Finding Vietnamese Gems in Australia

          Although I have never been to Vietnam, friends and relatives who have been there and have stayed in or visited Australia attest that the best Vietnamese food can be found in the land Down Under. Thanks to the recommendation of my cousin, Yee Yan, I led my travel partner, Angeline, to Dzung (Yong Kee) for a really yummy bowl of pho when we visited Melbourne in 2013. Then in 2015, hubby's cousin, Michelle, chose Vietnam Restaurant in the suburbs of Adelaide as the venue to meet up with a mutual friend. I can still remember how superbly exquisite the barbecued chilli lemongrass quails were, in addition to their other mind-blowing dishes like the skewered minced pork balls, special seafood salad and crispy pumpkin with salted egg yolk.  
           So during our New South Wales trip in December 2017, I made it a point to search for Vietnamese food again. Both TripAdvisor and our Airbnb hosts in Kiama pointed us in the direction of Hanoi on Manning. And we were suitably impressed with the food.

Located at 10, Manning Street, Kiama, this restaurant serves fabulous authentic Vietnamese fare

            We were there for lunch on our second day in Kiama and I ordered their hu tieu xao du bien, which is stir-fried flat noodles (very much like our local koay teow) with mixed seafood, chilli sauce and green vegetables. It appeared to be a very simple dish but the taste was incredibly good. Hubby enjoyed their com xao do bien, which is stir-fried mixed seafood and mixed green vegetables served with jasmine rice.  

Ravenous for my hu tieu xao du bien

Looked like a simple dish, but it was oh-so-tasty!

Derrick's com xao do bien also looked ordinary, but its taste was remarkably yummy.

             We loved the food so much that we immediately made reservations for dinner that night. Yes, this restaurant is so hugely popular that reservations are required if you plan on going for dinner. True enough, it was a full house that night. This time, hubby and I shared their goi cuon (fresh rice paper rolls with prawn, chicken, rice vermicelli and fresh herbs served with homemade hoisin dipping sauce). My suon heo mat ong (pork cutlets marinated with honey and coconut juice) was so scrumptious and it must have looked appetising too because the patron at the next table asked me about them. Hubby's ga xao xa ot (stir-fried chicken with lemongrass and chilli) was equally delicious.

Pretty paper rolls

Poised to enjoy my goi cuon

Succulent suon heo mat ong

                   Guess what? When we returned to Kiama for another night at the end of our New South Wales visit, we went back to Hanoi on Manning for our final New South Wales dinner! That's how sumptuous the food is! The amazing taste of the rice noodles that I had on the first occasion was still lingering in my mind so I went for that again. And it was as good as I remembered it to be. Hubby chose the tom xao dau hoa lan (stir fried king prawns with snow peas, shiitake mushroom and ground black pepper), which was another incredibly delicious dish!

A mouth-watering feast of pho (Melbourne 2013)

             Hanoi on Manning, thanks for helping to make our Kiama trip a memorable one!

Such an enjoyable dinner at Vietnam Restaurant with Michelle, Tim and Mabel (Adelaide 2015)

Catching Up With My Nephew

           It has been a lovely Sunday, made special because I met up with my nephew for lunch. With his second year exams behind him, Jon is back in Ipoh for his much-deserved holiday. I seized the opportunity to give him a birthday treat and to catch up with him.

Lovely lunch with Jon at Vintage Coffee & Bread

        Due to our own commitments, I had not seen Jon for months. And as he sat across the table, animatedly telling me about his university life and his Chinese lessons, I marvelled at how much he has grown and what an upstanding young man he has turned out to be.
        Memories of the Summer of 1998 resurfaced. Jon was then merely eleven months old and together with his mum, had just joined his dad in London. His dad was pursuing his postgraduate degree there. My stint in the United Kingdom was drawing to its end so I decided to take the four-hour bus journey from Plymouth to spend some time with them and to savour some days in London.
        One Sunday, we were all getting ready for a day out in London (the family was staying in the outskirts of the city). I was helping the little tyke to wear his shoes and was excitedly describing to him where we would be off to. I told him we would be going to the park and we would see lots of birdies. His dad, who was listening in to the conversation, started to chuckle, and then I realised that a birdie is also an euphemism for the male genitalia when the highly-intelligent Jon proceeded to look in the direction of the mentioned body part. Both his dad and I burst out laughing. Jon was momentarily confused, and then, he took offence because he thought we were laughing at his birdie. He bawled and I felt so guilty for making my little darling cry. Mercifully, Jon was too young to remember this incident and bears no grudges against me.

