Pages

It was an . . .

...itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka dot bikini!

I thought we'd finish off Desserts for Dudes month by giving the guys a little eye candy cookie.

As Mr. E probably has guessed, this is as close to a bikini as I'm getting in this lifetime (or the next).  Enjoy, honey.

The bikini cookies are really simple  I outlined and filled in yellow royal icing; I used a combination of AmeriColor Lemon Yellow & Egg Yellow for this color.  The dots were dropped on while the yellow icing was still wet.  (A video of this technique is available here.)

To make the palm trees:

  • Using #2 tips, outline the branches in green and the trunk in brown royal icing (AmeriColor Avocado and Leaf Green mixed, AmeriColor Chocolate Brown). 
  • Thin the royal icing with water to the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit several minutes.
  • Stir gently with a rubber spatula to break any air bubbles that have risen to the surface.  Transfer to squeeze bottles.
  • Fill in the trunk of the tree in brown.
  • Fill in the leaves in green.
  • After 1 hour or so, add the details to the truck in piping consistency royal icing, using a #2 tip.
  • Let dry overnight.
  • Prepare a "sanding sugar station."  You'll need:
  1. meringue powder mixed with an equal amount water
  2. sanding sugar
  3. small paint brush
  4. coffee filter
  • Paint the meringue powder/water mixture over the edge of the cookie.
  • Holding the cookie over the coffee filter, sprinkle on the sanding sugar. Shake off excess onto the filter.  
  • Use the filter as a funnel to refill container of sanding sugar.


    So, what did you guys think of Desserts for Dudes month?  I'll tell you our favorites:
    Alrighty...Desserts for Dudes month is officially over.  Bring on the pink and sprinkles!
    ...itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka dot bikini!

    I thought we'd finish off Desserts for Dudes month by giving the guys a little eye candy cookie.

    As Mr. E probably has guessed, this is as close to a bikini as I'm getting in this lifetime (or the next).  Enjoy, honey.

    The bikini cookies are really simple  I outlined and filled in yellow royal icing; I used a combination of AmeriColor Lemon Yellow & Egg Yellow for this color.  The dots were dropped on while the yellow icing was still wet.  (A video of this technique is available here.)

    To make the palm trees:

    • Using #2 tips, outline the branches in green and the trunk in brown royal icing (AmeriColor Avocado and Leaf Green mixed, AmeriColor Chocolate Brown). 
    • Thin the royal icing with water to the consistency of thick syrup.  Cover with a damp dish towel and let sit several minutes.
    • Stir gently with a rubber spatula to break any air bubbles that have risen to the surface.  Transfer to squeeze bottles.
    • Fill in the trunk of the tree in brown.
    • Fill in the leaves in green.
    • After 1 hour or so, add the details to the truck in piping consistency royal icing, using a #2 tip.
    • Let dry overnight.
    • Prepare a "sanding sugar station."  You'll need:
    1. meringue powder mixed with an equal amount water
    2. sanding sugar
    3. small paint brush
    4. coffee filter
    • Paint the meringue powder/water mixture over the edge of the cookie.
    • Holding the cookie over the coffee filter, sprinkle on the sanding sugar. Shake off excess onto the filter.  
    • Use the filter as a funnel to refill container of sanding sugar.


      So, what did you guys think of Desserts for Dudes month?  I'll tell you our favorites:
      Alrighty...Desserts for Dudes month is officially over.  Bring on the pink and sprinkles!
      reade more... Résuméabuiyad

      TWINIGHT

      Ladies, would you like to take a bite out of R-Patz?

      I'll come out and say it - I'm not into Twilight. I haven't read the books, and was forced to watch the first 2 films. Forced, I tell you! It happened like this. For some reason, a few of my friends quite like Twilight. (They say they like to laugh at it, but I'm not so sure, hehehe). One fine morning last week, I logged into Facebook only to see that my friends had decided to get together and watch the first 2 films back to back, and Sandra had offered up our place as the venue! This event was TWINIGHT.

      Oh well... if you can't beat them... bake cupcakes! Vampire cupcakes. Edward Cullen cupcakes. You'll see that my little babies are a bit rough and ramshackle, but I won't apologise for that. Sugarcraft and fondant will never be my strength, and I can never see the point of making something that looks pretty, but totally inedible. And anyway, I think these little imperfect dudes are cute!


