Category Archives: Foodie

Jamie’s Italian : Restaurant Review

Posted on August 2, 2012 | 5 comments

As you already know that Jamie Oliver is my favourite chef, I meant to go to Jamie’s Italian for a while but didn’t quite seem to manage. Finally last night I and my hubby decide to give it a go and we are so happy that we did…

As my friends had told me there could be a wait during dinner time as the restaurant doesn’t take bookings, we decided to go a bit early to avoid the queue. We were there at 6pm and were delighted to get a table straight away.

As we walked into the restaurant, there is pasta-making area in the front window and there is an area where you can have a drink while you wait for a table. The whole place has this big warehouse, rustic/industrial vibe. We were seated in the ground floor and we could see the frantic open kitchen where chefs were busy preparing food. There was an upper floor above us as well. The tables upstairs and down were all metal with graffiti walls, wire mesh and copper pendant lights.

Also when I went to the ladies, the bathroom looked like it was from the 1930’s with a dim light and old style basin and tap.

When we were seated, we were given menus, water glass and a jug of water. As it was a restaurant by an international celebrity chef, I was expecting the place to be pose and high-end with menu price at top of the range but I was really happy to see that he has catered for the mid range rather than high-end. The prices seem so reasonable and comparable with a normal café.

The staffs seemed busy but were polite and filled up your water as required.

Crispy Squid

Sweet Mini Chilli peppers

For entrée we ordered Sweet Mini Chilli peppers, stuffed with whipped ricotta, mint & lemon and Crispy Squid, fried squid served with really garlicky mayo & lemon. The size of the squid was not that big but for the price and as an entrée, they were fine. The most important part is that they were delicious.

As we finished the entrée and the table was cleared and while we were waiting for our main we got homemade Rosemary Focaccia Artisan Sourdough, Ciabatta & Tortano from their bakery Crispy Carta Di Musica. It was on the house and the timing was perfect. They were nice with olive oil and herbs on them.

For the main I ordered Osso Bucco Milanese which is an Aussie lamb cooked overnight with tomatoes, saffron, wine & herbs, served on oozy polenta Bianca.  AS ordered Tuscan Wild Boar Sausages which isjuicy red wine & fennel sausages served with a warm, minty lentil salad & salsa rossa piccante.

Osso Bucco Milanese

Tuscan Wild Boar Sausages

I was really happy with my lamb as they were so soft and they came off easily from the bone. The sauce was so yummy as well that I didn’t leave anything on my plate. I tried sausages as well but I didn’t like it that much as I found the flavour a bit strong for my likening but AS loved it. The food did taste fresh and  the portion size was generous.

Tiramisu

After the main, we ordered their famous Tiramisu which is a coffee-flavoured trifle with orange mascarpone & chocolate. As a non coffee and alcohol drinker, I found that it had more coffee and alcohol than most tiramisu I have had. The mascarpone layers were set and unripened and the cakey layers were a bit wet but overall the dish tasted nice.

I know as a fan of Jamie Oliver, I was meant to like his restaurant but my review is honest to my taste buds and I have to say the food actually speaks for itself. From the dishes I have tried, I can honestly say I loved them all. The service was always prompt and friendly and the atmosphere casual and welcoming. Jamie’s Italian is good honest food for the body and soul.

You may also like :

*Jamie’s Crackin’ Crab Briks, Couscous Salad & Salsa *Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Tikka Masala *Jamie Oliver’s Dan Dan Noodles

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Jamie Oliver Szechuan stir fry with chicken and brown rice

Posted on July 29, 2012 | 14 comments

I have always loved Jamie Oliver as a chef. His cooking is so heart warming and yummy. I really like that he uses his hands instead of just a knife to do things in the kitchen making me feel like he is cooking at home. Anyway, I recently bought a Jamie Oliver 20 minutes meals app for my Android phone. So today we decided to try one of the recipes called Jamie Oliver Szechuan Stir Fry with Jasmine rice. It was so easy and quick. As I was cleaning the house, I asked my husband to get the ingredients ready. He thought he would surprised me and cooked the whole meal by himself. I am really impressed as it turned to be yummy and he just had to followed the recipe.

He used brown rice instead of jasmine rice as it is more healthy.

