"If you have a sense of caring for others, you will manifest a kind of inner strength in spite of your own difficulties and problems."
-@DalaiLama
Monday, March 15, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Kuala Lumpur's Little India
I have awful childhood memories of my mom making homemade Belgian waffles with one of those fancy wafflemakers. Yeah, you read that right. I said, awful childhood memories of a mother making what's supposed to be delicious breakfast foodstuffs for you from scratch. I don't know why but the smell when I woke up in the morning always made me nauseous as a kid. So to this day, I have a strange phobia when it comes to waffles. Every time someone has them, I do try a little bit, just to check and I actually have had no bad experiences with waffles since I was a kid. So I may actually start to enjoy them without hesitation in the next few months. I can feel it coming.
After all, I liked this waffle on KL's streets and ordered it by my own brave self.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Chicken noodle soup
I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from Kolkata, India at 11:30 p.m. local time. By the time I arrived at my hostel via bus from the budget airline terminal, it was nearly 1 a.m. It was my first trip to Asia: a solo backpacking experience I designed for myself as a brash, strong-headed kid, who recently graduated with her bachelor of journalism and wanted to taste adventure. Having tasted life in Kolkata, I was ready to call it quits, but I kept it going somehow and decided when facing defeat, I would eat.
The next morning, I set out at 9 a.m. humidity in search of food. I wasn't sure what I wanted to eat but I stuck to the rule that if the place is busy with locals, it should be good. By the end of this southeast Asia tour, I found it was the best rule I could arm myself with when it came to experiencing the authentic daily meals of every city.
Somehow I lucked out with a hostel that was located just down the street from one of the most popular food stall strips in KL. I stumbled upon a couple of fellows frying up bacon, which completely blew my mind. I thought this was supposed to be an Islamic country...
As much as bacon tempted me, the place was more of a market than a sit-down place. If they were layering those delicious pieces of fat on bread with some eggs, I would've been all over it. Instead I opted for the guy who called me over to his stand with the plastic chairs and tables set up right off the sidewalk.
I opted for what everyone else was eating -- or at least looked like they were eating: chicken noodle soup, Asian-style, of course.
It was simple, hot and dirt cheap. It was the first time I ate noodle soup for breakfast, though it's virtually common practice throughout Asia.
I felt ready for exploration.
The next morning, I set out at 9 a.m. humidity in search of food. I wasn't sure what I wanted to eat but I stuck to the rule that if the place is busy with locals, it should be good. By the end of this southeast Asia tour, I found it was the best rule I could arm myself with when it came to experiencing the authentic daily meals of every city.
Somehow I lucked out with a hostel that was located just down the street from one of the most popular food stall strips in KL. I stumbled upon a couple of fellows frying up bacon, which completely blew my mind. I thought this was supposed to be an Islamic country...
As much as bacon tempted me, the place was more of a market than a sit-down place. If they were layering those delicious pieces of fat on bread with some eggs, I would've been all over it. Instead I opted for the guy who called me over to his stand with the plastic chairs and tables set up right off the sidewalk.
I opted for what everyone else was eating -- or at least looked like they were eating: chicken noodle soup, Asian-style, of course.
It was simple, hot and dirt cheap. It was the first time I ate noodle soup for breakfast, though it's virtually common practice throughout Asia.
I felt ready for exploration.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
On hiatus.
I'm currently travelling through India and southeast Asia so I won't be updating for awhile. I may launch a new blog specifically for my trip but for now, don't expect to hear from me for a few months.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant
The first time I may have heard of Gio Rana's was way back when Christine Cushing Live still existed on the Food Network as a new show. But then again, it could've been when I was 16 and read Toronto Life's little red restaurant review book before I went to sleep at night, as if it were the best page-turning thriller novel of my life.
No matter because I will always remember the first time I actually visited and, more importantly, ate at Gio Rana's: this past Saturday night with three great, food-loving university girlfriends.
I love eating, but the experience of eating is so wonderfully enhanced when the people you're with love to share food, drink wine, talk loudly, laugh inappropriately, and don't fuss over how to split the bill when it arrives.
For appetizers, we went for grilled calamari (how could we not? $7.95), prosciutto with fig and goat cheese (so simple but tasty $6.95), and the mother of all meatballs (easily bigger than my fist yet somehow perfectly cooked inside-through-out $7.95). For main, I had bites of osso buco (sticky, sweet, warm and comforting $15.95), veal parm (saucy, meaty, hearty $??) and ordered a whole grilled seabass ($19.95) all to myself. I'm greedy, I know.
