Clearing out the fridge isn't easy!!

I read once here about a certain food blogger's difficulty in finishing up his lasagne sheets. With just a week to go before we leave Melbourne for good after our 6 months here, I am faced with the same problem with the dates still lurking in my fridge after 2 rounds of Sticky Toffee Puddings and my attempt at Date Scones the other day. And what I have left isn't quite enough for another pudding for the Christmas gathering at Allan's folks next week in Sydney and I don't fancy making anymore goodies to stuff our face with this week!! *SCREAM*

With all the boxes and bags we have to load the car with next Saturday when we leave for Sydney, I'm sure we'll find room for yet another small bag but it vexes me no end that I can't seem to finish these dates. It's no solution telling me to eat them plain (as I hate the taste of plain dates if not masked with other flavours) - that'll be A's job.

Back to Date Scones. It's a simple recipe, perfect for Saturday morning brekkies when it's pulled out fresh and steaming hot from the oven. Alright, who are we kidding here? No one I know who reads this blog gets up early on Saturday, much less to bake! But honestly, if you do happen to have any leftover dates in the fridge, set the alarm clock and give this recipe a go. Although these scones keep relatively well, they are definitely best fresh and hot, with the aroma of sweet dates mingling with the freshly ground nutmeg. I had one smothered with butter as soon as it came out of the oven and it was oh so yummy....

This recipe comes from Stephanie Alexander's lovely cook book, The Cook's Companion.

Date Scones

(makes about 10 - 11)

Ingredients:

150g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (this is essential, do not skip!)

pinch of salt

20g unsalted butter

2 tbsp sugar

150g dates, stoned and chopped

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 210'C and grease a baking tray.

2. Sift flour, nutmeg and salt together, then rub in butter. Add sugar and dates.

3. Combine milk and water and mix into flour to form a soft but firm dough. Knead together quickly, then press out on a floured surface and cut into squares or use a cutter to cut out rounds.

4. Bake for 7 minutes then reduce heat to 180'C and cook for a further 8 minutes until golden.

Pie for a Guy

Perhaps this is too much of a generalisation but I've rarely met a guy who doesn't like pies/tarts or anything with pastry in it. There's probably something about the combination of crusty pastry and oozing filling that makes for a sublime 'party in your mouth' (I got this off one of the celebrity chefs, Jason Roberts, on ReadySteadyCook...yes one of those cooking programmes I catch over here).

A, being a true Aussie at heart, loves pies much to my horror ("Sweetie, there's a ton of FAT in that meat pie you're chowing down..."). I'm not a big fan of pastry, both making it or eating it. Making it - it always seems that the weather in Singapore is never condusive to making it although my efforts here have met more success. Eating it - I find that most commercial pies have way too much pastry, making for a tough chewing experience and thenafter, sitting like a lump of lard in your tummy.

I've always wished I had a light hand with pastry; so do most cooks I know. I recall back in school days, my classmates in the cooking class would shudder with horror when we learnt that the lesson for that day was "Sausage Rolls" or "Strawberry Pie" or anything related to pastry. These days, I've taken a more relaxed approach to making pastry instead of stressing over getting the dough to bind and find that this seems to be the best way to making a successful pie! Probably because one doesn't handle the dough as much!

Looking back on my posts, I've done a whole gamut of cakes, biscuits and the likes but very little pastry of late. So I thought it was time to change that and set aside an afternoon to make a Roast Tomato, Bacon and Spinach Tart, one of my preferred choices at cafes I frequent. Made well, this tart will be a nice light lunch for hot afternoons when you don't feel like cooking! This is a slight modification from the recipe in one of my reliable cookbooks, Everyday Cooking.

Roast Tomato, Bacon and Spinach Tart (serves 8)

Ingredients:

1 x 25cm Shortcrust pastry shell (using your own recipe or ready-made)

4 Roma tomatoes

oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

1 onion, diced

6 bacon slices, diced

4 eggs

125ml (1/2 cup) cream

3 tbsp grated parmigiano

chopped parsley

80g spinach, blanched and chopped

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, sprinkled over the cooked spinach

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180'C.

2. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and place on a baking tray. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and chilli (if using). Roast in a preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and golden brown.

3. Heat a small saucepan over a medium heat. Add a generous splash of oil, the onion and bacon. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often to prevent the bacon from catching.

4. Whisk the eggs together with the cream, grated parmigiano, parsley, spinach and salt and pepper.

5. Arrange the tomato wedges in the base of the cooked pastry shell, add the onion and pancetta mix and pour in the egg custard.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the egg custard is set.

Some comments:

• The shortcrust pastry should be blind-baked before the fillings are added. To prevent the egg custard from seeping into the pastry and toughening it, brush the shortcrust pastry with egg yolk before blind baking to seal. This may be repeated once during the baking process.
• You'll probably have pastry left over, as with the fillings. Don't waste them - make mini tartlets by using a muffin pan as your base instead!

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas!

I must say that a pudding for dessert isn't the best idea after an indulgent weekend away in Daylesford and eating at the Lake House or when the weather is in the high 30's as its been this week. Still, we're looking at the run-up to Christmas and what better way then to get into the mood with a pre-Christmas pudding! I missed out on getting some beautifully produced puddings from A Pud for All Seasons, both at the Slow Food Market (at the Abbotsford Convent a couple of weekends ago) as well as when we went up country for the weekend and passed by their factory at Elphinstone. So I decided to make my own seeing that I had a bag of dates in the pantry and a recipe flagged for some time to try!

A and I both have a fond weakness for sweet sticky desserts and sticky date pudding happens to be one of our favourites. I've always thought that there was something Christmassy about having a date pudding – with all that lovely caramelized and slightly spicy overtones it connotes!

I thought dates and it's lovely sweet nuances would definitely put us in the mood for all the gift-wrapping after dinner and happily set to making it seeing I had just 16 more days till we leave Melbourne and a whole bag-ful to finish up. Yummy goodness and perfect comfort food, it's perhaps a tad heavy for a summer evening seeing that all the berries and stone fruits have come into season. But making a sticky date pudding is also an exercise in simplicity and will keep nicely in the fridge for those tricky moments between meals when one's tummy craves for a little sustenance.

