APPLE COFFEE CAKE

i LOVE coffee cakes...
i don't know about you , but i'm one of those that likes ma sweets in the morn. maybe i'm under the impression that i can enjoy it more knowing i'll work it off somehow during the day. does baking all day burn THAT many calories? well anyway, i'm usually just too full after dinner. it's kinda funny because i'll make some fabulous dessert and while everyone else is digging in, i just sit there and stare. i think it also builds up the anticipation (or the occasional let-down) for that first bite with breakfast.
so, in this house i can usually produce a winner if it has anything with apples,cinnamon, pecans and the word coffee cake in the mix. hence, this one is a winner.

this little number comes from the Savory Sweet Life. many thanks to Alice for posting this one.

recipe found here

the recipe is great. i 1/2'd the recipe and it was easy in an 8 x 8.

i made just a few slight substitutions because i try to cut down on the white flour and white sugar where ever possible. there's sooo many sweets flying in and out of this house lately that just for my own peace of mind i try to throw in a little whole wheat flour and or some sugar substitute if i don't think it will hurt the flavor or the texture or the experience.

so for 1/2 the recipe i used 1c. AP flour and 1/2c. wheat

1/8c. sugar and 1/8c. cooking splenda for the apples

1/2c. sugar and 1/2c. splenda for the batter.

know one knew the diff. i think by subbing just 1/2 in things it works out pretty good in most cases.

oh, i almost forgot, i added a bit of orange zest

and threw some pecans on top.

i know mine doesn't look like the original (kinda hoping i would get that crust look on top Alice has on there), but it turned out delicious...and yes...it was great this morning even though i baked it yesterday.

Taco Crawl in Fruitvale

For several years now I'd been hearing about the taco trucks of Fruitvale, a section of Oakland known for having a large Latino population. After reading endless reports on Yelp, Chowhound and an article in the East Bay Express by John Birdsall, I was ready to hit the road, or rather, International Boulevard, where there's a high concentration of taco trucks. I didn't spend a month investigating like Birdsall did (thanks John!) but I did put together a hit list, based on recommendations and testimonials. A word about pricing, you'll spend more on bridge toll than you will at most spots along the corridor. Tacos ranged in price from $1 to $1.25 and the agua fresca I ordered was $1.

First stop was the Sinaloa complex, located in a parking lot at 2138 International Blvd. You can't miss this stop and frankly, it's one of the best. Here there are two trucks to visit--one has the standard kinds of tacos, while the other is devoted to seafood. The fish taco was good, but the shrimp tostada was outstanding. A crisp tortilla was topped not just with sweet, plump and juicy shrimp, but also chunks of cucumber, tomato, onion, slivers of avocado and fresh cilantro. Not to be missed!

Across the parking lot, my partner in crime and I tried both the lengua or tongue taco and the chorizo taco. Both were very good. The chorizo has subtle sweet and sweet spicing and was not greasy. I skipped the champurrado, a type of Mexican hot chocolate but did have a very refreshing and not too sweet agua fresca made with fresh strawberries.

Next stop was not really a taco truck at all but a little storefront called Taqueria El Rebozo Blanco at 3215 International Blvd. While I never saw a menu, I knew to order the tacos dorados, the true Mexican version of the crispy taco. While a mashed potato filling is traditional, we had chicken tacos and they were very flavorful, made with delicate dark meat and topped with the traditional cheeses, crema, shredded iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. If you love crispy tacos, you will be very satisfied here.

The final stop is a little tricky to find, because it's located in the parking lot behind La Parilla Grill, at 2900 International Blvd. At Tacos El Paisa the speciality is tacos al pastor, which was very juicy, and mildly spicy, and a bit on the salty side. The tongue taco was very fresh tasting as well. Though on the downside there really is no seating in the parking lot. El Paisa definitely had the most "colorful" customers, but the service was friendly and as an added bonus, the Mexican version of an ice cream truck, a bicycle vendor with paletas or popsicles made his rounds, stopping off to get a taco as well as sell ice cream treats.


View Taco Trucks of Fruitvale in a larger map

See photos from this adventure or check out the map.

If you have any favorite taco trucks in in Fruitvale, please let me know so I can check them out on my next taco crawl.

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken

Another great thing about summer food is all the grilling you get to do! I love grilling for two reasons, it's a healthy and delicious way to eat your food, and it requires few ingredients for lots of deliciousness! I also love how every time I turn around, there are more and more fun ways to grill your food.

