Steamboat Sizzle - Carlingford, Sydney

Steamboat sessions are favoured in the middle of winter. In China, they are referred to "huo guo" or hot pot, and traditionally use charcoal instead of the contemporary cooking gas. Close cousins are the Lancastershire hotpot in the UK; the canh chua in Vietnam;  the flower peppery Chongqing hotpot; and the shabu-shabu from Japan.

A tasty and rich stock base that has been brewed before hand sets the stage for a gathering with inner warmth and nurturing engagement, especially amongst friends and relatives.  There are lots of slicing and cutting in the preparations leading up to the meal. The idea is to faciltate naturally responsive cooking in the hot soup, once the ingredients are poured into the bubbling brew!

Popular ingredients are seafood, tofu, all types of vegetables, dumplings, noodles, poached eggs, all varieties of meat and seafood balls and meat slices.  The sauces accompanying each steamboat session can vary, depending on the region and climate. Chili oil, white pepper, scallion, garlic, sesame oil, vinegar, hoisin sauce and soy sauce are the usual condiments.

Vegetables are carefully chosen to add to the flavour of the soup.  The gas cooker has to be turned up or down according to the nature and volume of the ingredients.  I reckon the resulting texture and combinations of flavours are critical to a successful steamboat meal. There was salmon served on this occasion, its richness contrasting with lighter slices of fish.

Fruits in season in New South Wales currently are represented by the pears, Nashi and dark colured seedless grapes, as in the picture above.

There are restaurants that just specialise in such fare, labelling themselves from Mongolian to Thai.

Steamboats encourage conversation, participation, laughter and engagement. You cook to the exact extent that you prefer, dish out your morsel and then consume it with your choice of sauce  or condiment.  One of the features of having a steamboat meal is the use of a variety of cutlery and crockery - it can range from Western to classic Chinese (image below).  One  requires a set of things - the miniature scoop net to dish out your cooked items; soup spoons; holders for sauces and condiments; ladles and various plates placed on the table to hold the many uncooked ingredients. 

Why are there two steamboat pots going along? (Image below)

The one in the background has a spicy tom yum flavour, whilst the green coloured pot held the plain version.  Above, custard puffs from Ju to add sweet taste after the steamboat meal was completed.  Ju mentioned the use of Thermomix in coming up with the nice pastry puffs.

The above pictures were taken at the home of Susan and Boo Ann Yap in Carlingford NSW in July 2012.

Ka-Fe, North Wollongong, NSW

You can see palm trees.  The neighbours do not look  like being in the food business. Yes, the escarpments above Wollongong are reassuring - and pretty. The coffee is even more remarkable. The baristas concentrate on providing precision, care and love in their art. Welcome to Ka-fe, the centre of Delano coffee roasting for Australia. The ambiance is modern, homely and aromatic.

Located at 83 Montague Street in  the border between the suburbs of North Wollongong and Fairy Meadow, they are not at the beach, but a ten minute drive to the nearest surf. It does not matter, for increasingly Ka-Fe is creating its own waves.  Ask for a cold drip.  The food menu can be limited, but come here for the coffee!  Check out  their special music sessions and coffee appreciation mornings.

The chicken pastry (above)  I had, tasty to a bite, whilst catching up with Dyl.

Vaughn and Brad were manning the fort that day.  The setting is idyllic and spacious, there is a wood feel to the accessories and furniture provided - and I love the chalk board behind the main counter.  There is a demand for the roasted beans to take home. Serious drinkers can ask for their specific and peculiar choices - and get it happily, with satisfaction.  Currently it is not open on weekends,except one Saturday a month with a fuller food menu, but anyone can check it out on weekdays between 630am and 4pm each weekday.  Yes, they have a barista training school (Grind on Demand) and offer several blends for you to consider.

My impressions of the Ka-Fe in North Wollongong, NSW are:

Atmosphere: An oasis for coffee.

Location: Light industrial area.

Service:  Friendly, quick and attentive. Okay I already know Vaughn!

Taste: The majority of roasting sources used are from Central America, Tanzania and Ethopia.