      To fit in with the vampire theme, I made red velvet cupcakes, with cream cheese icing. The red represents blood, the cream cheese icing represents R-Patz' pasty skin. I used Schokorapsels for his hair, piped chocolate eyes, and used teeth lollies for fangs. If you look closely, you'll see I dusted all the cakes with edible glitter in "hologram disco white". And that's dedication, people!

      Timmy K was charged with the dubious task of renting both Twilight and New Moon from Blockbuster. He excelled at this task, and also borrowed Robsessed - Oh no you didn't! - which is one of those cheaply made British "documentaries" that combine stock footage of Robert Pattinson with interviews of magazine editors and drama teachers that may or may not have a tenuous link with R-Patz himself.

      And he also brought us this poster... wow.. I'm just speechless.
      Haha, I love it how they don't even try to hide that they're promoting How to Be as a film with the guy from Twilight! A lot funnier, and less depressing, than the fact that Wuthering Heights is now sold as "Edward and Bella's favourite book". *Bangs head against a wall*.

      But back to the films. I was decorating the cupcakes while they watched the first one, and was on my computer for the second film, so I'm not entirely sure of the "storyline", but I'm pretty sure it goes something like this.

      Girl who never smiles moves to shady town. Meets hot, but pale guy. Finds out he's a glittery vegetarian vampire. Er... and that's all I can remember from the first one. But they definitely get together. And she still doesn't smile.

      Second film - I think the vampire's moved away from the town or something. Her dorky long-haired friend cuts his hair, and is suddenly BUFF. He takes off his shirt at every available opportunity to reveal new tanned and ripped abs and pecs. No-one complains. She still doesn't smile. Vampire comes back at the end of the film, goes to Rome I think? Takes his top off to reveal pasty chest and plans to expose his glittery self in front of a bunch of red-robe wearing religiousy types so that Tony Blair-vampire will kill him. Girl is also in Rome for some reason, and runs across the piazza in slow motion and pushes him back into the shade, thus averting crisis. Not sure if they get back together at the end of this one?

      Credits roll.

      Now that that's out of the way, let's have a closer look at these cupcakes!

      Pointy fangs. I sliced the tooth lollies into individual teeth, and squished the ends to get them pointy and fang like.

      Crazy-town red. So much red food colouring!

      So bright!

      I halved the recipe, which made 12 cupcakes with some leftover batter. With the extra, I made mini heart-shaped cakes, and very clumsily decorated them with melted chocolate.

      Are you team Edward?
      "EC4EVA"

      Or team Jacob?
      "JACOB4EVA"

      I love the contast between white icing and red cake. One day I'm going to do the full-sized red velvet cake - 3 layers smothered in white icing, for dramatically pretty slices. Any takers?

      Sandra ate the below cake, and she was super happy that it looked like a heart under "JACOB".

      A whole plate of Edward Cullen cupcakes...

      To anyone who's heading out to see Eclipse at midnight tonight, enjoy!! I think I'll stay in and finish off the last cupcake instead.
      Ladies, would you like to take a bite out of R-Patz?

      I'll come out and say it - I'm not into Twilight. I haven't read the books, and was forced to watch the first 2 films. Forced, I tell you! It happened like this. For some reason, a few of my friends quite like Twilight. (They say they like to laugh at it, but I'm not so sure, hehehe). One fine morning last week, I logged into Facebook only to see that my friends had decided to get together and watch the first 2 films back to back, and Sandra had offered up our place as the venue! This event was TWINIGHT.

      Oh well... if you can't beat them... bake cupcakes! Vampire cupcakes. Edward Cullen cupcakes. You'll see that my little babies are a bit rough and ramshackle, but I won't apologise for that. Sugarcraft and fondant will never be my strength, and I can never see the point of making something that looks pretty, but totally inedible. And anyway, I think these little imperfect dudes are cute!


      To fit in with the vampire theme, I made red velvet cupcakes, with cream cheese icing. The red represents blood, the cream cheese icing represents R-Patz' pasty skin. I used Schokorapsels for his hair, piped chocolate eyes, and used teeth lollies for fangs. If you look closely, you'll see I dusted all the cakes with edible glitter in "hologram disco white". And that's dedication, people!

