Refurbishing my house part 1

This is a project that Mr Hoby and I are looking forward when we return home...to refurbish our nest! We rented out our place when we came to Brissy for studies, and it is almost time we give it a good revamp! We did not renovate when we first moved in because it was in good condition, however, after 3 years, some of the things getting old...BUT in order to do that, we need to start earning money and save up....till then, we can only read all these great home magazines and get ideas....

For friends who are getting your own home, may you also be inspired by all these beautiful homes! 

She eats bears

It has been some time since I last introduced an interesting food blog after Mingmakescupcakes, and now I proudly recommend she eats bears! I know, it is hilarious isn't it? But sheeatsbears is really a creative cook.

Check out her homemade vegetables chips! Isn't it so cool?

Creative wedding cards

Mr Hoby and I helped to design our good friend's wedding card recently and this designing project made me really interested to find out more about unique wedding cards...here is one from project wedding. I was so privileged to have a designer friend to design our cards for us..but if you do not have, how about designing one for yourself? I hope to have more chances to design wedding cards....it is really fun to do it! 

A break for the cook

On Tuesday, Mr Hoby decided to give me a break for cooking everyday and every meal, and he brought me to Park Road (near our place) to have a romantic dinner together. 

Before we came to Brissy, a Singaporean friend who stayed here for many years told me that I have gotten a good place because Toowong is like the Holland V in Singapore. I only understood what he meant when I came here. I love our apartment and the area around it. There is always new restaurants, shops and parks to discover! 

Here is a new restaurant that we decided to try that night...a Thai restaurant, Temple. 

The ambience was actually great but the food was kinda disappointing as it was not as authentic as I imagined it to be! 

I liked the tom yum soup even though I don't really like tum yum soup in general and it was too spicy. However, the soup was thick and there were alot of ingredients. 

We ordered the pineapple rice- regret because it was too tasty, oily and they added raisins, which totally quite spoil the authenticity. Plus, the rice was the soggy kinda that we didn't like! 

We decided to try the padang curry that tasted like green curry. It was very sweet. We ordered for beef meat but it tasted like pork! Haha... 

Overall, we had a really filling meal but was very indigested the whole night. Afterall, I had a good break from cooking and a romantic time with the MAN! 

A taste of the Wagyu steak- our first time experience

We are so privileged to be invited to eat the authentic Wagyu steak at the Ngs place. We felt so so blessed to be able to enjoy this meal with the family. Do you know that to eat a 300g of Wagyu steak will cost us about $45 in a restaurant? 

What is Wagyu? 

Wagyu cattle are genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat. Also known as Kobe-style beef, the meat from Wagyu cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavour, tenderness and juiciness, and its high market value.

Wagyu are able to marble without developing excessive amounts of surface subcutaneous fat, which stays with the meat from cooking to plate. Wagyu beef with a MBS3 grading has a fat content of 8%. As the meat is cooked, the fat melts, with the finished product having a fat percentage of 6%. Any product that has a fat content of less than 10% will be endorsed by the Australian Heart Foundation.

The superior flavour of Wagyu meat arises from the presence of a high amount of oleic acid a monounsaturated fat in the meat (these fats have the effect of lowering blood cholesterol). The fat is evenly distributed throughout the muscle, rather than being laid down as subcutaneous deposition - marbling.

Wagyu cattle have the unique ability to marble more rapidly than any other breed found in traditional Australian herds.

The Ngs managed to get wholesale Wagyu steak from their food supplier. They are ALWAYS so resourceful. 

The most amazing thing is you do not need to put any seasoning or oil on the steak. It is as fresh and "real" as it is. 

Fresh salad with homemade Mayo. Mr Hoby felt that it was the BEST Mayo he ever eaten. 

In Aussie, they have a term called eat the Beef with the Reef, and here is our reef, super fresh, big and juicy garlic prawn. 

How to not grow fat here? We are always fed with good food....

