eat more fruits

I’m a total carnivore. My diet consists meat meat and meat… seriously I even have meet for breakfast.

That’s so not cool right?

I’m really old enough to not to care about being cool but my body needs all that vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, fiber, and water!

So from this week onwards this week’s fruits will be part of my diet. We always have plenty of fruits at home but I rarely touch them. Don’t worry those goodies won’t go wasted ever – J can consume a few people’s fruit intake easily.

You might add that I should also eat plenty of vegetables. But how to cook vegetables? How to make a variety of salads? I guess that’s next week’s problem to solve.

I made this fruit bowl on Chinese New Year day as a reminder of eating more fruits everyday. The good news is, I did manage to eat some fruits that day. Let’s see if I’ll remember it for the entire year!

eat more fruits

 

A Taste of Spain

Whether you’re taking a trip abroad or you’re simply looking for inspiration for a themed dinner party, you simply can’t go far wrong by embracing the flavours of Spain. The country is a veritable hotbed of culture, especially when it comes to its cuisine. If you’re looking to add a little pizzazz to your get-together, here are some of the finest Spanish recipes you should attempt to recreate. Alternatively, you can seek out the authentic versions at local restaurants and bistros on vacation. Enjoy!

A Taste of Spain

Source

Croquettes

What goes into a croquette will differ depending on location, but the principles remain the same. The small fried roll is coated in breadcrumbs and filled with something delectable. It could be blue cheese, parma ham or even fried mushrooms. There are no rules, so you can afford to get creative and come up with any combination your heart desires.

Get The Recipe At: Yummy Tummy

A Taste of Spain

Source

Gazpacho

I’ve found that the idea of cold soup doesn’t go down well with many guests, but nobody does it quite like the Spanish. Their unique blend of vine-ripened tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, spices and even bread create a silky and satisfying meal. Chilled soup can be a taste sensation if you get it right, and taking inspiration from Spain will stand you in good stead for impressing your guests.

Get The Recipe At: Love & Lemons

2838947045_36601b4049_b

Source

Paella

One of my favourite ways to eat rice, Paella often combines the luxury of seafood with the bold flavour of chorizo. For a truly authentic taste, you should add a pinch of saffron; pound for pound the most expensive spice in the world. The beauty of paella is in the quality of the rice. Choosing the right variety will give you a platform to absorb the unique flavours.

Get The Recipe At: Taste of Sundays

A Taste of Spain

Source

Pisto

A traditional vegetarian dish that is not unlike the French ratatouille. It’s most often served as a starter or side dish and is brimming with gorgeous roasted vegetables. Those sweet, unique flavours will bring out the best in any main that you serve, and goes especially well with chicken.

Get The Recipe At: A Spoonful of Spain

Source

Tapas

Perhaps Spain’s most cherished local culture is a starter of wine and tapas. These delicate little sample dishes are designed to be shared and give you something to explore on the table. You’ll be taken with surprise at how different flavours can work together in harmony. The wine is important to cleanse your palate in between bites, and allow you to fully appreciate each unique flavour.

Get The Recipe At: What Katie Ate

Taste of Spain

Source

Tortilla Espanola

A fantastic brunch recipe that is sure to leave you full and satisfied for the entire afternoon. If you break down the Tortilla Espanola, it is ultimately a potato omelette designed to provide you with maximum energy. They’re served with pride all over Spain, so you won’t have any trouble finding them locally. If you’re making your own, one of the most traditional inclusions is delicate and sweet fried onions.
Get The Recipe At: Confessions of a Foodie

Thinking about food from this place makes me drool, though I’m still full from dinner. We discovered this tiny Taiwanese restaurant in China Town by noticing its long queue outside. There are at least 3 or 4 other Chinese restaurants with vacancies next door but everyone seemed to be happy to queue up for this one. Obviously, it has something special to offer.

Indeed, the food served there is mouthwatering. After you’ve tasted it once, you are hooked. It’s authentic Chinese food. Not the oily or sugary stereo type.