At St. James's Park, London, with Jon

Big Ben, Swee Lian jie jie, Jon and I

        Come September, Jon will return to the university to commence his third year. In the not too distant future, he  would be graduating as a dentist (I was telling him about losing my milk tooth recently and he was suggesting doing an implant at the gap, but he soon corrected himself and told me to ask him again if that's the best solution three years from now) and it may be even more difficult to meet up, with work-related commitments. I'm so glad we had a nice catch-up over lunch today.

Starring Coconut Juice

      Lan Jie, who is my school librarian, shares my passion for trying out new recipes. We often exchange recipe books, and I especially love those bilingual monthly cookbooks like Oriental Cuisine, Y3K Recipes and Yum Yum. In the May 2018 Oriental Cuisine publication, one particular recipe called out to me.
        The Braised Pork Belly with Lotus Root in Coconut Juice heated up the cooking fire in me as I was still salivating over the coconut pork tripe stew chicken soup steamboat that I enjoyed with my colleagues recently. http://irenechanal.blogspot.com/2018/06/cementing-friendship-over-dinner.html
        I just had to try out this interesting recipe. Even as the pork belly was simmering with the lotus root in the coconut juice, excitement bubbled in me. I took a taste and the sweetness of the gravy swept me away. Yum!
 

Braised Pork Belly with Lotus Root in Coconut Juice

      

Ingredients :
500g pork belly (sliced)
1 block lotus root (cut into small chunks)
2 young coconut juice
2 knobs ginger (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
1 small block red fermented bean curd (nam yue)

Marinade :
1/2 teaspoon cornflour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 teaspoon Bentong ginger powder
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/3 teaspoon dark soya sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil

Seasoning :
1 tablespoon soya sauce
dash of pepper

Method :
1.   Marinade the pork belly for an hour.
2.   Heat oil in wok, saute ginger and garlic.
3.   Add red fermented bean curd and saute till fragrant.
4.   Toss in pork belly, fry until golden brown, and dish out.
5.   Swirl in a little oil, add lotus root into wok, and stir-fry
      briefly.
6.   Pour in coconut juice, bring to boil, cover with lid and
      simmer in low heat for about 25 minutes.
7.   Return pork belly into wok and continue to simmer for 40 
      minutes.
8.   Add seasoning and adjust taste.
9.   Serve hot.

        The original recipe requires dried squid and cinnamon to be fried with the ginger. But I omitted them as hubby is not partial to them. Also, the pork belly is to be braised with lotus root, pieces of arrowroot and wedges of carrot. Again, I tweaked the recipe by focusing solely on lotus root.
        Hubby's verdict? "Delicious! Unbelievably sweet! Did you add rice wine to it?" There was no rice wine added, but hubby was right. The dish was so fragrant that it did appear to have a tinge of rice wine. The coconut juice, undoubtedly, had made all the difference and was the star of the dish!

Feasting on Oysters

        Together with caviar and foie gras, oysters are considered to be a luxury food. Widely known as a powerful aphrodisiac due to their high zinc levels, these delicious mollusks also yield a host of health benefits like reducing blood pressure, lowering cholesterol levels and aiding in weight loss. Taste wise, you either love them or loathe them!
      Hubby and I belong to the first camp. We absolutely adore eating raw oysters. We have tried eating them grilled, poached, baked and even deep fried. But nothing beats having them wobbly and wallowing in their natural juices, pumped up with a squeeze of lemon juice and slurped into our mouths.
       Our 2017 New South Wales trip was extremely fruitful where oysters were concerned as these two fervent fans had five oyster feasts! The first feast was at the famous Sydney Fish Market. To be honest, this iconic Sydney attraction is not that big but it has the freshest seafood available and at affordable prices. In addition to having some really tasty cooked seafood at Peter's Seafood, we were thrilled by their Sydney Rock Oysters (A$21.99 for a dozen).