      Timmy K was charged with the dubious task of renting both Twilight and New Moon from Blockbuster. He excelled at this task, and also borrowed Robsessed - Oh no you didn't! - which is one of those cheaply made British "documentaries" that combine stock footage of Robert Pattinson with interviews of magazine editors and drama teachers that may or may not have a tenuous link with R-Patz himself.

      And he also brought us this poster... wow.. I'm just speechless.
      Haha, I love it how they don't even try to hide that they're promoting How to Be as a film with the guy from Twilight! A lot funnier, and less depressing, than the fact that Wuthering Heights is now sold as "Edward and Bella's favourite book". *Bangs head against a wall*.

      But back to the films. I was decorating the cupcakes while they watched the first one, and was on my computer for the second film, so I'm not entirely sure of the "storyline", but I'm pretty sure it goes something like this.

      Girl who never smiles moves to shady town. Meets hot, but pale guy. Finds out he's a glittery vegetarian vampire. Er... and that's all I can remember from the first one. But they definitely get together. And she still doesn't smile.

      Second film - I think the vampire's moved away from the town or something. Her dorky long-haired friend cuts his hair, and is suddenly BUFF. He takes off his shirt at every available opportunity to reveal new tanned and ripped abs and pecs. No-one complains. She still doesn't smile. Vampire comes back at the end of the film, goes to Rome I think? Takes his top off to reveal pasty chest and plans to expose his glittery self in front of a bunch of red-robe wearing religiousy types so that Tony Blair-vampire will kill him. Girl is also in Rome for some reason, and runs across the piazza in slow motion and pushes him back into the shade, thus averting crisis. Not sure if they get back together at the end of this one?

      Credits roll.

      Now that that's out of the way, let's have a closer look at these cupcakes!

      Pointy fangs. I sliced the tooth lollies into individual teeth, and squished the ends to get them pointy and fang like.

      Crazy-town red. So much red food colouring!

      So bright!

      I halved the recipe, which made 12 cupcakes with some leftover batter. With the extra, I made mini heart-shaped cakes, and very clumsily decorated them with melted chocolate.

      Are you team Edward?
      "EC4EVA"

      Or team Jacob?
      "JACOB4EVA"

      I love the contast between white icing and red cake. One day I'm going to do the full-sized red velvet cake - 3 layers smothered in white icing, for dramatically pretty slices. Any takers?

      Sandra ate the below cake, and she was super happy that it looked like a heart under "JACOB".

      A whole plate of Edward Cullen cupcakes...

      To anyone who's heading out to see Eclipse at midnight tonight, enjoy!! I think I'll stay in and finish off the last cupcake instead.
      reade more... Résuméabuiyad

      Tuesdays At The Table - Macaroni Salad w/Avocado, Tomatoes and Mozzarella

      Happy Tuesday!!  June has flown by so quickly!  I can't believe that we're approaching Independence Day.  If I don't get to chat, visit, email or otherwise communicate with you this week - please have a happy, safe and fun 4th of July weekend!

      Lovely Yellow Ribbons

       Macaroni Salad w/Avocado, Tomatoes and Mozzarella

      1 BOX Elbow macaroni
      2 Cups Plum Tomatoes, Diced
      3 Cups Avocados, Diced
      2 1/2 Cups Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Cubed
      1/2 Cup Fresh Basil, Torn
      1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
      Salt and Pepper to taste

      Combine tomatoes, avocados, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let mixture marinate for 20-30 minutes. Cook elbows about 1 minute less than recommended package cooking time. Drain and pour onto a flat surface. Drizzle with a small amount of oil and let cool.  Add cooled pasta to ingredients in bowl; toss and serve

      What's cooking in your kitchen?




      Happy Tuesday!!  June has flown by so quickly!  I can't believe that we're approaching Independence Day.  If I don't get to chat, visit, email or otherwise communicate with you this week - please have a happy, safe and fun 4th of July weekend!

