Although simple, it was tasty and comforting. Will be back for more rice balls.

Turkey and tofu burger with rice and miso soup was the lunch set of the day.

The lunch set changes daily.

Tofu and turkey burger? Interesting or weird? Well, we tried it out and it was really succulent and delicious. Feels so homey too. The only thing weird we found was the miso soup which was served with potatoes in it. Well, I'm not Japanese. Maybe that's what they serve at home in Japan, but it was the first for us.

If you know anything about potato in miso, please let me know. I am curious to find out.

The cafe is located just off the canal, a few minutes walk from the Proud Archivist

Smile..

I'm in love with this cafe. It is nothing fancy, just a cosy and family friendly cafe in the perfect location by the canal that serves homey Japanese food.

Note: The lunch menu serves from 12pm onwards and the cafe closes early, between 6pm to 6:30pm so come in early.

Frown..

The close really early, about 6:30pm so it is impossible to make weekday after work dinner.

Will I return?

Already been there twice in one day. So, the answer is YES!

Toconoco

28 Hertford Road
N1 5QT London,UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7249 8394

The Winter Garden at Landmark Hotel | London

2014-10-23T12:33:00.000+01:00

I have always wanted to visit Winter Garden for afternoon tea, but never did. I am glad we finally made it for dinner instead. It is a delight to walk in to the Landmark Hotel and be welcomed with the most charming arched entrance, lit up very warmly. The most enchanting view was the tall palm trees and very high ceiling, almost like a very large green house but prettier.

The entrance / exit

Warm bread with butter and sea salt; complimentary champagne cocktails

Macakarel Tartare with avocado, preserved lemon & dill

Very light and elegant flavours. I thought the preserved lemons and the wavy crisp gave it that extra something.

Pan seared livers with spiced lentils & chorizo

Normally not a fan of livers, this was fabulous. P liked it so much, he wanted to order a second plate!

Roasted Pollock with Jersey royal potatoes, braised fennel & citrus vinaigrette

Chargrilled Bavette Beef Steak with vine tomatoes, chunky chips and Béarnaise sauce

The fish was beautifully presented, crispy skin, fresh and well seasoned. Steak was cooked well with absolutely good chunky chips and Bernaise sauce.

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce & Vanilla Cream

I am quite a sticky toffee pudding fan and if I say this is comparable to one of the best ones I have had so far, it must be really indulgent. The cheesecake on the other hand was a fresher dessert and equally tasty, I thought the piped apricot, white chocolate and something else on the right had really interesting flavours.

Vanilla Cheesecake with Apricots & White Chocolate

Remember to wander around the 100 years old hotel after dinner. This beautiful surroundings is not to be missed.

Dinner at Winter Garden will normally set you off at an average of £25 for one main course, So with the 3 course menu at £35 inclusive of a champagne cocktail, I thought it was of great value. Definitely worth a visit. London Restaurant Festival is ending on the 27th October so hurry before this fantastic value is gone.

Smile..

Beautiful, elegant and romantic ambience in the 100 year old building. Food was glorious and staff were very kind and friendly which makes it a very pleasant evening.

Frown..

Why frown when all's wonderful?! Just smiles were intact when we left.

Will I return?

Yes, and next time will definitely be for Afternoon Tea.

Winter Garden at Landmark Hotel

222 Marylebone Road
NW1 6JQ London,UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7631 8000

Japanese Journey at London Restaurant Festival 2014

2014-10-21T08:23:00.000+01:00

It is the London Restaurant Festival again and as always, there is so much to do. It gets better each year with more events and more restaurant deals. I was well delighted when we were invited to the Japanese Journey at London Restaurant Festival. It was the most delightful Saturday of eating and drinking through Japanese food and whisky.

Japanese Journey: How it Works?

If you are wondering how this works, you will receive a Japanese Journey passport once you've bought your ticket. There will be a list of six restaurants with a simple map provided in the passport so you can plan your journey accordingly. There is no schedule to the trail. It is pretty free and easy, as long as you complete it between 12pm-6pm.

All meals will be served with a choice of Suntory Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve Highball, or Suntory Hakushu Distiller's Reserve Highball. So yes, you will be having 6 long glasses of whisky and soda over ice throughout the Japanese Journey.

