欢乐小厨 Happy Kitchen ......... Good Chinese Food at a good price

Geylang Road, at the area near to Lorong 12 has several eateries that usually opens in the evening and ends business in the wee hours of the night, all in the spirit of supporting the vibrant "adult" businesses in the area. Thanks to this vibrant primary business in the area, Geylang has many good food joints. Somehow ........ sex and food goes together pretty well. Er......hm

A little distance away from the notoriety of Geylang, at the corner of Geylang Lorong 39, resides 欢乐小厨 Happy Kitchen. Inside the restaurant, there is a bar counter and the tables are set-up to look like a humble wine place that would serve Western food. Art pieces, mostly oils, are hung up along the walls and they are all for sale. From the first looks of the restaurant, we decide not to have high hopes ....... but Happy Kitchen was set to prove us all wrong.

Here's what we had ordered and I would recommend;

(1) 虾酱脆皮肉 Deep fried streaky pork with shrimp paste (S$7.80). The pork is prepared with some spices that makes it taste nice.

A close up of the streaky pork wrapped with the fresh crispy lettuce and a really good mix here ......

(2) 天山羊排 Fried Mutton Ribs with Fennel and Chilli (S$16.80). This dish reminds me of my "onslaught" of skewered mutton slices in the streets of Kunming, Yunnan. The mutton can be a little bit tough but the spices, fennel and chili, makes this dish specially tasty.

Here's a close of the mutton rib. Before eating, dip it in the sauce provided (vinegar with arc slices) .......

(3) 脆皮麻婆豆腐 Sauteed Bean Curd With Minced Beef Bean Sauce packed in Crispy Skin (S$12.80).

The humble looking crispy exterior seeks to beguile. The soft tofu insides with the taste of spices makes this humble looking dish special.

(4) 猪脚黄豆汤 Petit toes soup with soy bean (S$18.80). This is the pork trotters soup cooked with soy bean. This is cooked till the meat and the soy bean becomes very soft. The soup contains all the essence of the ingredients.

Cost : about S$ 20 per person for a filling meal

Address : 757 Geylang Road (At the corner of Geylang Lorong 39)

Tel : +65 6741 8115

Country : Singapore

Yim Yam

Stopped here on the way to see Gran Torino at the Sun, which, incidentally, is the best film I have seen in a long time. So many currents of generational change in America, racial tension, the rust belt, all delivered with so much black humour. Yim Yam was really fantastic, service was OK (it was busy though). I had a Laotian whitebait salad which was just delicious, crunchy with roasted peanuts, sour, full of mint and red onion. Yum Yum. Also a sour, clear fish soup full of vegies, fish, prawns and squid. The prawns and squid were great but I am not a fan of fish pieces in soup, I think they go too mealy, and the veg were just OK. It would have been excellent with some rice noodles in it but instead I had to order some steamed rice that was a bit long in the tooth. The broth itself however was exceptional. Will definitely be back. Yarraville was pumping and it was so nice to see so many people out on the street enjoying the warm night.

Yim Yam, 40A Ballarat St, Yarraville (south of Anderson)

N.B. To try

North East China Family in Flinders La bet. Elizabeth & Queen - dumplings on non-cracked plates (what a revelation)
Seoul House Korean BBQ in Russell St
Pho Tam cnr Ryan & Leeds, Footy (try Hủ tiếu Gả Dòn - chicken soup with fried chicken)
L'Uccellino thin-crust pizza in Yarraville
Yarraville-Footscray bowls club on Francis St nr Roberts - TRIED (NASTY!!!)

And to buy: http://www.pelmeni.com.au/ - BOUGHT (pretty good)

Chip & Fish Shack

The current weather in Melbourne is like nothing I have ever experienced in my 28 years of living here. Temperatures of 43, 44 even 45 degrees! This weekend the Premier has said to cancel all plans if you can. Er, what about my friend getting married?! A few days ago after a pregnant waddle to Sims and back with both kids in tow I literally could not cook dinner. Chip & Fish Shack in Essex St (bet. Gordon & Eleanor) was there for us and oh my God, it is as good as ever. We never have the flake (mercury/overfished), I usually have whiting while Mr Baklover has Blue Grenadier but we all had whiting today having had BG for lunch. The batter is sensational and the fish inside cooked perfectly. Combined with minimum chips with chicken salt (yes, full of MSG, I know) it is truly the best fish and chips in Melbs. They are even nice enough to tell you if you ask which is the freshest fish that day. I think Wednesday must be a good day to go as they are closed Tues and I assume therefore all the fish is bought on Wednesday, and perhaps again on Fri or Sat.