      Lovely Yellow Ribbons

       Macaroni Salad w/Avocado, Tomatoes and Mozzarella

      1 BOX Elbow macaroni
      2 Cups Plum Tomatoes, Diced
      3 Cups Avocados, Diced
      2 1/2 Cups Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Cubed
      1/2 Cup Fresh Basil, Torn
      1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
      Salt and Pepper to taste

      Combine tomatoes, avocados, mozzarella, basil, and olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Let mixture marinate for 20-30 minutes. Cook elbows about 1 minute less than recommended package cooking time. Drain and pour onto a flat surface. Drizzle with a small amount of oil and let cool.  Add cooled pasta to ingredients in bowl; toss and serve

      What's cooking in your kitchen?




      reade more... Résuméabuiyad

      Kiddo in the Kitchen : Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

      Desserts for Dudes
      I don't know about you, but when kiddo and I go to the farmer's market, our minds turn to big, farm-fresh salads cupcakes.  I'm pretty sure he chose this recipe so that zucchini I bought wouldn't show up on his dinner plate.

      {Don't worry...I'll torture him with the tomatoes.}

      The cupcake and frosting recipes come from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. We halved the recipe (I really don't need 24 cupcakes sitting around the house). 

      Zucchini Spice Cupcakes
      {modified from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes}

      1 and 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
      1/2 tsp. baking soda
      1/4 tsp. baking powder
      1/2 tsp. coarse salt
      2 tsp. cinnamon
      1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
      1/8 tsp. ground cloves
      1/2 c. vegetable oil
      1 egg, room temp.
      1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
      1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
      1 c. light brown sugar, packed
      1 and 1/2 c. grated zucchini
      1/2 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped

      Preheat oven to 350.
      Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

      Whisk together the flour through cloves.  In another bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, vanilla and zest.  Whisk in the brown sugar until smooth.

      Stir in the zucchini.  Add the flour mixture just until combined; stir in the walnuts.

      Divide the batter evenly between the cups.  Bake, rotating halfway through, about 20-24 minutes.  Cupcakes will spring back when lightly toughed in the center and a toothpick should come out clean.

      Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove cupcake to a cooling rack and let cool completely.


      {Aren't they pretty? I'm thinking we could stop here and call them muffins. But, we won't.}


      Cream Cheese Frosting
      1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
      6 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
      2 c. powdered sugar
      1/2 tsp. vanilla

      Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Reduce speed to low, and1/2 c. sugar and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and combined.  Add the remaining sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.

      Now it's time to frost the cupcakes...
      Kiddo said he wanted to try piping instead of spreading the icing.
       
      He did a really great job...and I couldn't get enough of watching him. 



      These cupcakes are wonderful...moist and full of flavor.  And, you can never go wrong with cream cheese frosting!  We think you'll like them!

       The verdict?


      Here...we saved one for you....


      {OH! I almost forgot....there are a couple new videos over at University of Cookie.  Be sure to check how the method TidyMom uses to roll her cookie dough.  Genius!}
      Desserts for Dudes
      I don't know about you, but when kiddo and I go to the farmer's market, our minds turn to big, farm-fresh salads cupcakes.  I'm pretty sure he chose this recipe so that zucchini I bought wouldn't show up on his dinner plate.

      {Don't worry...I'll torture him with the tomatoes.}

      The cupcake and frosting recipes come from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes. We halved the recipe (I really don't need 24 cupcakes sitting around the house). 

      Zucchini Spice Cupcakes
      {modified from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes}

      1 and 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
      1/2 tsp. baking soda
      1/4 tsp. baking powder
      1/2 tsp. coarse salt
      2 tsp. cinnamon
      1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
      1/8 tsp. ground cloves
      1/2 c. vegetable oil
      1 egg, room temp.
      1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla
      1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
      1 c. light brown sugar, packed
      1 and 1/2 c. grated zucchini
      1/2 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped

      Preheat oven to 350.
      Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

      Whisk together the flour through cloves.  In another bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, vanilla and zest.  Whisk in the brown sugar until smooth.

      Stir in the zucchini.  Add the flour mixture just until combined; stir in the walnuts.

      Divide the batter evenly between the cups.  Bake, rotating halfway through, about 20-24 minutes.  Cupcakes will spring back when lightly toughed in the center and a toothpick should come out clean.

      Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove cupcake to a cooling rack and let cool completely.


      {Aren't they pretty? I'm thinking we could stop here and call them muffins. But, we won't.}


      Cream Cheese Frosting
      1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
      6 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
      2 c. powdered sugar
      1/2 tsp. vanilla

      Beat the butter and cream cheese on medium-high until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Reduce speed to low, and1/2 c. sugar and vanilla.  Mix until smooth and combined.  Add the remaining sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.