People Engagement:  Tell Ka-Fe what you want and don't be shy - and they deliver.

Best Time to Visit:  Anytime!

Would I Return?: Cannot wait for the next opportunity.

 

Asakaze Japanese, Macquarie Centre - Sydney

Asakaze is a familiar sight in Sydney CBD and the shopping centres in its suburbs, offering quick meals at reasonable prices with its popular bento choices.  I recently tried their unagi (eel) with rice combination for a snack before driving the road back home. Simply presented but tasty, this was at Macquarie Centre to the north-west of the Harbour Bridge.  The name "asakaze" conjures visions of the wind from the sea after sunrise.

This apparently Korean-owned chain in Australia concentrates on well and tried Japanese menu favourites like chicken katsu, teriyaki, all types of "dons" and sushi hand rolls.  My marinated and grilled eel was above average.  Working staff at Asakaze joints tend to be young, perhaps students.  The atmosphere is casual and often there are neighbouring retailers offering comparable East Asian food. The chain seems to be popular with couples, teenage groups and families - the menu can be somehow limited but good enough.

Fong Lye Taiwanese at Gardens Mall - Kuala Lumpur

Come meal time, people congregate at Fong Lye, on the third floor of the Gardens Mall in Kuala Lumpur.  What makes the restaurant tick, and what makes people, old and young, patiently queue outside its entrance for lunch, dinner and between? The Taiwanese concept of a set meal on a tray, borrowed from the Japanese bento concept, offers a main dish, usually steamed, grilled, braised, stewed or deep fried concoctions, accompanied by a small bowl of soup, pickled and stir-fried fresh vegetables and a bowl of steamed rice.  Popular mains include fish fillets, deep fried chicken and stewed pork.

The variety of side dishes, though small morsels and portions they may be, are worth checking out.

Try their wu kok (Cantonese), or battered yam with savoury pork inside as fillings.

Apart from traditional smoked teas, there are those milk-laden teas with tapioca flour made bubble balls and accompanied with your choice of fruity falvours. This cuisine model has been a hallmark of Fong Lye, although they do offer other dishes like coconut milk toast; barbeque chicken drumsticks;  meat balls (rou yuan in Mandarin); fried squid and pepper; and fresh tomato garnished fried egg with fish.

I loved my smoked tea duck slices (photograph above) - they were juicy moist, full of flavour and yet with a subtleness from fine cuisine, with the skin not overly fatty and still crispy. This mains of mine was complemented by a clear soup with bites of colourful and crunchy vegetables inside.

The setting at Gardens is spacious with striking ceiling lights, although tables can be arranged to the max. (image above). 

The smoked duck came with mung bean glass noodles and bean sprouts in a tasty stock soup (picture above).  I enjoyed the Fong Lye version of the ice kacang (image below), with a generous dollop of ice cream, red beans, corn, jelly beans and more all clinging on to rather fine shaven ice. It has a different twist from the Malaysian or Indonesian versions.  I have been recommended to try the "peanut snow mountain" should I return to Fong Lye.

There are related outlets at Sunway Pyramid; 94 Jalan Imbi; and at Plaza Prisma Ville, Desa Sri Hartamas in KL. My impressions of Fong Lye at the Gardens Mall are:

Atmosphere:  A sense of good table turnover.

Location:  City side, shopping mall.

Service: Quick. The staff even asked if dessert is to be served after the mains, or what would be preferred?

People Engagement: Satisfactory.

Fav Dish Experienced: Tea smoked duck.

Best Time to Visit:  Try to beat the anticipated - and real - crowds.

Would I Return?: A definite yes!

 

My Brother's Garden - Penang

“Train up a fig-tree in the way it should go, and when you are old sit under the shade of it.”

Charles Dickens

"The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest."

(Thomas Moore)

"I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some."

(Herbert Rappaport)

"With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow - I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud."

(Kung Fu-Tze)

“True friends are like diamonds, precious and rare. False friends are like leaves, found everywhere.”

“Don't expect mangoes when you plant papayas.”