I love whole fish. This seabass was paper-thin crispy (like Korean fried chicken!) on the outside, and flaky and moist on the inside. There were some parts that were a little dry but for $20, it's hard to go wrong; especially considering the other whole fish I've had were more in the $30 range (Vertical and my regular Italian spot, Sapori at Yonge&Lawrence).
I drank a merlot and had a great cappaccino -- it's been a long time since I've had great coffee. We ended it all with a chocolate brownie in caramel sauce and berries ($7.95?), and a goat cheese cheesecake with a keylime sauce ($7.95?). I've grown away from chocolate desserts (although I still love them) and am so drawn to citrusy flavours now. So I pretty much devoured the cheesecake. I wasn't sure how I would like the goat-cheesiness, and I loved.
Service was amicable and attentive enough (except with the bill, but we were okay to linger). Place was busy, loud, conversational, dim with candlelight and all woods. Table too small for all of our foodiness.
I'm still having dreams about the meal.
No matter because I will always remember the first time I actually visited and, more importantly, ate at Gio Rana's: this past Saturday night with three great, food-loving university girlfriends.
I love eating, but the experience of eating is so wonderfully enhanced when the people you're with love to share food, drink wine, talk loudly, laugh inappropriately, and don't fuss over how to split the bill when it arrives.
For appetizers, we went for grilled calamari (how could we not? $7.95), prosciutto with fig and goat cheese (so simple but tasty $6.95), and the mother of all meatballs (easily bigger than my fist yet somehow perfectly cooked inside-through-out $7.95). For main, I had bites of osso buco (sticky, sweet, warm and comforting $15.95), veal parm (saucy, meaty, hearty $??) and ordered a whole grilled seabass ($19.95) all to myself. I'm greedy, I know.
I love whole fish. This seabass was paper-thin crispy (like Korean fried chicken!) on the outside, and flaky and moist on the inside. There were some parts that were a little dry but for $20, it's hard to go wrong; especially considering the other whole fish I've had were more in the $30 range (Vertical and my regular Italian spot, Sapori at Yonge&Lawrence).
I drank a merlot and had a great cappaccino -- it's been a long time since I've had great coffee. We ended it all with a chocolate brownie in caramel sauce and berries ($7.95?), and a goat cheese cheesecake with a keylime sauce ($7.95?). I've grown away from chocolate desserts (although I still love them) and am so drawn to citrusy flavours now. So I pretty much devoured the cheesecake. I wasn't sure how I would like the goat-cheesiness, and I loved.
Service was amicable and attentive enough (except with the bill, but we were okay to linger). Place was busy, loud, conversational, dim with candlelight and all woods. Table too small for all of our foodiness.
I'm still having dreams about the meal.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Meatless Days continue, just maybe not always Monday
I'm still doing Meatless Mondays but I'm done trying to document them. It hasn't turned out to be the grand cooking experiment I had hoped but it has made me more mindful of my eating.
Last week, I ate some of my brother's deli sandwich on Monday, again, forgetting what I was doing just because food was in front of me.
So this week, I couldn't go meatless on Monday but I did Tuesday and today. And I didn't miss meat either days. I think that's a huge improvement from when I started actively challenging my regular habits two months ago.
I'm not sure what my "ultimate" goal is, but I know as time progresses, I will continue to lessen my meat intake. I still expect meat to be a regular part of my diet but I hope to change the frequency.
Last week, I ate some of my brother's deli sandwich on Monday, again, forgetting what I was doing just because food was in front of me.
So this week, I couldn't go meatless on Monday but I did Tuesday and today. And I didn't miss meat either days. I think that's a huge improvement from when I started actively challenging my regular habits two months ago.
I'm not sure what my "ultimate" goal is, but I know as time progresses, I will continue to lessen my meat intake. I still expect meat to be a regular part of my diet but I hope to change the frequency.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Torito Tapas Bar
It took nearly two months but the fine Twitter foodie dinner for four finally happened.
One is vegetarian, does eat eggs and cheese. Another rules out pork because of religion. The third is wildly (my word) allergic to mushrooms (but luckily not truffles). And the final will eat anything in sight that is edible. Can you guess which one is me?
Individually, the food restrictions aren't that challenging but together I thought it may pose a problem since we were doing tapas, sharing-style. But it turned out to be an excellently executed ordering of various food stuffs: Spanish tortilla of egg and potato, roasted beet salad with goat cheese and lentils, chickpea stew, quail with sweet potato mash and a pomegranate glaze, and grilled sardines with a romano bean-parsley salad. For dessert, churros and an almond cake. Oh, and a hard-hitting Spanish red wine from the Rioja region.
No pictures. Despite the mass food blog-iness of the table, we were too busy enjoying one another's company and the very, very good food.
