Nutella Cupcake with Nutella Praline Frosting

What to do on a hot, humid and sluggish Sunday afternoon? While the temptation is to laze in an air-con room sipping ice lemon tea and watch some nice movies, I opted to bake because 2 tubs of nutella have been staring at me from the pantry since April after I attended Chef Joycelyn's Ultimate Chocolate Treats 2 workshop. Bought the nutella immediately after the workshop, thinking that I would bake the cupcakes soon. But I wasn't in the mood to bake recently, so the ingredients in my kitchen have been collecting dust :p


Although called a Nutella cupcake where generous amount of nutella is added into the batter, it is quite curious that the flavour of nutella is quite subtle here unlike the spread itself. Nutella fans would probably be better off eating the stuff straight from the bottle. Nevertheless, the crumb is very tender and taste well-balanced between that of chocolate and nutella. The nutella praline frosting boasts of stronger nutella flavour, well because the larger proportion of nutella used than chocolate. I love the crunchy bit of slightly toasted whole hazelnut placed atop the frosting.

Not sure how well-received this cupcake flavour would be. It's hard to decide which is the better, the Valrhona Dark Chocolate Cupcake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream or this.

Bread for the Home Baker I

Attended Bread for the Home Baker Workshop I conducted by Chef Daniel Tay at Shermay's Cooking School last Saturday. Have always been interested in bread making, just that the process is seemingly tedious and requires ample workspace as well as lots of patience. Recent attempts on some bread recipes further sparked my interest so decided to sign up for the workshop. I know there are hands-on bread making classes offered at Creative Culina (where I attended a Dim Sum class before), but the classes offered were conducted for 4 full-day consecutive weekends (either Sat or Sun) which I don't think I can commit.

Then again, the process itself requires time and thus it would not be easy to squeeze everything into the space of just 3hrs. But I was hopeful of picking up some useful tips and thereafter explore by myself.

Recipes introduced were:

• Mini Raisin Bun - soft crust sweet bun
• Dinner Roll Plan - hard crust plain bun
• Ciabatta - moist Italian bread made with olive oil, crisp crust, large air holes, shaped as small loaf
• Focaccia - large flat Italian bread, sprinkled with olive oil, salt and herbs before baking
• Sponge dough - a method whereby part of the ingredients ferments for a short amount of time, after which the sponge is added to the main recipe

Very curious with the Sponge Dough as I have never heard about it before. Apparently, it adds as a 'flavour enhancer' to any bread recipe.

The mini raisin bun is really soft and fluffy. Apparently, the raisins have to be 'treated' before adding to the dough to retain its shape and taste.

I like the lovely aroma of the herbs and fluffy texture of the bread. The colourful toppings certainly enhanced its appearance as well. This earthy bread is definitely one of my to-try breads one of these days!

Always have a very vague idea of what ciabatta is, I guess it would be lovely to make a mean sandwich.
Hubby loves dinner roll and I have attempted similar bread before. Would be interesting to explore this recipe and compare results.

Due to shortage of time and constrained by the nature of bread making, I was busy trying to digest the vast amount of info, jot down notes and look at the demo at the same time. Was a little lost at some point. Like I said, it wouldn't be easy for the chef to complete the demos in 3hrs, so hats off to Chef Daniel Tay who tried to share with us as much info as he could. Nevertheless, still a fruitful class as I learnt new techniques and gained insight into the world of bread making which is rather profound and not as easy as it looks. Like Chef Daniel Tay jokingly commented, it's not worth all the effort to bake bread at home when you can easily buy it at a bakery for a dollar! Ha. True indeed!

Each participant brought home a bag of bread (recipes demo-ed) courtesy of Bakerzin as well as a bag of bread flour courtesy of Prima and Shermay's Cooking School. Chef Daniel Tay even gave us homework, to attempt one of the recipes he taught and bring it along for comments in his next bread workshop. I hope he's just joking :p

Chicken & Potato Curry Puff

The third and final recipe I attempted over the past long weekend was Chicken & Potato Curry Puff, from scratch. That's right, both the rough puff pastry and chicken & potato curry!

It has been like almost two years, since I attended Chef Christopher's Retro High Tea workshop which taught rough puff pastry, potato curry puff and chicken pie. From the workshop, I knew that making the rough puff pastry wouldn't be easy; my kitchen/house is rather warm and humid and the dough (main ingredients flour, butter and water) most likely difficult to handle. So put this recipe at the back of my mind, till recently where I gained some confidence handling dough (with the bread and tart making). Well, I could buy frozen puff pastry from supermarkets but never try never know.

Good thing it was attempted during weekend as I could take my own sweet time instead of being flustered and frustrated due to limited time. As far as possible, I would love to finish my bakes by afternoon to catch some sunlight for photo-taking. Alas, a lot of times I ended up finishing in the evening, and had to wait till next day for photography. Well, then again, my photography skills are that great to begin with lah, as compared to bloggers whose photos look good enough to eat! I aspire to be like them one of these days :p

Ok, back to the rough puff pastry (will not post recipe here due to copyright). I prepared the dough on Sunday night so that it could be sufficiently chilled. To make sure the dough is not too difficult to manage, I chilled the flour and butter beforehand before mixing/pressing them together into a rough crumbly ball. The surface that I use (only available space is my dining table which is glass top) to roll and fold the pastry has to be well floured I realised, otherwise the pastry will stick to the surface. Same goes for my wooden rolling pin (probably a stainless steel one would be better). Butter melts really really quickly!!! Basically I have to roll and fold the pastry a few times, chill in fridge for 20 mins, take out roll and fold again for like at least 3 times. After that, I chilled the pastry overnight.


The next day, prepare the chicken and potato curry. Basically fry all the ingredients (chicken, potato cubes, onion, curry powder and leaves, garlic, ginger, lemon grass) and let cool to room temperature.

Then it's where all the 'fun' began. To prevent pastry from melting too quickly, I worked with very small piece at a time (enough to cut just 2 to 3 pieces). Once again, surface well floured to prevent sticking. Gotta work fast as the longer each piece of pastry was handled, the more tacky it became. It was also not easy to fold/seal the pastry after adding the filling which included a small slice of hardboil egg (I think I was too generous :p). Most of my puffs turned out really ugly looking with odd shapes and some actually opened during baking.

15 mins of baking and viola, my first chicken & potato curry puff. The egg wash gave the puffs a very glossy touch which I thought looked good. These are the better lookers :p

The puffs were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside with generous filling. Hey, not bad at all! Hubby likes!

The next morning, the puffs looked almost the same but turned soft :( Even after zapping in microwave, they were no longer crispy (probably got to heat up using oven instead of microwave? I didn't try though).

That said, they were still quite well-received by colleagues who tried them =D and I'm definitely pleased with my first attempt.

With this rough puff pastry, I can proceed to make chicken pie, sardine puff... maybe next time I'll on the air-con in the living room when rolling/folding the pastry. Well, the next long weekend, perhaps.

Apple Tart (Crostata de mele)

Over the past long weekend, the second recipe I attempted was Apple Tart or Crostata de mele (I think this is Italian). Recently, I'm more into pies, breads and tarts, taking a break from cakes and cookies for a while.

Came across the recipe posted by blogger 'She Bakes and She Cooks' and was drawn by its country-style and rustic look. Since I have all the ingredients, the steps look pretty manageable and I quite like apple pies with lots of cinnamon, why not?