I wasn't quite sure about this recipe at first, mostly because of my grumbling husband who can't seem to grasp the magic behind combining fruit and meat. However, our whole family came out very pleasantly surprised by this recipe. The meat has more of a tang then a sweetness, and the flavor is so mouthwatering. This recipe calls for using bone in breasts, thighs, and legs, which I would really stick to. We used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and while it was still delicious, I don't think it was quite as juicy and flavorful as if we had followed directions! This recipe calls for mostly your common pantry items, so get busy and let me know how you like it!

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken
Found in Cooking Light June 2009

Ingredients

3 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 bone-in chicken breasts halves, skinned
2 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
2 chicken drumsticks, skinned
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Spray

Directions

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well.

2. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. If using a gas grill, heat one side to medium-high and leave one side with no heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals on one side of charcoal grate, leaving the other side empty (this will probably be how we grill our chicken from now on, it keeps it from charring).

3. Let chicken stand at room temp for 30 minutes. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place chicken, meaty sides down, on grill rack coated with cooking spray over direct heat; grill five minutes, or until browned.

4. Turn chicken over; baste with apricot mixture. Grill 5 minutes over direct heat or until browned. Turn chicken over, moving it over indirect heat; baste with apricot mixture. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with apricot mixture. Cook 20 minutes, or until done.

Serves 4: serving size one piece of chicken

Per Serving: 247cal, 10.7g fat, 26.5g prot, 10g carb, 0.1g fiber, 82mg chol, 1.2g iron, 370mg sod
Points per Serving: 6

Also, a thousand apologies to Rachel and Rachel vs. Kitchen and Julie at Sporadic Cook. These lovely ladies were nice enough to award me these awards a few weeks ago, and I have let way too much time go by before expressing my appreciation. This one is from Rachel...

And this one is from Julie...

Thank you so much ladies, and if you haven't visited Rachel and Julie yet, I can assure you that you are missing out on some good stuff! I am going to pass these out, but it's pretty late right now and my brain has pretty much shut down for now. So with that I bid you adieu and wish you a wonderful week!

南興餐室 Nam Heng Restaurant Fried Oyster Omelette @ Kovan

Out at Kovan area, at the junction of Simon Road and Upper Serangoon Road, one can spot Nam Heng Restaurant, all fluorescent lights lit up at night. As you pass by, sometimes you'll notice the place slightly smoked out from the frying and grilling that's taking place. Although there were only three food stalls opened for business last night, none of the tables were empty. Any vacated table was immediately filled. On every table, there were plates of crispy fried oyster omelette. This was what my brother-in-law and I came for before visiting our friend's place for late night mahjong session.



I had to squeeze through a single wall of people, all waiting for their takeaways, before I can reach the lady to take my orders for a sit down meal.



The fried oyster omelette experts at work. That's the uncle who've been frying his crispy omelette for years.



It was after sometime, after we've finished the fried prawn noodles and satays from the other two food stalls, before the omelette arrived. The fried oyster omelette at Nam Heng is different. It's very crispy but also very oily. Many oyster omelette out there are fried less crispy leaving the omelette's starch still soft and sticky. Nam Heng's version is fried to an extent that there's lesser stickiness as more of the starch have already formed the golden brown crisp. Both my BIL and I loved this brand of fried oyster omelette, the very crispy kind. The only downside was the generous use of oil for the frying. Health conscious folks, please eat at your own discretion.

In our S$5 plate of fried oyster omelette, there were about 3 or 4 bigger oysters, the size of half a table spoon, embedded in the eggs and starch. The rest were smaller ones.



Here's the satays that we ate at Nam Heng Restaurant. They were quite good. The pork satay still has a pork lard section in between two sections of lean meat. This is something good to eat while waiting for the "star" dish.



I would recommend to eat the omelette only at the stall for the best experience. If you think that you'll like to do takeaway and leave it for a hour or so before you eat it, don't do it. It can look pretty gross with the oil escaping from the omelette after letting it set for sometime. It'll not be the Nam Heng Fried Oyster Omelette anymore.

Note that the fried oyster omelette is only available at night. During the day time, there's only fried carrot cake.

Address : 949 Upper Serangoon Road, at the junction of Simon Road (Near Kovan MRT station)

Opening Hours : Evening till 10pm

Parking Info : Along Simon Road public parking. Wait patiently for the car park. People who vacate from Nam Heng and other eateries will leave space for your car.