A is of course thrilled that I have finally decided to make a sticky date pudding and that must have been the reason why he returned earlier than expected with a "Pudding...where's the pudding?" instead of the expected kiss on the cheek!

This recipe comes from a fabulous cookbook, The Cook's Companion, by Melbourne's doyen of cooking, Stephanie Alexander.

Sticky Toffee Pudding (serves 8)

Ingredients:
170g dates, stoned and chopped
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300ml boiling water
60g unsalted butter
¾ cup castor or brown sugar
2 eggs
170g self-raising flour
½ tsp pure vanilla
** 100g dark chocolate chips/ chopped bittersweet chocolate (optional)

Sauce
400g brown sugar
1 cup thick cream
250g unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180'C and butter an 18cm square cake tin.
2. Mix dates and bicarbonate of sofa. Pour over water and leave to stand.
3. Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Fold flour in gently, then stir in date mixture and vanilla and pour into prepared tin.
4. Bake in centre of oven for 30 – 40 minutes until cooked when tested with a sker.
5. To make the sauce, bring all the ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove vanilla bean.

6. Pour a little sauce over warm pudding and return it to oven for 2-3 minutes so sauce soaks in.

7. Cut pudding into squares and pass extra sauce.

The Cookie Monster

That's A's alter-ego. Actually, A's alter-ego should now rightfully be named the Big Bump (think really hard why...), what with all the happy munching that's been going on in this apartment of late. It's gotten to the state of "now you see it.... now you don't" with the boxes of cookies, sliced cakes and muffins I have around the apartment. A, as one can tell by now, really loves his sweet stuff and is always delighted to come home to the smell of freshly baked goodies in all forms.

Before.....

But what A can't resist most of all are Krispy Kreme donuts - the 8 we had left after giving some away to our friends, Jackson and Michelle, has disappeared in a flash of an eye. A loves donuts in all forms and donuts have a sentimental place in our history; when we first started dating, as we were at opposite ends of the Singapore CBD and couldn't meet for a quick morning coffee, we used to send an email mid-morning to say hi and accompanying our short email conversation would be a donut from Starbucks with our coffee. It became a ritual for a while until my skirt started getting tighter!

After!

So imagine our delight when we discovered that the legendary US Krispy Kreme donuts were available at Sydney's international airport (the first outlet outside the US opened in Sydney in 2003) and we used to lug boxes of these sugar delights back home every new year after the holidays. Krispy Kreme has since made it to Melbourne with the fourth outlet set to open at Melbourne Central Station in December 2006 after outlets at Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, Chadstone Shopping Centre and one in the CBD at the western end of Collins Street. Right now, when an attack of the munchies comes on, A just needs to walk to the other end of Collins Street from his office to get his sugar boost - a fair walk I'd say for a growing cookie monster and certainly easier than lugging a box on the plane!

Another lazy weekend away

The lovely view from a lookout on Arthur's Seat of the Mornington

Peninsula - Sorrento where we are headed is located around the curve

A couple of weekends ago, A and I drove down to the Mornington Peninsula to spend part of the weekend with friends from Singapore. As always, we will happily take up any excuse to see a different part of Victoria and this is a lovely one indeed. It has many wineries, great restaurants, lovely sea views, quaint townships that straddle the divide between country and city very well (since they are mostly well-equipped with fantastic bakeries, coffee joints and boutiques).

Since our friends were staying at Rye, we decide to stay close by at Sorrento, which has a lovely beach-side location, plenty of interesting shops and a long beach front for walks. Unfortunately, by the time we reach Sorrento, I'm scarcely fit to walk anywhere much less check out any shops! It was as much as I could do to make some small talk with our host, John, at Dougal's B&B while A attends to all the checking-in matters and when I could finally crawl into bed for a snooze, I slept blessedly for an hour. All this because of a splendid afternoon lunch at the Vines of Red Hill....

Vines of Red Hill

Lunch at the Vines was the big highlight of our weekend, other than catching up with our friends of course! One of my invaluable resources here has been the 2007 Age's Good Food Guide (to Melbourne and regional Victoria); it's helped us plan our trips around Victoria, taking into account which restaurants are along the way. I would also have bought the Foodie's Guide to Melbourne & Regional Victoria 2007 but on flipping through, realised that I already knew many of these shops. We've been quite fortunate that our neighbourhood has many of the great food places/shops/purveyors listed inside. So when the Good Food Guide listed Vines as the only Chef's Hat rated restaurant on the Mornington Peninsula, we decided a visit should be on the cards.

The view from the restaurant terrace

Situated in the vineyard area of Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, the Vines overlooks neat rows of hanging vines and is ringed with wild lavendar. It's a lovely place for lunch especially out on the terrace on a sunny day and I can imagine it would look beautiful at night with lots of candles flickering. Unfortunately, the Vines was booked out for a wedding the day we got in so we had to settle for lunch, which worked out quite well with our plans in any event since we would only be meeting Val and Justyn on Sunday instead. Certainly, it would have been quite perilous to drive back to Sorrento after dinner since we had to traverse windy roads past Arthur's Seat (the kind with near 360' pinturns!!) and these are roads for clearheaded drivers, which we weren't well... not after we had such a wonderful lunch at the Vines!

From the word "go", lunch was a close to 3 hour long session of indulgence. Chef Steve Davidson's food is beautifully presented, in generous but not overflowing portions, and delights with every mouthful. However, because the portions looked just right and each bite wasn't cloying or overly rich, we had underestimated the capacity of our stomachs! After finishing the entrees and the mains, we thought we could manage a dessert each and that was the absolute killer leaving both of us a little glassy-eyed albeit nicely sated. Here's what we had:

Entrees

After we order, our server brought out a bowl of freshly baked bread (really yummy stuff!) and a trio of salted butter, olive tapenade and light fruity olive oil, the latter being locally grown in the Mornington Peninsula.

That day was turning out to be a rather hot day so we decided to skip the soup on the menu(although butternut pumpkin soup is a favourite of mine) and order something else.

