Weblog
Wednesday, 04 November 2009
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
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Guess what I ordered?
A KINDLE!
I'm so excited.
(and I just can’t hide it. I’m about to lose control and I think I like it)Does this make me a nerd… or a COOL nerd? I have to say, carrying books in my handbag isn't cool - this is a much better solution, especially for commuting in London
Monday, 19 October 2009
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LALALand this weekend!
Friday – Arrive 4:30pm, Nanospa booked as soon as we arrive the hotel, the dinner at Bazaar, SLS Hotel
Saturday – Shopping until feet falls off, cruising in my rented convertible to the beaches… then dinner at Kagaya… and hit the clubs
Sunday – Brunch at the Ivy, Bridal shopping with my girlfriend, dinner at a yet-to-be-confirmed swankly establishment (maybe Spago, maybe STK)
Monday – Lounge by the pool? Quick stop for a bite at Blue Marlin for some uni spaghetti and fly back to Sydney!
Check out the awesome (well, typical LA) weather!
High /
Low (°C)Fri
Oct 23
Sunny
28°/16°
Sat
Oct 24
Sunny
26°/15°
Sun
Oct 25
Sunny
25°/14°
Mon
Oct 26
Sunny
23°/14°
I’m so excited!!! Thanks to Deb for all the awesome advice.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
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Yu's Family Kitchen
Yu Bo is the chef-owner of Yu's Family Kitchen (yu jia chufang), in the Sichuanese capital, Chengdu, which he runs with his wife, Dai Shuang. In his small restaurant with only 6 private rooms, Yu offers grand banquets of as many as 40 courses which revives the grand style of banqueting in the earlier years of China before communism. It's a meal "fit for a king", as the Mandarins kept private chefs in their courtyard houses prepared a daily spread of extravagance.Fuchsia Dunlop presents a short segment on the various techniques Yu Bo uses that are very common in fine Chinese cooking.
The one thing that stands out most is probably Dai Shuang's (Yu Bo's wife) porcupine buns, where each spike is carefully cut out of the dough using small metal shears.
Watch how intricate the preparation of such a delicate dim sum can be! Each bean paste filled bun is then steamed and served individually in lacquered bowls.
Another small highlight was Yu Bo's demonstration on the "lucky shaped" potatoes in one of his appetizers:
The potatoes are then deep fried and arranged on a small plate.
Yu Bo does not cook with a fancy set of chef's knives. They all use the standard meat cleavers in all their preparation and his skills to manipulate the one knife versatilely is quite impressive.
Other dishes that sparked interest included:
Braided "hair pin" garlic shoots, Knotted gourd slivers, and fanned broccoli steams
"Anyone can make a delicacy out of lobster of abalone. But I like to show it can be done with the most common ingredients"
Well said, Yu Bo! I was very glad that people in Sydney could be exposed to the other side of Chinese food that was more unknown. There are years and years of culinary history that are still unknown and undiscovered with the Western palate, it's only a matter of time before everyone realizes that it's not all about sweet and sour pork and peking duck!
(Excuse that horrible shot of Matt Preston) Inside the blue and white jar is filled with what appears to be Chinese calligraphy brushes, but the bristles at the end of the bamboo handles are actually made from a fine flaky pastry with hair like folds that conceal a minced beef filling. You dip one into the "ink dish" of sauce, and eat the "brush" part. Yu said he chose a red sauce as the "ink" because only in the old days, only the Emperor was allowed to write with red ink.
Matt Preston: tender enough for Yu Bo to braise and devour like BBQ pork













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