Boys and Christmas Countdown

You want to know something I find incredibly frustrating and has brought great adversity to me this year? RELATIONSHIPS. I really don't understand boys. I don't think I ever will.

Love is very powerful. I've never really fell in love with someone before (that is not family obviously) but I have fallen into a state that I suppose is quite similar. It made me really really happy and I felt that everything in life was pretty great. The guy whom led me into that state made me feel special and appreciated, and his romantic gestures were very new to me and very sweet. However at the end I decided that he wasn't the one and it ended.

At the moment I am in a state of confusion and vulnerability. There's this guy that I like (cue 'ooooooos' and 'aaahhhs' ) and like a page from a typical teen girl's diary, I am not sure if he feels the same way. I have some arguments in support of him also being interested in me but I want more certainty. I need a 95 - 100% certainty not the current 75% level I am currently at. Rejection is a really really painful thing and frankly I have had a fair share of them (though not through confession but through personal realisation discovered when interacting and communicating with them). It hurts.

A bad habit of mine is, if the guy I am keen on does not seem to be keen either, I try my best to withdraw my feelings for him immediately. It is my way to prevent myself from getting too wounded by the rejection. Some might argue that I am not committed but people can say and think whatever they like; I am just trying to protect myself. However yesterday I was talking with a good friend of mine who raised an interesting point: my feelings matter as much as the other person's. What he meant was that I shouldn't rely too much on what his feelings might be. If I like him than I should do what I feel like doing to express my love and to hold on to my feelings for him; I shouldn't solely base it on what he MIGHT be feeling.

I guess the only way to completely ascertain whether he is keen or not is for me to confess. That is something that demands a great deal of courage, undertaking of risk and love. Confessing your feelings for someone puts you in a place of ultimate vulnerability. Fear of rejection is universal and it can really traumatise a person. But I do like this guy and he is one of a kind, and I think there is a real possibility he might feel the same way. I think I might wait a bit to gain greater confidence of this situation before confessing but it is certainly in the back of my mind.

On a lighter note, CHRISTMAS IS IN THREE DAYS TIME. How exciting! My family and I will be in Japan so it will be really cold and kind of exotic being in a foreign place, but as long as I am with my family whom I love so much, I am going to be very content on that special day.

Feasting at Tesate Restaurant, Red Velvet Cake at Union, and Other Indonesian Wonders

The day after I returned from Singapore, Indonesia was super gloomy with heavy dark skies and rain scattering throughout the day. 

Despite the horrid weather, My brother, mother and I did not let it stop us from venturing out to Plaza Senayan, one of Indonesia's many great malls. There we had lunch at Tesate. Tesate is a restaurant serving Indonesian cuisine. 

Oxtail fried rice

The Oxtail fried rice contains lots of egg, sliced chillies, sliced spring onions and chunks of oxtail. It was really good. On the side were some crackers and raw vegetables.




This is sambal. Consisting of fresh, sliced purple onions, red and green chillies and garlic, it is zesty and well seasoned, and of course, spicy!!

Bunga Papaya (papaya leaf) and other leafy greens, sautéed with salted fish 

This is rather salty due to the vegetables being cooked with salted fish but it still tastes pretty good.

Ayam Bakar Makasar

I LOVE THIS DISH SO MUCH! This whole chicken (note: chickens in Indonesia are far skinner than the chickens in Australia!) is basted with some kind of sweet, soy sauce based marinade and is baked to perfection. The meat is tender and the flavour is impeccable. On the side is rich sambal doused in sweet sticky soy which you slather on the meat.

Nasi Tutuk

After lunch and a light stroll, we decided to go to Union and have some cake and coffee. Union is the cool hang out place for the rich in Jakarta. The most popular item on the menu is without a doubt its legendary Red Velvet Cake which initiated its popularity. 

Red velvet cake 

Layers of light red sponge stacked with sweet yet tangy cream cheese and topped with sweetened chopped walnuts, this cake never disappoints. We also took away a loaf of chocolate bread. It turned out to be dense sourdough with lots of chocolate chip bits. It is nice but I thought they should have sweetened the bread dough to compliment the sweet chocolate chips.