A decided on the spatchcock, which came with its roasted breast with livers, foie gras and herbed brioche gratin and rolled leg ballotine with rocket, together with truffle infused polenta and port-reduced shallots. This was simply yummy - the smell of the truffle subtly whets one's appetite for the spatchcock, which is very nicely done (not too dry as smaller fowls tend to be if overcooked). The polenta had the nice texture and almost similar taste to very good whipped potatoes and was perfect sopping up the jus on the dish. A of course, was delighted by the generous nugget of foie gras nestled in the polenta and just as I thought he was going to polish it off, had the presence of mind to leave me half of it to try. That took some self-control since he simply loves foie gras (to the horror of my mom)! A had the Vines' house label shiraz, which robust flavours was the perfect complement to the intense flavours of his entree.

My dish seemed rather simple in comparison, certainly with none of the complex flavours that A's had. However, executed well, oysters are the perfect starting point for any meal and the chef definitely got this dish right. While I'm not usually a fan of oysters (preferring to have just 1 or 2 and not half a dozen), this dish sounded light and cool for the hot afternoon. Freshly shucked, the 6 Coffin Bay oysters were served with lime marinated yellow fin tuna, Yarra Valley salmon caviar and avocado and herb salsa. The accompaniments to the oysters didn't overpower its natural briny taste and instead added depth and interest to each bite - each caviar roe bursting with flavour as you chew the oyster, the lime adding a slight tart taste to the overall sweetness of the avocado and tuna. The Vines house label Gewurtztraminer, being light, fruity and slightly sweet, was a lovely accompaniment to the oysters.

By now, A and I have these slightly blissed out looks on our faces, and when our server comes over, she smiles when she sees we have mopped up every scrap of our dishes and receives our effusive praises graciously. Thankfully, she allows some time to lapse before bringing out our mains so A and I have time to take in the scenic views of rolling vineyards, wildflowers and lavendar bushes and catch up on the events of the week.

Mains

When our server brings forth the mains, A is almost hopping with delight at the supremely large portion of the rib eye on his plate. Generously portioned, his char-grilled Mornington Peninsula grain fed rib eye came with a double potato and prosciutto stack, green beans, local horseradish cream and a light shiraz reduction. Simply done, but very effective on the taste scale, a lot of the credit must go to the chef for using fresh local produce and bringing out the best of each item.

I had decided earlier to order the duck breast, which would be served pink and comes with baby beetroot, cress and walnut salad, butter beans, corn and duck leg pancake and a Jasmine tea reduction. This is superb - ordinarily, my appetite for very rich dishes is a small one and I don't always eat the entire duck breast, preferring just to pick off someone's plate or have it as an appetizer instead. This time, I polish off my plate (with the exception of several pieces of duck reluctantly surrendered to A) and mopped up every scrap of jus with the flavourful duck slices. Although it comes slightly overdone, the pieces of duck breast are tender and juicy and sop up the Jasmine tea reduction perfectly well. I liked the reduction in particular (a not unusual combination with duck given that there is the classic Chinese tea-smoked duck) and how the reduction only had a faint hint of Jasmine tea.

Dessert

By the time we finish off our mains, we are both slightly stuffed and definitely pondering if dessert is a good idea. One look at the menu and greed takes over prudence - I can't resist trying the slow baked chocolate tart with passion fruit ice cream and pistachio biscuit and since I refused to share mine with A, he chooses the local apple and puff pastry tart with malt cream and Red Hill honey ice cream. Both are the perfect end to our lovely meal. The dark chocolate tart in particular, gives an intense shock to the system with each mouthful and the slightly tart passionfruit ice cream offsets the richness of the chocolate.

A's apple puff pastry tart is really good as well and lends credence to the saying that sometimes, the simplest things turn out the best. I often wish my puff pastry would turn out as nice and flaky as this one, but I guess that's why there are pastry chefs and there are home cooks like me! We leave the Vines with some reluctance to dispel the magic woven by the food, the peaceful setting and the perfect weather - too often, we have been caught out by the weather on our trips out, which mars slightly an otherwise lovely experience, but today, we are lucky on all counts.

Owing to our heavy lunch, dinner that night is a simple fish and chips from the chippie shop in Sorrento after spending the evening walking the Sorrento foreshore and catching the sunset. We play Trivial Pursuit in our B&B after and retire early for the night.

The next day, we enjoy a lovely breakfast and have a good time chatting with the other couples at the breakfast table. In what is becoming a common occurrence so far, we rose from the table quite late at 11 am (and A and I had been the first ones at 830am too!) and quickly clear off to meet Val and Justyn for lunch at Stillwater at Crittendon in Dromana.

Again another lazy afternoon, but this time, we go easy on the food (mainly just entrees and desserts) and instead polish off 3 bottles of very good sauvignon blanc. After all, the focus this time was on catching up with our friends and 3 hours go by really quickly before they have to scoot off to view a house down at Portsea and we arrange to meet at the National Golf Club at Cape Schank for coffee with ocean views later on in the afternoon.

With a couple of hours free, A and I go check out the various produce places and load up on locally produced apple juice, first harvest cherries and Desiree potatoes. Visiting produce farms and sampling their wares in each region we visit is one of my favourite activities, and recalls to mind my childhood holidays with my parents spent picking strawberries and visiting orchards. We also visit the Gordon Studio Glassblowers with very lovely sculptural glass pieces and with very little time remaining before we have to drive to Cape Schank, we stop by the Red Hill Art Gallery to browse the pieces. The friendly owner offers to show us his farm and before we know it, we are taken to see his very very cute alpacas and A has a go at feeding them. One alpaca in particular catches our eye, it looking very much like an Ewok and for the most part, they are docile and relatively friendly (with A at least who is holding the feed) although they do occasionally spit and hiss and kick at each other.

We end off a lovely weekend trip taking coffee with Val and Justyn at the National's clubhouse overlooking the putting greens with the spectacular ocean views in the background playing off the setting sun.

The all-important contact details:

Vines of Red Hill
150 Red Hill Road, Red Hill Mornington Peninsula
Tel: (03) 5989 2977

Chef's Hat - 1 with a rating of 15/20
Definitely call ahead (suggest at least 1 or 2 weeks in advance) to reserve a spot as this place seats just 80 and fills up quickly for the prime Saturday night bookings. I had called the week before and was told that Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon were fully booked. Also, as this is a popular wedding venue, there may be nights which the restaurant does not open to the public either. The dishes we had were from the menu for the 17th to 19th November so next time you visit, there is likely to be something new!

