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The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G.K. Chesterton

Sunday 31 May 2009

Amazing Niagara Falls

During our weekend trip to Toronto for a friend's wedding, we managed to squeeze in a side trip to Niagara Falls. It wasn't easy because we already had a rather full schedule, and travelling with a 7 month old baby adds an element of unpredictability to our itinerary. We had to wake up at 4:30am the next morning (after catching the late flight out of New York after Rob got off work on a Friday night), travel into downtown Toronto to take a 2hr coach ride to the Falls, then rushing back to our hotel by 3:30pm for the wedding. Glad we did it because the Falls is breathtakingly gorgeous, although I'm not sure Zak agreed because he wasn't his happy self that night at the wedding reception.

Panoramic shot at road level, just after arrival at the Falls (click for larger image):

Family photo op:

and waiting in line to get on the boat (Maid of the Mist), wearing the very fashionable blue rainjacket because you do get pretty wet otherwise:

Panoramic shot taken whilst on the Maid (click for larger image):

The 'mist' of the Falls up close! A couple of the few shots I hazarded to take with my dSLR before it got too wet:


Coming around the bend, approaching that very wet area where the boat gets almost completely enclosed by the Falls. Not many shots taken in that area:


Friday 29 May 2009

Wedding feast in Ontario

I don't usually blog about wedding food unless it's good, and the Chinese banquet we had at the reception dinner for my friend's wedding during our short trip to Toronto was very nice, especially considering that it was held in a hotel (the Hilton Suites in Markham). I suppose that good Chinese food is to be expected in Markham (a town about 30 minutes out of downtown Toronto), because its population is dominated by a rather large number of Chinese Canadians. Dinner was an extravagant 12-course affair, and the waiters would bring out each dish in a large platter/bowl and serve everyone a portion of the course. One of the waiters assigned to our table would actually show the table each dish before serving the food, which I thought was a nice service because these were expensive stuff and it was nice to be able to appreciate each course in all its glory before being decimated into individual servings. All courses were good quality and tasty, but the following were the the ones that stood out.

Hilton Royale Suckling Pig Platter with Jelly Fish - the tender meat, crispy skin and gelatinous jelly fish were a textural delight on the palate
Golden Crispy Eel Roll - unagi (freshwater eel) wrapped with nori (seaweed) then lightly deepfried. Yummy and not greasy at all.



Braised Shark's Fin Soup with Crab Meat - excellent seafood marriage of fish and crustacean - not very ethical to eat, but delicious nonetheless.
Braised Whole Fresh Abalone with Supreme Sauce - this was surprisingly good! The abalone was very tender - in fact, the most tender abalone I've ever had. For some reason abalone is a tough meat, which I thought was due to overcooking, but I've had sashimi (raw) abalone and it's also pretty tough. The 'Supreme' sauce was very umami.



Wok-baked Lobster with Sake - how good does that look? I don't even need to write anything here because the photo says it all!



Dessert time! I love Asian desserts because they're light enough to enjoy after a huge meal. The Chilled Fresh Strawberry Puree with Sago Cream was really refreshing and not too sweet, and the Chinese Petit Four Platter was lovely with apricot glutinous balls and fruity jellies.

Thursday 28 May 2009

Sights around Toronto

We were in Toronto for a very short trip last weekend for a friend's wedding. We were actually invited to the ceremony in Japan, but it was during our trip to Perth so we couldn't make it. Since our trip to NYC coincided with my friend's wedding celebrations in Toronto, she asked us to come to this one instead. I was actually hoping we could squeeze in a short trip to Canada during our one month sojourn in NYC, so the invite was very welcomed. It's funny how things work out.

Toronto actually reminded me a lot of Perth. It has a laidback atmosphere, people are friendly, and, well, it just generally felt like Perth (sorry, I can't really explain why). Two days is far too short a stay, and we hope to be back in Canada for a more thorough exploration. After all, two Canadian cities were named in the top 5 of the World's Most Liveable Cities in 2008 and I want to see why for myself (4 Australian cities were also in the top 10 (two in the top 5), but I already know that Australia is a great country to live in). Here are a few shots I took of the city.

Toronto's most famous landmark feature, the CN Tower, the world's tallest for 31 years. Unfortunately, it's also super popular with tourists, and the waiting time to go up and down the tower meant that we had to skip the ride up. There was a footbridge next to the tower. (Both of these shots were taken by Rob, with a little help from me and the auto function of my dSLR):


Spring time in Toronto meant plenty of fully-bloomed tulips. The city landscape has a tasteful mix of the new...