With so many cooking shows on TV and increasing number of people becoming celebrity chefs, presentation appeared to be everything. You’d think only fancier restaurants with tasteful decorations are blog worthy. I have friends who would judge food’s taste by its price tag. But let’s not discriminate here:). Why so many people keep coming back and queuing to eat here or take away? Because its set meals and a large variety of side dishes.




The set meals usually consists of the traditional Taiwanese stewed pork rice with a main dish (pork, chicken, fish or vegetables). Adding just 1$ extra, you can either get a large cup of green tea or a big bowl of hot & sour soup. That’s the best hot and sour soup I’ve tasted in Sydney, very true to its traditional recipe.

Apart from the set meals, there are a selection of noodle dishes to choose from. I like them all but very often order the beef noodle soup because I’m a insatiable carnivore. Not only that, the soup itself deserves favoritism. If you don’t mind eating meat, try it and you’ll know what I mean.

cho dumpling king.

Clock wise: Tainwanese stew pork rice, fried chicken wings, beef noodle soup, smoke fish. Yep, the table is bright orange, no white table cloth. And it’s a bit wobbly too.

What keeps me coming back to this place is its variety of side dishes. There are a full window display of side cold dishes ranging from normal (e.g golden fried prawns, garlic cucumber salad etc) to weird and wonderful (pig ears, duck giblets…no chicken feet) to pick from. It depends on how adventurous you are with food. My favorite is the smoke fish as pictured above. At $4 (used to be $3.5) per plate, you can really taste as many flavors as you like in one sitting.

cho dumpling king

By now you might ask, so what’s the name of this restaurant? Truth be told, I only looked at it properly today, from some some crappy phone snaps: Cho Dumpling King. Hmmm. Does it serve dumplings? I don’t think so, at least not in the last couple of years since we started going regularly.

cho dumpling king 1

Menus are displayed on the window… with realistic pictures! You get what you see.

cho dumpling king 3

This restaurant is always full. Orders are normally taken outside by the waiters.

Then why the name? I’m not sure. Maybe it served dumplings once. Truth is, I don’t care. Do you?

It’s shoe sized restaurant serves amazing, authentic Chinese food at good prices. Service is relatively fast and friendly.

It’s so not fancy, but so good. So good that over the years so many people keep coming back and queuing outside for their turn.

Alpha Restaurant on Urbanspoon

4 Great Reasons To Drink A Daily Glass Of Wine

For those of you who know me well, I have a drinking problem – I can’t drink more than one glass (a small glass). It can be quiet inconvenient in a social environment as most people enjoy way more than 1 glass. Years ago, half glass would have made me seriously dizzy.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not allergic to alcohol or anything, it’s just that my body is not used to alcohol. It took me a while to build up the alcohol tolerance in my body. Yes sure, many people suffer from drinking too much therefor you’d think it’s better not to take up drinking at all, right? But the thing is, I want to enjoy a good glass of wine. Besides, having a glass can have some huge benefits in your life when consumed on a daily basis. There are at least 4 great reasons to drink a daily glass of wine:).

Now, before I start this post, I would like to emphasise the word ‘glass’ in the title. The benefits given in this piece don’t count if you find yourself gurgling three liters of  alcohol every evening. No matter how good it tastes and makes you feel.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having a few extra glasses when enjoying a night out on the town.  Drinking a glass of wine is one of life’s pleasure, not guilt.

Let’s have a look at the 4 Great Reasons To Drink A Daily Glass Of Wine, shall we?

Relaxing

Have you ever had those days at work when all you want to do is come home and open a bottle of tasty Bordeaux wine? The satisfaction of taking that first sip can instantly remove those daily stresses from your life. You can’t put a price on that feeling.

Drinking one glass of wine with dinner can help you get to sleep at night. Everybody appreciates how important a good night’s rest is, especially after a long, stressful day. So why not, have a glass.

Just make sure you don’t drink too much. Or you could wake up to a spinning room. Now that will be stressful.

