Eat Out - DiMattina's (Italian)

Day 89

Dinner was at DiMattina's for Italian food. It's a mid-range restaurant that was crowded. Reservations was made for 10 at 7.30pm but everyone was late except the 4 of us (Shenton, Jiaqi, Mr Tan and Moi). We were happy to be there as it was warm and we were so tired after a long day in the rain.

I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana ($25.90) and Mr Tan had Angus T-bone ($39). The 3 of them also ordered Oysters Kilpatrick ($29.90). The oysters tasted ordinary and was small in size. Not worth the money at all. The ones that we buy from Queen Vic Market are so much bigger and fresher.

The portion for the Chicken Parmigiana and Angus T-bone was huge. It could be easier shared between 2 people. As usual, I couldn't finish my portion but Mr Tan was too full after his 400g of T-bone. Jiaqi had fish and she commented that it was overcooked and was hard. Mr Tan paid for the oysters and in total, we spent $95 for dinner. Expensive and nothing impressive. We will not return to this place. There are plenty of other choices along Lygon and I'm sure we can find cheaper and nicer restaurants there.

Eat Out - Max Brenner Cafe (Hot Choco & Dessert)

Day 89

After leaving Flemington, we decided to go QV as Jiaqi wanted to go Mango to buy a dress that she saw. There was a 25% discount on all dresses and she has to get that dress. It was raining and cold. So after buying the dress, we went for Hot Chocolate at Max Brenner Cafe.

Max Brenner has stores worldwide and it actually has 2 stores back home but I have never visited them. Haha. Mr Tan and I ordered Dark Hot Chocolate in Hug Mugs ($5.50) and Chocolate Souffle ($11) while Shenton and Jiaqi ordered Suckao ($6.50) and Chocolate Cinnamon Babka ($6.50). 

The Suckao is unique and it is the first time I see it. According to Max Brenner's website, a suckao is the espresso of all choclolate drinks - a small, dense and concentrated chocolate. Suck - to draw the dense liquid through the metal straw and Kakao - The spanish word for cocoa beans from which this pure, rich drink is made and determine its quality.

The Hot Chocolate came in Hug Mugs that are also unique to Max Brenner. The mugs are specially designed for hugging in both hands, to create the experience of cosiness, warmth and fragrance. It feels so good to hold the mug in the cold!

The Chocolate Souffle was SINFUL with the warm melted chocolate centre. Yummmmmmmmmmmy! The chocolate was smooth and thick. So sinful that I will only allow myself to have it once a month. If only they have sofa seats there, it will be my fave hangout. I don't like to sit on stools. Perhaps it is their way to ensure that we don't hog their seats. Hmm...

Eat Out - E C Pot Cafe (Claypot)

Day 88

Friday is Eat Out Day. We decided to try E C Pot Cafe at QV Market. I read the online reviews and apparently it's quite a nice and popular place. Saldy, it was not a satisfactory meal. I ordered Black Pepper Chicken with rice ($10.40) and Mr Tan ordered Hainanese Chicken Rice ($11.80). 

The complimentary soup came first. It was Pork Ribs with Carrots Soup. It tasted alright but was there was too much MSG in it. When my dish came, I was disappointed. The black pepper sauce wasn't strong and lacking in taste. The rice was hot but there was no dark sauce or any seasoning on it. Perhaps I was expecting too much. It was nothing like the claypot rice that we have back home. Mr Tan's dish came after 15 minutes. Apparently they need to steam the chicken and that takes time. The soy sauce for the chicken was too salty, no sesame oil or any other seasoning for the chicken. The chilli was sweet.

We won't be going back for sure. I could have spend the $20 at Dessert House for a better meal.

 

 

Victoria Derby Day

Day 89

Breakfast

Finally the day is here! Victoria Derby Day - the day that we are going to do what the Ah Peks at Kranji do every weekend - horse betting. We were supposed to meet Jiaqi and Shenton at 11am to go to Flemington, the race grounds, but at 1045am, Jiaqi called to say they were not ready and told us to go ahead and meet the rest of the group first. Well, we weren't ready too. We haven't had breakfast so we told them we will wait for them to go together. Finally, we left our place at 12 and it started to rain! Luckily, I managed to squeeze the long umbrella into my bag and it certainly came in very handy today.