Below is the list of six participating Japanese restaurants for the trail that will give you a few different perspective of the Japanese cuisine. I definitely came across some that I will return to fairly soon.

TONKOTSU - SOHO

Twitter: @tonkotsulondon
63 Dean Street, London W1D 4QG

We started off with the first stop at Tonkotsu which we were served three different types of gyozas and a glass of Suntory Whisky each. Please also see my earlier post on Tonkotsu East for a full review.

Fresh, home-made gyoza dumplings, filled with pork, prawn or shiitake

SHORYU

Twitter: @shoryuramen
3 Denman Street, London W1D 7HA

Inside Shoryu

Here at Shoryu, we were given two choices, as shown below.

Wagyu Beef Hirata Bun

The white steamed bun was soft and fluffy, filled with thin slices of juicy and flavourful wagyu beef yakiniku (grilled meat) with shiso, daikon & shimeji.

For those of you unfamiliar with Japanese ingredients, wagyu beef is meat from Japanese cattle, known for its quality and intense fat marbling which is highly desired. Fat marbling in beef is important in providing flavour, moisture and tenderness. Although the hirata bun above looks plain, it delivers in flavour, and juicy tenderness.

- Shiso is a type of herb belonging to the mint family, widely used in Japanese cuisine.
- Daikon, also known as mooli is a white winter radish.
- Shimeji is a type of mushroom from East Asia.

Taster size Kotteri Tonkotsu

The Koterri Tonkotsu is the signature ramen of Shoryu. Kotteri ramen is characterised by its rich, thick, heavier and more oily soup. The thick and richer soup coats on the noodles when you slurp away. Simply delicious.

STICKS 'N' SUSHI

Twitter: @sticknsushi_UK
11 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PY

Sticks 'n' Sushi has a modern ambience suited to its location. They serve sushi and sticks (grilled yakitori sticks) with a unique concept combining Japanese and Danish cuisine, influenced by the half Japanese and half Danish roots of the founders. The food were beautifully plated as in the pictures of their very well presented menu.

Sushi Plate: Salmon sashimi, Tempura shrimp with avocado, tuna and spicy sauce, Ebi panko roll of tempura shrimp avocado, sesame and tsume sauce; Monti Carlo rolls of avocado, cucumber, cray fish with miso aioli and trout roe.

Colourful, fresh and flavourful with multiple textures make the plate of sushi very interesting.

Sticks plate: Edamame with spicy miso sauce; chicken breast topped with chili dip, teriyaki and spring onion; Bacon wrapped asparagus

CHISOU

Twitter: @ChisouLondon
4 Princes Street, Mayfair, London W1B 2LE

Chisou is known for its traditional and authentic Japanese cuisine with an extensive list of sake where most of them are not available in the UK. The food is elegant, as you would expect from a detail oriented Japanese restaurant.

The entrance filled with many different types of sake

We had perfect seat at the sushi bar watching the chef at work

Spicy Hamachi Carpaccio - Kagoshima line caught yellow tail carpaccio win a spiced dressing

Such a delicate plate of carpaccio that was fresh and perfectly balanced. Sublime.

Gyu tataki - thin slices of seared rare beef fillet with ponzu sauce and daikon

KUROBUTA

Twitter: @KurobutaLondon
17-20 Kendall Street, Marble Arch London W2 2AW

Kurobuta Sampler

The Kurobuta Sampler includes BBQ Pork belly buns with spicy peanut soy sauce, Jurusalem artichoke chopsticks with truffle ponzu, Smoked duck tataki with burnt ginger amazu, Nasu dengaku with caramelised walnuts, and Salmon nigiri with bernaise salsa.

BBQ pork belly buns

We all agreed that the BBQ pork belly buns were fabulous. I suppose this is their signature dish since Kurobuta, the name of this restaurant means 'black pig' in Japanese. In Japan, kurobuta pork is the king in flavours and tenderness in the pork world. This bun has certainly lived up to its expectation.