Physical Health Benefits

Some people would say alcohol is bad for you, period. Frankly speaking, I wouldn’t agree with that statement. The key is to drink responsibility, especially when it comes to wine.

In fact, a glass of wine can bring various benefits to your long-term health. Studies have shown it to boost heart conditions and help with memory and other issues.

Again, you don’t want to counteract those benefits by ruining your liver with too much alcohol. The point is, a small amount can genuinely boost your health.

4 Great Reasons To Drink A Daily Glass Of Wine

Image source: Internet

Encourage Better Cooking

Eating is a basic human need, and we all enjoy tucking into some great grub. However, it can be far too easy to stick a frozen pizza in the oven.

But if you know you’ve got a nice glass of wine waiting, you’ll be more tempted to cook up a nicer meal to go with the wine. I’ve always wanted to cook properly, and using this as an extra incentive can only help healthy eating habit.

Improve Nights Out

If you are like me, feeling dizzy after just half a glass of red, drinking a regular glass of home will make you a little more immune. Studies have shown that people enjoy a far great greater relationship with drink. Alcohol isn’t the key to enjoying yourself, but just the right amount of wine can indeed make your night out extra enjoyable.

How to avoid a hangover after one glass? Drink lots of water.

 

I used to have VIP events anxiety. To be exact, it was pre-VIP events anxiety… because a lot of times I decided not to go. Why? – I consider myself just a P, not a VIP. The thought of being around a roomful of “very important people” I’ve never met before made me nervous.

But now I’m slowly growing out of it. As overtime I’ve realised that most people in those kind of events are just friendly, normal people like us. And in most cases, if you don’t know anyone, there will always be some nice people coming to talk you. Last Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to the Sydney night Noodle markets VIP opening night at the The Signleton Whisky & Sugar Bar in Sydney Hyde Park.

If you are a Sydneysider, have you been to the Sydney Night Noodles Markets during the SMH Good Food month? Do you know it’s been around since 1998? Well, if you ask me the same questions, my answers would be no and no. I know that Sydney night noodle markets have been around for quite a while and I did get numerous invites in the last couple of years but never really went. However this year, things are a little different and I decided to go and check it out.

This year’s Sydney night noodle markets is the biggest ever, with a new add-on. Acclaimed New York chef Christina Tosi is teamed up with Singleton Whisky  for The Singleton Whisky & Sugur Bar. Christina is the founder, owner and chef of Momofuku’s dessert wing, Milk Bar based in New York. She made a batch of whisky-infused cookies just for this occasion. Are you intrigued?

Sydney night noodle markets opening-002-4

I was impressed with the set up of Singleton Whicky and Sugar bar. The bar itself is compact, but thoughtfully decorated. The feature walls on both sides of the bar are particularly lovely.

Sydney night noodle markets opening-003

Warm Din Tai Fung pork buns were served to my surprise but it make the event even better! Those buns are so close to the ones my mum makes and they are one of my all time favorite:).

Sydney night noodle markets opening-002-2

There were plenty of drinks all night long. Though I could only consume one glass of alcohol (1+ will make me super dizzy), it was fun to watch the cocktail making process.

Sydney night noodle markets opening-004

Shortly after the buns, those gigantic meat kebabs appeared:

Sydney night noodle markets opening-007

They were the best things ever – tasty, juicy and extremely popular. I don’t really know if these kebabs are served in any restaurants, and if they are, I’ll be following them and recommend all my friends to go.

Then I started to wonder where Christina was, and whether we got to try those special cookies that took a few weeks to make. Not because of the hunger for cookies, but I was that curious! Curious about whether Whisky and cookies will be a good mix as I’m not a Whisky drinker. But got to try it, regardless.

Of course she was just around the corner. The Master Chef judge was holding her cookies and and cup of Whisky, as you guessed it:). Being a photographer who doesn’t know how to take selfies, I took a rather blurry photo of us using my phone. This was the second attempt:

Sydney night noodle markets opening-001

Ok, here’s a proper photo of Christina Tosi taken with my proper camera.

