We were driving past this eatery when we were looking for a cafe to satisfy our caffeine cravings and we discovered this amazing persian cafe in the quiet suburb of Willoughby, NSW. Situated on the somewhat busy Victoria Avenue of Chatswood, Raffi's Cafe definitely would catch your eye if you were driving/walking/cycling/jogging past. We were actually on our way to Hunter Valley for wine tasting (will blog about our alcoholic adventure next!) when we drove past Raffi. First up, the coffee was great. At $4 a cup, it didn't disappoint. After a great alcoholic outing, our rumbling tummies prompted us to quickly decide on a place for dinner and our minds instantly reminded us of the great find - Raffi's!

It wasn't busy and we got a table the moment we got there. There were only two choices for vegetarians - but both were YUMMY as!

Cabbage rolls filled with basmati rice, fresh herbs, prunes and lime juice. Served with house salad and yoghurt dip $22 This is definitely the MUST try dish if you ever visit Raffi's. The rolls were so full of spices that they were bursting with flavors and although the house salad wasn't the main star, but I must stress that it was one of the best salad I have ever ate - I am not kidding.

Vegetarian tarjin – mixture of steamed cracked wheat, okra, tomato, onion, chickpeas and potato $21

Baklava and vanilla ice cream sandwich served with Persian fairy floss $9 The baklava had a frozen touch to it and it was really something unique that's worth trying once!

Poached figs topped with pomegranate molasses, saffron ice cream and apple and rhubarb stew $14 This dessert was definitely tasty and indulging - especially the saffron ice cream, however, for $14 it was a bit too pricey.

wondering what else they have to offer? Visit their website here!

Trading Hours
Wednesday to Sunday
Breakfast Lunch & Dinner
Phone : 9417 2388

I love trying out new recipes and today I felt like roasting some nuts. Being a big fan of cinnamon I decide to try roasting them with almonds and honey. I didn't know it was that easy to coat nuts with honey until today! Never again will I buy flavored nuts from the store. Looks like I will be experimenting with roasting nuts in the near future. I'm thinking maybe something savoury like rosemary roasted macadamias? Yummy!

Anyway, here's the recipe for today very simple and quick cinnamon and honey roasted almonds.

1) Heat quarter cup of honey in a bowl in the oven for about one minute or until honey is watery.
2) Add 1.5cups of almonds with 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Toss well.
3) Pre-heat oven at 180C.
4) Coat baking tray with some olive oil and evenly spread nuts on the tray.
5) Roast for about 8 minutes and toss the nuts with a spoon and continue to roast for another 7 minutes.
6) When almonds turn golden, transfer and evenly spread on something flat that is lined with baking paper.
7) Let it cool. When completely cool, break the nuts and toss in a bowl along with a pinch of salt.

Introducing the most authentic Malaysian restaurant in down under- mamak @ chatswood!

Well actually the roti canal is authentic, that I can say but not so for the Nasi lemak that is kinda lacking something. Can't put my finger on what exactly tho, anyway, I had the roti canai with vegetarian curry. The next time, I'm not going to order any extra curry as it wasn't really tasty. Just ask for the dhal and that shld be more than enough and satisfying.

                                                          Special Eggplant

                                                         Sweet Potato Leaves

                                                Baku leaves wtih vege belacan

                                                        Kam heong mushrooms
                                                 
                                                                   Rojak

                                                       Pumpkin beancurd

We all like good food but sometimes to get good food it is a real hassle to find parking, especially during lunch time but fret no more as this restaurant is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the main SS2 business area. Of the few times that I have visited this place parking was never a problem as I can always find many parking lots vacant right in front or maybe just a little away from the restaurant.
There is a variety of food from Chinese, Thai, Malaysian and Western.

Ingredients:
3 bowls cooked basmati rice
1/2 cup cut snow peas
1/2 cup cut long beans
2 stems of King Oyster Mushrooms
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
2 eggs (optional)
Few sprigs of fresh Rosemary
3 tablespoons of Vegetarian BBQ Sauce
Few tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Method:
1) Heat oil in wok
2) Caramelise the onions, add in snow peas and long beans and stir fry for a few minutes.
3) Add king oyster mushrooms and basmati rice.
4) When mushrooms are cooked, push everything to one side and add eggs to the empty space in the wok. Lightly scramble the eggs for one minute and then mix with the rest of the ingredients, adding the vegetarian BBQ sauce bit by bit.
5) Add rosemary and cover and leave wok for one minute.
6) Remove rosemary, grind some black pepper and serve immediately.

