Absolute Thai, Westfield Hornsby

My local Thai restaurant is quite good, so I dont have to travel far when I want a quick Thai food fix. Absolute Thai at the Westfield in Hornsby serves delicious food. The people are friendly and I can always get a table any time! So there really isnt a need for me to go anywhere else unless I am meeting up with friends.

The tomyam was sourish, spicy and hot and I loved every bit of it. They were quite generous with the prawns as well. The prawns were plump and juicy. I could gobble this up in a minute!!

Tom Yum Soup with Prawns

The pad kee mow (flat noodles with chicken, bamboo shoots and vegetables) was so yummy. The flavours were great. Generous amount of ingredients. I prefer this dish to Pad Thai because it has more ingredients and less boring if I am eating this plate on my own. It's also quite spicy. The only thing that can be improved is the "wet-ness". If only the noodles were slightly dryer from the stir-fying. Do I make sense? LOL

Pad Kee Mau

And the soft shell crab was to die for!! It was well fried. Not oily at all. Light and crispy. Every bite was heavenly! And interestingly, the soft shell crab was served with a tomyam soup kind of sauce (with mushrooms). Oh dunking the soft shell crab into the tomyam sauce is such a great idea to give this dish a tangy spicy twist. Love it! Brilliant!!!

Deep fried soft shell crab with tom yum sauce

And no meal of mine would be complete without dessert. The coconut sticky rice was warm and complemented the cold coconut ice cream and jackfruit slices so well. It was like a warm cold dance in the mouth..so smooth with the coconut cream as well. This is a must have!!

Tropical Island (Coconut ice cream, palm seeds, sliced jackfruit, warm sticky rice and coconut cream)

So if you live around the area or just happen to be around the area and looking for food, try this place. Good value for great food.

Details:

Address. R1/1a Westfield Hornsby (Located upstairs from Hunter Street opposite The Madison.)

Lunch. 11.30am. to 3.30pm. Mon to Sun.

Dinner. 5pm. to 9.45pm. Mon to Sun.

Fully licensed or BYO. (Wine Only.)

Bookings. Phone 02 94764988      .

Eftpos, Visa, MasterCard, Amex, accepted for Min $20.00 spend

Cheers.

The cake that took 2 days to make!

Last week, Marti placed the Australian Good Taste April issue on my desk that had a post it on it with a message:

I didnt know it was Marti who had written the note, I assumed it was "Muenda" because she has the sweetest tooth in the team plus she also came by my desk to convince me to make the cake. Well, I hesitated at first because I didnt have a blow torch to torch the meringue (which I had been meaning to get for over a year!). So I said I would go home and think about it. When I got home, I went online and ordered a blow torch and mentioned this on Facebook. Muenda took the opportunity to 'secure the deal' by agreeing on my behalf that I would make it.

When I finally got a chance to actually read the recipe, I nearly fell off my chair. I knew it was going to be a lot of work, but little did I know what I was getting into. So, I skipped gym on Tuesday to start preparing. The cake has 5 layers (only 4 layers are visually visible). I started with a few layers so that I could finish it off the next day. I was juggling between watching the finals of MKR and the cake. I managed to complete 3 layers (caramel, choc layer, and cream cheese) including the base the first night. What a feat! Whilst I was working on the cake, I couldnt help but post every single step on my Facebook status update! Muenda replied and implied that I could relax whilst waiting for the layers to set! Luckily I was too busy to reply! hahahaha...And finally, the last update for the night came in at slightly past 1am! LOL

Muenda told Marti the next day that I had stayed up the whole night to make the cake, and both of them said they felt guilty that it was so much work. Muenda of course "pretended" to feel guilty but actually still really wanted to eat the cake!! :P

So Wednesday night (yesterday) was quite easy, I only had to prepare the final ganache layer. It was this morning that nearly killed me (I know it's a bit of an exaggeration). I actually woke up at 5am to prepare the Italian Meringue. I was not very happy with the meringue because it wasnt as thick and glossy as I liked it to be (and I know the reasons why...). Plus I was already upset with the caramel layer from the previous night, when the sugars separated and crystalised to make a fudge instead of caramel because I didnt wait until it was cooled before mixing it! (Arghh). I finished the cake with the meringue at about 5.45am, torched it and went back to bed. Before I knew it, 7am and I am up for work. I couldnt really sleep so I was a bit cranky at work today. Everyone keep saying "Oh I am sure the cake tastes amazing"..and I was like "whatever!!".

