snapshot/dessert: i still strongly recommend YOFROYO

One way to beat the heat is with some frozen yogurt. Yofroyo seems to still be going strong and added specialty flavors, acai berry and lychee tart to the line up.

Spotted some new locations, including at Q Square & Ximending, and heard the tiny one in Gongguan closed awhile back.

This is combo #1 with original tart, though I tend to favor the green tea/red bean combo too.

World Record - Dress up as a Pirate!

PENZANCE on Sunday 26 June

The WORLD RECORD bid is happening as a part of this year’s pirate themed GOLOWAN FESTIVAL (click here to read more!) here in Penzance, and will add to the fun and entertainment of this FANTASTIC ANUAL EVENT!!

Oh yes... Captain Jack Sparrow - we all know where to get our costume ideas from, and all you need to do is Stay in position on the Prom for just 10 MINUTES!!

Tall Ships are often seen sailing around the Penzance Shores, and are always an AMAZING SIGHT!!

Hastings managed to rustle up 6,166 pirates, but Penzance can do better...

Visit Penzance for a day of dressing up mayhem...... here on the Promenade in Penzance!

With stunning panoramic views of the surrounding area and St Michaels Mount!

A bit of history about Penzance Pirates...

Drawing of Act 1 - The Pirates of Penzance

The Pirates of Penzance is a well known comic opera, with music by Gilbert and Sullivan. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City The 1800's. Its London debut was at the Opera Comique, where it ran for a very successful 363 performances, and is still being showed today!

Matsuba Shokudo

Nestled in Tmn Desa's cluster of condos, Matsuba is a hushed hideout where customers feast on a cornucopia of Japanese chow & meditate on the soothing sight of a landscaped poolside.

Tororo gohan _ steamed rice with sticky yam & egg yolk. Some might scorn this as bland, but it compensates with a gentle warmth & creamy softness. Culinary consolation for the work-weary.

Salmon & avocado maki, topped with a princely portion of fresh fish.

Unagi & avocado roll, expertly executed to placate the clientele, which seems to mainly comprise Japanese expatriates and their families.

More avocado makis? Why not _ this mix of irreproachably crunchy soft-shell crab with velvety avocado is a surefire route to epicurean ecstasy.

Special salmon roll, wrapped in rice paper but without rice stuffed within. The health-conscious connoisseur's compromise between having a salad and a carb-loaded maki.

Buta kakuni. Braised pork belly that's as tender and tasty as any in town.

Crisp tonkatsu, unblemished by excess grease. Pork has a place of honor at Matsuba.

Mentaiko. Fried fish roe that screams out for a helping of nasi kandar.

Nonkatsu ramen. Not a thorough triumph, since the broth is watery and bland.

Grilled pork belly & chicken gizzard. Smoky succulence, squared.

Chicken skin skewers. Probably grilled a little too long, since it seems all dried out.

Green tea & sesame ice cream, with a homemade feel.

A 1.8-liter bottle of sake proved too much to handle (particularly since one person was compelled to consume the lion's share).

Matsuba Shokudo,

OBD Garden Tower Condominium,

Taman Desa, Off Jalan Klang Lama, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-7987-7088

Why Rent?

As the demand for apartment housing rises, Apartments.com conducted a survey to current renters to find out why they choose to rent. The results of the survey reveal that maintenance free living, cost and flexibility are the most common reasons to rent!

The largest number of respondents (43.7%) rent primarily for the maintenance free living apartments provide. Many respondents have a strong desire for the conveni

ence of a maintenance person available for common household repairs as well as the freedom of not needing to tend to a lawn, garden or landscaping.

More than twenty-three percent of renters choose to rent for financial reasons. According to the National Multi-Housing Council (NMHC), if an individual plans to live in one place for less than five years, it may make the most financial sense to rent. The costs of buying and selling a home can total 10 percent or more of the price of the home. Additionally, home ownership in a desired neighborhood may be much more e

xpensive than renting in the same neighborhood. Some of the survey respondents indicated that they chose to rent in a preferred school district when owning in the area was not within their budget. Renting also affords individuals the freedom to invest in a variety of stocks, bonds and mutual funds that can provide a higher return on investment as opposed to property ownership. According to the NMHC the average home value increases only five perc

ent each year, whereas the average stock value increases seven percent and bond value increases eight percent each year.