...and the old. Also some green and shade for some respite from the walking and the sun (or for a nappy change):


We also took a very rushed trip to see Niagara Falls (involved having to be up by 4:30am, taking a 2-hour long coach ride, and having to be back at the hotel by 3:30pm for the wedding), and I will post photos of the falls soon.

Tuesday 26 May 2009

Burgers @ Shake Shack, NYC

Okay, I admit that I'm not a burger person, yet I've managed to eat burgers three times in the last few months. Perhaps Rob likes burgers? The Shake Shack in Madison Park is touted to churn out the best burgers in NYC, and what better place than New York to try a good burger? Unfortunately, like with most things in NYC where the popular places gets the most publicity and hence even more popular (even if they're not necessarily good), you can expect a huge line at the Shake Shack during the peak meal times. The website even has a live webcam so that you can check out just how bad the line is before you make the trek to the shack. Rob was keen to check out just why the Shake Shack's burgers are so good to draw such crowds, and we headed there on a chilly Sunday early afternoon for lunch.

There was already a quite a queue up to the shack when we arrived at Madison Park around 12:30 (we aimed to get there earlier, but you know how it is with a baby). This is not the place to go to if you're on a diet (or just like to eat healthy), because the only healthy thing on the menu that's not laden with fat and/or sugar is bottled water. Even the vegetarian burger has been junkified: fried cheese-filled mushroom burger. And with the small-ish sized burgers served, you'll most likely be tempted to order a lot more than just burgers if you came hungry. According to their menu, the burgers are served plain, and extras like lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles have to be requested. Rob got the single ShackBurger (US$4.75) which already comes with cheese, lettuce, tomato and the "Shack sauce". He requested pickles and onions, but unfortunately it came without both, and he couldn't be bothered making a complaint. I ordered the single Hamburger ($3.75) and requested lettuce and tomato with it.

The hamburger and the ShackBurger (with the cheese):


So the verdict? The burgers were good - the burger patty was juicy, and I appreciate the fact that the burgers are ground daily to ensure good quality. The lettuce and tomatoes were nice and fresh too. I liked the soft and slightly sweet bun which I thought went really nicely with the burger, although it is clearly a matter of preference because Rob said that the bun was the only thing he didn't like about the burger. Our only gripe with the Shake Shack is the fact that this place is so popular and busy that
1. the girl who took our orders didn't get it right - it was good that she repeated what she thought we'd ordered so that we could correct it, otherwise we would have ended up with two cheeseburgers (which sounds nothing like "shackburger" or "hamburger", right?);
2. there was a rather long wait for our food. We probably waited about 30 minutes from arriving at the shack to eating the burgers.

Overall, I do think it's worth the wait, especially if you like burgers.

Shake Shack (Madison Square Park) on Urbanspoon

Thursday 21 May 2009

Italian @ Lupa, NYC

We had a delicious experience at Lupa, which is one of Mario Batali's many restaurants. We have been to another of this American Iron Chef's restaurants before, but we were hoping for more than just pizza and pasta from the main course menu at Lupa (although the desserts were fantastic at Otto). This is a fairly casual restaurant, and we were given excellent service right from when we stepped in the door and greeted by the maitre'd. I like that it's a kids-friendly restaurant, and they provided a high chair for the 7 month old. Lupa serves Roman-style Italian food, and like Otto, it has a rather extensive wine list. However, we weren't there for the wine, but for the food! The complimentary focaccia with a small plate of olive oil was delicious and posed a dangerous threat to hubby's low(ish) carb diet.

Bub was perfectly happy munching on the table before him (don't worry - I did sanitise that area of the table):


For starters, we shared three Antipasti e Salumi (US$10 each) chosen from the pesce (fish) options: Tuna & Cannelini, Octopus with Ceci & Sorrel and Clams with Fregola & Basil. All three were great, and our favourite was the octopus. Big, meaty chunks of octopus. The tuna did not look nor taste like fish - it resembled more like red meat, perhaps because of the curing. Frankly, I expected these to be either too salty or too vinegary because they were cured, but they were all done very well and I really enjoyed eating them.

Antipasti: Tuna & Cannelini, Octopus with Ceci & Sorrel, and Clams with Fregola & Basil:


For our main courses, we went with the two specials of the day - Duck Leg and Fish (US$20 each). Unfortunately I don't have the details of each of the dishes (such as the ingredients) but they were really good. The duck was tender and perfectly matched with a slightly sweet sauce made with rhubarb. The fish had a deliciously crispy skin and the flesh was juicy and tender-cooked, but it was a little bit too salty for me. Nevertheless I still enjoyed the taste and texture of the fish. I loved the crunchy greens served in both dishes.