UPDATE - Chip & Fish Shack is closed! Sob!! Now replaced by Ebi Fine Food which describes itself as Japanese fusion fish & chips. I am keeping an open mind, but lament the loss of a proper, old school fish & chipper.

Chicken Teriyaki noodles

I love the wide eggs noodles, they're thick, filling and hold flavor really well. I especially like the No Yolk ones, because they spare you a lot of the fat. So, while printing off a coupon for a bag of No Yolk noodles (oh yeah, I'm a coupon mom and I'm not ashamed!), I got a bonus by receiving this recipe as well! It's a great recipe, simple and very delicious. It calls for broccoli slaw, which I thought was a great way to sneak in a lot more nutrients. A WORD OF CAUTION: this recipe calls for an entire teaspoon of red pepper flakes. That is a lot and will make your dish incredibly hot. If you like your food extra spicy, proceed, however, if you have kids, or like a mild dish, I would say either start with none, or just 1/4 tsp or so, and add a tiny bit at a time until you like it. When I make this dish again, I probably won't add red pepper flakes at all, the teriyaki flavor is perfect the way it is!

Chicken Teriyaki Noodles

Ingredients

2/3 package wide egg noodles
1 bag (18 oz) broccoli slaw
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 oz lean chicken or pork cut into small pieces
2 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

Cook noodles according to package directions, adding broccoli slaw at the 4 minute mark. Return to boil and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Drain and keep warm. Stir fry chicken or pork in oil in a large skillet until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Push meat to one side. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Mix 2 tablespoons chicken broth and the cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth. Add remaining broth, teriyaki sauce and red pepper flakes to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Serve immediately over noodles broccoli mixture, serves 4.

Chocolate Bar Review

You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but I'm in training. In March I'll be on the tasting panel for the Annual San Francisco International Chocolate Salon and I take this responsibility very seriously. In fact, I snagged as many bars of chocolate I could at the Fancy Food Show to prepare for my judging. Ok, that's not completely true. I took the chocolate bars because I love chocolate.

The samples of chocolates I tasted are very random. I took bars and mini bars from any chocolatier who did not literally tape the bars into the boxes, prohibiting me from taking any. Why anyone would exhibit at the Fancy Food Show and NOT provide samples of their products is beyond me. But believe me, there are plenty of them. I also took some samples from a company that makes chocolate intended to be paired with wine. I will review those another day.

There is a bit of a debate that rages on about chocolate, both about percentages and about single estate versus blends. Frankly, I don't get it. I drink wine that is produced from a single estate and wine that is a blend of different grapes. One is not necessarily better than the other. Because I prefer dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate I only snagged darker bars, but really, the obsession over percentages is just silly unless you are baking and a recipe calls for one versus another. It's chocolate people. Eat, enjoy, stop fretting!

So here are the bars I gathered for a little in-home tasting:

Amano is one of the great American chocolate producers. Please lord, don't let them ever sell out to Hershey's! I am particularly fond of their Ocumare bar which I have raved about in the past. Not to get too deep here, but there is a complexity of flavors that I find tantalizing. So what I do think of the the Amano Jembrana 70% cacao? Me like. But to be honest, it's a little one dimensional. It's super fly, I mean, super dark and if you are in the ultra bittersweet camp, this bar will make you happy. It's dark but also sweet. I got a spicy nutmeg finish and rich caramel tones. It's from Bali. Did you know there was chocolate in Bali? I didn't!