Country : Singapore

DIMPLY PLUM CAKE

when i saw this over at smitten kitchen, i knew i had to try it...

dorie greenspan's dimply plumcake by way of smitten kitchen

i was shopping at Trader Joe's on weds night and saw this cute 6-pak of little red plums and they screamed dorie's cake. nobody else in the house was excited about the cake, but i wasn't gonna let it go. so now i bought my plums and no one was gonna get in my way. hmmph. i couldn't get the photo out of my mind that i saw at smitten's...the one with the crispy sharp corner. i wanted to create my own crispy sharp corner...
well, as you can see, i didn't get my crispy sharp corner. kinda bummed about that. i'm just about positive i used the same 8" square. also, how the heck does one fit 4 x 4 (12 halves) on that 8" square? my plums were of the small variety and as you can see....well, mine was 3 x 3. oh well, no harm no foul.








once i got past the fact that my little cake wasn't as cute as i had hoped, i cut in. things started lookin' up. i can see why this is a popular cake. the texture, colors and aromas settled my nerves a bit.
my only reservation about the whole situation is that i didn't listen to that little chef i have in my brain nagging me, "you're only as good as the ingredients you use!". i was all finished and ready to place the prettiest plum halves when i took a big bite of a leftover half. eeeerrrg! my cute little plums had no real flavor and were quite watery. i didn't even want to finish that piece. i had on hand blueberries, mangos, strawberries and nectarine to choose from...but, i had to go with the plums. i just had to. well, it wouldn't have been dorie's dimply PLUM cake had i not... now would it?

needless to say, this cake would be fabulous with the right plums. i was told to wait 'till plum season, but noooooooooo...i didn't listen. i just couldn't wait. lesson learned? maybe. i received mediocre reviews. actually the comment was, "oooh...too tart!...well, just eat around the plum. the cake part's okay...". well, that's not the kind of feedback i like to hear so i'll be back in the kitchen firing up that oven again in the morning.

so the story goes that this cake gets better and even more moist the next day, so...here's lookin' to tomorrow.

Coconut-Crusted Chicken with Cashew-Curry Sauce

It was a bit of a gamble trying this dish out because I'm not a huge fan of curry. But after seeing other ingredients like panko, and coconut milk, I just had to give it a shot. I really liked this dish. The curry flavor was strong, but it combined well with the coconut sauce and the deliciously crusted chicken. My only regret for this dish is that I wasn't able to find fish sauce, which the sauce calls for. I really wonder how that would have changed the flavor. If I can get my hands on the stuff, I'll let you know how this works out.

Make sure you squeeze your fresh lime on this right before you eat it, it adds a wonderful brightness.

Coconut-Crusted Chicken with Cashew-Curry Sauce
Found in Cooking Light May 2009

Ingredients

CHICKEN:
4 (6 oz) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3/4 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons canola oil
SAUCE:
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup finely minced shallots
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup dry roasted cashews
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons fish sauce
4 lime wedges (optional)
4 cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. To prepare chicken, sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch and red pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Combine panko and flaked coconut in a shallow dish. Place egg white in another shallow dish. Add chicken to bag; seal and shake well to coat evenly. Remove from bag; discard remaining cornstarch mixture. Dip 1 chicken breast half in egg white; dredge in panko mixture. Repeat process with the rest of chicken.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large oven-proof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Place skillet in oven. Bake at 400 for 8 minutes or until done.

4. To prepare sauce, combine coconut milk, sugar, curry paste, and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch in a small bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, ginger, and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute stirring frequently. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil. Cook one minute, or just until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cashews, juice and fish sauce. Garnish each serving with one lime wedge and one cilantro sprig.

Serves 4: one serving is 1 chicken breast half and 3 tablespoons sauce

Per Serving: 376 calories, 15.4g fat, 43.8g prot, 15.4g carbs, 1.1g fiber, 99mg chol

Points per serving: 9

The Hall at Palihouse

* A Brunch Review *

Palihouse is one of the new, upscale hotel/residences that has popped up in L.A. Its restaurant, The Hall, will indubitably attract a host of locals - even without the publicity machine that drives folks to new haunts... Zing! For now, The Hall has managed to stay under the radar but I predict that is very short-lived. Word of mouth, you know.