I start with shortcrust pastry since this needs to chill for at least an hour.

Shortcrust pastry:

• 225g plain flour
• 100g self-raising flour
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 60ml full-fat milk (I use low fat milk)
• 2 egg yolks

Steps:

• Mix the flours, sugar and butter in an electric mixer using dough hook (original recipe - mix in food processor).
• Add milk and egg yolks. Dough will form. If dough is too wet, add a little more flour.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough till smooth.
• Wrap in clingwrap and place in chiller for an hour.

Next, the apple filling.

Filling:

• 5 red apples (original recipe - golden delicious or granny smith apples, but I only have red apples in the fridge)
• 50g unsalted butter
• 4 Tbs honey
• Cinnamon according to preference (original recipe - a pinch)

Steps:

• Peel and core the apples, then cut into 8 pieces. (The apple slicer from Ikea is perfect for this!)
• Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat, and when it begins to froth and brown, add the apple and cook until brown and softened; about 5-10 minutes depending on the ripeness of the apples.
• Add the honey and cinnamon, reduce heat to medium-low and stir continuously for about 10-15 minutes or until the apples are golden and caramelized. Cool to room temperature.

Combine:

• Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius.
• Grease a 24cm loose-bottomed tart pan.
• Once dough has rested, roll out on a lightly floured surface to 5 mm thick and line pan with pastry. (I have to work pretty fast with the dough as my house is pretty warm and humid; dough tends to soften and break quite easily)
• Place cooled apples into pastry shell.
• Cut remaining pastry into 1cm-wide, long strips to make a lattice and place over the pastry shell and apple filling.
• Bake 30-35 minutes.
• Dust with icing sugar before serving with ice cream or cream. (optional)

Apple tart before baking. The apple filling tastes even good on its own :d~~~

Apple tart fresh from the oven. The aroma of the buttery shortcrust pastry smells heavenly, along with the honey & cinnamon-coated apples :d~~~

Humble, country-style apple tart.Couldn't wait for the apple tart to cool down completely, and helped myself to a slice. The apple was cooked perfectly with honey; I liked it that I could bite into bits of apples, instead of mashed apples. Though I added lots of cinnamon already, the taste and smell still wasn't distinct enough to my liking. Must add more next time! The pastry was sweet and texture just like, shortcrust pastry. The thickness at the bottom was okay, but I though the sides were a little too thick.

Was quite happy with my first attempt of the apple tart, I guess I could possibly attempt other tart or pie recipes like banana tart, pumpkin pie...

Mini homemade burgers

I love long weekends where I can wake up late and indulge all the time I want to bake or cook =D (I'm very clumsy when having to rush).

Was browsing through several blogs and came across 'Little Burger' recipe posted by Grace of Kitchen Corner. Don't you just adore petite, bite-size burgers? During my recent trip to Tokyo, I saw several bakeries selling mini burgers; they just looked so adorable and tantalising! Having attempted the crusty bread roll and sweet bun, I felt I should be able to make the burger buns. And to match the mini buns, I need mini meat patties as well :)

First, prepare the meat patties since they need to chill for 3-4hrs after preparation. Once meat patties are ready, the buns would be as well (after kneading, proofing, baking).

Grace's recipe calls for 1kg of minced pork which I thought was too much for me. Decided to half the quantity to 500g. Since minced pork are sold in 300-400g packs at supermarkets, decided to buy a pack that weighed 330g and top up the rest with silken tofu. I guess minced pork and tofu patties could be a healthy option :) In fact, I could experiment with minced chicken next time.

Minced Pork & Tofu Patties

Ingredients: 20 meat patties

• 330g lean minced pork
• 170g silken tofu
• 1 small purple onion, peeled and finely chopped
• Pinch of powdered cumin seeds (I bought McCormick)
• 1/2 Tbsp powderd coriander leaves (I bought Masterfoods. In Grace's recipe, it's stated as coriander seeds but I mistakenly saw as leaves. Since bought, might as well use it)
• Pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
• Handful of grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 Tbsp english mustard
• 1 small egg
• 58g breadcrumbs (I bought Jap brand used for deep frying)

Steps:

1. Fry the onion with a little oil in a pan for few minutes until softened. When the onion completely cool down, mix it to the meat.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well (I use hand). (If the mixture is too sticky, add more breadcrumbs. I also added more parmesan cheese).
3. Shape the meat into patties depending on size and thickness desired. With this recipe, I managed to get 20 pieces of meat patties. My idea is to size them the same as tomato and cucumber. In fact, realised I should have quartered Grace's recipe since the bun recipe only yields 10 buns.
4. Place the patties on a tray with greaseproof paper or Silpat. The patties will be slightly soft as tofu is used instead of all meat.
5. Sprinkle some bread crumbs on top of each patty and press down gently. Cover with clingwrap and chill in the fridge for 3 - 4 hours.
6. When ready, fry the burger in a little oil or butter on medium high heat for few minutes, depending on the thickness of the patty.

Mini burger buns

Ingredients: 10 buns

• 300g bread flour
• 7g yeast (I use instant yeast from Phoon Huat)
• 9g sugar
• 6g salt
• 4g milk powder
• 190g (1 egg + water)
• 20g butter

Steps:

1. Knead all the ingredients with a dough hook for 15 minutes. As my dough was a little sticky and did not pass the 'window pane' test yet, I switched to hand kneading for another 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Once ready, place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with clingwrap.
3. Proof for 40 minutes (or longer till double in bulk) then divide it into 10 portions.
4. Let it rest for 15 minutes. Then shape it into little buns and proof for another 40 minutes or double in bulk.
5. Bake in a 190'C preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Saw in a bread making recipe book when browsing at Kinokuniya: To make the buns with smooth rounded top, I have to 'push' the dough in an upward movement. The top will be smooth. As for the bottom, pinch the dough together and try to smoothen (bottom will not be as smooth)

The little buggers (pun intended) look so cute can!

Slice the bun, insert with pan-fried patty, tomato and cucumber, there you have it, mini homemade burgers :) For variety, add cheese and veggies or whatever you like in your own burgers.

The patty tasted a tad on the bland side (though the mustard smelled quite distinct), probably due to the tofu. It doesn't really matter since I can add condiments like ketchup, mayonaise, chilli sauce, just like fast food restaurant. In fact, homemade burgers are more healthy since amount of seasoning can be controlled :D

The bun's texture is close to store-bought (hurray!). After slicing the bun into 2, spread some butter on the surface and lightly toast for a crisp texture. Yum! Even with this size, I need a few bites to finish it. I guess guys may just take 1 or 2 bites? LOL. I guess kids would like it since it's 'their size' of burger.

Party ideas. Make fun and colourful labels, stick them on toothpicks/satay sticks and skewer the toothpicks/satay sticks through the mini burgers. Here I use sticker labels. I guess they would be a crowd pleaser =D

All in all, it takes half a day to prepare and make the burgers. The meat patties can be prepared a day ahead and store in fridge, and use when ready. The buns can also be baked the day before, keep in airtight container and toast them before use.

Tedious process but nothing beats homemade :)

Sweet Buns

Following the successful attempt of the crusty bread rolls, I decided to once again try Happy Homebaker's recipe and this time, the Sweet Bun, seeing that it could be a master recipe for variations like adding toppings or fillings.

