Salisbury Hotel

Salisbury is a lovely medieval city in Wiltshire. If you are visiting the city and staying overnight, you will probably need a Salisbury hotel and there are a few ways of going about this.

Firstly you can do an internet search for 'Salisbury hotel' or 'accommodation Salisbury' and see what comes back in the results. Remember that the results will return any websites that the search engines (such as Google) think are relevant to your query. Not all of the results may show hotels in Wiltshire as there are other places around the globe that are also called Salisbury and some that are called 'hotel Salisbury'.

In the Google search results, you can look at the natural (or unpaid) listings, the paid listing that appear in the 'sponsored links' section, or the Google maps results. All may turn up the hotel that is ideal for your stay.

When clicking on a maps listing, if you like the look of the hotel, you can click for 'more information' that should give additional photos, reviews and information.

You could also join some travel forums and ask the online community if there is anywhere that they recommend. You can get some great travel tips this way.

Also, try last minute hotel booking sites as you can get some good discounts this way.

Alternatively you can use more traditional methods and ring the local tourist information office. They will be able to recommend accommodation in Salisbury and probably even send you some brochures.

If you have any friends or family that have already visited Salisbury, you could ask where they stayed. They are likely to know you best and have a good idea about where would suit you.

Think carefully about whether you want to be in the town centre near attractions such as the Cathedral or nightlife, or whether you would prefer the peace and quiet of a more rural location that still has easy access to the sights.

Salisbury is a great place to explore sights such as Stonehenge and is well worth the visit. Getting your hotel right can turn your visit to Salisbury and the surrounding area into a great one.

Hanare

Hanare recently revamped its menu, compelling us to return to see what's fresh.

Earlier entries on Hanare: Feb. 2, Feb. 6, Feb. 8, Feb 10 & Feb. 24.

Marinated tuna intestines. Pungently salty and slimy. Loved it!

Chilled bean curd from Kyoto. The tofu produced in this historic city is legendary, thanks partly to its use of underground spring water. Tastes like a cross between regular tofu & panna cotta, with a luscious, lip-smacking creaminess.

Sunomono mori (seafood in chef's vinaigrette). A savory substitute for sashimi.

Baked crab meat on toast, very richly topped, Reminiscent of bruschetta, though without the Italian herbs & tomatoes, of course.

Salt & lemon-sprinkled scallop, snapper & cuttlefish sushi. Since our last visit, a dedicated sushi chef has arrived to whip up these deliciously delicate creations.

Seared toro, kampachi & salmon sushi. Never a bad or mediocre meal here. We were pressed for time to sample more, but we'll be back soon.

Hanare,

Ground Floor, The Intermark,

Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2164-2133

Raspberry Rose Vanilla Bavarian Cream Cake

I really looking forward to try this cake recipe since i saw it on Tartelette blog & it takes me 2 days to finished it. Yeah...the recipe look complicated, but if u read it carefully, the steps is actually not so complicated. Its just time consuming but the end product was sooo worth it.

I started this cake with the raspberry layer first but i used strawberries coz it's not easy to find raspberry here in Malaysia. Actually i found it, but its so pricey to me which is not a good news to my wallet hahah...so i decided to used strawberries as long as i can get the red color with sweet sour taste. The next day, i prepared the almond rose dacquoise & vanilla bavarian cream, let them cool & assembled, let it set for another 24 hours & glaze it with the lemon glaze...huhhh...phewww!! & its done ;).

How to describe this cake. Not too sweet, the sweetness taste just nice. U can taste the sweet, sour with rose fragrance. The recipe i copy & paste from my source, coz i don't want to re-type everything. But i want u to know that, i follow exactly all the measurements in this recipe. Here the recipe...