The Hall boasts a leafy, brick-lined patio and an adjoining dining room. There is a stand-alone oyster bar at the entrance, classic brasserie furniture and a big open courtyard.

Dixon & I were one of the few folks there and we were given carte blanche with our seating preference. As it was a bit dreary that Saturday morning, we opted for the dining room, although the courtyard patio looked enchanting. One table was occupied and the human guests accompanied by their four pooches (seated as well); Dixon and I were greeted with their yips. We like this. Our server, Jonathan, was there forthwith to take our drink order. Coffee (excellent), for me, a Bloody Mary and Dixon, a Holloway, named after the street on which Palihouse is located (Dixon & I like to indulge in the libations and crossword at brunches). I have to say it was a damn good Bloody - spicy, thick & strong.


Jonathan delivered a basket of subtly sweet pumpkin bread and a healthy pat of very good butter. Dixon ate the whole thing.

We proceeded with a dozen mixed oysters (Hama Hama, Malpec and Fanny Bay). They were terrific. Good brine and perfectly shucked. Tea towels instead of napkins - lemons cut into a perfect 'S' to ensure a lovely squeeze without the dribble of juice. God is in the details.


We then moved on to the Belgian Waffle served with Chantilly Cream & Market Blueberries ($10), and the Crepes (pancakes) with Lemon Ricotta and special, yummy syrup ($11). These were slightly unconventional in that they were quite crispy on the outside and soft inside--deelish. Finally, I had the Lobster Pergatory ($15). This was a new take on a Benedict, with lobster replacing Canadian bacon and a spicy marinara instead of hollandaise. On Jonathan’s suggestion, however, I opted to stick with the hollandaise. I must say that everything was very, very tasty. The eggs were perfectly, I mean PERFECTLY poached, the hollandaise just right, and the lobster fresh and nicely cooked.

Dixon and I camped out at The Hall that day. We did our crossword, tried bunches of different cocktails (well, Dixon did. I stuck with the Bloodies.) and ordered lots of food. Hats off to Jonathan and all of the staff for being so wonderful, fun and accommodating. I look forward to returning for brunch; and certainly for a glass of wine and another dozen of those oysters as the sun sinks into the horizon on a hot, summer evening.

 8465 Holloway Drive West Hollywood | CA 90069

Tel 323 656 4020 ext. 120

Chilled Corn Soup Recipe

It's not Summer until you've eaten a peach over the sink, nibbled on cherries, and enjoyed a stack of fresh blueberry pancakes. One of the most highly anticipated Summer treats aside from all the luscious fruit, is fresh corn. When I see Brentwood corn, I buy it. It's sweet, tender and pairs wonderfully with all types of shellfish, blueberries, lime and avocado.

Corn is high in starch and carbohydrates but it's also a good source of Vitamins B1, B5, and C, folate, dietary fiber, phosphorus, manganese and protein. I use white and yellow corn interchangeably. White seems a bit sweeter and yellow a has a rounder flavor, if that makes sense. Corn should be cooked as soon as possible, after it has been picked. It's particularly good in fritters, pancakes, succotash and salads. If you eat it on the cob, try squeezing lemon or lime juice over it and dipping it in something spicy like smoked paprika or chile powder. Another way to enjoy it is with crumbled Mexican Cotija cheese. Slather the hot cobs with mayonnaise and dip it in the cheese. Messy, but good.

At a recent visit to the delightful SolBar restaurant at Solage in Calistoga, I got a kick out of the menu which was divided down the middle into healthy dishes and indulgent ones. The soup of the day was a chilled corn soup and it had no cream in it. I was intrigued. After a little experimenting I found you can get the maximum flavor by limiting the ingredients to a minimum. This recipe is vegan and the exact amounts of salt and lime will vary depending upon how sweet the corn is; the sweeter the corn, the better the soup!

Note: I use a conventional blender, but I have a feeling that if you use a Vita-Mix you will get even better results! If you have one, try it and let me know.

Chilled Corn Soup with Avocado
Serves 4

Ingredients

6 ears of fresh shucked corn, yellow or white
2 limes
salt
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

Instructions

Remove the corn kernels from the cob, using a chef's knife. Place the corn in a saucepan with enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer until the corn is tender, just a couple of minutes, no longer. Strain the corn out of the water, reserving the water, and place in a blender. Puree the corn with enough water to give it a smooth texture. Strain the corn puree through a strainer and and add some of the reserved water to achieve the desired consistency. Squeeze the limes into the soup and salt to taste. Chill the soup then serve with a garnish of avocado.