Another American chocolate company I greatly admire is Guittard. I am proud that they are local, still family owned and operated. They make a very comprehensive line of chocolate that is a favorite of many pastry chefs and chocolatiers. When the government attempted to legislate a decrease in quality to save chocolatiers money, Guittard fought it tooth and nail. Nice. They also made a generous donation of 4 pounds of chocolate to the Menu for Hope fundraiser. Super nice. Personally, I am devoted to their chocolate chips. Since I do favor a more bittersweet bar, I thought I'd try their ultra dark bar, E.Guittard Nocturne 91% cacao. This bar made me swoon. It has a bitterness and a pleasant astringency but also notes of raspberry and cherry.

Santander produces only Columbian chocolate. The Santander Columbian Single Origin 70% cacao bar is not as smooth textured as some of the other chocolates I tried, but it has a very pleasant nuts and coffee flavor I liked.

The Republica Del Cacao 75% Manabi chocolate from Ecuador is fairly mild. Made from Cacao Arriba, it is particularly fragrant. I got both floral and almond flavors. It was very pleasant and interesting to compare to the other chocolates, but less intense.

I liked the Republica Del Cacao 75% Los Rios chocolate better than the Manabi, but it also had a very sweet character to it, reminding me of vanilla and tropical flowers. If you're going to be a chocolate geek, and don't let me stop you, I would recommend including these Ecuadorian bars in the mix.

Tuscan Chicken with Garlic-Parmesan Fettucine

I found this recipe in a Weight Watcher's magazine and it turned to be absolutely delicious. It's light, delicious and packed with so much flavor that even the smell will have your mouth watering. And my kids loved it, always a bonus! But before I give the recipe, a few grocery product shout-outs are in order...

I'm in love with the Nakano vinegars. They come in several flavors that help to dress and marinate your foods with barely any calories. The balsamic blend is my favorite. It's a little more mild than regular balsamic vinegar, but it has such a sweet and tangy flavor that pairs with so many foods, and is divine on a salad!

I also just discovered this Ronzoni Roasted Garlic Fettuccine. At first I was a bit skeptical as to how much flavor there would really be in this pasta, but I was pleasantly satisfied. The garlic comes out just perfectly and makes your job as the cook very easy. A little basil oil and Parmesan and we had some delicious pasta!

Tuscan Chicken

Ingredients

4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. Place chicken breast halves between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet or small, heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken. Cook 3 minutes on each side, or until golden. Add tomatoes; cook 4 minutes or until tomato skins pop. Stir in balsamic vinegar and water. Cook 4 minutes, or until chicken is done and liquid almost evaporates.

Serves 4: One serving is 1 chicken breast half and 1/3 cup tomatoes.

Per serving: 238 cal, 5.8g fat, 40g prot, 4.4g carb, o.8g fiber, 407mg sod, 99mg chol.

5 points per serving

Garlic-Parmesan Fettuccine

Ingredients

1 9 oz package roasted garlic fettuccine (the recipe originally calls for spinach fettuccine)
1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, oil or basil oil blend

Directions

1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions, omitting fat and salt. Drain.

2. Combine cooked pasta, cheese and butter or oil. Toss well.

Serves 7: One serving is 1/2 cup pasta.

Per Serving: 157 cal, 5.5g fat, 6.4g prot, 20.3g carb, 1.2 fiber, 39mg chol, 1.2 mg iron, 129mg sod.
3 points per serving

福寿司 Fuku Sushi Osaka style boxed sushi .......... Osaka, Japan

福寿司 Fuku Sushi is located along Shinsaibashi, the long shopping street in the Namba area of Osaka. The sushi place is known for their Osaka style boxed sushi, Hakozushi. This type of sushi is made inside a wooden box called oshigata and hence you can see that it is more rectangular than the typical sushi. This box is used as a mold to form the box shape. First the sushi rice is  placed in side the base of the box. The ingredients are also carefully sliced into small squares or rectangulars and then laid onto the rice. This usually ends up a much bigger piece of sushi which is then cut up into bite sizes before serving.

With the Osaka boxed sushi you can even see a half and half. For example in one of the photos below you can see a sushi that has temago (egg) and prawn in halves onto top of the sushi rice.

The rectangular ones are the Osaka style box sushi. The round ones are typical futomaki.

The window display shows the mock-up box sushi before they are cut-up into bite size...........

Fuku sushi's stall front ..........

