Happy Baking: Black forrest cake

Looks good from the top, isn't? bit messy from a side :P I followed the recipe from Food Safari. It's more a traditional version. Do you know that Black Forrest Cake came from Germany. They would have the cakes with black coffee and yes, they pour in lots of kirsch (cherry brandy) into the cakes. The cake it self isn't soft sponge cakes. It's bit more solid like mud cake because you need it not to be soggy when you pour in the kirsch. It has layers of cake, cherry jam, whip cream, cake, chocolate mousse, cake, chocolate ganache and chocolate shavings which is the forrest^^

This is probably the most intensive labour cake that I've made so far. Took me a week to create this cake!!! Just because of my lacking of patisserie skills. I never knew that someone can fail making a whip cream!!! which I did, I whipped them too long and the cream was not cold anymore… so it turned into butter T_T I also thought making chocolate shavings is easy… I saw it once when Jamie Oliver did it… I followed his advice, but ermm… it doesn't work T_T Anyway, there's more drama involved in making this cake, but i think it's too embarrassing to tell.

Overall, it has been fun making the cakes — like making Kirsch cocktails at 9am in Saturday Morning ;)

Grill’d. Saturday trip part 1

Seriously, I couldn’t believe my self that I was actually craving for a Burger. Not just a Burger but a BEEF Burger!! There this image kept running in my head just exactly like a Hungry Jacks ads. I asked my friend to join me to try on Grill’d burger — Healty Burger at New Farm

The trip to get the burger was so daunting. We drove into the wrong lane that caused us have to drive around again. It was too much hassle that I was about to give up the idea of getting the burger. (Seriously, remember Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. It was so stupid idea, right?)

Arrived there, I ordered my self ‘HOT MAMA’ (LOL). It is with 100% lean beef, roasted peppers, dill pickled, tzatziki, salad, tasty cheese and harissa. It was still so unbelievable that I got my self a beef burger!

We’re checking on the burger. It was huge! We weren’t so sure what is the easiest way to eat our burger. It was definitely fresh! I was so sure that I would love it.

The first bite. … … … my taste bud reaction was: it is a BEEF!!! Why did I order this?!!! Arggghhh… I don't like BEEF >_< (Big chunky piece of meat usually make me feel sick. I prefer to be vegetarian now and then). It was so far away, from my first perception. I thought I would change and become more normal like other people who love steak. Turn out, I was wrong. I still don’t like steak -_-“

I think the beef definitely needs to be marinated longer or have more herbs. It lack in its taste (I can only taste beef). My friend has the same opinion. Nothing special about it. Maybe other people would enjoy it since they won’t mind the strong taste of Beef. (okay, you might thing I am a weirdo).

But their hot chips were so so good. I would definitely go back to buy just the chips. It was covered with rosemary. It was tasty and crisp.

In the end, I pretty much finished everything since I was so hungry. The trip continue…

Cuppa tea and forestberry muffin

It's a long weekend here in Brisbane. Today is a labour day! I was so looking forward for it. Me and "my-not-ye-bf" was planning to go to Gold Coast again. And then… he told me he had to attend a wedding for the whole weekend 0_0. Of course, I was very very dissapointed… and yet, today this last free day, he had to make an emergency excuse not to see me T_T sigh…



To redeem my self, I turn my self into baking, retail therapy and redecorating the house during the long weekend :P I am feeling much much happier after sucessfully made the right muffin. People say it's easy to make muffin. But I am so inexperience in baking. My first experience was an apple muffin. I couldn't make the texture right. Somehow, it was too dry.



But finally, my forestberry muffin is near perfect!!! I read couple few different recipes to make muffin. One tricks that helping me is by filling the paper cups with water before baking, to keep the paper moist. I tried this recipe from RasaMalaysia. I enjoy eating them with a cuppa of taiwanese green tea (All San High Mountain tea). My lovely teaset shown above was a Christmas present from "my-not-yet-bf" ^^It's such a sweet teapot.



So I spent my last Monday, relaxing… drinking tea… muching my delicious muffin :P The weather has been so nice. It's been so calming just staying at home (since I've got the whole house for my self and I've tidy up the house yesterday). There's nowhere else better to be rather then just stay at home^^

Bulgogi stew

I cooked bulgogi stew the other night. It's quite a hearty meals to have during this autumn seasons. It has been quite chilly lately.

People always think when it comes to bulgogi, as such a meaty meal. But it's really up to you, depends what do you want to put in. The beef is necessary for the broth but you could balance everything with lot's of veges and mushrooms. That's what the right bulgogi stew all about! Not just purely meat like normal bulgogi.