Duck and Fish:


For dessert, we had the Tartufo (US$8), hazelnut gelato covered in chocolate and sprinkled with nuts. Decadent stuff, which, according to some, is the best tartufo in NYC.



It was a great dining experience and we walked out with happy satisfied tums.

Lupa on Urbanspoon

Monday 18 May 2009

Jewish cuisine @ Noah's Ark, New York

With NYC being home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, we had to have at least one proper 'Jewish' meal that consists more than a bagel. Last Sunday, we headed towards the vicinity of Chinatown in search for lunch. We were actually intending to re-visit a favourite, but on the walk there, we changed our minds to trying something different instead. I consulted my NFT guide (the 2007 from our previous visit) and found Noah's Ark Original Deli was nearby our initial choice. It's a casual restaurant, with warm and comfortable atmosphere. The staff were friendly and helpful, and we were served complimentary pickles and coleslaw even before we placed our orders.

Being new to the cuisine, we took awhile pondering the menu, and being presented with so many options, we had to ask our waitress many questions. We settled upon her recommendation of the Hot Juicy Pastrami Overstuffed Sandwich (US$11.95), which she said was large enough for to share with a side dish. There was an impressive amount of meat for a sandwich - 1/3 pound, according to the menu. The pastrami was indeed juicy with grease, but we didn't think it was spicy. For our side dish, we got the Stuffed Knish with Sauteed Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions (US$5.95). The knish (the 'k' is not silent) came out looking like a sandwich, and Rob was surprised to find that it wasn't a bread sandwich, but a potato dish instead. It was so yummy in all its carby goodness. The waitress was right - the sandwich and the knish was plenty for the both of us.

Pickles and coleslaw; and the Pastrami Sandwich:


Knish stuffed with mushrooms and onions:


Simple but delish stuff. I hope to have the chance to try more Jewish dishes during our stay here in NYC.

Noah's Ark on Urbanspoon

Thursday 14 May 2009

Loose Box, Perth

I first heard of the Loose Box 4 or 5 years ago when I'd asked someone their opinion of the best French restaurant in Perth. Strange name, but it has been around for 30 years with numerous awards to boast. In fact, the chef, Alain Fabrègues, has so many awards under his belt that he has been prevented from entering further personal competitions. I'd always wanted to go to the Loose Box when I was still living in Perth, but the steep cost of the meal was never within our budget. Back then it was AU$90 per person, and it has since increased to AU$150/person, which is still very pricey, but at the rate it's inflating, we'll never have the chance to afford it. So we decided to just go for it during our recent trip to Perth. The restaurant is located about 40 minutes' drive from Perth city, in semi-rural Mundaring, so there is also an accommodation package to stay in one of the cottages. Rob's aunt did the dinner, bed & breakfast package a few years ago, and she said it was excellent. Unfortunately, the cost of that said package is definitely out of our budget so it was just the degustation dinner for us. The restaurant is very much a "special occasion" type of place, and every table that night were either celebrating a birthday or an anniversary, except for ours - we were just taking the opportunity of being in town (with plenty of eager babysitters) to try this place that has been on our restaurants-to-try list for a few years now.

I heard that the restaurant has evolved over the past 30 years from serving classical French cuisine in a strictly formal environment, to serving a more contemporary menu in a more relaxed atmosphere. Service was very professional and timely, although the two waitstaff were stretched pretty thin serving the 10 or so tables. The food was well executed with beautiful presentation, but honestly, it wasn't anything particularly outstanding. I'd go so far as to say that I've had better fine dining experiences in Japan that cost less than this meal, which is really not too surprising as there are so many more opportunities to have exquisite food in Tokyo than in lil' old Perth. Also, I've yet to encounter food served outside of Japan that can compare to the subtle fineness of Japanese-executed food (of not just the Japanese cuisine, but others too), which can only come from the extreme care and attention of detail that the Japanese give in their food preparation. With that said, this was a very special night for us because it was the very first time we enjoyed a dinner date on our own in more than six months since the baby was born.

1st course: Coconut and Prawn Broth - an Asian fusion dish with kaffir lime leaf, which was a nice idea, but I thought the coconut flavour was rather strong and it overpowered the subtle taste of the prawn.