What keeps me busy most days

I'm commonly asked (as is A) what I do with my time here now that I'm not working. Initially, keeping myself occupied and filling the hours was a tough task, me waking up promptly at 7:30 am and fidgeting around the house and checking my email every couple of hours. Now, it's a breeze finding activities to do to fill the hours every day!

A lot of my friends are now calling me a "domestic goddess", hopefully with the image of the luscious Nigella Lawson in mind! I guess it's because a lot of my time now revolves around cooking and food and shopping for food. I spend many happy hours walking past the swanky boutiques on Chapel Street until I reach its extreme end in the district of Windsor to wallow in the op shops with their extensive collection of vintage cooking books (how quaint are recipes for good old 70s and 80s classics like prawn cocktail, avocado and trout pate with Melba toast and Steak Diane?!) and browsing the shelves at a favourite shop, Flavours Herbs and Spices, for spices, herbs and other cooking equipment. Walking back along Chapel Street, I look at the lovely cakes at Patterson's Cakes, and the many other old-fashioned cake shops (with garishly decorated cupcakes) along the way. Sometimes, I pop to the Prahran Market to check out the produce at the organic supermarket there although by now I do most of my shopping at the cheaper Chinese produce market (the Fresh Supermarket on Chapel Street, Prahran). Other times, I swing by special providores such as Oliveria - a Melbourne institution (particularly amongst chefs) specialising in olive-based products and is best known for its range of olive oils.

I am usually unable to resist buying something new to try and a week back, having run out of olive oil (the normal kind from the supermarkets), I finally decide to try the olive oil sourced by Oliveria from various parts of the world - ranging from Spain, Australia, Italy and even France. These oils are decanted from huge stainless steel buckets into individual packets and because they are packaged under Oliveria's own label, the cost of trying these oils are significantly lowered.

First, one has to decide on the type of olive oil one wants - spicy, fruity, mild.... the various attributes of olive oil is unending. Buying olive oil can be akin to buying wine - you definitely have to try some before deciding. After sampling a variety, I decide on the Chef's Choice olive oil, which I'm told is a popular choice amongst many Melbourne chefs. Later that night, drizzled over a rocket salad and served separately with some of my Tomato Powder (from New York) as a dip for bread, I can see why this olive oil is in demand!

I don't just spend all my time drooling over the produce in specialist shops or a lazy afternoon reading the latest cookbooks at Borders (just a short 10 minute walk away!) or cooking up dinner. For the past couple of months, I've been faithfully tying on the apron and whacking on the oven to try my hand at a variety of bakes - cakes, slices, muffins and biscuits. I'm way past the first time I made pastry after many years, although there are some near misses (like the time I tweaked my Chocolate Peanut Cookie recipe with orange marmalade instead and turned out a dense chewy cookie, which thankfully A still loved).

The latest recipe I try is a Double Chocolate Muffin from the Everyday Cooking book I'm so attached to. Originally a Triple Chocolate Muffin (how's that for chocolate overload?!), I leave out the white chocolate chips and chocolate fudge icing the recipe calls for and instead add in freshly chopped dark chocolate with the dark chocolate chips I'm using. I don't have any more chocolate in the fridge to make the icing so I use my beloved Nutino instead. Instant yums!

My Double Chocolate Muffin

(makes 8 - 9)

Ingredients:

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour
50g (1/2 cup) cocoa
90g (1/2 cup) soft brown sugar
165ml (2/3 cup) milk
60g (4 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
90g (1/4 cup) dark chocolate chips and dark chocolate chopped up, mixed
Chocolate fudge icing or Nutino for icing

Method:

Preheat oven to 180'C and line 8 x 125ml (1/2 cup) muffin pans with paper cases.
Sift the flour and cocoa together, then add brown sugar and stir through. Whisk the milk, melted butter and egg together.
Add the wet mix to the dry mix and whisk together until it forms a smooth batter. Fold through the chocolate chips and bits.
Spoon the mix into the prepared muffin tins and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until risen and golden brown.
Allow to cool, then top with Nutino frosting or the traditional chocolate fudge icing if desired.

The prepared mix all ready to be bunged into the oven

The muffins before the Nutino icing is spread

These muffins are probably not something you'd want to eat every day, but these are no doubt fantastic once in while!

Check out Oliveria at:

Pran Central Shopping Centre, Shop G36
Corner of Commercial Rd. & Cato St, Prahran
Tel: (03) 9510 0690

New York # 6 - Eating our way around the city

The charming courtyard at La Lanterna di Vittorio,

one of my fondest memories of eating out in New York

I realise I am really behind in finishing all my posts on New York, having promised a while ago to post my Top 10 New York memories.... its just that while I was working on all the posts, life goes on and so many other great topics to post about came up. I guess I should finish this soon as I have a couple of entries on our trip to the Great Ocean Road and with our forthcoming trips to the Mornington Peninsula and the Daylesford & Mt Macedon area and their spectacular restaurants and seasonal produce, there'll be heaps more material to post about!

Anyway, eating our way around New York is a gargantuan task as the city boasts countless great restaurants, venerable institutions and other humbler eateries. After all, this is the city that boasts 40,000 plus restaurants and growing! This is when the 2007 Zagat Guide on New York City Restaurants comes in handy. Find yourself wandering on the East side somewhere along the 60s after museum-hopping? Flip to the relevant section of the Zagat Guide and there'll definitely be more than just a couple of recommendations for you to choose from.

We've eaten our way through several excellent steakhouses to small cheap and cheerful outlets in Hell's Kitchen, the posh and nobby Balthazar's as well as quaint little coffeehouses and bistros with delightful open-air courtyards in Greenwich Village and SOHO. You've be spoilt for choice dining out in New York; this city is definitely a smorgasbord of choices and different cuisines. Just bring fat-day (but glamourous) outfits for those last few days of your trip and you should be alright!

Some regrets I had about our eating out in New York? Not having enough time to make reservations at Thomas Keller's new institution, Per Se, missing a chance to try the legendary porterhouse at Peter Luger's and generally missing all the other little nuggets of good food simply because we didn't have enough days (or bigger stomachs) to eat and eat and eat. Just as well that I leave some places to look forward to on my next visit to New York!

