Harajuku Gyoza

I had heard a lot about this new Gyoza and Alcohol concept @ Harajuku Gyoza. However, being a non-drinker, I put-off visiting this place simply because I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the experience.

While looking for a place to munch before our class, my cake buddy & I decided to check out Harajuku Gyoza. We headed to HG straight after work at 5.30 and found it to be rather empty.

We chose to be seated at the bar so we could watch them cook our Gyoza.

I also found the place to be overloaded with cuteness. Love this pink plate!

 

We ordered a range of Gyoza from the menu.

Grilled Pork Gyoza ($8)

Grilled Lemongrass Chicken Gyoza ($9)

Grilled Duck Gyoza ($8)

Grilled Chicken Gyoza ($8)

My favourite was the Lemongrass Chicken as it tasted fresh and flavoursome. Duck was my least favourite as I was not convinced the flavour worked well in the gyoza.

We even decided to check out their dessert Gyoza. The Nutella Banana Gyoza with IceCream ($9) tasted just like chocolate & banana pancakes, except it is wrapped inside a dumpling!

As for the Apple Gyoza with IceCream ($9), it tasted just like an apple pie. However, I found it to be a tad too sweet to my liking.

As we were leaving, we noticed a queue building up at the door. *Phew* I was glad we went early and missed the line. To be honest, I enjoyed the experience and wouldn’t mind going back for an early dinner if we can avoid the queue.



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Urban Burger

Not often do we venture to Browns Plains in search of eats, but after visiting Bunnings on the weekend we were too hungry to drive around and settled down at the local Urban Burger joint.

We hadn't been to an Urban Burger place before but have frequented Grill'd for years and came with high hopes that it could match our favourite burger joint.

First impressions count and we were glad to see occupied tables, which was usually a good sign.

I had The King -100% King Island beef, brie cheese, rocket, tomato, tangy red relish, aioli ($11.90) and D had Chicken Ceasar - Fresh breast of chicken, lettuce, bacon, egge, parmesan cheese, caesar dressing ($10.90).  We also ordered Regular Chips ($3.90) and Chilli Aioli (70c) to share.

The burgers arrived pretty quickly and both looked appetising on the plate.  However, one of the first things we noticed was that the bun had quite a thick top layer and the bread looked pretty dense. 

The meat in the "Chicken Ceasar" was a little dry, but the caesar dressing was creamy and tangy which saved the burger.  The other toppings tasted fresh and were well balanced.

As for "The King", the beef pattie was moist and juicy and the other ingredients went well together, particularly the creamy Brie cheese. The only failing in our opinion was that the burger lacked any zing and could have done with a bit more kick in the "tangy red relish".

The chips were just average and the aioli was similarly a bit bland for our liking with no real kick to it.

Overall, it was a pleasant enough meal and we were glad we tried it out. In our opinion, it was just a step short of matching Grill'd flavour combinations and taste.



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Char Char Yiros

For some unknown reason (perhaps all the media coverage of Greece's financial woes), D had a craving today for Greek food.  It could also be that I told him I went to Char Char Yiros earlier in the week with my cake buddy.

We initially wanted to go to Little Greek Taverna, but failed to get a table.  So, we wandered down the road to Char Char Yiros again (second time this week for me).

With meals starting from $10, Char Char Yiros makes for a reasonably affordable meal.  I tried the lamb shanks with lemon potatoes earlier in the week and it was delicious.  The lamb was tender and meat just fell off the bone.  I found the lemon potatoes a bit too sour ('lemony') to my taste and didn't end up finishing it.

This time, D and I both ordered ordered "lunch plates" ($15) which came with your choice of charcoal lamb or chicken plus greek salad, hand cut chips, grilled haloumi cheese, hot pita bread and yoghurt garlic sauce.

Both the lamb and chicken were well marinated and seasoned but perhaps a little dryer than what we were hoping for (though still better than what we ate in Greece).  The greek salad was crisp and refreshing and the grilled haloumi cheese a wonderful additional to the meal.  However, of all things on the plate the Pita stood out as it had a slightly buttery taste to it that just made it all the more morish.

We left with empty plates, full stomaches and satisfied with the meal.



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Lesson 6 ~ The Finale

All good things have to come to an end, so is our favourite cake decorating class.

I am very amazed how much I have learnt in the past 6 weeks. I went from never dealing with fondant, to now fully covering a cake with fondant and making wonderful decorations such as roses and bows. This is definitely more than what I have hoped to achieve in class.

With a last minute change in my cake design (due to an upcoming event on the weekend), I had to scrap my initial ideas and reworked on my design. I wanted the cake to be used for a special event, so I planned a housewarming on the weekend as a ‘reason’ to use the cake.

I started making little head figurines to represent D & I.

However, I went to get a perm and realised the figurines need to be redone. Thankfully, the fix was easy and all I had to do was to add couple strands of curls.

I also really liked bows. So, after a few trials with designs and colours, I decided on a light yellow bow with stitches. The bow I made a home broke on the way to class, so I had to make another one in class. Thankfully, after a few practices, I have mastered fondant bow-making, so it wasn’t too difficult.

