Lettuce B. Frank - Wollongong NSW

Setting the tone - side shelves near the entrance.

A cluttered rustic look and creating a homely trendy atmosphere.

Emphasis on fresh produce.



 

  

Lunar New Year - Symbolic Meanings and Good Omens

Lunar New Year of the EARTH PIG

5 Feb 2019 to 24 Jan 2020

Note: Lunar New Years usually start any date between the 19th of January and the 19th of February of any Gregorian calendar year.

Rat 2008 – Ox 2009 – Tiger 2010 - Rabbit 2011 – Dragon 2012 – Snake 2013  – Horse 2014 – Goat or Sheep 2015 – Monkey 2016 – Rooster 2017 – Dog 2018 – Pig 2019.   Apply multiples of 12 to identify past and future years.

No sweeping of the broom or cleaning the house or doing laundry for at least the first 3 days of the Lunar New Year, lest good luck is inadvertently lost.   Get a haircut before New Year's Eve and avoid doing so in the first lunar month.

The Yee Sang is a raw fish salad that nurtures the stirring of positive vibes.  Banquet dishes are chosen carefully to be consumed for positive vibes and play on Chinese language pronunciation:

Lively prawns Prawns or Ha sound like laughter!   Steamed fish is served whole, for its connotation is to be well off.    Chicken sounds like luck.   Lettuce, or Sang Choy in Cantonese, refers to growing money.

Dried oyster, or Ho Si, means good things.  Zyu Dau, or pork knuckles in Mandarin, suggests of good things being achieved effortlessly.  Black moss or Fatt Choi alludes to wealth and prosperity.    Pork represents strength, wealth and blessings.    Scallops and clams served encourage the opening of new horizons.

Lotus seeds, pomegranates and duck in the menu wish young couples of fertility and to multiply.

Spring rolls represent gold bars for wealth.     Melons are signs of family unity.   Noodles signify a long and fulfilling life.    Mandarin oranges represent gold and are especially exchanged between relatives and friends. Pomelo gifts signify abundance and prosperity.   Dumplings look like gold ingots.

The tangerine plant or Kat is placed proudly in the front of houses, especially modified miniature shrubs, as its name in Chinese refers to good luck.   The Li or plum blossom stands for hope and renewal.  

  

It is a must to obtain a new wardrobe for the Lunar New Year. New Year means a new start. Maybe commercialism has added pressure to this philosophy.   Avoid buying shoes during the traditional first 15 days of the Lunar New Year. In Cantonese, the word for shoes also suspiciously sounds like having a regretful sigh!

Red packets (Hong Bao or Lai See) are filled with money and given for good luck by married members of a family to younger relatives and children of good friends.

Sweetness is exemplified by the making of a variety of snacks and cakes. The glutinous sticky rice cake or Nin Gou means tall cake, emphasising one getting to higher achievements or growing taller in stature year after year. Tong Jyun or sweet dough balls signify the roundness of a reunion.

It is popular for households to display red cuts of festive designs like lanterns, calligraphy and zodiac animals. Good sayings with Chinese characters are often hung upside down, for such an arrangement also suggests the "arrival" of good luck.

Traditional greetings during the festive period emphasise on good fortune, prosperity, a wonderful and smooth path, excellent luck, family happiness, an achieving career, good business and scoring good results in study.    Avoid using, giving or receiving sharp pointed objects during the first few days of the Lunar New Year.    Lion dances bring good vibes to businesses and households.

Budding up at Brickfields

You can recognise a well settled place when you walk through one.    The vibes cascade in to your heart and gut feel.   It is not just the multitude of colours, noise and people.  It is as if you have to instinctively acknowledge the layer upon layer of culture, religion, happening and interaction.   You are not a trained archaeologist, but you readily know there is  trail of the preceding before the present.     One such place is an inner city suburb in the Klang Valley in Peninsular Malaysia - Brickfields.


Even the English name belies that not all is what it seems to be.   The colonial British named the suburb, but today they are no longer here or in  charge.   What strikes a first time visitor is the diversity of the main strip - Tun Sambanthan Road.     The thoroughfare is named  after an independence fighter for Malaya in the middle of the 20th century   -  TS came from an immigrant south Indian background.    


