♥ Sweet ♥

Day 182

I got a package from Singapore! No prizes for guessing who the sender is. Yes, it is from my beloved, handsome and charming brother (or so he claims). He tried his best to keep it from me but he couldn't resist it last week and finally asked if I received anything in my mail. Nothing, until Friday when the collection receipt finally arrived.

I went to the post office today to pick it up and I was really excited. Chocolates? CNY cookies? Ba Gua? Pineapple tarts? What exactly did he send? Well, well, well, it was something more exciting and totally totally awesome!

谢谢老弟的礼物！我超开心！超超超超超级开心！

会唱歌的男人，
会作词作曲的男人，
会弹吉他的男人，
会玩贝斯的男人，
会打鼓的男人，
有时认真，有时可爱，常常很帅的男人，
他们是五月天 - 我最爱的五月天。

在我孤单时，他们唱歌陪着我，
在我难过时，他们唱歌安慰我，
在我开心时，他们唱歌与我同欢!
我期待我们下一次的约会..希望很快就能见到你们!

♥ 我的最爱 ♥

Gin's Kitchen - Mini Cupcakes

Day 180

It is official. Today is the HOTTEST day in our 180 days here. 37.5 degrees at this moment and it could have shot up to 40 degrees, according to the weather forecast. Hot, hot, hot! The sun was so strong that you can feel it burning your skin as you walk in the sun.

We missed Sabrina's party yesterday as we were both feeling a little under the weather. My cramps were killing me and Mr Tan was having the runs. To make up for it, I decided to surprise her with some mini cupcakes.

The chocolate cake mix mixed really quickly with the water and oil and my automatic "blender" aka TCL finished the job in no time. The mini cupcakes were so cute and I really like the colourful cups - the main reason why I bought the premix. Haha. 

After putting them into the oven for 15 minutes, they were done! But I think I baked them for too long and the cupcakes turned out to be too dry and too hard. For the icing, I followed the instructions to add 3 teaspoons of water but it was still a little too powdery and thus I added another 2 teaspoons to make it smoother. Despite that, the icing was neither smooth nor moist and it didn't harden. The chocolate rice wasn't the smooth and oil-coated ones that I'm used to having and of course, I added my fave nuts.
 

My automatic "blender"

End result: Edible cupcakes but I'm not sure if I still want to give them to Sabrina as a surprise. It might still be a surprise, but I'm not sure if it will be a nice surprise. Haha.

Eat Out - Chillipadi

Day 180

Woke up at 12 but only managed to leave the house around 130. I have no idea what took us so long to be ready. I thought I was all ready by 1230 but somehow we weren't and by the time we got to the city, it was nearly 2. I wanted to go QV market to buy seafood but we had not had lunch. I decided to bring Mr Tan to a new place to try its Laksa. According to delaksa.com (a site that reviews laksa from various eateries), Chillipadi's version is highly recommended. It got 8/10.

When we got there, we couldn't find Chillipadi. We walked past it and didn't even know it. There was no sign at its entrance! But you can see the name very clearly along the walkway and the second time we walked past it, Mr Tan said, I think this is it. I looked at the window and there it is, the name "chillipadi".

It wasn't crowded and the waitress was very prompt in bringing us water. I like it when water is being served automatically. As we sat down, we could smell curry and Mr Tan was "seduced" by it and decided to have malaysian curry chicken ($11.95) while I ordered chicken laska ($11.95). 

 

It took about 10 minutes for the food to arrive and Mr Tan was already grumbling how it can take so long to cook 2 dishes. Luckily, the curry chicken was yum! The papadum was bigger than his face. Haha. The curry was thick and the chicken was all meat, no bones. It look small but it was actually very filling. I found the curry very flavourful but a little too salty but the most important thing is, Mr Tan enjoyed it. (no more grumbling)

My chicken laksa was HUGE. I love the fact that it had lots of veggies! Coriander, bean sprouts and shredded cucumber. You don't get coriander and shredded cucumber normally but I love coriander so I'm not complaining. I only managed to finish half of it and I was already full. The gravy was alright, not too watery and not oily. I think I prefer the one from Chatterbox, a little more flavour and a little more spicy and cheaper too.

I did like the fact that Chillipadi is clean, isn't crowded and is one of the few places that I can eat as slowly as I wish.

Eat Out - TGI Fridays

Day 179

Sabrina's birthday falls on 31 January and we headed out for dinner tonight to celebrate her Big 30! Been cracking my brain to think of what to get her and finally decided on buying her something from Mango. Supposed to go QV market today but 大姨妈 came to visit and she brought cramps with her. Was feeling so uncomfortable the whole day but still dragged myself out as I really needed to get something for Sabrina. Finally bought a scarf for her from Mango and we headed to TGI Friday's for her birthday dinner.