Nineteen percent of respondents indicate that relocation flexibility and the lack of a long term commitment in an apartment is the primary reason they choose to rent.

The NMHC s

uggests that renting may be a good choice for the following types of individuals:

• Young adults just beginning their careers.
• Single parents who do not have time for maintenance or the money to buy a house in a desired school district.
• Empty nesters who want to travel.
• Anyone tired of long commutes to work.
• Anyone who wants abundant amenities and social activities where they live.
• Professionals who transfer often.

For those who choose to rent, apartment selection hinges on specific available amenities and community features. Our survey revealed that in-unit

washers and dryers and air conditioning are the most desirable amenities. Properties that allow pets and have ample parking for tenants top the list of community features that increase renter satisfaction.

hungryintaipei restaurant roundup- may 2011: dazzling openings and bittersweet closings

I was sick last week and have been busy this month so haven't spotted a ton of new openings this month. I need you guys to fill me in and feel free to email me or comment or Facebook me if you're a restaurant/chef or have food news! But here's a little bit of what I've gathered/heard...

- Eddy's Cantina in Tianmu is officially open and Eddy and Jo are coming into town from Danshui daily while their longtime staff holds down the original location. Review coming soon!
- Sweet Tooth Club closed its storefront, though the owner Ariel is still baking from home. Follow their facebook page for updates
- Couldn't believe that longtime Chinese restaurant Shanghai Fans was closed after reader Jane L. left a comment on the post, but I saw the emptied location with my own eyes. Sadface.
- A few days after I posted my revisit to Patio Thai, I drove by and also saw construction and an emptied out restaurant (bye bye koi pond). But a different Thai restaurant is set to open in the same location in June 2011. We'll see if it's the same owner/management or new owners- hopefully they'll still have good pad thai.
- Speaking of Thai food, Dazzling Cafe has opened a Dazzling Thai Cafe at Breeze Center...
- Dazzling has also opened another location of its popular honey toast dessert cafe, Dazzling Cafe- Sunshine, at Xinyi Mitsukoshi. Review and pictures coming soon, though I can say their truffle fries are tasty!
- Also recently opened is GooBer, a new American bistro/burger joint, opened by the chef who founded Oola and Fresh Greens, offering up sliders and shoestring french fries

Pavlova

I would like to introduced u to my latest project, Pavlova..haha. This in my first time i made pavlova & not my first time i play with meringue. I'm still nervous when it comes to meringue, just to make sure i got the perfect stiff peak & at the same time not over beat them. And it makes me more nervous when i put it in the oven for 1 hour & 20 minutes. Is it going to burn? Is it going to be just a flat meringue? Is it going to hold its shape?....if the answer for all three questions is 'yes', then i have to make a donation to 'Mr. Bin'. After a good 1 hr & 20 minutes of waiting and waiting...wallaaaaa...i got the perfect meringue. 'Perfect' means just what Nigella told me (on tv..), its crispy on the outside & soft & fluffy on the inside & it hold its shape :). Just follow exactly the recipe below & u will get the perfect meringue like me:) Here the recipe...

Pavlova

Source : Almost Bourdain 

Ingredients

• 150 ml egg white (approximately 4 eggs)

• 220 g caster sugar

• 2 tbsp cornflour

• 2 tsp vinegar ( i used lemon juice)

• 250 ml single cream

• Strawberries (cubed)

Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
Mix the egg whites with an electric mixer and whisk until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking well after each addition, until the mixture is stiff and glossy.
Fold in the cornflour and vinegar and until just combined.
Shape the mixture into a log on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
Reduce oven to 120°C (250°F) and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven.

Whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Spread over the pavlova, top with strawberries.

