Food For My Belly

I've never really considered myself much of a baker but nowadays, I enjoy making desserts as much as I love cooking. A while ago, whenever I attempted to bake something, it would always fail miserably but these days, they can be quite successful and taste darn good (even if I say so myself :P). One of the things that I enjoy making on a regular basis besides cupcakes are brownies. Yes, I have a slight obsession with making brownies when I am bored in the kitchen whilst prepping dinner. This chocolate brownie recipe is quick and simple, all you need to do is put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix everything together...it's that easy and it's so delicious! (I have a few friends that can vouch for this) If you like your brownies to be fudgy and gooey, you don't want to miss out on this recipe :)

The very first time I made brownies, it was an absolute success and it tasted so so good. My friend, Yin-Kik and I weren’t even patient enough to let the brownies cool completely before attacking them. Some people prefer pure chocolate brownies with nothing added to them because they believe brownies should be left alone to be just chocolate and nothing else. On the other hand, I have a slight obsession with adding banana to my brownies (it doesn’t help that bananas are so cheap at the moment). The bananas make the brownies smells amazingly fragrant and also, because it’s a fruit, I feel less guilty indulging in them. In the past few months, I have lost count of the number of times that I have made chocolate chip banana brownies and thought I should experiment with other flavours. I tried looking up a recipe that combines matcha, white chocolate and banana but couldn’t find any at all so, I had some fun in the kitchen. With it being my first time making these brownies, it was ...

Ingredients 6 eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 4 tbsp vegetable oil 1 cup coconut flour 1/2 baking powder 1/2 bi-carb soda Pinch of salt 1/2 – 1 tbsp matcha powder 1 cup coconut milk *a bit more if needed* Oil for brushing/spraying the waffle maker Instructions Mix the eggs, sugars and oil until combine. Then, gradually add the coconut flour followed by the baking powder, bi-carb soda, pinch of salt and matcha powder and mix well. Lastly, add the coconut milk (add more coconut milk if the batter is too thick) and mix until the texture is smooth. Preheat the waffle maker, brush/spray with oil and pour in a healthy scoop of batter into the waffle maker once it's hot enough. Close the lid and wait until the waffle is cooked to your liking, lift the lid carefully and remove the waffle. Repeat step 3 until you've used up all the batter. Toppings *You can use whatever toppings you like. The few times that I made the mat...

It's been nearly 8 months since I last blogged, I can't believe so much time has passed! >_< Yes, I have been a bit slack but this matcha banana bread recipe is going to totally make up for it. In the past month, I have made several versions of The Baker Chick's banana bread  and the general consensus at home was that the matcha version of it is the best one and I absolutely agree. Being me, I couldn't help but deviate from the recipe as usual but it's all good coz there are no complaints at home and my matcha banana bread is always demolished in under 24-48 hours (depending how many batches I make). Keep reading to find out how to make this delicious recipe :)

You either love or hate it; that's what they say but I do know some people who are indifferent about it. Those who hate it can't stand the smell of it whereas I love the king of fruits and I think it smells damn good. I once had a professor explain what durian tasted like to the whole class and this is what he said, "Eating durian is like eating custard in a smelly toilet" . For those of you who have never tried durian, I highly encourage you to at least try it once in your life. I mean, you'll never know...you might just end up loving it :)

I may have lived in Melbourne for the past 15 years of my life but I will always call Malaysia, home. "home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong and laughter never ends" Whenever I am back, there are always so many new food places that I discover on people's blogs or instagram that I want to eat at but other times, I like returning to my old favourites :)

I remember once as a kid in Malaysia; my mum whisked me from school and took me to Singapore with her for the day as she had some business meetings to attend to. Did I remember her attending business meetings? Not really but I do remember the both of us sitting in a restaurant overlooking Orchard Road where we observed the people who went by. We had Japanese food; I had an ebi don and mum had an unagi don. I am blessed that at a very young age, I was exposed to different types of cuisines and I enjoy eating as much as I can. It's not the first time that I have been to Singapore but the past two times that I was there, I did not get to explore the food scene as much as I wanted to. So, this time I made it a point that I would try to hit up as many food places and eat as much as my stomach will let me. Below are the list of places that I visited whilst in Singapore:-