It was not crowded when we reached there at about 715 and we got a table immediately. Both Sabrina and I wanted to try the Jack Daniel's Pork Ribs ($34.95) as they look so damn good in the picture. Mr Tan ordered his steak and onion rings ($30.95). It took a while for the food to arrive and the portion was huge.

 

The pork ribs were disappointing. The kitchen did a shabby job at grilling the ribs. Ribs that are well grilled are soft and juicy. But the ones we had were dry and firm. Both Sabrina and I had a hard time trying to get the meat off. This was supposed to be their famous Jack Daniel's ribs and it was stated on the menu that they will be cooked to fall-off-the-bone tender. Rubbish. Also, other than sweetness, there was no other taste to speak of. The ribs that I had from Meat and Wine Co. are way superior than this. I don't eat steak so can't comment about Mr Tan's food.

We ordered 3 desserts to share, New York Cheesecake ($11.95), Chocolate Malted Turtle ($10.95) and Brownie Obsession ($11.95). The first time we came TGI Friday's for desserts, we were absolutely blown away by Brownie Obession and Friday's Outrageous. Sadly, the desserts failed to impress us today. The serving for the cheesecake was small and the tiny strawberry was pathetic. The cheesecake wasn't smooth and I couldn't really taste the cheese in it.

The Chocolate Malted Turtle wasn't nice. It said there are 3 layers of choco fudge cake, but I could only taste chocolate cake, where are the 3 layers?? The malt was too sweet and after a while, I only ate the ice cream.

Finally the Brownie Obession. The only dessert that tasted alright. Not sure if we were affected by the alcohol the first time we were here, but the desserts that we had that night were really yummy. Tonight's desserts simply didn't make the cut. 

Though the food was disappointing, the company was great. This is the first part of Sabrina's birthday celebrations, we are having a surprise party for her tomorrow! I'm so excited about it! 

Gin's Kitchen - 卤面 (Lor Mee)

Day 178

 

卤面 is one of our fave food. I love anything with vinegar and 卤面 is one of those food that allows me to add lots of vinegar to it! 我就是爱吃醋...

Tonight's dinner is 卤面. I haven't been surfing the net for new recipes due to my Funshion addiction. I have cooked Braised Pork Belly before and Mr Tan commented that if I can cook that, I can cook 卤面 too. So I decided to try it out. Luckily, it turned out well as tonight's dinner is a one-meal dinner. If I fail, that means no dinner. Haha.

Ingredients  
1 Pork Belly
3 hard boiled eggs
Fish cake
Bean Sprouts
Beking Noodles

Soup
1 Knorr chicken cube
2 litres of water
4 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
6 tablespoons of light soy sauce
4 teaspoons of sugar
6 garlics
slices of ginger
1 egg (beaten)

Thickening
200ml of water
6 heaped teaspoons of corn starch

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. 
2. Blanch fish cake, bean sprouts and set them aside. 
3. Add Beking noodles to the pot and cook it for 20 seconds. Remove and set aside. 
4. Add 3 eggs to the pot of boiling water for 1 minute and turn the heat off. Cover the pot for about 20 minutes for the egg to be cooked. Remove the eggs and peel off the shell.

5. Add 2 litres of water to a pot. Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger slices. Stir well and once it boils, add the pork belly and hard boiled eggs.
6. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes.
7. Remove the pork belly and eggs and set them aside. 
8. Discard the garlic and ginger.

 9. Add the thickening slowly and keep stirring until the soup thickens.
10. Once the soup has thicken, stir in the beaten egg.
11. Pour the soup on the noodles and tuck in!

I found the soup a little too salty but Mr Tan found it a little too sweet. Haha. But I still like it and will surely cook it again. But will probably cook make it a little less sweet to suit Mr Tan's taste buds. I am fine with anything so long as there is vinegar! yum yum yum!

Australia Day

Day 177

Australia Day falls on 26 January and it is the anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain in 1788.

Today is Australia Day = a public holiday = no work!

We cooked Fishball noodles for lunch. Mr Tan bought his favourite chilli sauce from the noodles stall near his place. 搭飞机过来的辣椒酱哦！Pity I added too much vinegar into his plate and made the noodles too sour for his liking. Oopsie..hehe..will remember to leave vinegar out of his noodles in future. :)

Dinner was KFC and my fave Caesar salad with prawns! 3 pieces of KFC but it was not enough to fill Mr Tan's humongous stomach. He blamed it on me. Cause I forgot to request for "No breast meat". My bad. :P

At 930pm, we suddenly heard "Boom!", "Boom!", "Boom!"

Fireworks and we could see it from our balcony! Unblocked but it was super cold out there and I was shivering in my PJs as I took pictures and videos.