I love eating more of the mushrooms and usually leave all the meat behind for my sister to finish :P (well, I am always towards more to vegetarian, just incase you don't know). With the beef, there's two type you can use… the big chunk of tenderloins meat chopped or just the bulgogi beef that you could buy at Korean's shop. With the chunk of meat, long marinating is necessary (a day would be perfect). when it comes to cook it, you just boiled them in long hours, it will produce so much better broth. Since I am not a big fan of meat, I just use the thin strips bulgogi beef. With this type of meat, an hour marinate will do. However, when it comes cooking this meat. You don't want to really over cooked them (it'll become hard). You have to have your broth ready first (drained the marinate sauce from the beef, put them in. Add in chicken stock, soy sauce and sugar for taste). Put the potato noodle (needs about 20 min to be soft) and mushrooms into the stew before you put the meat in. When everything boiled and the noodle is quite soft put in the bulgogi beef (serve portions only). It will cook pretty fast since it's very thin (2 minutes will do). Have the soups straight away. You could just add in the beef everytime you want to eat.

One other thing to note, if you are using enoki (golden) mushrooms. Just blanch this mushroom with hot water for few sec then top it up in your bowl (you could see in the picture, the enoki just placed in the corner by it self :p). Don't put in enoki mushrooms together with the stew. This mushroom is just as nice to eat it raw. I just knew this recently btw ;)

For the recipe, please visit here. It's slightly differents steps since it used the big chunk of meat. It's really up to you. But remember, in order to have soft chewy potato noodles you need to boil it for awhile. Hope you'll like it.

Don't you love Saturday morning?

Saturday is the most relaxing day of the week. The day when you can do whatever you like and not worrying what to do tomorrow (since it still Sunday!!!). You can wake up late and snooze all day.

But no! I definitely won't let my Saturday morning passed away like that. You know, it's a very rewarding feelings to have a relaxing morning through out your busy week. You wake up early… (not too early, around 8 am) then you just relax, make a coffee for your self or just have a sip of tea, listen to birds chipping around. No rushing preparing sandwich for lunch, showering, having breakfast, make up, etc.




On previous weekend, me and my girls decided to grab breakfast together. It was such a lovely weather. I went out with my teal blue outfit and my flowly skirts. We had breakfast at New Farm. The caffee called Cirque. I went there for the first time with my ex. I couldn't believe it has been a year since I've been there. This would be my second visit. I've been looking forward to go back and have breakfast there. But never made it 'till now since all my friends are not really a morning person. (so dissapointing isn't…)


That would be my sister muching her big breakfast called Chowdown, complete with 2 sausages, bacons, 2 poached eggs, sour dough toast, hash brown, caramillised onions, wilted spinach and tomato. For my self, I prefer to have the Vegodown, same like my sister without the meat and as exchange I've got half sliced of avocado (only!!!, no wonder I was the first one who got hungry). The atmosphere on the caffee were just so lovely. We were just chatting and gossipping and had a sip of mocha.



Well, it wouldn't be a perfect Saturday morning without getting any macaroons. Unless you don't know, I am a macaroons lover. But macaroons at Chouquette Patiesserie is the best at Brisbane. You definitely don't want to miss it if you go to New Farm in the morning. Since you can only able to buy them before 12pm, otherwise at most time it will be sold out! unless you're very lucky.

We visited the lovely French Patisserie and bought our macaroons. I was a happy girl on that Saturday, very happy girl. Check Cirque review by other blogger here. More details about Chouquette here.

What do you usually do on Saturday morning? Hope you guys had a great easter break.

Nagahama Ramen Gold Coast

I used to dislike ramen. I had given my self many chance to like them. I tried ramen at the famous Wagamama that seems to be everyone favourite, then again at Top Noodles, and few other places as well. Unfortunately, from all different types of ramen, none of them suits my taste bud.



Then, he (my-not-yet-bf) took me to this ramen shop at Gold Coast. He said it is the BEST! I was being honest and told him that I don’t like ramen. But, I was willing to give it a try. (I must noted about his knowledge about Japanese Culture and his taste in food is really good. I completely trust him on this two. Although, he rated Top Noodles really low which I thought was not bad -_-“ He completely bans me to eat at Top Noodles anymore!!!).



Now, I grew my affection with Nagahama Ramen. It's a tonkatsu (pork bones) based soup. Seriously, there is so much richness with the broth. It will taste even better if you added some benishoga (red pickled ginger), crushed sesame seeds and the most important is TAKANA (spicy pickled vege)! I really can’t get enough of takana. Recently, they charge $1 for one small container of takana (shown in second photo). It is rather a bad news T_T

Remember to visit the Ramen shop when you’re down at the Coast! The whole shop is in orange colour. It won’t be hard to find. The Address: Shop 25, Center Arcade, Surfers Paradise, Queensland. If you are interested to know a bit more history about Nagahama Ramen, please visit here.