Ingredients

  • 2 large boneless, skinless, chicken highs
  • 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns (Timur in Nepali)
  • 150g brown rice
  • 1 small bunch fresh coriander
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2cm fresh ginger
  • 1/2 medium red pepper
  • 1 small bunch spring onion
  • 50g unsalted peanuts
  • 2 small dried red chilli
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornflour
  • 2 teaspoon sweet chili sauce
  • vegetable oil
  • soy sauce
  • sea salt

Steps

  • Fill your kettle and put it in to boil. Preheat your oven to the lowest setting and place your bowls in the oven to warm.
  • Fill the saucepan with the boiling water and place on a high heat. Once boiling, add the rice and simmer according to packet instructions until the rice to cooked. If you  have rice cooker, you can use that.
  • Meanwhile pick the coriander leaves and put to one side. Finely hop the stalks.
  • Place the wok on a medium heat.
  • Peel the garlic and ginger and slice into matchsticks. De-seed and finely slice the red pepper. Trim and slice the spring onions.
  • Slice the chicken thighs into strips and pop in a bowl with a splash of soy sauce to marinate.
  • Add the peanuts to the hot wok and toast for a few seconds until they start to smell roasted and delicious. Tip out onto a plate and put to one side.
  • Return the wok to the heat and add a splash of vegetable oil.
  • Bash up the dried chillies with Szechuan peppercorns in a pestle and mortar.
  • Add the chicken strips to the hot wok. Turn the heat up to high and season well with salt.
  • Add the bashed up chilli and peppercorns to the wok then stir-fry quickly until the chicken starts to turn golden. Meanwhile…
  • When the rice is done, drain it in a sieve then place the sieve back over the warm saucepan and cover with a lid.
  • Throw the garlic and ginger into the wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
  • Add the coriander stalks, spring onions and red pepper and stir-fry for another minute or two until the chicken strips are cooked through.
  • Add the cornflour and sweet chilli sauce to the wok with a splash of soy sauce and toss everything together. Turn the heat off.
  • Make you table look respectable – get the cutlery, salt and pepper and drinks laid out nicely.
  • Add a good pinch of salt to the rice. Get your warmed bowls out of the oven and divide the rice between them.
  • Spoon the stir-fry over the rice, scatter each portion with your toasted peanuts and coriander leaves and tuck in!

You may also like :

*Jamie’s Crackin’ Crab Briks, Couscous Salad & Salsa *Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Tikka Masala *Jamie Oliver’s Dan Dan Noodles

14 Comments

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Things are changing

Posted on May 16, 2012 | 10 comments

If a few years ago someone had suggested that we spend my day off cooking, I would have laughed my head off but to my surprise, last week I took my RDO (roaster day off) and that is exactly what I did.

As my husband was working that day, I had a friend come over. We didn’t have much planned so we thought it would be a great idea to try some new dishes. So we came up with a four course menu for the day.

It was

  • Aloo chop with golbheda achar 
  • Lentil soup
  • Chorizo and tomato couscous
  • Fresh green beans with pan fried mushrooms
  • Chocolate mud cake with ice-cream

Surprisingly the food turned out yummy even though we tried some of the recipes for the first time. They were all easy and quick to make so I am sharing the recipes here.

Aloo chop with golbhera achar (click here for recipe)

Lentil soup

Ingredients

  • 200gm brown lentils
  • 2 litres chicken or veggie stock
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee (can be replaced by butter or oil)
  • 1/ 2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • Thickening cream (optional)

Steps

  • In a large saucepan, heat oil and add turmeric powder and crushed garlic.
  • Once garlic is brown, add tomatoes and onion along with cumin powder and salt. Fry for few minutes.
  •  Now add lentils and stock and combine all ingredients. Bring to boil, then simmer until lentils are soft, 30 to 45 minutes.
  • If you have a pressure cooker, press it for 5 whistles instead.
  • Add thickening cream if you want to add flavor.

 

Chorizo and tomato couscous (from Coles website)

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Moroccan Seasoning Mix
  • 400 g can Tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup Chicken Stock
  • 250 g  Broccoli Florets
  • 1 1/2 cups Couscous
  • 1 cup Flat Leaf Parsley
  • 2 Chorizo Sausages, sliced
  • 1 Onion, chopped

Steps

  • Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium. Cook chorizo for 1-2 mins each side, until golden. Remove from pan. Cook onion in the same pan for 3-5 mins, until soft. Add seasoning mix and stir until fragrant.
  • Add tomatoes, stock and broccoli. Bring to boil and sprinkle over couscous. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 mins, until liquid has been absorbed. Using a fork, stir through parsley and chorizo, fluffing up grains as you go.