Singapore Adventures Part 2

Continuing from my previous post, Singapore Adventures Part 1, this post is less about food and more about the other things I got up to during my visit.




Next to Mandarin Orchard Hotel where I resided temporarily while I was at Singapore there is a MASSIVE Victoria Secret shop. Boasting with pinks I was so excited to check out the store. I am a MASSIVE VS fan. I without fail watch the fashion show every year and I closely follow VS Angels. I loveeeee the angels so much. The merchandise, not so much to be honest.

Outside the store there were glass cabinets showcasing some of the lingerie the Angels wore in the past few years and I got a bit over excited. It was a magical sight!

The decorations outside on the streets of Orchard were beautiful and very festive indeed. It looked like snow dropping from the skies and other pretty lightings. 

This is a beautiful, stylish, modern looking watch by 'Marc by Marc Jacobs'. Called the Baker Watch, it has a dark navy blue watch face and strap with gold rims and bits and pieces. I really need a watch because I think I should have one. However it is pricey, costing $297.50 after 15% discount at Takashimaya. I was going to get it but I decided not to. I might use my money and buy it online when I get back to Australia. 

Jumping straight to the awesome lunch my family and I had at Singapore's fantastic Changi Airport, we ordered an array of dishes to share. We also had barbecued stingray which I failed to take a picture of. 

Kang Pao Chicken

The chicken was nice but not life changing. It is not like the usual overly sweet or salty Kang Pao chicken you would have at Chinese restaurants in Australia but well balanced. The chicken well cooked, and it came with dried chillies, onions, cashews, served on a bed of lettuce. 

Sambal kang kung

Meanwhile the sambal Kang kung was kick ass. OMG. The sambal here is awesome! Not too oily, not too rich, it is perfect.

Kai Lan with oyster sauce

The Kai Lan was also delicious. It could be a bit more tender but the vegetable tasted awesome with the delicious oyster sauce, garner with fried onions. 

My trip to Singapore was really refreshing and pleasurable. The good food and good shopping really helped to take my mind off the troubling things that were consuming me. I feel much better now. 

Singapore Adventures Part 1

Sorry for the absence! I have been away, jetting off to the wonderful island of Singapore where I ate heartily and literally shopped till' I dropped. I spent about $500 + on clothes and other merchandise, but mainly clothes. Usually I am very calculative with my expenditure and refrain from spending but I wanted to enjoy myself and indulge. I needed time out, okay?

My brothers, mother and I stayed at Mandarin Orchard Hotel. Whenever my family visits Singapore we always stay there. At the reception lobby there was a huge gingerbread house which literally was constructed out of bits of REAL gingerbread. While it is visually stunning and impressive, I thought it was a waste of gingerbread because it obviously cannot be consumed. 

Upon arrival we headed for dinner at a classic favourite whenever we visit: Din Tai Fung. Located at the bottom floor of Paragon shopping mall, it is a must try! Specialising in steamed dumplings, Din Tai Fung is extraordinarily good and everything we ordered that night tasted 10/10. We ordered fried rice with fried pork chop, the vegetable appetiser, 2 dumplings, double boiled chicken soup and the Dan Dan noodles. 

Fried Rice with fried pork chop

The fried rice is not the typical kind you get in Chinese restaurants in Australia. Instead of the usual soy sauce it relies heavily on eggs and simple seasoning. Boy was it delicious! It tastes cleaner and the succulent, well seasoned fried pork makes it a perfect meal on its own.

Vegetable appetiser with sliced tofu, bean sprout, sliced mushrooms, chillies, rice noodles, and chives in vinegar dressing

The appetiser is light and refreshing but it has a bit of an acquired taste which might not appeal to non- Asian consumers. It is textural with the crunch of the bean sprouts and mushrooms and slippery bits and pieces of vegetables coated with the vinegar dressing. 

