Month: April 2013

Prawn Aglio Olio & A Wine Giveaway {Winners Announced}

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Prawn aglio olio with Taylors Estate Pinot Gris

Good evening my dear readers! (: I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend especially if you had a long one because of the Anzac Day holiday. I’ve got some exciting news to share with all of you! (: A week back, I received an email from  Taylors Wines who wanted me to do a wine giveaway on my blog. Of course, I said yes! hehe I was also so lucky to received not one, but two bottles of Pinot Gris to taste! How generous are they? Couldn’t be happier!

Pinot Gris came in the mail

Before I go into more details of the wine and the giveaway, I would like to tell me my thoughts about the Pinot Gris! Pinot Gris has always been one of my favourite type of wine. hehe I had a glass before bed one night, and really love how clean and crisp it tasted with tones of pear and apple. I knew instantly what would pair with it perfectly – seafood. My dearest husband read my mind, and made an amazing prawn aglio olio with pan seared scallops for dinner the following night!

Prawn aglio olio with seared scallops paired with a glass of pinot gris

He even used some of the wine in the sauce and it was so good! I wanted more (: The prawn and scallops were so sweet & succulent, it just complimented the wine perfectly.

Prawn aglio olio with seared scallops

Prawn Aglio Olio with Pan Seared Scallops (The mr’s original recipe, serves 2)

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 small chillies, de-seeded and finely chopped (you can increase or reduce the amount of chilli depending on how spicy you like your dish to be!)

2 tbs fresh basil, finely chopped

1/2 cup white wine (I used Taylors Estate Pinot Gris)

2 tbs olive oil (plus an extra tbs for the scallops)

Salt & pepper, to season

12 prawns, peeled and cut into chunks

6 scallops, left whole

Pasta of your choice

Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to garnish

Steps :

1) Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Strain and run under cold water so that the pasta will not stick together. Set aside while cooking the sauce.

2) In a heavy based pot, heat the olive oil on medium fire and fry the garlic and chilli till fragrant.

3) Add the prawns, and fry till it’s coloured and no longer translucent. Add the chopped basil and white wine. Allow this to simmer for about 5 minutes.

4) Pour the pasta into the sauce and mix it well. Set aside, and keep it warm.

5) Pat dry the scallops and season with sea salt. Heat a non-stick pan on low-medium fire and add 1 tbs of olive oil. Place the scallops into the pan and flip every 30 seconds. Repeat each side for about 3 times, or until the scallops have a nice golden brown sear.

6) Place the pasta on a plate and top with 3 scallops per person. Garnish with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serve with a glass of Pinot Gris. ENJOY!

Prawn aglio olio with seared scallops

And now, the part that you’ve been waiting for so patiently…. the giveaway! (:

Taylors Wines is a family-owned wine company, in South Australia’s stunning Clare Valley, that was born from a passion of producing exceptional,  hand crafted wines. They are “Bringing great wines to life” and would love to give two lucky readers two bottles of their beautiful Taylors Wine –  Taylors Estate Pinot Gris 2011 and Taylors Estate Shiraz 2010.

Taylors Estate wines

How do you win these amazing wines?

To enter this giveaway:

  • All you have to do is to leave a comment at the end of the post to let me know : What is your favourite wine and what do you like to pair it with? 
  • Open to Australian residents only! (So sorry!)
  • Please make sure you’re of a legal drinking age and be able to provide a proof of age (it is needed to be sent to the company before they can send you the wine)
  • The winners will be drawn on the 5th of May 2013, Sunday at 10pm (Melbourne time).
  • You may reenter daily, one entry a day (YAY!)
  • Winner will be picked via random.org and announced on this blog and notified via email

Good luck and have a great week ahead! (:

Remember to always cook and bake with love!

This is a sponsored post by Taylors Wines. I tasted the Pinot Gris with compliments of Taylors Wines, however, the review, opinions are honest and based on my personal taste and preference. The recipe is a Food Made With Love original.

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And the winners are….. Diana and Coco!! (: Congratulations!