Kept thinking about baking during work :p hence decided to try after work, instead of waiting till weekend.

After carefully weighing and preparing the ingredients, I mixed all the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl followed by all the wet ingredients. Once again, decided to let the electric mixer do the job. However, noticed that the dough was much softer and stickier (than the crusty bread roll dough) and some dough was stuck at the side and bottom of the mixing bowl.

Worried that the dough might not get a good workout, switched to hand kneading after 10 minutes of machine. Certainly not easy to handle (probably due to more fat content) but I resisted the temptation to add more flour as instructed by Happy Homebaker.

After 15 minutes (total 25 minutes) passed, the dough still seemed rather soft and sticky so decided to knead somemore. After another 10 minutes, the dough passed the 'window pane' test was quite elastic in fact! But still, felt a tad sticky. Being kiasu, I kneaded for another 10 minutes!

Finally got tired kneading and placed the dough in a lightly greased bowl and covered with clingwrap for proofing of 1hr. After 1hr, the dough grew but didn't seem double in bulk. Didn't think it matter, so proceeded to knead the dough before letting it rest for another 15 mins.

15 minutes later, divided the dough into 9 portions and placed them into aluminium trays and let rest for another 15 minutes (cover with clingwrap).

It's time to bake, after brushing the surface of the buns with egg, sent them into preheated oven at 190 degree celsius to bake for 15 minutes.

Ting! Hmmm, how come my sweet bun looked different and a little weird (unlike Happy Homebaker's)!? LOL!

I had placed 4 buns into one tray, now they looked merged. Didn't matter since still could be separately easily. There was a crust around the bun, was crispy when hot but turned hard when bun cooled down.

Some parts of the bread actually cracked?

The bread was not bad though, texture was quite soft and fluffy, tasted slightly sweet with milky taste. But as it cooled, it became slightly harder.

Curious huh? Wondered what I did wrong during the process? A few factors perhaps?

- Over kneading of dough? Kneaded for almost 45 mins in total!

- Didn't let the dough proof enough during first round. 1hr was probably not enough when I noticed the dough didn't actually double in bulk?

- After resting the dough for 15 minutes, instead of just pressing out the gas, I gave the dough some punching! LOL.

- Should second proofing be longer as I only proof for 15 minutes (for crusty white bread, second proofing was 50-60 minutes)?

- Didn't cover the dough properly during second proofing (I did lay the clingwrap over the aluminium tray)?

- Oven temperature was too hot?

Well well, looks like I got complacent a little early with my previous success :( A little deflated now, but definitely not giving up!

Mini Crusty Bread Roll

Had this urge to try my hands on bread baking recently and came across a recipe posted by Happy Homebaker. Ingredients used are really simple, just bread flour, instant yeast, salt, sugar and water and steps looked quite manageable and assuring as well.

Hubby loves crusty bread roll, naturally he was happy to hear my bread making plans. So over the long weekend break, finally found the courage to attempt the recipe and with success two times!

First Attempt on Thursday night

I mixed all the ingredients into my electric mixer and let the mixer work them into a dough first. Since it was my very first attempt, decided to hand knead the dough, as indicated in the recipe. The dough was super sticky and for 30 minutes, I was sort of messing around with it, rather than kneading the dough properly. The dough didn't look ready, still sticky and didn't pass the 'window pane test'. Surrendered and called hubby for help to takeover the kneading as my arms were aching! I must say that hubby was quite a natural when it came to dough kneading :) So after another 15 to 20 minutes, the dough was ready. Although the recipe indicated 20 to 30 minutes of kneading, I guess factors like humidity and temperature played a part, so kneading should actually be adjusted accordingly.

We placed the dough in a lightly greased mixing bowl and let it proof for 1hr. And after 1hr, the dough almost doubled in size :) So magical!

Lightly knead the dough and divided them into 12 mini rolls and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Thereafter, press them into discs and re-shaped into rounds again. Place the rolls spaced apart, on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or Silpat. After dusting the surface of the rolls with some flour, clingwrapped the tray and let the rolls proof for another 50mins to 1hr.

These were my 13 mini bread rolls (instead of 12 as I made them smaller) before the second proofing.

After 50 mins to 1hr, sent the bread rolls into the oven, 200 degree celsius for about 13 to 15 minutes. Tada! My golden brown bread rolls, oooh, the aroma of freshly baked bread :d~~~

My (our) first crusty bread rolls! The crust was crispy, bread fluffyand slightly chewy. It tasted really good fresh from the oven. Hubby loved it and finished a few at one go.

Once left overnight, the crust was no longer crispy and in fact the bread roll turned even more chewy. Probably would be good to pop them into the oven for a few minutes. But this was exactly the texture that hubby liked O.o

Happy that my first attempt at bread making was successful!

Second attempt on Sunday evening

The bread rolls were all eaten by Sat, and hubby wanted more. So a second attempt on the crusty bread rolls.

This time, I decided to let the electric mixer do all the kneading. After a good 30 minutes of kneading, the engine of the electric mixer got quite hot and still the dough looked quite sticky. Ok, no choice we had to switch to manual kneading once again. The dough seemed much softer this time, probably due to high humidity on Sun?

After another 15 to 20 minutes of kneading, the dough ready for first proofing.

1 hr later, the dough doubled in size :)

The dough was indeed much softer this time and I wondered if the rolls would turn out softer?

The rolls after second proofing. How come they seemed much bigger than the first attempt? Haha, coz I rolled 12 this time instead of 13.

After 13 to 15 minutes, the bread rolls were ready!

The rolls were slightly softer than the first attempt. Whatever, they were delicious! Sweet labour of love indeed.

Thank you to Happy Homebaker for sharing the recipe. Surprisingly bread making doesn't seem as intimidating as I imagine; for this recipe, just lots of labour and patience. I'm now inspired to attempt other types of bread!

Shopaholic in Tokyo Apr 09

Here's sharing some of the stuff I bought from Tokyo.

First saw this interesting 'Egg Timer' at a blog (based in Taiwan), which supposedly can help to cook the perfect egg. Although it seems like a German product, I'm quite hopeful that Tokyo would carry it as well, since Tokyo is well known for being in the fore front of new and innovative products.
Was hunting for it at Kappabashi during my first day in Tokyo, but couldn't find it. My second guess would be Tokyu Hands, one of my favourite mall in Japan. To my dismay, the branch at Ikebukuro didn't carry it as well. Was elated when I finally found it at the Shibuya branch!

The egg timer is shaped like half an egg, with indicators of soft, medium and hard. The red portion will shrink as temperature rises, and we can stop cooking the egg at whichever consistency prefered based on the markings. Imagine I can now have the perfect 'hardboil' egg with semi-runny yolk, just like those sold at ramen shops! Can't wait to test it =D

A digital weighing scale is a must for baking, since precision is quite crucial for dessert making. I have one at home already, but at times, may need to have two e.g. when separating egg white from yolk and didn't want to transfer bowls. Bought this at Tokyu Hands as well, comes in juicy colours such as blue, pink, orange, green... It can measure to 0.5g precision. Cool! In fact, all the digital weighing scales sold at Tokyu Hands come in yummy colours and designs, unlike my boring grey one.