The Golden Cheronese, or what the Peninsular was referred to at the height of the Greek golden age, was already playing out its strategic and inevitable role of being at the juncture of trade routes, adventurer conquerers and migrating peoples.   In the context of the long history of mankind, South-east Asia was clearly more under the influence of significant Indian political, religious and cultural emphasis, until the advent of harnessing of the monsoon winds that propelled sailing ships from the Middle East and Europe.   Hindu kingdoms with names like Sri Vijaya exerted power and homage upon the ordinary masses and remnants of the Indian sub-continental influence can be seen in Angkor Wat and Borobudur.   


With this historical perspective, labour was recruited under the auspices of the British East India Company and then the British Empire (that never saw the sun set), to work on the then profitable rubber plantations scattered across the west coast of the Peninsular.   The political stability, strong standards of governance and reliable economic structure proffered by the colonial Brits also attracted migrants from around Asia.    These colonials loved to divide and rule, perhaps starting with their experience in Ireland, then spreading to Africa, India and the so called Far East.    The need for a firm bureaucracy and political system to lord over the ethnics across the world required a mindset of effective business management and rule.    A  trend developed to develop geographical sectors according to racial background, for the colonials did observe the varying attitudes and behavioural characteristics of each ethnic group.


In Malaya, the hype was about the working attitude of the three main races in the 18th to 20th centuries.    The Malays were seen fit to be administrators, the Chinese as profitable business people and the Indians as workers.   I wonder why the British did not consider the Indigenous people of Malaya within this plan.


So the segmentation began, resulting in the layout of cities, rural areas and estates echoing this rather interesting mindset.   Brickfields began to be a strong Indian community hub.   Today it is promoted as the Little India of Kuala Lumpur ( "Muddy Confluence"), as tourism soared with the advent of greater mobility, air travel and rising incomes.   Sited on the western side of the city centre, Brickfields has had vibrancy further enhanced with the contemporary development of adjoining Sentral, with its train platform convenience, shopping facilities, accommodation hub and airport access.  This has a historical basis, for Brickfields long ago was the main depot built for the transportation network known as the Malayan Railway in the colonial period.


Against this background, I had a recent opportunity to check out this inner city delight buzzing with various aspects of Indian heritage, foodie offerings and traffic buzz.   More often than not, I would stay in the suburbs outside the city centre when in the Klang Valley, especially with the network of shopping centres, coffee shops and friends.   This time around, in five minutes, I could go for walks along TS Road, soak in with the flowered garlands and pancake rotis for breakfast.   I enjoyed coming across individuals with a painted dot on their foreheads.


The senses experienced from my childhood, even if I did not grow up in Brickfields, came rushing back, for I had lovely and caring Indian neighbours when growing up in Penang - such is the hidden benefit of living in a harmonious multi-cultural society, when people still exchanged home cooked dishes, children were colour blind and there was more emphasis on sharing commonalities than bringing out differences.   The cultural familiarity put me in a safe and comfy place in my heart, enhanced by the cooking aromas, the colours of clothes, the tilt and accent of languages spoken and the appetising lure of niche food.   All at once, the layers were peeled from under Australian norms to reach back to feel another world which had been forgotten and buried in time.


So despite the advent of "divide and rule", the colonials under rated the power of the human instinct to enquire, interact and socialise.    It all starts with simply food, that first item across the fence that builds up friendships.   I was back to freshly made rotis with simple curry gravy, the quintessential breakfast amongst working colleagues in this country as well.   I was so glad my Aussie mate was partaking this kind of food with me on this visit.   The Tamil music, the scent of sandalwood joss sticks and the dazzling but still natural colour of blooms on garlands  -  TS Road revealed all these.  The perfumery can be too strong on some passer-bys.  The traffic can build up to a buzz.   The script on sign boards contrasted with the Roman alphabet.  No matter how the level of activity in Brickfields was carefree and random, it was at the same time purposeful.  