Winner - Number 4

Diana

Winner - Number 13Coco

Congratulations you two! (: Will be dropping you an email or a reply soon! Hope you enjoy the wines! hehe Have a great week ahead! xx

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Update : Unfortunately, I can’t get hold of Diana and Ross (who was picked after not hearing from Diana) so I had to pick another winner! Congrats Zoe!! (: Hope you will enjoy this wine with Jeff!

New winner

comment number 20

{Quick & Easy} Fig Jam

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Fig Jam

As promise, I decided to share the recipe for fig jam I used to have with my scones! You will realise it’s so easy and something you can do in less than 30 minutes! Be warned though, cause this is VERY ADDICTIVE! haha Once you’ve tried a spoonful, you would want to have another, and another, and another!

chopped dried figs

Another plus point is that this recipe uses dried figs, so you can make this all year round! Trust me, you would definitely want a bottle of this in your fridge all the time. hehe I’ve had it on my scones, croissants, with cookies and of course, on it’s own! YUMMO! Just can’t get enough! (:

Fig jam bottled

So quickly get a packet of dried figs and make some jam now! (:

Dried Fig Jam (adapted from Tastespotting)

250g dried figs, chopped into quarters

1 cup of water

1 tsp lemon juice

Ingredients

Steps :

1) In a small heavy base pot, place the dried figs and water and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the figs are plumped up.

2) Turn off the heat and pour the mixture into a blender. Add the lemon juice and blend till smooth with a spreadable consistency. Be careful when blending as the mixture is very hot! If it’s too thick, just add more water, 1 tsp at a time.

Blending it into a spreadable paste

3) Allow the mixture to cool, and then place it in an air tight bottle, and keep it refrigerated. It can last up to 2 weeks.

Fig jam

Enjoy! (: If you’re like me, take a spoon and dig in immediately! hehe Simple, quick, delicious and addictive! Cannot get any better!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Remember to always cook and bake with love!

Fig Maple & Thyme Scones

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Fig Maple & Thyme Scones

Figs. I just can’t get enough of them. Whether it’s the fresh or dried version, I love them all! I could have them everyday to be honest! Sometimes, I wish they weren’t seasonal. Thankfully, I’ve got two fig trees in my backyard that gives are beautiful juicy figs in Summer! Hooray! But since it’s Autumn now, I have to say, the dried figs are just as satisfying (:

Herb garden bed

I’ve always considered myself blessed. Even more so when I look at our bark yard, in particular our herb garden bed! The Mr has a green thumb! Wheeee! (: Everytime I look at how much it has grown and flourished, I will be filled with joy! hehe Basil, mint, coriander, rosemary and lemon thyme are some of the herbs we’ve grown. And since this recipe calls for some fresh thyme, I just went to the garden bed to pick some! Easy peasy! (:

fig, maple & thyme scones - before baking

Okie, back to the scones! (: My love for scones come from my mum, we would make scones whenever we have time on our hands and have it immediately for tea. Instant gratification! haha One of our favourite places to have scones is at Ms Marples Tea Room up at Mount Dandenong! Although some might say theirs is more like a dense cake, mum must have it every time she comes to Melbourne! hehe I was going through Tastespotting and chanced upon a recipe that instantly caught my attention. I made a variation of the recipe with the things I have in my pantry. These were SO GOOD. They were light and fluffy in the middle and just went so well with butter. I could have it for breakfast, tea and dessert! Definitely something I would make frequently now, plus it didn’t take much time at all!

scones with butter and homemade fig jam

I know there are many different ways to enjoy a scone, but my favourite way is with butter and jam. As I made fig jam a while back (recipe in the next post, so stay tuned cause it’s addictive!), I had my warm scone with some unsalted butter and homemade fig jam! YUMMO! As a dessert, I topped the scones with a quenel of macadamia ice cream and it was delicious too!

Scones- baked

Fig, Maple & Thyme Scones (adapted from Le Pirate Life)

3 cups self-raising flour, sifted

80g unsalted butter, cold & cubed

1 cup of milk (might need a couple of tsp if dough looks too dry)

2 heap tbs of pure maple syrup

250g dried figs, chopped into quarters

A handful of thyme (leaves removed from stalks, a few sprigs for garnishing)

Ingredients for the scones

Ingredients

Steps :

1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius and lined a baking tray with baking paper.

