Another Girls' Party @ Kam Fook

This was the first time I went to Chatswood. I have heard from Heidi and also Deryk that there is the very good Dim Sum restaurant in Chatswood...Since I came to Sydney, I haven't tried Dim Sum yet so this Thursday was the perfect time ! ( Finally I found out that the restaurant that Heidi and Deryk mentioned is the same one ^ ^)

Heidi, Stella, Kimmy and I reached Kam Fook around noon...The restaurant is next to the cinema in Westfield Shoppingtown. Lucky the day we went, didn't need to wait for long for the seat.

Once we were seated the place where was very behind at the back corner, the food trolleys kept coming....to fast to make the decision...so many varieties of dishes this place offers ..In Thailand (or where I have been), normally there are only fried stuff trolley and steamed stuff trolley...others we just order and they will bring from the kitchen......but here, not only for that also trolley for noodle, congee, desserts, tofu...etc.

From left clockwise : Prawn rice roll, Turnip cake, Sui Mai, Lo mai fan.

They all were good, just I prefer the fried version of turnip cake and also the sui mai can be better.

From left clockwise : Har gow (prawn dumpling), Scallop sth, Salt & Pepper calamari, Xiao long bao.

I really the Har gow...and we all agreed that Xiao long bao here (maybe that day) was not good at all...I bited half and just couldn't finish it...

Century Egg & Mince Pork Congee : I think it was just a little bit too sweet for my liking and also too much meat ^ ^'', still prefer Superbowl in China Town.

very busy but fun !

Desserts: Egg tarts, Mango pudding and Dou Hua (Bean curd)...all good !

Kimmy, Heidi and Stella with girly posting..hehe

Me !!!!!! What a funny I am doin !

After that, we watched the movie :Burn after Reading...umm.....no comment ! hahaha

Then we did a lot of window shopping...walked walked and walked until so tired...and had a light dinner here, Pattison's at Chatswood mall

From left clockwise : Cheese cake (Stella), Date scone (Ja), Palmier (Kimmy) and Salmon quiche (Heidi).

Ahhh......such a nice day !

Kam Fook

Chatswood Westfield,

28 Victor Street,

Chatswood 2067

Tel : (02) 9413 9388

Blueberry Muffin No. 2

Again, after saw Blueberry in Coles discounted to $3.95, I grabed one with no doubt to make another new muffin recipe :D

The very tempting recipe for me now is from Lisa. In her blog, it seems so yummy ! I made just half recipe and use 1 punnet of fresh blueberry....It was too many of blueberry, I think !

Orange Berry Muffins

From Dorie Greenspan's Baking From my Home to Yours

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange (I used blood orange)
About 3/4 cup buttermilk (I used non-fat yoghurt)
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries - fresh, preferably, or frozen (not thawed)
Decorating sugar, for topping (optional)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups. Alternatively, use a silicone muffin pan, which needs neither greasing nor paper cups. Place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

1. Pour the orange juice into a large glass measuring cup or a bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey and melted butter.

2. In a large bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough - the batter will be lumpy and bubbly, and that’s just the way it should be. Stir in the blueberries.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.Bake for 22 to 25 minutes.

If you want to top the muffins with decorating sugar, sprinkle on the sugar after the muffins have baked for 10 minutes. When fully baked, the tops of the muffins will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins will come out clean.

Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.


I totally forgot to rub the orange zest with sugar, I just mix it with the juice mixture...but the result still turned out fine....except a bit to dark in colour? hehehe

When it just came out from the oven, sooooooooooo good I tell you! The muffin was so light and fluffy, just the way I like..I prefer this version than last time .. About the taste...felt something missing, maybe I will try buttermilk next time. Very happy !

But after one day, it became more dense and a bit wet...Wahhh...I had to try again for the perfect Muffin I want !

PS. this time I didn't reduce any sugar at all ....lol

SP Lesson 10 - 12 : Chocolate Showpiece

Before went to school for chocolate class, I dragged myself to have coffee at the cafe on Harris st. near my house.....Skinny flatwhite...mmm quite good ! (I reckon the lady behind counter is Malaysian since there are many Malaysian magazines on the table.)

My flatwhite in the raining day...

First day chef Keith taught us how to make the structure of chocolate showpiece by using the template school gave us.

Second day was the decoration preparation day...means we prepare many many different things for decoration such as flowers, coloured chocolates, chocolate pieces, etc...

The third day we used the spray gun to create the different texture of the chocolate..