KANADA-YA

Twitter: @kanadaya_LDN

64 St Giles High Street, London WC2H 8LE

It is a shame that the queue was too long when we arrived so we hopped on to other restaurants on the trail first. By the time we got on to the fifth one, we were all too full to carry on to Kanada-Ya to complete our trail. The owner was very kind to let us return with the passport to try their popular ramen another day. I shall update this post once I have been back to try their Original Ramen or Moyashi Ramen. I heard they have one of the most original Ramen in London.

More About Japanese Food

Since this is a Japanese Journey post, there are a few articles and links that I think is useful to expand your knowledge about Japanese food.

- Ramen Glossary
- Guide to Ramen Styles by Serious Eats

London Restaurant Festival 2014

8-27 October 2014
Twitter: @LRF_2014

- Japanese Journey
- Chicchetti Trail (Italian)
- Tapas Tour
- China Town Tour
- More Events

Remember to checkout Hecticophilia and Wander to Wonder's write up for more about Japanese Journey. If you are more interested in the Italian Food trail, The Awkward Blog, Whatever Gets You through the Day and My Little Italian Kitchen has recently been on it so that's where to find out more.

P.S. : I am aiming to post reviews for both The Balcon and Winter Gardens that I have recently been to on the London Restaurant Festival in the next days so do remember to check back.

Enjoy the rest of the London Restaurant Festival!

*Thank you NuffnangUK for the complimentary ticket.

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Tonkotsu East | London

2014-10-20T08:30:00.000+01:00

Here in Tonkotsu, they make their own noodles. There is a large machine in a room at the end of the restaurant with glass divider that is see through. If you come for early lunch, you will be able to see the noodles in the making where a man operates the machine and make sure the noodles come out the way they are suppose to be, silky smooth and bouncy.

Tonkotsu

Tonkotsu is a bowl of tasty noodles with very rich chicken and pork based broth which I find slightly salty, though my dining companion liked it very much. The egg is as usual, cooked to perfection.

The man operating the noodle machine

Tokyo Ramen with additional egg

The Tokyo Ramen was by far my favourite amongst the three noodles I have tried here at Tonkotsu East. It has soy sauce base broth, so it is lighter than its Tonkotsu counterpart that has richer and thicker broth. This time around, we ordered extra egg each for our noodles so no one's egg will be stolen mid way through our meal. Yes, the egg is that good. I suggest you do the same.

Chicken Karaage - Fried marinated chicken

Very crispy and tasty chicken karaage that I strongly recommend you try.

Tsukumen - Noodles is served with a separate bowl of hot intense broth as a dipping sauce

Tsukumen seems to be popular amongst my Japanese friends. They always get excited when they saw tsukumen on the menu. Tsukemen is a bowl of cold noodles and its toppings served with a separate bowl of hot and intense broth. The broth has to be very hot and the cold noodles when dipped into the broth will warm up the noodles. I quite like it but was not my favourite. Maybe the broth was not hot enough so when I had the noodles, it was not warm enough for my liking. Taste-wise was nice. The Japanese friend I was with that evening marked it 70% so it is not a bad version.

What I thought was a cute toilet sign at Tonkotsu East. A pretty clear sign.

Here's a video on 'How to eat Ramen' from the movie Tampopo

Smile..

This is a place for comfort food.
My favourite was the light and tasty Tokyo Ramen and very crispy Chicken Karaage.
They also make their own noodles here.

Frown..

The broth for Tonkotsu was slightly over salty for my liking.

Will I return?

Yes, ramen is the perfect comfort food especially for when the temperature drops.

Tonkotsu East

Arch 334, 1A Duntson Street

E8 4EB London,UK

Tel: +44 (0)20 7254 2478

Nearest station: Haggerston (overground)

Chocolate Show 2014 | London

2014-10-18T09:33:00.001+01:00

It is that time of the year again. It's Salon du Chocolat's second year in London which has now been renamed to Chocolate Show instead. Salon du Chocolat in Paris has always been massive and very successful. They will be celebrating the 20th anniversary this year so it will be even better this time around with over 500 participants from all over the world.

As much as I would love to be in Paris, I have prioritised myself to attend one of my closest friend's wedding in Spain so I am sure I will be able to experience it through my fellow blogger friends when it is all over.

Instead of attending the Paris event, I have opted for the London Chocolate Show since we have been invited to attend the Gala on Thursday. The first thing I realised was the slight change in venue to a smaller space Olympia West instead of the main exhibition hall.