We took the train to the Flemington, thinking that the rest of the group should be there already but.....they were late too! So we were stranded at the entrance with no tickets. The rain started to get heavier and it really dampened everyone's spirits. 

When we finally entered the race grounds, it was CROWDED. Probably because of the rain, everyone was hiding under the shelters. We had to squeeze through the crowd to get to our seats and when we got there, we saw that our seats were taken! These people were sitting there without tickets. They are simply hopping around the free seats and when we told them these are our seats, they didn't even apologise! Rude!

The seats were good. We were sheltered from the rain and we were right next to the finishing line! Brillant! It was time to get drinks and food. Mr Tan was hungry. Haha. But first, we need to bet! How can we checked Derby Day off our to-do list without betting? We looked at the table, went through the names of the horses and the odds and just whacked. No analysis of the form of the horses, no tips, just bet.

With the bet in hand, we were just like the Ah Peks. Standing, shouting and gesturing as the horses ran. It was exciting. And it felt great to see the number of your horses flashed on the big screen! Money, money, money! Shenton, Jiaqi and us were the only ones who won money at the end of the day. Lucky us! The rest of the group lost all their bets. Jasmine - Claypot! Haha.

After 5 bottles of champagne and an additional $30 in our pockets, it was time to leave. Although I had to shout to be heard, although we had to chase the rude people away, although the rain was a nuisance, although it was wet and cold, I still enjoyed myself today! Perhaps it was the champagne, perhaps it was the winnings or perhaps it was the company. Although we were super tired, both Mr Tan and I enjoyed ourselves today! :)

 

 

 

 

Our Winnings!

Handphones Galore

Day 88

TGIF! It's Friday again! The weekend is here~

Good news! Mr Tan received a new iphone4 from his company and subscription is paid by the company too! If we knew this was coming, we wouldn't have to get 2 phone lines and we could have save some money. So now, we have 2 iPhones, 1 Nokia71, 1 Blackberry, 1 HTC and 1 Sony Ericsson. Woa, 6 phones for 2 people. Handphones Galore!

The plan now, is for me to use Mr Tan's iphone while he uses the iphone given by the company and the nokia71. He will be having 2 phones, just like back home. I am using a Touchscreen phone afterall. Presenting our phones!

 

 

 

 

My $20 Dress for Derby Day

Day 87

Melbourne Cup Carnival is one the most important event here and Melbourne Cup Day which falls on the first Tuesday in November is a public holiday! It is Australia's most famous Tuesday where everyone is given the day off to watch horse racing!

We bought tickets for the Victoria Derby Day as it is not as expensive as Melbourne Cup itself and yet we can join in the carnival. It is a dress-up day and shops here stock items for the carnival. Dresses, hats, fascinators, heels, manicure and hair services, etc. It is like THE event of the year. All these fuss to watch horse racing? I seriously don't understand.

Anyway, I got my dresses to be sent over but they are in the wrong colours! According to the other girls, I need to follow the black and white dress code or I will look odd. I wanted to wear a floral dress, colourful and fun but apparently it's a no-no. I only had 1 black dress and that is too loose on the top. To wear it, I need to buy a strapless bra and a belt. That would cost me $50. I reckon I might as well spend that money on a new dress. So, I went dress hunting with that budget.

And, I found a $20 dress! Haha. Of course, the quality is not good and the material is so thin that I need to wear a slip inside. But who cares? It's only $20. Moreover, no need to worry about the dress sliding down due to my insufficient top mass! The only thing that worries me is that the weather forecast for that day is rainy and the temperature is only 17 degrees. It is supposed to be Spring, not winter! I want the sun! I don't want to be shivering.