One lazy afternoon on this recent visit, I had the opportunity of trying the lunch of long ago in my mind - getting steamed rice or Briyani, and then going round the table to pick your own servings of the various dishes that catch the attention of your eye and palate.    Call it Nasi Kandar, name it Chap Fun or whatever.    The selections are all cooked that morning by Big Mama, usually a petite lady with heaps of experience in southern Indian cuisine, surrounded by her sons.   Every dish is a labour of love and passion that she puts in.  The quality of curry gravy is often above average.   So I could sample this and that, with memories of the aromas that drifted to my nostrils on walking back from school.  I do not recall the humidity nor the bright sunlight.  I only remember the spices, the appetising experience and those unassuming afternoons.


People I knew then were not laden with much money and yet the level of happiness was so much better than I see in so called rich suburbs around the world.  Individuals and families did their best to rise above challenges.   The country was relatively young, promising and with positive possibilities.   So I watched with interest this current younger generation, walking along the road, with their own kind of hope in their eyes.


One evening, the nearby Maha ViharaTemple held their biggest event of the year - the street parade with various floats sponsored by different parties to mark Vesak Day, an occasion to remember the birth, Enlightenment and passing of the Buddha.    This is Little India, but it is not just Hindu, for in a multi-cultural place like Malaysia, there is still the embracing of diversity like I recall from my childhood.   Brickfields reminds me that it is still all there in the 21st century, even if some quarters have chipped away the extent of such racial tolerance.   You can also get Halal food, not far from a single Chinese restaurant - and Western backpackers can still roam the streets with relative impunity.  


Brickfields boasts of more than garment shops and ethnic cafes.    There is the Temple of Fine Arts.   The Sri Lankan community also congregate at the Sri Kandaswamy Temple at Scotts Road.   The Malaysian Association of the Blind, the YMCA and the Global Indian International School have sizeable operations here.   Churches include Our Lady of Fatima, the Zion Lutheran Church, the Holy Rosary Church and the Indian Orthodox Church.  The Three Teachings Chinese Temple and a Surau complete the multi-cultural profile of Brickfields.


Societies which are open to the world, absorb the best from foreign influences and share inner core values will still do well in the future.     History has demonstrated this observation, from the rise of trading city states to the cosmopolitan nature of capitals of great empires.   At times there may be discouragement and setback, but the wisdom and leadership of key individuals do significantly count in the progress of mankind in this respect.


So what is the foreseeable future for the Indian community in the current Federation of Malaysia?   Their compatriots from the Mother Country have been making huge strides in other nations  - think of the Silicon Valley in California, the contributions of Indians in the United Kingdom and their long economic presence in South Africa.   Indian families have seen their members transported to various corners of the globe like the Chinese - and whether they are in Canada, the Caribbean, Dubai, Thailand, Hong Kong or Australia, the journey and story of their Diaspora continues.


And I asked why the whole place is called Brickfields.   Kuala Lumpur was a village built by the various racial groups, including the Kapitan Cinas of old.    Kapitan Yap Ah Loy reserved land for the setting up of a brick making industry here after the British Resident of the State of Selangor - Sir Frank Sweetenham - ordered for buildings to be built of brick.    Kapitan Yap Kwan Seng established the kilns.    This is one glorious example of why historical names of places should not be forgotten, abandoned or changed - I am glad that this has not happened to Brickfields.

Koi Dessert Bar Chippendale NSW

Not since Adriano Zumbo has there been such a huge adoration for a Patisserie chef in Sydney, Australia.    Reynold  Poernomo is young, slim and full of dreams.   He has an eye for the aesthetic, the detailed and the captivating - not just visually, but in arousing our template and inherent urge for the forbidden culinary world.   Human beings need relief from the mundane, the usual and the routine.    Reynold provides this at the Koi Dessert Bar in downtown Sydney in the revamped village hub of Kensington Street in Chippendale.


The menu creates more excitement with names from fairy tales and Nature.    The Forbidden Fruit suggests of a recreated apple, looking so red perhaps because of use of the raspberry Sorbet, but when you get digging into this, there are other treasures to discover - chocolate mousse, lime zest and raspberry gel, all sitting on a chocolate looking and tasting soil.    There is a definite pleasure to contrast the richer chocolate with the lighter but still sharp raspberry.