On a recent trip back to Malaysia, my good but crazy friend, Shereen decided to indulge me on a quick 2 days 1 night trip to Bangkok. It was a crazy idea given I only have a week in Kuala Lumpur BUT it's the two of us and the usual rule is "anything goes". This would be "I don't remember how many times" that I have been to Bangkok but it was Shereen's first time. I am so glad that it was me who got to pop her Bangkok cherry, I mean it's no secret I love Bangkok so who could be better to show her the city? This trip was purely for shopping and to indulge on food till our stomachs could take no more with the one exception of an amazing 2 hour massage that left us feeling like we were on Cloud Nine. Since it was such a quick trip, there was only so much food places that Shereen and I could fit in. Here are a few of my recommendations of where to eat in Bangkok:- Chatuchak Weekend Market Whenever I make a trip to Bangkok, I always make sure that...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a 1966 Italian epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles respectively. (taken from Wikipedia) I must say that The Good, the Bad and the Ugly  is a really good film. If you haven't watched it, you should. I usually don't bother with writing blog reviews on most places that I have dined at in Melbourne because... I am a lazy food blogger, instagram is enough for me. Plenty of others have already blogged about the place (I usually agree with their thoughts) There's nothing worth mentioning about the place. I don't like writing bad reviews. I will leave that up to others. However in the case of this specific restaurant located somewhere in the CBD (ask me and I will tell you), I would like to highlight the good, the bad  and the ugly. A few simple questions first... Why do we blog about food? Because we want to, because people want to kn...

I call them "Green with Asian Envy" a.k.a Pandan Coconut Cupcakes with a suprise kaya filling topped with pandan cream cheese frosting and toasted shredded coconut. The reason for the name is because these cupcakes are probably the most Asian of cupcakes that I have ever made and eaten. What's there not to love about pandan or kaya (coconut jam)? Combine the both of them together and the flavours bring me back to my childhood days of eating kaya on bread. Most non-Asian kids would have been brought up on nutella or peanut butter on bread but I was brought up on kaya. Below is the recipe for "Green With Asian Envy" which I have adapted from Cupcake Central 's red velvet cupcake recipe. If you have not gotten your hands on their "Hatch That Dream" cookbook, you are missing out! So...what are you waiting for? If you love asian flavours and are a sweet tooth, do give this recipe a go! :)

It's been the longest of times that I have wanted to dine at Tetsuya's but never got the chance till my recent trip to Sydney. Initially, I wanted to make a dinner reservation but it was fully booked, luckily enough, they had an opening for lunch which I happily snapped up! :) Tetsuya's is no stranger to controversy; losing its third chef's hat in 2011 and unable to regain it's "glory" since. That may be the case but it didn't stop me from wanting to visit the place. According to John Lethlean's article in 2013, "risk is not on the menu", I understand why some people may think that but to an extent, I think "if the man himself has perfected what he has created, why mess with it?". My dining experience at Tetsuya's was nothing short of amazing, the food was delicious and the service was impeccable. There are so many dishes from their degustation menu that I would gladly go back for more :) sourdough baguette truf...

In July, I made my way up to Sydney specifically for the Game of Thrones Exhibit. I may have waited 10 hours in line just to sit on the Iron Throne and enjoyed the "Ascend the Wall 4D Experience" but it was worth it as I made new friends. Who knew that friendship could blossom from spending 10 hours of waiting in line with random strangers :) I am definitely a Melbournian at heart and always will be but I love spending weekends in Sydney when I get the chance. Why? The food. It's always about food when it comes to me. If I am not already eating or have just finished a meal, I am already thinking of what I will be eating next. On my recent weekend getaway to Sydney, I managed to try some new food joints but also, visited my oldies but goodies. If you find yourself up in Sydney any time soon, try dropping by these places...you will not regret it!

