i'm lovin' it

I don't know if this is real, but if it is... *goggles*

Another terrible food choice brought to you by McDonald's.
http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/sales/new/mega_tamago/

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Humphry Slocomb - crazy ice cream

http://www.humphryslocombe.com/|_Home_|.html

A selection of their flavours:
Balsamic caramel
Blue Bottle Vietnamese coffee
Foie gras
Green tea-black sesame
Honey thyme
McEvoy olive oil
Oolong
Pink grapefruit tarragon
Pistachio-bacon
Secret breakfast (I've heard that this = bourbonne + cornflakes !!!)
Strawberry candied jalapeno
“Red hot” banana
White chocolate lavender

Could I have a Foie gras and Pistachio-Bacon ice cream, please? I'm sold. Definitely to try when I'm back in CA.

Posted via email from the tummies

If You Knew Sushi

via vanityfair.com

"The difference between a bad sushi joint and a good sushi joint is: at a good sushi joint the sweetness of the sushi doesn't challenge the taste of the fish. The difference between a good sushi joint and a very good sushi joint is: at a very good sushi joint the sweetness of the sushi doesn't challenge the taste of the fish, and the fish is very good. The difference between a very good sushi joint and a great sushi joint is: at a great sushi joint the sweetness of the sushi doesn't challenge the taste of the fish, the fish is excellent, and, piece after piece—sushi should never be served more than one piece at a time; each piece should come freshly made directly from the chef's hands to you—the meal unfolds in a concert of many varied tastes, some delicate and some strong, all in a sequence of subtle harmony and balance that leaves you exquisitely satisfied, in a way that Mrs. Paul never could."

Anyone has spare tickets from Singapore to Tokyo lying around?

Posted via web from Shirlene's posterous

sushi and fish curry

Guess which one is which. :)

The Banana Leaf Apolo Indian Restaurant@ Little India

Address: Little India Arcade #01-32, 48 Serangoon Rd, S217959
Opening Hours: Daily 10:30am - 10:30pm
Telephone: 62971595

Posted via email from the tummies

Nahar

Before
(I had to control myself from devouring this immediately without documenting it)

After
(note the Teh Tarik lurking in the top right corner)
Dessert
(Assorted kuehs)

A friend brought me to this place last week near Paddington station, apparently an institution among Malaysian students here in London (he was formerly one). After experiencing it for myself first hand, I fully understand why. It's tucked away in the lower ground floor of a non-descript building that almost feels like a secret club given how little indication from the outside there is of this wonderful establishment. They actually do have a menu on street level, but given that you have to look down to see the door (and that it's a white piece of paper on a white background), most people probably just walk past without even noticing it's there save for the amazing aromas that seem to mysteriously appear.

Stepping inside was like defying the space time continuum. I honestly felt like I was transported back home into a nice homely Malay style canteen inclusive of metal serving counter with trays of assorted dishes for you to choose with your rice. It's extremely reasonably priced given how much you usually have to pay for a quality meal here in London. They have a pretty extensive menu (you name it, they probably have it) but my hunger dictated that I would have to go for the Nasi Campur option if I didn't want to faint before the food arrived.

I was amazed that they had those nice tacky "fake banana leaf" plates on which to serve the food. It just added to the experience. I chose 3 meats (fried chicken, lamb curry, sotong) and a veg along with a teh tarik. The teh wasn't quite as frothy as I had hoped but the rest of the meal was so amazing I won't hold that against them. I polished all of that off in record time. Really good stuff.

For dessert, we ordered some kuehs. Haven't had these in such a long time that I can't quite remember what the names are. All I know is that the coconut filling in the green one was delicious. Usually dessert tends to finish off the meal. This dessert made me hungry for even more! Needless to say, I'll be back again. This place is a keeper.

More Market Food

Behold... the double chorizo sandwich from Brindisa in Borough Market! *gasps of delight*

This mouthwatering sandwich is stuffed with 2 sliced and flame-grilled chorizos, rocket, grilled sweet red peppers and served in an olive oil drizzled toasted bun. The combination of flavours is something that has to be tried to be believed.

It's a combination of the saltiness and spicyness of the chorizo with the bitterness of the rocket with the sweet juicyness of the red peppers and the bread that holds it altogether with its understated blandness (given the taste sensation overload of the other ingredients!)

You have been warned... it can get pretty messy as the oil from the chorizo (oh so good) does tend to try to escape from the sides as you bite into it. Best to have a lot of napkins and remember not to wear a light coloured shirt. =P

Not sure if they serve this on weekdays but definitely go on Saturday when you can really sample the rest of Borough Market as well.

Speaking of which...

These guys make arguably the best Brownies in London (and it shows given the multitude of stands they have at various weekend markets across London). Just looking at that huge construction of Brownie makes my mouth water. They call it the "Ultra Chocolate Brownie" and advertise it by saying it's only £1.50 for an indulgence (recently I think they've raised the price to £2... boo) Many a people have succumbed to its rich chocolatey charms.

However, my personal highlight is the Banana Almond cake to the right of Mount Brownie. You can really taste the banana in the cake and it is oh so moist. Personally, I quite like having one of the edges so that you can get a bit of the crust which adds another dimension of flavour and texture. Why is this my highlight instead of the Brownie? Hear me out...

With the Brownie, because it's so rich, you feel slightly "jelat" (translated to the point of decreasing marginal utility... gotta love Econ) if you've eaten the whole thing all at once. Trust me, it's really really hard not to eat it all at once when you've started. It's a fantastic Brownie but in my opinion it's one for sharing. However, the Banana Cake can be eaten by yourself all on it's own in one sitting without any ill effects and with you still buzzing for more. It just doesn't have that richness which makes it too heavy and you might just be able to convince yourself that it's healthy since it's made from banana and banana is a fruit. (1 of your 5 daliy servings perhaps?)

A Recollection of Turkey Part 2

The tummies decided to splurge the cash on this one. It's situated pretty much right in the middle of Cappadocia. You can't miss it. Looked like quite a fancy place and we weren't quite sure what to expect. We didn't quite know what Anatolian cuisine was. Always good to know that it's been recommended by the Lonely Planet and rated in the Top 5 in Turkey. They do need someone to check their spelling though. =P

Always a good sign when the bread is good. Warm and light. Loved the wonderful presentation of the oil, spices and butter. Not quite sure what's in the spice mix but it was wonderfully tasty and definitely whet the appetite further.

Our meze starter was a delightful plate full of different colours and flavours. Can't quite remember what everything was but I know there was yoghurt somewhere, walnuts, dill, tomatoes, aubergines, chicken. Excellent complement to the warm bread. The small portions meant that we were able to try a little bit of everything without spoiling our appetite for what was yet to come.

Both these dishes were lamb cooked to perfection. Tender, juicy and ever so slightly pink on the inside. Once again, the rice was immaculate. No wonder some people can just eat the rice and nothing else (but why would you? there's so much other good dishes to accompany the rice!)

The perfect meal to bid farewell to Cappadocia as we left for Istanbul that night where the tummies went hunting for even more good food.