L & J just managed to stumble across this cute stationary shop on their trip to surry hills one day. We love looking at all those colourful notebooks, wrapping paper, pencils, ribbons etc. etc.... and look what we found! :D
Look at these peanut rubbers! How real do they look :O makes us want to eat them hehehe
J had been craving red velvet cakes for a quite a while now, but couldn’t be bothered tobake… so when she suddenly came up with a red velvet pancake idea, she called L over to help make it happen!
Hoping this would turn out fine… we went ahead and starting mixing everything together, basically we just added some redness, some vanilla and some cocoa to our homemade pancake batter :D
But then when we started cooking them, we realized we added too little colouring and they turned out pinkish than red :( and L says they looked a bit like slabs of ham steak haha :P woops
Instead of making a cream cheese frosting like you would for red velvet cakes, we just topped our pancakes with maple syrup (yummmmm!!) and cream cheese hehe…
And now it was time to try them! hehe and it was only then when we realized that... we forgot to put sugar!!! arghh!!! But luckily the syrup added sweetness to it :P so that kind of helped a bit… and also, the texture was quite good :) hehe
We will get together again soon and hopefully fix our ‘recipe’ up a bit! Then we’ll probably post the recipe up hehe
It only took those four words to get J&L planning another trip back to Darlinghurst. Spigolo Trattoria & Pizzeria offers an all you can eat pizza, pasta and beer deal for just $22.90! And being the food bargain lovers we are, we set off there with S and Y last Friday for our end of the week catch up. Just a few minutes’ walk from Hyde Park, we arrived with empty stomachs ready for a big Italian feast…
It was a very hot day, and since there was no air-conditioning inside, we chose to sit outside to enjoy the cool breeze. We made ourselves comfortable and J immediately asked “So…Can we have the all you can eat?”
“No... Not tonight”, our waiter replied with a distinct Italian accent. He pointed to the menu clearly stated in bold “Only From Sunday to Thursday – Lunch & Dinner”
“Oh.”, we sighed. (Don’t you hate those disappointed feelings you get at restaurants when they don’t offer what u prepared your stomach for?)
“Well…we ARE already here… so we might as well just try out their other stuff” suggested Y.
So instead we browsed the ala carte menu, still slightly disappointed there would be no all you can eat that night. =(
J chose the Funghi Risotto a risotto with oyster mushrooms and chicken stock. It had a good texture overall, but was more bland than expected and not as tasteful as she thought.
Funghi Risotto ($16.90)
S decided on the Milanese Risotto a saffron risotto with chicken stock. “Ah good choice” the waiter said. Though when the dish came, S found it a little too plain for her liking. It was plainer than the funghi risotto but had a more cheesy flavor.
Milanese Risotto ($16.90)
L went with the Meatballs which was traditional home made meatballs in Napoli Sauce with steamed vegetables. The Meatballs weren’t as juicy as L expected and ended up having to use most of the sauce to give it more flavor. The vegetables gave a nice balance with the meat though.
Meatballs ($16.90)
Y opted for Asparagi Pizza which had Asparagus and Fresh Tomato. The base was crispy and light, yet it was probably a better choice to choose a pizza with more than two toppings for more flavors.
Asparagi Pizza ($17.90)
After we finished our meals though, we could smell the meals of others around us... The Lobster pasta dish looked delicious, beautifully presented with a whole lobster head on top of the pasta; and the salt and pepper prawns looked fresh and tasty (they smelt really nice) - perhaps we just didn’t pick the right dishes hey?
Spigolo did have the ambience right though. With their cute I LOVE PIZZA Shirts, authentic Italian waiters red tablecloths and a fake grape vineyard on the ceiling. They also had live piano and singing performance! It did feel like an Italian experience.
Cute Spigolo Shirts :P
Craving for something sweet, we finished our meal at Hilton Hotel’s Zeta Bar that is having their Cryogenic Sorbet & Cocktail Bar every Friday night until the end of March. It was absolutely packed, but with ice blocks, sorbets and puffs on offer, it was definitely worth the wait :P hehe.
