Food For My Belly

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:-