VIDEO HOT IN HOTEL

If you have traveled a long way to London your body will certainly feel tired and you would be looking out for some good airport hotel where you can rest and spend your tour or vacation in comfort. Now the best way to get accommodated is to find the nearest airport hotel.
Since the tourism industry has developed so much there are so many airport hotels that have got their places around the major airports in the world. These hotels are the favorite destination spots. All the visitors who travel via airlines first look out for the airport hotels nearby where they can easily carry on their luggage and rest for sometime after such a tiring flight.
When you are out of the airport you either prefer walking a short distance and get in to the first hotel that is near to the airport, or take a taxi and ask the driver to take you to some hotel nearby. In both the cases it's the visitor who is at loss. Firstly if you considering just the distance to the first hotel then it is really hard to get what you really desire. It may not be a hotel that suits your needs and most importantly your budget. And besides that you can't guarantee the service quality offered at the hotels.
And if you take the second option of hiring the taxi and move to a hotel, that may be helpful if you are a regular visitor and know about the hotels around a particular place. Else the taxi drivers will take you to the hotel of their choice and in return they get some commission for every visitor that they bring to a particular hotel. Now again you can't say what there lying in plate for you. So the better option rests in you hand.
If you make some research in advance you can easily find the place to accommodate or can tell the taxi driver to take you to the particular hotel.
Now if you are traveling London and are arriving at the Gatwick airport you would certainly be looking for the nearest Gatwick airport hotel. There are so many out there. But my personal references go with the Corner house. This is one of the finest airport hotel in the area and you don't have to move to long distances to reach the hotel. Within just around two miles from the airport, this hotel also provides the free transfer facility as well.
This airport hotel Gatwick has got the world class accommodation and very good food. The hotel remains open throughout the day and night so as to allow its visitors check in any moment. And the pricing is just is as much that it doesn't hurt your pocket at all. So if you are looking for an easy and convenient accommodation around the Gatwick airport, then this is certainly the place to look out for.

Fatty Crabs @ Seputeh

No relation to Taman Megah's long-entrenched Fatty Crab, this casual outlet at Taman Seputeh supplies a fresh alternative to Siu Siu and Robson Heights Seafood Restaurant for customers seeking to satisfy their crustacean cravings.

No fewer than 18 crab recipes are available, from Green Chili Sweet & Sour to Bei Fung Tong Fried Garlic. Our first choice was a conventional one: the creamy salted egg version, irresistible with the restaurant's free flow of fried 'mantao.'

Sea salt-baked 'dong quai' crab, moist and meaty. Fatty Crabs also delivers food daily within a five-kilometer radius, with everything sealed in thermal containers to help these babies arrive satisfyingly hot at your doorstep. Details at www.fattycrabs.com.

Another intriguing concoction: claypot-style shark meat (no worries, no shark fins here, so this seems as morally correct as consuming various other fish). Somewhat similar to Spanish mackerel, swimming in herb-laden soup.

Nyonya prawn otak-otak _ comfortingly soft but not mushy, featuring sweet-savory notes and a gentle spiciness to leave your tongue tingling.

Complimentary dessert: homemade vegan ice cream _ free of milk, sugar & eggs _ with a pleasantly coarse texture and a taste reminiscent of soybeans.

Fatty Crabs,

62-2, Jalan Bukit Raja, Taman Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 1-300-222-100

western/revisited: I strongly recommend GORDON BIERSCH

GORDON BIERSCH
at Xinyi Mitsukoshi A11, 2FL
No.11, Songshou Rd.,
(02) 8786-7588

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: gordonbiersch.com.tw

hours: 11 AM - 11:30 PM/ Fri/Sat until 12midnight

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. crayons. lots finger foods

Visit reviewed: 5/17/2011
Previous visit reviewed: 6/13/2008

For some reason, I've been craving cobb salads lately. Perhaps its the lingering memory of the awesome cobb salads I had at Tender Greens last summer in LA. Or maybe the Taipei weather going from winter directly into the humid summer has me craving cool salads. Whatever reason- I was mentally going over my choices for salads in Taipei when I found that Gordon Biersch had a seafood cobb salad. 

So the next day I headed there for lunch. Squeezed into a table despite not having a reservation. The restaurant filled quickly after 12:30PM, much more full than Chili's on a weekday. They still have a full menu of eats, as well as a lunch menu which includes a drink, soup or dessert and main dish- all for around NT$400. 

The huge cobb salad didn't disappoint (along with two full cups of dressing of your choice- we picked ranch) with lots of cheese, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon, eggs and avocado as well as some shrimp and crab meat. The shrimp were kind of on the small side and we had more dressing than we knew what to do with, but overall everything was fresh and I'd definitely order this again.

I also was extremely happy with the pulled pork sandwich, overflowing with the slightly spicy and sweet meat, and the garlic fries which I requested to sub for the potato chips. I couldn't stop eating the crispy fries.