      Now it's time to frost the cupcakes...
      Kiddo said he wanted to try piping instead of spreading the icing.
       
      He did a really great job...and I couldn't get enough of watching him. 



      These cupcakes are wonderful...moist and full of flavor.  And, you can never go wrong with cream cheese frosting!  We think you'll like them!

       The verdict?


      Here...we saved one for you....


      {OH! I almost forgot....there are a couple new videos over at University of Cookie.  Be sure to check how the method TidyMom uses to roll her cookie dough.  Genius!}
      reade more... Résuméabuiyad

      Wagyu Beef Supper at Chrysanthemum House

      Slices of Grade 9 Wagyu Beef - supper special

      Chrysanthemum House
      843 Doncaster Rd
      Doncaster VIC 3108
      (03) 9848-9087

      Chrysanthem House is one of my family's favourite restaurants, located in deep suburban Doncaster, right opposite a KFC. I don't normally blog about my regular haunts, but I feel that this is too good not to share!


      There was a period in time where we'd go almost every week, feasting on fried chicken ribs with salt and chilli, special XO beef with gai laan and mai fan noodles, and fried yong tau foo (that's tofu stuffed with prawns, fried, and smothered in a fabulous savoury sauce).


      Seeing as we don't read Chinese, we'll usually either order our favourites, take a sticky-beak at what the neighbouring tables are eating, or ask the boss (AKA Fay Lo) for recommendations.

      Note to self: Make friends with someone who can read Chinese.

      Chrysanthemum House does the supper thing, staying open til 2am. I've noticed that lots of Melbourne's restauranteurs from the Eastern suburbs will come in once they've closed up their own restaurants for the night. One guy I know who runs an Italian restaurant in Kew usually comes here for lemon chicken and beef in black bean sauce (yes, really!) So if you want some classic "kwai lo" dishes done well, Chrysanthem House will be able to sort you out.

      I hadn't been back to Chrysanthemum House since I moved out of home, until last Friday, when we went for supper with the parentals. My dad recently tried their wagyu beef supper special and thought we'd all love it. He wasn't wrong! I also really needed a good meal. You see, I thought I'd be leaving work on time on Friday arvo, but somehow got called into a 6pm meeting and then had to walk home in the cold and rain. I was absolutely starving and exhausted by the time I got home. The following dishes definitely hit the spot!

      Deep fried chicken ribs with salt and chilli. In front of the ribs, you can (just) see a plate of Kung Po Chicken.

      Stir fried snow-pea shoots with garlic.

      And now the wagyu. For some reason, if you order it during dinner time, it's $90, but if you come for supper (9:30pm onwards), it's only $45. Bargain! You get a big plate with thinly sliced beef sitting atop some raw spinach (see the top of this post for the breathtaking picture). Fay Lo tells us that the beef is 9-grade wagyu, which means the marbling is even throughout the meat, which enhances the taste and texture.

      You also get a bowl of soy sauce, with thinly sliced chillies, and a super-cool steamboat scoop.

      And most importantly, you get a big pot of broth on a gas burner.

      You can choose whatever broth you'd like - chicken, beef, even lamb - but we chose beef to match the wagyu.

      Let's take a look inside the intensely beefy broth.
      There are little red dates, coriander, thick pieces of soft-fatty beef (not-wagyu) and some sort of potato. So rich and delicious. ***EDIT*** Apparently those little dried red things aren't red dates, but wolfberries!

      Here's what the fatty, tender non-wagyu beef chunks look like. They might not be wagyu, but they taste good too, and are very tender from being slowly cooked in the hot soup.

      So basically you just do it like steamboat, picking up your wagyu slices and raw spinach, and letting them cook in the hot broth.

      Oooh... fatty wagyu goodness...

      I don't normally even like steamboat, but this was awesome! The soup just gets more flavoursome and more beefy as you go. It was absolutely perfect on a cold and rainy night, really warming and fortifying. As I drank down the hot soup, all the worries of the week just melted away.

      And then, whoops... all the meat was gone!

      Hot tip - if fatty fatty wagyu isn't your thing, (though, can I ask - Why not?) they also do a great barramundi congee, and it's cheaper during supper too! I can't remember the exact price though. If you order the barramundi congee, they'll catch a fresh one for you, put some in your congee, and fry or steam the rest of the fish for you.