Another cool product from Tokyu Hands. Just slide the lock through whatever packing (e.g. flour, sugar) and it is sealed. Comes in a pack of 3 of same length and different colours. I think there are 3 or 4 lengths available. Regret that I only bought one pack :( Was unsure whether I need it initially as I already have those seal-it clips from Ikea. But these are just so easy to use and looks really neat; the ones I bought are perfect length for the Prima flour packing. The clips from Ikea are quite difficult to clip sometimes if packing is too thick, and not so long as well.

Does anyone know if these 'Anylock' are available in SG? I want somemore!!!

Cushion covers from smart, Jiyugaoka. http://www.smart-interior.com/
The colour scheme blend perfectly with my sofa and definitely brighten the living room :)

Cute handphone pouch with sweet cupcake design bought at Loft. http://www.loft.co.jp/. Tiny roo is a series of the Rootote brand.

Bought this cute little clips at the stationery level of Tokyu Hands. There are all sorts of cute stationery here, and I could have bought a whole bunch of them if I were impulsive enough :p

Now onto the snacks/desserts. Bought this 'Sakura Pie' at Tokyu Food Show, Shibuya, available during sakura season only. Airy and crispy with bits of sugar tinted in sakura pink.

Also from Tokyu Food Show, cute little bunny with cheese and custard filling. The sponge cake is springy, with quite strong flavour of egg, cheese and custard is an interesting combination.

Last May, I have bought the cheesecake from Shiseido Parlour, which comes in a striking blue packaging. For this sakura season, they introduced a hot pink packaging and sold as 'sakura cheesecake'. Well, it still tasted like cheesecake.Ok, these are just a fraction of what I have bought for this trip. Well, if not for money no enough and luggage space no enough, I would love to buy more :p

I miss Tokyu Hands and Kappabashi Dogugai already :(

Tokyo 9-14Apr09: Day 4 & 5

Day 4

Not much to share about Day 4 & 5 as I was busy shopping and playing Yu-Fo catchers :p

I guess it's kind of embarrassing to admit, yes both hubby and I were quite hooked onto these Yu-Fo catchers. The entire mechanism and trick into getting the prized catches is just so intriguing. All the prizes can be 'caught', just a matter of how - the method, the positioning, the exact angle, a little bit of luck :) It's not that we wanted those items, it was the thrill of getting them =D
The arcades have an amazing array of prizes - from soft toys, to sweets, chocolates, ice-cream, potatoes (yes, no joke), t-shirts, bags, watches, cups, mugs, plates, cooking pot (yes, no joke. Hubby caught one Mickey Mouse cooking pot)

We would go into every single arcade at Sunshine 60 Street everyday we passed by, whether going out or coming back to the hotel. LOL.

Our lunch for Day 4. The value-for-money Matsuya. We bought our tickets from the vending machine and handed it to the counter staff.

Within minutes, our meal was served. My order - grill pork with ginger. The set meal cost 580 yen and come with rice, miso soup, salad and grill meat. Water, various sauces and pickled ginger are lined at the counter for self-service.

After lunch, I spent the whole afternoon shopping at Loft, Seibu Department Store (there are a few zakka shops as well), and Sunshine City itself. While hubby went on his own to explore fishing tackle shops, electrical and IT stores like Yodabashi and Bic.

We met back at the hotel to deposit my shopping and decided to head to Shinjuku to explore the Yu-Fo arcades there, as well as the Kabuki-cho area which we didn't explore our previous visits.

Dinner was at a small Jap restaurant. It's nice to have curry rice once in a while; rich curry sauce with deep fried pork loin and served with soft, fluffy Jap rice.

Kabuki-cho is definitely an interesting and colourful area, although doesn't seem as notorious as what the area is known for; don't think the yakuza organizations would be so easily detectable or creating trouble openly. Anyway, we steered clear from dark, lone alleys and didn't hang around too late. Basically just visited all the Yu-Fo arcades around the area before heading back to Ikebukuro.

Day 5

Hubby discovered this ramen shop while he was exploring Ikebukuro area. So this was our lunch place on Day 5. Very attractive shop furnishing, very 'genki' feel.

So was the interior. Very genki with the large font menus and kakoii illustrations on the wall.

Can see that this ramen shop is very popular.

First up, gyoza. Gyoza is a must eat side dish with ramen. The skin was chewy and filling of ground pork/chives very fresh. Best with the soy-vinegar dipping sauce!

Here's our ramen. The handmade noodle was slightly thicker than those we ate before but very al dente. The broth was thick and rich but not too heavy. And I love the hardboil egg with yolk that was still runny state! The char siu was very tender but a little fat though.

There was a basket of garlic and a tool used to squeeze the garlic into tiny strips. The Japs like garlic with their ramen. No thanks, no dragon breath for me!

After the delicious ramen lunch, we went together to the fishing tackle shop at Ikebukuro itself to look at a reel that hubby was eyeing on. He couldn't decide whether to buy the previous day he was there, but finally he did.

Saw some sakura trees along the way and took a few 'obligatory' shots. With this sunny weather, a lot of sakuras were wilting.

After hubby acquired his fishing reel, we decided to go to Shibuya. I to Tokyu Food Show, whereas he, another fishing tackle shop at Shibuya.

For those who love food and desserts, I would highly recommend a trip to the supermarkets and food halls in Japan. They are certainly a feast for the eyes! I think I have said this many times :)

Strawberries which were in season! They were really sweet and juicy :d

Andersen, one of the most well known bakery in Tokyo.

Another bakery, can't remember the name. But the bread looked so tantalising.

Colourful desserts with creative ideas of packaging and display.

A trip to the Tokyu Food Show always got me drooling over the desserts.

Oh yes, and the Aoyama Flower Market with such lovely mini bouquets for sale.

Hubby and I met after an hour and deposited my shopping at one of these automated lockers. These are the newer ones which gives a ticket with pin number; the older ones are just normal key locker.

We went to Tokyu Hands and spent like 2 hrs there, exploring all the knick knacks and I was happy to find some household items which would come in handy in my kitchen.

After Tokyu Hands, we explored Yu-Fo catcher arcades around the Shibuya area =p

So cute can! I wanted the purple one with an onigiri on its head, but we gave up after a few attempts. Well, I don't actually need a soft toy.

Shibuya, bustling with vibrancy and life. We decided we gonna stay in Shibuya for our next Tokyo trip (when would that be, I wonder).

Ok, here's presenting our prized catches. Crazy huh? LOL.

Well, that's it. The end of my Tokyo trip.

Nothing to report on my last day. Basically, we woke up very early, took the Airport Limousine Bus (booked tickets in advance with the concierge) to Narita Airport and back to SG. I wonder again, when will I be back to my favourite city?

Tokyo 9-14Apr09: Day 3

Day 3 gonna be all-dining day! Not that we planned it to be this way =p

Hubby wanted to show me all the food places he tried during his business trip last year (he confessed he missed the food!). Ok, he was my foodie tour guide for the day :D

Our destination was Nishi-Kasai (more of an industrial town); had to change a few trains before reaching. The very first stop was Cafe Danmark, right inside the train station (even before the exit). He told me he had breakfast at this cafe every morning during his 5-day work trip, because the bread and salad sold here were simply irresistable.
The moment we stepped into the cafe cum bakery, I was already drooling by the aroma from the freshly baked breads! There were many choices available; everything looked so good and I felt like eating all of them (was famished as we woke up late and went without breakfast).

