Garden party, ganache, and chargrilled ribs

Went to Sydney two weekends ago to attend my former housemates' engagement party, set in a homey Aussie backyard. Aaronwe, being the assigned official wedding photographer (or rather close to it), went fully loaded with his 35mm's. It was a very close-knit event with mostly families and friends of families present, who added up to be quite a grand affair on a quiet street of a sunny Sydney suburb. And the great variety and portion of food more than satisfied the epicure in me, ranging from prawn cocktails to homemade fried chicken with sweet chilli and the elegant cheese-topped engagement cake with poppyseed, an implicitly euphemistic symbol of posterity.

That night we went for a night out with the newly engaged and a few close friends to the Star City Casino to catch up and acquaint. After a round of Jim Beams the groom-to-be set out to try a few hands on the tables while we tagged along. That evening coincided with Footy night so you could see not only punters but animated fans cheering loudly in front of the live broadcast in the halls, occasionally jumping out of their seats under the overhead widescreen with each near-miss. The groom-to-be cut his losses and called it the day with a couple of twenties short but the night went on for many others as we left.

After we parted ways with our hosts, we stopped by McDonald's on our walk back to the hotel for supper. Man! was it filled with nocturnal creatures out looking for food. It seemed that the Name-it-burger was still called that in Sydney (or at least in that particular Mackers store) after some lady has named it the Backyard Burger, eternally securing a wall space in the company's burger-naming hall of fame.

The morning prior has got to be the epicurean highlight of the trip for Aaronwe, Amazing Grace and myself as we headed to the local 朱媽媽 (translit. Joo Mamma) in Chinatown for a definitive Chinese-Taiwanese breakfast, such that couldn't be easily found in Melbourne: congees of the classic variety and the accompanying must-have, 油條 or deep-fried rice flour sticks—talk about blood cholesterol! The following morning our chomp mission was topped by a yumcha-style brunch at Zilver Restaurant at 477 Pitt Street, where many Hong Kong TV celebrities such as Miriam Yeung and Raymond Lam have been spotted clawing their chicken feet in black bean sauce. As it is the yumcha custom to take a number and wait for an eternity before you're seated, it was especially so for this patron-packed restaurant as we waited for almost an hour before our number was called to find out what the hype was all about. And it turned out that it wasn't all hype! There was no easy way to describe the overwhelming exquisiteness of the dim sums at Zilver but all who came out were guaranteed to be spoiled for the money (which cost slightly higher than your average yumcha). It must have been then that all three of us became city converts and decided that we are, after all, Sydneysiders at heart.

Later in the day we visited the Lindt Chocolat Café on Martin Place, another agitating exclusive to Sydneysiders. As this lazy reviewer quotes a review in Sydney Morning Herald, "It's the Disney store of brand-name chocolate and always, always full—perhaps because its predominantly twentysomething crowd likes to take its pleasures slowly, preferably molten and mostly milky. In decor that combines white, milk and dark shades, you'll find hot chocolate in similar tones, with a frothy jug of scalded milk on the side. Then there are chocolate cakes (spectacularly constructed into domes, slices, discs and squares) plus a selection of chocolate ice-creams, coffee with chocolate macaroons, shakes and sundaes, to have here or to go." Et voilà! my experience in another's words.

Excited as we are by this short trip, with the property price in NSW soaring above that of Victoria I can't yet foresee a near future residing in Sydney. But I did have a moment that night strolling along the Darling Harbour. One that I haven't had in years. The warm fuzzy kind. Maybe it's just the lights.

And I'll always remember... takeaway pork ribs in our hotel room the night before we left.

Soda Rock Diner

A relaxing Sunday afternoon outing has turned into a step back in time when we entered Soda Rock Diner, a restaurant à la Americana on the corner of Toorak Road and Chapel Street (Melway ref. 2L J5). In this instance we were transported back to the 60's, a time when street-corner diners serving hot dogs and hamburgers abound. The first thing that hooked you even before you enter was the oldies that were playing at the entrance of the diner, beckoning hungry hippies to enter and let the good times roll.

Once you're in the doors you're instantly attacked by the frying smells of beef patties and fries. Settling down into one of the dining booths upholstered in bright leather, you'd notice at the end of the table a silvery widget that was in fact a functioning mini jukebox preserved from the 40's! Across the diner there was a pinball machine that reminds you of a scene in the Back To The Future movies where Michael J. Fox was picking a fight with the bully in a nostalgic diner this one could easily pass off as.