You can certainly feel some angst in this post while I try to recollect the making of the cake. I have not made a cake that took more than 2 hours for a long time. I was a bit annoyed with the fact it took such a long time to make it - 2 days and a little more to be exact!! But the results were awesome. Everyone liked the cake, although it was really very rich (I felt like I had contracted diabetes after having a small slice!). But seriously, this is one cake that can impress.

Triple-choc cheesecake with salted peanut caramel (fudge)

After we started - it was so yummmmmmmmmy!!!!!!!

Too bad I didnt have better photos. The sliced cake photo doesnt look as nice as I would like it to. But check out the layers. Yummmmmy! The bottom layer is the salted peanut caramel (or in my case fudge), the middle layer is the white chocolate cream cheese, the 3rd layer is chocolate ganache and the final topping is torched italian meringue. I modified the biscuit base recipe a little. Instead of using chocolate biscuits, I used Nice biscuits and added cocoa powder - Nice biscuits have got the coconutty flavour which is great for biscuit base cakes. Using plain chocolate biscuits have a less attractive flavour, so you can always replace with Nice or Digestive biscuits.

It was all in good fun. I told Marti that I always need an excuse to bake. And sometimes, a good challenge as well. I had fun making this cake and am glad my colleagues enjoyed it. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the people that I like enjoy my food. Although I did complain a little bit, but know that I'm pleased to have had this opportunity to try this out for all of you :)

Seriously, this is one cake that will impress. I urge you to get a copy of the Australian Good Taste April issue and try making this cake (page 8). It's the chocolate issue so there's plenty of chocolate recipes for you to try as well. Have Fun!!!

Cheers.

Healthy Blueberry Banana Bread

It's the weekend and I am baking for breakfast for the coming week. But I wanted to try a healthier recipe, one with less sugar and fat. Since I really love my Banana Bread recipe and the bananas were going for only 98c/kg in Thomas Dux, I decided to make Blueberry Banana Bread for a change. This is what I did to the original recipe:

• Replace brown sugar with regular raw sugar
• Reduce sugar quantities by half
• Replace butter with rice bran oil
• Reduce oil quantities by half
• Reduced treacle quantities by 20%

Despite reducing sugar and fats from the recipe, the banana bread was still soft and moist and oh so yummy! Here's how you can make this Blueberry Banana Bread.....

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1 cup drained canned/frozen/fresh blueberries (I used canned)
• 1/2 cup (110g) raw sugar (regular is fine)
• 2 eggs
• 20g rice bran oil or any plant oils like sunflower or canola oil
• 1/2 cup (125ml) buttermilk or make your own by adding 1/2tsb white vinegar to 1/2 cup of milk and let it stand for 5 mins before using it
• 70g treacle
• 1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
• 1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp soda bicarbonate

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180deg or 160deg fan forced

2. Line the baking pan with baking paper (to avoid burnt sides)

3. Combine banana, sugar, eggs, oil, buttermilk and treacle in a large bowl, mix well, and stir in sifted dry ingredients (both flour, soda bicarbonate and mixed spice).

4. Spoon mixture into baking pan (loaf pan), bit by bit and add blueberries after each addition

5. Bake for about 1 hour. Let the bread stand in the pan for 10 mins after that

6. Remove from baking pan, and let it cool on wite rack

Now you have no excuse to buy cafe banana bread when you get can healthier ones if you made them at home. Enjoy!

Cheers.

The Italian Ricotta Cheesecake that failed!

I had wanted to bake Kaz a ricotta cheesecake for her farewell but didnt because she was on a fast and couldnt have any cakes. I bought the ricotta cheese anyways, just in case I needed to bake some. That was slightly more than a week ago. I finally baked it yesterday using a recipe I found on Not Quite Nigella's blog.

Unfortunately, the cake didnt turn out right. I think it was because I bought cheap ingredients (home brand low fat cream cheese and cream instead of the full fat creamy stuff) and also because I didnt mix the cheeses until it was uber smooth.Or maybe it was punishment for not making my own pastry and the fact it didnt even look at a ricotta cheesecake!! :(

Here's the problem:

If you look closely at the photo, you will see that the cheesecake filling is not smooth. The cheesecake texture is crumbly and somewhat like scrambled eggs. However, the flavour is nice and it tastes fine. It's not very sweet, just right.