      This meal was total awesomeness, which just proves my theory that Melbourne's best Chinese food is found in the suburbs.

      What are your favourite suburban Chinese restaurants?

      Chrysanthemum House on Urbanspoon
      Slices of Grade 9 Wagyu Beef - supper special

      Chrysanthemum House
      843 Doncaster Rd
      Doncaster VIC 3108
      (03) 9848-9087

      Chrysanthem House is one of my family's favourite restaurants, located in deep suburban Doncaster, right opposite a KFC. I don't normally blog about my regular haunts, but I feel that this is too good not to share!


      There was a period in time where we'd go almost every week, feasting on fried chicken ribs with salt and chilli, special XO beef with gai laan and mai fan noodles, and fried yong tau foo (that's tofu stuffed with prawns, fried, and smothered in a fabulous savoury sauce).


      Seeing as we don't read Chinese, we'll usually either order our favourites, take a sticky-beak at what the neighbouring tables are eating, or ask the boss (AKA Fay Lo) for recommendations.

      Note to self: Make friends with someone who can read Chinese.

      Chrysanthemum House does the supper thing, staying open til 2am. I've noticed that lots of Melbourne's restauranteurs from the Eastern suburbs will come in once they've closed up their own restaurants for the night. One guy I know who runs an Italian restaurant in Kew usually comes here for lemon chicken and beef in black bean sauce (yes, really!) So if you want some classic "kwai lo" dishes done well, Chrysanthem House will be able to sort you out.

      I hadn't been back to Chrysanthemum House since I moved out of home, until last Friday, when we went for supper with the parentals. My dad recently tried their wagyu beef supper special and thought we'd all love it. He wasn't wrong! I also really needed a good meal. You see, I thought I'd be leaving work on time on Friday arvo, but somehow got called into a 6pm meeting and then had to walk home in the cold and rain. I was absolutely starving and exhausted by the time I got home. The following dishes definitely hit the spot!

      Deep fried chicken ribs with salt and chilli. In front of the ribs, you can (just) see a plate of Kung Po Chicken.

      Stir fried snow-pea shoots with garlic.

      And now the wagyu. For some reason, if you order it during dinner time, it's $90, but if you come for supper (9:30pm onwards), it's only $45. Bargain! You get a big plate with thinly sliced beef sitting atop some raw spinach (see the top of this post for the breathtaking picture). Fay Lo tells us that the beef is 9-grade wagyu, which means the marbling is even throughout the meat, which enhances the taste and texture.

      You also get a bowl of soy sauce, with thinly sliced chillies, and a super-cool steamboat scoop.

      And most importantly, you get a big pot of broth on a gas burner.

      You can choose whatever broth you'd like - chicken, beef, even lamb - but we chose beef to match the wagyu.

      Let's take a look inside the intensely beefy broth.
      There are little red dates, coriander, thick pieces of soft-fatty beef (not-wagyu) and some sort of potato. So rich and delicious. ***EDIT*** Apparently those little dried red things aren't red dates, but wolfberries!

      Here's what the fatty, tender non-wagyu beef chunks look like. They might not be wagyu, but they taste good too, and are very tender from being slowly cooked in the hot soup.

      So basically you just do it like steamboat, picking up your wagyu slices and raw spinach, and letting them cook in the hot broth.

      Oooh... fatty wagyu goodness...

      I don't normally even like steamboat, but this was awesome! The soup just gets more flavoursome and more beefy as you go. It was absolutely perfect on a cold and rainy night, really warming and fortifying. As I drank down the hot soup, all the worries of the week just melted away.

      And then, whoops... all the meat was gone!

      Hot tip - if fatty fatty wagyu isn't your thing, (though, can I ask - Why not?) they also do a great barramundi congee, and it's cheaper during supper too! I can't remember the exact price though. If you order the barramundi congee, they'll catch a fresh one for you, put some in your congee, and fry or steam the rest of the fish for you.

      This meal was total awesomeness, which just proves my theory that Melbourne's best Chinese food is found in the suburbs.

      What are your favourite suburban Chinese restaurants?

      Chrysanthemum House on Urbanspoon
      reade more... Résuméabuiyad