Using the spray gun, the chocolate mixture was made from chocolate and cocoa butter in 2:1

Since last week, making chocolate box and some chocolate dipping, I didn't really like working with chocolate...so messy work ! Chocolate also is very sensitive...but at the end of 3rd day, I felt myself more comfortable with tempering chocolate. Because before, I always use the seeding method as I think that it is easier and more convenient...but my chocolate was not temper correctly all the time...Then the last 2 days, I changed to tabling method which used more effort to it since we have to pour the melting chocolate on the marble slap, tab it and clean the marble....but the final result is pretty perfect and more satisfied...


I was very surprised when seeing some others' showpieces...wonderful !

Anyway, I really like my chocolate showpiece, not too much (maybe a bit too less in some details ^ ^'') but I am satified and so happy...Unbelievable, I can make chocolate showpiece !!!!

My cats... so cool and look very mysterious...hehe....I like !

Dao Xiang / 稻香 / Fragrant Rice ...My Jay Chou !

Yeah........New Jay chou Album...Capricorn ! I like his songs so much and got all his albums ..hehe

SMH Good Food Month 2008 Sugar Hit : Kings Cross Hotel

After last week we went to Four seasons hotel for Sugar hit, we feel like going again...so this week we came here, Kings cross hotel for the Black & White Tasting Plate. Heidi, Stella and I took the train from Town hall just for 2 stops...

Not so many people at that time...


The neon Coca Cola sign flickered at us whilst we were waiting...quite nice !

Brown Brothers orange muscat....same as the one at Four season. Heidi mentioned about the difference, she said the wine here was sweeter....Umm...I only noticed that the wine here was colder which should be less sweet? ....but I also had a bias after listened to Heidi that I prefer the one in Four season...hahaha

Black & White Tasting Plate: Indulge in a Warm Chocolate fondant & Frangelico Chocolate Sauce, White Chocolate Panna Cotta & Grand Marnier Rhubarb and Bitter Chocolate Sorbet & Champagne Raspberry

Grand Marnier Rhubarb and Champagne Raspberry....The rhubarb compote was a bit weird for me...I couldn't taste any Grand Marnier or the Champagne in Raspberry...Just feel like fresh raspberry, tuile biscuit and sour soft thing on top...However, it helped the plate not too chocolaty.

Chocolate fondant & Frangelico Chocolate Sauce. As I read from Helen that she couldn't taste much Frangelico... so I tasted the sauce carefully...haha... Yeah, I did taste it ^ ^'' The chocolate fondant was not bad at all, taste like I bake at home... Don't get me wrong that I am saying I am good but for us, who loves baking, using good quality ingredients already 70% determines the good result.

Bitter Chocolate Sorbet....I like it just they gave us too little..lol Anyway, I still prefer eating chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream.

White Chocolate Panna Cotta...too sweet for my liking (and also for Heidi and Stella). I was wondering about its texture....doesn't feel like gelatin...mmm....don't know how to explain but I was thinking it was thicken with cornflour? I don't mind this texture by the way.

At the end, 3 plates were all clean...hehe

Kings Cross Hotel

248 William St., Kings Cross, Sydney

Tel : (02) 9358 3377

Mamak ... 3rd visit !

Heidi, Stella and I planned to have dinner at Mamak before we went to Sugar hit at King cross hotel...I went to Mamak twice but I don't mind go thier again, again and again... (some of you know why..hehe)

We arrived there at 7.15 pm...and queued up until 7.55 pm. then we got the table...but it was not boring waiting at all....looking they made many different types of roti...so wonderful.

The right one is Roti tisu : Paper-thin, extra-crispy and served tall...

So amazing that they young people can make this shop this successful...

We had Limau ais and Teh 'O' ais limau.

Nasik lemak $6.50. Tonight I think the rice was a bit harder than I had before...but still nice

Ayam goreng ($10 for 4/ $3 per piece) : Malaysian-style fried chicken. Marinated with herbs and spices and full of flavour.....we ordered 4 pieces.

The skin was so crispy and flavoursome...but when eat the whole thing, just a bit too mild...but still very nice. (now I am miss fried chicken in Thailand..haha)

Lamb Murtabak $9.50 : A local favourite. Filled with a spicy meat casserole.

Smell was so incredibly tempting...(similar as omlette lol). It is the first time I had lamb murtabak ....taste a bit different from what I had in Thailand ( I am not sure how it tastes like in Malaysia) but they all good. The one I had in Thailand always be minced meat and eat with Ajad (fresh cucumber pickle). But here they serve with curry and sambal...