Some other dessert offerings are more direct to figure out -  Peach Please is dominated by peach jam, but is actually a rosemary flavoured yoghurt, enhanced with a Heillala vanilla mousse and sprinkled with a raspberry powder.   This turns out to be rather harmonised both on the palate and to the eyes.   Heilala vanilla is a brand found in Australia, often used in bakeries, noted for the vanilla seeds present and useful for light coloured recipes like Cream Brulee, custards and shortbreads.


T. Time suggests very East Asian, with a core of black tea ice cream, garnished by mandarins, chocolate pebbles,  a five spice hazelnut sponge and the French Creme De Meaux.

A central Koi Kitchen prepares the pretty and petite delights.    Back at Kensington Street, the openness of the goings-on at street level, with a hive of activity of mostly energetic staff, suggests an inviting world of what is happening behind the display.   It is a cobbled and paved lane in front,  as if a private enclosure, and you have entered an inner sanctum of Reynold's.


Cocktails, licensed bar offerings and a dimension of a way about town permeate upstairs.  It is as if you have climbed  up a traditional two storey house in the South Sea islands, but this one is surrounded by glass on most sides.    You can look down at a small flowering garden below.    The romance you have been caught in, blurry eyed, downstairs can continue in an affair upstairs.      

Mousse, sponge, Panacotta, gels, tarts and jelly.   Asian reminders like Matcha, sesame, Yuzu, coconut, green apple and lime.    Aussie standards like Pistachio, caramel,  white chocolate and yoghurt.    The compulsory little flower petals sitting on top of things that catch the eye.   Shapes that persist -  globes, pyramids, towers, rectangles and squares.


Colours do arise from the tropical origins of where Reynold's extended family came from.   Purple, yellow, orange and more.  They can at times remind me of the Straits Chinese kueh, but this a world away with Euro influences, fusion encouragement,  East Asian beauties and the best of new fangled ingredients.    Hidden in the delights is a reminder of the Bika Ambon, usually made with tapioca, sugar, coconut milk, yeast and eggs, but also versatile to combine with cheese and chocolate flavours.    At the same time, Tonka beans from Central America and the northern parts of South America are also used at the Koi   - the power of the beans is in their Coumarin, which is also utilised in the perfumery industry.

The expectations of customers can be subject to whims, sentiment and reality.   This can apply especially when when two of the artistes and chefs behind the creations from Koi have been on public television.   


Art can be a subjective thing - has Reynold Poernomo concentrated more on presentation, ingredients with taste?    Going forward, can he can consider more on texture and theme surprise?   To be fair, there have been this teasing play by Koi of how ingredients have been converted into shapes far from their what they usually are, for example fruits rediscovered in sheets.    Reynold also does love to surprise and make us smile  - several of his dessert creations involve cracking a surface, digging with anticipation inside and then changing our perceptions.   This process sweetens our experience and increases our anticipation all at the same time.


Do the regulars prefer more variations as time goes by, while retaining the favourites?   This is not easily answered.  If you have fallen in love with one creation, you would not want that replaced, but to create more variety, that means more to be made for the display shelf.


Koi does not just offer non-savoury items and has factored in a degustation menu away from the patisserie and desserts.    The non-dessert creations, from a chef with a background of Indonesian culinary influence, come from Arnold, brother to Reynold.   Mind you, there is another brother, Ronald, in the team as well   - and he specialises in cocktails.   Three brothers , each with his own unique talent.


Back to Arnold, he was a judge in the Indonesian version of Masterchef.     The one savoury dish from Arnold  for me is the duck breast   - roasted with charcoal;  served with duck hearts, butternut pumpkin, Swiss chard leafy veg with red stalks and onions; and flavoured with orange maple cider and red wine.    


The other test of culinary skills is in the Hiramasa kingfish, increasingly popular in fine dining these days  and Koi garnishes them with salmon roe, a puree of caramelised onions and mushrooms,  kelp oil plus smoked Dashi.    Dashi is an important stock and base for many things in Japanese cooking - usually made with kelp and preserved and fermented fish like the Skipjack Tuna  - and is essential to provide the significant Umami taste.

