All about food!

Sam and I just got back from a weekend trip to Singapore for a friend's wedding. The groom was Sam's friend from childhood and both families knew each other rather well so Sam's parents were there too. The first thing our family remarked about was how much weight we have gained (Sam more than me, I'm glad to say!). So to honour that statement, here is a collection of pictures of food, both homemade and on our excursions, along with some relevant commentaries.

What's cookin', honey?

One of the joys I've found in this new life of mine was cooking. When I was single and living alone, my idea of de-stressing, besides retail therapy, was cooking. There is a certain calming effect to chopping onions and garlic and eating something cooked to your idea of perfection. I don't profess to be a good cook but I think I do cook okay. But with all the time I have now, I pore over online recipes and try out different cooking methods and ingredients I would have otherwise dismiss as "too-much-time". My favourite site so far is www.allrecipes.com. So one day both hubs and I thought we've had too much meat lately (we just had burgers from Iron Fairies - pics below), so we decided on going green.  Menu of the day: Garden fresh greens tossed with French salad dressing with a toss of oregano and dried parsley flakes with tomato & cheese bruschetta at the side. KFC spicy chicken slices for topping (ok, so I cheated a little!).

Another time I tried to emulate the meats of our favourite backyard barbecues. I got the marinade right (Sam does all the marinating for the barbeques, I'm only "allowed" to do the veggies, sides and chicken) but we were lacking good meat. The ribeyes sold in the nearby supermarket were scarcely an inch thick and dry but it'll have to do. These were marinated overnight and grilled over an electric grill. Still trying to get the grilling tactic right, with the grill patterns and all while trying to keep the meat moist and tender. Still learning!  I paired the meat with stir-fry long beans fried with onions and garlic and a dash of oregano (I just love oregano!) and mashed potatoes. I left the skin on the potatoes and purposely cooked it one level before soft to get the "mounds". Cheddar cheese and butter-melted with a sprinkle of paprika and dried parsley flakes. 

Bangkok, food and you

There are times we don't feel like cooking so we head out into the colourful streets of Bangkok for the local food. Sometimes we decide to bravely try on recommendations from friends. For this particular one, it came with a "best burger I've ever tasted" tag. And we all know how burgers and Samuel go, so we decided to try it out and see if it's worth all the hype. 


We got the directions right but walked up and down the road for almost half an hour before we found its unassuming entrance.  We must have walked past the entrance several times! However, what the entrance lacked in attractiveness, the interior more than made up for it. You'll have to blink twice to fully appreciate the restaurant, first to get used to the darkness (small cupholders with lights on the tables and two table lamps further in were pretty much the light available) and to take in the surreal surroundings! The Iron Fairies is well-reviewed so I won't go into describing the place. A blacksmith workshop by day and restaurant/pub by night, our "tables" were old, iron safes and our "chairs" were old wooden barrows. There was live music provided by one talented lady (whom we later knew to be a Singaporean) and a jazz band came up at 9pm. Even its "stage" is a narrow walkway linked up by a wooden spiral staircase on an attic. We had a hard time taking pictures but here are some of them anyway: 

These iron fairies, made at that very workshop, are available for sale. 

Samuel with our starter, deep-fried tiger prawns. You can see the spiral staircase behind Samuel which leads to the "stage" where the musicians perform from.

A startled me with our burger. It was juicy and full of flavour and filled generously with condiments. We enjoyed it but think that we're not ready to give it the "best burger in town" tag yet!

Tell-tale signs of it being a blacksmith workshop, for awhile I thought it looked like a animal slaughterhouse! But the music was very calming and befitting its decor. It was also a good place for patrons to come in for burger, a beer and good conversation. Sam and I stayed on till the jazz players played about 3 songs. By then, the place was packed but everyone was okay just standing around.

Finally, a meal in Chinatown

Some of you may remember the last post on our excursion to Bangkok's Chinatown. This time, we were determined to be hungry to try out their "aahaan tale" or seafood which was "aroi maak" or very delicious. I tried remembering the prices but didn't succeed to bring it up again to memory but just know that it was a very affordable meal for two. Here's what we ordered:

For starters, fresh oysters (I don't like them so I only ate half). Sam thought it wasn't that fresh.

Fried rice. We were craving for some Chinese food - this was okay but lacked the flavour and taste of our typical Nasi Goreng Cina (Chinese Fried Rice). 

Stir-fried morning glory with chili which is just "stir-fried kangkung", tasty but preferred it cooked with "sambal belacan"!

Butter and garlic fried calamari. Tasted really good but was deceptive with its serving size as the bottom was filled with cabbage.

Fried glass noodle ("tung fun") with giant prawns. A very Chinese dish and we can also find this at home. However, it has been localized to suit Thais as we think fish sauce was used instead. Tasted good nonetheless!

And how much does it cost? Less than RM60 for two persons! Definitely worth the journey there. Probably the next time round, we will order the grilled shrimps.

Coming to visit us yet? :)