Silo by Joost

The Silo breakfast at Silo by Joost was probably the best brunch I had in my short sojourn in Melbourne earlier this year. Really simple, really divine.

LOVE.



I love the philosophy behind this joint, both in the way it is run as well as the experience you get. Its a communal table with an open kitchen so you can watch your meal being put together.



I also like the industrial chic decor.







I'm looking forward to heading back here again.

Silo by Joost 123 Hardware Lane Melbourne 3000

Restoran Soo Kee (Redux)

this is turning out to be a night for reduxes - but it goes to show how if its good food, we should go back for more!

in this case, Restoran Soo Kee. i first reviewed this back in 2007 and five years on, nothing much has changed. the chicken is still as smooth like you cannot believe, still bathed in that yummy oyster sauce, and the horfun is also still a winner.

probably, the only thing that has changed is that i've probably grown sideways.

anyhow, just the photos, for posterity.


view from the inside


waiting


oh hello there.


and hello to you too.



*hearts*

Kathleen's 5, Shanghai

We discovered this lovely place quite by accident while we were trundling past People's Square in downtown Shanghai and stopped mainly because (i) the lunch set was quite reasonable (in SGD terms at least), (ii) the menu looked good, and (iii) it was getting rather chilly on the streets. February in Shanghai is still a bit on the nippy side of winter.

But yes, the price - RMB168 for a two course set lunch or RMB188 for a three course set lunch. Have it with a wine, like we did, and that will set you back another RMB48. That said, I think it was well worth the RMB236 or so (yes, I got the 3 course - reward for cruel and unusual suffering of being dragged through Taobao).

In any case, you get to choose a main and two other courses. The lovely tuna nicoise salad you see below was my pick - and I really enjoyed it. The tuna is done just nicely, as you can see, still a touch of pink in the centre. The dressing is tart, the baby potatoes just on the right side of salty, and the cherry tomatoes very sweet. Really, really good.




My lunch mates had the soup of the day (cauliflower I believe) and the beef caparccio with parmesan cheese and arugula salad. They certainly had no complaints.





Next up - the mains. Definitely not a let down by any means.



The roasted lamb looked too much on the medium side for me (as opposed to rare of course) but that said, it was a mouthwateringly tasty morsel that I had off June's plate.



This was Rae's seared live sea bass with shelled clams, dill, baby carrots, potato mash and clam butter sauce. She cleaned it up totally and she's a bit more of a picky eater than I am. I'll take her word for it that it was good :)



This was my Australian wagyu beef bolognaise with fresh herbs and parmesan. I really liked this actually, although I could be a wee bit biased with my assessment. This bolognaise had just a touch of ginger you see, and I'm absolutely partial to bolognaise with some ginger in it. To me, it adds just that extra dimension to it. My own variation also has bites of ginger in it but one thing it doesn't usually have, I'll grant you, is the buttery melt-in-your-mouth taste of wagyu.


And so, after a deliciously slow main course - and we were savouring it - we rounded it off with our pick of desserts:



the vanilla creme brulee with raspberry jam and creamy coffee ice cream;



the flourless chocolate cake with mixed berry compote and vanilla ice cream; and



the orange pudding and grapefruit with raspberry sauce and lemon sorbet.

Guess which I had?

I'm not a fan of creme brulee nor flourless chocolate cakes in general, but I think both were fairly good. Of all of that, I'd specially mention the coffee ice cream though haha. As to my orange pudding, I was pleasantly surprised at how light it tasted, even though it retained its zing enough to balance our the tartness of the lemon sorbet. The light sweetness of the grapefruit was surprising not overwhelmed by all the rest as well so I'm fairly impressed. I'd recommend this as an alternative to the usual dessert choices.



All in all, it was a great lunch in a really pretty space on the roof top of the Shanghai Art Museum. Set in a glass house like structure which I think would be really nice in spring or autumn (perhaps a little too warm in the summer), was absolutely heaven in the winter. Warm and cosy but yet affording you a view of the busy Nanjing Road down below, gloomy and wet in the winter rain, this was definitely one of the highlights of the lunches we had in Shanghai.

I'd definitely recommend this place, at least for lunch, if you're in the area.


5/F, Shanghai Art Museum,
325 Nanjing Xi Lu,
near Huangpi Bei Lu,
南京西路325号5楼,
近黄陂北路

Aorangi Peak Restaurant, Rotorua

This was probably one of the best rack of lambs I've ever had - perhaps second only to the Crown of Lamb at Vanilla Pod. Moist, succulent and rich in flavour, it is importantly not too gamey. The roasted potatos and simple brown sauce, and the simple garden salad, sets off this little beauty very well. Actually, simple is the order of the day here - here being Aorangi Peak Restaurant.



