tori eats

5 of the best ... foods locals eat in Hanoi

2011-10-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese cuisine is one of the most unique and flavoursome in the world, and food in the capital Hanoi does not disappoint.

The vibrant street cafe vendors boast some of the best dishes in Hanoi. Street cafes are similar to restaurants yet they are much smaller, open fully onto the street and often only have plastic chairs and old tables. Most have been open for decades and focus on one or two local dishes, which they do to mouth watering perfection.

Bún Chả Hàng Mành (Hàng Mành street, Old Quarter, Hanoi)

A Hanoi lunch favourite is Bún Chả, a large handful of rice noodles served in a piping hot bowl of broth and topped off with charcoal pork patties. It is served with a large plate of lettuce and mint on the side, perfect for quickly dipping into the broth so it isn’t soggy. As accompaniments, you can add either fish sauce or chillies to enhance the flavour of the soup.

One of the best places to get Bún Chả in Hanoi is Bún Chả Hàng Mành. This street cafe is double story with most of the cooking happening behind a cabinet and hot plates just off the street. A woman sits behind various vats of broth, noodles, greens and meat cooking food to order.

A waitress will come to your table, take your order and then shout it back to the woman at the front of the store. You grab chopsticks from a large communal bowl and dig in, dropping any debris into a bin under the table.

While you may have to fight the Vietnamese locals for a table, once you finally get a seat, they will be more than willing to give you advice on how to eat the dish if you get confused.

Bun Cha Nem Cua Be Dac Kim (67 Duong Thanh Street, Old Quarter, Hanoi)

Just around the corner is another popular eatery serving up a different Hanoi speciality, and a personal favourite, the delectable Bún Nem.

Bún Nem is another seemingly simple dish consisting of a bowl of broth, rice noodles, and a huge accompanying plate of lettuce, mint, morning glory and lime. The selling point of this dish is the crab spring rolls. Beautifully sized with a generous amount of crab filling, they are the perfect texture to either be eaten alone or dipped into the soup.

The best part about this dish is picking and choosing what to eat next. You may find your chopsticks take on a mind of their own as you pick up noodles, spring rolls or greens and dip them in your broth.

But a word of warning, Bún Nem is highly addictive and your rush to enjoy could lead to a burnt tongue from the blisteringly hot spring rolls.

Phở Bò (69 Hang Non, Hanoi)

While not technically a speciality of Hanoi, you can still get a delicious bowl of Phở Bò for breakfast anywhere in Hanoi. Phở is traditionally served in the morning, with some shops opening as early as 5:00am for those on the move or wanting to avoid the oncoming heat of the day.

Phở Bò, or beef noodle soup, is served with thin rice noodles, onion, fried shallots and thin strips of beef. It is often accompanied by fluffy doughnut-like sticks which are perfectly designed for dipping into the soup.

Phở street cafes are generally filled with people on their way to work or school, parking their scooters to quickly eat a bowl. Watching these professional chop stick drivers swiftly and delicately scoop a large mass of noodles into their mouth is an amazing sight in itself. But don’t worry, they are equally used to tourists fumbling their way through a bowl and flicking broth with each mouthful.

Phở is the perfect start to any day, especially if you are not feeling well. While it may take a few moments to get over the idea of eating beef soup for breakfast, put cereal out of your mind and you will soon be in soup heaven.

Miến Luon (87 Hang Dieu Street, Old Quarter, Hanoi)

When first hearing about Miến Xao Luon you may not get overly excited – ‘tiny deep fried eels’, you say. ‘Hmmmm’. But upon tasting this dish your prejudice will slide away.

Miến Xao Luon is made up of crispy mini eels, glass noodles, cucumber, peanuts, eggs and lime. This dish is a brilliant mix of textures and flavours. The crunch of the peanuts and the acidity of the lime provide a perfect mix of flavours and textures. The egg folded through the noodles adds great depth and flavour. The eels themselves are deep fried but don’t have an overly strong taste. They are probably more chewy than crispy although this may depend on the time of day.

Miến Luon is also popular with the locals and is really busy at lunch time. There are often a few free plastic stools outside otherwise there are a number of communal tables which you can join.

Xôi Kem (Corner of Hai Ba Trung Street & Ngo Quyen Street, French Quarter, Hanoi)

Sticky rice, or Xôi Kem, is hard to compare to other desserts. First of all, it sounds, and often looks, like it should be a savoury dish. But it is very sweet, often too sweet, with quite an unexpected texture.

Xôi Kem provides an interesting take on the sticky rice dessert. They serve the rice balls in a bowl topped with vanilla ice cream and toasted coconut.

The sweet rice and the coconut provide a delicious contrast which is simultaneously sticky and crunchy. The ice-cream melts into the rice and again, provides a hot-cold experience that keeps your mouth entertained with every bite.

While not everybody’s cup of tea, it is definitely a dish worth trying.

...

While these are only a few of Vietnam’s specialities, Hanoi is full of great eating experiences. Often the most unassuming cafes can provide the most incredible dining experiences.

You can find a lot of these specialities in the restaurants around town, but experience tells me that they often lack the intensity of flavour and the love and care of food from the street cafes.

organic vegetables

2011-01-27T02:35:00.000-08:00

A much loved restaurant of mine in Paris called 'Racines' uses perfect mini vegetables to make very simple and intensely delicious meals.

We found these little ones in the organic section of the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne. Definitely worth the extra pennies for something you wouldn't normally have on your plate.

back with a burger

2010-10-19T03:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a while between posts and it's not from a lack of eating!! I have been so busy with work, travel and eating that I have had no time to write about food :(

But here we are again, and with a backlog of food pictures, things should keep on rolling!

Café Vue is a great place for a weekend lunch. They have delicious pies, toasted duck sandwiches and a damn fine wagyu burger! And at $15 a pop with unlimited tomato ketchup for your French fries, how can you go wrong?

Café Vue

401 St Kilda Road

03 9866 8055

tom phat

2010-06-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

If I had one last breakfast to eat, I would go to Tom Phat!