2) In a large bowl, place the self-raising flour and butter. Using your fingers, gently rub the butter into the flour till it resembles breadcrumbs. Create a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the milk and maple syrup into the well. Gently mix the dough till it all comes together. Add more milk (a tsp at a time) if the dough feels and looks a bit too dry. The dough should feel soft and a little sticky.

Flour, butter, milk & maple syrup

3) Fold in the figs and thyme leaves into the dough. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface and knead it slightly, careful not to overwork the dough. Using a rolling pin (or just your palms), flatten it out till it is about 3 cm thick.

the dough

4) Using a scone cutter, cut out the scones and place them on the baking tray. Garnish the scones with more thyme leaves or sprigs of thyme if you’ve some.

All ready to be baked

5) Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes. You can either leave it to cool and store in a air-tight container, or enjoy it hot with some butter, cream and jam.

Scone with butter and homemade fig jam

ENJOY! (:

So dear readers, what is your favourite way of having your scones? Please share as I would love to hear from you! (: Have a great weekend and remember to always cook and bake with love! 

Turning 27 (Part 3) : Merchants Guild

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Brunch at Merchants Guild

Yes, my birthday celebration continues! (: This time with my favourite mother and daughter team : Peggy & Paige! hehe While researching for where to dine at, we decided to head to somewhere close to both our homes, so I went through my list and decided on Merchants Guild! The weather was beautiful, so we took a nice stroll there to have brunch.

Merchants Guild

Address : 680 Centre Road, Bentleigh East

Website : http://themerchantsguild.com/

my lunch date

If you follow me on instagram (@lianneelow) you would see alot of photos of Paige just cause she is so gorgeous! (: Doesn’t she just melt your heart? I was so so lucky to be able to have brunch with her and her beautiful mum on my actual day. As the Mr had work that day, Peggy was so sweet to spend the day with me. Thank you again!

Chai latte

We started our brunch with chai lattes. I love it when cafes serve their chai lattes in a pot! It was richly spiced and something just so comforting about it. I’m not sure how many times I’ve said it, but I do love my chai lattes! hehe Especially if there it is served with a side of honey. Mmmm (: I could drink it all day I reckon!

Eggs benedict

There were many attractive things on the menu, but I decided to stick to the all-time favourite of mine – eggs benedict! At Merchants Guild, they actually change the flavour of their hollandaise and that day, it was a herb hollandaise that was thick and delicious, but not overly rich.

Roasted potato bubble & squeak

Peggy ordered the roast potato bubble & squeak with smoked trout with a side of horseradish cream, cornichons and poached eggs. It was so delicious and when I tried it, I knew that the Mr would definitely love this! He’s a huge bubble & squeak fan, so much so that he requested I made it for him for brunch. The smoked trout pieces were mixed into the bubble & squeak and the horseradish cream had a subtle spiciness! Yummilicious!

Buckwheat pancakes

Both of us were drawn to the buckwheat pancakes on the menu, so we had to order a serve to share. They were so good! Thin pancakes topped with grilled pears that were so soft. The chocolate fudge was so rich and decadent, tasted like nutella! So so good! It was drizzled with a whiskey maple sauce that really had a kick to it. We couldn’t stop saying “so good!” haha The roasted hazelnuts added a crunch that gave the dish more textures. Absolutely loved this!

Cutie pie

Thank you again for the company and for the treat (: Definitely had a great time and you both made my day! Great food, awesome company, happy bellies and endless smiles! 27 is gonna be a great year I’m sure! hehe Definitely gonna bring the mr here to try the food, and no prizes on guessing what he will have! hehe

Remember to always cook and bake with love! (:

Merchants Guild on Urbanspoon

Turning 27 (Part 2) : Little Hunter

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Little Hunter

When I was planning where to head for dinner with the Ho Clan for my birthday a few weeks back, I happened to read a post by Miss D’s post on Little Hunter and I knew instantly where I wanted to go! (: I have to say, Melbourne is full of surprises! Ever so often, you would hear about a gorgeous new cafe or restaurant and thus my ever growing list of places to try! hehe Little Hunter was no doubt one of them! Especially when Gavin Baker (was a sous chef at Fat Duck, London) and Pete Evans are the talents behind this grill house. I definitely couldn’t wait! (:

Little Hunter

Because we were celebrating, the Mr ordered a bottle of Goaty Hill Riesling 2012. Riesling has always been one of my choices of wines when dining out, as it has sweet fruity tones and this had flavours of citrus and green apple. Really smooth and crisp! hehe How cute is the print on their wine glass? I couldn’t stop snapping photos of it. haha There were a few communal tables and also booth seats! I wish I knew, cause I would have definitely requested for one. hehe I’m not sure about you, but our table is always a tad bit small for the amount of food we order. haha Oops! That’s definitely not a bad thing though hehe

Garlic pull apart bread with chicken skin butter

Our meal begun with a complimentary serve of pull apart bread and chicken skin butter. Yes, dear readers, you’re not seeing things! I did say chicken skin butter! This is a delicious little pot of gold! I know it sounds like something that might be heavy and overly rich, but it tasted nothing like that! It was smooth with little bits of golden crispy chicken skin pieces and just melts the moment you spread on the warm bread. It was some tasty, tasty (and did I say tasty?) butter! We definitely wanted more! The bread was soft and just full of flavour. Just a great way to start the night!

Beef on toast

We decided on three entrees and one of them were ‘beef on toast‘. It was a layer of beef carpaccio, over a layer of smooth and rich chicken liver parfait and when you reach the bottom, there was a crispy layer of crusty crouton. The dish is dressed with a mixture of gherkins and chives and the acidic mixture cuts through the richness of the dish. It was so good and I just wanted more!

Pork crackling

The mr would never miss the chance of ordering a serve of pork crackling if it’s on the menu! This was so crispy and crunchy and addictive! We just kept popping them into our mouths! They were beautifully seasoned with paprika and cheddar, and served with a smooth apple sauce. I just love the combination of pork and apple sauce, a match-made in heaven (:

Cured kingfish

Our last entree was the cured kingfish.The fish was so fresh and had a subtle sweetness. Every mouthful had the popping of fish roe and a slight spiciness of the roast peppers. Not only was the flavours beautiful, the plating was impeccable. Like art on a plate! Edible art of course. hehe

Ribeye steak with bone marrow

As Little Hunter was a grill house, we had to try the steaks on the menu. Each of us ordered a different cut of steak and I have to say, they cooked every cut to perfection! The Mr ordered the Robbin’s Island waygu ribeye with bone marrow (he loves marrow!) and beef fat butter. The meat was melt in your mouth and just full of flavour! And how sexy are the grill marks? Just love the criss-crosses that gives a nice char flavour to the steak as well! NOMS!

Blackmore waygu flank

Melissa ordered the Blackmore wagyu flank with cajun flavours and avocado. I would never have thought that avocado goes well with steak, but it did! The flank, though not the usual cut you would order, was cooked to medium rare and bursting with flavour! Definitely a happy belly there (:

Cape grim fillet mignon

I couldn’t go pass the Cape Grim fillet mignon! This melt in your mouth cut was coffee and wood smoked and really didn’t need anything at all. Every mouthful just melted in my mouth. I was definitely the happiest girl that night!

Our sides for the night

With all the meat we were having, we had to order some sides to balance it out. We had the Little Hunter fries which was chunky and crispy. And grilled cabbage! This was no ordinary grilled cabbage, it was one that packed a punch! The sweetness of the cabbage was counter balance by the saltiness of the anchovies and blue cheese and the tanginess of the hazelnut vinegar. I’m not a huge fan of blue cheese, but this was YUMMILICIOUS! Love the crunch of the toasted hazelnuts too! This is one side you don’t want to miss!