Enjoy!

LEMON LAVENDER SHORTBREAD COOKIES

OK, OK, OK, yes! i believe now i am bordering on obsession with the shortbread cookie

i love the simplicity of the shortbread cookie

i love the aromas of the shortbread cookie

i'm inspired by the versitility of the shortbread cookie

most of all...i think it's the slightly guilty feeling when i dump the

2, yes TWO!, WHOLE STICKS OF BUTTER in the mixer

i must say, i'm a little intrigued by the addition of herbs into sweets. i've been thinking about it for a while now. it might have started with the white peach-rosemary friands i saw a while back. i'm going to try those maybe today or tomorrow.

BUT, back to these darn cookies...

so shoot me...i didn't use organic or "cooking" lavender.

and guess what?...I DIDN'T DIE!

i really have no idea how to properly cook with lavender, but i'll tell ya what i did do and it turnd out just fine, great in fact..i went over to walk the next door neighbors' dog, casey the airdale, and there in my face was some beautiful lavender...hmmm....i stole a few sprigs (haven't confessed yet) and i shall pay-back with a few cookies, of course.

i pulled the little tiny buds off (about 2 T.) and as i was doing this the yummy oils were wafting around and i could tell this was gonna be deelish.

i added the 2 T. to the butter mixture. then..i had another idea to infuse some reg. white sugar for dusting the top. i pulled a bunch more buds and put in a bowl with about 3 T. sugar and smashed it around with a flat bottomed glass. mortar n' pestle would break it up too much. i let that sit, then sifted the buds out and spinkled that sugar over each cookie right before baking. i also kept the leftover, with the buds still in, and put it in a little jar for some other use...even that use is to just open the jar every now and then to take a whiff...mmmm....

so, once again, i used an adaption of smittenkitchen's dorie adaption of the shortbread cookie

i used this as my base recipe

added the lavender and zest of 1 lemon (with a squeeze of juice) to the butter/sugar mixture and proceeded with the recipe. i used the ziploc baggie trick again and it worked out great. with the cut-out reminents i balled up and put into a small ziploc, flattened out, refridged and just cut again. love the ziploc trick.

then i dusted the cut cookies right before the oven...

don't forget to RE-refridgerate the cut cookies before the oven. it really helps retain the shape. next time i think i'm goin to try putting them it at 380-400 degrees for the 1st 5 min, then lowering it to 320. (i cook in a convection so i always take off 5-10 degrees)

so welcome to my new obsession. if you don't hear anymore from me maybe i really shouldn't be just picking any ol' thing out of the garden and cooking with it...

haven't died YET.....

Strawberry-Avocado Salad

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love summer food! I love the freshness, the bright flavors and colors, and the fact that it's just feels cleaner and healthier. Don't get me wrong, nothing could ever replace my warm bowl of stew or dumplings when the weather is cold, but there is just something so great about a nice summer salad.

I bought some beautiful strawberries the other day, and if I've learned anything about berries, it's that you pretty much need to make sure they are eaten within twenty four hours of purchasing them, otherwise you may end up with the tragedy of them going bad before enjoying them. So I thought they would be delicious in a big green salad. I sweetened the strawberries with a bit of Splenda beforehand, just to really get the full contrast of sweet strawberries and tangy balsamic vinaigrette. And I know I put avocado in EVERYTHING, but it was the perfect creamy mediator between the two flavors. And for an extra treat, candied almonds to top it off! I really enjoyed this salad, never once missed the meat and felt so good when I was done. Ah, summer!

Strawberry-Avocado Salad

Ingredients

romaine lettuce
baby spinach
strawberries, sweetened if desired
avocado
balsamic vinaigrette
candied almonds (Combine sliced almonds with a few teaspoons of sugar in a dry saute pan, place on medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until sugar melts completely over almonds, remove from heat.)

Directions

Toss your leaves with desired amount of dressing. Top salad with remaining ingredients and enjoy!

Heavens Indian Curry ......... Thosai Specialist in Ghim Moh

I realized that the last few times I was eating thosai, I have only been eating from Heavens Indian Curry, a hawker stall in Ghim Moh Food Centre. Thosai is a crepe like South Indian Delicacy that is rich in carbohydrates and proteins, from its main ingredients, rice and black lentils.The thosais here are freshly made on the round hot plates over the stoves. Their version is not as thick as others that I've eaten before and I liked this thiner thosai texture. There are several varieties of the thosai that they make. The varieties changes with the different filling that is added on the circular thosai before folding it into half, forming a semi-circular fan shape, and sandwiched the filling.