It's my new favourite place and I have to stop myself from going there for both breakfast and lunch every weekend. The first time I went to Tom Phat I had serious order envy (having ordered the salmon and sweat corn cakes), now I know the deal... between the hours of 10 am and 12 noon, get the roti omlette, an amazing mix of textures and flavours with bacon and chili chutney atop. This dish is probably the best breakfast I have ever eaten, which is a huge statement coming from a breakfast lover but I can't fault it, nor can my stomach! Point made...

From 12 noon onwards, the chili jam noodles are perfection. Spicy and sweet, heart-warming and filling with rice noodles, chicken and snake beans. Mmmmmm.

On a different note, everybody should try their Coffee and Banana Shake, which sounds pretty wild but works somewhat surprisingly well...

www.tomphat.com.au

184 Sydney Rd

Brunswick VIC 3056

(03) 9381 2374

oriental tea house

2010-05-28T16:29:00.000-07:00

I went to the oriental tea house in South Yarra the other night for dinner: While initially I was a little confused by the layout of the restaurant (behind a tea shop and we were seated on a stage), we soon settled into devouring dumplings!

First up were the prawn dumplings which set a high standard for the rest of the meal. The presentation was adorable, the texture light and fluffy and the dipping sauce was creamy and moreish. Some other stand outs from the dinner were the fried potato balls and the pork buns.

All in all, a yummy dinner in a very casual dining room. My advice would be to go here for a delicious and casual lunch!

Oriental Tea House

455 Chapel Street

South Yarra Vic 3141

http://www.orientalteahouse.com.au/

dench carrot cake

2010-05-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

Enough said!

Dench

109 Scotchmer Street,

North Fitzroy

now i know this isn't food related...

2010-04-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

but it's still delicious so I thought I would share!!

Check out this beautiful online store! It's been a while in the making but now you can finally purchase these gorgeous dresses online!!

Just click the giant Poppet to enter!

Mitte

2010-04-19T05:09:00.000-07:00

When you are hungover and the thought of the madness that surrounds other cafés in Fitzroy North makes you want to never get out of bed, you should head to Mitte café. Get a table outside and relax under the trees on this leafy, not too busy, mostly residential, street.

Last time I went I was in the mood for sweets and ordered the crumble with macadamia nuts- seriously good and I enjoyed every last bite. I found the texture of the mascarpone complemented the crunch of the crumble and the buttery softness of the apples although the flavour itself was a little bland. Lucky for Mitte the crumble was so delicious that it didn't even need an accompaniment.

Now I know what you are thinking and no I didn't actually order two breakfasts although I got a few good bites from this chorizo omelette with relish to die for.

Mitte = a new weekend favourite!!

76 Michael Street, North Fitzroy, Tel +61 3 9077 7379

banana boat!!

2010-03-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

This, dear readers, is a banana boat!

A unique recipe that is completely my own invention.

After years of perfecting and enjoying the banana boat, I feel like it is time to share the most delicious breakfast around town!

So get a banana, peel off a little section of the skin but leave enough to still encase the banana. Slice the banana diagonally and again in the opposite direction, careful not to pierce through the skin. Drizzle honey or maple syryp over the banana and add sesame seeds. Now you can get creative with you toppings, adding dates, almonds, walnuts, peanut butter, tahini.. and the list goes on! It's amazing how many flavours go with banana and honey- I imagine nutella would go well (if you like nutella) or chocolate/ carob!

DELICIOUS!

homemade abraj

2010-03-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

Do you know the feeling of complete joy when you bite into something previously unknown and instantly fall in love? Every time I travel I try and eat as many new things as possible. I particularly love tasting different sweets as I am a huge fan of fruit, nuts and anything with honey, butter and sugar!!

You may remember in the past I have gone on a little about Abraj. This was one of my favourite foods in Paris and was found in this little Tunisian bakery on rue Belleville in the East of Paris. So as mentioned previously, an Abraj is a semolina square stuffed with sticky dates. It is perfect and delicious and I miss it (and Paris) all the time.

Last weekend I felt a pang of sadness thinking about my Parisian abraj and decided to make one. It didn't taste nearly as good as the bought variety and my recipe sure needs some practice! But, it was fun to bake and brought some joy into the kitchen.

So I started by chopping up a big bowl of pitted dates (and eating about a dozen). I then put them aside and got out the semolina. I melted a big spoon of butter; added some salt and then mixed in the semolina. I added some water till it looked like scone mixture or dough. I rolled out the mixture, sprinkled it with cinnamon and then added a fine layer of dates to half of the circle before folding it in half.

Next time I bake it I will try and figure out some measurements as the base wasn't as crumbly as I remember (maybe this had something to do with the thinness of the semolina grain I used) and it was too salty, but gosh it tasted amazing straight out of the pan!!

d.o.c

2010-03-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

If you feel like doing something to celebrate this warm weather week in Melbourne, head to D.O.C in Carlton, get yourself an outside table and settle in for some great food and wine.

It's not always easy to get a spot at this buzzing restaurant but it's worth it if you can. The other night I shared this antipasto plate with a friend. I loved it in terms of presentation, variety and taste.

With a menu that combines small meals and great pizzas, I could go to D.O.C nearly every night of the week. Hot tip- ask the staff for their recommendations, they know the ingredients well and it is exciting to see waiters so passionate about their food!

295 Drummond Street
Carlton VIC 3053

03 9347 2998

the best burger in melbourne

2010-03-06T21:55:00.000-08:00

If you want to get a Melbournian person talking, ask them where their favourite place to go for either coffee, pizza, chips or burgers are... The latest vote is in and it's for Andrew's burgers in South Melbourne. Perfect on any occasion, this burger will make your stomach sing in delight! (if in need of an entrée, head to the South Melbourne market for a dim sim before hand, health food of a nation!) Yummmmm!

Amazing!!

pancake day is a happy day!!

2010-02-20T23:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Jules from Poppet wanted to host a Pancake day to raise some money for Uniting Care. So Amy, Luna and I teamed up to be her sous-chefs and to help celebrate/ eat our way through Pancake day. We went a little wild with the toppings and came up with some very sweet and delicious concoctions! My favourite being either the crushed up honey joy or the honey comb filling!!