Here are some of the highlights:

Pam Real Thai Food

An unpretentious eatery in Hell's Kitchen, we decided to pay this place a visit one night when we were craving something Asian and that would likely not come in Flintstone-sized portions. This was a short walk away from our digs in Times Square and had an adequate but enthusiastic rating from the Zagat's so I thought we would take a chance and head here.

Pam's shopfront is nondescript so I almost walked right past it. Settling in, we note it's a place for a quick and easy meal, although it's not a place to linger in since the noise level is incredible. The bonus is that prices were also on the cheaper end of the scale (New York being a really expensive place to eat out after you add on the 15-20% tip!) and the food was simple but tasty. Best of all, when I requested for "Thai Spicy", they came through with the spice levels kicked up a notch and also brought me the little green and red bird's eye chillis for added kick.

Some dumplings looking suspiciously like "siew mai" but tasting slightly different. Simply lovely!

Dessert that evening comprised roasted sticky rice

and Thai-style "creme brulee" made from mungbeans

It was good enough to return another night with our friend Greg and A's cousin, Sara, and as the main restaurant was full that night, we were directed to its newly opened sister restaurant in the next street called Pam Real Thai Encore. Same food, same price but in very much more glammed and funked-up surroundings (and infinitely quieter) so we got the better deal that night for sure.

Pam Real Thai Encore

402 West 47th Street (between 9th and 10th Avenue)
Tel: 212 315 4441

Momofuko Noodle Bar

An innovative take on the traditional Japanese ramen and other Asian/Japanese-inspired dishes, Momofuko (meaning "lucky peach") was opened by a Korean-American chef, David Chang, who's classical training at Cafe Boulud certainly stood him in good stead for his own venture! This came recommended by my NY-based friend, Cal so one Sunday afternoon, having time to kill before the matinee performance of the Spelling Bee, A and I took a cab down to the East Village to try the ramen.

Bright, cool setting with comfortable bar chairs and funky music (I think the Wu-Tang clan was playing that day), Momofuko Noodle Bar is definitely not your quintessential noodle joint. Although it's all hip and happening and located in the East Village, it's not a nobby joint and no one will think twice if you turn up in your sweats after a workout at the gym.

We both ordered the Momofuko Ramen, which features the Berkshire pork combo and poached egg. I wasn't sure about the inclusion of peas in this dish (seemed to be a very American thing to do) but I couldn't quibble about the quality of the pork in that dish! Using only Iowa Berkshire pork (known to be flavoursome and rich), served two ways, lean meat and the fatty bits (yum), this was definitely a treat as I like rich fatty pork. But unfortunately, the size of the dish and the richness of the pork made for slight nausea on my part that day, probably because I had overindulged in steak 2 nights in a row and was still recovering from the flu bug that struck me a couple of days ago. A of course, didn't have any problems polishing off his bowl and the remaining pork from mine.

We also tried their version of "kong ba pao" (stewed pork in fluffy white buns, a very popular Hokkien Chinese dish in Singapore) except that we ordered the pao with sauteed shitake mushrooms instead. I wasn't very thrilled about this dish since I just saw it as a poor imitation of "kong ba pao", gimmicky and not at all so tasty as to rave about it but other patrons didn't seem to mind, one guy wolfing down 2 orders for his lunch! I guess next time ordering the paos with the Berkshire pork may be a better choice instead.

That was about all we had room for in this visit; examining the sample menu on their website, I see that there were heaps more dishes (not on the menu that day) which would be featured from time to time, so that's always a reason to go back!

Momofuko Noodle Bar

163 First Avenue

Tel: 212 475 7899

From checking out their website, it seems that a new joint called Momofuko Ssam (serving Korean finger food which David Chang dubs an "Asian burrito" in this Time Out article) opened at 207 Second Avenue (at 13th Street) a couple of weeks before we landed in NYC. Something else to check out the next time we're in town!

Balthazar Restaurant

One of NYC's institutions serving up French bistrot food, we ended up at Balthazar's for dinner one night with some of A's colleagues after quite a few attempts at securing a reservation. All mirrored glass, white linen, banquett seating and dim lighting, and well-attended by the chic, well-attired crowd, Balthazar looked like any French brasserie transported from a Parisian street. Everyone seemed much pleased with their choice of dishes; I chose 3 quintessential French bistrot dishes to try, Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Mousse with Red Onion Confit & Country Bread, Steak Frites (with maitre d' butter) and Creme Brulee.

You can hardly see the huge pot of mousse but it was really good!

I have to apologise first that the photos are so horribly unclear as the dim lighting in Balthazar made it difficult to get a proper photo. Of the 3 dishes, only the mousse impressed, being smooth and creamy, and boasting a robust and clean liver taste throughout. I thought the Steak Frites was quite ordinary as the butter didn't seem quite intensely flavoured as some others I'd tried before, although the saving grace was the Frites, which came appropriately crisp and thin. Someone who ordered the Moules Frites said it was quite tasty but I can't verify that as I'm not in the habit of sharing food with acquaintances and declined to try their portion.

The disappointing Steak Frites

I had a pleasant ending with the Creme Brulee, which was yummy, but nothing spectacular.

Some comments about the service at Balthazar - I thought the waitress who waited at our table could have been more attentive and definitely the manager, who scolded the Indian busboy (who was incidentally the only nice waitstaff that night) clearing our table loudly within ear shot of diners could do with an attitude change. This would be an adequate dinner venue I guess.... just not for me.

Balthazar Restaurant

80 Spring Street (on the corner of Crosby Street)

Tel: 212 965 1785

Other restaurants worthy of mention:

Jane

100 West Houston Street

Tel: 212 254 7000

My friend Cal took us to this restaurant when we first met up. I gather he's taken all of our friends passing through New York to this place as well as we all shared pretty fond memories of the food served here. Cuisine here is "New American" which emphasizes lighter cooking styles and smaller portions. Definitely good grub, average restaurant prices and I hear that they do a killer Sunday brunch (complete with cocktail of choice). I will remember this place for its friendly bartender who on learning I was still nursing the flu, promptly recommended an Irish remedy and offered to make it up (I declined when I heard it involved rum!).