Below is the vegetarian BBQ sauce that I love. It's great for stir fries and can also be used to make stock for hotpots etc.

Labels: Asian, Fried Rice

Don't think of Big Mac, heck, don't think about meat when you visit this new McDs outlet. To be opened near the Golden Temple, a pilgrimage site sacred to Sikhs living in Amritsar, this McDs outlet would be a paradise for vegetarians.

Here's a fact I didn't know, menus for Indian McDs are 50% vegetarian, and currently, at 50c (28rupees), McAloo Tikki burger contains a spicy, fried potato-based patty, is the top seller in India.
 
I'm not asking for a lot, but can we at least have McAloo Tikki in the global McDs outlets?

Source

My good friend 'chef' Queenie is the chef of this quick and simple yet delicious Asian stir-fry.

Ingredients:
One pack of fresh king oyster mushrooms, sliced
A bunch of fresh asparagus, horizontally cut into one inch pieces
Canned gluten and peanuts (can be found in most Asian groceries)
3 cloves of fresh garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

1) Heat oil in wok
2) Add garlic and stir fry for 1 minute
3) Add mushrooms and stir fry for 1 minute on high heat
4) Cover wok and let the mushrooms cook for 1 minute on low heat
5) Add asparagus and glutton and peanuts
6) Stir fry for another minute or so or until asparagus is cooked
7) Serve with a piping hot bowl of basmati rice and enjoy!

Starter - Tortilla Wrap

Got this promotion from Groupon and found out that there is a new vegetarian restaurant in Bangsar and thought it would be a good idea to have a gathering with my friends. For a very reasonable amount of RM50. six of us can get to have a nice get together and also we were getting quite bored with the usual vegetarian restaurants in Petaling Jaya and actually looking around for something new  to try out.

The promotion is a prepared set of 6 dishes. First to be served is 6 pieces of tortilla wrap with chopped up mix vege. Everyone is quite happy as the filling is quite tasty with a bit of cheese.

 Second, came the satay with sauce. The bite and taste is alright, but it would be better if there was some cucumber to go with it.

After that, the rest of the dishes of broccoli with mushrooms, sweet and sour chicken, vegetarian mutton peratai with some capati came altogether.The servings were generous but unfortunately they were all brought out cold. We can see that the food were all pre-prepared but if they had at least taken some trouble to reheat them before serving then it would not have taken away our joy of enjoying them.

The teh halia was strong with ginger but was too sweet and with the extra pot of hot water which we had requested to dilute them was nice as taste of ginger was still good.

However, ambience in the restaurant is cosy and the staffs were all very warm and friendly.

Peace Bliss Restaurant
No. 6 Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar, 
Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2385 4040

Ever since I've watched Disney Pixar's Ratatouille, I've been craving to try this traditional French dish.  In French, touiller means ‘to toss food’ and I can't think of a better and healthier way to enjoy a pot of vegetables tossed and stewed the French way.


Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
1 brown onion
1 red capsicum
2 medium zucchini
400g of diced tomatoes
50ml olive oil, plus extra if needed
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
4 sprigs thyme
Handful pitted black olives
1/4 cup baby capers
1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method:
Chop all the vegetables into 1cm cubes. Heat oil in a large non-stick pan and cook eggplant until golden on all sides, remove from pan and set aside
Heat oil and add onion and capsicum to pan and cook until softened. Add zucchini, garlic and thyme and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add olives, capers, tomatoes and cooked eggplant and heat through. Finish off with fresh herbs, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve immediately and enjoy

Inspiration source

Labels: French, Ratatouille

The good thing about chain restaurants is that you'd always know what to expect and know that u'd always get what you want. This is definitely the case when it comes to Sushi Tei, a Japanese chain restaurant that is available all over Asia and now Sydney.

Labels: Australia, Japanese, Sushi Tei, Sydney

Was craving for a bowl of piping hot noodles to get me past the cold winter night and decided to try the new packet of Vietnamese noodle soup paste (Asian Home Gormet brand) I bought from Coles.

Ingredients (serves two)
2 serves of Rice vermicelli
1xCarrot sliced
1/2 bowl of cauliflower sliced
2 buttom mushrooms the size of your palm sliced
1/2 bunch of enoki mushrooms
150 of firm tofu cubed
1 medium sized onion chopped
750ml of water

Steps:
1) Bring the water to a boil, add the paste and chopped onions and stir well
2) Add the rest of the ingredients and let it cook for a few minutes
3) Meanwhile, cook the rice vermicelli in a separate pot
4) When they come to a boil, add vermicelli to the main pot and serve hot after topping with some oregano and ground black pepper

Labels: Vietnamese

There are many things that I look for in a restaurant. Although I would think that taste of the food should be my first priority, but ambiance and company follows pretty closely after.