I make my own chicken rice (not from pre-mix)

I have made chicken rice from scratch a few times and it has been really successful! The trick of cooking the most tender and perfect chicken is to soak it in hot water for 1 hour, without switching on the fire. Put in the raw fresh chicken into boiling hot water and turn off the heat. Let it soak about 1 hour and quickly put it in cold ice water...and you will have a cooked and tender chicken! This trick is taught to me by Mr Hoby's Auntie! I have followed her instruction since then. 

Chicken rice is prepare by frying the chicken fats with lots of garlic, shallot and ginger. Its fatty I know..but its yummy...

This is our chicken rice...with alot more other dishes..

I like to eat chicken rice with boiled bak choy, topped with hot oil garlic and cold oyster sauce!

I realised that ieatishootipost has a very authentic chicken rice recipe. You can try it at home!

Recipe taken from ieatishootipost  

A fast weekend

This weekend passed so quickly! We spent the whole of our Saturday at a church equipping class on discipleship! Then we rushed back home to prepare a birthday meal for our schoolmate! Its really have them over at our place! 

Here is the menu of the night (some are repeated food because there are leftover ingredients) 

Our starter- Caesar salad 

White wine chilli clams(vongoles)  

Garlic butter yellow rice with roast chicken drumbstick (on Mr Hoby's request)

Buttery garlic creamy prawns (Alot of garlic will do the trick) 

My very successful dessert- hot chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice-cream 

I tried to copy the dessert we ate at 16th on the park and its so successful! I am so happie! The recipe is really easy and I wanna do this for everyone! 

More than just Sushi

Our generous friends, The Ngs treated us to dinner together with the Thens to Oishii Sushi Bar last night. We were impressed by their fast service and how they innovate the Asian food culture to Japanese sushi. 

Takoyaki balls

Green tea (but very diluted) 

Sushi that has alot of eggs (forget what its called) 

Tempura

Spider that tasted like california roll with soft shell crabs 

My favourite- White dragon (fresh scallop) 

Mr Hoby's super fatty chicken karage (aka fried chicken rice)

After the sushi meal, we moved on to have Taiwanese dessert at a "LU BIAN TAN" (roadside stall) at Sunnybank. It was a super fattening dessert meal but it's super shiok to eat fried chicken cutlet and fried man-tou (with condensed milk) in the authentic Taiwanese style, in the cold weather plus hearing all the funny stories about eating roadside food and LAU SAI after that in different parts of the world! 

This gives you more than a reason to come to Brissy for holiday and visit us! Come come!  

We love sushi and a weekday treat

Mr Hoby and I love sushi. He calls it the cheap food in Brissy because we can buy a huge handroll at $2 and it is really filling. Whenever we craved for sushi, I will make my very own. Sushi rice is the most important ingredient in sushi and I always buy the rice vinegar that is made in Japan (for its authenticity) and this website from SBS has helped me heaps! May it also enable you to make the best sushi! 

My rice vinegar and sushi rice (always cool your rice) 

Our favourite ingredient to make california roll (seafood highligter aka crabsticks. The Aussie just has a nicer name to it) 

I will smash it and mix it with lots of Japanese mayo

And this is our very own sushi roll

Our top favourite- california roll

I am looking forward to meet our friends from Gold Coast tonight for sushi! It is such a weekday treat for Mr Hoby and me because we hardly go out on weekday nights. I am so excited!

An international student dinner

We had a lot of fun with our schoolmates on Sunday- chinese couple, one handsome brazilian and a beautiful chilean babe. Our chinese schoolmates whipped up a western cum eastern meal on Sunday! The meal was delicious and of course, the company was even better. 

Our salad as starters 

Tom Yam soup 

Mr Hoby's favourite- Pig stomach (this one is very fatty) 

Pig stomach cooked in ginger, sesame oil and hua tiao jiu (chinese rice wine)- our host wanted to cook the way we did it for them the last time round. They know that Mr Hoby likes this way of cooking.  

Very sweet fruits 

Cookies and Cream ice cream cake (contributed by us) 

A real good beer on a super cold evening