We firstly started with the Nitro Puffs! This was incredible and a must try if you ever go to Zeta! It was a Piña Colada puff that was cryogenically frozen with liquid nitrogen. It was a pretty weird and indescribable experience eating it! It felt like you had put a really light and dry ice block in your mouth (a bit like a piece of meringue but ice cold), then it suddenly explodes and cracks into pieces…and then slowly melting inside your mouth into a smooth creamy liquid. We also got told to try and breathe through our noses, Y did it really well but the rest of us had some trouble... hehe because it was so hard to keep our mouths shut when there's an explosion going on in there! When she breathed through her nose, all the cold vapour rushed out and made her look like a fire dragon :P hehe
Nitro Puffs (3 for $10)
S also tried the Piña Colada Sorbet, which was refreshingly cool and sweet. The alcohol wasn’t too powerful and the strips of toasted coconut went very well with the smooth sorbet resulting in a crunchy and delicious treat.
Piña Colada Sorbet (One Scoop for $4)
Impressed with the sorbet, we decided to try a few others. The Mojito, the Black Raspberry Clover Club and the Spiced Black Raspberry Mule. These were much stronger than the piña colada with a bitter aftertaste. The added berries were a nice touch and gave it a nice balance.
Spiced Black Raspberry Mule Sorbet, Mojito Sorbet and Black Raspberry Clover Club Sorbet (3 Scoops for $10)
Y chose the Black Raspberry Vodka & Tonic served over mixed berry ice. The mixed berry ice is actually a frozen block of ice with some fresh berries inside. This pretty drink looks sweet, but was actually pretty strong.
Black Raspberry Vodka & Tonic served over mixed berry ice ($10)
Unfortunately the Champagne Ice Blocks had run out by the time we had arrived which was a shame. =( Guess it looks like we’ll have to drop by another Friday night to try them ! :P hehe… which means…. MORE NITRO PUFFS! yay! (haha yes… we are a bit obsessed with those)
But wait… our nibblie journey did not just end there hehe! None of us were satisfied because we all wanted to end our day with something really sweet :P so we decided to walk down to Mizuya for some green tea ice cream. Unfortunately, there was a 30min wait by the time we got there… so then we went to the nearby Korean convenience store instead. Korean ice cream are lovely! They have lots of flavors and different kinds to choose from :D
L picked a strawberry ice block which had a creamy inside to it. Love strawberry and cream! Y had a watermelon flavored one and it was very cutely shaped in a slice of watermelon! hehe S and J both chose the cookies and cream flavored ice cream sandwich :D the cake was really soft and tasted really good hehe :D
Nom Nom Nibblies wishes everyone and their families a very Happy Chinese New Year ! May the year of the tiger bring prosperity, happiness, harmony, health and good fortune!
In the south part of China, it is a tradition for familes to put together a 'candy box' during Chinese New Year. Children will say greetings to their parents, relatives and friends while offering them a sweet or two from the box!
Chinese New Year Candy Box
This is one that J has at home, and she got to put the sweets in this year hehe. From the top left corner going clockwise... the sweets include:
-dried & sugar coated coconut, they symbolise love and harmony
-deep fried sesame balls, which you can sometimes get at yum cha. they symbolise fortune and prosperity
-dried & sugar coated lotus roots....hmm this one is a bit hard to translate sorry :( but its something a long the path of hopeing this day will come every year, so i guess its long life and maybe peace?