I got this amazing pancake hot-plate for Christmas and love getting it out. It's from Breville and it's easy to use and works a charm. We ended up making so many pancakes (which were almost like crêpes but not quite as thin) and will be eating them for days to come- which I can only see as a good thing!! FUN!!

tempura hajime

2010-02-16T02:52:00.000-08:00

Oh yes I did! After reading some mouth-watering food blogs that posted on Tempura Hajime I decided it looked too good to miss!!

I didn't actually take any food photos of our dinner here as I really wanted to focus on enjoying the experience- and I guess I got a little camera shy in such a small dining room. But let me just say that Tempura Hajime produced some of the finest Japanese food that has passed my lips. They have mastered the art of Japanese delicacy and flavour and the service was so friendly and warm!

Now go and make a booking quick smart... Before it's too late...

Viet Rose

2010-02-09T03:21:00.000-08:00

Viet Rose on Brunswick Street is one of my favourite old faithfuls.

I remember one week (back when I lived across the road) when I went to Viet Rose 5 days straight for an early dinner/ second lunch. Over the years, their Noodle Soup has been the cure to many of my ailments. It has got me through busy exam periods, hangovers and nasty bouts of the flu.

The other night we headed to Viet Rose for delicious, cheap and healthy mid-week dinner. We ordered the beef wrapped in vine leaves as an entrée. This dish was delicious! The beef was succulent and the dipping sauce tasty as per usual.

Next up we had the Wanton Noodle Soup. This dish will always keep me coming back. While quite different to traditional Vietnamese Pho, I love the amount of fresh vegetables that come with it. The wantons are always perfectly stuffed and cooked and the bowl slides down no worries leaving you full but not bloated. Success!!

ladro is fun!

2010-02-06T00:13:00.000-08:00

People love good pizza and I think that Ladro's pizzas are some of the best around. Maybe this is why the atmosphere in their restaurant is always buzzing with loud and happy customers.

We went to Ladro on Gertrude Street the other night for a quick bite after drinks in the city. It was busy as per usual and we were lucky to get a table. We wanted to keep it simple so we started with olives and the Calamari Salad. The entrées came with delicious bread and olive oil (I would happily eat a whole loaf for dinner). The Calamari Salad was perfect and was exactly what I felt like; not too oily or chewy. The olives were good but unfortunately came out at the same time as the salad so went a little unnoticed.

The pizza was a fantastic as expected. It was flavoursome, fresh, light and tasty. Would have liked a bit more basil but it still tasted great. Another successful, easy and rather healthy dinner.

Ladro

224 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

stuff-a-mari

2010-02-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

My plans for a quick, easy Calamari Salad last night were ruined by my boredom. I was wandering the supermarket in a post-nap daze last night trying to figure out what to cook when I finally decided on Calamari... and then I saw prawns and couldn't decide between the two so I got both and decided to have a little seafood feast. I have never stuffed calamari before but thought it sounded fun. I looked up some recipes on the net but none of them took my fancy so I got a few pointers and decided to wing it.

I started by cooking up two big chillis (sans seeds), onion, garlic and herbs in oil. I added the prawns briefly to give them a little colour. I removed the mix and added the cleaned, soaked calamari tubes to the pan to sear them.
I then stuffed the tubes with the mix adding a sprinkle of bread crumbs, fresh tomato and lots of chopped parsley.

I put the tubes aside and browned more onions and garlic in the pan. I then added a large jar of tomato sauce and let it simmer and thicken for five minutes before carefully adding the calamari tubes. I cooked this over a low heat for about 30 minutes frequently spooning sauce over the calamari tubes. A few minutes before serving I added the left over filling mix to the sauce..

Then I popped the tubes onto plates along with lots of the sauce, covered them in Parmesan and parsley et voila, delicious dinner was served!

teppan-YUM-ki

2010-01-30T15:13:00.000-08:00

On a recent jaunt in the country, we stopped in at Bendigo's 'My Teppanyaki' Restaurant for dinner.

While it may seem that the majority of my posts are about Japanese, Chinese or Vietnamese restaurants, this is because there is an abundance of great Asian restaurants in Melbourne, and it was one of the things I craved while in France (not only the food but the beauty of BYO).

It's really difficult to find good authentic Chinese food in France and I missed it so much. There is a pretty good selection of Japanese food in Paris although it is really expensive compared to Melbourne, and their Vietnamese cuisine tends to taste exactly the same in all restaurants (except in Belleville where there are some good Pho places).

So back to Teppanyaki.

I love the theater of it all! I love sitting back and watching all the food get prepared in front of you and then often get thrown at you. My first Teppanyaki experience was at a Teppanyaki restaurant in Melbourne's Chinatown. We were with quite a raucous group and the chefs were throwing food all over the place. Their knife skills were outstanding!

The Bendigo Teppanyaki restaurant was a little more subdued but the food was still great. We ordered one of the four set menus and settled back with drinks. The entree was really quick to come out and was a little salad and a bowl of delicious miso soup. Not long after this, the teppanyaki chef came out to start his magic.

King prawns were the first to fit the hot plate where they were dissected; shelled and gutted in a few brief cuts. They tasted smokey and went perfectly with my Umeshu (plum wine).

Next up came the chicken thighs. This part of the chicken is so tasty, and when it is taken off the bone, is as versatile as breast fillet but tends to be much less dry. The chicken was shortly followed by a bean-shoot and vegetable stir fry which was a nice accompaniment to all the meat.

Now for the beef. This was by far my favourite part of the meal. I never think of myself as a big red meat eater but I think I might be. Every time I order meat out, I love it so much. A few months ago we went to this steak house in London with some friends. This couple tends to eat ridiculously well so I went with their advice and I ordered the scotch fillet (250 grams of it) which came served on an otherwise empty plate! I feel like this steak was a turning point in my meat ordering days and while it was super intense, it was outstandingly good.