Address : Osaka City, Central Shinsaibashi, ichome 4-19 大阪市中央区心斎橋筋1丁目4-19

Tel : 06-6271-3344

Opening Hours : 1100 ~ 2030

Country : Osaka, Japan

Website : http://www.hon-fuku.co.jp/

Phở Chu The

Despite nabbing a spot right outside my current fave phở shop, Phở Hung Vuong, in the spirit of this blog I decided to take the kids to Phở Chu The, further down Hopkins (aka Barkly) past Cavallaro's. I had heard good things and was impressed upon entry as to A. busyness B. no English menu C. nothing to be had but phở and D. little dish of fresh chopped red & green chillis on table. Ordered a huge Phở Bo for me and the girls. Unfortunately the broth was pretty one-dimensional, but worse than that, the beef was not sliced thinly at all, meaning that it took ages to cook in the hot stock. It also came with sliced (yellow/brown) onions on top which I didn't want. Boo Chu The.

Pho Chu The, 92 Hopkins St, Footscray (opposite market, between Leeds & Moore/Irving)



A list of places to try:

Rajdhani on Barkly St (UPDATE: currently shut down for renovation)
New Indian place in Nicholson St (UPDATE: I think I meant Kitchen Samrat in Leeds - yummy, will revisit)
Indi Hots in Hopkins St
Madhumoti cnr Irving & Albert
Pho Hien Vuong in Leeds St
Tan Truc Giang (sp?) in Leeds St (UPDATE: YUMMY - will revisit)
Big new Hunanese place in Barkly St
Gold Leaf yum cha in Ballarat Rd Sunshine (UPDATE: yummy yum cha - really good!)

Love Footscray

I love reading Epicure and blogs about eating out in Melbourne but it is depressing that A. there is precious little about the western suburbs (Matt Preston's writing a notable exception) and B. I either can't afford it or it is not under 3 y.o. friendly.

Solution, a blog about eating locally and cheaply in Footscray. Forays into the city and further west likely, perhaps even some fine dining if we get lucky!

The BEST chocolate bundt cake

I found this recipe on The Sister's Cafe, and just the picture alone had me sold. This cake is even more delicious than it looks and is SOOO rich and chocolatey. If you even kind of like chocolate cake, you'll love this recipe. It doesn't hurt that it's incredibly simple to make too! Happy Valentine's day to you!

Ingredients

1 devils food cake mix
1 -4 serving instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup warm water
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Place all ingredients except chocolate chips, in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer 1 minute.Stir down sides. Continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350. Cool 20 minutes. Invert onto serving platter.

Frosting:
8 Tbsp butter (not margarine)
4 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup evaporated milk (I used 2%-it worked great)
4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in cocoa and milk. Bring mixture just to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar with electric mixer until thickened and smooth. Pour warm frosting over warm cake. This recipe makes a lot of frosting.

Pan Seared Tilapia with Almond Brown Butter and Snow Peas

For some reason seafood intimidates me a bit, so this year I really wanted to get to the point that I felt confident cooking with seafood. This dish was a great way to start. Tilapia is fairly inexpensive, so you don't feel as much pressure to make it perfect, plus I think it's a fairly forgiving meat, not difficult to cook. It's also very delicious and healthy. My whole family wolfed this meal down with not a single leftover to show for it!

Pan-Seared Tilapia with Almond Browned Butter and Snow Peas

From Favorite Family Dinners

Ingredients

3 cups pea pods, trimmed

4 4-5 oz skinless fresh tilapia fillets

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 tsp all purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup coarse chopped almonds

1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a large saucepan bring lightly salted water to boiling. Add pea pods. Cook for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, season one side of fish with salt and pepper; sprinkle with flour. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot (a drop of water should sizzle or roll) remove from heat and add olive oil, tilting pan to coat with oil. Return pan to heat and add fish, floured side up (if necessary cook fish a half at a time). Cook fish for 4 to 5 minutes, or until easy to remove with spatula.. gently turn fish and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Arrange peas on a serving platter, arrange fish on top of peas.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to skillet. When butter begins to melt, stir in almonds. Cook for 30-60 seconds or until butter is melted and nuts are lightly toasted (do not let butter burn). Spoon butter mixture over fish fillets. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 266 cal, 15g total fat, 71 mg chol, 210 mg sod, 7g carbs, 3 g fiber, 24g prot.