Fresh green beans with pan fried mushrooms (from Coles website) 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil, (from pantry)
  • small brown onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 300 g cup mushrooms, quartered
  • 500 g green beans, ends trimmed
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

Steps

  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for 2-3 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and lightly browned.
  • Cook the green beans briefly in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, or until just tender and vibrant green.
  • Remove the beans with a slotted spoon and add to the mushrooms with the thyme. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a serving platter.

Chocolate mud cake with ice-cream

Ingredients

  • 1 cups hot water
  • 250 g butter
  • 200 g dark cooking chocolate
  • 1 cup cocoa
  • 2 cups caster sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten lightly
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
  • 1 cups self-raising flour
  • 2 teaspoon chocolate topping
  • Ice cream to serve

Steps

  • In a saucepan over low heat melt together, butter, cocoa, chocolate, sugar, vanilla and hot water.
  • When cooled add flour and eggs and mix well. The mixture will be very runny.
  • Pour into a lined 30 cm cake tin and bake at 150C for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out.
  • When cool sprinkle with icing sugar.
  • Pour chocolate toppings on the slice of a cake in the plate and serve with ice cream.

You may also like :

*Momo *Bhogate Sadekoo *Chicken chili

10 Comments

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Chatamari

Posted on May 11, 2012 | 7 comments

Chatamari is a special Newari dish which is like a crepe made of rice flour and optionally topped with mince meat with seasoning or vegetables.

Use non stick pan so that Chatamari doesn’t stick to the pan.

Ingredients 

For Rice Base

  • 2 cups rice flour
  • 3 eggs (beaten)
  • 1 cup water (depends on consistency)
  • 1 cup ghee or butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup of peas
  • A bunch of coriander leaves chopped

For Toppings

  • 250 grams minced chicken
  • ½ cup finely chopped onions
  • ½ cup diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Steps

  • Mix minced meat, salt, pepper, onion, tomato, oil, peas, curry powder, coriander leaves, garlic and ginger in a big bowl and put aside. This will be the topping for the Chatamari.
  • Mix rice flour, eggs, water and salt to make batter.
  • You may need to add more water if necessary to achieve the consistency similar to the batter for crepes.
  • Heat a non stick pan.
  • Pour in some batter and spread out into a thin crust. Cover the pan and cook just on one side for a few minutes. Don’t flip onto the other side.
  • Put the toppings on top of the Chatamari and cook for a few minutes by covering the lid.
  • If you like your meat well done, take the Chatamari and put it in the oven on low heat for 2 minutes. But this tends to dry the Chatamari. Alternately you can pre-cook the minced meat mix and then add it to the Chatamari in this step.
  • For vegetarian options, topping can be made with potatoes, onions and tomatoes or if you eat eggs just use scrambled eggs for toppings.
  • Serve hot with spicy achar or your favourite sauce.

You may also like :

* *Goat curry *Momo

7 Comments

Posted in Nepal, Nepali food, Newari Food, Recipe

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Aloo Chop

Posted on April 19, 2012 | 8 comments

Aloo means potatoes in Nepali and this is a simple Nepali vegetarian dish.

Ingredients

  • 5 medium-sized potatoes
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 cups gram flour (besan)
  • 3-4 green chillies finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of ginger paste
  • 2 teaspoons of  garlic paste
  • 1 lemon (squeezed)
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • A pinch of  baking soda
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for deep frying

Method:

  • Boil the potatoes (use pressure cooker if you have one) and make a mash after peeling off the skin.
  • Add chopped onion, chillies, ginger, garlic, lime and salt and mix well. Make sure the mixture is a bit lumpy and not too smooth like a paste.
  • Heat two spoon oil and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the mustard crackles, remove from heat and add to the potato mixture and mix well.

  • In one bowl, make a batter from gram flour and baking soda.
  • Add salt to taste, cumin seeds, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
  • The batter should not be runny and should remain a bit thick.
  • Divide the potato mixture into equal sized portions, in the size of small egg.  and make a flat disc shape.

  • Dip each disc in the batter and deep fry till golden brown in colour.
  • Serve hot with achar/ketchup

You may also like :

*Momo *Aloo ko achar *Chicken chili

8 Comments

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