I was happy that the drinks with the lunch set included the lemonades as an option (or soda), and I got the strawberry lemonade. I opted for the dessert of the day instead of french onion soup, but wasn't crazy about the mushy apple bread pudding, though the vanilla ice cream was good.

Advance reservations are definitely recommended, even for weekdays, and Gordon Biersch is a great option for large groups, families or business meetings, as well as beer lovers. Weekend waits without reservations are typically at least an hour, though you can leave your phone number and shop around the nearby area until they call you.  Since I last reviewed it, they opened another Taipei location in Song Shan district and one in Taichung. 

OTHER LOCATION

No.102, Dun Hua N. Rd.
(02) 2713-5288
11:30AM-11PM

Nutella Pots De Creme

I just made a french dessert. French...hahah, with fancy name, but very easy to prepare. I decided to made this since i came across with this recipe last week. Its only 4 ingredients to make this fancy (since its french) dessert. I really2 love the rich taste of nutella in this custard like dessert & who doesn't like nutella anyway? Its sweet & creamy & sometimes i'm thinking of using it as a filling for cake or macaron or whatever recipes who needs filling. I definitely going to make this again, so here the recipe...

Nutella Pots De Creme

Source : One Hungry Mama

• 1/2 cup cream

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/4-1/2 cup Nutella

• 4 egg yolks, whisked

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add cream and milk to a saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in Nutella. How much you use depends on how rich you want your custard: 1/4 cup gives a strong hint of Nutella, whereas 1/2 cup give a deep, rich chocolate-hazelnut flavor. 
Whisk constantly until the Nutella is smooth and completely incorporated, and the liquid is hot to the touch. Take the saucepan off of the heat.
Pour about 1/4 cup of the Nutella mixture into a measuring cup. Temper the egg yolks slowly drizzle the 1/4 cup into the egg yolks, whisking constantly the entire time and slowly pour the Nutella/egg yolk combination into the remaining Nutella mixture still in the saucepan. Keep whisking all the while.
If your mixture is perfectly smooth, you can do as I do and skip straining the mixture. Otherwise, if you see pieces of egg or lumps of Nutella, strain the liquid through a strainer double lined with cheesecloth. Divide the liquid among four ramekins.
Place the ramekins in a baking pan large enough to hold about 6 cups of boiling water. Slowly pour the boiling water into the baking pan, making sure not to splash into the custard cups. The water should come about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. 

Transfer baking pan to preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes. When the custards appear set, but are still be jiggly in the middle, remove the baking pan from the oven. Remove the ramekins from the water bath and place on the counter to cool. When completely cooled, transfer to the refridgerator and chill for at least 3 hours up to overnight.

Eurasia

Promising a fresh epicurean experience in Damansara Heights, Eurasia serves fusion fare that springs several surprises here and there.

Atlantic jackknife clams (or bamboo clams or razor clams) with a pageant of sauces. A quirky presentation, engagingly colorful and fun to eat, with each clam embellished with something creamy, sweet or savory.

Unagi, all rolled up and impregnated with mixed mushrooms & chopped veggies. Also visually appealing, but the eel tasted similar to run-of-the-mill unagi teriyaki.

Foie gras. No complaints, though this won't win major accolades; two reasonably thick slices of well-prepared liver, wedded to tobiko & a chunky potato cake.

Avocado, lettuce, cucumber & asparagus maki. Who knew fish-free, vegetarian rolls were tasty? The avocado's creaminess was the perfect partner for the crunch of the other veggies.

Pan-seared salmon with Massaman curry & bell peppers. The fish was moist and meaty, but the Thai-inspired sauce was too innocuously weak to spawn a lasting impression.

Cocktails galore! Fluffy Duck (gin, cointreau, advocaat, orange juice, lemonade) & Frozen Bikini (vodka, peach schnapps, lime juice, champagne).

Moulin Rouge (brandy, pineapple juice, champagne) & Strawberry Mimosa.

Koala Bear (creme de banana, dark creme de cacao, vanilla ice cream, crushed ice) & Kahlua Cup (creme de cacao, kahlua, vanilla ice cream).

Eurasia Bar & Bistro,

Wisma UOA, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2093-8596