But we were actually on the way to lunch and the restaurant was just 8 minutes away. So hubby stopped my gluttony thoughts and just bought 2 items to share -_-. Besides takeaway, there is a small dine-in area for about 10 to 12.

Hubby raved about this broccoli, egg and muki eki salad which I agreed was very nicely done! Personally I don't fancy broccoli very much even though I know it's very nutritious. This salad totally changed my perception and I'm hooked as well! I figure it's not difficult to make at home. Great, one more home-made food idea to add to my collection!

Of all the fancy breads available (some with delicious looking fillings, some interesting shapes and flavours and mini burgers which I was so tempted to eat!), hubby just picked this one. Well, he usually favoured plain and simple breads which are crusty on the outside, fluffy inside and slightly chewy. Oh yes this particular bread was very delicious and classic, not too hard and very soft and fluffy indeed.

But the thing I couldn't understand, he ordered these 2 items everyday? I mean, yes they are nice but since there is so much variety, wouldn't it be a pity not to try all of them? Sometimes, men are just creatures of habit huh? If I were there, I would definitely try everything!

(by the way, we found out that there is a branch at Shibuya as well, no need to travel all the way to Nishi-Kasai).

After tempting me with the breads at the cafe, yet not allowing me to try more :(, he led me to our lunch location which was quite near the station. El Torito Mexican Restaurant. He was raving about the Fajita here, especially the tortilla which was very very very good!

Nishi-Kasai is more of an industrial town so it's quite quiet during the weekend. Quite surprised that the restaurant was crowded (proof that food is good!)
Complimentary nachos with homemade salsa. I love homemade salsa with chunks of diced tomatoes. This was really good, slightly tangy and spicy. Complimentary soups were also served, a clear broth which was very soothing.

We ordered a chicken salad and a fajita to share. The salad was nicely done with a tangy french dressing (a few choices available). I love the avocado and bits of sunflower seeds added. The grilled meats were well marinated and hubby was right. The tortilla wrap of grilled meat, caramelised onions, sour cream and salsa was yummy! The freshly made tortilla was soft and chewy, nice even on its own. Wonder if there are any nice Mexican Restaurants in SG, so that we don't have to go all the way to Japan if we crave for it.

After stuffing ourselves with the tortilla wraps, we were comtemplating whether to have dessert as we were supposed to go for Piere Herme Ispahan in the late afternoon. Then I saw a couple seated near us having this interesting ice-cream so I asked the waitress what it was. Turned out to be fried ice-cream which we never try before, curiosity got the better of me so I ordered one to share :d

Well, the taste was peculiar indeed. The vanilla ice-cream (normal tasting) had this chocolaty crust which was slightly bitter. There were also bits of cornflakes at the bottom of the glass. Overall, nothing to scream about. We would stick to fajita anytime.

After lunch, we had wanted to go to a few parks (in Edogawa) recommended by hubby's Jap colleagues for some sakura viewing. Although Nishi-Kasai is in Edogawa ward, the local buses don't go to the particular station (Hirai) indicated by hubby's colleague. Ok, we had to change 2 trains and finally reached Hirai station. From there, got to figure out how to get to the park. Tried checking for buses but none of them go to the park we wanted to go. Ended up, we checked the buses at the wrong exit of the train station. Haha. There is a bus service to the particular park we wanted to go and there were even posters indicating the hanami season. By then, we were a little frustrated, flustered and hot and kind of no mood for any sakura viewing.

Forgot to mention that the weather is hot! Although it was 20 to 24 degree, the sun was like scorching hot! Which sort of spoilt the mood for our plan to go for a nice stroll and sakura viewing. Hubby was already wearing short-sleeves shirt. So much so for bringing all my nice scarves -_-. Too hot to use. But it was unthinkable that most of the Japs were still wearing layers and spotting scarves?! Hmm...

Ok, to cut all this crap, we didn't go sakura viewing and decided to head for my much anticipated Piere Herme Ispahan!

Location was at Patisserie Satsuki at The New Otani. There is a Pierre Herme counter, so patrons could order and have the desserts at the Patisserie itself. Actually Satsuki is more like a full service restaurant. Hubby had a meal there previously and for dessert, the waiter brought a tray of dessert for him to choose and he selected the Ispahan. At that time, he didn't even know what Ispahan was and who Pierre Herme is. Nevertheless, he was blown away with the macaron (probably coz he loves lychee?) and was telling me how good it was.

Tada! The Ispahan, many call it the LV of macaron. Rose macarons sandwiched with rose buttercream, rasberries and lychee. What a luxury! And as expected, the macaron was crunchy, moist and chewy.

Hubby also ordered the Mont Blanc. The chestnut cream/puree was smooth and not too sweet; with a crispy/airy vanilla meringue as innard and sweet shortcrust pastry as base. Not bad as well.

So this was my Pierre Herme experience. Later, I realised that there is actually a Pierre Herme boutique at Aoyama. If I had done my homework, I would have gone there instead!

Anyways, after the dessert we headed to Omotesando area for window shopping (of all the luxury brands) before heading back to Ikebukuro area.

Decided to drop by the supermarket at Seibu Department Store (connected to Ikebukuro Station). Was still quite full and didn't feel like having dinner. But hubby was attracted to this sushi bar inside the supermarket even though he already had 2 meals of sushi on Day 2 when we separated for our individual itineraries. I oblidged.

Just ordered a simple kappa sushi for myself.

Whereas he went for his favourite sushi like ama-ebi, hotate, hamachi...

Couldn't recall what we did after the sushi. I think we went to the Uniqlo near to Ikebukuro Station for some apparel. I love the casual wear which comes in a variety of colours, very comfortable and affordable. (There is a branch in SG now! Yes!).

Thereafter, more games at the UFO catcher arcades till late before going back to the hotel.

Tokyo 9-14Apr09: Day 2

Day 2 was my Jiyūgaoka (自由が丘) day! Hubby wasn't interested in joining my zakka hunt so he explored other areas on his own. We arranged to meet somewhere in the evening.

Took the JR Yamanote Link to Shibuya Station and changed to the Tokyu Toyoko Line which is actually bound for Yokohama.
Both trains on platform 3 and 4 are bound for Jiyugaoka, just that the one on platform 4 is a local train which stops at every stop (takes longer naturally to reach destination) whereas the one on platform 3 is a limited express train which stops at key stops only. It didn't matter which train I take since Jiyugaoka is a key stop. But naturally I would take the limited express which is faster (although it departed slightly later than the local train).
Since I already blogged about quite a number of shops in my trip last year, will not repeat them. Instead, shall introduce some of the shops discovered for this trip. Although Jiyugaoka is not very big, I still haven't manage to cover all the zakka shops. Moreover most shops open after 11am and close by 7 or 8pm.

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smart
〒152-0035
東京都目黒区自由が丘3丁目8-1
メイプルウエスト1F
TEL:03-5731-3650 FAX:03-5731-3658
OPEN　AM1030 ～ PM1930
CLOSED　第1水曜日 (1st Wed)
http://www.smart-interior.com/
mailto:jiyugaoka@smart-interior.com

Shop specialising in fabric. Was attracted by the pretty colours and designs of the fabric that are made into curtains, tote bags, cushion covers and more. Too bad I can't sew, else would have bought some fabric. But but, I didn't want to go away empty-handed, so bought 2 cushion covers (the white-base green flora featured in the photo below). My old cushion covers were too boring and these would surely brighten and compliment our living room dark brown sofa set. Ha, legitimate excuse to shop.