Sydney night noodle markets opening-002-3

And those were the famous cookies:

Sydney night noodle markets opening-006

I took a bite. They were buttery and sweet, with a slight hint of Whisky aroma. It was perfect, just as it should be.

P.S. The Singleton Whisky & Sugar Bar will appear at the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park Sydney until October 25th.

Pyrmont restaurants

There are quite a few Pyrmont Restaurants around but it never seems to be enough. Pyrmont locals say there are not enough “good” restaurants.

You see, “good” is a highly subjective word. What is good anyway? Surely for one suburb, Pyrmont has its fair share of famous, even 3 hats fancy restaurants. That’s still not enough?

I figured over the years, that “good” means a restaurant offers food good for our eyes (remember our eyes eat first), good for our taste buds, and good for our wallet. And of course, good service.




Are many of restaurants offer all the above around town? Not that many. But they do, they’ll be rewarded by repeating customers and years of striving business.

I don’t know how old exactly is Cafe XXII but it grabbed my attention 8 years ago, when I first moved to Pyrmont. Why? Because every time I walked pass, it seemed to be packed. Especially in the morning, people were queuing up for their coffee. “They must have good coffee.” That was my first thought, then I noticed they had hunky waiters with broad smiles. That helped too, obviously.

I never bothered to join the queue to get a coffee because patience is not one of my virtues. But I managed to go there for brunches and breakfast, dragging my friends to go with me every time. It never disappointed, all my friends liked the food and coffee there. Then a few years later, something seemed different. The place was less packed. People started to mention that Cafe XII changed owners. It doesn’t really matter, or does it? I never know. Guess I’m not that regular enough to tell. I don’t really care who owns the restaurant anyway, as long as the quality is still the same. As someone who’s always hungry and keen to try different places,  I moved around to try different pyrmont restaurants over the years.




When Sylwia suggested to catch up  for breakfast in Pyrmont last Saturday, Cafe XXII came to my mind. Can’t remember how long ago exactly I was there last time. But last Saturday was a perfect day to go. For two reasons: 1. I trust its breakfast quality. 2. It was cloudy and supposed to rain.

You might ask, what’s the weather got to do with your restaurant choice? Let me tell you why.

It goes back to the history of Pyrmont as a suburb. It short, Pyrmont used to be a slump. Yeah. The suburb is packed with dark little houses with tiny rooms and low ceilings catered to laborers who worked in the Sydney CBD. But don’t start to disdain those old little houses in Pyrmont now. Those ones with only 2 tiny rooms renovated inside, no parking will cost you close to 2 million dollars now. Long story short, Cafe XXII is located in one of those dark little sandstone houses and mainly facing South. In Australia, it means, there will never be any sun light in any of the rooms. Don’t get me wrong, I like the interior of XXII. It’s so charming with all rooms connected to each other, exposed brick walls and clever large open windows. But I like the sun more, so on a sunny weekend morning, my choice will be Zebra Lounge with beautiful water views.

But Cafe XXII, on the other hand, is perfect for a not so sunny day. It’s cozy + warm inside and you can hear the rain drops on its tin roof when it’s raining. The sound I kind of enjoy.

So there we went, being the first customers at 8am on a not so warm Saturday morning. What did we have? Coffee first, of course.

I ordered the Florentine: poached eggs, toasted muffin, smoked salmon, spinach & hollandaise. Here’s a snap:

Pyrmont restaurants

Sylwia ordered the Breakfast Stack: two free range poached eggs on sour dough, oven roasted tomato, haloumi, fresh avocado, rocket, basil pesto & aioli. Here’s another quick snap to give you an idea what it looked like: the plate on top. They tasted just as good as they looked.

Pyrmont restaurants

By the time our breakfast was ready, people and occasional dogs started to fill up the space slowly. As we sat there, enjoying our breakfast, it started to rain lightly outside, just as expected:).
Alpha Restaurant on Urbanspoon

The phrase “guilty pleasure” didn’t exist in my dictionary when I was little.