We managed to have a wonder around, have a few bites of chocolate and mingle before the Fashion Show began. We noticed some main chocolatier / brands not exhibiting. Saying that, the chocolates we tasted were still of quality.

Willy Wonka cast from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical opened the show

When the show started, we were braced with Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Musical opening the show. I thought that was great and a pleasant surprise. Next up was the dance performance by a group of dancers painted with chocolate images on their bare skin.

I could not keep my eyes off those chocolate painted six packs. Hah!

Next up were the Fashion Show and a sneak peak. There were less than 10 chocolate dresses on the catwalk so I was slightly disappointed, to be honest. Lucky there were some chocolate dresses worth seeing.

The dress in collaboration between Lindt chocolate and Paul Wayne Gregory. The dress is covered with sprayed on chocolate.

The dress covered in Chocolate squares, made by Anita Thakker of Fruitful Blooms

At the Chocolate Show, I personally enjoyed the Chocolate Theatre the most last year. And this year, there are a list of talented chocolatiers and chefs demonstrating which I think is worth watching. Do check the schedule so you don't miss the demonstrations you would like to attend. Make sure you get to the theatre slightly before the time it starts to find yourself a seat to enjoy it to the fullest.

Not to miss are Francois Delaire of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Barry Johnson of Rococo, Hideko Kawa ex-head pastry chef of The Fat Duck, and many more of your choice.

Not forgetting, we spotted the talented contestants from Great British Bake Off!

And we went home with some of these dried cocoa beans

Chocolate Show London

Olympia West

Hammersmith Road Kensington
17th - 19th October 2014

Coffee Caramel Pork Belly

2014-10-16T09:00:00.000+01:00

This dish has always been a success. It is so packed full of flavour, and is really easy to cook. You just have to be patient while it poaches in low heat for hours. Enjoy!

Coffee Caramel Braised Pork Belly

adapted from Simply Delicious

serves 2-4

Poaching Liquid:

500 g pork belly
600 ml water
1 cube chicken / vegetable bouillon
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup oyster sauce
1 tbs fish sauce
1 onions, quartered
3 garlic cloves
2 inch ginger (bruised)
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 dried chillies
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp instant coffee powder

Method:

1. Wash the pork with vinegar and water before cooking. This will rid of the porky smell.
2. Bring the poaching liquid to boil. Reduce to medium heat and place pork into the liquid. Simmer gently and poach for about 2-3 hours until the pork is soft but does not fall apart.
3. Cut the pork belly into bite sized cubes.
4. It is best eaten with rice with accompanying vegetables.

Tip:

The leftover actually tastes better the next day.
If you have leftovers (which is unlikely), you can refrigerate it for the next day and stir fry with noodles and vegetables for a quick and different meal all together. Recipe will be posted next week.

Water Terrace Cafe & Ai Wei Wei Exhibition at Blenheim Palace | Woodstock

2014-10-15T08:14:00.000+01:00

The last of this year's warm sunny Sunday was spent at the beautiful Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. It was Winston Churchill's birthplace, now the principal residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site which was awarded in 1987.

Blue glazed porcelain Bubbles by Ai Weiwei

We were also lucky that Ai Weiwei's largest UK art exhibition just launched at the Blenheim Palace. It will be running until 14th December 2014. This exhibition sees over 50 of the artist's artwork dotted around the palace rooms and garden space. He had Coca-Cola logo printed on a Han Dynasty vase, photos taken of him hung sideways giving the finger towards stately homes and buildings around the world, a wooden handcuff on Winston Churchill's birth bed, and many more that gets you thinking about the contrast and irony of his art with its surroundings. A thought provoking art exhibition.

2,300 porcelain replicas of freshwater crabs represented the number of guests Ai Weiwei invited to a party before the government destroyed his studio in Shanghai.

Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold

Chicken and leek pie with mash

Sausage and mash

The sausage and mash, and chicken pie was very well cooked and had very good ingredients. What could be better than to have a proper British meal in the sun, with such an amazing view of the garden and beautiful fountain.

Blenheim Palace’s own pure mineral water, sourced and bottled on the Blenheim estate, & scones.