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Grand Chef
http://www.grandchef.co.jp/

Shop selling all kinds of cookware, bakeware, serveware. Actually, there are many of such shops in Kappabashi Dogugai. But if there is no time to explore different areas of Tokyo, Jiyugaoka can be a one-stop place for most zakka needs. Prices seem to be higher here though.

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MOMO natural

MOMO natural 自由が丘店
〒152-0035 東京都目黒区自由が丘2-17-1-1F
TEL/FAX 03-3725-5120
営業時間：11:00～20:00（月～土）/ 11:00～19:30(日)

MOMO natural chic
〒152-0035 東京都目黒区自由が丘2-8-17 2F
TEL/FAX 03-3725-5120
営業時間：11:00～20:00（月～土）/ 11:00～19:30(日)
http://www.momo-natural.co.jp/

Another furniture, furnishing, zakka shop. Incline towards European style, simple and subtle designs and muted earth colours.
Passed by a small park with a few sakura trees in full blossom. Didn't have to go to the big parks such as Ueno specially to view sakura. In fact, it's quite pleasant to have quiet moments at such quaint little parks than big parks packed with Japanese families and company workers having traditional hanami parties.

I love the wild white daisy, so rustic and simple.

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Mont St. Clair

〒152-0035 東京都目黒区自由ヶ丘2-22-4
電話番号 03-3718-5200
ＦＡＸ番号 03-3718-7377
営業時間
11：00～19：00
サロン
11：00～17：30（ラストオーダー）
定休日
臨時休業有り（定休日の詳細はニュースにて毎月掲載いたします。）
http://www.ms-clair.co.jp/index.html

My must-visit Patisserie of this trip which I didn't try the previous time.

The shop is not very big, with just a tiny corner counter for dine-in which sits around 6 people. Most of the shop space is dedicated to a large display chiller of cakes, racks of pastries/cookies and a semi-open concept (glass view) of the kitchen.

Was overwhelmed by the array of cakes in the chiller and didn't know which to choose! Decided to ask the chef for recommendation. After selecting the cakes, if the seats were fully occupied, patrons had to wait in line for the next available seat.

The chef highly recommended this award winning C'est la vie. The mousse-like cake was very creamy but light with a thin layer of sweet shortcrust pastry and topped with fresh rasberry. There was some interesting pistachio sponge and crispy chocolate bran encased. Wow, it was so light and delicate and I felt compiled to handle it gently and eat it tenderly. Yum...

The other recommendation was Strawberry Shortcake, I think a seasonable offer since strawberry is in season now. The vanilla sponge was light and so was the whipped cream. And naturally, the strawberry was sweet and juicy. Can't go wrong with strawberry shortcake!

This was on the counter, so I thought to give it a try as well. Flaky pastry with chestnut and almond cream and a whole chestnut was encrusted within. Rich but not too heavy.

After the satisfying lunch (yes, pastries for lunch :D), back to shopping!

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ha-na

〒152-0035 東京都目黒区自由が丘2－10－7

TEL　03－3723－8687

FAX　03-3723-8587

営業時間　11：00～20：00　　年中無休（年末年始を除く）

Bags, umbrellas, accessories with pretty prints. I bought a bracelet here :p

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Trainchi

http://www.tokyu-tmd.co.jp/trainchi/index.html

Finally found Trainchi, a cluster of zakka/lifestyle shops. Was trying to find this place last year when I was here, but somehow couldn't (map shows that it is just next to the railway track). In fact I stumbled upon it this time as I sort of forgotten about it already. Definitely excited!

There are 13 shops here, with bakery and cafe, world gourmet/deli shop, zakka, clothing and accessories.

No bicycles allowed along the boardwalk and these cute barricades are put up.

Wonder if we can have such cute barricades in SG?

The place is called Trainchi because it is just next to the subway?

Deli http://www.deli.co.jp/index.html

Pylones by petit conquin http://www.petitcoquin.net/

Decouture http://www.d-couture.jp/index.html

Arrivee et Depart http://www.arrivee-et-depart.com/

Karel Capek the teatime shop http://www.karelcapek.co.jp/

Yes, now they have a branch in Jiyugaoka, I don't have to go to Kichijoji.

Natural Plenty http://www.natural-plenty.jp/

one's terrace http://www.club-ones.com/

Standing on the subway track of Jiyugaoka!

My last stop at Jiyugaoka was this Patisserie cum Cafe called Mont-Blanc. I'm quite obsessed with the Financier sold here which has salted caramel nut filling.

There is a latest product on sale, called Macaron Jiyugaoka. Apparently quite an in-thing now, besides filling macaron shells with cream or ganache, a small bit of fruit or nut or jelly is added as well.

These are just samples ok, but look realistic enough to pass off as the real thing. Interesting tomato flavour above and choco praline below.

After covering most of my favourite shops and the new ones, it was almost evening and time to meet hubby for dinner. Had arranged to meet at Shinjuku initially but I was too tired to explore further and just wanted to have a nice dinner and rest.

So we headed back to Ikebukuro and found this eatery offering Jap-chinese cuisine in one of the side lanes at Sunshine 60 Street. Were lured by the aroma in fact. The eatery was crowded (good sign!) but we got a seat fairly quickly.

Crispy gyoza.

My fried rice. It was the slightly moist type, short grain rice was used with bits of char siu, egg and spring onions.

Hubby ordered this spicy, ne-gi ramen. The broth was soothing and ramen very QQ texture.

Couldn't resist ordering one more side dish. The chicken wings were very well marinated and broiled till very tender, such that the bone nearly dropped off by itself when we bit into the meat. Succulent!

After dinner, headed back to the hotel as I was totally exhausted!

Tokyo 9-14Apr09: Day 1

Hubby and I sneaked a vacation to Tokyo recently. Yes, yet again (don't roll your eyes). All thanks to SQ having a good promotion and flying by A380 somemore! With the hot and humid weather in SG, we reckoned we could escape to somewhere colder and dryer. And Tokyo remains one of our top choices in terms of food, shopping and transport (convenience).

This time, we decided there wouldn't be a specific itinerary, basically just eat, shop, relax, chill and enjoy the weather and atmosphere. Since we have been to Tokyo for a few times and have admired sakura before, we won't be viewing sakura specifically as well.

We chose to take the midnight flight on A380 for the 'experience' (we call the midnight flight the OBK flight as usually we don't sleep much and tend to be concussed with dark eye circles by the time the plane touch down in the morning). So the much-raved about A380. The 'sliding reclination' of the seating is something new. If you choose window seats, there are side storage for small bags/items and once storage lid is closed, serves as side table space. I'm quite pleased with the 10.6" personal entertainment widescreen LCD along with the New KrisWorld. But still, decided to catch some sleep less I really turn into a panda :p Will leave the exploration for the return flight.

Touched down Narita Airport in the early morning, cleared customs, claimed baggage and proceeded to purchase tickets for the Airport Limousine Bus bound for Ikebukuro. Was refreshed and pleased with the nice, cool weather that welcomed us when we stepped out of the airport to await our bus. Full-bloomed sakura trees greeted us along the sides of the road as the bus headed towards the city.