The beef at the 'My Teppanyaki' was divine. It was chopped and cooked medium-rare quickly on high heat, and every piece was perfect. The beef came with a salty miso based dipping sauce but I found it was so full of taste that it didn't need to be distracted by an accompaniment.

Lastly came the rice throwing. I was a little disappointed that this was the only part of my meal to be thrown at me (especially as we had sat through the whole thing wearing adorable Japanese fabric bibs) but we caught our bowls with glee and lucky for us the chef was very accurate. By this stage my belly felt as though it was about to burst and while the smokey fried rice was good, it could not quite be finished.

Ooo, I nearly forgot! All the time that everything else was being thrown about the hot-plate, the legs of our prawns had been sitting at the top. We hadn't paid much attention to them- something to do with flying knifes and flames- until they were put onto our plates. I have to admit that I didn't want to eat it at all. There is something so wrong about eating legs, but, I mustered up my Bear Grylls courage and ate it.

Now you may be thinking that Bear Grylls would have caught the prawn out of the water, probably with his teath and eaten the whole thing, innards included, but let's get serious, I am no 'woman vs wild' and this is as close to Bear Grylls as I plan to get in the near future!

All in all, an entertaining meal. The food was good and the spectacle was impressive. My only negative comment was that the service was quite rushed and the meal was over too quickly.

But this was a nice finishing touch!

lunch fit for a ploughman

2010-01-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

I love how vivid food memories can be. I remember when I was young going for lunch, possibly in Maldon, with my Dad and both of us ordered the Ploughman's lunch. It was one of the nicest things ever, the mix of hearty bread, delicious cheese and tasty chutneys. I can't really remember any specific product from meal but I do remember enjoying it immensely.

So, when I heard that there was an excess of Cheese at my parent's house, I hot-footed my way home to whip up a Ploughman's lunch. All of these cheeses and the apple and quince paste duo came from Tasmania. This is the first time I have tried apple paste and I was pleasantly surprised, it went so well with both the quince paste and hard cheese.

To go with the English style Ploughman's lunch we decided to make some good old Australian damper. I remember making Damper on school camps by the fire. It's so quick and easy to make, and the final product looked good and tasted great.

Here's how it went...
Step one was to sift self-raising flour into a bowl, add about 50 grams of butter and rub it into the flour with your fingers. Add any herbs you have on hand, we added chives, rosemary, oregano and thyme. Then you add a cup of milk and mix it through with a butter knife. Kneed it on a lightly dusted bench and then flatten it out and score the top. Pop it into the oven for about 25 minutes on about 180°. You know if it's cooked when you can knock the bottom and it sounds hollow. Make sure it is well cooked, then break it up in your fingers and smother it with butter. YUMM!!

hu tong i love you

2010-01-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

Dumplings are one of my all time favourite Melbourne cheap eats!

I have a great friend that shares this love and when she told me that Hu Tong Dumpling Bar had 'dumplings with soup in them', I nearly popped my top with joy and wonder!

Hu Tong is off Bourke Street on Market Place. It is opposite the well known Flower drum and Shoya, but is of a very different price range. Both times I have been there this month (testament to my love) they have been full, but leave them your number to call you when a table is free as this place is worth the wait!

The downstairs part of the restaurant is great to sit in as you get to watch the kitchen in full swing.

It's hard not to admire the speed and finesse of the kitchen staff who can spend hours making these heavenly dumplings. If you are not in a rush, take your time ordering (as your food can come quite fast) and get some beautiful tea and share your time between admiring the buzzing kitchen and watching the people coming in and out of Flower Drum (also quite entertaining).

Now the menu is quite large but I can't imagine ever straying far from the dumplings to try much else.

These are the chili dumplings with sesame seeds, spring onion in a hot but addictive sauce. The dumplings are soft and juicy and have the perfect amount of heat to not to ruin their flavour. Watch out for the Szechuan pepper corns, if you don't realise you are about to eat one, you are in for quite the mouth exploding shock!

The vegetarian spinich dumplings were a lovely contrast to the chili dumplings. Their spinich casings were stuffed with diced vegetables and we ended up dipping these in a mix of the leftover chilly sauce and vinegar soy. These dumplings seemed like quite a healthy addition to our meal and at 5 dollars a serve, they were a super bargain!

Now, these next dumplings are crazy! They are so crazy that each table in the restaurant has their own eating guide devoted to them. The Shao-long bao dumplings are carefully created by using a meat gelatine which, when steamed, creates the soup (or rich stock) at the bottom of the dumplings.

Eating them can be quite ceremonial. First you have to get them onto your spoon. It's best to pick them up at the top where they have been masterfully folded. Then you let a little of their saggy bottoms hang over your spoon, you take a little nibble and then you suck out the liquid gold (maybe not the best dish to eat with people you don't know very well). After this, you dip them in the vinegar soy, add some sliced ginger and pop them into mouth to enjoy the mix of textures and flavours. Success!

In all, Hu Tong Dumpling Bar is a great spot for lunch. While I was warned that their service was average, I found it quite efficient and when the dumplings are this good, I found it hard to focus on much else!

For the 3 plates of dumplings and the tea, we paid around 28 dollars. Pretty outstanding value for 14 dollars each. At some places you can't even get a sandwich and coffee for that price!

Hu Tong I am already dreaming of my next visit!!

ichi ni izakaya

2010-01-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

Ichi Ni is;
a) The cutest name ever
b) One of the best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne town
c) The best new addition to the Esplanade in St K's, or
d) All of the above........

And the answer is.................................... D) ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!!
and maybe a little bit of E) I LOVE THIS PLACE. YUMMM

We went to the busy busy Ichi Ni Izakaya last saturday night. We couldn't get a table when we got there so we went for a drink at the Espy, conviently located next door. The esplanade in St Kilda is so beautiful at night and Ichi Ni takes full advantage of the view with their massive windows and huge outside eating area.

After we sat down in the no-reservations bar area we were quickly given menus and our drinks order was taken. I opted for a glass of their plum wine, which I adore on any occassion, especially on the rocks. It was strong, syrupy and the serving size was generous (or maybe just reasonable for the price- 10 dollars a glass).