Short Mach

After indulging on all the delicious and rich food, the Mr needed a digestive ; a short macchiato. It’s a new ritual of his after being introduced to him by his Italian weightlifting buddy! hehe and He’s loving it (:

Frangipane

Of course, desserts are a must to have a complete meal. haha Well, at least it is for us it won’t be complete without something sweet! hehe I knew exactly what I wanted, and I took charge of ordering the desserts to share. haha As we were already quite full, we ordered two for the three of us! First up : the Frangipane ! I loved how it looked! Just looks like a fried egg on the plate! hehe Instead, it’s meringue with a delicious and tangy passionfruit curd and a refreshing peach sorbet! So so good! The frangipane cake was slightly dense (though still light) but I personally love dense cakes so I was one happy girl!

Double chocolate mousse

The double chocolate mousse was one so rich and decadent! Absolutely loved it! It has an airy layer of white chocolate at the bottom and dark chocolate on top. The coffee cream went so well with the chocolate (almost similar to a tiramisu, but richer), with the bite of the cocoa nib brittle! Loved every single bite!

Ho Clan

So that concludes our beautiful meal! (: Just want to thank the Ho Clan with all my heart for making the night a fab one – filled with good food, good wine and lots of laughter! (: Love you both!

The mr and I

Happy weekend everyone! (:

Remember to always cook and bake with love! 

Little Hunter on Urbanspoon

Lord Of The Fries Feast

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LOTF Feast

A couple of weeks back I was invited by Kathryn of Keep Left PR and Lord Of The Fries to try their limited edition Eco City burger and the other things on their menu, and I could never turn down burger and chips, if you ask me! Thanks to Kathryn I was able to bring the mr and the sister-in-law along and we were so excited! hehe I’ve always loved the chips at LOTF and their endless choices of sauces to go with! What I love most about LOTF is that it is 100% vegetarian!!! How brilliant is that? From their burgers, hotdogs, chips to their sides! Plus they have vegan options and gluten free options too! It’s really nice to have an option for vegetarians and I know for sure that my cousins, who are vegetarians living in New Zealand, absolutely love this place!

LOTF Chadstone

There are currently 7 stores around Melbourne and most of them are around the city. Fortunately, there is one near us at Chadstone and we were greeted by the friendly manager, Gary. He explained to us the concept of the menu and told us the specials they had on as well. After discussing with the Ho clan, and taking Kat’s recommendation of mini burgers, we decided to try one of every flavour on the menu! hehe I know, we are such gluttons! But we couldn’t really decide on what not to order.

Lord of The Fries

Add : Chadstone Shopping Centre, near cinema complex

Chadstone 3148

Website : http://www.lordofthefries.com.au/

Our full table

As the dishes arrive, we realised how much we actually ordered! Though we were really thankful that the burgers were mini! hehe How cute do they look? Love them! Their buns were soft and everything was fresh! This was a full table, but we had more burgers coming our way! hehe

LOTF mini burgers

My favourite of the lot was the parma burger with the LOTF chick’n patty, bacon rashers, napoli sauce, cheese and onion. It was delicious and honestly tasted close to a real burger! The Mr loved it so much he ordered a big one for that and was totally stuffed after! haha

Parma big and mini

Big Mark was really good too! It had the LOTF beef patty, cheese, pickles, onion, lettuce and the Lord’s sauce! So good! NOMS!

Big Mark

We were so giggly about this cause Lester’s dad is called Mark. haha So we were saying to each other “Have you tried pa yet?” haha Oops! Such fun we have hehe

Eco City burger

Of course, I had to order the Eco City burger. That’s the whole reason why we were there in the first place! hehe It had a LOTF potato patty, beetroot dip, crunchy lettuce, pickles, aioli and mozzarella cheese! I’m not a big fan of beetroot, but this dip was delish! I do prefer the “meat” patties as compared to the potato patties, as it’s a little too soft for a burger. But it was fried till crispy and soft in the middle so was still delicious! hehe A pity it was only till the end of March, so it’s no longer available. But do try the parma or the Big Mark!

sides and chips

This ladies and gentlemen, is a table filled with the chips and sides we ordered! The past few times I had their chips, the only sauce I would order is the french canadian and is the one and only sauce I recommend to my friends when they try LOTF! But I decided to venture out and try the other sauces they had to offer. We had a new favourite! The parisan – aioli garlic mayo. OH-EM-GEE!!! It was SO GOOD! hehe And a hot favourite with other customers as well!

