Gourmet Blog

Pork and Shitake Mushroom Dumplings

May 30th, 2012

pepper

Today I’m going to share with you guys a recipe to make Dumpling.

Dumplings are a common staple throughout Asia, and have different names depending on the country. In China, they are called Jiaozi in, Gyoza in Japan and Nepali in Korea. They all look very similar and are made with meat and vegetable fillings wrapped inside a thin sheet of dough and crimped together around the edges. In Chinese traditions, dumplings are one of those dishes that must be served at Chinese New Year. Because it’s shape looks similar to the old currency of silver and gold ingots used in historical times, it symbolises wealth for the family. And for a bit of fun, a small coin will be hidden in one of the dumpling and the person who gets the coin is considered as the luckiest member for in the family.

As for myself, I always enjoy my “dumpling parties’ that I have with friends. We can chat and catch up with everyone while gathering around the table preparing the dumplings before cooking them off and eating together. It is a lot of fun when everyone enjoys cooking as well.

Chocolate Pavillion

May 14th, 2012

pepper

This is a shout out to all the Chocoholic’s in Brisbane – introducing the Chocolate Pavillion, a new place for all you addicts to hang out. This dessert bar is located in the new section of Westfield in Carindale and owned by Chris Maggacis, who also the owner of Toscani chain of cafes.

Going up against Max Brenner and all the other successful dessert bars here in BrisVegas, Chocolate Pavillion sure has a lot to live up to.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

December 24th, 2011

webmaster

The Best Buns – Pappa Roti

August 26th, 2011

Salt

After doing a few errands on a cold winter afternoon, I needed a little pick-me-up and so I decided to stop by a little store called Pappa Roti for a bit of afternoon tea.

I’m not sure if Pappa Roti is the name of the store or the buns they produce but since they only make this one thing, I think it’s both..? Anyway, to briefly describe them, they are buns that are extremely soft and fluffy with a bit of buttery filling inside and topped with a crispy and aromatic coffee-cream coating.

When I say soft and fluffy, I really mean it. These are the softest buns I have ever had. And if you’re lucky (like I was) and get them just as they come out of the oven, the coffee fragrance is just absolutely amazing.

As I sat and enjoyed one of these sweet, warm and toasty buns while sipping a nice latte, I watched as a tray of buns was sold in less than 2 minutes. Lucky me though, I bought 2 – one for now, one for later. I can’t think of anything better to have at this time of day – they really are that good.

Gelateria & Dessert Bar – Passione

August 24th, 2011

Salt

It’s always nice to end a fantastic dinner out at a restaurant with a yummy dessert. This time, a friend brought me to Passione, a dessert bar in New Farm to try some of their awesome desserts.

Gelato is an Italian word meaning frozen dessert and sometimes referred as Italian ice cream. It’s actually slightly different from regular ice cream, as it has lower butterfat content but higher sugar content than normal ice cream. Gelato typically contains milk, cream, various sugars, flavouring including fruit and nut purees.

When we entered the shop, I noticed the display fridges were full beautiful sorbet, gelato and chocolate and I immediately forgot I had just finished a big dinner. We quickly sat down and asked the waiter to give us some recommendations. There were just so many choices and combinations! After pondering through the menu for 10 minutes, we finally made our decisions.

Mint Delight – Vanilla and Chocolate Mint gelato, Tim Tam crush and chocolate sauce. My friend ordered this. He loved it as he is a mint lover.

Tiramisu – Tiramisu, coffee and vanilla gelato. Tiramisu is always my favourite.

Chocolate Obsession – milk, stracciatella and dark chocolate gelato. For Chocolate lovers.

Banana Lovers Waffles – Macadamia gelato with caramelised banana. Fresh made waffles. One of the best waffles I have ever had in my life. Highly recommended.

To all dessert, ice cream and gelato lovers, Passione is the dessert bar to go. I would recommend to go and give them a visit.

Happy sharing,

Salt

Passione Gelateria & Dessert Bar
7/36 Vernon Terrace
Teneriffe, 4005

El Torito – Mexican Brisbane West End

August 7th, 2011

pepper

I went to a Mexican restaurant for the first time last Saturday for a friend’s birthday dinner. This was something very different from the restaurants I normally visit. We arrived at 8 o’clock at El Torito West End. There were less than 15 tables inside and this tiny place was packed.

What is Mexican food? The first thing that comes to mind is Burrito’s and Nachos but on El Torito’s menu, there are more than 30 dishes on offer. Compared with the only two that came to my mind, there is a lot to choose from.

Coffee and Chocolate Festival

August 6th, 2011

Salt

Last weekend was quite busy for foodies in Brisbane. We had the Regional Flavours Market at South Bank and also the Coffee and Chocolate festival at Portside Wharf in Hamilton. Since I only had one free day, I had to go to the Coffee and Chocolate festival. It has 2 of my favourite things!

It was absolutely crazy at the festival. There were stalls all along the riverside selling items from cupcakes to coffee grinders, coffee stands at every turn and even a chocolate fountain to dip strawberries. There were live musical performances, dancers and a pair of funny looking mascots on stilts walking through the crowd.

I had a lot of fun at the festival – and ate a lot too. I hope it happens again next year!

- Salt

Ganbaranba in Cairns

July 29th, 2011

Salt

Cairns is well known for attracting tourists from all over the world, especially Japan. It is also my hometown and although I have fond memories of the place, it’s not the greatest place for foodies.

However, on a recent short trip back home, I came across this small restaurant that was not there before called Ganbaranba, whose specialty is Japanese tonkotsu ramen.

This place had a very rustic Japanese noodle bar atmosphere – the lighting was dim, furniture seemed old and worn, the kitchen was just behind the bar and completely open, iced barley tea was served to everyone – I loved it.

I took a seat at the bar so I could watch the chefs at work. The menu was simple and mostly based off their tonkotsu broth. When my meal arrived, the first thing I did was to try the broth by itself and straight away, it put a great big smile on my face. This had to be the best tonkotsu place I have ever visited. The broth was full of flavour and I could really taste the long and slow cooking process and unlike other places, this was not at all overpowered by saltiness. The ramen was fantastically cooked, as well as the condiments.

I don’t think I went anywhere else for lunch during my week stay in Cairns. Who would have thought this small seaside town up north would have such a rustic Japanese noodle bar, and a really good one too. Ganbaranba – if you read this, I hope you will open up in Brisbane!

Ganbaranba Noodle Colloseum

12-20 Spence Street

Cairns, QLD 4870

Colourful Cookies

July 26th, 2011

pepper

I was invited to a little girl’s birthday party on the weekend and I was asked by her mum to bring something colourful to the party. I pondered over what I could bring – maybe some colouring pens and picture books for the kids to draw, maybe some balloons for the party or how about some coloured cookies for the kids?

I remembered coming across a simple and easy recipe for baking cookies with coloured chocolate buttons in the baking magazine ‘Better Basics with “fast” Ed’. Maybe coloured chocolate buttons may send the kids a bit wild at the party, but it will most certainly be a popular treat on the day.

Why not try to make this with your kids and have a fun baking day on the weekend.

Glamorous Wok

July 19th, 2011

pepper

I’ve been reading about this restaurant on this blog Hungry-Kittens and JayJayne.com last week. There are a number of good and bad reviews about Glamorous Wok, with over 50% of liking it on Urbanspoon. So, we decided we had to try it out ourselves to decide whether it is any good.