There are four variations as to how you wish to enjoy the Koi experience.  Many phone in orders for catering to collect or take home.    Walk-ins usually wait for a seat along the street and line up to obtain what is available on the display shelf.   Before dinner time, yet others order from down stairs but get a table in better ambient surroundings upstairs.   If you come after 6pm and want to go upstairs, you have to order from the degustation menus - dessert or a combination of savoury and dessert.


There are more variations at the licensed bar upstairs.   Serious coffee lovers may make the leap with a Gotta Have Espresso Tini, where Canadian maple syrup, Japanese Mirin, vanilla Vodka and Licor 43 mix with an espresso to provide the best of many worlds.   Licor 43 is reputed to have forty-three ingredients, but generally is a light citrusy liqueur from Spain, flavoured with vanilla and a host of aromatic herbs.    Mirin has a lower alcohol content compared to its other fellow rice wines


For something refreshing, I love the Bitter Balance, where an innocent shot of Angostura Bitters makes company with Campari, dark rum, burnt orange vanilla syrup and lime juice.    The seemingly healthy Banana Milkshake is laden with Baileys and a Caramel Vodka.   And who can not help noticing the Kevin Bacon, where the theme of bacon, truly, flows through its ingredients - Atzec chocolate bitters, Choc bacon and Bacon washed Bulleit Rye whiskey, all washed with maple syrup.

On street level, at certain times, it may look like a queue for seeing a pop star.   There is not much space to wait in front of the display, yet people patiently do so  - Japanese anime  dressers,   middle class families from the North shore,  tourists,  matronly types, youngsters.     Upstairs, there is a ruffle of activity and amidst the diners, there are single ladies, couples, party goers out on the town and the university people.






Koi Dessert Bar visited is located at 46 Kensington Street, Chippendale NSW.   This is the side of Kensington Street away from George Street.
Opening hours are from 10am to 10pm every day except Mondays.  Coffee and cakes are available from 10am to 10pm, whilst degustation dinner begins at 6pm.
Contact + 61 2 9212 1230
It has been announced for another outlet opening in Ryde NSW.





My other recommended creations to try at the Koi Dessert bar are:

Nomtella, served as a dome with a Brownie base and topped with salted caramel and Espresso flavoured mousse.

High Tea combination with matching tea blends  -  I understand this is the next frontier and adventure at Koi's.







 

Lu Ming Yi Restaurant, Shantou, Guangdong Province

Snaggletooth Food and Drink Joint Fairy Meadow NSW

Cronuts in a basket.

I was tipped off about a new cafe in the suburb  -  the place had been relaid out, giving a different feel from the previous operation and that the coffee was good as well.


Open every day, it has added to the ambiance in Fairy Meadow, a normally working class suburb  transformed over the past two years into something more to visit.  With its Italian-Australian flavours in shops, schools and community,  this small area north of  Wollongong city centre is now comparable to Haberfield in Sydney's inner west, although not so heavily ethnic.   It does have a beach to its east, not far away and even a rail station that once had the risk of losing its unique name to the suggestion of "Innovation".    That name change proposed to NSW Rail did not transpire, but the more significant matter of having a more viable commercial hub is happening as I write.

Breakfast omelette.




Toby the owner-operator may have a nick name that relates to this cleverly named cafe - Snaggletooth.    Already a few weeks into business, one thing stood out to me - the generous servings of food served.   I must say it is wholesome food for customers.  The menu is also extensive.   There are little touches that mean a lot to me - avocado delightfully waiting to be uncovered below your Eggs Benni.   Snaggletooth also opens early for the commuter and the physically active.

Toby's Estate is the blend for the cuppa  - they not be overly bold for the strong hearted in preference, but good enough for me to stand out in my skim Picollo, when I first went there with a mate.   The cafe is close to supermarkets, a sporting ground used often by schools and is a useful pick me up amongst your trip to do the chores.    There are various forms of seating with a wide store front looking out on the Princes Highway.   


Snaggletooth literally means a projecting, broken or unusually shaped tooth.   If this is to indicate a suggestion to do something different and positive fro Fairy Meadow and the Illawarra Coast, why not?   The cafe may not look totally hipster but there are other markets waiting to be attended to as the art of coffee consumption spreads beyond the twenty somethings.    It must be said the quality of the food provided must be recognised as an important factor -  not just in the sourdough, but across all lines offered.    Do not just depend on the coffee, no matter how romanticised it can be.