Points per serving: 6

No Bake Cookies

I have no idea why blogger is posting this sideways, arrgh!

My husband and I enjoy these cookies as a late night indulgence, usually after we've both thrown our never-ending diets out the window! Sometimes we got as far as to not even shape them into cookies, just a bowl and a spoon! They are warm, easy to make and delicious: aka, a great way to cheat on your diet!

No Bake Cookies

Borrowed from Irma Green's family recipe book (mom-in-law!)

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup margarine

3 tbsp cocoa

3 cups oatmeal

1 cup coconut, if desired (I do, Glenn doesn't-sigh)

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

Directions

Combine sugar, milk, butter, cocoa, and salt in saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cook about 2 minutes or to softball stage. Remove from heat adn add remaining ingredients. Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper. Cool and serve.

Orange Chicken

I love a good stir-fry. They're typically really simple to make, and are nice and healthy with the fresh veggies and steamed rice. This was a really good stir-fry that my whole family loved, my favorite part was the fresh green beans. I will admit, I don't think that this will ever replace the mouth watering Orange Chicken that they serve in the food courts. You know, the kind that is breaded, deep fried, and then drenched in gooey, sweet orange sauce (Homer Simpson drool). But, if you are looking for a substitute that isn't 1,000 calories, I think you will really like this version!

Orange Chicken
Adapted from Favorite Family Dinners

Ingredients

8 oz fresh green beans, halved crosswise
2 tsp sesame seeds (I didn't use these)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 TB reduced sodium soy sauce
1 TB toasted sesame oil
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp finely shredded orange peel
nonstick cooking spray
1/2 cup bias sliced green onions
1 TB grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cooking oil
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
2 cups hot cooked rice
2 oranges peeled and sectioned, or thinly sliced, crosswise

Directions

1. In a covered medium saucepan, cook green beans in a small amount of boiling water for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet cook sesame seeds over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Set aside.

3. For sauce, in a small bowl combine orange juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and orange peel; set aside.

4. Coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Preheat over medium-high heat. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic to hot skillet; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the precooked green beans; stir-fry for two minutes. Remove vegetables from skillet.

5. Carefully add oil to the hot skillet. Add chicken; stir-fry until cooked completely through. Remove from skillet.

6. Stir sauce, add to skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Return meat and vegetables to skillet. Heat through, stirring to coat all ingredients with sauce. Serve over hot cooked rice. Top with orange sections and with sesame seeds.

Serves 4

Per Serving: 348 cal, 10g fat, 52mg chol, 341 mg sod, 41g carbs, 6g fiber, 24g prot

Points per Serving: 7

大たこ ootako takoyaki .......... Osaka, Japan

Takoyaki, grilled octopus balls, is one of Osaka's favourite street food. A batter is poured into the multiple "scoops" made in this special hotplate. A piece of octopus tentacle, tako, is placed inside each "scoop". The takoyaki is then cooked with a sharp metal pick with which the chef will pick at the cooked batter to make sure that the balls of batter are uniformly grilled till golden brown. A sauce is poured over the tako balls and with fish flakes sprinkled all over. Ootako is one of the best takoyaki specialist along the Dotonburi food street. They have many years of history in cooking takoyaki and is recommended in many Osaka guide books.

It's located near to the ryokan that I was staying. So, everytime I pass by the stall I'll just order a 6 piece set (300 yen). I think I had 24 balls of takoyaki during my stay in Osaka. Ootako's takoyaki is a little crispy on the outside and the batter is soft on the inside. Most importantly, they give big pieces of fresh octopus tentacle, tako. Ootako insist on using fresh tako when many other takoyaki stall already use the frozen tako. At Ootako, the takoyai is served in a boatshaped container which makesit handy while you eat on the move. 

Address : 1-5-10 Dotonburi, Chuo-ku, Osaka

Tel : 06-6211-5223

Openeing hours : 10:00am ~ 11:00pm (close as soon as takoyaki is sold out)

Website : http://okiraku.cside.com/ootako.htm

Country : Osaka, Japan