on my plate - rack of lamb with quiona tabouli @ oakridge winery

If there was one thing I missed most while in Japan, it was a good lamb souvlaki. It wasn't easy finding a good steak or quality cheese either, but if you were willing to fork over a good chunk of cash, it could be done. Lamb on the other hand, only seemed to exist at the rare (in my area at least) Mongolian barbecue restaurants, which was good, but not quite the same.

So when I saw the combination of sheep's milk yoghurt, tabouli, and lamb, I knew I had to get this. It was essentially a deconstructed, fancier take on a lamb souvlaki, which is probably why the flavours worked so well.

Oakridge Restaurant
846 Maroondah Highway
Coldstream

curry puff pie

"You know, you should really open your own restaurant!"

It's probably a compliment that is thrown around quite frequently. And while it's only some of the time that people are being sincere and genuinely think that the complimentee (that's a word, right?) would in fact be successful as a restauranteur, even fewer complimentees would actually follow up on that.

My mum was that minority, and while I thought her food was alright, I think it was probably just due to the fact that Thai food wasn't as prevalent in Melbourne when she decided to open up her restaurant, and it was still an exotic, lesser-known food to many. Her food wasn't that unique or fancy; it was just traditional food you'd see regular people eat at home in Thailand.


But if there was one food that garnered the most compliments, it was definitely her curry puffs. These may have single-handedly been the reason why she got the got those "open your restaurants" compliments in the first place, which the made her consider doing the restaurant thing for a few years. Actually, scratch that. They are the sole reason my mum had a restaurant. My mum will never read this blog to deny it, so I'm just going make that statement and say that it's fact.

on my plate - dory and yuzu fish roe sushi

Dory sushi seasoned with lemon and salt, topped with yuzu-infused tobiko (flying fish roe). The refreshing tartness of the lemon and salt, along with the almost crunchy texture of the yuzu tobiko didn't fail in whetting my appetite and getting me excited for all the other sushi that followed.

Shira Nui
247 Springvale Rd
Glen Waverley (map)

the two little pigs

In two days time, people all over the world will be surrounded by friends and family and enjoying each other's company in this festive time of the year. And presumably, this will also involve my favourite pastime: food. It's the only time of the year where it's not just justified, but expected of people to gorge themselves on a week's worth of food in a single sitting. For many, this involves Christmas ham or turkey. And for the lucky few, it involves turducken.

In our house, however, we somehow acquired the tradition of half a Chinese roast pig. I'm not sure how it started, but according to the legends (i.e. my dad), someone got sick of the inevitable ham-leftover meals and decided to order a pig from a Chinese restaurant. It turned out to be a resounding success, and now, my family spends most of the year fantasizing about the next Christmas pig. Family gatherings will inevitably lead to discussion of how much pork will be consumed, which family members are letting the team down (the dreaded salad eaters), and the next generation of rising stars.

on my plate - school prawns @ zest89

Fried school prawns served with shoestring fries and garlic mayonnaise. Crunchy with an rich prawn flavour - kind of like prawn crackers. I don't know how that huge hit of seafood flavour fits into one tiny little package, but I'm a fan indeed. Plus, a meal seems to always be satisfying when the vegetable component of the dish is starchy, thinly cut, and deep fried.

Zest 89
89 Kingsway, Glen Waverley

snickerdoodles + gingerbread = gingerdoodles

failed snickerdoodle attempt #1

Hehehe. Snickerdoodles.

That's pretty much the only reason why I wanted to make them so much. I know they're quite a common cookie in the US, but up until now, my whole knowledge of snickerdoodles just came from seeing people on TV make and eat them. With a name like that, they must be pretty good, right?

on my plate - pork belly baguette @ earl canteen

Pork belly baguette with cabbage & fennel coleslaw from Earl Canteen. Soft tender pork with salty crackling went perfectly with the sweet apple coleslaw.

kobe beef - Mouriya

Royal Moriya Restaurant

What's the most you would pay for a good meal? $50? $100? As you can probably guess by the fact I keep a blog dedicated to food, I don't know where I would draw the line for a meal. I still have difficulties understanding how one of my friends was seriously contemplating either buying a new used car or a new handbag for the same price, but I have no qualms in putting down a fair chunk of money for a quality steak. In fact, I'd even plan and budget for a weekend trip solely for the purpose of eating one in Kobe.

because there just aren't enough...

I know, I know. Just another food blog. How cliché. But hey, it's my blogspot, and I can write (or cry) if I want to. And sure, I do have another blog to post my self-aborbent musings, but seeing how my obsession with food seems to grow day by day, I figured I should start a gastrocentric blog dedicated to things I've cooked, eaten, sipped, or tasted.

Growing up with an Asian upbringing in Melbourne exposed me to a lot of different types of cuisines and foods as a kid, and after subsisting of a diet of Japanese food for the last few years, I've tried a bunch of stuff most people wouldn't even think about putting in their mouth. Ox tongue, ramen flavoured ice cream, raw chicken hearts, silkworm larvae - I'll eat anything. Well, almost anything. I found out the hard way this wasn't the case after seeing the still-wriggling scorpions on skewers in Beijing's night market.

Regardless of my failed scorpion attempt, I'm always looking to try new foods and combinations of flavours and textures, trying now make my own culinary experiments. Although I'm still a fair way away from my future Masterchef aspirations, I'm hoping to get there eventually, one delicious morsel at a time.