We decided to order a few dishes off the Tapas menu and then see what we were craving for the second installment. In my excitement I completely forgot to photo the first few dishes (a semi-regular occurance) but I can describe them in blissful reverie!

Firstly the Gyoza, plump little dumplings, perfectly cooked and accompanied by a light soy dressing. These gyoza were some of the nicest I have ever tasted (up there with those from Yu-u) and I would easily go back for plates and plates of these yummies. I had similar feelings towards the Ebi Mayo- huge king prawns lightly fried and served with that delicous addictive Japanese Mayonaise.

Then we ordered the Pork belly (actually Jim insisted on this one) which I was happy to taste but wouldn't have wanted to eat much more of. Jim loved every bite of this and while I preferred our other choices, it was pretty flavoursome and tender.

We also ordered the Spicy Avocado and Tofu dish. I love a good interactive dish and got a little thrill from wrapping the filling in the Nori Sheets. While this dish was good, I think it was hard to do it justice when it came at the same time as the Ebi Prawns (easy solution would be order it before the hot Tapas dishes)

So, after a little break from all the deliciousness, we ordered round two (and I remembered my camera existed).

We were pretty keen to try some of the Yakitori so we ordered the Squid and the Eel. The squid was delicious but easily forgotten next to the Eel which was super delicious/ nearly made me fall off my chair groaning!!

We also got a little greedy and decided to taste the Tempura Plate which came with King Prawns, White fish, Pumpkin and Zucchini. The house made dipping sauce for this was really rich but so nice that it was hard not to overload the Tempura.

All in all, a really great meal. Lucky for me my gentleman was buying and he was in the mood for a feast so we got to sample a lot from their menu! Their prawns and eel were so good that I would be cross the city to St Kilda for these any time! Oh, and the service was great. Our fun, happy and smiling Portuguese waitress looked after us so well! And next time I am planning on leaving room for some of their ice-cream, it looked delicious!!

japanese pancakes!

2010-01-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

These little yummies are handmade by JS Taikayaki. They are little Japanese pancakes with sweet or savoury fillings. The lovely Japanese lady at the stall was telling me that Takoyaki, smaller versions of the pictures below, are a huge hit in Japan as they are cooked in little oil and are quite small, the perfect snack!

We found this stall at the Mornington Racecourse art and produce market. Their stall was attracting lots of attention and they seemed to be doing a pretty good trade. I thought the pancakes were great novelty snack and while they took a little while to make, the owners of the stall were careful only to sell you their freshest batch. I was so happy to see a green tea flavour on the menu and even happier to find out that it was stuffed with red bean. Other flavours on the menu included vanilla and cream, chocolate and cream, double chocolate and chicken or tuna on the savoury side.

The pancake itself was fun, clean to eat and tasted unique to other Japanese sweets I have tried. Maybe next time I would try one with cream to moisten up the pancake a little more. All in all a super cheap and entertaining breakfast!

ladies who lunch... then dine... etc

2010-01-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

I have been out for both lunch and dinner 3 days running.

I love the huge range of restaurants in Melbourne and it's been quite the multicultural smorgasbord for my taste buds. While many of these meals went undocumented (just getting the hang of my new camera), here is a little breakdown...

Tuesday was a Fitzroy day with Sushi on Brunswick street, and the prawn pizza at Bimbos.

Wednesday saw Vietnamese in Box Hill and Chinese in Chinatown.

Thursday involved a cafe lunch and a riotous dinner at Shanghai dumplings.

Here are a few snaps from dinner in Chinatown at Golden Orchids. We sampled the lamb kebabs with a addictive satay sauce. Then I ordered the eggplant stuffed with chili covered in a thick black-bean sauce. I also sampled the duck but was so impressed with my eggplant that I didn't rate it (maybe a little too bland). The beef was actually pretty good, the meat was really soft and slipped down far too easily. Service was great here and BYO only 1 dollar 50 per person!

Now, off to lunch again... Not too sure where this time, apparently it's a new place in the city. YUMM

steak sanga

2010-01-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

I rarely buy meat to cook at home. But on the odd occasion when meat is on special and somebody offers to cook it for me, I jump on the chance.

Here are some rump steak sandwiches we made the other day. We put the steaks into ciabatta rolls with tomato chutney, maille mustard, rocket and semi-dried tomatoes. The pieces of steak were so massive they barely fit in the roll and had to be trimmed down to size. They were pretty tasty, a great range of accompaniments and really nice bread but the rump was pretty chewy and by the end my jaw was exhausted.
Still, a good meal if you feel like you are lacking in iron.

marios

2010-01-05T02:11:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like a good lunch at Marios on Brunswick Street when last night is catching up on you. On New Years Day we headed there to eat our first delicious meal of the year. While we had to line up outside before getting a table, it was definitely worth the wait when the fresh bread arrived at our tables and we loaded it with butter.

I ordered the onion and fetta tart. As you may know I love a good tart and this one did not disappoint. The texture was fluffy and the flavour light and delicious. The size of the dish was perfect on a delicate stomach and the side salad of pear and rocket was a nice fresh accompaniment.

This pasta was also delicious. With spicy sausage, a light sauce, broccoli and parmesan, you couldn't ask for a more balanced lunch.

Good times Mario, We love you!

some christmas goodness

2009-12-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

Oh la la.. Cooking at Christmas is always so fun. I love the excitement of getting everything cooked, heated and served at the right time. This year we were cooking for 13 people and it was quite the adventure! Lucky my ma is a cooking pro and she organised all the shopping and ingredients and I just got to help out for the fun bits. I managed to get some photos of some of the deliciousness.

This ham was possibly the best ham I have ever eaten. I love the tradition of eating both ham and turkey for Christmas (turf and turf) but normally I find cooked ham a little tasteless. It reminds me of chewing on a moist sponge and I find that the flavour used to baste the beast never actually seeps into the meat.

