Chik's Crib

16 June 2015

Il Gambero and Pidapipó

Western Food June 16, 2015 0

It's not often that I go the city, but every once in a while, when I do make the trip into the heart of Melbourne, I realise what I have been missing out on. Maybe it's the sense of hustle-and-bustle that's missing in the suburbs, or the concentration of famed cafes and restaurants in such close proximity to one another, or even just the beautiful architecture, but there's a certain something in the city atmosphere which makes a trip to the city a pleasant journey every time.

I have cousins who live in the city, and like those city-dwellers, enjoys great access to all the wonders of living in the city (unlike this poor schmuck who only gets to visit the big city sporadically, and is subject to the whims of Melbourne's public transport system.) A couple of months ago, we met for lunch at Il Gambero, an Italian restaurant that they recommended highly. I got there early, and like every foodie worth his salt, took the chance to surreptitiously google the menu for online recommendations. (If you ever eat out with me and think it's pretty impressive I know what dishes to order, it's probably only because I was fervently googling the restaurant from under the table.)

Zikrayat

Review June 11, 2015 0

Ever since I saw how much rave Zikrayat, a Lebanese restaurant, is getting on Urbanspoon (now Zomato), I had my eyes set on it. With a little creative shuffling in our schedules, N and I soon found a spare moment in our last week at Melbourne to squeeze a lunch in at Zikrayat and unwind a little before our examinations.

We found parking at a nearby Woolworth (what is with our meals and parking at Woolworth...), and made our way to Zikrayat after a couple of wrong turns (and what is with us and wrong turns...).

The enthusiastic owner came out to greet us when we stepped into his establishment, and we were quickly ushered into our seats and handed the lunch-time menu. When we told him that it's our first time eating Lebanese food, his eyes sparkled and he brought out the full menu alongside, telling us the kitchen would to cook anything we wanted to try.

We deliberated for a while before the owner dropped by with a couple of glasses of water, and seeing it was our first time having Lebanese cuisine, recommended the Selection of Dips ($14.95). There was Labneh, hummus, baba ghanouj and tabouleh, served alongside 2 breads. I never was a hummus fan, but after seeing so many reviews praising the hummus here, I knew we had to get it. And boy, was I glad we did.

Alice Waters' Lemon Cake Recipe

Recipe May 27, 2015 1

So, it took me over a month, but I've finally gotten around to eating the pomegranates I bought on a whim. The store keeper was surprised that I've never had pomegranates before. It seems that that they are a tropical fruit commonly found in Southeast Asia, especially during celebrations like weddings. We both had a laugh when I told her that I was an underprivileged kid from Singapore who didn't get around much (I was too busy cracking my books), and I left the shop with a bag of pomegranates in hand. My news came as a surprise to my friends as well, who assured me that they were indeed easily available in Singapore.

As I loaded the pomegranates into the fridge, I wasn't sure how to eat them. Do I just start gnawing at it, skin and all? Or do I just eat the seeds? Should I separate the red pulp from the crunchy seeds? But out of sight, out of mind. Inertia set in and I left telling myself I'll google how to eat one tomorrow, and then tomorrow again. Weeks went by and the pomegranates remained untouched in my fridge, joining the abundance of lemons i snapped up on the cheap when I was feeling under the weather.

Gami and 7 Apples

Review May 18, 2015 0

I haven't figured out why, but somehow, the universe has conspired to keep me busy all month. I can't seem to catch a break around here, and yet work keeps mounting higher and higher. The one silver lining is that because a lot of learning is self-directed this year, the year can be as busy- or easy - as I want it to be. Still, there are just many learning opportunities too good to pass up on, and I invariably find myself attending many of these events anyway.

Just a couple of days ago on Saturday, I found myself at the Refugee Health Symposium listening to a discussion on the current state of affairs of asylum-seekers in Australia, and the state of living in refugee camps. It was a subject I knew next to nothing about, and it was good to just sit back and soak up information. Apart from chit-chatting with N, who knew just about as little as I did, or when I was catching up with several old faces I haven't met in a while, I barely spoke throughout the day.

Says someone from the internet, before sticking a picture of Mark Twain beside the quote.

Before the symposium started, N and I were searching for a dinner place. We started off looking for exotic cuisines like Lebanese or Greek. But as the day went on and drained my willpower, the idea of deep-fried chicken - which might be my favourite food ever - looked more and more enticing. After a long day of (attempting to be) deep and studious, nothing says comfort food like fried chicken.

A list of the top 10 Korean Fried Chicken joints in Melbourne is currently trending on Facebook, and Gami was smack-right at the top position. Its opening hours happily coincides with our schedule, which pretty much sealed the deal.

N and I lucked out with a Woolworth just across the street, which offered free parking for up to 1 1/2 hours. There's an open-air carpark, and one underground. Please be nice (like us!), and buy something from Woolworth. We made the short walk across to Gami, and ordered the Whole Chicken with Soy Garlic and Sweet Chilli ($34). The waitress mentioned that it would take 15 minutes to be served, which was all fine and good. I once stood outside Hudadak for an hour to get my fried chicken fix.15 minutes is nothing. We started picking at the complimentary bowl of prawn crackers on our table, until we wised up to the fact that we was here for fried chicken, and nothing else but. The friendly waitress dropped by our table a few minutes after to refill our prawn crackers. We declined, but it was a friendly gesture that make us feel welcomed.

Soon enough, the chicken arrived, along with a side of salad and a bowl of pickled radish. I'll tell you how perfectly done the chicken is, but you could just ogle at the pictures instead.

Left: Sweet Chili; right: Soy Garlic

Enlarged for your viewing pleasure.

Deconstructed Mango Cheesecake

Recipe May 05, 2015 0

About a few weeks' ago, as mango season came to an end, I scored a crate of mangoes for the grand price of $5. I wasn't sure what to do with all of them, but I just knew that this was too good a bargain to pass up. (But believe me, I got my fair share of weird stares as I walked back into my student accommodation carrying 13 mangoes in a giant crate.) But such good deals don't come by everyday, and surely I'll find a way to use them all.

Fast-forward a week, and I have more mangoes ripening in my room faster than I can eat. One friend recommended cutting some of the riper mangoes up and freezing them, which I did (and can attest that they tasted just fine when defrosted), but I still had some lovely mangoes hanging around my room. And there's only so many mangoes I can eat in a day.

Fortunately for me, a friend made a delicious mango cheesecake in the same week, and sent me the recipe. I had an half-opened container of heavy cream lying around in my freezer from another baking project (yes, it's perfectly fine to freeze cream. Just let it thaw out a bit before you start baking). I love cheesecakes, but their richness usually get to me after a slice. Because I had so much mango left-over, I upped the mango content in the recipe, which made the final dessert softer and more mousse-like than the traditional dense, sliceable cheesecake. This recipe looks pretty fancy-looking, and the best part is that every component can be made beforehand and assembled just before serving, for a perfect stress-free dessert.