Raspberry Rose Vanilla Bavarian Cream Cake

Source :  Tartelette

For the almond rose dacquoise:
1 1 /2 cups (160gr) almonds
1 cup (100gr) powdered sugar, unsifted
1/4 cup (30gr) all-purpose flour
6 egg whites
1/2 cup (100gr) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons rose water - ( i used rose essence)

For the raspberry layers:
2 tablespoons powdered gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
4 cups frozen raspberries - ( i used strawberries)
1/2 cup sugar



For the vanilla bavarian cream:
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup (100 gr) sugar
2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
1 vanilla bean
2 tablespoons powdered gelatin, sprinkled over 1/4 cup water
2 cups (500ml) heavy cream

Lemon glaze: (prepare once the cake is set)
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
2 tablespoons (15gr) water
2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar
1 teaspoon powdered gelatin sprinkled over 2 teaspoons water
Prepare the dacquoise:
Preheat the oven to 177C and position a rack in the oven.
In a food processor, pulse the almonds and the powdered sugar together until finely ground. Sift the flour over the mix and reserve. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add the sugar while whipping the egg whites on high speed until stiff. Add the almond-flour mixture to the egg whites and fold gently with a spatula. Halfway through the process, add the rose water and continue to fold until smooth. Try to keep as much air as possible.
Line two quarter sheet pans with parchment paper, coast slightly with cooking spray and divide the batter among both pans and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden. Let cool. Inver the pans onto a cutting board and slowly peel off the parchment paper.



Prepare the raspberry layers:
Line two quarter sheet pans with parchment paper.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and reserve.
In a large saucepan set over medium low heat, bring the raspberrries and sugar to a simmer and cook until the berries are completely thawed and reduced to a puree (smash them down with a spoon if necessary) and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin, stirring until it completely dissoved in the raspberries. Pour over the prepared sheet pans. Let cool to room temperature and then freeze until firm.

Prepare the Bavarian cream:
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until very pale. In the meantime, in a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk and the vanilla bean (split open and scraped over the milk) to a boil. Slowly pour the milk over the yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over medium low heat and cook until the cream coats the back of a spoon (as if making creme anglaise). Remove the vanilla bean. Add the softened gelatin and stir until melted completely into the cream. Let cool to room temperature.
Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the cooled cream base. Use immediately

Prepare the lemon glaze:
In a small saucepan set over medium high heat, bring the lemon juice, water and sugar to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is hot. Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatin. Stir until it is completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.



To assemble:
Line a 8x8 or 9x9-inch sqaure baking pan with enough plastic wrap to have about 2 inches overhanging on all sides (easier to pick up to unmold once the cake is set). By all means, use a square frame if you have one instead and build your cake directly in the frame set on a sheet pan.
Cut one of the dacquoise to fit inside the cake pan and place it at the bottom. Remove the raspberry jelly from the freezer and cut a piece to fit inside the cake pan also. Place it on top of the dacquoise layer. Pour a little less than half of the bavarian cream on top of the raspberry layer (you want to keep a little bavarian for the very top layer). Repeat with a layer of dacquoise, a layer of raspberry jelly, a little less than the other half of the bavarian cream. Use the remaining cake cut outs to form a final layer of dacquoise. Smooth the remaining bavarian cream in one thin layer on top. Refrigerate the cake until completely set, about 2 to 4 hours or overnight. Once it is firm, spread the lemon glaze on top. Place the cake back in the fridge and let it set for about 30 minutes. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. To plate, remove the cake from the pan by lifting all four corners of the plastic wrap and trim the edges.

Tate @ Intermark

It's easy to walk past this place and think there's nothing here except a wall. But that's part of the master plan for Tate, yet another 'bright idea' by the unbelievably tireless BIG Group.

Greeted by a silent knight, we took our first steps inside, unsure what loomed ahead.

Cocooned in secrecy, Tate's concept is inspired by speakeasies and private gentlemen's clubs. It's a classy, intimate space that allows customers to swiftly lose themselves in their own world.

Grab a comfortable seat by these screens, where beautiful silent movies from the 1920s play on while gentle music wafts in the background.

Cocktails at Tate are creative and complex. One of KL's most romantic concoctions: the Matahari, comprising Hennessy, chai-infused sweet vermouth, lemon juice, pomegranate & rosebuds.

Strawberry Ginger Mojito (flor de cana 4 yrs, ginger juice, strawberry, lime wedges).

