Twosome Story, Clayton

Twosome Story is a cafe/restaurant located on Clayton Road in Clayton. The store is rather narrow and the front is dominated by an area for the staff with a coffee machine and cake fridge showcasing the cakes and desserts for sale. We saw a number of people dropping in for their dessert fix after dining in one of the many restaurants that have mushroomed on the Clayton Road strip.

Although the desserts were tempting, we were there to try out their Korean BBQ offering. The waitress told us that they had only been offering Korean BBQ from Oct 16 onwards. The BBQ section consists of 6 tables with the electric griddle pan. It was full with customers like us who were on the Groupon offer of $39 for two persons.

We could choose from the beef, pork belly or chicken bbq set. Each set came with a sweet potato pancake, cheese and corn mix, a pot of soup, dressed salad, lettuce, rice, and side dishes. We could also choose either Korean beer or soft drinks so Gaz had the beer and I had a soft drink.

We chose the beef set where the beef skirt was grilled and wrapped in lettuce with some garlic slices; and beef bulgogi, eaten with steamed white rice. The cold dressed salad cooled our tongues down.

The BBQ part of the restaurant was full when we arrived and we had to wait for a long time for the table to be cleaned and for us to be seated. Luckily, once we had ordered, the food came pretty quickly but in dribs and drabs. For instance, the meat came and was grilling but the lettuce was still in the fridge.

The service was good, but harried. It probably didn't help that the servers also have to take time to help grill the meat on the tables and still have to serve food and respond to customer requests. Towards the end, we just had to cook the meat ourselves because the servers were too busy.

Although the flavours did not especially stand out, the quality of the meat was good (none of the thin, fatty cuts) and we were very satisfied with the generous portions and variety of food. 

Australian Open 2017

January is always a very exciting month - the much anticipated Australian Open is on, it is the start of a new year, the days are longer, warmer and sunnier and it feels like youth could go on forever in this weather. If you were Roger Federer, it certainly does look like age is no limitation to what one can do!

Returning from half a year of rest after injuring his knee (from drawing a bath for his kids, of all things!), he has played well and with resilience to reach the final of the 2017 Australian Open. He is 35 years old and is is in a sport where players in their 20's are considered to be in their prime.

We saw him practice in one of the outer courts while at the Australian Open last Sunday. There was a large crowd around the court, and on the bridge overlooking the court. Everyone was trying to see him, gawk at him, take pictures of him, admire his moves, so much so that neither of us could get a spot to catch a glimpse of him for the longest time.

We almost did not make it to any of the courts to watch any players play. Although we went to the Australian Open, we caught very little tennis action. Who wants to sit down quietly in cramped, hard chairs watching a tennis match when there are so many other interesting things to do outside of the courts!

Here are some interesting places we visited at the AO: 

1. Woolworths tent - The Susmmer Sensorium is on! Visitors have to pre-book their spaces (limited to something like 30 people per session). Once ushered in and seated, we were each given a cold towel which was wonderful in the heat! In the fully enclosed tent in the shape of a dome, a multimedia presentation is projected onto the ceiling of the dome. The presentation showcased the natural produce from throughout Australia and as one watches, servers placed tasting boards with those ingredients in front of us.

 

We had small bite sizes of entree, main and a dessert course, paired with fresh juice. It was quite an interesting experience - who would have thought that one could get a serviced dining experience in the AO? 

2. Blackmores tent - Each person gets a turn at one of the 6 machines that asks which areas of health are you concerned. The answers are in a multiple choice format with choices like hydration, etc. After typing in your email address and depending on the answer chosen, a sample sachet of Blackmores' superfood powder is dispensed from the machine. If you thought there was no opportunity to try the other flavours besides the one you chose, not to worry because the other flavours are sprinkled over yoghurt, on breakfast mix, in a juice to be sampled by everyone. Flavours include wild blueberry, coconut, cacao, supergreens I think the powders are packed with nutrients and great for people on the run but I found most of it bitter so I would rather have the original stuff. 

3. ANZ tent - There was a looong wait for this tent, and two queues - one for the ANZ hand held battery operated fan and another to play an interactive tennis game similar to the Wii. The game is a hit with the kids (keyword here is kids... not adults not moi). You could get a video of yourself playing the game, and a picture of yourself striking a winning pose at the end of the game sent to your email if you don't mind giving them your email address. 

4. Jacob's Creek - A very pretty looking display of pink roses provides plenty of photo opportunities for the girls. They also serve froze, like a wine granita. And give out rose macarons which were yum. 

5. DMA concert - awesome live band playing in the background, us sitting on the grass with a cold drink... just wonderful!

There were different 'quarters' such as English quarter with white garden seats and swings, Paris quarter with a model of the Eiffel Tower, US quarter which gave the grounds a community feel and proides plenty of photo opportunities to remember the AO. 

With all those attractions on the grounds, it seems like the tennis has become a secondary attraction in the AO!