 

Mother, 生日快乐！

＊我送的花＊

Day 85

今天是Mother的生日，希望Mother身体健康，心想事成，工作顺利，笑口常开！

每年我和弟弟都为了Mother的生日礼物伤脑筋。我妈不是Aunty,她是家里最有钱的人。她是工作狂，工作往往比我们重要。她不喜欢便宜的东西，注重衣着打扮，我和弟弟称她为贵妇。她对手机，相机或任何家庭用品都没兴趣。以前每次都会说买LV给她，但总是没钱。现在她有三个LV了，都是我买的！哈哈。还能买什么？ 

买机票让妈妈出国旅行，放松心情，享受一下！

但妈妈是工作狂，如果她走不开，不但浪费机票，还会挨骂。

让妈妈去个Makeover,让造型师帮妈妈打扮打扮，拍些漂漂亮亮的照片留念！
但妈妈得抽空去，如果工作忙，走不开，又得挨骂。

据“可靠消息”说，妈妈想买手表，没想到妈妈想买的那只手表是有五根火柴的。明明已经有一只了，现在想Upgrade。这个我真的没钱。..超贵！超贵！也只有那“可靠消息”有钱买，我就等看他何时会买给Mother。。哈哈。。

和弟弟商量了很多天，终于，决定了。。。就买贵妇用的保养品！昨晚弟弟说他会在凌晨12点回家，祝Mother生日快乐，不知道他有没有买蛋糕。我订了花和礼物送到Mother的公司，要给她一个Surprise！希望Mother会喜欢！生日快乐！

谢谢弟弟昨晚特地买了礼物和蛋糕，在凌晨12点时，给了妈妈一个惊喜。。好棒！
谢谢小妹, 小姑和姑妈特地到家里陪妈妈过生日。。谢谢你们。。
因为有你们，爸妈才不会寂寞。。
因为有你们，我的世界充满了爱。。。

好想念大家。。。。。。

Sunday's Lunch

Day 83

Mr Tan wanted to cook lunch for me on Sunday and surprise me when I wake up. But before he could even start cooking, I woke up! Haha. Lunch was Fried Bee Hoon and Curry Chicken. We are going to try another curry paste after our last success. Mr Tan had all the ingredients ready. He had sliced the cabbage, carrots and mushrooms, shredded the pork, soaked the bee hoon and cleaned the chicken. We wanted to cook the curry for lunch the dinner and our pot was too small for it. It was too squeezy for 2 Maryland Chicken, 6 Chicken Wings and 2 Potatoes. Time to get a bigger pot!

Mr Tan actually looked up the net for Bee Hoon recipe but he didn't follow it closely. 1 can of 红烧排骨 was meant for 200g of Bee Hoon but he soaked 300g of it and the stock was too little for that much of Bee Hoon. Also, there was not enough ingredients. I like my Bee Hoon to have lots of ingredients! But still, thank you Mr Tan for the sweet gesture! ♥

 

Verdict: It was like having a buffet. Bee Hoon with curry chicken! Familiar taste...

Oh, he helped to clean the toilet too! For the first time since we moved here and I certainly hope it won't be the last time! :)

Gin's Kitchen - Sambal Kangkung

Day 82

Today I tried cooking Sambal Kangkung and I realised that it takes a while for kangkung to be cooked. I thought it would be cooked fast but when I first dished them out, Mr Tan commented that they tasted a little uncooked. So I returned them to the wok and try to cook it again. I used Sambal Belacan paste and luckily, the paste didn't taste too bad. At least it was spicy but something is missing. The taste just isn't complete. I still have kangkung in my fridge. Perhaps I should buy some dried shrimp for my next attempt.

Sambal Kangkung
Ingredient:
- Kangkung
- Garlic
- Sambal Paste

Gin's Kitchen - 干烧虾

Day 84

I love prawns! I must cook prawns every week and I am running out of ideas about how to cook them. I found this 干烧虾 recipe and decided to try it out. The recipe looks really easy but it is easier said than done! Blame it on my limited cooking skills. I added too much butter and the butter taste was too strong. I also added too much chilli padi and I became "Jolie" after the meal. Haha.