This time, we stayed at Sunshine City Prince Hotel at Ikebukuro (as we were a little tired of Shinjuku Washington Hotel), which is directly served by the ever punctual and efficient Airport Limousine Bus (3000 yen, one-way, around 80-90mins depending on traffic condition).

There are a couple of criterias when we select our lodging in Tokyo - direct access by Airport Limousine Bus (not fun to drag luggage in busy train stations and streets, especially during return trip where luggage is 4 times heavier), price (of course, since lodging is not cheap if location is good), within walking distance to train station, preferably on the JR Yamanote Circle Line and facilities/amenities nearby such as malls and convenience shops.

After extensive search through several websites, managed to find a really good deal via http://www.agoda.com/, an online worldwide hotel reservation agency for about S$156 nett per room per night, no breakfast (which is a good deal considering the criterias above!).

Sunshine City Prince Hotel is directly linked to Sunshine City Mall, which houses a shopping mall, restaurants/cafes, an aquarium, an observatory (at 60th level), a theatre, Namja Town (indoor amusement park/centre) and even a museum. From the mall, it is linked underground to Sunshine 60 Street (a bustling street with eateries, shops, entertainment arcades, movie theatres) which is on the way to the JR Ikebukuro Station. It should take around 10 to 15 minutes from the hotel to the train station, provided you don't get distracted by the shops and sights =D
Anyways, it was too early to check in when we reached the hotel, so we left our luggage with the concierge and headed to Kappabashi Dogugai かっぱ橋道具街, a street between Ueno and Asakusa that houses more than 170 shops devoted to every kitchen/restaurant equipment/hardware/houseware imagineable!

Take the subway on Ginza line to Tawaramachi 田原町Station and exit at #3. Walk for around 5 to 8 minutes and you'll see a giant statue of a chef on top of the building. Turn right and that is Kappabashi Dogugai.

Ok, that was where I stopped taking photos and became totally immersed by all the cooking and baking ware. The last time I came here was back in 2003, my very first trip to Tokyo. Back then, I was more intrigued by the plastic food samples that look amazingly real and grabbed quite a few key chains and magnets.

This time, my focus was on bake ware. The range of baking equipment, utensils, instrument, apparatus, packaging is so extensive that I was once again overwhelmed and wished I could either buy all of them or just stay in Tokyo! No wonder the pastry/baking industry in Japan is flourishing, they have all the materials and ingredients! Ok, it is a demand and supply thing. But, what I wish to emphasize is, they have all sorts of shapes, sizes, colours... definitely promoting a conducive environment for bakers and cooks to explore their creativity.

Symbolic image of 'Kawataro of Kappa' (かっぱの河太郎) to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of Kappabashi Street (I think).

Another interesting landmark building of Kappabashi Dogugai with giant teacups.

I lingered here for quite a while (till hubby's patience ran out :p). Looking at all the kitchen/bake ware and plastic food models induced our appetite and soon it was lunchtime. So, to appease hubby for his patience with me at the shops, I went along with his idea of eating Unagi-Don for lunch (although I was not really fond of unagi).

Hubby wanted to eat at this particular Unagi shop at Shinbashi. He had tried it during his last business trip to Tokyo last year and claimed that the Unagi-Don at this shop was one of the best he has ever eaten. I trust his taste bud since he is quite picky when it comes to food.

This eatery is located at one of the side streets about 5-8 minutes from Shinbashi Station. I wondered how he could even remember the way; he claimed he traced by sense of smell! LOL. Yes, we could smell the alluring aroma of grilled unagi from a distance as we approached the shop.

Quite a tiny shop that seats probably around 10 people. I guess most people order the bento takeaway at 500 yen.

Hubby naturally ordered the Una Don Double which came in 2 large pieces of grilled unagi (960 yen).

As I wasn't sure about the taste (repeat, I wasn't fond of unagi at all as I didn't like the 'muddy' smell), I ordered a regular Una Don (500 yen).

Surprise surprise! The grilled unagi glazed with a sweet kabayaki sauce tasted really good! The meat was succulent and tender, without any 'muddy' smell at all. The unagi was grilled over charcoal, fat from the unagi dripped onto the charcoal causing smoke and it was this smoke that added a great flavour to the unagi. Now I know how hubby managed to trace the shop, by the smell of the smoke! The kabayaki sauce also complemented the hot Japanese rice which was soft and fluffy. Both of us finished the tantalising rice bowl in no time. UMAII! I totally changed my perception of Unagi-Don (and secretly wanting a second helping)!

The pickled cucumber and cabbage we ordered as a side dish was also very refreshing and crunchy and helped cleared the grease from the unagi.

After the satisfying meal, we made our way back to Ikebukuro, Sunshine City Prince Hotel for check in. We booked a Semi-Double Room and was informed by the front office that they have given us an upgrade.

This was our Semi-Double Room on the 35th floor. By upgrade, we wondered if it meant a higher level or a bigger room (we didn't ask as it didn't seem polite). Anyway, this is the standard size of semi-double rooms in most Tokyo hotels. Though small, all amenities are provided. So, we were quite satisfied.

In fact, the room was slightly bigger than we would usually get at Shinjuku Washington Hotel. Only gripe, internet access was chargeable at 1000 yen per 24 hrs.

Typically size of Japanese bathroom.

Splendid view from our room.

There is a 24hr convenience store (Family Mart) at the lobby level and across the street to the hotel, a 24hr supermarket. So, no fear of going hungry or thirsty. Convenience stores and supermarkets in Japan are well known for their food/drink/snack variety and quality.

After resting, we walked around Sunshine City Mall and decided to have udon for dinner.

My Tempura Ebi Udon.

The broth is clear and soothing and udon cooked al dente.

For hubby, kitsune udon with yasai gohan.

After dinner, most of the shops already closed (shops close at 8pm). We explored the vicinity and dropped by the supermarket to stock up on some drink, snacks and strawberries which is in season now.

Thereafter, back to the hotel for a good night's rest since we didn't sleep very well on the plane.

Pretty night view from our room. The city seemed to be glowing. How nice to be back!

Resources

• Narita Airport Limousine Bus: http://www.limousinebus.co.jp/en/
• Agoda Online Hotel Reservation: http://www.agoda.com/
• Sunshine City Prince Hotel: http://www.princehotels.com/en/sunshine/
• Sunshine City: http://www.sunshinecity.co.jp/
• Kappabashi Dogugai: http://www.kappabashi.or.jp/

Ultimate Chocolate Treats 2

Apologies for MIA the past couple of weeks! Apart from an escape to Tokyo (gonna blog about it soon), spent most of the time nursing a stubborn common cold plus persistent cough and being half-baked in this insanely hot and humid weather. Hadn't totally waste my time away; have actually attempted recipes from the past few workshops attended, just that didn't feel like blogging at all. The end results weren't photo-worthy, poor lighting conditions (already my photography skill is mediocre), too hot and bothered after cooking/baking/washing up...blah blah. I blame it on the sucky weather :p I digress. Pardon for the ranting and lame excuses!

Anyways, have been looking forward to this second installation of Ultimate Choc Treats workshop at Shermay's Cooking School by Chef Joycelyn, for yet another sinful round of chocolate indulgence and hopefully uplift the lethargic spirit abit.

4 recipes were demonstrated in the class; variations in recipes are included in the bonus section of the recipe pack.