Double Boiled chicken soup

The double boiled chicken soup is a stuff of legends. The broth is savoury, clean and delicious, and the chicken is well cooked.

Dan Dan noodles

Out of all the dishes we ordered, the dan dan noodles would be on the bottom of the list but it was still edible and I suppose somewhat satisfactory. The sauce had peanuts and a rather strong nutty flavour which I did not expect nor like that much. The noodles were however really nice.

The image won't let me add a caption, but this dumpling flavour is a new item on the menu. It did not have the delicious soup inside the dumpling but rather is stuffed with chopped mushrooms and truffle oil. Hearty, savoury and a must for mushroom lovers, it did taste good but I prefer Din Tai Fung's soupy dumplings. 

Pork mince soup dumplings

Excuse the missing dumpling (hungry brother snatched one before I could take a picture!). This is the classic pork mince dumpling. Encased in the super thin dumpling skin is steaming, super delicious soup and pork mince. OMG. It is life changing. 

After dinner we walked around a bit. We also went to the amazing food hall in Takashimaya. It has the best food stalls and some bakery shops. Mom bought some awesome egg tarts which she had to queue for. 

The egg tarts taste amazing! There is a minimum of 4 tarts and a maximum purchase of 16 tarts. They are served fresh from the oven so are still warm. The crust is incredibly buttery, the centre sweet and eggy, delicate and gooey, it all melts together when you bite into it. I reckon if the custard has the nice char like on those traditional Portuguese egg tarts it would be more visually appealing but the outstanding flavour and aroma of the tarts compensates for that. Clearly Singaporeans agree with me because there is always a massive line for the stall. 

For dinner on the second night we ate at a super traditional Japanese restaurant called Anzu at Takashimaya. It only served deep fried foods for that night which I was kind of thrown off about since it's not really healthy (I am really really really particular with what I eat, ensuring it is always healthy).

At the start they gave us a bowl filled to the brim with super finely shaved white cabbage and a few salad leaves on the side. I was super happy about that! They also had picked radish for us to nibble on  which was sweet and had a good bite to it, and a bowl with sesame seeds and a molter and pestle to pound it. The smashed sesame seeds then is to be mixed with a sauce for the tonkatsu. 

Brother ordered some katsu set with deep fried shrimps and pork. It came with rice, miso soup, picked vegetables, and red sticky rice on the side. 

Other brother and I shared a katsu hotpot, with deep fried pork simmered in delicious sauce. It's not exactly hot pot but the presentation is awesome, with the cool-looking pot. Like the dish above it came with the same side dishes. The simmering sauce was savoury and quite salty but full of flavour. The whole dish was cooked with eggs which soaked up the sauce well. Super delicious but it needs to be eaten with rice or else it might be too salty for most. 

Entrance of the Anzu restaurant 

RECIPE REVIEW: Cadbury Kitchen Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've used this recipe multiple times and it remains as a firm favourite. It produces really delicious chocolate chip cookies that aren't too crispy nor chewy- just perfect in texture. The browning that occurs on the surface of the cookies is usually consistent so they end up looking gorgeous, and it spreads a little bit and oh, I love this recipe very much!

The recipe does specify is makes 30, but I always make my cookies BIG by rolling out generous balls of the dough and flattening it. It made 19 large cookies for me. 

'

RATING

INSTRUCTIONS : 10/10 - Super easy to follow and instructions clear and straight forward.

LOOK OF FINAL PRODUCT: 9.5/10 

TASTE: 10/10 - super delicious and not too sweet or overly rich. 

TEXTURE: 9/ 10

OVERALL RATING: 

G RATING- 9/10

E RATING - 10/10 

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Cadbury Kitchen Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies 

125g butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups self raising flour
¾ cup chopped dark chocolate 

1. CREAM together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Whisk in egg and vanilla. Stir in flour then fold through Chocolate Chunks. 
2. PLACE teaspoonsful on greased baking trays. Bake in a moderately slow oven 160°C for 10-15 minutes or until cooked. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 30.