The Power Of Love

Day 176

刚看完 Kellyn 送的书，我应该是第二名，那“只”东东应该还没看。哈哈。留着再当今年的生日礼物吧！

故事描述女孩在十九岁时陌生男子被拐带，一直被关在后院的一间小房间，与世隔绝。女孩有个五岁大的儿子，杰克。杰克从来没有踏出过房间，他完全不知道外面原来有一个世界。虽然房间里的一切都很简单，但对杰克而言，房间就是他的世界，妈妈就是他的全部，在他的小小世界里，他是幸福的。女孩一心只想保护杰克，爱护杰克，做个好妈妈。为了杰克，她只能忍辱偷生。陌生男子时不时会来房间，女孩就要杰克躲在衣柜里，她不想杰克和陌生男子有任何接触。

一次，女孩与陌生男子起冲突，结果陌生男子把房间里的电源切断。女孩意识到杰克与自己随时都可能有危险。为了杰克的安全，他们一定得逃。于是她想了办法，要永远逃离恶魔。她要杰克装死，然后在陌生男子带他出去时，乘机逃跑，去向警方求救。很幸运的，计划成功了！他们终于自由了！

但，对于杰克，自由是一个陌生的概念，外面的世界既陌生又可怕，对他来说，这是逃避，他宁愿回到房间，过着简单的生活。女孩也对外面的生活需要很多调整，家人，朋友都以为她死了，爸妈也因为她而离婚了。接下来的路，她得带着杰克，从新开始。

Every little thing a child does brings a smile to the parents' faces, 

Every little step a child takes is a milestone in their eyes...

A parent's hug, a parent's kiss, a parent's love makes a child's world complete...

Eat Out - Red Hot Wok (Fish Head Curry)

Day 174

After a long day of shopping at KMart, IKEA and Richmond, we were bushed. Poor Mr Tan was totally exhausted. We came home to place some stuff that we bought from the Asian grocers in our fridge before heading out for dinner but the minute Mr Tan laid on the sofa, he was in lala-land. We only went for dinner at 845 after he woke up from his nap. I had a craving for fish head curry and we headed to Red Hot Wok. 

We only ordered 2 dishes as their servings are rather big. Fish Head Curry ($22.80) and Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Ribs ($19). I miss Muthu's Curry's Fish Head Curry. Forgot to visit it when we went back in Dec, now I am craving for it. Damn. Red Hot Wok is the only place that we know that serves Fish Head Curry (we know very little places, that's why) and I would say the fish head curry is average. There is more vegetables than fish in the curry and it is freaking expensive! I know Mr Tan loves fish head curry and thus I only ate a few small pieces of fish and the portion was barely enough for him. 

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Ribs tasted more like 麦片鸡 and we could hardly taste any salted egg yolk. The chicken ribs were fried nicely, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and it would be great if they use more salted egg yolk. 

All the dishes are rather pricey and if not for the Fish Head Curry, I would never go back. Hopefully I can find another place that makes good Fish Head Curry.

Eat Out - Xiaoting Box

Day 174

Watched "Castle" till 6 this morning and only woke up only at 130. By the time we left the house and headed to Richmond, it was nearly 3. 

Our mission - to look for the small, spicy chillies that Mr Tan loves. I used to get them from this Asian grocer at South Melbourne but the last time I went there, the uncle told me that it is out of stock and he is not sure when or even if new stock is arriving. :(

Before we could start our mission, we need to fill our stomachs. Destination - Xiaoting Box. It is quite rare to find Chinese restaurant in Richmond - Little Vietnam. Lots of viet restaurants, viet butchers, viet grocers and of course, lots of vietnamese. I am craving for dumplings (Mr Tan says dumplings are just the side, my real craving is the vinegar) and so headed over to Xiaoting Box for some.

1 thing I like about Xiaoting Box is that it is not crowded, which means I can take my time to eat. There is no one to pressure me and the place is not chaotic. Prices are cheap and the food is alright. As it was already late, we only ordered 红油水饺 ($7) and Nasi Goreng ($8.80).  

Their version of 红油水饺 comes with soup. Mr Tan commented that it is 味精汤 but seriously, for $7, I am not expecting much. The dumplings are big and they are generous with the filling. Can't remember how many there are in the bowl but I think there is 8 or more. 辣辣的饺子加上醋 = 我超爱！！我可以每天吃！我超爱吃醋！哈哈哈哈。。。

The Nasi Goreng was too oily but it was probably not wise to order this at a Chinese restaurant. It wasn't spicy, but tasted a little sweet instead. I must say though, they are generous with the ingredients. The next time I visit, I will try the recommended dish - 上海炒面. Yes, I will be back. :)

Eat Out - Desserts @ Old Town Kopitiam

Day 173

Last night, had dinner with Shenton, Jiaqi, Jasmine, Emily (new colleague) and Mr Tan at Pacific House. After dinner, we decided to head to Old Town Kopitiam for desserts and it was so DISAPPOINTING!