But this year the ham was jaw-dropping-ly good. The skin was removed, the meat scored and cloves were pierced into the squares. The ham was then basted frequently while cooking in a maple and brandy glaze. I think basting the ham every ten minutes or so really helped the meat to stay moist and the flavour to infuse.

With the left-over glaze I whipped up the best ever gravy (much to my mother's disgust) by adding a little cornflower, salt and pepper. EASY! Although apparently it is a Christmas miracle that it didn't turn lumpy as I didn't pre-mix the cornflower (who was to know).

I also made a mad cranberry sauce from the Donna Hay Christmas cookbook. It was super simple and was a nice change from the simple jar sauces. When I started cooking this it felt like I was making mulled wine; mixing red wine, sugar, cinnamon and star anise and boiling it down. After straining the mixture and drinking a little, I then added fresh cranberries and a jar of whole cranberry jelly and kept it over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Mmmmmmmm..

OH my gosh! I am excited even thinking about what to write about these chocolates!

They are from the Norman and Dann food store in Hobart, Tasmania. These chocolates caused a stir last year at Christmas as they were so delicious and so beautifully presented. We sat around a table cutting them into little pieces and savoring every little bite. They are amazing!! I can only hope they are our new Christmas tradition (thanks to our Tasmanians)

movida love

2009-12-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

When Jim and I were in France, we would sometimes daydream about Melbourne and what we would eat if we were there. We always regretted not having eaten at Movida before we left. We always talked about going but something else would always pop up. Finally after a year of dreaming about it we went, twice in one week, and it was amazing! I only ended up taking this one photo as I was too excited about eating to remember to take more.

This was the Wagyu steak Tartare that I ordered. I have never been good at eating a whole plate of raw meat (and normally just eat it off other people's plates) so I now see this dish as a turning point. It was so very delicious, a little bit spicy and it tasted so fresh. While in France, I tasted quite a few different steak Tartare and Movida's dish was a strong contender.

Some other stand outs from the night was the rabbit with roasted almonds, the truffle and cream served in a hollowed out egg shell and the anchovy served on croutons with a smoked tomato sorbet. Every dish that came to the table was well presented and delicious. The service was great, the atmosphere fun and while I wasn't choosing the wine, everything I drank was good. For desert, the hot chocolate ganache pudding with vanilla bean ice-cream and nougat was almost too rich but was a great dish to share.

honey joys

2009-12-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

The other day my sister taught me how to make her famous honey joys. These are such a party favourite for all ages and they are quick to make, and also to eat.

Here is how we did it...

First put 90 grams of butter in a little saucepan, then add 1/3 of a cup of sugar and a big tablespoon of honey (add more if you love honey). Heat on a medium stove until the mixture is foamy/ bubbly.

Pour the mixture over 4 cups of cornflakes and stir in well being careful not to crush the cornflakes too much. Put the mixture in muffin cups and bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Honey- joyful joyful!

mushroom and onion pies

2009-12-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

We had some left over pastry from making mince pies so we decided to make some savoury pies.

One of the most amazing things I have ever put in my mouth is the onion tart from the Brasserie Ilê Saint Louis in Paris. This tart makes my mouth drool thinking about it. It is on the entrés menu, they have probably been making it for decades and the final product is spot on. It's the perfect mix of beautifully flakey pastry with the smooth and creamy onion filling- who knew something so basic could have so much flavour?

So here is my new pie recipe in honour of the onion tart.

Chop up 3 big brown onions, brown them really slowly in a chunk of butter, cook cook cook until the onions are a light brown colour adding herbs (i used rosemary and bay leaves) as you please. Add a generous splash of red wine (probably about a cup, more if you like) and slowly simmer until the wine cooks off. Add mushrooms and then cook on for another while.

Prepare your pie oven tray, I put the pastry together in bits and bobs to make it look rustic and fun. In the bottom of each pie casing, add a small layer of bread crumbs to stop the bottom from going soggy (thanks mum for the tip) and then scoop in the filling (which hopefully is not too liquid by this stage). Add the pastry tops with some fun designs on the lids, pierce the tops with a fork, brush with some egg wash or butter and bake in the oven until the pastry is hard and golden. As the middle is already well cooked, it's just the pastry that needs to brown.

We served our pies with big steaks, mashed potato and mushy peas (which I hated until I tried them at S&M, a sausage and mash restaurant in London).

Voilà!

waffles

2009-12-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

These are the waffles I nearly didn't order because I wasn't overly hungry/ didn't want to commit to too much sugar first thing in the morning. Luckily everybody on the table, and even the waitress talked me into getting them. They were perfect! A beautiful stack of crisp waffles, sautéed banana, maple syrup, cinnamon, walnuts and a spoon of creamy marscapone to top it all off. Delicious!!

Waffle Stack
ZenZero Blue cafe
32 Best Street, cnr St Georges road, North Fitzroy.

bake-off

2009-12-06T15:15:00.000-08:00

There is something so satisfying about cooking in a clean, big, light-filled kitchen with a well stocked fridge and pantry. Since leaving home, I have never had that kind of luxury, that's why I love going home to my parents house and cooking up a storm. It's simple really, you have a flip through mum's cooking books, choose a recipe that tickles your fancy, check off the ingredients list in the well stocked pantry and away you go!

Here's what we cooked to get into the christmas spirit. This mince pie recipe was from a Donna Hay christmas book. They really turned out much better than I was expecting. They were light, yet still buttery with a nice taste of brandy. It ended up making a lot less mince pies than the recipe indicated but I think that's because a little bit of the filling ended up on ice-cream which tasted amazing!

I really loved the use of negative space for the lids, it also made the pies a lot lighter with a stronger focus on the filling rather than the pastry.

36 hours and 4 meals in paris

2009-12-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

What would you do if you were faced with two last days in Paris?
Only 36 hours and 4 meals (one of which was breakfast) to revisit all of our favourite Parisian haunts, eat delicious food, and drink good French wines. We spent many days prior to our arrival deciding where to go for our two last dinners. We love thinking/talking/dreaming of food, making this one tough decision.Do you go back to your old favourites, or try places you never had the chance to visit? Oh, stress.