La Lanterna di Vittorio (The Fireside Caffe)

129 MacDougal Street

Tel: 212 529 5945

This lovely joint which has an open-air courtyard and an airy charm about the place seemed like just the cosy joint Felicity would have taken Noel for a dinner date, being a short walk from the NYU dorms (alright, remnants of my Felicity addiction)! Try and score a seat in its candle-lit courtyard for a dinner date - it's quite a lovely surprise walking into the courtyard after seeing how hugely built-up NYC is. Serving up a good selection of thin crust pizzas and paninis and having a pretty lengthy wine list, we came here with Cal for dessert and coffee after dinner at Jane. This is where I had the yummy chocolate hazelnut "sweet pizza" and which probably triggered my Nutella/Nutino cravings....

Steak lovers of USDA prime grade, dry aged beef would definitely enjoy the following:

Keens Steakhouse

72 West 36th Street

Tel: 212 947 3636

Proudly declaring itself to be the home of the legendary mutton chop since 1885, Keens is one of those old clubby restaurants with weather leather armchairs, dark polished wood panels and distinguished waiters impeccably turned out in their whites.

One of the unique features about this restaurant is the numerous church pipes lining the ceiling. Another must be their mutton chop, which to say the least, was HUGE and comes with a lovely 1cm thick slab of mutton fat. A, who loves his meat, struggled valiantly to the very end to polish off his dish, and I will definitely concur that the mutton is very nicely done and immensely tasty here. Just share the dish between 2 people, or else pay the consequences as A did when he awoke at 5am and felt his body temperature rising!

Our visit stands out in my memory for the sheer amount of food consumed. We were taken there by one of the "chiefs" in A's NY office, who clearly loves his food. Amongst the dishes ordered that night, together with plenty of beer and Calvados, were a Large Chilled Seafood Tray (boasting a dozen oysters, mussels, crab claws, clams and prawns), a non-stop flow of poached white asparagus (YUMMY!!), the legendary Mutton Chop, my delicious Aged Prime T-bone steak (which I managed to eat just half) and a 3 pound lobster complete with an endless flow of melted butter. Dessert concluded with more sin on our plate in the form of Chocolate Mousse and Hot Fudge Sundae.

Walking the 10 blocks back to our hotel that night wasn't easy after that gargantuan meal but we managed it somehow!

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House

1221 Avenue of the Americas (at the McGraw-Hill Building)

Tel: 212 575 5129

From its location in the McGraw-Hill Building (incidentally where A's head office is located) to the polished mahogany bar, its chandeliered ceiling, smooth wooden balustrades and plush carpetting, I can see why Cal described Del Frisco's as a mecca for movers and shakers in the professional fields. Indeed, the night we were there, the bar was chock-a-block with expensively suited WASP figures although there were some folks in white jeans who were clearly from out-of-town. Another strange experience was that we were virtually the only Asians in that joint, quite a surreal feeling in cosmopolitan New York. Cal said the waitstaff would be quite easy on the eye and definitely as our server, Brad, walked up, I silently amen-ed his colleague's comment that this place boasted a "Masters of the Universe" selection of waitstaff!

This was a special treat for A, being his birthday dinner so we didn't spare any expense in ordering ourselves a bottle of Bordeaux "Greysac" and heaps of really lovely food to load the table - Crab cakes with Cajun lobster sauce, their famous Macaroni & Cheese, and the Prime Porterhouse for A and the Porterhouse Chop Lamb for me and finishing off with the dessert of the day (I can't remember what it is thought).

Appropriately tipsy and full to the belly, we stumbled over to the W Hotel (quite hip and happening and also the location from where the Fab 5 from Queer Eye for a Straight Guy view their combined makeover of the straight guy for the day in one of their plush suites) to meet up with some friends for a nightcap. A birthday A won't forget for a while!

When the Weather Outside is Frightful

It's only a couple of weeks to go till summer rolls around but we're seeing wintry conditions these couple of days here in Melbourne. Since Monday, there have been intermittent showers and cold snaps culminating in a marvellous downpour complete with hailstones today (marvellous for the drought-stricken farming regions in Victoria that is, not so much for this shivering girl typing away with cold feet in booties). The temperature right now, despite the sun peeping out, is hovering somewhere about 8'C so I'm definitely glad to be snug and warm indoors.

Back in Singapore, days like today would be a welcome respite from the sweltering heat and if one is fortunate enough to be snuggling on your couch with a book, definitely an opportune period for doing nothing more than snoozing and reading and perhaps indulging in some pampering treats for the tummy.

I had earlier in the day started off with a pampering treat (purely by accident since I had made the appointment a while ago) when I went to try the Skin Quench facial at Aesop's South Yarra branch seeing that it was a short 7 minute walk away and was glad to be cosseted with warm oil and wrapped in blankets as the wind howled outside. Of course, the walk back home was enough to take my breath away so after lunch and working on some projects, I decided to treat myself to a cuppa and a couple of slices of the Orange Marmalade Cake I'd made last night.

Not the neatest slices of cake ever but these are so rich, they're better cut into smaller slices to enjoy

Made from a recipe from Campion and Curtis' Everyday Cooking (my favourite cookbook right now), the blurb to the recipe promises that a slice of this cake would be perfect for autumnal afternoons with a pot of tea. I decide today's weather qualifies as vaguely "autumnal" and reach for a couple of slices of that comforting cake. All rich buttery goodness, with a tinge of orange cutting through the richness, it needs only a freshly brewed cup of coffee/tea and a good book (which by luck, I had just bought a copy of "Every Living Thing" by a favourite childhood author, James Herriot).

Orange Marmalade Cake
(Serves 6-8 persons)

Ingredients:

220g soft butter
180g (3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp) caster sugar
Zest of 1 orange, chopped or grated
3 eggs
300g (2 cups) self-raising flour, sifted
60ml (1/4 cup) orange juice
½ cup orange marmalade

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180'C. Butter a 22cm springform cake tin, line the sides and bottom with greaseproof paper and butter lightly.
Cream the butter, caster sugar and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one, fully incorporating each one before adding the next. Carefully fold in the flour, along with the orange juice. Finally, fold in the marmalade.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Test the cake by inserting a skewer. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready; if it doesn't, cook for a further 5 minutes and test again.