-dried & sugar coated lotus seeds, this mainly hopes for newlyweds to have more kids.. yehh just something from the ancient times haha.. they loved big familes
-'lucky candy'.. well this one is pretty self-explanatory hehe, but they actually taste really good! it's very hard to describe how they taste like.. it's sort of like a strawberry flavoured caramel..but not really.. haha
-and the one in the middle are black and red melon seeds, symbolising familes and that they will be always together
Well well.. today is a very special day, not only because it's CNY, but its also Valentine's day!! <3 <3 <3 so Happy Valentine's day everyone! May today bring love and joy to everyone! Hope you all have a lovely day with your other half, all your loved ones and of course .. your beloved food ...wink wink hehe
Our friends S and M had just returned from their holiday in Vanuatu and we were anxious to hear all about their island experience… and to see their fresh tans haha =P So what better way to catch up over dinner? Since it was surprisingly cloudy that day, we chose to go to Chikyu-Ya. It’s close by, easy to access and it doesn’t hurt that their food is tasty and good for value too :P hehe
Chikyu-Ya
Being a small restaurant, there is often a queue at Chikyu-Ya, especially on Friday nights. So the five of us went at 5:30 to make sure we got a table (plus we were already tired from a day of shopping hehe :P ).. and in fact we were the first customers there for dinner that night! Hehe
Chikyu-Ya
Still pretty full from lunch, Y chose to get a green salad with tofu and topped with Chikyu-Ya’s own sesame dressing.
Tofu Salad ($8.00)
L was also thinking of getting the Tofu Salad as well having a late lunch herself, but couldn’t stop eyeing the colourful sashimi . “Why not get the Kaisen Salad then?” Y suggested and the decision was made. It was a sashimi salad with mixed lettuce and Chikyu-Ya special dressing. The raw fish were fresh and sweet, complimenting the crispy lettuce :D
Kaisen Salad ($14.00)
J too was tossing between the various options in the end getting her favourite Potato Salad and Udon. The potato salad was made of mashed potatoes mixed together with some thinly sliced onions, carrots and cucumber. There was also a hint of pepper to it, making it extra tasty. The Japanese thick noodle was served in sweet soy sauce flavoured soup with some seaweed and shitake mushroom. The noodles were very well cooked to a lovely chewy texture :)
Potato Salad ($6.00)
Udon ($8.50)
On the other hand, S and M had a much easier time picking their meals, both craving for Japanese food after their trip away haha. S went with the Oyako Don- sweet soy sauce flavoured chicken, onion & egg on rice. The onions were soft and sweet, also very nicely flavoured with soy sauce that even S who normally doesn’t eat vegetables ate them too!
Oyako Don ($11.50)
M chose the Karaage Curry- deep fried chicken and curry with rice. The karaage was cooked to perfection! The chicken was fried to golden brown and was juicy and meaty :D and the batter was just right, not too thick but not too thin either :)
Karaage Curry ($14.50)
All the meals were very filling and the five of us decided to wait awhile before ordering J & S’s favourite green tea ice cream !!
So whilst listening to S and M’s experience of staying overnight in a hut that only had a padlock HAHHAAH, we waited for the food to digest before having dessert .
But… we didn’t expect this …
“Three Green Tea Ice Creams Please”
“Oh.. I’m sorry we have none left”
*long pause*
“Noooooo!”
“Ahh…I’m very sorry..”
“Gahhhhhhh”
So we actually started making plans to go somewhere else for dessert, thinking of Igloo Zoo just around the corner in Bondi Beach… But as we were packing up and ready to get the bill when suddenly …a small glass of green tea ice cream is placed on the centre of the table. Extremely curious, we all look up ..
“From the chef.. we only have a bit left”, our waitress explains with a smile on her face.
“THANK YOUUUUUU!!”, we chorus before digging into the smooth creamy green tea goodness =)
J thinks that the green tea ice cream here is definitely the best! The sweetness and green tea flavor are just right and the ice cream is extra creamy and smooth giving it quite a chewy texture. Thick ice cream is always better than those watery, icy ones!
Green Tea Ice Cream with Red Beans ($4.00)
Very satisfied with the end of our meal we left and went off to walk around since it was still pretty bight outside.
