Cantina del Pont (London)

My first meal in London, and this is at one of the many restaurants along Shad Thames. I was deliriusly tired, after a 26hr journey from Melbourne, so we decided not to go to a too fancy restaurant. Bern thought the food at this restaurant was pretty ordinary actually. To be honest, I was too  tired to notice.

I had an entree of pea and rocket soup followed by salmon on a bed of barley stew and pesto. Bern had a musssel and clam stew to start followed by steak (surprise, surprise! Does he ever get anything else?)
The steak was actually pretty good. Medium rare, very sweet and juicy.
I'm wondering hat the rest of our meals we be like... hmmmmm.

As for the kitchen in the apartment, it is pretty small but it will do. I will have to stock up on some essentials tomorrow. Cannot wait to check out the supermarkets! :)

My last night in Melbourne before London!

I leave for London tomorrow and it has been a week of frantically sorting a few things out and also catching up with as many people as possible. Hence, apologies for not posting as many recipes as I normally would. 

As you can see above, I am taking a few beloved kitchen items with me, mostly for sentimental reasons, but these are a few things I probably can't do without (which includes my Kitchenaid, but that would really stuff up my weight limit). Top left is a really handy (light and small) kictchen scale that I've had with me since I was a uni student. It has been through many different kitchens and cooking experiences, and it is definitely the best purchase I have ever made from a discount store. I am also bringing the recently bought piping bag with two nozzles for those cold nights where we would stay in and stuff our face with churros.

The silicon brush would come in handy, and my Made In Japan peeler is definitely coming along. There are four base-removable tart tins and four cute mini pastry tins that are also included. And lastly, a little box of cinnamon and star anise. I'm sure I'll find these items in London but it will make my luggage smell sensational. (Loopy, huh? :) Oh well....)

I hope you will continue to be onboard this journey with me as I truly appreciate all your feedback and comments. Adieu, and I'll hear from you all again in London!

Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder

My last brunch in Melbourne (for the year)! As you know, I love the brekkie scene. RHCL was packed when we arrived. I was wondering if it was like this most days or is it because of the long weekend? I'm betting it is business as usual for these guys.

Best pancakes ever! Two large pancakes which was topped with banana and mixed nuts served with maple syrup and creme fraiche. A very rustic dish that was superbly crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. MMmmm.....

The breakfast with the lot was a good fair, everything cooked really well. The bircher muesli came with a vanilla yoghurt and was topped with toasted almonds. Apparently does not beat the bircher muesli at Churchill Cafe and Larder...

I am really going to miss my lazy brunches! Arrrghhh....

Swiss Roll

I am going to miss my KitchenAid mixer when I leave. So I thought I better make good use of it! Swiss Rolls are very popular in Asia and interestingly enough, it doest not originate from Switzerland. I think it is of English origin. I do not have a Swiss pan so I just used a large roasting tray. The sponge is beautifully light and smooth, and also not extremely sweet. Feel free to use whatever spread you like. I made two rolls, one chocolate, and the other the original recipe.

Swiss Roll Recipe

Ingredient A:
4 egg white
80 g icing sugar

Ingredient B:
4 egg yolks
40ml milk
40 ml vegetable/canola oil
80g plain flour, sifted
40g icing sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt

Raspberry or blueberry jam
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celcius. Grease and line a swiss roll pan.
Mix all ingredient B in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
Whip egg whites and gradually add sugar until very stiff.
Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into B, thoroughly combine. Gently fold in the rest of the egg white mixture.
Pour into prepared pan and smooth it out evenly.
Bake in oven for 20 mins. Once out of the oven, remove from pan immediately.

To assemble, spread jam followed by cream. Roll from the short end. Trim off the edges and slice to serve.

Note: To make a chocolate Swiss Roll, substitute 40g of the plain flour with 40g of cocoa powder
Hint: Make sure you whip your egg white until VERY stiff.

For pandan flavoured Swiss Roll, add 1 tsp of pandan paste to Ingredient B. I used plain cream for the filling.

Svago

"Switch off, relax". That is suppose to be the meaning of Svago in Italian. Nothing more suited for a dinner with a friend on a Friday night after a long week at work. I picked this place as it was relatively close to home (Svago's is on High St, Kew) and it has been given quite a few good reviews, one in particular stating that it is an Italian version of the Spanish tapas place, Movida. Svago serves dishes to share, which is the type of dining I like, as you get to try out more dishes on the menu.

"Bueno serra" was the greeting used by all the wait staff as we entered the door and throughout the night we were both called "bella", which was nice :). We felt very welcomed immediately despite the place being quite busy. There was a warm and 'homey' feeling to the place. The menu was fairly extensive with about a dozen entrees and a dozen mains. We quickly ordered as we were both starving.

As I mentioned, all dishes were to share. We started with a grilled calamari with fregola (a type of pearl-like pasta) and a croquette of smoke cod and eel. Both really tasty.

For mains, we had  roast pork belly with fennel. I am really loving pork dishes at the moment. If cooked right, it is just the best thing in the world. If I dare say, better than chocolate! The Svago pork belly was better than good, but not the best I've had.