Excited to have arrived at the Sydney Fish Market, Pyrmont

Derrick chose the seafood and they cooked it for us 

Oyster Platter #1 for piggies

Oyster Platter #2 for piggies

        Having learnt that the Kiama Fish Market right smack at the Kiama Harbour also stocks oysters, we headed there right away upon arriving in Kiama. It is a small fish store but it offers plenty of fresh seafood. We ordered a dozen of the oysters (A$15), saw them being shucked, took them out to a table in front of the store and had another feast. The oysters, sourced from Greenwell Point (55km away), were incredibly sweet and juicy.

Ga ga over oysters

Both hubby and I enjoyed them so much that we popped back into the store for another dozen. We could have raised some eyebrows that day when we went into the store again for our 3rd dozen! Perhaps having the oysters mere seconds after they were shucked, being fanned by the sea breeze, inhaling the briny sea air and getting enthralled by the antics of a pelican, all contributed to why this oyster feast was so immensely delightful.

Mrs. Pelican eyes the seafood appreciatively

Mrs. Pelican tries to decide if she needs more seafood for dinner

       

Mrs. Pelican goes shopping!

       The next day, after a spectacular feast for the eyes at Little Blowhole, we joined the locals in having a picnic at the park. Instead of sandwiches or fish & chips, we feasted on 2 dozens of oysters! Sitting so comfortably and carefreely on the grass really added to the allure of the oyster feast.

Kiama's Little Blowhole in action

Behold the splendour!

Oyster picnic in the park

Temptation of juicy naked flesh!

        Our fourth feast of oysters was in Narooma, a town on the Sapphire Coast that holds an annual Oyster Festival in May. Reviews on the Internet pointed us in the direction of an

Catch of the day!

unassuming shed at the marina --- Narooma Bridge Seafoods. We got ourselves 2 dozens of Rock Oysters (A$15 for a dozen) from them, bought some cholesterol-laden fried prawn cutlets, prawn twisters, scallops and fish cake from Blue Water Seafoods along the main road, took them all to the harbour and indulged in a sumptuous seafood meal. We had company too...seagulls that kept swooping in, hopeful for some bites. 

Seafood lunch at the harbour

Feasting on oysters at the harbour

        It takes a true oyster fan to understand how passionate we are about oysters. Our fifth oyster feast was in the sleepy town of Bermagui. This time the summer heat was far too blistering and there was no way I was going to bake in the sun, just to enjoy my oysters al fresco. So we bought 2 dozens (A$18 for a dozen) back to our cabin at Wallaga Lake, stuffed them in the refrigerator, and had them as appetisers for dinner later. 
        Back home in Malaysia, it is usually at fine dining restaurants that we can obtain our oysters in their birthday suits. So we were mighty glad that we could have our fill of them Down Under.

Sharing Soy Goodness

         Have you ever gone to a soya bean milk cum soybean pudding (tau foo fah) stall and you were torn between which to order? Now creative proprietors have paired them both together in a bowl to satisfy aboulic tastebuds. Some have taken it one step further by crafting a new 3-in-1 flavour : soya bean milk, soybean pudding and glutinous dumpling (tong yuen) all swimming in one bowl.
     Visitors who flock to Ipoh usually have one name in mind when they think of soya bean milk and soybean pudding. But we locals shun the famous Funny Mountain because we know where to get better renditions at much lower prices. There's a famous one in Bercham but I prefer a mobile truck that operates along the main road of Ipoh Garden East in the afternoons. I would have my soya bean milk with the palm sugar syrup (gula Melaka) and for the soybean pudding, I like mine with the ginger syrup.

3-in-1...creative yummy dessert that's nutritious too

Stall no. 42 (photo taken from the Internet)

     And for the best 3-in-1, I head to Stall no. 42 at the food paradise outside Stadium Indera Mulia. At a reasonable RM3.50, you will get a bowl of silky smooth tau foo fah mixed with a delicious full-bodied soya bean milk that's not overly sweet, 1 tong yuen with ground peanut filling and another tong yuen enveloping black sesame. They can even accommodate requests for 2 of the same fillings in a bowl. 

When you can't decide whether to have soya bean milk or soybean pudding, why not have both, plus some chewy balls?