So on night number one, we went for champagne in St Germain at 'Fish', a sweet little wine bar filled with expats. Then we headed to La Patache in the 10th near the Canal St Martin for apero. La Patache was one of the first places we ever went for dinner in Paris. They have a selection of wine to bowl you over, delicious picnic style food served with amazing bread and butter and a very cosy and warm atmosphere to while away long winter nights.

After our apero, it was on to Le Chateaubriand in the 11th. We had been here once before on my birthday for their deustation menu. We were blown away with the service (especially me as the waiters were all extremly handsome young French men), the quality of the food and the wines. The 4 course menu changes almost daily but is pretty much always guaranteed to make you weak at the knees with delight (all courses had either meat or fish involved, so many not great for vegetarians or fussy eaters- although their food would propably convert you).

Here is some eye candy of the deliciousness...

After a late and raucous dinner the night before we headed out in our sensible shoes to visit all of our favourite Parisian haunts one last time. Unfortunately it was a public holiday so not everything was open but we had a fantastic day rushing about in the metro, then strolling the streets. We went to Le Marche des Enfants Rouge for some Moroccan snacks (this had been a pretty good lunch spot over the year) then we went to Le Marais for our favourite felafel kebabs (at 5 euros 50 they were a staple when we first moved to Paris and didn't have jobs). Then along Le Canal and up Rue Belleville to Aux Follies for mint tea and cheap coffees. Then onto one last delicious Abraj from the Maroccan bakery (a super yum semolina sandwich type thing with mushy date filling- the perfect accompaniment with coffee for breaky).

That night, we went to the fun cocktail bar AndyWahloo (where they have Louis Vuitton leather seat covers- tres chic) for some Caipis and a catch up with friends before another spectacular dinner in Le Marais at Glou. We ate a massive Pata Negra entree, followed by perfectly cooked fish with a mandarin citrus dressing (my my I will miss how well the French cook fish) and a pretty special pecan pie for desert. More bottles of delicious wine and great service from a very handsome witer. We then squeezed in one last drink at La Perle and then headed home for 4 hours sleep before going to the airport and catching our flight back to Australia. My belly was so happy but my heart so sad.

Au revoir for now Paris,

some of my london eating

2009-11-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

Markets in London were out of control! .

We spent a great day at the Broadway markets in the cold winter sun. I was floored by the amount of wonderful looking produce and good coffee. So many young people were out enjoying the markets, having lunch, beers, coffees or enjoying the buskers. If I lived in London, this market would be a weekend must.

This was the crazy breaky I had at 'The Breakfast Club' in Angel. This huge plate was French toast with bacon, banana and maple syrup. I have long been curious about this breakfast dish and was pretty excited to try it! It was good but not great. The sheer size of the dish was a little off-putting, who needs that much anything at breakfast. It also meant that it didn't stay hot for long, and by the time I had finished eating the French toast was pretty soggy! But otherwise I was loving the banana and bacon combo, not only for the alliteration but for the fun factor or sweet and salty.

On the whole, 'The Breakfast club' was fun. Super atmosphere, great hang-over food (the boy had the mexican breakfast, amazing!) and the drinks were delicious, hence the crazy number of beverages on our table.

camping through la loire

2009-10-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

The only thing I could think of to top week one of adventures in La Loire is a second week in La Loire, but this time we got to throw in a 1977 VW Combi and a couple of fun-loving newly-weds to liven things up!

When my uncle and his girlfriend invited us camping, we had no idea that we would actually be taking part in their honeymoon. We had found out a couple of weeks earlier that the pair had eloped in the most romantic of ways in Italy. Since then, they had been traveling around Europe in luxury until our camping adventure was to begin. After we picked up the combi which we were renting for a week, we set off in a bright eyed state of excitement. Our first stop would set the food and wine standards quite high for the week with pigeon terrine, Loire valley goats cheese, saussicon and celebration bubbles from the region.

Loved our morning coffee's made on the camper's little stove..

We made the most of a beautiful night to drink Loire bubbles and watch the sun set over the river.

One of our favourite winery tours/tastings was at Bernard Baudry's. He was kind enough to open up for us, show us around and treat us with amazing French wine-maker hospitality.

This set-up was used to demonstrate the effect that the terroir can have on different wines. Bernard used this as a way to explain how wines grown on certain land can take on different flavours and textures.

Here is a little idea of how big our picnics were growing by the end of the week. We had selection down pat and I think this was my favourite picnic as we stopped and ate amongst the vines, drank freshly bottled wine and ate far too much of the amazing bakery goods, meat and vegetables that La Loire has on offer. A stand out from the picnic was a lentil salad with fetta and the goose rilletes (god only knows why it tastes so good). I think this was one of our last picnics, and probably the ultimate!

eating our way through la loire- the hotel Diderot

2009-10-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

The hotel Diderot at Chinon boasted about their 50 types of jam breakfast. As breakfast is rarely included in the price, we normally just grab a croissant on the road, but I love jam, so we thought we would splash out. Then we ended up staying another night, and as breakfast was so good the day before, we splashed out again. Here was the breakfast order of progression.

Organic apple juice, big hot pour-your-own coffees with steamed milk, yogurt with goats cheese, honey and walnuts, a big basket of baguettes, brioche and croissants, and then there were the jams. So many different jams lined the centre of all the tables in the breakfast room all sitting happily with a colourful spoon. We were advised that if we didn't like any of our flavours we were to move tables or go and swap the jams. yummmmmm

eating our way through la loire

2009-10-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

When planning our trip through the Loire in France, all we could think about was all the wonderful food and wine we would get to drink. We headed off to Angers bright eyed and excited for the next two weeks!

When we arrived in Angers we had a lazy stroll around the Angers market, a waffle drizzled with chestnut cream and take-away coffees. The market was huge with great looking produce. If only we had a kitchen we could have cooked up a dream. But we had vineyards to visit so we left Angers after a walk around town and headed to our first winery of the day, la Domaine des Baumard. A gorgeous big gate led into a maze of vines and a lovely big house. We tasted many glasses of deliciousness and left with a bottle of the loveliest wine. But more on that later.