干烧虾

Ingredients
- Prawns
- 1 Onion (diced)
- 1 Garlic (chopped)
- 1Chilli Padi (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon butter (I am not going to add this the next time I try cooking this)
- Black pepper
- Soy sauce
- Shaoxing wine
- Sesame oil
- Corn flour
- Salt
- Sugar

1) Marinate the prawns with sesame oil, shaoxing wine, salt, pepper, soy sauce and corn flour
2) Add diced onions, garlic and chilli padi to hot oil and fry till fragrant
3) Reduce heat to medium-low and add butter (not too much!)
4) Now add in the prawns. Pan fry them for 2-3 mins.
5) Add light soy sauce, black pepper, sugar and shaoxing wine
Done!

I am going to try and cook Assam prawns this week. I am falling in love with Assam sauce! ♥

Another First - Snip, Snip, Snip!

Day 82

Another first for us!

Mr Tan went to a cheap hair salon for a $10 haircut. It cost $15 for ladies and I was very tempted by the price to get my hair trimmed there. I went in with Mr Tan as I wanted to observe the hairdressers before taking the plunge. First thing I notice, only men get their hair cut there. As we waited for his turn, there were another 5 men who entered the salon. No women at all. Then, I observed how they cut the hair. Rough, impatient and no sense of pride. No way am I going to sit in that chair. Luckily Mr Tan's hair turned out fine. I am trying hard to get him to change his hair parting. Haha. He said he is too lazy to style his hair but I think he looks nicer if he change his parting. Right?

After shopping, I was really tempted to cut my hair. It is getting long and boring. I was struggling. Since we are going home in Dec, should I wait 2 more months and get my hair cut by my trusted hairdresser? Or should I try out the hairdresser here? In the end, I succumbed to temptation. I msged Jiaqi and asked her for a recommendation. She recommended Sui Hair Salon, in Chinatown. I went there and saw that it cost $50 for a haircut! OMG! Expensive! I wanted to walk away then Mr Tan said, "Isn't this the same price you pay for a haircut back home? Just cut la." We went in and we had to wait. I was still struggling. Should I? Should I not? I can still leave. In the end, we stayed and I got my hair cut by a Korean hairdresser called Khai. He was nice. Gentle and gave advice with his limited English. I wanted to cut a thick fringe but he said I was more suited for a thinner one. He is the first hairdresser I met who didn't want to trim too much of my hair. He said he prefer me with long or short hair, not medium length. So either I let him cut it short, or otherwise he will just trim the length. He also proposed more layers and I agreed. So snip, snip, snip. It was fast. I was done in half an hour.

My hair looks pretty much the same except for my fringe. I don't think it was $50 well spent but it was an experience. I came home and googled. There are other Jap and Korean hairdressers and they are cheaper! Argh. Stupid me. Should have done my homework before taking the plunge. Lesson learnt.

Eat Out - Dumplings Plus

Day 82

After a long day of shopping and 2 haircuts, it's dinner time!

Dumplings Plus wasn't crowded and we got a table immediately. I wasn't really hungry but I need to reward Mr Tan with some food as he went shopping with me today! haha. We ordered 招牌炒饭 ($8)，Deep Fried Drumlets ($6) and Handmade Pork Dumplings in Chilli Oil ($8). I read the reviews and many said these dumplings are good. The dumplings come in 15pcs! So no more food unless I can finish everything.

As we waited for our food, the warning signs of bad food started to appear. The angmohs! Apparently, any restaurant that is popular with angmohs is tantamount to bad food. I was crossing my fingers.

First to arrive was the Handmade Pork Dumplings in Chilli Oil. The skin was thick but not hard or chewy. I thought they tasted good, especially with the vinegar. I miss vinegar! Then came the 招牌炒饭. This is too salty but they are generous with the ingredients. Finally came the pathetic deep fried drumlets. $6 for 3 tiny drumlets! The dumplings and rice aren't expensive and I thought it was pretty good value for money. I will certainly be coming here the next time I have cravings for dumplings unless i can find a cheaper place.

Verdict:

Handmade Pork Dumplings in Chilli Oil - Yes!

招牌炒饭 - Probably not. Will try the 四川担担面 next time

Deep Fried Drumlets - NEVER! Not value for money at all!