Mr Tan and I ordered Ice Kachang ($7) and Chendol ($6) to share. Jiaqi and Shenton shared prata and tea, Jasmine had Iced Longan and Emily had hot coffee. The desserts are such a disappointment. The Ice Kachang had lots of grass jelly and the syrup used tasted so weird. I can't taste the milk and the whole thing was just syrup overdose. The chendol was worse. No sign of brown sugar syrup, only lots of coconut milk. The portion was pathetic. Jasmine's Iced Longan had 3 longans and that drink cost $4. Never again!

 

Hooked on Funshion

Day 173

Haven't been blogging as my hands and eyes are all on Funshion. I was introduced to Funshion by Mr Tan last year and since arriving here, it has been my best "friend". Movies, TV serial, cartoons and variety shows are all available on Funshion and it has been keeping me company while Mr Tan is at work.

I love to watch crime serials and am a huge fan of both "The Mentalist" and "White Collar". Bro was the one who got me hooked on Mentalist. I finished all 23 episodes of Season 1 in 2 days. It totally disrupted my sleep routine as I stayed up all night to watch the smart, observant, blunt and of course charming Simon Baker (the mentalist) solve crimes.

The male lead in "White Collar", Matt Bomer, is one handsome guy. He is a skilled thief and forger who helps a FBI agent catch white-collar criminals as part of a work-release programme. No blood, no murder, only handsome man. Haha.

Having finished every single episode of both series, I was on the lookout for something else to watch when I chanced upon "Castle". The male lead is not handsome but I like how there is always a twist in story and sometimes, there are hints in the show to tell you who really committed the crimes.

After watching too many crime stories, I do feel scared at times so the best thing to do is to watch 康熙来了！小S and 蔡康永 are really good, especially 小S.

I am finishing "Castle", will be on the hunt for new show soon!

Gin's Kitchen - Red Bean + Black Glutinous Rice + Sago Dessert

Day 169

A few weeks ago, we bought a slow cooker but it hasn't been put to good use. I tried to use it to cook Bak Kut Teh but the end result was disappointing. Somehow the aroma and flavour didnt turn out as well as me using the stove. Perhaps it is more suitable for other soups. Since then, the slow cooker has been sitting in the corner until yesterday.

I fell in love with this dessert after having it Chatterbox. I have tried to cook this dessert using the stove previously and it was disastrous. I used the smallest fire but the glutinous rice still got burnt and I had to spend half an hour scrubbing the pot. I surfed the net to see how others cook this dessert and it seems like quite a number uses the slow cooker. Just throw everything in and let it cook! Sounds simple enough for me.

Ingredients
Red Bean - 1 cup
Black Glutinous Rice - 3/4 cup
Sago - 1/2 cup
Coconut Palm Sugar - 3/4 block
Water - 2 litres

1. Wash the black glutinous rice till the water turns clear
2. Fry the black glutinous rice in a saucepan (I didn't do this, too lazy)
3. Fill the slow cooker with water, add in the red bean, black glutinous rice and palm sugar. Turn it to "high" and let it cook for about 3 hours. Stir occasionally
4. Once the black glutinous rice turns soft, turn the slow cooker to "low" and add in the sago
5. Cook sago till it turns transparent. Do not overcook the sago, otherwise they will melt and disappear!

The MUST-HAVE sugar

 

Ta-dah! 

Yummmmmmmmmmy! :)

Weekend Loot

Day 168

Melbourne

 

 

 

Mr Tan finally bought his jacket! Got it at a bargain, $99!

USA - Courtesy of Sabrina! ♥

 

 

Eat Out - Kedai Satay (Indonesia)

Day 166

After a long day of shopping af DFO, we met Jasmine, Jiaqi and Shenton for dinner at Kedai Satay, an Indonesian eatery that specialises in grilled food. Reached there at 830pm and most of the tables were filled.

Jasmine - Ayam Goreng ($11.80)
Jiaqi - Soto Ayam ($9.80)
Shenton - Grilled Lamb Ribs ($20)
Mr Tan - Nasi uduk Complete ($11.80)
Me - Lontong Sayur ($9.80)

The waitresses were cute and the 2 men promptly left their seat to order the food and went down another 2 times to get plates and order drinks for us. Men! But we aren't complaining...

Food was served pretty quickly and the lamb ribs looked absolutely yummy! The meat was tender and it looked so good that I couldn't resist trying it. I don't eat lamb and this is the first time that I am eating it.

The rest of the food tasted rather ordinary and the ketupat in my lontong was so hard that Mr Tan said it was like rock. The Nasi uduk Complete was rather filling for him and he actually said that he was full after the meal! I think I would rather go to Blok M to have the grilled fish than to eat at Kedai Satay again but Mr Tan would certainly return for the grilled lamb ribs!