My favourite dish of the night was the eggplant parmagiana. It melts in your mouh and the sauce was made of fresh tomatoes and the eggplant layered with buffalo mozzarella. Just so beautifully sweet. The tiger prawns came grilled on a bed of fennel and orange salad, which was a so-so dish.

For dolci, or dessert, we ordered the trio to share. It had a cassata (Sicilian ice-cream cake with candied fruits), a carrot cake and amaretto semifreddo. Again, it was good but not great.

Overall, great experience. One of the best service I've ever had. I also just realised on their website that it has been awarded The Age One Hat, which is well deserved. Although, if I were to compare it with another Italian restaurant, Balzari (also One Hat), Balzari's food is better. The other downside was that the acoustic at Svago was pretty bad, to a point that you had to shout in order to have a conversation.

Vanilla Pannacotta with Warm Spiced Pears

I was not a fan of panna cotta but it has grown on me. I realise that it is suppose to be silky, subtle-tasting and tofu-like, so the things that accompany the panna cotta (ie spiced pears) would stand out. Again, loving Karen Martini's recipes at the moment. The spiced pear was really yummy. Well suited to the current autumn-y weather. Pears are in season too!

Vanilla Pannacotta with Warm Spiced Pears Recipe

375ml  cream (thick and full cream please! Don't bother if you are on a diet)
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla paste (I use McQueen's Brand)
1 cinnamon stick
2 1/2 tsp gelatine powder (or two 5g gelatine leaves- if you can find them at the stores)

Spiced Pears
1 1/2 cup red wine
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 tsp vanilla paste
3/4 cup castor sugar
rind of 1 orange
1/2 cup frozen berries
3 large beurre bosc pears, peeled, cored and cut into 6 segments for each pear

To make the pannacotta, combine cream, milk and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and the mixture is almost boiling. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and cinnamon. Set aside for 15 mins. Remove cinnamon stick.
Place 3 tbsp boiling water in a bowl. Sprinkle the gelatine powder on top of the water. Stir to dissolve. If using leaves, soak the leaves in cold water until soft.
Add gelatine to the cream mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into 4x 150ml moulds. Refrigerate for 6 hours or until set.

For the pears, place wine, spices, vanilla, sugar, orange rind and berries in large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil, simmer for 15 mins, then remove from heat. Place pears in the syrup, cover and simmer over low heat for 15 mins or until tender. Remove pears and strain syrup over pears.

When pannacotta is set, unmould onto plates by dipping the bottom of the mould in hot water for a few seconds. Shake gentlly and turn over. Served with warm spiced pears and syrup

Har Mee

I have not posted a blog for an entire week since my hubby left for London. Partly due to me missing him and not feeling like cooking, and partly because work has been pretty bad as well. But thanks to all my dear friends who are looking out for me during this time. I have been truly blessed by your company and well wishes.

I made Har Mee for dinner tonight because I wanted to use some of the frozen prawn shells sitting in my freezer before I leave for London. It would have been a shame to throw it out. Har mee is one of the better choices in terms of healthiness with Malaysian hawker style food. The stock is just from the prawn shells, a  clear and spicy broth with no coconut milk or oil.

I made churros (Yet again- I  have made it 4 times in the last month)  for dessert as a return of  favour to our mate Gerald who kindly wrote a character reference last minute in order for us to rent a place in London. But this has to stop, for I will not be blamed for his expanding girth! :)

Har Mee Recipe (serves 6)

3 tbsp oil
20 king prawns, shelled and deveined. Reserve shell for stock
300g extra prawn head and shells
3 clove garlic, sliced
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp XO sauce
salt to taste
500g chicken thigh /pork neck
2 litres water
3 handfuls beanshoots, blanched in hot water
1 bunch spinach, blanched in hot water
beehoon (thin rice vermicelli) cooked to packet instruction
Hokkien noodles, blanched in hot water
3 hard boiled eggs, halved
Crispy fried shallot, to serve
Chili paste, to serve

Heat oil in a large pot and add prawn heads and shells. Stir until shells are pink. Add sugar and garlic. Once fragrant, add the water and XO sauce, and bring to boil. Simmer for 60 mins. I would normally add the chicken/pork to the soup to cook as it adds flavour to the soup. Remove the meat once it is cook and thinly slice it. Season stock generously with salt. I also would add I tbsp of the chili paste to the stock (but optional as it is quite spicy). Once stock is ready, blanch the prawns in the stock until pink. Remove with slotted spoon. Strain the stock using a sieve.

Chili paste Recipe:

12-15 dried chilies, cut into lengths, soaked to soften, deseeded and drained
2 finger length chilies
1 tbsp belachan (Malaysian shrimp paste)
5 shallots, peeled
3-4 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Grind the above ingredient (except the oil) in a food processor. Add water if necessary to keep the blades turning. Heat oil in a fry pan and stir fry the paste in low heat until oil seperates from the mixture.

To serve, place both types of noodles in bowls. Top with beanshoot, spinach, egg, meat and prawns. Laddle hot soup into the bowls. Serve with chili paste.