The Blenheim Palace Natural Mineral Water had a story attached to it where Henry II built a pleasure pool for his mistress, Rosamond Clifford in the 12^th Century. And according to legend, the ancient spring that used to feed the pool has never dried up. It is now named the Rosamund’s Well with which the water remains highly valued for its pure and delicious taste.

The Water Terrace Cafe

A romantic seating area in a romantic setting

The Indian Room which we were lucky enough to take a peek. Such a beauty.

If you are visiting soon, remember to convert your day pass to an annual pass at no extra cost, so you can come back any time throughout the year.

For those of you who are interested in knowing more about Ai Weiwei, there are two documentaries you have to check out; Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry and Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case

Smile..

Beautiful palace and gardens. Enjoyed the exhibition.

Frown..

It is a little track from London but hey, a train and cab ride takes you here pretty comfortably.

Will I return?

Yes. I have converted my day pass to an annual one so I have all year to be back on this beautiful ground.

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace
OX20 1PP Woodstock,UK
Tel: +44 (0)1993 810530

L'Anima Cafe | London

2014-10-10T09:00:00.000+01:00

Norfolk pork belly, sanguinaccio

Having always wanted to dine at the L’Anima restaurant but never made it, I was well excited when my friend told me of this newly opened L’Anima Café next to it. Well, now we can afford this meal and go anytime we like rather than for a special occasion. Only a few months old, it has set to impress.

Very fresh seasonal vegetables decoration at the entrance

The entrance was decorated with seasonal colourful seasonal vegetables and a scooter. On the left was the bar and woodfired oven then straight ahead was the spacious dining space.

That's the open area where you can see your pizza baked in the stone woodfired oven

A very spacious cafe with lots of light

Raw fillet of tuna with celery and amalfi lemon dressing was very refreshing.

Sea salt-crusted baked bream was so well cooked, sweet and moist. Initiallu, I thought the disc below was some sort of special crispy bread but it was not. It was the salt baked crust that is NOT edible. Yes, the glutton me took a bite and it was salty as hell! At least that was a clear confirmation.

The Norfolk pork belly with sanguinaccio pictured above (first picture) was so delicious. The skin was perfectly crisp, the pork itself was tender and moist, plated with so many other different textures and surprising flavours, every bite oozes a very special and unique taste. It was truely fabulous. It was a dish so good, I will return just for this. If you were wondering what sanguinaccio is, according to my research, it has to be the very interestingly flavoured dark coloured puree on the plate. The ingredients include chocolate, pine nuts, cinnamon and the all important blood sausage.

** Here is a very well explained blog post about sanguinaccio.

Pannacotta with blueberries and grappa was soft and wobbly, perfectly set the way it should be. There were proper enough amount of grappa for a proper hit.

Mascarpone cheesecake and berries was as good as it looks

Right at the end of the cafe is where the deli is. See all the hanging meat, you can have some of those or sit down to have some coffee. It has a very friendly and relax atmosphere.

My dear friend who was going back to Japan for good picked this place for her last lunch in London. Having stuffed her face with all the good food in London before leaving, I thought she made a very good choice. We were well happy and left with a round belly and big fat smile all the way home.

Smile..

Excellent rustic southern Italian food with bold flavours. Service was prompt and friendly, ambience was calm on a late weekday afternoon after the peak hours.

Frown..

What is there to frown about when it was all so good?..

Will I return?

Yes of course. Pork belly again and something else. Maybe tiramisu for dessert next time so I can do my tiramisu rating.

L'Anima Cafe

10 Appold Street
EC2A 2AP London,UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7422 7080

Apple Tarte Tatin

2014-09-16T09:00:00.000+01:00

With the excess of organically grown apples from the garden, they don't keep that long so what better way to use them than in making dessert? French apples for french dessert, C'est parfait!

These are the organically grown apples from the garden used for this tarte tatin.

P's parents gave us so many fruits and vegetables from the garden that if anyone took a peek into our car, they would have thought we were fruit sellers. We had quetsch, pears, apples, cabbage, beetroots and more! Who cares if we looked like fruits and vegetable vendors. I was well happy to have so many ingredients to cook with. What was most satisfying was the fact that I helped pick them out from the garden.