Hosier Lane, CBD

A little bit late, but Merry Christmas from minion Bob! We visited the ever changing Hosier Lane on the weekend and spotted these gems:

Quote by French General Ferdinand Foch

We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter - Denis Diderot

I love the last quote by philosopher Denis Diderot... How nice it is to hear a flattering lie than to ponder over a miserable truth. Look, I know my arms are huge and there's nothing much I can do about it other than starve the rest of my body to whittle my arms away... so let's not ponder over that.. But how nice it is hear a flattering white lie about how slim I look in that outfit...

(I'm sure Diderot penned his quote with other examples in mind... but let's keep it light here, shall we?)

Kinn Thai, Knox Shopping Centre Wantirna

Kinn Thai is a very popular Thai restaurant in the Knox Ozone area. So popular is this restaurant that some friends travel half an hour to this restaurant just for take aways.Customers who live in nearby Wantirna and Wantirna South should be so lucky, as Kinn Thai now offers free delivery to those two suburbs.

We enjoyed the soft shell crab in chilli jam although the sauce was quite sweet. The soft shell crab was crispy and the sauce was very tasty.

Soft shell crab with chilli jam

Grilled beef

The grilled wagyu beef was quite bland. The beef was not marinated beforehand, and the dipping sauce did not do much for the dish. This may have been a lower grade wagyu because it did not melt in the mouth and some parts were very chewy.

The waitpersons were attentive and friendly. They will recommend dishes when asked, and also topped up our glasses with water without being asked. Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience in Kinn Thai.

Vegetarian Beancurd Roll

With Chinese New Year fast approaching, these vegetarian rolls would be perfect to celebrate the first day of CNY. Usually we eat only vegetarian food on the first day of CNY as a tradition (right after we return from the temple where I usually have to fight the crowd to retrieve my shoes from the entrance - I learnt to always wear an old pair of shoes or a least favourite pair on CNY or other festivals to the temple).

Besides being tasty and meat free, these vegetarian rolls can also represent gold bullions and so is an auspicious dish to have on the table.

This dish benefits from having a julienne peeler. Otherwise, be prepared to spend half a day hunched over the chopping board... Julienne peelers cost less than mandolins and are much easier to use and clean.

I usually use julienned carrots, sliced re-hydrated shitake mushrooms, sliced black fungus and re-hydrated mung bean noodles. I have also used enoki mushrooms when I ran out of black fungus, for the crunch texture in the dish.

Carrots, shitake mushrooms, black fungus, mung bean noodles

Stir fry all the ingredients in a pan with some salt and pepper.

When the filling has cooled, wrap some two tablespoons worth with the dried beancurd sheet. The beancurd sheet can be quite salty, so I usually wipe them down with some wet kitchen towels before wrapping. I also cut them to size before wrapping.

Gaz prefers I pan fry these rolls for the crispy texture but I sometimes steam them for a healthier alternative. They do not take long to steam or pan fry, as the filling is already cooked.

Pepper Lunch, Elizabeth St CBD

It was a late night in the city for us, but it was hot and we had not felt like eating until 9:30pm at night. The only decent restaurant around that did not require eating from a brown paper bag was Pepper Lunch. Unlike it's name, it is actually open for dinner as well. Well into the night... until 11pm on Thursdays to Saturdays.

We ordered the beef and hamburg sizzling curry rice ($14.90) and classic pepper beef sizzling rice ($9.90). One can pay a little more to make the dish into a meal which includes a drink and rice or chips. As most of the dishes already come with rice, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to add more carbs into the meal.

My teppan was very hot and did a good job with browning the thin slices of beef, without splashing any meat juices onto my clothes. But we also found that it all depends on the luck of the draw. Gaz's teppan was not as hot and his slices of meat were not cooked as nicely as mine did. The sizzling plates come with a paper ring around the plate to prevent any sizzling goodness spilling onto one's clothes.

Beef and Hamburg Sizzling Curry Rice

Classic Pepper Beef Rice

Pepper Lunch is a chain restaurant in Japan, and is famous for its DIY teppans. There is some mention of a famous secret sauce as well, but we did not think much of the curry sauce in Gaz's dish although the pepper sauce in mine was quite good.

Perfect for a late night dinner / late night heavy snack.

Fat Oma, Swanston St CBD

I have been to Fat Oma twice now, both with Indonesian friends. That says quite a bit about the reputation of the restaurant among the Indonesian community. I am told that the food is quite authentic... so authentically Indonesian that when I asked my Indonesian friend whether nor not I should order a particular dish, she tells me not to because she can cook the same dish to the same taste for me at home.

I ordered the Ayam Balado with rice on the side ($12) which comes with a fried tofu square, fried tempeh and salad. If you looked closely at the chicken, it is topped with lots and lots of chilli. And this is the mild version... there is another hotter version. Fortunately, it is not too spicy but is just enough to add some kick to the dish. The chicken is first cooked in spices then flash fried for the crispy skin effect.