Food Review: Lucky Chan's Laundry + Noodle Bar

Lucky Chan's is one of the hottest to-go restaurants in Perth City at the moment, with its main attraction being the aesthetics and ambiance of the restaurant replicating what appears outside to be a laundry place and inside a very cool Asian, street style hangout eatery. I had to wait for a bit to get a seat but it did not take that long. I highly suggest to request a seat at the rooftop where you get to have a glimpse of the sky and a bit of the city.

The menu options is kind of limited if you want to eat individual portions, with the main option just being ramen and you can add bits and bobs. If you want to share with a group of people or just share in general, then your options are more diversified. There's variations of filled steamed baos, deep fried stuff and other nibbles. My friend and I just got the ramen.

I chose the bbq salmon ramen bowl and added broccolini. The bowl came with a generous portion of noodles, bbq salmon, bean sprouts, seaweed, and steamed broccolini. The salmon tasted really nice, sweet and slightly smokey, and quite raw. Personally I would prefer the salmon to be well done if it is eaten with ramen and they aren't too generous with the amount they gave. The broth is a huge let down as it departs far from the rich, heavenly ramen broths I've come across in previous ramen dining experiences. It is thin, savoury and sour (?). It definitely could be more generous with the fillings and the broth needs some work.

While the food is a let down, the environment is electric and super cool. They create a really authentic asian street feel and the waitresses are sooooooo nice! The menu options for the drinks is pretty extensive and creative, for example they have bubble teas mixed with alcohol. My friend and I however did not try any drinks.

I definitely recommend people to check it out and experience eating at Lucky Chan's even though the food isn't exactly that satisfactory.


RATING
G rating
Taste: 6/10
Ambiance: 9.5/10
Service: 9.5/10

E rating
Taste: 7/10
Ambiance: 10/10
Service: 9/10

RECIPE REVIEW: The Australian Womens' Weekly White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies [Modified to Chocolate Chip Cookies]

Yesterday I decided to get my hands on some good ol' baking and decided to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I've used AWW's cookie recipes in the past and they've always turned out incredible. I strived to make chocolate chip cookies because I only have a block of dark chocolate which I could chop up into small pieces and really, I could not be bothered making complex stuff. The recipe book I used was AWWW's Baking. There was a recipe for white chocolate and macadamia cookies which I modified and used. Instead of white chocolate I used dark chocolate bits, and omitted the macadamia nuts.

There is a recipe of chocolate chip cookies also in the book, but the issue is it requires 2 eggs! I didn't want to use 2 eggs because well, I wanted to use as little of the different ingredients as possible. The white chocolate cookies recipe only needed 1 egg.

I apologise for the shape of the cookies. I am unfortunately not one to focus much on detail nor do I care that much about the aesthetics of the things I make (pretty bad considering I blog about food which demands the food pictures to be aesthetic). Taste is the ultimate priority for me. I highly recommend using ice cream scoop to evenly measure and shape the dough.

It has a sandy texture when you bite into it, so it crumbles very finely and melts into the mouth beautifully, kind of like a shortbread sable. It's sweet with a hint of toasty-ness, and the nuggets of  chocolate adds a bittersweet dimension to it.

While good, it's not the best chocolate chip recipe I've used.

RATING
G Rating: 7/10
E rating: 8/10



+++++++++

Chocolate Chip Cookies [ Modified from AWW's White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies recipe]

Ingredients:
-1.5 cups plain flour
-1/2 tsp bicarb soda
-1/4 cup caster sugar
-1/3 cup brown sugar
-125g butter
-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
-1 egg
-180 g dark chocolate, chopped

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line 2 baking trays
2. Sift flour, soda.
3. Beat butter, extract until creamy. Add in sugars and beat again.
4. Beat in egg until well incorporated.
5. Mix in dry mixture into wet in three parts, mixing well after the addition of the dry mixture. Mix in chocolate chips.
6. Roll tablespoons of the dough and arrange on the tray. Flatten them slightly on the tray.
7. Bake for 10-15 minutes and check if cooked.


* omitted macadamias; substituted white chocolate for dark chocolate