2nd course: Le Blinis d'oiseaux au Raifort - with several poultry meats: pigeon, quail, pheasant, duck and chicken; in a blini of chives and olives with horseradish sour cream, quail eggs and vanilla olive oil. The appearance of this dish wasn't what I expected, as I know blini to be some sort of pancake. Instead it was more of a pastry dish, which was beautifully presented and was delicious, but we thought there were too many types of poultry to actually appreciate the taste of each individual types, especially when diced up into small pieces.



3rd course: La Saumon en Gravalax au gingembre - cured salmon gravlax with olive oil, lime and grated ginger, topped with a salsa of Lebanese cucumber, roma tomato, radish and capers in lime mayo, and generously garnished with coriander leaves (too generously, if you ask me). Nice, but a little on the plain side.



4th course: we could choose between a scallops dish and a lobster dish, and of course, we got one of each so that we could have a taste of both. Both are not on my copy of the menu, so I don't know the exact title for each, but I will try my best to describe them.
Lobster Soup - this was like a bisque with large pieces of lobster swimming in it. The bisque was deliciously rich with the flavours of crustaceans (perhaps crab and lobster?), and the lobster flesh was nicely cooked. I really enjoyed this one. The Scallops were also served in a soup and atop crisped rounds of risotto cakes and topped with a parmesan cracker. I liked the play of texture in this dish - crispy risotto with tender scallops, but its flavour paled a little in comparison to the lobster dish.



5th course was also a choice between two dishes, venison or duck.
Confit de Canard - duck leg confit served on potatoes and spinach with a brown gravy. The details of the duck dish is not on my copy of the menu, but I remember that the duck meat was beautifully fall-off-the-bone tender with a sauce that paired very well with the duck.
Le Côte de Chevreuil Poivrade - venison grilled to medium-rare, served on garlic mashed potato with a poivrade sauce, macerated cherries and caramelised pears. The sauce had a strong red wine flavour which went really well with the venison, but I didn't like the macerated cherries at all. The sweetness of the caramelised pears went surprisingly well with the gamey meat.



We were served fruit sorbet after the meat course as a palate cleanser, which was nice and refreshing with the taste of watermelon and lemon.



There were three or four choices for the dessert course.
Le Nougat Glacé - soft nougat made with honey, pistachio and hazelnut, served chilled with strawberry coulis and topped with caramel strands and a dove-shape hard meringue. Very cute presentation, but a bit too sweet and it got a bit OTT after awhile even though we shared.
Le Fromage - imported cheese (I think Spanish) served with fruits and walnut bread.



Finally, we were served with Petit Fours to have with our choice of tea or coffee. Chocolate tart topped with soft meringue, pâte à choux (choux pastry with custard filling and caramel-topped) and vanilla pudding. We were given the same amount to take home too, which we shard with my family as a small token of thanks for taking care of Zak so that we could enjoy a date out on our own without the baby.



So overall, it was a great dining experience, and I highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a romantic place to bring that someone special for an occasion or just a romantic date.

The Loose Box on Urbanspoon

Wednesday 13 May 2009

New York quick eats

The first couple of days after arriving in New York city, being somewhat sleep-deprived, I really wasn't in much mood to prepare any meals. Instead we wandered around downtown near our apartment for some food.

Our first meal in town was a late lunch at a cafe called Stir Cafe that offered a large variety of sandwiches, burgers, pasta and salad. After eating airplane food for the previous 12 hours, I wanted something refreshing and light and also something substantial so we ordered a Grilled Chicken Burger Deluxe (US$5.95) but without the fries, and a large Salad Toss with dressing on the side (US$7.65). I think we got the Ranchero salad which contained a combination of vegetables, crispy bacon and chicken pieces with a very creamy dressing. These were substantial enough for us to skip dinner and opt for an early night to ward off jet lag symptoms.

Chicken burger (without fries) and salad, taken with Rob's iPhone:


The following day, lunch was at Zeytuna, a market/deli where I often get my fresh fruits and vegetables. It's also a popular take-away haunt with a cafe and al-fresco dining area, and although I shopped here for two months during our last stay in NYC two years ago, this was my first time buying prepared food to take away. We got the Italiano Chicken Panini (US$6.45 per piece) and a piece of Chicken Lasagne (US$5.95/lb, this piece cost around US$4). The panini was a delicious combination of chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. The lasagne was also nice with generous amount of minced chicken, but it paled in comparison to the panini. There were many more delicious food behind the glass in the display shelf, and I hope to get more opportunities to try them.

The panini and lasagne (it only occurred to me after we ate that I should have unwrapped the panini for the shot):