This little restaurant is perched at the top of Aorangi Peak just on the outskirts of Rotorua, New Zealand. Small and quaint, each table afforded a fairly broad 180 degree view of Lake Rotorua and the town down below.



The menu is simple and uncluttered - the restaurant seeming to opt only to serve a few good things rather than many not-so-good things. I can also vouch for their steak. Whilst a thinner fillet than would probably satisfy those of us more carnivorous, it definitely more than made up for it in taste, tenderness and reasonable size. That steak fillet definitely packed a powerhouse punch taste-wise. You could taste the marinate in every bite. Sorry no pictures, we absolutely inhaled that one.

We also had the clam chowder and mushroom soup. Of the two, I'd recommend the latter (perhaps Rotorua's just a little bit too far from the sea).






All in all, with its friendly service, quaint decor and french cafe music on the radio, I'd rate this as one of the best meals we had on our NZ sojourn. I'd definitely recommend this if you're in the area.

Bali Eats

i blame the Arien side of me for the huge lack of updates - always beginning and struggling towards the end. anyhow, hello again y'all, its been a while :)

but yes, Bali. it wasn't too long ago that I was there to spend a large portion of it ensconced in a private villa. but with colleagues like mine, I was armed with 11 pages worth of Bali eats to try. way too many choices for the three days I was there unfortunately. nonetheless, there were definitely some highlights:



the shrimp down at Bubba Gump down in Kuta. not mind-blowing but definitely full of addictive garlicky goodness. i could do some real damage with these if this was any closer to where we were hiding in Seminyak. the restaurant itself is quite a fun place, especially if you're partial to all things Forrest Gump. i'm sure you get it if you've ever been to any Bubba Gump before :)



the crispy duck at Warung Eropa. happily for us, this place was literally located not 2 minutes from the doorstep of our villa. the other highlight of this place was definitely the sate. the best friend and I definitely bought back many a pack to our villa and it was a great snack for watching F1.

and to cap things off, we decided to treat ourselves on our last evening there right down at the beach in Seminyak. no, not at Ku De Ta, but its quieter and more sedate neighbour - The Samaya. i can honestly say that that dinner at Breeze, which is The Samaya's main restaurant, was quite possibly THE dinner of 2009 for me.

a beach front table, a really really good mojito, the trademark golden Bali sunset, the yummiest foie gras since Le Normandie as an entree and the freshest moistest local snapper with a light seafood broth and risotto on the side.



divine.

we didn't actually have that much variety of food while there to be honest, we were so busy bumming (the Sanyas Suites - definitely worth checking it out. great service and the coolest outdoor bathroom). plus - breakfast is served at our own dining patio every morning at your requested time. there are only so many meals in one day really. but in case you might want to drop by where we did:

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Komplek Pertokoan Kuta Centre, Blok A1 No. 1
JL Kartika Plaza No. 8X,
Kuta, Bali

Warung Eropa
Jln Cendrawasih, Peti Tenget,
Seminyak, Bali

Breeze at The Samaya
Jl. Laksmana, Seminyak Beach, Seminyak, Bali


i have traveled since (back to taipei again hah!) and i am definitely in the mood for more traveling soon. lets hope the next you check back, this one's still up and running. gold coast and melbourne here i come!

Le Normandie

(picture courtesy of The Oriental Hotel, Bangkok)

after a long hiatus from this site, i think it's great that the first post in ages is about the much talked about Le Normandie at the Oriental Hotel, Bangkok.

the Oriental Hotel oozes old world luxury, a theme that's carried through to Le Normandie which is on the top floor of the annex. we were lucky. although almost all the tables afforded views of both sides of the building, we had a beautiful view of the chao phraya by night. although the place is almost stiffly formal, the four of us had quite a good time nonetheless. i think its a refreshing change having to dress up for a dinner like that once in a long while.

the reviews about Le Normandie have been mixed. personally though, i thought the restaurant boasted a stronger entree menu than mains. the goose liver ravioli with truffle sauce was a stunner. the best dish of the night by far. i also had the breast of pigeon for my main which was also really quite good. the veal that my dinner dates had was all right. i had the crepe suzette to close and i must say i enjoyed it. it was a good way to end a great - if not a little long- evening.

but all that came at a price of course - a very steep price in fact. we had been forewarned that it was going to be expensive, but even then, we were still a bit surprised at how expensive it was. the bill for the four of us, including a half bottle of red wine, four entrees, two mains to share and three desserts came to a grand total of 16,000 baht. you all can do the math.

i would suggest trying lunch instead but i must say that if the lunch menu doesnt have the goose liver ravioli, you'd be missing something really special.


Le Normandie
The Oriental Hotel
48 Oriental Avenue
Bangkok, Thailand 10500