Eggs Benny with salmon, wedges, avocado  and veg.

Snaggletooth visited is located at  19 Princes Highway,  Fairy Meadow NSW, near the corner with  Cambridge Avenue and opposite the set of lights with Daisy Street.

Holy Basil Shark Hotel Sydney CBD

Deep fried ice cream that comes more like a wrapped parcel, accompanied by muesli, cashews and strawberries.

Sharing is always the best way to go with south-east Asian dishes, for not only does one get to sample each of the variety offered, but it also leads to a certain feeling of communion at the table.  When the restaurant occupies almost a third of the pub and bar floor, the camaraderie from the licensed bar area can easily translate to a better feeling of gathering at the dining section.

The Shark Hotel in downtown Sydney can be accessed from both Pitt Street and Liverpool Street.   This is ethnic Western Sydney transplanted for a rising population that reside in the city centre and so perhaps for a different demographic compared to its original base in Canley Heights.   Here in the city, your diners can be more discerning, may have more disposable income or can devote more time after working hours.  

I love this subtle but yummy dish - more of a Chinese styled roast duck, sitting in a concoction of soy, garlic and Thai sauces, garnished by aromatic herbs and Bok Choy.

The quality of cuisine continues to maintained at high standards after all these years at the Holy Basil upstairs at the Shark Hotel.   I recall this hotel used to be a hub of night life but these days I am not so sure.     



The Sydney scene for Thai food away from Bangkok has grown, with a more experienced and sophisticated audience looking for unusual dishes, perhaps with more roasts and grills, with less coconut milk and with a sense of adventure to try variations of Thai standards like spicy salads, curries and noodle creations.    Holy Basil was part of the interim movement away from what Aussies saw and understood as Thai food.  They now face challenges from street food offerings with more interplay of Thai sauces, herbs and other ingredients.

Mango strips are heaped as a kind of salad on top of a  deep fried whole Snapper.

I reckon that Holy Basil still commands a good niche role between the suburban Thai and the new fangled Thai which have arisen in response to competition and fusion trends.    If you just want a good feed with reliability, Holy Basil can still provide you that.   The crowd on a recent Sunday evening seemed to reverberate with regulars, tourists and families.     The spacious seating  at the Shark Hotel outlet allows you to scan the tables for any exciting or popular dishes.

    

Alas, there was no pork knuckle or roast shoulder pork like those found at The Green Peppercorn at the Civic Hotel behind World Square.    However, do try the marinated lamb cutlets and the roast pork belly cubes enhanced by garlic and chilli.   A highlight for our evening was dabbling into the Laotian styled pork sausages - they are not oily, are rather more tasty than they look and are served with their unique sauce.     Those who have eaten at the Green Peppercorn may recall the grilled ox tongue with a certain fondness  - and the question is which one is better done, there or at the Holy Basil?


There was a reduced availability of unique sauces when compared with what are found at the Tawandang.   There is no lack of dessert choices at the Holy Basil, although I was happy with the selections of fruit juices and smoothies.    



Music can be played loud at times, for there is really no wall or partition for the restaurant from the rest of Shark Hotel.   There is a lift for those who want to avoid the stairs but that evening when we were there, it was locked and we had to make a special request for usage, responded to professionally by the duty manager from the Shark Hotel.

Tom Yum Kung or with prawns  - this was well made, with enough kick in the thicker soup.

Head Chef Tony Inthavong runs a family run operation  at the Holy Basil here.


My other dish recommendations at the Holy Basil at the Shark Hotel are:


Pad Thai with jumbo prawns, bean sprouts,crushed peanuts, eggs, chives, Spanish onions and chives.

Crispy chicken wings served with two sauces and made with a special recipe batter.


Satay chicken skewers served with a different kind of peanuty sauce.


Salt and pepper soft shell crab.





Holy Basil at the Shark Hotel visited is located at 127 Liverpool Street, near the corner with Pitt Street in Sydney CBD.
Opening hours are from noon to 3pm every day and for dinner, from 5pm to 10pm from Sundays to Thursdays and from 5pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Contact + 61 2 9283 8284
There is also a takeaway menu.