I didn’t feel guilty about eating fried stuff, chocolates and cheese cakes until I was about to explode. I didn’t feel guilty about sleeping until the mid day on Sundays.

Thanks to my parents. They are not very hard on me. And thanks to their genes, I’m not big sized despite being a massive eater.

But man, can you feel the social and peer pressure? It’s like one day I opened my eyes and suddenly came to a realization that everyone had stopped having sugar a long time ago. Almost all my girl friends are sticky thin and would only have half bowl of soup for lunch. Most of the new “health & fitness” blogs are named skinny this, skinny that…

So lots of things became “guilty pleasure.” Cookies with hot chocolate, ice cream cones, red wine, evening bananas. A friend of mine once told me that “Don’t eat bananas, they are full of sugar which makes you fat.” Thanks god I found this picture telling you all about the benefits of bananas...

After having typed “guilty pleasure” a few times, I now start to wonder: Is it still pleasure if you feel guilty of having or doing something? I feel that the word “guilty” destroys everything. If I feel guilty, I won’t feel the pleasure part any more.

My view is this: If something makes you feel good, then it’s good for you. So is time. Yes time is precious. But have a nap if you are exhausted. Winston Churchill used to nap and often slept until mid day. Remember, “Time you enjoy wasted is not wasted.”

By all means, I’m not an advocate for overeating. Overeating makes you feel lethargic and heavy, hence not good for you.

But if some skinny girl tells me “My guilty pleasure is to have 1 cookie with hot chocolate (once a month).” I’d say “Honey, enjoy your cookie and hot chocolate, forget about the guilty part.”

Talking about eating, you know what I feel like now? This pavlova made by J’s sister Ewa – 3 full servings please.

pavlova guilty pleasure

Now back to you, what’s your take on “guilty pleasure”. What food makes you happy?




health benefits of bananas

Do you like bananas? If you think bananas are boring, think again. They are so good for you!

Got to admit the reason I like bananas is because they are sweet. And soft, easy to chew.

You see I’m addicted to sugar and kind of lazy…

Got to share what I found on facebook: The 8 amazing benefits of bananas! Admittedly, I don’t smoke but there are definitely more reasons to have bananas more often now:).

benefits of bananas

Energy:

Bananas supply proper carbohydrates necessary to replace the muscle glycogen ( muscle sugar) used.

Potassium:

High in potassium, banana help the body’s circulatory system deliver oxygen to the brain, helping maintain regular heartbeat and proper water balance.

PMS

Bananas contain vitamin B6. This vitamin regulates blood glucose levels and helps in times of stress and helps to suppress cranky moods.

Brain Power

Potassium – packed fruit helps learning because it makes the pupils more alert. Students find that they have more brain power and do better on exams when they eat bananas at breakfast and lunch.

Bower Health

Bananas are high in soluble fiber which helps stop constipation and helps to restore and maintain regular bower function

Increase Happiness

Bananas release a mood regulating substance called tryptophoan which is converted to serotonin in the brain and thus elevates mood and makes us happier.

Help Smokers Quit

Bananas contain B vintamins and other minerals that lessen the effects of nicotine withdrawal both phsically and psychologically.

Iron

Bananas are rich in iron too and can help individuals with anemia. Iron rich foods, such as bananas help stimulate production of hemoglobin in the blood.

Also found this smoothie recipe so I’m sharing it here too:

Creamy Banana & Avocado Smoothie Recipe

health benefits of bananas

Serves 2

Ingredients

(use organic ingredients where possible)

  • 2 bananas (fresh or frozen)
  • 1/2 avocado, stone and skin removed
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk (or any other milk)
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 tablespoon bee pollen
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter (optional)
  • Handful of ice

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for half a minute until you reach a smooth consistency.

Well, I don’t have bee pollen (not even sure what it is) and vanilla paste but will put everything else and try it tomorrow morning!

Now back to you, do you have a great banana recipe to share?