Lemon Meringue Martini (luxardo limoncello, lemon juice, sugar, double cream, crackers). Drinks here were intoxicating enough to get the crowd fairly raucous by 7.30pm on a Tuesday.

Not many options for a teetotaler, but the terrific staff happily obliges requests.

Food is nearly nonexistent here. So raise your glass and drink up instead!

Our chance to hone our skills and become the next Fast Eddie Felson. Or not.

And nope, this isn't the end of The BIG Group's initiatives for 2011. The folks working for this evil empire have always been ultra-secretive about their projects, but if all goes well, there might be another bright idea to talk about before the end by July.

Tate,

Ground Floor, The Intermark, Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2161-2367

Do you like to have a haircut and shave in an open-air saloon?

Location: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India(27° 10′ 48″ N, 78° 1′ 12″ E)
Date: 7 Jan 2009; 3.10pm
Camera: Canon 400D with Sigma 17-70/f2.8-4.5

India is one of a few countries where there is a healthy mix of the old and new. One example is the continue use of colonial era articles. Another very interesting sight is the continue practice of trade in the old fashion way alongside the modern version, be it laundry and ironing services or hair-cut. These days there are swanky air-conditioned saloons in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and so on; but roadside barbers are doing popular.

Profiteroles

Japanese savories & French sweets? Sometimes, it's the unlikeliest union that breeds the best results; in this case, the proof is in the profiteroles.

This charming cafe offers a reasonable range of basic fare _ everything from ramen and chicken katsu to gyoza and prawn tempura. We were pleasantly surprised by these handrolls, one stuffed with warm unagi and the other with tamago. There was minimal rice inside, substituted mainly with super-fresh greens for a springy crunch.

We had mixed feelings, however, about the outlet's namesake _ its profiteroles. I liked their creamy, custard-like chocolate filling, but my friend insisted they made his teeth ache.

More macarons? Really? But these do offer something different. There are several interesting flavors _ sakura, lavender, salted butter caramel _ that absolutely hit the spot, featuring less sugar compared to other macarons out there. But purists might say the ganache filling in this version is too thick and heavy.

Vanilla & chocolate sables. Classic cookies, nicely baked. Crisp and buttery all at once.

The walls here are decorated with real photographs taken of the cafe's own food, helping to create a warm, comfortable atmosphere. If all works well, this humble hideout could become Solaris Dutamas' next hip hangout.

One point: Profiteroles might currently seem impossible to find, but here are the basic steps _ take the escalator up from The Pink Sage, look for a Subway store, take the staircase from there up another level, then search for a cafe with no signboard.

A final note: no dinners are served here for now. The outlet is only open 10am-6pm, Mondays through Saturdays, but that should change later this year.

Profiteroles,

A3-01-07, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-6205-5503

Luxury hotel located in Ibiza

A personal appreciative of what should be fancy and is commenced in this hotel an excellent acquaintance of clean calm and practice of recreation. The water, light and consistency in Hotel Victoria Ibiza is what revolves the life into perfect joy and recreation and the clients practice an remarkable holiday in IBIZA

With 112 rooms, Hotel Victoria in IBIZA is the ideal mark for diverse occasions; Family meeting, weddings, etc. All rooms get loads of light round the clock. Additionally to the best resources, all rooms contain up to date proficiency, such as newly begun TV screens. You will be cared as a guest and not only as a customer and so the Hotel Victoria in Ibiza and Posiedon 3 in IBiza proposes best habits to take pleasure in the agreement with nature and so this turns out to be the eventual place to stay.

The hotel is not only a 5 star hotel but it goes further than that. The hotel Victoria and Posiedon 3 Ibiza also gives a stand for the industry contracts. It is so well equipped that all kinds of business events can be carried out here. There are meeting rooms and gathering rooms which can provide accommodation to around 300 members at one time giving a full sight of the natural world outside the window.

It is also well-known for its delightful beauty that grabs the hearts of the guests and they are just bound not to remember the outside world and forced to enjoy the loveliness here. The warm greeting of the workers induces the visitors to be paying attention towards the hotel again and again. The hotel is completely air conditioned and it encloses open suites and the rooms are rationalized. All the accommodation has Internet, satellite Televisions with the pay to see service, room services with laundry facility.