It was a good meal - nothing beats complimentary green tea ice cream: P
Nibble on Nibblies ! xx
________________________________________ Chikyu-Ya 106/106 Ebley St Bondi Junction NSW 2022
So when J&L decided to re-visit their old high school for some reminiscing, they listed out just what they wanted to do… see the new school uniform, have a quick chat with their old teachers and of course to get that tuckshop food they had lunched on throughout their high school years .. in particular that $3 Hot Ham and Cheese Roll ( oh how we miss buying lunch for under $5 :) =( haha )
So off we went and it was a pretty interesting experience. Walking up those familiar stairs and passing the classrooms seemed as if we had never left yet, we could see all the new changes taking place. Chatting with the many teachers, we nearly lost track of time until the school bell rang … yep ! it was LUNCH TIME =) teeheehee. The line wasn’t as bad as we thought at the tuckshop but to our disappointment there were no more hot rolls left that day =( *tear*. We looked at the menu to see if there were any new things, but it was pretty much the same… So we decided to lunch out at the nearby Charcoal Chicken where the boarders used to go to after school and sometimes we would also go along with them.
Charcoal Chicken
We got the famous Satay Chips, which was not suprisingly... hot satay sauce drizzled over warm, crunchy potato chips. They were so popular that they kept increasing the price during the years that we were at school. It was just the same as it tasted years ago.. the satay sauce here is definately the best! It is more creamy than usual ones probably from adding peanut butter? wished there was more satay sauce though!
Medium Satay Chips ($4.50)
L also had a tasty chicken salad with a creamy pesto dressing and plenty of vegetables.. it was VERY filling!
Medium Chicken Pesto Salad ($6.80)
And we tried both the frittatas- Crab & Zucchini and Corn. Both had a quite thick batter and were quite different to what we had expected. The crab and zucchini was quite tasty having a light balance of both meat and vegetables, whilst the corn had capsicum (which we didn’t realize until we had taken a bite) that gave it a fresher and lighter flavour!
Corn Fritters ($3.00)
Crab & Zucchini Fritters ($3.00) sorry we forgot to take a photo of the inside :P and it actually wasn't that burnt, it's just the picture hehe
J also had a stick of satay chicken which was dipped generously in the same delicious satay sauce as the ones in the chips. The chicken was juicy and tender, went perfectly with the peanutty sauce =D !
Chicken Satay ($3.00)
The last thing to complete to our nostalgic lunch was milkshakes from Perfection. These freshly made milkshakes was a definite high school favourite - creamy and smooth.
J chose Chocolate whilst L tried Strawberry.Both were very thick and smooth and ended the lunch on a sweet note hehe. The milkshakes were made with a generous scoop of icecream making them extra creamy :P. The chocolate wasn’t like the ones made from chocolate sauce because they probably used their own chocolate too since it was a confectionary store. The strawberry surprisingly tasted like the actual fruit, and not an artificial flavor.
It's been really rainy in Sydney these few days. Today wasn't those sort of sun-shower or just 'a shower or two', the rain just hasn't stopped the whole day and the skies were grey and the wind was blowing so it got a bit chilly.
This gloomy weather is the sort that makes L & J really really lazy and just want to stay home and do nothing. And that's in fact what we ended up doing; no point going out and getting ourselves all soaked anyway. So we went online and were chatting along on msn saying how today especially was just very perfect for a big big mug of hot chocolate.... with marshmallows!
If only it was colder, we could gather a few friends and sit in front of a fireplace together, each sipping off a warm mug in their hands while reminiscing old times and how silly we were in high school.... oh and maybe with a selection of macarons on the coffee table to share hehe....
(source unknown)
hmmm that sounds a bit like a typical Walt Disney setting. haha yeh well we did watch a lot of fairytale stories when we were young :P
ooooooh can't wait till christmas! even though its still nearly a year away :(
this blog is shared by two sydney foodies, L & J. we met each other in 2002 and had since shared a common love in food (macarons in particular hehe). and this blog is where we will be sharing with you our nibbley journies mostly around Sydney but also sometimes aboard :)
contact us at nom_nom_nibblies@hotmail.com
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