The menu ranges from hamburgers to salads, with hamburgers that are claimed to be made of 100% beef and thickshakes and malts that are best in town. I ordered Sloppy Joe, a beef burger topped with chilli con carne and really hot chilli sauce while Amazing Grace liked her hot fudge sundae and Aaronwe his chocolate thickshake and Hubcap, a big hamburger with pickle, mustard and mayonnaise. And did I mention the old-fashioned uniform the waitress has got on? If I didn't know better I would have thought that I've lept into a Norman Rockwell picture!



The menu served here isn't your averagely priced fastfood, with a combo that costs at least 10 dollars, but then again this is not one of your average fastfood chains dotting the city. With the variety of food offered and the nostalgic environment that come with it, I'd say we got a run for our money.

And to top it all off: dancing waitresses!

Soft opening of Jackie's Favourite Asian Cuisine

My dear friend and housemate Amazing Grace reviewed a new restaurant in the CBD we patronized last night called Jackie's—namesake of the martial arts superstar Jackie Chan. According to research done by Aaronwe the Melbourne restaurant is the latest addition to the celebrity's international restaurant chain. While we did not expect Jackie himself to turn up at our table and make suggestions from the wine list, after the meal I figured that for the price they charge, the food falls short of the buildup, although the service was great and the ambience acceptable. Anyone looking to catch a glimpse of Jackie in Melbourne might also be disappointed as according to the captain, the actor is not likely to turn up on the restaurant's November/December grand opening.

Pros: Great ambience, great and courteous service.

Cons: Average food leaning more towards a fusion/westernized menu rather than authentic Asian cuisine.

Jackie's is open for lunch Monday to Friday from 11:30 am to 3:00pm. Dinner is from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm on all days except Fridays and Saturdays, which is open until 11:00 pm. Location: Near corner of Elizabeth and La Trobe Streets (Melway 1A H1). Reservations: (03) 9606 0055

The gift of abundance

Tonight as our family sat around the table for our Christmas dinner, I saw that God has been blessing us all year with abundance, and me with a thankful heart to recognize the abundance.

We were in a restaurant of ambient beauty, converted from an old two-storey mercantile shophouse not unlike the one I grew up in. The Balinese-influenced restaurant is a welcomed recent addition to the town's booming dining scene, excelling both in ambience and culinary delights. The last time I was here Sam did his part in the proliferation of urban legends by recounting a ghost story encircling one of the old furniture in the restaurant. Tonight that piece of furniture was nowhere to be seen.

Now where was I? Right... abundance. Our stomachs sure had their fill of abundance after the hearty meal.

The solitary act of wishing upon stars

Had a potluck-style dinner at my friend Sam's newly renovated house two sundays ago.

Someone in the gang had suggested that everyone come out with a dish they never tried before. Turned out that evening around the table that all of us had terrific chef materials hidden inside. No culinary boo-boos committed except for Sam's self-confessed egg and potato tortilla, which still tasted fantastic with his secret soy sauce.

After dinner we gathered around at Sam's poshed-up living area sipping wine and playing a few rounds of In-between, which is fast becoming my favorite card game after some modest winnings at Damai Lagoon.

And it wasn't until late and some in the party had split that someone (I forgot who) suggested a star-gazing session in front of Sam's house, presently a darkened neighborhood. So we pulled up some chairs, Sam lit up some tea candles and mozzie repellent coils, and everyone started gazing skyward.

It was a very still night with an arched, deep sky bursting with stellar mysticism. We discussed the constellation Orion and other random stuff that crossed our fancy. Then I startled. That's from spotting a meteor shooting across too short a distance of the sky before disappearing again. The guys asked me if I made any wish. I said I did. But I didn't say it was a vague, namby-pamby sort of goodwill-ish wish.

Come to think of it, I don't really believe in wishing upon stars -- or for that matter, wishing upon a birthday candle. Aren't they both one and the same thing? Only that we pretend to have plucked a star from the sky and fix it on the tip of a candle above a cake and then make a wish on it. Then we blow it out as if we have exercised the power to dim a star after commanding it to materialize our desires. It's much too solitary an act and much too romantic a gesture to warrant credibility.

It is a modern myth straining for reason, yet we do it all the time.