10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight

Have one egg a day can not only help improve memory but also protect eyesight and loose weight.
That’s a hell lot of benefits. Eggs are loaded with good nutrition such as vitamins, protein and antioxidants. If you are running out of ideas of what to have for breakfast, it’s time to have a couple of boiled eggs, because it is so good for you! And no, eating a few eggs a day won’t increase your risk of heart disease. Here are 6 main health benefits of having eggs for breakfast:

 

1. The perfect protein.
The protein in eggs has the highest biological value – a measure of how well it supports your body’s protein needs of any food.
2. Make you feel full.
The combination of fats and protein means eggs are very satisfying. Eating one or two eggs for breakfast will keep you from getting hungry later in the morning, hence the next point:).
3.Help loose weight.
Having eggs for breakfast may help you loose weight by helping decrease your calorie intake for the whole day. Studies have shown that people have eggs for breakfast lost 56% more weight, compared to people who have carbohydrate meals for breakfast, people have eggs for breakfast have more energy too.

Check out these 10 foods that help you loose weight.
4. Improve memory.
Eggs are packed with riboflavin, folate, vitamins B6, B12, D and E, and iron. Having eggs help you improve memory and boost concentration.

6 Health Benefits Of Having Eggs For Breakfast
5. Help stay alert.
Study has shown that the proteins included in the eggs help our brain cells to be more alert and therefore, help us stay awake. A morning meal high in protein raised your brains’ tyrosine levels. This helps your brain produce neurotransmitters called norepinephrine and dopamine, which give you energy and make your feel awake and alert.
7. Good for eye health.
The yolk is a prime source of lutein and zeaxanthin—plus zinc, which also helps reduce your macular degeneration risk, according to Paul Dougherty, MD, medical director of Dougherty Laser Vision in Los Angeles. Eggs contain both of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin. It has been shown that lutein and zeaxanthin from eggs is better absorbed by the body than from plant sources (like spinach and corn), making eggs an important contributor to overall intakes.So if you have to work in front of the computer for the whole morning, have eggs for breakfast!

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight

It’s winter in Sydney and reported to be the coldest winter in the last 30 – 40 years.
So what we do when it’s cold? EAT.

Oh yeah. I love having fried pork ribs or chicken for dinner
and rich chocolate mud cake for desert nowadays.
The thought of these foods make me happy, let along eating them.

But, there’s a big but. While I’m not denying the pleasure of having deserts and fried meat, I must try to consume everything in moderation. What foods can help maintain your well being and healthy weight?

Here are 10 foods that help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight:

1. Almond seeds
10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
Rich in antioxidant, Vitamin E, fiber and protein. They fill you up and help control weight gain.

2. Apples

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
Again they help you crush cravings because they contain natural sugar and are filled with water. It is a slow process to chew an apple.. Remember what they say? Eat slowly and you’ll feel full sooner.:)

3. Coffee

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
Love coffee. Not sure if it’s correct to classify coffee as food but nevertheless, one or two coffee a day can not only help you stay awake but also helps your metabolism.
I only consume one cup a day now but maybe 2 cups are acceptable too.

4. Eggs

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
Eggs are very helpful when you want to lose weight fast. New research shows you could lose around 1kg a month just by eating eggs for breakfast.

5. Sweet Potatoes

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
Love roast sweet potatoes. So easy to cook and so tasty. It make is even better because they are sweet!

6.Dark Chocolate

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
The bitterness of dark Chocolate helps crush cravings.

7. Tofu

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
Not very tasty, so J refuses to eat them. But research shows Tofu helps stop food cravings so if you want to feel full quickly, try tofu.

8.Oats

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
A bowl of warm oats with honey for breakfast in Winter… So Satisfying! Wait, there’s more. A 15 year study has found that oats lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease.

9.Green Tea

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
I’m a Chinese but hardly drinking any green tea. Must incorporate drinking green tea in my afternoon routine.

10. Salmon

10 Foods That Help You Lose Weight
I can have Salmon for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Being next to Sydney fish market gives me easy access to fresh Salmon.
So I’m quite happy Salmon is on the list.