Ayam Balado with Jasmine Rice

For those who do not know what tempeh is, and myself included, it is fermented soy cake. Pretty much like natto without the slime. But the taste is still pretty funky. Having now tried natto and its milder cousin tempeh, I must say that I dislike both!

I did enjoy the fried chicken which was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, even though the piece I received was my least favourite white meat part of the chicken.

The Mie Ayam is also tasty with springy noodles and delicious marinated chicken pieces on top of the noodles. The chilli sauce on the side was hot.... so spicy that even my chilli loving friend who adds chilli oil into curry noodles commented that it was on the hot side... The soup was quite salty, due to the preserved vege in the soup.

Mie Ayam

On my previous visit, I ordered the Sup Buntut, which is translated into ox tail soup. At $12 per serve, and jasmine rice ($2) separately ordered to go with the dish, it was not the best valued dish. I also much prefer the Malaysian version of Sup Kambing, a heavily spiced mutton soup. Too bad I have not found a restaurant here that serves the dish.

Of the 3 dishes I have tried at Fat Oma, I think the Ayam Balado is the best. All the spicy chilli, the crispy yet juicy chicken is just perfect with a big bowl of steamed jasmine rice!

Eggplant in Chilli Bean Sauce

Eggplant, brinjal, aubergine - whatever you prefer to call it, is a yummy edible fruit that is related to the potato and tomato. Depending on how long it has been cooked, it can be springy or be smooth and silky.

I used to dislike eggplant when I was little, but as often is the case, I grew to like it very much when I got older. One of my oft used recipe with eggplant is cooking it in chilli bean sauce.

One of my new year resolution to cook as many vegetarian recipes as possible for a healthier alternative so I have decided to substitute minced meat for vegetarian mince (made with mushrooms) and vegetarian oyster sauce.

Vegetarian minced meat, chilli bean sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, eggplant and sugar.

Most restaurants would fry the eggplant before tossing it in the sauce but since we hardly ever use large quantities of oil in the house, I just part pan fry and part steam (pan fry with a covered pan) the egg plant till it is soft. Eggplant is notorious for being a sponge - it can absorb incredibly large amounts of oil when fried.

Resulting dish of eggplant in chilli bean sauce. So... how does this dish taste compared to its meaty counterpart? I do somewhat miss the taste that minced pork would have brought to this dish. I found the vegetarian mince to be somewhat salty. The texture of the mince was mushy. Instead, the eggplant has a sturdier texture compared to the vegetarian mince and so has become the 'meat' of this dish. Overall, it still closely resembles the original dish with minced pork, just with more added sugar to counterbalance the saltiness of the chilli bean paste and vegetarian mince. 

Italian Jewels: Bvlgari Style Exhibition, NGV Melbourne

Men have their cars, women have their bling blings... Mention the word jewellery (mind you, not just any jewellery - it has to be real jewellery. No crystals, no costume jewellery...) and most girls will be very happy, including moi.

On the weekend, we braved the chill and rain to visit the National Gallery of Victoria to see the Italian Jewels exhibition.

The exhibition displays jewellery house Bvlgari's masterpieces from as early as the 70's. Some of these pieces have been worn by famous personalities such as Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor.

The jewellery were all big pieces, encrusted with diamonds and gemstones as colourful as candies. They were bold and eye catching. One piece may take up to 2-3 years to craft.

I learnt some new jewellery jargon while in the exhibition - cabochon (polished gemstone, as opposed to cutting facets into the gemstone); and sautoir (long necklace). The pieces on display show how playful pricesless jewellery can be, and yet be classy and timeless.

Bvlgari created many masterpieces among which is the bracelet-timepiece in the shape of the serpent. The 'body' of the 'serpent' can be wound around the hand, and the head of the serpent when opened, reveals a timepiece. Another is a diamond neklace that can be deconstructed into two bracelets (not pictured).

 

It is difficult to pinpoint which is my favourite piece in the exhibition, but these are a couple of my favourite pieces: 

Necklace worn by Elizabeth Taylor

Diamond and precious gemstone necklace designed in the 20th century. The metal is threaded through the gemstone.

Entry is free to the exhibition, which runs only to 29 January 2017 (from 30 September 2016).

Be my Sunshine!

On the first day of the new year, Gaz and I went to the 1000 steps in the morning hoping to do some exercise and walk off some of the excesses of the festive season just past.

We found the place buzzing with activity. Obviously there were many other people who were in the process of ticking off their New Year resolutions on the first day of the new year. It was so busy that we did not manage to get a place to park so we went to Jells Park instead for a lap around the lake.

I did manage to go to the 1000 steps several days before the the new year, and it was a nice surprise to see these patches of wild day lilies near the top of the steps. They were scattered throughout and as lovely to see as bursts of sunshine.