First time tapas, first time real Spanish food (aside from chorizo sausage and Iberico jamon) for me. I can say confidently all dishes were a great mix of simple but intense flavours. If something was supposed to be light, it was light. If it was supposed to be warm and comforting, it most definitely was. And I think four is definitely the perfect tapas number. We evenly split the bill at $35 each (including tip) and I think we all walked away with satisfied stomachs.
Plus the space is very nice -- warm and inviting, and service is pretty good. Restaurant got quite busy after 8, and unexpectedly loud so it became difficult to hear conversation from across the table. May have needed more wine.
Overall, in conclusion, hurray for food&drink&city lovers! :)
One is vegetarian, does eat eggs and cheese. Another rules out pork because of religion. The third is wildly (my word) allergic to mushrooms (but luckily not truffles). And the final will eat anything in sight that is edible. Can you guess which one is me?
Individually, the food restrictions aren't that challenging but together I thought it may pose a problem since we were doing tapas, sharing-style. But it turned out to be an excellently executed ordering of various food stuffs: Spanish tortilla of egg and potato, roasted beet salad with goat cheese and lentils, chickpea stew, quail with sweet potato mash and a pomegranate glaze, and grilled sardines with a romano bean-parsley salad. For dessert, churros and an almond cake. Oh, and a hard-hitting Spanish red wine from the Rioja region.
No pictures. Despite the mass food blog-iness of the table, we were too busy enjoying one another's company and the very, very good food.
First time tapas, first time real Spanish food (aside from chorizo sausage and Iberico jamon) for me. I can say confidently all dishes were a great mix of simple but intense flavours. If something was supposed to be light, it was light. If it was supposed to be warm and comforting, it most definitely was. And I think four is definitely the perfect tapas number. We evenly split the bill at $35 each (including tip) and I think we all walked away with satisfied stomachs.
Plus the space is very nice -- warm and inviting, and service is pretty good. Restaurant got quite busy after 8, and unexpectedly loud so it became difficult to hear conversation from across the table. May have needed more wine.
Overall, in conclusion, hurray for food&drink&city lovers! :)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Apple Tarts
I adore the new cookbook Earth to Table, written by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann, head chef and head pastry chef at the Ancaster Old Mill, respectively.
Jeff and Bettina (I feel like I can call them by their first names because we're Twitter buddies; follow them @Earth_to_Table) are huge advocates of using local, seasonal produce. I love that the cookbook is divided into seasons -- after I finished the intro, I skipped right to fall.
The book is very beautiful and inspiring. The recipes are easy to follow and things like duck confit and fennel pork loin have never seemed so accessible before! But those heavy mains require more time and focus so I decided to start small with apple tarts this past Thanksgiving weekend.
The first batch on Monday didn't turn out like the cookbook's photo, and when I later tweeted about it, @Earth_to_Table told me to bake it longer till golden and crispy. So for my next batch today, I did exactly like that. And they were much better! Definitely crispy.
L: First batch of apple tarts; R: second batch
Jeff and Bettina (I feel like I can call them by their first names because we're Twitter buddies; follow them @Earth_to_Table) are huge advocates of using local, seasonal produce. I love that the cookbook is divided into seasons -- after I finished the intro, I skipped right to fall.
The book is very beautiful and inspiring. The recipes are easy to follow and things like duck confit and fennel pork loin have never seemed so accessible before! But those heavy mains require more time and focus so I decided to start small with apple tarts this past Thanksgiving weekend.
The first batch on Monday didn't turn out like the cookbook's photo, and when I later tweeted about it, @Earth_to_Table told me to bake it longer till golden and crispy. So for my next batch today, I did exactly like that. And they were much better! Definitely crispy.
L: First batch of apple tarts; R: second batch
They still didn't look like the photo in the cookbook though. I think I'm piling the apples too high, and the apple slices may be too big. The butter doesn't drip on to the pastry to make it as golden as I think it should be.
Anyway, I give myself an A for effort, and maybe a B- for execution? It was fun and easy to make. I haven't baked anything in a long time and it's always fun trying something new, even if it's not exactly as gorgeous and tasty as it is in your head.
I'm sure Jeff and Bettina's apple tarts are much better than mine. :)
Anyway, I give myself an A for effort, and maybe a B- for execution? It was fun and easy to make. I haven't baked anything in a long time and it's always fun trying something new, even if it's not exactly as gorgeous and tasty as it is in your head.
I'm sure Jeff and Bettina's apple tarts are much better than mine. :)
Friday, October 2, 2009
Throwndown at Mesa Grill: Winner?