All in All these foods are full of healthy nutrition and help you feel full. All of them are easy to work with too.
So next time, before you order that fired chicken again, have a look of this list.:)

A friend of mine organised a birthday dinner a couple of weeks ago at Sydney Newtown Hotel. Always keen to try something new, I went along since I’d never eaten at Newtown Hotel before.

For those of you who don’t know Sydney well, Newtown is a bohemian part of town. I would like to think the reason I don’t go Newtown very often is because it’s very hard to find parking there, not because I’m not hip enough;).

It was a cold and wet night, dinner was booked from 7pm. I arrived at 6.55pm and found nobody else in the group there. Instead of worrying the whole dinner thing was a joke, I started to look around and was impressed by its character. Pardon my phone snaps, but you got the idea.

3 Highlights Of Newtown Hotel Food Experience
3 Highlights Of Newtown Hotel Food Experience

Slowly, our group of people started to emerge. It was the traffic holding them back indeed. Looking out from the balcony, it was a river of steel (static cars) out there on the main street.

3 Highlights Of Newtown Hotel Food Experience

1. The bohemian atmosphere & deco.
It was stylishly dark inside and dotted with funky decorations everywhere. I’m sure there’s more to explore coming in another day. This is a picture of the main table for us before everyone arrived, because we had 20 something people, the other corner of the room was reserved for us as well.

3 Highlights Of Newtown Hotel Food Experience

2. Healthy selection of banquet menu.
It was a feast! Food seemed to keep coming, yet none of the them is your typical pub dish. Olives, Grilled haloumi, Braised green beans,Roasted spuds, Beetroot salad & Cabbage Salad! Doesn’t sound like a vegetarian restaurant so far? 🙂

But wait, there were big servings of coal roasted lamb and chicken for meet lovers too. Lamb was tender & tasty. Chicken was plentiful & all breast. I don’t do breast but a friend sitting opposite to me enjoyed it thoroughly – chicken breast is his favorite.

3 Highlights Of Newtown Hotel Food Experience

Photo of food served from Newtown Hotel website, I was too busy eating and chatting of course…

3. The wicket chocolate brownie!
The friend who loves chicken breast told me he’s not a desert person, but he would be always ready for this chocolate brownie.
Oh boy, how wicked was that chocolate brownie! If there were a second serving,  I would have devoured it with absolute pleasure again.

This is the Newtown Hotel banquet menu for 8 people or more:

3 Highlights Of Newtown Hotel Food Experience

It think it’s a terrific idea to have a group get together in NewTown Hotel. Will I come back again? You bet.
Alpha Restaurant on Urbanspoon

unnamed (15)

As a photographer, I reply on my eyes so much but don’t take care of my eyes enough. This blog post is a simple note on what to eat to retain our precious eyesight.

Research has shown that simple things like a healthy diet can play an important role in preserving vision.

Here are top 3 healthy food categories for eyes:

1. Dark green leafy vegetables

Such as kale, spinach, peas, pumpkin, brussels sprouts, broccoli, corn and beans.

2. Omega03 fatty acids

Such as salmon, mackerel, anchovies, trout, herring and sardines.

3. Low GI carbohydrates

Most fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals and wholegrain breads and legumes.

In general, eat dark green leafy vegetables and fresh fruit daily, fish two to three times a week and handful nuts each week.




There are a lot places offer casual cheese and wine tasting in Sydney and NSW regional areas.

So when Sylwia asked me if I’d like to go cheese and wine tasting with her in Pyrmont, my neighborhood, I thought it’ll be one of these “casual” things.

I  happily said yes because I love Sylwia’s company but warned her that I’m a cheap drunk… will be out after one full glass of wine.

We had dinner at my place before we set off for the cheese and wine tasting, a big dinner.

Because, you know. You just can’t go drinking with an empty stomach. Especially when you get drunk after one glass.

It was such a nice surprise that the cheese and wine tasting place was literally around the corner.

Oh I forgot to mention that I knew nothing about the details of this cheese and wine tasting event.It was totally researched and organized by Sylwia. I was filling in for a friend who couldn’t make it that night.