Located in the basement of a building on Bridge Street, Fratelli Fresh reminds me of the cafes in New York. One thing to note is that Fratelli Fresh does not take in bookings and you'd have to arrive early to get in line. Fortunately, the place is pretty big and the line does move pretty quickly, otherwise you'd also have the option of sitting at the bar while you wait for a table.

11 Bridge St, CBD
ph.02 8298 2700      
ph.02 8298 2701

Labels: Australia, Dessert, Modern, Sydney, Western

If you ever crave for Thai food in Sydney, spice I am is where you should be headed. I'm very eager to share this amazing dish with you - BTS, aka better than sex. Conveniently located in darlinghurst, a stone's throw away from kingscross, and a few other locations in Sydney, rest assured that you won't have to travel far to sink your teeth into this very indulging and satisfying dessert.

What exactly is BTS?
BTS is basically a Aoasted brioche served with pandan gelato topped with Thai caramel sauce and roasted black and white sesame seed

Better than sex indeed!

Labels: Australia, Sydney, Thai

I'm a sucker for desserts, especially tiramisu. So, when a friend was in town, being chocoholics and big fans of tiramisu, we decided to try out guylian's version of it.

Presentation of the cake was simple mouth-watering but the texture of the cake was a bit dry and we didn't enjoy it all that much. However, we did like the hot hazelnut chocolate. There is no doubt that a mug of that would cheer up anyone who is having a down day.

Labels: Australia, Dessert, Sydney

Looking for a dish that would cheer you up on a cold winter's evening or a rainy day? I have found one of the most satisfying dish that is easy to prepare but indulging to enjoy.

Ingredients: fennel, beetroot, garlic, pine nuts, almonds, shiitake mushrooms, olive oil, salt and pepper


Cut off the stems and a little of the bottom of the fennel. Slice the fennel top side up in half (length wise). Turn it perpendicularly and thinly slice the fennel, still top side up. Slice the beetroots and garlic.

Preheat the oven at 220C.

Transfer the sliced fennel, beetroot and garlic into a baking tray and generously drizzle the olive oil. Add some ground black pepper and salt and toss well. Top with pine nuts, chopped almonds and slice shiitake mushrooms

Roast it in the oven for 45-60mins, or until the fennel is tender.

Serve warm and enjoy

Labels: Western Recipe

What a perfect day for brunch. Not too warm not too cold.

Met up with a friend at cafe xxii. Located right next to the star casino, cafe xxii is one of the many popular places to dine in the most prestigious inner city suburbs. Be sure to arrive early if you don't pre-book beforehand (11am) and you should get a table pretty effortlessly.


Tried the buttermilk pancakes and skim latte and I must say they were quite satisfying. Firstly, they were huge and not to mention thick. One of these babies would be equivalent to 2 of the pancakes you'd get at pancakes on the rocks. Although I must say that it could do with a tad bit more toppings to bring it to the next level of utmost satisfaction.


If you are looking for something that has more of the home-cooked feel but you don't want to wander too far away from the city, cafe xxii is the place to be.

Labels: Australia, Sydney, Western

“Every kindness I received, small or big, convinced me that there could never be enough of it in the world. Kindness, can change the lives of people.”- Aung San Suu Kyi

One of the key differentiators between us, the sentient beings, and our animal friends, is having the ability to feel and think. Why is it that we recognize the need to be compassionate to our own species but have no feelings for our furry/feathery/scaly friends? There is no doubt that animals do feel and understand pain. Like us, they fear losing their lives and will do everything to protect themselves from danger. There is no difference between a dog, a cat, a pig, a cow, a bird, a tiger or an elephant. They deserve our kindness and compassion, if you're not already a vegetarian, do consider going vegetarian every once in a while and think of the lives you'll be saving every meal you go vegetarian!

“If suffering were an unavoidable part of our existence, we should try to alleviate it as far as possible in practical, earthly ways.” are the wise words of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi. Although she may not necessarily be referring to animals, but there's no reason why it shouldn't be.

Some may argue that animals are put onto this earth for humans to feast on, but let's not forget that we have also been given a conscious mind that allows us to feel compassion for other beings. Animals are our friends, not food, Go Veg!