Tuscan - Sauce of the month

The sauce of the month was Tuscan, and we decided to give that a go too! It was a yummy combination of sundried tomatoes and basil!

Gary making the Egyptian

Gary even offered to make one that wasn’t on the menu – the Egyptian! It was his own creation and boy was it good! He said that is was something he came up with when customers was asking him for something not too spicy but still had a kick! It was delish! The jalapenos definitely gave the sauce a kick and it was one of our favourite sauce of the afternoon! hehe I even told him that he should include that in the menu!

Our favourite side was the nuggets! hehe Melissa couldn’t tell it wasn’t real chicken to be honest! hehe We couldn’t stop popping the nuggets into our mouths even though we were all super duper full! hehe The onion rings were crunchy and was made with real onion, none of the mushy stuff you get elsewhere. YUMM!

LOTF

So do head down to LOTF and try their burgers, chips and sides! They have hotdogs too, though we didn’t get to try them I am pretty sure they are yummy! hehe Coincidentally, the sauce of the month of April is Singapore : Sweet chilli and sour cream ! So head down and try it soon! hehe

100% Aussie Owned

100% Aussie Potatoes

100% Vegetarian

100% Hala + Kosher

100% DELICIOUS!

Just want to thank Kathryn of Keep Left PR for organising our visit to Lord of the Fries (Chadstone)! We had an amazing and yummy time! (:

PS : I was invited by Keep Left PR as a guest to visit Lord of The Fries. Thank you once again for this opportunity!

Turning 27 (Part 1) : Brunch at Code Black Coffee

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Turning 27

“Everyday is a birthday; every moment of it is new to us; we are born again, renewed for fresh work and endeavor”
~Issac watts

Good evening dear readers! (: I hope you’ve had a good weekend and your Monday is going smoothly! Cause I had an absolutely beautiful weekend celebrating my hatchday! hehe (: And it couldn’t have been any better! It started with a birthday brunch with my favourite girls (Daisy, Julie, Peachie & Melissa) at Code Black Coffee in Brunswick!

Code Black Coffee

Code Black Coffee

Add : 15-17 Weston Street, Brunswick Vic 3056

Website : http://www.codeblackcoffee.com.au

Code Black Coffee is located just behind Barkly Square in Brunswick and it’s a nicely converted warehouse. The interior design is beautiful and gives a really warm feeling! Unfortunately, they didn’t have a table big enough for the 5 of us at the time we arrived, so we had to sit outside. Thank goodness the weather was bright and and sunny that morning and there were no bees around! hehe (:

our drinks

We started our day with hot cuppas! I was craving for some coffee so decided to go for a cappuccino instead of my usual chai. The coffee was nice and strong, and definitely perked me up! hehe Melissa had her usual hot chocolate, Peachie ordered her new love – chai latte, Daisy had her skinny mocha and dearest Julie (fellow April baby) had a soy mocha! I love how no two cups are the same! hehe Barristers honestly have my upmost respect with the amazing skills they have!

My cappuccino

Had to post another picture of my cappuccino. Love the contrast between my coffee, the cup and the table! (:

Smoked ham hock coquettes with cauliflower puree, baby spinach and a poached egg

When browsing the menu, there were so many things I wanted to try! But one thing that called out to me was the smoked ham hock coquettes! My hats off to the chef, as all our food were so beautifully plated and you just didn’t wanna destroy it! It was a work of art! hehe My coquettes were laid on the creamiest and smoothest cauliflower puree with sautéed baby spinach and pine nuts. In the middle was the perfectly poached egg that burst with the slightest touch of the knife!