The pieces started to come together when the cake was finally assembled. The designed represented D and I looking out the window of our new home.

I was very happy with the cake but was also sad that it was the end of the class. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to practice and create beautiful cakes from now on.

Thank you Eleanor @ CakeAge for your patience and generosity in sharing your knowledge and the incredible 6 weeks experience!

My cake journey:
Lesson 1 ~ Cake Decorating
Lesson 2 ~ Piping Techniques
Lesson 3 ~ Roses, Strawberry and Letters
Lesson 4 ~ Cake Designs & Fondant
Lesson 5 ~ Chocolate + Cream = Ganache
Lesson 6 ~ The Finale


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Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie

I made the Donna Hay's Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie for a recent high tea event and it was very well-received.

So, as promised, I am sharing this recipe to my eager dessertier friends.

Note: This is taken from Donna Hay's Simply Easentials Chocolate Cookbook

Ingredients:
Chocolate Mix
185g Butter softened
220g Castor Sugar sifted
30g Cocoa powder sifted
150g plain flour sifted
2 Eggs

Cheesecake Mix
285g Cream cheese
4 1/2 tablespoons Castor sugar
2 Eggs

1. Pre-heat oven to 160°C.
2. Mix butter, cocoa, sugar, eggs and flour till smooth.
3. Line a 20cm square sliced tin with baking paper.
4. Spoon mixture into the tin.
5. Mix cream cheese, sugar and eggs in a food processor until smooth.
6. Spoon cheese mixture on top on the chocolate mixture.
7. Swirl it with a butter knife.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes till set.

You can cut it into small slices when it is completely cool.  In my case, I made it a day in advance, so I refrigerated it.

Enjoy!

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Lesson 5 ~ Chocolate + Cream = Ganache

Ever wondered how to perfectly ganache a cake? This week we learnt how to cover a whole cake with chocolate. It was a bit messy, but definitely Yum!!

The technique we used is very similar to the links below:
How to Make Chocolate Ganache
How to Ganache a Cake

To achieve a perfectly ganached cake takes a lot of practice and time. The chocolate also needs to be the right consistency and temperature to aide with the process.

One of my classmate injured her shoulder and creatively came up with an extreme ganaching technique. Good work L! :-)

At the end of the class, we have all create a sharp-edged perfectly ganached cake (with the help of our wonderful teacher, of course!)

My cake journey:
Lesson 1 ~ Cake Decorating
Lesson 2 ~ Piping Techniques
Lesson 3 ~ Roses, Strawberry and Letters
Lesson 4 ~ Cake Designs & Fondant
Lesson 5 ~ Chocolate + Cream = Ganache
Lesson 6 ~ The Finale


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Taste of Penang

On our way to the shops last weekend, D insisted that we make a detour through Gowan Road. He read reviews that a new Malaysian restaurant just opened in Gowan Road Shopping Plaza. As we drove past, we noticed that the restaurant was closed due to public holiday. We made a mental note to return during the week to check it out.

Taste of Penang is located in the shopping centre next to Runcorn Tavern. As we walked in, we could smell the aroma of ‘hawker food’ lingering in the air. The atmosphere was enhanced by the Penang Food Documentary showing on TV that featured the famous Gurney Drive.

There is no table service, so you need to choose what you want and order at the counter. We ordered Lorbak ($6.8), Char Kuey Teow ($12.80) and Chicken Curry Mee ($11.80).

Lorbak is a deep fried pork roll seasoned with five-spice powder. The bean curd skin was really crispy but I found the meat to be just average.

The flavour of the Curry Mee (noodle) was quite authentic, but a bit mild for our tastes. There were a few jars of chilli paste next to the counter which could easily fix the ‘mildness’ of the soup.

Char Kuey Teow was the star dish for me. It tasted just like the one I had in Penang last December! I ordered medium-spicy, which was just right for my tastebuds. It also came with a generous ½ dozen perfectly cooked prawns and a few strips of squid. This is now my new crowned favourite char kuey teow in Brisbane!

For a few moments, I felt as if I was in Penang, enjoying all the local specialties. We love this place and will definitely return. The best part is that we don’t have to go too far (or fly overseas) to satisfy our Penang hawker food cravings.



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Pink, White and Everything Lovely High Tea

Last Saturday, I had a high tea at home with a few ladies from work to celebrate the new home. Since it’s a girls only thing (sorry D), I have decided to go all PINK. After tossing through a few ideas, I have decided on the menu below.

Savoury:
Caramelised Onion Tarts
Assorted Sandwiches
Assorted Sushi

Sweets:
Scones with Jam & Cream (Recipe from ExclusivelyFood)
Chocolate Cheesecake Brownie (Recipe from Donna Hay)
Lemon Cupcakes
Strawberry & Jam Whoppie Pie (Betty Crocker's Packet Mix)
Rose & Coconut Jelly

Drinks:
Lychee Punch
Earl Grey Tea
(didn’t get to do the other drink as these 2 were enough for us) :)

The girls brought beautiful fresh flowers which lit up the whole place.  Thanks girls for helping out and also for the lovely presents.  Most importantly, thank you for your friendship~!

*Thanks Inge for the photos~!


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