I really need to make this cake again. It's hard to accept when I made something that didnt work. I think it's my hurt ego! hahaha

I shall keep you updated with my next successful ricotta cheesecake :) Stay tuned!

Cheers.

Cafe Ish and House @ Surry Hills

Cafe Ish: Soft Shell Crab Omelette with Rice and Miso Soup - $15

I read about  Cafe Ish from Grab Your Fork some time back and knew I had to go there. I told Ms J about this place after reading about it but we didnt end up going together. Instead, she did go some time later, but with her hubby. I was extremely jealous!! She raved about the soft shell crab omelette and another dish (my memory fails me). After months of waiting, finally, I got my hands on the soft shell crab omelette!

It was so delicious. The omelette had a generous portion of the soft shell crab with huge chunks of avocado. The sauce was sweet, slightly tangy and absolutely delish!!! The omelette was served with a bowl of steamed rice and miso soup, which complemented the omelette really well.

And best of all, it was only $15 (as I remembered but the online menu says $16.50). What a good deal for lunch if you work around the area (unfortunate for me! sob sob).

After  Cafe Ish , I walked over to House for dessert. Without a doubt, it had to be BTS (Better Than Sex)!! The warm crispy yet soft buttered and toasted brioche was topped with fragrant pandan ice cream and a generous dose of palm sugar syrup. You have to each part of this dessert together. It is absolutely divine! All for only $15. The service here was friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed. Eventhough I indicated to the waitress that I was only there for dessert and she was still polite and friendly. I have tried the food here before, and it was delicious! Northeast Thai cuisine is really quite different from the mainstream Thai cuisine that we're used to. Coconut milk is rarely used in its dishes and the sour and hot flavours are more evident throughout. Instead of steamed rice, the food is always served with steamed sticky rice, which I think is perfect and wouldnt ask for anything different.

Now, feast your eyes (and tummy) on this sinfully delicious dessert..you be the judge if it is really BTS *wink*

House: BTS (Better Than Sex) - Toasted buttered brioche with pandan ice cream and palm sugar syrup - $15

Details for Cafe Ish and House:

Cafe Ish

Address: 82 Campbell Street, Surry Hills

Tel: 02-9281 1688

Opening Hours: 

• Mon-Weds 7am-4pm
• Thurs-Fri 7am-10pm (dinner from 3pm)
• Saturday 9am-10pm (dinner from 3pm)
• Sunday 9am-2.30pm 

Website: http://www.cafeish.com.au/

House

Address: 202 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills

Tel: 02-9280 0364

Opening Hours: Everyday 11am till late

Website: http://www.housethai.com.au/

Cheers.

Choc Chip Banana Bread

Last Sunday night about 9pm, I decided to not let my 3 super ripe bananas go to waste. I knew if I didnt do something with them that night, I would have to chuck them out the next day. To bake or not to bake I asked myself and finally, I gave in! 

I didnt want just a plain banana bread. I thought of cranberry banana bread but I finished the cranberries. I had very good quality choc chips so why not. Choc chips and bananas go really well together (I thought). 

Here's how it turned out: Taddaaaaaaaaaa!!! Super duper moistttt yummyyyyyyyy chocolateyyyyyyyy full of bananaaaaaaaaa - choc chip banana bread LOL

And here's how you can enjoy the same..

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1 cup (220g) brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 40g unsalted butter (melted)
• 1/2 cup (125ml) buttermilk (if you dont have buttermilk, you can make some by adding 1 tbs white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup of milk)
• 1/4 cup (90g) treacle (you can get this from the sugar section)
• 1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
• 1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp soda bicarbonate
• as much choc chip as you like

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180deg

2. Line the baking pan with baking paper (to avoid burnt sides)

3. Combine banana, sugar, eggs, melted unsalted butter, buttermilk and treacle in a large bowl, mix well, and stir in the dry ingredients i.e. both flour, mixed spice and soda bicarbonate (sifted all together). Make sure you dont over mix it.

