Chips on a stick!

Recently we went to visit friends in Canberra as the National Multicultural Festival was on. What a great feast!

Food, drinks, music, live shows, a lot of people (which is something rare in Canberrs), traditional products and information about different places around the world. But what really got my attention was a food stand selling something called "Chips on a stick". A curlie cutted potato on a stick. There were two stands of this type and both of them had most of the time a long line of people buying. I was impressed to continuously see kids and adults eating these chips.

And of course,  I needed to try it as well as everybody else. Not healthy at all but delicious!  You could choose the flavors you wanted on them. I had the pepper & lemon one, and it was really nice.

Simple food but served in a creative way... You don't need to create new things to be successful,  a good idea to improve something that already exists is enough to win!  :)

Exploring Alexandria, NSW. Part 2

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my 2014 resolutions is discovering a bit more of Sydney, and Alexandria was the first stop.  It is an area full of places to eat and shop.

I am delighted to have discovered Salt Meats Cheese, a gourmet market that has available a vast variety of fresh delicious goodness from around the world.  Prosciutto ham, Serrano ham, fresh pastas, oils, olives, sweets, sauces, and more awesome food. The prices are right for what you're getting.

I totally recommend to try a bit of all the samples they have available for people to try... it's all good. You can also buy sandwiches there, and the prosciutto + cheese one is a winner.

I bought a bit of everything, including a Cheese Making Kit (I'll let you know how is the home-made cheese I am planning to make); and the 4 cheese raviolis, the Peperonata Sauce and the Parmesano Regiano cheese. That was our dinner that night: easy to make, fresh and delicious.

I'll definitely keep exploring more of Alexandria and come back to this great deli... totally worth it!

Exploring Alexandria, NSW. Part 1

I decided that this year that my desire to change and enjoy the life that I really want is stronger than my old habits.  2014 will ne a year to explore new areas in Sydney and everywhere I go, stop complaining about how boring things could be, and appreciate more all things around me.

 

Last Saturday, first one of the year, I went to Alexandria.  I was surprised by all the places I found in that area.  But this time I'm going to tell you about the place I had lunch at: Vicinity Dinning, on 90-96 Bourke Rd (Cnr Collins St).

 

This nice dinning offers different spaces to suit whatever the reason is you are visiting this place: bar, outdoor terrace, chic restaurant.  I had a delicious fresh orange & watermelon juice, and our choices for main meals were "Pappardelle with heirloom tomatoes, basil pesto, capers and parmesan cheese", and "Twice cooked pork belly with caramelized green beans, fennel seeds and chimichurr".  It was all yummy and nicelly served.

 

Good service but my only complain was that they were a bit slow to take our order and to bring the dishes.  Except for that little details I loved the place and the decoration.  I'll definetely going back there, next time maybe not feeling too hungry.  =)

Indian delicious food in Canberra

I lived for 2 years in Canberra and while living there I tried a few Indian restaurants.  My favorite: Bollywood Masala in Dickson! 

We go back to "The Berra" a few times a year, visiting family and friends, and I always try to meet friends for lunch or dinner. This Christmas holiday wasn't an exception so I went back to Bollywood Masala! 

My selection of food this time was simple but awesome and substantial: Aloo Naan bread (stuffed with potato), Kadai Murg (Chicken),  Special Saffron Rice, and Mango Lasi. It was all great, the place is well decorated so it would be a nice choice for an special occasion, and prices are fine.

The restaurant is conveniently located near Dickson Shops & Canberra's Chinatown, which is surrounded by a few bars where you could have a couple of drinks afterwards. 

Bollywood Masala Restaurant - Bar - Tandoor:10 out of 10 !

Awesome cooking at home

Recently, talking to someone that l know, he quoted the following words that inspired me: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mistery, but today is here and now".

Life changes everyday and I just decided (realised) that I need to save more money if I really want to keep enjoying  a confortable way of living for as long as possible. That doesn't mean that I won't allow myself any gift, pleasures or nights out, but I definitely need to change some habits.  One of my favorites: eating out,  trying new restaurants or types of food.

In my efforts for trying to make the most of my money, I'm cooking more and more different recipes from all around the world at home, from the easiest ones to some pretty difficult recipes. And I am having so much fun! I've never been a big fan of cooking but inviting friends over, taking it as a relaxing therapy, and having some wine while cooking it's been great!