Runny yolk

The coquettes were crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle! And the cauliflower puree, omgness. It was the best bit ever! I could eat it all day! So creamy but light at the same time! Seriously amazing! Needless to say, my plate was close to being licked clean! haha (: I am totally addicted to cauliflower puree. Who isn’t? heh

Open bacon steak sandwich

Melissa had the open bacon steak sandwich and it came with like a whipped avocado. It was delicious and so so smooth! With the tangy-ness of lemon, just cut through the saltiness and richness of the bacon steak! hehe Melissa loved the dish and couldn’t get enough of the bacon steak! hehe She mentioned that it’s even better than ham steaks which we usually have at home on Sundays! hehe Guess I have to hunt for some bacon steaks soon! hehe

Baked Eggs

Miss Peach knew instantly what she wanted – baked eggs. It had a smooth leek puree (I have to say they do amazing purees here!), baby spinach and goats cheese! A pity that the baked eggs were a little over done but she said the flavours were lovely! The best thing on the plate for her is definitely the polenta fingers! hehe Nice and crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. She loved it! hehe Of course, she couldn’t resist ordering a side of mushrooms! hehe

Huon smoked salmon

Julie ordered the Huon smoked salmon served with a smooth and rich potato aioli with fried capers. The dish looked so so pretty with the heirloom tomatoes placed so artistically! heh But sadly, the smoked salmon was a tad bit too salty! But I would definitely be able to finish a huge bowl of the potato aioli! (:

Australia's best toasted sandwich 2012

Miss Daisy surprising didn’t order anything sweet, but that’s because she (the awesome baker that she is) baked us April babies a beautiful birthday cake! hehe So she was reserving her sugar for later. (: She decided to order the Australia’s best toasted sandwich 2012 because she got drawn in by the polenta cake! I can’t blame her, it was one of the dishes I was close to ordering too! The dish was yum but Miss D said that it could be better if the polenta was a little more seasoned. Once again, her dish looked so so pretty! hehe Love it!

Birthday cake baked by Miss Daisy

The sweet queen baked us a beautiful Jamie Oliver’s pear and pistachio cake with a lemon & honey drizzle!  The cafe was really kind to allow us to cut and enjoy the cake in their premises! We were so thankful, cause there was no where else we could possibly cut the cake at! hehe Everyone that walked pass just kept staring at the cake, cause it looked like we bought the whole cake! haha Neither did they know it was homebaked by our dearest Daisy! hehe (: How beautiful does that look? Definitely worthy to be sold anywhere! hehe But please note this is not from the cafe itself.

Birthday cake by Daisy

The cake was slightly dense (and I love dense cakes haha) but was still crumbly! Love love love pistachios, so I was enjoying every single mouthful of it! hehe The lemon and honey drizzle added an extra tang to the cake which was so good! Thank you so much for your effort and time spent on baking us a delicious cake dearie! (: You’re the best! hehe I was greedy and took half of the cake home! haha Oops *hides*

Presents from the girls!

Not only did Peach and Daisy buy us birthday girls brunch, I was also lucky enough to receive presents from them! I was definitely pampered that day! hehe Ms Peach even baked us sugar cookies which were so yum! hehe Thank you all so much! Loved everything! Can’t wait to cook from the Nigella Lawson cookbook too! hehe

I really loved dining at Code Black Coffee and will definitely be back with the mr soon! (: Stay-tuned for the continuation of my birthday celebration! hehe Have a great week ahead everyone!

Remember to always cook and bake with love! (:

Code Black Coffee on Urbanspoon

{SG} Kilo Kitchen

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Kilo Kitchen

We were introduced to Kilo Kitchen by one of our closest friends, Jacky and Linda, located at along the Kallang River. It’s just above Loysel’s Toy and this area brought back lots of good memories for us! Just a year ago, Jacky shot our pre-wedding video here and we had so much fun during the shoot! 

We didn’t know that in that same building was a beautiful quaint little restaurant that served comfort food inspired by Japanese and Italian cuisines. It took up the whole level, and there was plenty of space between each table. I was so excited the moment I stepped out of the lift and couldn’t wait to try the food they had to offer! (:

Kilo Kitchen

Address : 66 Kampong Bugis, Level 2

Telephone : +65 6467 3987

Email : reservations@kilokitchen.com 

Opening times : Monday – Saturday 6pm – 12am (Reservations highly recommended!)