My Cheese and Egg Prata set at (S$2) to go with some chutneys and sambar.

Apart from the list of thosais, Heavens Indian Curry also have appam and puttu mayam. I love puttu mayam (S$1.80 per set) for the fragrance from the meshed vermicelli. In addition, the slight salty taste of the grated coconut and, of course, sweet coconut palm sugar (gula melaka) rolled into the meshed vermicelli makes a good dessert.

Address :Blk 20, Ghim Moh Road Food Centre, #01-13

Country : Singapore

麻辣烫 Chilli Fagara for Fiery Sichuan Food in Hong Kong Central

Chilli Fagara is another Michelin star restaurant, quite near to Yung Kee, known for their fiery Sichuan dishes. Many of their dishes are cooked with the"bullet" chilli from Sichuan China. For folks with low chilli threshold, these red stouty chilli's have the ability to cause swelling on thelips, tears falling profusely from the eyes and perspiration expelled from all possible hair folicles. These all occurred to me and I'm glad to survived it all to share my experience.

The restaurant is a small cosy set-up with dark wooden tables and red walls. Sporadically placed orange lights from the ceiling provides some luminescence injecting some life into the, otherwise, dim ambience. The menu had a red background with black descriptions.

Inside the menu, were dishes categorized as;

麻 MA, spicy hot till the level of numbness
辣 LA, spicy hot
烫 TANG, only temperature hot, the mildest of hotness.

These 3 Chinese characters forms the Chinese name of Chilli Fagara and they are being painted on the sign board outside the restaurant. We were advised to start from 烫 TANG to 辣 LA and, finally, to 麻 MA for the sequence of increasing levels of hotness.

First we were served the appetizers (HK$60), that give our taste buds a warm-up of the 麻 MA, 辣 LA, 烫 TANG before hitting the main dishes. These little appetizers we reserved in petite size glazed China, just like Chinese wine cups. The 烫 TANG was represented with hot noodles, 辣 LA with spicy cabbage and the 麻 MA with very spicy transparent vermicelli.

Our 烫 TANG dish is the Lettuce Wrap (HK$176). There is a different choice of meat for the filling for the wrap. We chose pork that was stir fried with some string beans which formed the filling for our wrap.I liked the sauce used in the stir-up as it had a mild sweetness. The lettuce and string beans gives every bite a certain crunchiness.

Close up of the Lettuce Wrap.

We chose two 辣 LA, dishes, the soft shell crab and the prawn that was cooked with the "bullet" chilli.

Red Hot Chilli Prawn (HK$228) - The prawns were presented right on top of this ceramic pot. Digging deeper will only unveil more "bullet" chilli.

Prawns coated with generous amount of these "unconventional" chilli.

Chilli Softshell Crab (HK$198) - Yes I know that the softshell crabs are overwhelmed by the abundance of redness. The yellow pieces were the softshell crab.

Our final 麻 MA dish, was the Pearl of the Orient (HK$118), lychee with chicken made into"balls of fire". This dish is tasty but the spicy hotness will catch up very fast with your enjoyment of this dish.

The Pearl of the Orient (Balls of Fire to me) up close.

The TANG dish was not spicy hot but the LA and MA dishes were challenging for me. As all the folks in my party were done, I went ahead to clear up all the food. For this feat, I've awarded myself the purple heart medal.

HY got a very low threshold for chilli and so she was persistent in ignoring all attempts to taunt her into getting a mouthful of fiery. She had the most fun that night watching me try to eat every morsel, trying with every attempt to avoid rubbing any chilli sauce on my lips.

We got the chance to chat up with the manager who told us that only very little of the "bullet" chillis were used for the dishes. The dried "bullet" chillis, quite obvious in the dishes, were merely for adornment. I can't imagine if that whole load of red "bullets" were unleashed.

The saviour of the night was my glass of hot flower tea (HK$38). With every prawn, or chicken and crab, I'll take a sip of the flower tea to wash off the spiciness. This is an interesting Hong Kong Michelin Star Sichuan Food experience for me.

One more thing I did appreciate was the strong the air conditioning for cooling purpose. Not for the food, but the people eating them.