When we approached the entrance of the cheese and wine tasting event upstairs, I realized it was one of these “fancy” cheese and wine tasting in Sydney.

It was formally organized by the Sydney Wine Center. There’s a host, a presenter, a long table covered in white cotton table cloth. There were around 10 people sitting already, each with 5 wine glasses and a cheese plate in front of them.

The whole scene makes you feel like one of the house guests.

We took our seats. There were 2 booklets with information of the cheese and wine we were about to taste.

unnamed (1)

“Learn, Taste, Appreciate”, says on both booklets. And I really did!




Trust me, it wasn’t the wine that made me so happy. Though maybe it did play a small part.

I’m so happy that I learned so much that night! We tried 1 campaign, 9 different kind of wine and their matching cheese.

Got to say some cheese and wine are made in heaven:). Where have I been all these years?

And why I had so much for dinner?

Out of all the wine we’ve tried, I liked the the wine no 2, White, Marc Bredif and no 6, Pinot Noir Burgunday the most. It’s not easy, coming from someone who thought she’s allergic to alcohol like me.

All the cheese are magnificent! Thoroughly enjoyed the last match we tried: Desert wine Mobazillac and the Roquefort blue cheese.

Sorry I don’t have a better picture for the delicious feast. You see, we were quite busy…

unnamed (2)

Ok, this light sketch might be a classier reflection of this fine French Cheese & Wine Matching evening:)

Also happy to report: I wasn’t even that drunk, after finishing the whole plate of cheese.

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to my future fine cheese and wine tasting in Sydney.

unnamed (3)

 

Why Kobe Jones?

Because it’s in my neighborhood.

I Love Japanese food.

A friend of mine mentioned the name a few times. I think they offer 50% vouchers very often.

It was towards the end of summer when we went for dinner and windows were wide open. I don’t remember they had air conditioning on so the open view and flow of air were much appreciated.

unnamed (1)

We tried the Summer Sunset menu and one by one the dished are served. Prawns, salmon, scallop, lobster meat, wagyu beef and crab pieces… everything sounded mouth watering , but…

unnamed (2)

unnamed (3)

unnamed

The presentation was really nice but the taste somehow couldn’t match the expectation of fine dinning & the price tag of $175 to go with it.

The dish we both enjoyed the most is this: Spicy Lobster Roll, it was nicely presented and delicious!

unnamed (4)
Alpha Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Alpha restaurant sydney

A group of us went to Alpha for a birthday celebration the other Saturday & had a great time catching up.




Because we went as a group for lunch, we were serviced the family style lunch menu that consists those dishes:

Screen Shot 2015-03-05 at 3.13.13 PM

Apart from great company, there are three positive points about Alpha that made the lunch so enjoyable.




  • The clever & elegant fit-out

I must say, to me the highlight of Alpha restaurant is how it has been designed. The high ceiling dinning room is decorated with large brown bird cage like, fishnet inspired hanging lights and a battered looking Greek inscribed wall. On the street front, the main white entrance to the dinning room is adjacent to a cafe with casual wooden tables and stools. The upper levels of the building again, have a kind of battered Grecian appearance. What a good mix of ancient Greek & modernism inside out. I don’t pretend to be a big fan of Greek food but I can come anytime, just to admire Alpha’s fit-out.

Alpha restaurant sydney

Mobile snaps of Alpha Restaurant Sydney

 

 

  • Lightness in flavor

None of the dishes on the 7 course lunch menu was packed with flavor but I much appreciated the lightness of food serviced at the Alpha restaurant. There’s an organic & healthy feel to all the dishes. Noting is too oily or salty. My personal favorites are the smoke eggplant dip and spinach pies.

  • Big servings

If you are hungry, you at in the right restaurant. The servings are huge & there’s plenty of food for everyone.

I love seafood so the only downside of the meal experience was missing out the opportunity to pick and try any Alpha’s seafood dish. However that gave me an excuse to go back one day, it’s my kind of place just to sit back and relax.
Alpha Restaurant on Urbanspoon