You will cover a first choice to expend the whole day around swimming pools on the patio and the spectacular vision from there would put you off from parting the place. You can also take pleasure in gyms here and you will find these ones well operational, modernized. Recreation in the Sauna or the massage parlor can be amused in the Hotel Victoria and Posiedon 3 IBiza.

Last but not the least, the hotel Victoria IBIZA is an exceptional place to stay and practice the pleasure of the beach holidays in IBIZA.

Spaghetti Prawn Olio

It's been a while since last time i updated my blog. Haisshh....i am so busy lately, a lot of things needs to be done at work. I had a really hard time at work yesterday, it's not easy to deal with a person who doesn't want to cooperate with other people. Ok..enough said, i just want to share this easy peasy recipe with all of u. My family, we all loves spaghetti, at one time our favorite was spaghetti or fettuccine with cream sauce, but since i introduced them to my latest favorite spaghetti without any sauce, now its become their latest favorite too ;). Here the recipe...

Spaghetti Prawn Olio

• 1/2 package spaghetti (i used Angle Hair)
• 10 medium sized prawn
• 1 large red onion, roughly sliced
• 1 1/2" young ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 package fresh button mushroom, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp garlic powder / 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped spring onion & corriander leaves
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp coarsed black pepper
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain & rinse under cold water, set aside. 

Heat olive oil over medium-high, stir in red onion, mushroom & ginger until softened. Stir in prawn & stir fry around 3 minutes. 

Add black pepper, continued stirring abt 1 minute & add spaghetti, chicken stock, spring onion, corriander leaves & salt to taste. Continue to cook until well combine.

Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie

After a year of soaking up accolades at Solaris Dutamas, chef Nathalie Arbefeuille has stretched her frontiers, curating new concoctions at a sparkling venue that replaces High Tide in the city.

Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie is off to somewhat slow start. At High Tide's opening night in October 2009, only two tables were taken; in an eerie parallel, Cuisine Gourmet's first official dinner also attracted only two sets of paying customers, who began with the ritual of breaking fresh bread. Our reservations made one week in advance proved unnecessary.

A crucial note: head here for dinner instead of lunch. The difference: in future, Nathalie will only cook at this new outlet during dinner, since she'll remain faithful to her Solaris Dutamas restaurant at lunch. So if you want her to oversee the preparation of this crab cremeux in cucumber gazpacho with lobster bisque espuma, then come here only when the sun sets.

Everything on the menu bears Nathalie's inimitable creative imprint, though the kitchen retains the invaluable services of High Tide's maestro Evert Onderbeke. The Nathalie-Evert/French-Belgian partnership is a paean to cuisine par excellence, embodied by this idiosyncratic but indelible lasagne stuffed with snails, garlic mousseline & herb emulsion.

John Keats famously wrote that "a thing of beauty is a joy forever." This superb soup, comprising crispy Jerusalem artichokes with emulsified porcini mushrooms, was beautiful indeed, but alas, it supplied us with merely a minute of merriment. Still, we loved it truly. Suffused with both sweetness and earthiness that seemed otherworldly.

Scallops mashed three ways; one with oysters, the next with chives, the last with apples. Served with arugula sorbet (!!!!!). A masterclass on how to combine culinary components that create captivating chemistry.

Let's lift the veil on the desserts here, which are hypnotic in every sense of the word. Exhibit A: Rose meringue, with a heart of lychee & raspberry coulis.

Exhibit B: Gingerbread ice cream & grapefruit sorbet, paired with two types of macarons: lavender & apricot, alongside lemon & thyme.

Complimentary macarons to take home. Wheeeee!

Make no mistake: from Favola to Fisherman's Cove, Il Lido to Il Primo, Mandarin Grill to Millesime and Sage to Senses, we've repeatedly confirmed that KL's best restaurants can ensure an enthralling experience even in their earliest hours of business. By this criterion, Cuisine Gourmet seems a shoo-in to inhabit that illustrious shortlist.

Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie,

Menara Taipan, Jalan Punchak,

Off Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2072-4452

desserts/western: i recommend HELLO KITTY SWEETS

HELLO KITTY SWEETS
No. 90, Da An Road, Sec. 1
(02) 2711-1132

MRT: Zhong Xiao/FuXing

website: hellokittysweets.com.tw Chinese only

hours: Sun- Thurs 11:30 AM - 10 PM; Fri- Sat 11:30 AM - 11 PM

$-$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs available, lots of booth seats

Visit reviewed: 4/7/2011

What would you expect from a restaurant called Hello Kitty Sweets? 

Two stories of ceiling to floor pink and pillowy pink walls and Hello Kitty lounge chairs? Check, check, check...

The outline and image of the mouthless cat everywhere you turn in the restaurant? No detail is too small to escape for Hello Kitty lovers to see and want (a Hello Kitty tissue box cover? where can I get one?! starts googling on iPhone) Check, check, check...

Rows of pink and chocolate Hello Kitty cakes, desserts and chocolates?  Check, check...

Check, check, check...

And there's more...

And all that eye candy is at the front of the store before we sit down and order. Besides the desserts that you can order from the counter, there is also a full menu of pastas, gratin rice, grilled meats, pizza and even a Hello Kitty hamburger and Hello Kitty bread bowls, as well as afternoon tea sets.

mmm or hmm?

The menu is only in Chinese and can be a bit confusing, but there is a picture for each dish and the waitress was helpful in explaining what is in each dish when we asked.  The price for each dish is for a set meal, which includes a drink, salad, soup, bread roll, choice of small appetizer along with your main dish.

I had put off checking out Hello Kitty Sweets because I heard that there were long waits and the food was not worth the prices, but on a weekday, I had no problem getting a reservation for a large table (made a few days in advance) and my low expectations for the food probably helped me keep a reality check. I definitely wouldn't come just for the food, it's more for the whole experience and I had a bunch of Hello Kitty fans in my group as I was hosting my cousin and her daughters. I was definitely surprised to see almost all the other tables were adults, some cameras in hand, and quite a few men too (perhaps dragged or bribed there?).

The starters in the set are forgettable- a small salad, a mysterious creamy soup- but the bread roll is the first Hello Kitty photo op.

The choice of appetizers included escargot and smoked salmon, but I opted for this liver pate.

The food came at a relatively steady pace and the main dishes were a good size. I snuck some of the fried appetizer plate (NT$380 ala carte) that my cousin's kids ordered which included onion rings, fried chicken, croquette and fries. Tasty.

I don't know why, but I asked for the egg on the meat sauce spaghetti (NT$400/set) to not be raw. It came out more fried than soft boiled like I've enjoyed at Bellini Pasta Pasta. If there's a next time, I'll have to try it as is so that I can stir it all together. The spaghetti had typical sweet, tomato flavor. But where's the Hello Kitty meatball or Hello Kitty cheese cutout? Lol.

Lots of pesto and shrimp (NT$400/set) in my cousin's dish. The kids loved it and finished it.

The Hello Kitty burger (NT$450/set)! I didn't try this, but I thought about ordering it. Would it be one of the more manly things on the menu? LOL.

Set drink (very sweet ice tea) and set dessert- a creme brulee Hello Kitty pudding. 

We didn't have to room to sample any of the cute cakes that I saw, but perhaps on another occasion. There's a NT$300 minimum per person fee to dine in, but if you just want to get some cakes to go, there's also a mini Hello Kitty Sweets at the nearby Fuxing Sogo selling cakes and desserts. But then you don't get to breathe the Hello Kitty Sweets atmosphere and cuteness. There's even some souvenir goodies available to purchase behind the counter, but I didn't realize it until I was browsing other blogs.

Did I mention even the bathroom is Kitty-fied? Is this too much, or the complete experience?

   

 

Hello Kitty lovers- how far would you/did you fly from to eat at Hello Kitty Sweets? I know for some of you this might be a "must" destination for your Taipei trip. For those of us lucky enough to have it in Taipei, it's worth a visit if you are a Hello Kitty lover (like me), or want to treat one to a meal.