Shop E, G/F, 51A Graham Street, SoHo, Central, Hong Kong
Tel : (852) 2893 3330
Opening Hours : Lunch 11:30am ~ 2:30pm Dinner 5:00pm ~ 11:30pm
Chilli Fagara Website

鏞記 Yung Kee Restaurant ...... Good Roast Goose Place in Hong Kong Central

The facade outside 鏞記 Yung Kee is all bright opulent gold so you can hardly miss it along the street. They own all 3 floors but so far I've only been to the 1st and the 2nd floors. Yung Kee is famous for their roast goose and should be one of the best in Central area. When you ask a taxi driver where's the best roast goose, many would probably suggest travelling to 深井 Shen Jing for the roasted fowl but after comparing the two, I still prefer Yung Kee.

On the 2nd floor, the dining area was packed full at 8pm. Although we, reserved a table, we have to wait for another 15 minutes. When we were there, many people were crowding around the little lift lobby, queuing for a table. If you don't mind risking a trip there without the roast goose, the number of people at the queue seem to have subsided at 9pm. My advise is to book a table before you go there. The service in the restaurant was good and prompt. This is a Hong Kong Michelin Star restaurant that's worth repeated visits for their exquisite roasts and hospitality.

特制皮蛋酸姜 Preserved Egg and Pickled Ginger (HK$37.50 for 5 portions) - The pickled ginger complimented the preserved egg well. The damp, marshy portion of the duck egg with the greenish tinge was the tastiest portion.

金牌烧鹅 Roast Goose, 1/2 portion (HK$210) - We came here for the goose and it did not disappoint us. I have eaten at the roast goose at 深井 Shen Jing like 2 years back when my cousin and uncle were staying in the area. It's not as expensive as Yung Kee but I prefer the taste that Yung Kee creates. The gravy makes a difference.

蜜汁叉烧 Barbeque Pork (HK$120) - Deliciously roasted honey glazed pork. Although the pork was leaner than the usual in Hong Kong, its still very tender. For barbeque pork, I prefer the slightly charred portions although they are supposedly unhealthy.

Close up of the few pieces of barbeque pork and roast goose that I quickly grabbed for myself before they are all snapped up by the rest of of my party.

We noticed that there were some beans immersed with the gravy that comes with the barbeque pork and the roast goose. They turn out to be soy bean when we checked with the manager. The soy bean taste real good too!

Address : 32-40 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong

Tel : (852) 2522 1624

Yung Kee Website

Country : Hong Kong

Good Food in Tiburon - Guayamas ........ our Mexican breakfast

When we arrived at Tiburon, I expected a long stretch of shops and restaurants awaiting but I realized that this city was more like a quaint town by the bay. The main street can be covered within 5~10 minutes of slow walk. It's "surely one of the shortest main streets in America" as quoted on a landmark sign. Tiburon is definitely a stop for avid cyclists who cycled all the way from San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, and pass Sausalito. There is a ferry service that bring cyclists with their bikes across the bay back to San Francisco city. For guys like us who just want to chill out away from the hustle and bustle, Tiburon is definitely one place. After walking for a while, we decided to take our breakfast at Guaymas, a Mexican restaurant by the bay.

Alfresco tables out on the deck by the bay

The sun was beating down on us and the air

temperature is still a chilly 18 degrees celsius.

Perfect weather for alfresco dining. It offers

views of the Alcatraz and the San Francisco skyline.

Fresh Nachos were served with salsa sauce

Two eggs scrambled with shrimp, onions, mushrooms,

pasilla peppers and cactus (US$12.75)

Three eggs scrambled with house made Chorizo(US$9.00)

I liked the chorizo which tasted like our Chinese

minced meat cooked in chilli and sauteed bean paste.

Extra Serving of Chorizo (US$3.50)

I liked it so much I ordered an extra portion of the chorizo.

This is so like the sauteed minced pork in Teo Chew porridge.

I must have missed Singaporean food then.

Another popular diner in the same area is Sam's Cafe which was packed with people trying to catch a piece of the sun. Sometimes us humans are quite like sea lions (at Pier 39), both trying to get apiece of the sun when it gets chilly.

The crowd at Sam's Cafe

This is popular isn't it. A place for

American breakfast out in the sun

Sea Lions basking in the sun in San Francisco's Pier 39

Address : 5 Main Street, Tiburon, California

Tel : (415) 435 6300

Country : California, USA

Guaymas Website