4. Spoon mixture into baking pan (loaf pan), after each layer sprinkle choc chips over - repeat until choc chips are all used up

5. Bake for 1 hour. Let the bread stand in the pan for 10 mins after that

6. Remove from baking pan, and let it cool on wite rack

Miwanda "the vegetarian" had to pleasure of enjoying 1 thick slice, whilst "bahbis" had it for 3 consecutive breakfasts. I on the other hand enjoyed this beautiful heaven in the car on the way to work, and for midnight snack!


Dont ever let your overly ripe bananas go to waste. Transform them into this gorgeous bread and feed it to your loved ones.


Cheers.

Farewell Kaz @ The Winery, Surry Hills

4 weeks ago, we knew the day would come. The day came on Friday, 2nd of March 2012. Time to say good bye to our beloved Kaz. So what better way to say good bye than to have great food! The original plan was to go to Jamie's Italian for lunch, but they were booked out. So Liv suggested The Winery at Surry Hills. 

We all got a cab from the office and it took us an hour (and slightly more) to get to the restaurant. When we got there, it took another hour before we got served our mains. Luckily, we got some bread and wine to ease the hunger. 

The goat's brie with the bread was delish! It's the first time I have eaten goat's brie and to my pleasant surprise, it was really subtle and smooth. 

All: Crusty bread with olive tapanade, goat's brie & tomato

Kaz ordered the Ravioli because she was on a fast for Easter and couldnt take meat. She didnt finish her dish because she felt the burnt butter was too much for her.

Kaz: Pumpkin & Sage Ravioli with Burnt Butter (chips courtesy of Dory)

For my main, I ordered Steak Frites and to my disappointment, the steak was served medium well instead of medium rare. Liv and Ling Ling ordered theirs Rare and it was served Medium Rare. The jus served with the meat was quite lovely, albeit slightly more bitter than I would like it. The hand cut chips didnt really look like hand cut chips..looked more like shoe string fries which are machine cut. The aioli which they served me made that irrelevant :) I didnt even use the huge piece of Cafe de Paris (in this case flavoured whipped butter with a distinct anchovie flavour) - I moved it to the side (was afraid of heart attack LOL!) 

Liv, Trace, LingLing & Me: Steak 'Frites' - Grilled Sirloin with Cafe de Paris & Hand Cut Chips

Miwanda ordered the Tuna Nicoise because she is a non-meat eater. She asked for the tuna to be cooked slightly more and not served too raw, but ended up regretting that because the tuna was overcooked.

Miwanda the 'vegetarian' : Yellowfin Tuna Nicoise (chips courtesy of Dory)

The dessert was DO BOMB!!!!! It was so good. The brownie was oh so chocolatey, would have been a little better if it was chewy-ier. But the fairy floss was fun and the vanilla ice cream was really creamy and smooth. I enjoyed this dessert the most in the entire meal.

Liv, Trace, Nat & Me: Double Choc Brownie with Fairy Floss & Vanilla Ice Cream

I didnt manage to snap "Dory's" and "Moey's" wagyu beef burger with hand cut chips but from what I heard, they loved it! The burger was served with brioche instead of a burger bun. That reminded me of the lovely wagyu beef burger I had at 4143 at The James Barnes in Alexandria but for $10 less. The other dish I missed a photo of was Ling Ling's Date & Banana Pudding. It so looked lovely when it got served. Miwanda had a Liana Raine boozy ice pop, which is a company set up by her friends.

All in all, the food was ok. The ambience was relaxed and we could all laugh and talk as loud as we wanted to. The restaurant was busy on a Friday afternoon despite the rain. Staff was really friendly and served us all with a smile. They were fast as well when we asked for the additional aioli and tomato sauce. We had a good time at The Winery chatting, eating and drinking. We arrived at 2.30pm and stayed on until about 6pm. Not even once did we feel pressured to leave or pay. On a side note, the coffee was also nice :)

The total bill came up to $550 for the 10 of us. I would say extremely good value. That's about $55 per person for bread, wine, main, dessert and coffee. For most places, that would probably be just the cost for the bread and main. Most importantly, Kaz had a great time. I sat next to her and she had a ball with "threes" for "trees" and much more. Anything for you Kaz. Wishing you all the best and you will be missed.  

Cheers.

Details for The Winery at Surry Hills

Address: 285A Crown Street, Surry Hills (enter through the walkway next to Thomas Dux)

Opening Hours: Open Everyday - Mid Day till Mid Night

Contact: 02-9331 0833

Website: The Winery at Surry Hills

Menu: Lunch / Dinner