Another perfect treat for today (if I had any left after A took the remaining one to the office this morning) would have been the Jam Donut Muffins I made on the weekend. Bored stiff waiting for A to finish his work so we could go for dinner, I rummaged around in the fridge and scanned Everyday Cooking for a suitable recipe.

Here's the recipe for Jam Donut Muffins, to which the Campion and Curtis team described as tasting just "like a donut but with only a fraction of the work". A had to ask me to explain many times over why it was called a Jam Donut Muffin but whatever it is called, it sure is a good munch! You can substitute the jam filling with Nutella or in my case, my beloved Nutino…

Jam Doughnut Muffins
(Makes 10- 12 muffins)

Ingredients:

250g (12/3 cups) self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
1 egg
185ml (3/4 cup) milk
Raspberry jam / Nutino
75g melted butter
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar, additional
1 tsp ground cinnamon, additional

Method:

Preheat oven to 180'C. Line 10 – 12 x 125ml (1/2 cup) muffin pans with paper cases.
Sift the flour, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the oil, caster sugar, egg and milk together. Add to the flour and stir well until combined.
Half-fill the prepared muffin tins with the mixture, add ½ tsp of jam/Nutino to each muffin and cover with more batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until risen and golden brown.
Mix the melted butter, additional caster sugar and cinnamon together. When the muffins are cooked, remove them from the tins and dip their tops into the cinnamon and sugar mix, then place them onto a rack to cool.

You can see how much filling I've stuffed the muffins with!

Dipping the muffins into the cinnamon sugar mixture

Just a suggestion – it's tempting to stuff as much filling as you can past the recommended ½ teaspoon but do so at your own peril. I had half my muffins burst and spill its contents onto the muffin tray because I was overzealous in chucking in at least 1 teaspoon of Nutino or jam!

Our weekends in Melbourne

The contents of my many emails to friends and family (and vice versa) these last couple of months have invariably ranged around the topic of "What are you up to this weekend?". Friends and family have written to me about attending cake-making classes, fun dinner dates, weekend getaways and visiting some of the new eateries that have sprung up in town during my absence. In turn, I tell them about the latest bit of Melbourne A and I have explored, a short synopsis of a weekend to Melbourne's regions, the parties or exhibitions we've attended or the latest restaurant visited.

Of course, not every weekend will be chockfull of special events and activities; some will instead feature nothing more than lounging around and catching up on reading, having convivial conversations over a lunch table with friends or a simple lunch/dinner date with A at a nearby eatery. Here's a selection of the "simple weekends" we've had in Melbourne these past few months….

Lunches with friends & colleagues

Colleagues from the Melbourne & New York offices

Checking out Campari at Port Melbourne with A's colleagues from the Melbourne and New York offices one lazy Sunday afternoon and visiting Station Pier nearby after lunch.

Tusk

An impromptu Saturday afternoon lunch at Tusk with Michelle and Jackson, who have been very hospitable to us during our stay. Michelle has been a source of great comfort seeing that I don't have any other girlfriends here and have been missing girltalk and commiseration over coffee sorely these past few months.

Beachcombing at Brighton beach

View of the CBD from Brighton

It was too windy that day but we managed to walk a short section of the beach path linking the beachside suburbs of Albert Park, Middle Park, Brighton and so on.

In and around the Botanic Gardens

Footprints of an Aboriginal chieftain and his grandchild in the RBG

Early one Sunday morning, we went for a Walk on the Wildside with our guide, David Plant and saw the different animal varieties, including many different birds, which have made the Royal Botanic Gardens their home. We didn't spot the large eagle (reputedly the height of a small child) but did see many of the garden's other denizens such as possums, swans, moor hens, birds and the lot.

Other than such activities (Walk on the Wildside being my third guided walk in the RBG), A and I spend a lot of time in the RBG just lounging in the sunshine and catching up on the news in the Age. I just have to say this about the Age, it is simply one of the best newspapers I've read – the Saturday edition weighing in at close to 1kg (just like the weekend edition of the New York Times), it comes chockfull of insightful articles on politics and the arts, and enough international news to keep me happily reading for the next couple of days.

Not having a garden with this apartment in Melbourne means that we have been treating the RBG as pretty much "ours" and have been enjoying the greenery there as often as we possibly can. We're not the only ones… these women were there for a hen party and of course, many couples choose to come to the RBG for their wedding photos. Quite a few others organize family picnics in its extensive grounds, while some others engage in a game of lawnbowling. While it sounds like every Melburnian finds their way to the RBG every weekend, the grounds are extensive enough for every one of us to find our own piece of garden.

Having yum cha lunch in a funky tea house


One Saturday, we decided to see what the fuss about the Oriental Tea House was all about. For a traditional tea house funked up and given a modern (read Westernised) twist, the food proves to be pretty good, with a good selection of new-age dim sums and our traditional favourites (like chicken feet, char siew pastries and egg tart). Of course, the bill when it arrives, similarly mirrors the funked up image!

Catching a street show while out walking!

One of many street performers around Melbourne, we caught this guy working the crowds while strolling the Sunday market at the Arts Centre.

Places to visit:

Campari

Station Pier
2 Waterfront Place, Port Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9676 9230

Oriental Tea House

455 Chapel Street, South Yarra
Tel: (03) 9824 0128
For yum cha bookings, please call (03) 9826 1068

Tusk Cafe Bar

133 Chapel Street, Windsor
Tel: (03) 9529 1198

One Day in the Life of a Domestic Goddess (wannabe)

Apple chips from The Nut Spot

Today is yet another day I thank my lucky stars that I had this opportunity to take time off from the neverending whirl of working life. My time being my own nowadays, a lot of it is spent in the kitchen getting reacquainted with my old lost cooking skills….and as friends now like to note, living out my (secret) fantasy of being a domestic goddess. It's mid afternoon now as I write this, with a bowl of fresh apple chips from The Nut Shot for company, while my ragu sauce bubbles gently away on the stove. What ragu sauce you ask? Well, the ragu sauce I made from scratch just this morning.