Yummmm.....

Heidi & Stella.

Ja & Heidi.

As I told you I came here 2 times... and urmmm....................... one guy here is so cute.... I told Heidi and Stella about him and they both agree that he is ^O^

Surprisingly, Heidi just fulfilled my life in Sydney !!! She asked him to take picture with me......Oh my gosh...Yeah !!!!! I was so nervous, heart beating very fast ..almost heart attack...hahaha....long time never feel like this....Love u Heidi !

Heidi also couldn't stand, she took a picture with him also...and his girlfriend was just behind us....lol

Don't get me wrong...I don't have any real feeling with him...hehe...he is just too cute >< ( and a lot cuter in real person !)

My friend told that I look extremely happy in the picture...hahaha

Mamak Malaysian roti and satay
15 Goulburn st., Sydney
Tel : (02) 9211 1668

Bourke Street Bakery on Broadway

This morning...so cold ! 13 degree celcius and showering outside...but I felt like eating something nice ... Haha...Ja always put her effort to good food !

Lucky Bourke street bakery on Broadway is just opposite my house... even it was 10.30 am...quite packed out people. I had steak, beetroot relish, dried tomato and cheddar sandwich ..... Wow...I couldn't believe myself orderd steak sandwich for breakfast...(normally I am not a meat girl) Just want something cheesy and others don't have cheese in it...

The beef was good, a lil pink inside and beetroot was nicely sweet. But so little cheese ^ ^''. The sourdough toast was great...(the edge was very crispy when I finished it, my palate was a bit pain..haha)

My first flatwhite in Australia ! It was sublime ! I normally order cappuccino since it is stronger than Latte which is too milky for me....and I have never ordered flatwhite because I thought that it is same as latte just less milk froth... but wow...it was strong enough to be another my favourite...\^0^/

I took away the last carrot cake on the display....and I made the right decision !

Looks so tempting ! The creamcheese is in the middle instead of top frosting.

My goodness !!!!!! It was so fabulous.... one of the best carrot cake I have ever tried....this version is quite light, similar as muffin, but got enough texture for carrot cake. I am wondering how they make it had a little crack on top...I think because it is pretty light and fluffy texture so got that crack.......My next mission is finding this recipe and I definitely have this cake in my own cafe...:D

SP Lesson 7 - 9 : Nougat, Raspberry Fruit Paste, Chocolate dipping, Chocolate Box

Chocolate week....you know I love eating chocolate but when thinking about chocolate class....huh...so scared ! Because it is very messy, dirty and chocolate itself is so sensitive....Tempering is one of the hardest thing for me....until now I am still not very good at it.

Anyway, I am trying to think that I love tempering chocolate ..hahaha....This week we made Nougat de Montelimar, Raspberry Fruit Paste, chocolate hand dipping, Modelling chocolate and chocolate box.

Nougat de Montelimar (Torrone) is from Montelimar town, France where is very famous for Almond. It is originally made from honey flavoured lavender, sugar, egg white, almond and pistachio.

Raspberry Fruit Paste basically is Raspberry puree cooked with sugar, glucose and pectin. It is kinda really sweet jelly and good for winter cuz it is very high in sugar.

Modelling chocolate is the chocolate mixed with glucose to become a paste of malleable consistency which is easy to mould into different shapes such as flowers.


Fruit paste, hand dipped chocolate and round chocolate box by chef Herve.


He also showed us the novelty chocolate showpiece which we have to make next week. Also the right picture is the chocolate mousse that he was asked to make for a magazine photo shoot.



Another Chef Herve's chocolate box.


My chocolate plate....not so bad, eh? but the milk chocolate took so long to set...It was no time, so I quickly put it in the fridge for a few minutes...when I put it on the table to present chef, I was quite worried that it was tempered or not.....lucky it was.....hurr !!! (but lots of fat bloom..haha)

Our chocolate boxes...

Actually I wanted to make black rose, I think it looks nicer. But when we started making it, Soo jin made black first, so I just picked up the white chocolate...and then just realised that...since I started with white chocolate, I'd better continue with it...( I think it doesn't look nice in 2 colours)

I don't think it was a good idea putting butterfly on the box...too much...but I already made it...so don't wanna waste ^ ^'' (too rush, my butterfly was so rough)

This time my roses was getting better...but still unsatisfied !