Giant sunflowers the size of a dinosaur

This is quetsch, a variety of plum if you have never seen these, like me.

When i told P I was about to attempt tarte tatin for the second time in my life, he looked impress that I was even trying to make one. Then he made sure to google some pictures and said mine should look like this and not like that. Great! He was setting expectations already!

So I carefully prepared everything to make sure it will come out perfect so the Tarte Tatin made by a Malaysian me would impress the French.

Conclusion, my French man and friends loved it! SUCCESS with a big fat smile.

Apple Tarte Tatin

adapted from Mustard with Mutton
Serves 6

Ingredients:

5 - 6 apples
3/4 cup golden caster sugar
3 tbs apple press (or water)
60g butter
1 vanilla pod
1 store bought ready rolled puff pastry

Methods:

1. Split the vanilla pod into two, lengthwise. Scrape the vanilla seeds out with the tip of a knife and place them in an 8 inch heavy based stainless steel pan (or any other oven proof pan). Place the split vanilla pod criss crossed on the pan.
2. Combine sugar and apple press, and bring to boil then lower the heat to medium and cook until sugar melts, thicken and turn into deep amber colour.

3. Make sure to just swirl the pan and not stir. Otherwise the sugar will crystallise.
4. Remove from heat and add butter.
5. Peel, deseed and quarter the apples. Arrange the apples neatly around the edges and the centre of the pan on top of the caramelised sugar.
6. As the pan will be inverted when the tart is ready, make sure the apples are arranged in a presentable manner.
7. Return pan to the stove and cook on low heat for an hour. Make sure the heat is low enough to not burn the sugar and apples.
8. Remove the pan from heat and let cool to room temperature.
9. Preheat the oven to 180C.
10. Place the ready rolled pastry on top of the apples and trim the sides.
11. Tuck the edges in neatly into a rim and seal it against the pan. Then prick some holes with a knife or fork to let steam out while in the oven.
12. Bake the tart for about 30-35 minutes in the oven until pastry is golden brown.
13. Once ready, remove from oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
14. Loosen the edges of the tarte with knife. Place a serving dish over the pan and invert the pan quickly.
15. Cut into slices and serve with vanilla ice cream.

The Trishaw

2016 Foodie Bucket List

Barcelona

Bangkok

Istanbul

Toulouse

Superstar BBQ | London

4 Central St Giles Piazza St Giles High Street WC2H 8AB London,UK

Venchi the gelato gem | London

Jamie's Italian at Threadneedle Street | London

East Street | London

Bill's | London

Hakkasan | London

Victoria Sandwich with a Twist | Raspberry and Cream Brown Sugar Victoria Sandwich

Brown Sugar Victoria Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients:

Raspberry and Cream Recipe:

Method:

Smack Deli

“Lobster roll is the new burger!”

Hawker House by Street Feast

I ate crickets at Wahaca! | London

Pork Chop with Cumin & Coriander

Cup Julienne (Pie Tee)

Cup Julienne / Pie Tee Recipe

Ingredients:

Methods:

Tips:

Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang

Ingredients:

100 years of Rememberance Day

Installation of the Poppies

Making of the Poppies

Hotel Principe Filipe at La Manga Club, Murcia | Spain

Tennis Club

The Leadbetter Golf Academy

La Cala Beach

CARTAGENA

Toconoco Cafe | London

Smile..

Frown..

Will I return?

The Winter Garden at Landmark Hotel | London

Smile..

Frown..

Will I return?

Japanese Journey at London Restaurant Festival 2014

Japanese Journey: How it Works?

More About Japanese Food

Tonkotsu East | London

Smile..

Frown..

Will I return?

Chocolate Show 2014 | London

Coffee Caramel Pork Belly

Coffee Caramel Braised Pork Belly

Poaching Liquid:

Method:

Tip:

Water Terrace Cafe & Ai Wei Wei Exhibition at Blenheim Palace | Woodstock

Smile..

Frown..

Will I return?

L'Anima Cafe | London

Smile..

Frown..

Will I return?

Apple Tarte Tatin

Apple Tarte Tatin

Ingredients:

Methods:

4 Central St Giles Piazza

St Giles High Street

WC2H 8AB London,UK