• Decadent Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella Praline Frosting
• Double Chocolate & Walnut Biscotti
• Chocolate "Pecan Pie" Bar Cookies
• Truffles au Chocolat

Most people enjoy nutella, so this should be a crowd pleaser. Joycelyn told us she had to work and tweak the recipe relentlessly to achieve this particular texture, consistency and flavour, something like 15 times! The result, a soft and moist crumb. Definitely yum! Curious that almond extract is used which somewhat lingered in the aftertaste? This is just a tiny bit that bothered me (I'm usually ok with almond flavour though), probably I would omit the almond extract to see how it fares for my palate.

This recipe delivers light and crisp biscotti, but not those super crisp type. Noticed they were sliced thicker but smaller in size than the ones taught during one of the past workshops back in 2007. The bite is more wholesome and chock-full of rich chocolaty taste.

To me, this is actually the surprise of the lot. Didn't think very much of shortbread cookies but I'm rather addicted to its rich and buttery taste after trying. The brown sugar chocolate custardy filling topped with pecans also enhanced the richness and goodness of this cookie. I'm sold! Alas, the shortbread base alone contains unfortunately high fat to flour ratio, not to mention the filling. Read: fattening! *sigh* Why must all rich and delicious foods be laddened with fats?!

Hey hey! This is the home-made version of my favourite Royce' Nama Chocolate! The plain-looking powdery squares may look nothing, but fans will describe the sensation as almost orgasmic with the chocolate's melt-in-the-mouth, creamy texture. Eaten cold (being highly perishable), the bitter taste of cocoa powder will first hit you and slowly the divine taste of rich and creamy chocolate will take over... leaving you wanting more. Hubby and I used to buy the Nama Chocolate very often and would devour squares after squares (one box never seemed enough).

The recipe itself is not difficult (hurray to no 'chim chim' tempering involved) and best part, lots of flavouring variations could be explored and adapted based on the master recipe. This would make lovely party treats that's sure to impress!

All participants brought home a goodies box of the nutella cupcake, biscotti and chocolate bar cookies, whereas the truffles eaten fresh on-the-spot.

I'm inspired! But just let me get over this 'hot/humid-weather-makes-me-sulky' mood, can? LOL!

Thai Classics III Class

Attended a Thai Classics III Class by Guest Chef Forest Leong at Shermay's Cooking School the past Sunday. Both hubby and I love thai food, so I thought it would be nice to attempt some of the 'easier-to-pick-up' dishes at home, instead of using those ready-mix.

The recipes featured look really tantalising, so decided to sign up for the class. Chef Forest Leong is really very friendly and offered lots of useful tips to the class, like how to choose water chestnut and pineapple; how to handle the different ingredients; all from a very simple point-of-view of a home-maker, very assuring indeed.

• Roasted Lemon Grass Chicken (Gai Ob Ta Khai) - chicken thigh/drumstick marinated & roasted with lemon grass. I am a big fan of lemon grass, so any recipes with lemon grass interest me!
• Deep-Fried Sun-Dried Pork (Moo Dad Diaw) - pork strips marinated & deep-fried. Think bak kwa, home-version.
• Pineapple Rice (Kao Pad Sap-Pa-Rod) - fried rice dish with pineapples, curry paste & chilli. I love pineapple fried rice, especially with tangy pineapple and fragrance of curry paste.
• Red Rubies (Tup Tip Grob) - crunchy water chestnuts coated in red jelly with coconut milk. Hubby loves this dessert, so if I could master this, he would be happy!

Preparation of the ingredients, all readily available in local markets.

Sun drying the pork strips for Deep Fried Sun-Dreid Pork (Moo Dad Diaw). A very popular snack sold in streets of Bangkok.

As Chef Forest demo the dishes, we got to taste each dish one by one. First up, the Red Rubies. This must be one of the best I tasted so far.

The water chestnut was very fresh, cut to the right size and coated with just enough tapioca starch. The tapioca jelly had the perfect springy texture. Coconut milk was not too heavy either, playing a complementing rule in enhancing the taste of the red rubies. I must make this for hubby and impress him!

The roasted chicken with lemon grass was served piping hot, direct from oven after baking. The meat was juicy and tender with slight aroma from the lemon grass. Really yummy! Can use chicken wings and drumsticks as well. I love this dish!

The deep-fried sun-dried pork is slightly more complicated since got to sun dry the pork. It tasted a little like bak kwa (chinese BBQ pork) but more chewy. A tad too saltish though, must pair with cucumber and carrot sticks. Probably a good snack to go with beer.

Chef Forest showed us how to carve the pineapple into a perfect holder for the pineapple fried rice. This is definitely an easy one-dish meal to cook at home!

Home-made iced lemon grass tea was served during the class. I love the refreshing taste, somehow mine tasted not as fragrant. Upon hearing that we love the lemon grass tea, Chef Forest shared with us the recipe, even though it was not covered in the recipe pack.

These dishes make lovely party/potluck food, looking forward to cook one of these days!

Koh Samui 13-17Mar 09: Day 5

Rise & Shine, Spa, Lunch, Check-out and Home Sweet Home

Around 6plus am, I peered open my eyes and amazed to see the sun rising!
Imagine I was overlooking this amazing sight while lying on the bed!

Quickly grabbed my camera to catch a memory of this lovely sight. Then went back to sleep :p LOL.

Mid morning, I made my way to the Six Senses Spa. Since I was already here, might as well try the service, although the price is a few times more than the Chaweng spas.

Lounge areaAs usual, was offered cold towel and iced bael fruit tea while waiting.Opted for the outdoor massage pavilion. The pavilion is perched just next to the beach and overlooking the ocean. Koh Phan Ngan is actually in the horizon.

Selected the back massage and realised that Tiger Balm was also used to massage and rub the back. We now fondly call the massages at Samui, the Tiger Balm massage.

Experience here at Six Senses is different altogether. Felt really relaxing to enjoy massage while listening to the waves crashing the shore, birds chirping, gentle sea breeze. (Not that the spa at Chaweng is no good, it's just a different kind of experience, ahem pricey experience here).

Changing area. Guests may also make use of the steam sauna.
Lounge area inside the changing room.

After changing, was ushered back to the main lounge area for iced herbal tea. Snacks was also served to go along with the tea.

Six Senses Gallery.No, I didn't buy anything at all :p surprisingly. LOL.One level below the infinity pool. Some deck chairs for guests to sunbath.

Soon, it was time for lunch. Only choice was Dining on The Hill.

Complimentary welcome drink.

Sparkling water.Different seating areas at Dining On The Hill, take your pick. We chose a table overlooking the ocean.

Complimentary breads and dips.

Hubby and his fried noodles.
Me and my fried rice. Both very delicious.
Pandan chicken. Meat was a tad hard though. But I love the honey dipping sauce.

Our butler arranged a birthday cake for me!
Happy Birthday to me!
Outdoor information at Samui on my birthday. Probably I can be here again next year?

After lunch, we went back to the villa, swam somemore, then packed up before leaving for the airport.

Interesting spotting at the Samui airport. The restrooms are fitted with fish tanks.

Comfortable and colourful seating areas for boarding passengers.

Courtesty corner with complimentary juices and savoury snacks.

Which tasted not bad!

The open air trams I mentioned the first day of arrival.

And our ride for the journey home.

Here, we ended our getaway to Koh Samui, Thailand. We miss the Tiger Balm massage already!