Sunday Brunch: Mesa Grill (102 5th Avenue, www.mesagrill.com/newyorkcity)
I love Bobby Flay. I really do. I get that some people aren't over the standing-on-cutting-board Iron Chef original fiasco, and some never see him ever lose on Throwdown, but he cooks so damn well. Every time one of his Food Network shows ends with the black screen and writing of him owning Mesa Grill, I always think to myself or say out loud, "I want to eat at Mesa Grill." And so I did.
Here's the thing: Even though I hyped it in my head from television, reading scores and scores of New York Times dining reviews, made me realize I was going there for the food, yes, but for the star power as well. Just as I did at Morimoto in Philadelphia. But whereas Morimoto lived up to his name (I met him there after all!), Mesa Grill did not.
The decor seemed strange. Kind of cheap and tacky actually with the fake flames overhead to ... do what ... ? Give a southwestern theme? I felt like I was in Calgary. Service was pleasant but oddly hurried for a relatively non-busy Sunday brunch/lunch hour.
We ordered fresh juice to start. It was great. Very fresh. For $4.50 (all prices in USD). Is that really how much fresh juice costs?
The bread basket was an interesting mix of sweet raisin breads, which were really more like cakes, and little jalapeno scones. For entree, I saw a server carrying Bobby's version of eggs benedict, which I had to have -- two poached eggs on top of cajun chicken with sweet potatoes in an ancho chile hollandaise sauce ($14). It was very filling. And everything was cooked nicely -- egg perfect consistency of runniess; chicken & sweet potatoes tender; hollandaise sauce velvety. But midway through, everything started coming out too sweet, which I thought was weird for a dish that really, seems like it should be more spicy.
It was nice to go, and the meal did it job, and the prices were not too bad, but I couldn't help feel I missed an opportunity to discover a local New York gem of a Sunday brunch place.
I love Bobby Flay. I really do. I get that some people aren't over the standing-on-cutting-board Iron Chef original fiasco, and some never see him ever lose on Throwdown, but he cooks so damn well. Every time one of his Food Network shows ends with the black screen and writing of him owning Mesa Grill, I always think to myself or say out loud, "I want to eat at Mesa Grill." And so I did.
Here's the thing: Even though I hyped it in my head from television, reading scores and scores of New York Times dining reviews, made me realize I was going there for the food, yes, but for the star power as well. Just as I did at Morimoto in Philadelphia. But whereas Morimoto lived up to his name (I met him there after all!), Mesa Grill did not.
The decor seemed strange. Kind of cheap and tacky actually with the fake flames overhead to ... do what ... ? Give a southwestern theme? I felt like I was in Calgary. Service was pleasant but oddly hurried for a relatively non-busy Sunday brunch/lunch hour.
We ordered fresh juice to start. It was great. Very fresh. For $4.50 (all prices in USD). Is that really how much fresh juice costs?
The bread basket was an interesting mix of sweet raisin breads, which were really more like cakes, and little jalapeno scones. For entree, I saw a server carrying Bobby's version of eggs benedict, which I had to have -- two poached eggs on top of cajun chicken with sweet potatoes in an ancho chile hollandaise sauce ($14). It was very filling. And everything was cooked nicely -- egg perfect consistency of runniess; chicken & sweet potatoes tender; hollandaise sauce velvety. But midway through, everything started coming out too sweet, which I thought was weird for a dish that really, seems like it should be more spicy.
It was nice to go, and the meal did it job, and the prices were not too bad, but I couldn't help feel I missed an opportunity to discover a local New York gem of a Sunday brunch place.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Sick on Meatless Monday, Week 6
I went to Montreal last weekend to visit my sister Martha. My eldest sister Marie came as well with her husband Georges and their son Raja, but they drove while I took the train. We basically spent the whole of Saturday eating. (What else is new, right?) But throughout Saturday, my slightly Friday-morning sore throat blew up to a full-scale hacking cough with runny nose and I felt absolutely horrible by night dessert time.
On Monday morning, back in Toronto, I woke up, got ready for work, and realized what a very foolish idea that was. I sent some work off, crawled back into bed and prayed that my body wouldn't feel like an anvil had smooshed me.
Lacking energy and taste buds (my mouth felt like sandpaper...), I made plain congee with... you guessed it... frozen peas! And ginger-honey tea, with real ginger and honey.
I felt better but my head still hurt and a 3-hour nap following didn't really cure it.
On Monday morning, back in Toronto, I woke up, got ready for work, and realized what a very foolish idea that was. I sent some work off, crawled back into bed and prayed that my body wouldn't feel like an anvil had smooshed me.
Lacking energy and taste buds (my mouth felt like sandpaper...), I made plain congee with... you guessed it... frozen peas! And ginger-honey tea, with real ginger and honey.
I felt better but my head still hurt and a 3-hour nap following didn't really cure it.
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