     Even hubby, who does not have a penchant for desserts, was impressed with the taste and texture of the 3-in-1 that we shared over breakfast this morning. And he agreed that my father-in-law would probably like it too, when I said I plan to introduce it to Dad the next time he visits Ipoh.

Stepping Back in Time at Central Tilba

        Located approximately 18 minutes away from Narooma, Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba are two beautiful countryside villages. The latter, unfortunately, has been rather deserted but is still worth dropping by for a quiet village walk, especially to view or trek up Mount Dromedary, an ancient volcano in Gulaga National Park.

Shy horses at a farm in Tilba Tilba

Idyllic scenes of countryside at Tilba Tilba

     It was the former, Central Tilba, that really captured our hearts that summer's day. It's a perfectly preserved heritage village which allows visitors to step back in time, to amble along the cobblestone lanes, delight in the interesting stores and to relax in the many eateries. Both Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba enjoyed a time of prosperity during the gold rush of the late 1800s. But when gold mining dwindled in the early 1900s, these two villages turned to the dairy industry and added tourism to its income later on. For any visitor to the southern coast of New South Wales, I would highly recommend a stop at Central Tilba.

Now serving heavenly smells, but this was once someone's house.

     Hubby and I arrived there late morning. I was thrilled to bits, popping into the quaint village shops, especially Bath Patisserie. Anyone looking for sweet treats there would be sorely disappointed as what looked like slices of heavenly cakes were, in fact, delectable homemade soaps! The affable owner allowed us to take photos here and there. Needless to say, I did not leave Central Tilba without a delightful memento so I bought a Persian Lime and Lemongrass Body Scrub from Bath Patisserie.

"Cake slices" and "cupcakes", anyone?

With my Central Tilba loot

     TripAdvisor reviews pointed us in the direction of Tilba Teapot Cafe and true enough, it was enjoying a booming business. We managed to get a table (fashioned from an antique sewing machine) outside the cafe, where we could share our Devonshire cream tea and enjoy the lovely view of the village at the same time. 

Step in for some heavenly treats

Derrick and I shared this Devonshire cream tea and cappuccino

     After devouring all the calories, we continued our walk in the village. At the top of the village street was a general store cum post office. It really felt like time had stood still. The bearded guy who runs the place was so amiable and we had a great time chatting with him. He recommended that we venture up the lookout on the hill, which we did, and were rewarded with great views of the valleys down below. And there was a very friendly horse, who refused to let Derrick leave her!

View from the lookout on the hill

Derrick makes her acquaintance

Miss Horsey falls in love with dashing doctor from Malaysia

     

Cementing Ties Over Dinner

        Food indeed brings people together and gathering to share a meal is great for cementing friendships. As the first semester draws to its end, we gathered after school for another dinner to toast to the completion of half a year's work and more importantly, to celebrate a dear colleague's promotion.

A terrific bunch to work with!

        Tonight's dinner venue was at De China Restaurant at Medan Bercham Selatan. Fans of steamboat would be delighted to indulge in a variety of superior soup for their hot pots. The coconut pork tripe stew chicken soup came highly recommended by Pn. Jot, who had recently been to this restaurant. We took one slurp of the sweet and aromatic soup, and we were instantly hooked.

The various soups for the hot pot stock

All ready to receive treasures

        In addition to the treasures for our hot pot, we ordered two small cured meat rice casseroles to be shared among the ten of us. That was most delicious too.

Lap mei rice casserole

        As the soup bubbled away, we added quails eggs, handmade dumplings, frozen bean curd, Australian lamb slices, shrimp balls, handmade meat balls, taro fish balls (everyone agreed that these were super yummy), an assortment of green vegetables, grey mushrooms, golden needle mushrooms,wood fungus and noodles. 

Dig in to scoop up treasures

        The sumptuous meal came up to RM414.00, which was rather reasonable. More importantly, the meal was shared over tons of laughter.

        And just when I thought tonight's dinner was over, a surprise was sprung on Mr. Foo and I. To celebrate our forthcoming birthdays (both of us share the same birth date), they brought out a lovely mango cake. We had no clue at all, and it was such a pleasant surprise. Merci beaucoup, mon cher collegue!

Beautiful and yummy cake from Purple Moon Valley

Mr. Foo and I share the same birth date, 11 years apart

Birthday boy fires up the candle

Puffer fishes at work!