In my past hectic life (soon to resume in a not-too-distant January), our fridge used to be a barren landscape of stale bread, milk, an assortment of unexciting jams, butter flecked with bread crumbs, the odd egg or two and usually the remnants of some manky bananas A intended to finish but plain forgot. Packets of frozen vegetables and occasionally, an unidentifiable mess from the back of the freezer complete the picture of our disorganised fridge. I'd throw everything out and troop to the supermarket with best intentions to ensure that both of us enjoy some proper nourishment. The cycle repeats itself every couple of months until I'm reduced to just buying essentials for 1 or 2 home-cooked meals on weekends, and throwing any remaining herbs, vegetable scraps away.

I recall numerous times when I'd open the door and survey the debris inside and despair of the day when I would find the time to ensure that my fridge would always be adequately stocked with pristinely organized foodstuff and fresh produce. Like any woman and her dream wedding, I have a dream fridge. Amongst all the usual fresh produce like eggs, meat, vegetables and fruits, my dream fridge would also have huge compartments to store my condiments, jams and preserves and contain tubs of frozen ragu sauce (for an instant meal), freshly made chicken stock, ice-cubes of frozen herbs (instead of the green sludge mouldering in the vegetable compartment), homemade cookies and cakes to snack on, lots of fresh fruit and bread.

Some of the new additions to my fridge from our recent trip down the Great Ocean

Road - Sourdough (L) and Scottish malt bread (R) from Cobb's Old Style Bakery in Port

Fairy and Watermelon, Lemon & Orange Jam from a market stall in Apollo Bay's farmers' market

Today sees the culmination of several weeks of organized behaviour on my part. Coming across artisanal fresh bread on our last day in Port Fairy (one stop in our trip to the Great Ocean Road), I promptly purchase 2 fat loaves of sourdough and Scottish malt bread from Cobb's Old Style Bakery. A day before that, I'd spotted jars of watermelon, lemon and orange honey jam (an unusual but yummy combination) using fresh honey from a local producer and bought a couple as well. And today, I finally set aside the whole day to make ragu and freeze all my excess herbs. So save for freshly made chicken stock, my fridge is now beginning to resemble my vision of a dream fridge.

For a while, I'd procrastinated on making ragu although it's actually a very simple exercise, as I had an idea that the preparation time involved would simply kill me. However, I'm faced with a leftover ½ bottle of wine (too old to drink), celery and carrots fast approaching its use-by date and decide to bite the bullet. Getting started, it's definitely quite tedious preparing all the ingredients (especially mincing the carrots!!) but once it's on the stove and simmering away, you have 4 hours of uninterrupted bliss.

My ragu recipe combines the best bits of 2 recipes – one from a lawyer friend who apprenticed as a chef on his year out from practice (and does indeed cook some spectacular meals!) and the other from Delia Smith.

Definitely set aside a whole day without interruptions for making ragu. After simmering gently for 4 hours, it's mid to late afternoon if you start first thing in the morning and the ragu has to cool completely before you divide it into separate bags for freezing.

My Ragu Bolognese
(Makes approximately 8 x 225g portions, each portion serving 2 people)

Ingredients:

550g minced beef (I prefer topside mince to lean meat for the extra flavoursome fat)
450g minced pork
225g chicken livers (deveined, green bits cut out and finely chopped)
3 medium-sized white onions, finely diced
8 fat garlic close, chopped
2 carrots, finely diced
2 sticks of celery (fibrous skin removed with a peeler and finely diced)
100g streaky bacon (finely chopped)
2 x 400g tins Italian chopped/whole tomatoes
400g tomato puree/paste
375ml (or ½ bottle) red wine (I used Australian shiraz for its rich and fruity overtones)
Fresh basil, as much as you'd like
3-5 bay leaves
¾ - 1 whole nutmeg, freshly grated
Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

Method:

(1) Mix the minced meats with 1/3 cup of olive oil, 3 cloves of the chopped garlic and lots of freshly milled black pepper and leave aside while you prepare the rest of the other ingredients.

(2) Take the largest frying pan you have and heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat. Add the minced meat and brown it, breaking it up and moving it around in the pan. It is probably more manageable if you add the meat a little at a time. When the meat is browned, tip it into a standing flameproof casserole with at least a 3.5l capacity**.

(3) Add more oil and brown the pieces of chicken liver. Add this to the casserole.

(4) Gently fry the onion and remaining garlic over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, moving it around from time to time. When the onion and garlic have softened and turned slightly translucent (about 10 minutes on medium heat), add the bacon and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes.

(5) Now add the diced carrot and celery and fry till soft. If using the casserole, tip all this into the casserole.

(6) Add the contents of the tins of tomatoes, the tomato paste/puree, red wine and a really good seasoning of pepper and nutmeg but no salt yet. Allow this to come up to simmering point. Then strip the leaves from the basil, chop them very finely and add them to the pot.

(7) As soon as everything is simmering, place the casserole on the centre shelf of the oven and leave it to cook slowly, without a lid, for 4 hours. It's a good idea to have a look after 3 hours to make sure all is well, but what you should end up with is a thick concentrated sauce with only a trace of liquid left in it. Once done, remove it from the oven, add a generous scattering of salt, taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Strip the leaves off the remaining basil, slice finely and stir them in.

** You can also make do with a large heavy-bottomed pot over the stove. At step 4, fry the onion and garlic in the pot instead, and continue the rest of the recipe, except that the meat should be tipped into the pot at step 5 before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Some comments:

I prefer not to salt dishes early on in the cooking process so that I can taste the final flavours to determine how much salt is really required. Heart-smart move! Also, the original Delia Smith recipe called for just ½ whole nutmeg to be grated but with the increased quantities of meat and sauce in this recipe, I increased the amount of nutmeg in proportion.

Starting off with all the prepped ingredients

Setting the ragu to simmer for 4 hours

Midway through the 4 hours simmering process

The end result!

Where I shopped:

The Nut Spot

1c Murphy Street
South Yarra Melbourne
Tel: 9820 9994

Well-stocked with all kinds of nuts, dried fruits and fruit chips. I am glad I don't have to walk miles to get pistachios or walnuts for cakes now!

Cobb's Old Style Bakery

25 Bank Street
Port Fairy, Victoria
Tel: (03) 5568 1713

For a magnificent sticky-sweet Scottish malt loaf and lots of old-fashioned pasties and cakes made the way your grandma does hers.