We asked Linda and Jacky to order as they knew what was good and WOW! Just WOW was all I had in my mind when I tried the food. They were scrumptious and soulful. You could tell how much love and effort they put into making their food. That’s what I really love about places like these.

slow-cooked beef shortribs with salt and pepper

First up : slow-cooked beef shortribs with just salt and pepper. These were slices of heaven! Every single bite just melts in your mouth and you just want more! We were close to ordering a second serve but was saving out tummies for the other dishes we ordered. hehe It’s amazing how just salt and pepper would make a dish so delish!

Seafood ceviche

Initially, we wanted the figs with danish blue cheese, walnut and bacon (cause everyone knows I am totally addicted to figs!) but they ran out! AHHHHH! So we had to choose something else, and we decided on the seafood ceviche. They were all seasoned with a tangy vinaigrette and also a side of avocado salsa. I think it’s just me, but I am not a huge fan of raw tuna. But the tangy sauce makes it delicious! hehe Everything on the plate was fresh and I couldn’t stop myself!

12-hour pork belly with purple mash and crackling

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better. The mains of the night arrived. Fatty pork is a favourite of the mr, so when I saw this, I requested for it to be ordered. Linda tried it before and said YES! WHEEE! It was melt-in-your-mouth-yummy-li-cious!!!! The soft pork belly, creamy purple potato mash, sour cream and bacon with the crispy pork crackling. What more can I say? MORE PLEASE! hehe We ate it exceptionally slowly., just so we could savour it just that little bit longer. hehe

Squid ink rice with prawns and squid

This was my favourite dish of the night! So much so that each couple ordered one each! hehe Squid ink rice with an egg yolk and grilled prawns and squid! The richness of the squid ink just went so well with the egg yolk and was just MAGIC! Pure magic. You could tell from the look of our faces how much we really love this dish! I might be biased though, cause I love everything squid ink! hehe Something intriguing about the rich black ink that makes me want to dive my spoon in!

Are you drooling yet? hehe So if you’re in Singapore, do head to Kilo Kitchen and give everything a try! I can’t wait to head back when we are back in December! (: Have a great Thursday ahead dearest readers! Not too long before the weekend so hang in there!

Remember to always cook and bake with love! (:

My Mr The Chef : Polenta Chips

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Polenta chips

Good afternoon dear readers! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter break and had lots of and hot cross buns! Cause I sure did! hehe (: Not too long back, the sis-in-law and I requested the mr to cook steak for us and he came up with his version of steak & chips! I’ve always considered myself blessed as I married a man who sure knows how to cook and the way to my heart is definitely through my tummy hehe

The mr's version of steak & chips

He was inspired by the MKR episode we watched as well as a recipe he came across in the Delicious (April 2013 issue) magazine to make polenta chips and they were SO ADDICTIVE! Crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. We couldn’t stop eating it the moment it was out of the frying pan! hehe

So do give these a go! (: It’s shallowed fried so it’s not too sinful! You will absolutely love them as much as we did. hehe

Polenta Chips (by the Mr adapted from Delicious Magazine April 2013)

200g polenta

50g unsalted butter

100g finely grated parmesan

4 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley

salt & pepper, to taste and garnish

Steps :

1) Line a baking tray with grease-proof baking paper allowing 2cm to overhang. Boil 800ml of water in a small pot, then reduce the heat to low. Do note that the amount of water is different for different brands of polenta, so please do check how much water is needed for the amount of polenta.

2) Stir in the polenta in a slow, steady stream, then cook and stir continuously for 5 minutes or until it has thickened. Take it off the heat and stir in the butter, parmesan and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and spoon it into the tray and smooth the surface. Press it down and make sure the polenta is really compact. Allow it to chill for at least an hour.

3)  Tip the polenta onto a board and cut it half lengthways, then cut it into 1 1/2 cm thick chips.

The mr cutting the polenta up

4) Heat some vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. In batches, fry the polenta chips, turning, until golden and crisp.

Frying the polenta chips

5) Drain on the paper towel and keep warm in an oven or serve it immediately with a sprinkle of salt.

Polenta chips

ENJOY! (:

Perfectly cooked steak

On a separate note, how good does this look? The mr sure knows how to cook the perfect steak! AMAZING! hehe

Have a lovely day and a short week everyone! (: Remember to always cook and bake with love!