It is no secret that I love Bangkok. The food is amazing and so is the shopping. I usually go to Platinum Fashion Mall and buy my years' worth of clothing. My two favourite shopping places is Platinum Fashion Mall and Chatuchak Weekend Market, you go there and you don't have to go anywhere else. Anyways, back to the food. Every single time I go back to Bangkok, there are always (too many!) different food joints that I want to eat at. This time around, I only managed to eat at half of the places I wanted to eat at due to some time constraints :( It's OK, there is always next time! Here are a few of my recommendations on where to eat whilst in Bangkok:-

The last time I was in Chiang Mai was back in July 2006. Over the years, I have reminisce over their good food  especially their Chiang Mai noodles, something you don't find in most Thai restaurants in Melbourne. Thanks to my recent trip to Chiang Mai in March, I had the chance to relive the memories of how good a bowl of Chiang Mai noodles tasted plus much more. If you are ever up north of Thailand, do drop by and visit Chiang Mai. It's not as lively as Bangkok but it sure does have it's charms :) Here are a few of my recommendations of places to eat:-

There is just something about high tea that makes me feel like a lady.

It's no secret that Malaysia is a haven for food lovers. Whilst on a recent holiday back home, I embarked on a food indulging road trip with a very good friend of mine from... KUALA LUMPUR -> IPOH -> PENANG -> IPOH -> MELAKA -> KUALA LUMPUR On this road trip, I believe I put on 3kgs worth of holiday weight! (still in the process of losing that post holiday weight). So, if you are ever in the neighbourhood, do drop by at these food joints. I would gladly revisit these places again and again *drools* Here are a few of my recommendations:-

The very first time I had Sarawak Laksa was back in 2008 in Kuching and I never forgot how great it tasted. In Melbourne, we may get a variety of Malaysian food but Sarawak Laksa is one that's not as popular as its counterparts from West Malaysia and doesn't taste as authentic as the real deal. On my recent trip to Asia, I made it a point to go to Kuching, Sarawak for a few days and to also find the best Sarawak Laksa in town. So, here I am to share my favourite Sarawak Laksa spots in town :) #1 Choon Hui Cafe - Jalan Ban Hock If you are planning to come here during the weekend, I strongly suggest you get here early as the place gets super packed. The laksa here is very good! The broth is flavourful, they are very generous with the toppings and the bee hoon is just right. The chili and kalamansi goes perfectly with the laksa too. Other food items that Choon Hiu Cafe is famous for are their teh c peng, roti kiap, half-boiled eggs and popiah. I highly recommending o...

Lemon, Middle and Orange 25-31 Rokeby Street, Collingwood VIC 3066 Opening Hours: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 3:30pm                          Saturday, 8:00am - 3:00pm                          Sunday, 9:00am - 3:00pm What can be better than brunch being served all day, everyday? If it wasn't for Lemon, Middle and Orange popping up on my instagram (spooksnbubbles), I would not have known this hidden gem existed in Collingwood. Firstly, I must say I like the name of the cafe. Their sign is yellow and the table up back has a big bowl of LEMONs, its in the MIDDLE of nowhere (hidden away, a good thing), and the ORANGE on the upturned paint cans are awesome. Anyways, that's just my take on the name of the cafe.

This has to be one of my favourite go to quick dishes for dinner. It's so simple to make and oh so tasty. In my garden, we have a rosemary bush and a lemon tree and and in the fridge, a container that is always full of diced garlic that is ready to be used. So, here is one of my favourite recipes :)

Third Wave Cafe 30 Cato Street, Prahran VIC 3181 03 - 9510 2991 Opening Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00am to 4:00pm                          Saturday - Sunday 8:00am to 4:00pm                          (from 15 November onwards, they will be opening for dinner Thurs - Sat) I was very surprised when Greg, the owner of the place had stumbled across my food blog and invited me here for breakfast. I was more than happy to oblige.