Then we continued along la Loire, stopping in little towns for coffees or baguettes for terrine sandwiches. We had a lovely afternoon and arrived in Saumur later that day. We luckily found a hotel in town and headed out for bubbles. After a long appero, we had a lovely dinner upstairs at le cafe de la place.

We had dinner at le Café de la Place in Saumur. A vibrant a laughter filled restaurant with a good looking menu and wine list. Despite the cold we sat outside drinking Loire bubbles and contemplating what to eat.

Jim ordered Terrine. It came served in it's pot and you sliced off however much you felt like (imagine the health and safety problems this would create in Australia!!). It came with a big jar of cornichons and was possibly the nicest entree ever.

I had a fish-cake with a creamy sauce and a fresh dill. It was nice but a little sad looking compared to the Terrine.

Our third day in la Loire began in Saumur. We climbed the hill to visit the imposing castle that looks over the town. While a lot of the castle was closed for renovations, it made for a great lookout point over Saumur. After a walk through the sleepy town we headed to Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent to visit some wineries. We were in luck as Ackerman, one of the wineries, was hosting a special tasting day. Bubbles and Macaroons, these are a few of my favorite things!

A pretty lovely picnic spot where we ate baguette, pate de campagne and some fresh fruit. Yumm

After a brief over-night stop in Tours, we headed further east direction Amboise. We ended up having a delicious picnic with newly bottled wine (which tasted somewhat like cider) and goats cheese from la Loire right on the sun-drenched banks of the river.

parisian love continued

2009-10-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

I really like adventure, and change, which unfortunately means that I am leaving Paris for a little wee while. It makes me sad, Paris is so lovely and entertaining. If Paris was a boy I would marry him in the drop of a top-hat. Here's some of the stuff we did in our last few days in Paris.

3 course lunch at our favourite local cafe, 'aux petit onions' where there is always an abundance of lovely food, wine and atmosphere. Followed by a stroll down our street, and a trip onto Ile saint Louis, a little bit of Ladurée and a delicious lunch at the marché des enfants rouge...

tori does brunch

2009-09-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

Parisians go wild for brunch. For the past 4 months I have been trying to figure out how one could justify paying 25 euros for breakfast, until I actually tried one. I had just been paid, I was feeling rich and carefree and I was desperate to see what all the fuss was about.

The verdict = taste explosion.
A plate filled with adorable little dishes filled with deliciousness. The type of meal you can be eating for half an hour but still looks the same size as when you start. I am hooked!!

food in bruges

2009-08-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

Ahhh Bruges. A town full of beautiful buildings, beer and more chocolate shops than locals. Bruges is the perfect 'petit weekend' destination. At only 2 and a half hours from Paris, the town is easy to get around, pretty to look at and ridiculously easy to indulge.

I took over 300 photos while walking around the city. My eyes were bursting with the loveliness and I can't even guess how many times I annoyed Jim by grabbing his arm, swinging him around and showing him pretty windows or cute ducks. These are some of my favourites...

Not to forget all the amazing the food and the beer, we were particularly fond of chips and mayonnaise, and the waffles, and the chocolates, and chocolate coated strawberries...

and then there were the beautiful windows and houses, too many to show you now...

the ultimate picnic spot

2009-07-31T05:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know anybody who loves a picnic as much as Jim. When you say 'picnic' something in his mind starts ticking and he turns crazy with excitement. Picnics with Jim are always amazing. Their intense and manic organisation always ensures you will eat the nicest food and drink many delicious accompanying wines.

As I may have mentioned before, France is perfectly designed for picnics with its baguettes, cured meats, cheese and wine. While there is never a lack of beautiful spots to set up camp, the other night we found the ultimate picnic spot. It's in Le Parc Buttes Chaumont, which is possibly the best park I have ever been to, it has all kinds of crazy things like hills, lakes and waterfalls. When inside the park it's hard to believe you are still in Paris. As soon as I saw this spot in the park I nearly fell over with excitement. The spot was surrounded by a circle of trees, the grass was luscious and soft and we had a lovely view over another hill in the park. It was the perfect spot to set up for hours to read, play piquet and eat lots of yummy french food.

birthday love!!

2009-07-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

I love birthdays!
I don't even try to hide my excitement or anticipation for my big day.. My gentleman shares my love for my birthday which always means we have the best day. Normally I try and take the day off work to concentrate on having fun, and avoid any awkward office birthday conversation. But this year I had to work, so all the fun started at 4 with a trip to Colette and a stroll down the fancy Rue Saint Honore. Then a deliciously gourmand trip to Laduree on the Champs Elysee for macaroon deserts and champagne, then back to our quartier for a yummy French tasting menu and lots of french wine. Throw in a Tiffany box and shopping money and we have one very special day!

to market....

2009-06-28T00:44:00.000-07:00

I love a good Sunday market, it makes me happy starting the week off with a fridge full of fresh fruit and vegetables... I like looking at all the produce in France... Its funny that they don't have many pumpkins or sweet potatoes, but they have so many zucchinis, pre-cooked beetroots, giant snow-peas and radishes... yummmmmm

yummmmmmy paris!!

2009-05-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

I guess at times I can be a little fickle about my favourite foods on any given day, but I am sure these delights will stay on my top 10 (maybe 20) list of favourites for a long while to come.

La Bague de Kenza is a candy store for kids and adults alike. Their amazing display of bright, shiny and colourful sweets would make any head turn and gush in delight. While I never quite knew what I was ordering in this place you could always guarantee it would taste fantastic. I loved coming here after a few drinks or dinner and getting a few little deserts for the walk home.

As to the names of my second favourite, I am pretty sure it is called an Abraj (although every time I go into the Tunisian bakery to ask for one I still have to point and explain). The Abraj is a sweet little sandwich like square of goodness. From what I understand, it is baked semolina with a sticky mashed date filling.

I love to take my warmed up Abraj to Aux Follies and order a big cafe crème. This relaxed and cheap cafe on le Rue de Belleville is a great place for people watching and afternoon daydreaming.