My latest home-cooked meal was delicious, easier that I thought it was going to be, and I impressed everyone with it (even myself): Chicken and chorizo paella by Curtis Stone. This is the recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaToWbSaJcU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Saving money doesn't have to be a nightmare. Have fun cooking by yourself or with friends, and enjoy life!

VCuisine in Randwick

If you enjoy fresh and delicious vietnamese food, you have to visit VCuisine in Randwick.

I loved the Fresh Crunchy Rolls (4)(GF): vietnamese pancake, chicken mince, water chest nuts, bamboo shoots, mushroom wrap in rice paper (4) served with fish sauce (most popular dish of vcuisine). This was the entree, big enough to share.This one was my favorite dish so next time I'll eat it all without sharing it... ;-)

For main I ordered the VCuisine Delights Grande (GF): vermicelli, fresh mixed herbs, peanuts, bean sprouts and chargrilled pork, from the northern regions of vietnam. I was delighted with the way the dish was served as the meat is grilled on your table and then you have to make your own rolls. Super fresh and tasty.

If you want to impress someone special, VCuisine is a great option for it. Prices match the quality of their food and service.

Malaysian roti and satay

I finally had the pleasure of eating at at Mamak - Malaysian roti and satay restaurant in Sydney's Chinatown, and it was amazing! 

Have you ever been walking around a particular area and there is that little restaurant that always is packed, and you think: "if this place is always full of people that means that it most be good, I will have to eat here soon and try it"... and you say that to yourself all the time but for whaterver reason you never have enough time to actually stop there.

Well,  Mamak was that little restaurant too me for almost a year, I always wanted to try and last night I finally did it!  We had to wait outside 15min until we got a table and it was all worth it.

I loved the Savoury Roti Canai and the Roti Planta, and the lentils'dip that comes with it. I also had the Satay Chicken and the sauce is amazing! I need to go back and try different dishes because I'm sure I'll be delighted with everything.

10/10 for Mamak! Great food, good service and prices. Now it's in my Top 10 list of great food in Sydney.

Tourist for a few hours

Sydney is a beautiful city and the weather has been great in the last few weeks, so I decided to go to Darling Harbour on Saturday arvo to enjoy a cold refreshing drink & lunch.

I'm not originally from Sydney and I've been told that locals do not visit this area frequently because "it is very touristic".  That is exactly the reason why I enjoyed it so much, feeling like you are on holidays for a few hours.

We walked from Chinatown to Cockle Bay, untill we finally stopped in a restaurant on the wharf facing the water... what a lovelly day and view!

All around the area restaurants offer good deals for drinks and food, cheaper for lunch than for dinner, so you don't really need to spend too much for it. $4 Coronas or wine, $10 to $15 meal to eat by yourself or sharing with friends.  I ordered nice fish & chips at Nick's Seafood Restaurant and, after a couple of drinks with a friend, left the place around 5pm feeling like a tourist in love with Sydney.

I can't wait until spring is here with warmer and longer days, flowers,  sun and colours!

Nice & cheap lunch in Marrickville

I've been working in Marrickville for almost a year and, to be honest, it hasn't always been easy to find good & healthy (ish) lunch at a nice place around the area (Illawarra Rd & Marrickville Rd).  Yes, there are a few restaurants and cafés but I was always looking for a cheapish & healthy option. There is a new sushi place in front of the post office and they offer lunch menu at an affordable price.
 

For only $10.40 I had miso soup, sushi, chicken & rice, salad, fruit and jasmine tea! The service is nice, food is quickly served and is yummy Japanese fresh food. Not too bad, right?

The best Laksa in Canberra!

Last time I visited Canberra I had the best Malaysian Laksa! We were looking for a place to have lunch on a Sunday arvo, after 3pm, and at that time it's almost impossible to find a decent restaurant open.  You'll see just a few cafés offering sandwiches and cakes, but we really needed a proper big lunch.
 

We decided to stop in Dickson and see where was the new and famous Brazilian restaurant that everybody was talking about because 140 people got food poisoning after eating a potato & mayonnaise salad this place served on mother's day as a special buffet menu. It was still open to the public but not a single person there.
 

It was surprisingly great to find out that The Dickson Noodle House was open! I love eating a good combination Laksa but this one is definitely the best I have eaten and a lot of people agree with me on this, reason why their restaurants are usually packed at lunch and dinner time, prices are good and you get your food served pretty fast. There are 2 more Noodle House in ACT, on Nortbourne Avenue and in Woden, in front of the Woden Tradies Club.
 

I give this combination Laksa at the Noodle House in Dickson 10 out of 10!