Vietnamese Vegetarian @ Vina Vegetarian Restaurant, Newtown, Sydney, Australia
We were simply thrilled to be able to locate a Vietnamese eatery, no, not just a vegetarian-friendly one, but a 100% vegetarian (vegan in fact) one! Located just minutes from the busy Sydney CBD in the bustling and filled with interesting little shops, is a town called 'Newtown', which I can't help but find it very similar to Brunswick in Melbourne. Newtown is a little gem known for all the awesome restaurants, cafes, take-aways, and it is also home to another 100% thai vegan restaurant. I did not get to try the Thai restaurant (Green Palace - 182 King St, Newtown, NSW) on this occasion and will most definitely find time to try it out!
Vina is a family-run business and has the most awesome waitress ever. She was highly efficient in showing us to our table, bringing us a bottle of water without us having to ask and also recommended us the best Vietnamese noodles we have ever had!
I highly recommend that you try this: Vina Pho Bo (Mock Beef Noodle Soup) $12 The soup has a cinnamon kick to the "beef broth". It is not spicy but I would say it's somewhat sweet to the palette - something I have never tasted back home in Malaysia. 5 stars!
Spicy Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup $12 This somehow tastes like the Malaysian "prawn noodle", and is not exactly spicy (well, not to a Malaysian that is used to extremely spicy food). So, naturally, I wouldn't have enjoyed this dish as much as I was told that it is "really spicy". I'd prefer to have the beef noodle anytime.
Fresh Rice Paper Rolls (3 for $6) These rice paper rolls are filled with rice noodles, mock ham, tofu, lettuce and mint. I felt that it wasn't worth the money, but we liked the sauce a lot. The mock ham added a flavor that you will not get elsewhere, so that must be a plus point for this eatery, though too much of mock stuff is not really healthy.
All in all a very enjoyable visit. I'd definitely go for the Beef Noodle again during my next visit. :D
Contact: 02-9557 0456 Address: 395 King St Newtown, NSW, Australia Train: Newtown (restaurant is within walking distance :D )
Has anyone ever had flowers blooming on their curry leaves plant? Well, I was pleasantly surprised when buds started to show on my plant and slowly but surely flowers started to bloom when the buds were ripe. I plucked a few flowers and mashed them up and the aroma of curry was even more intense than the leaves themselves. Do share with me if there is any special use for the flowers.
Ranked #563 out of 4957 restaurants in Paris, Le Grenier de Notre-Dame offers exquisite vegetarian dining just 5-minutes walk away from the world famous Notre-Dame cathedral.
Grenier de Notre Dame is a tight little restaurant, but it is supplemented by the attentive and friendly service by the waiters. We were shown to our table on the ground level almost immediately and we were very glad that they had a table for us, despite not making a booking beforehand. However, we did arrive early (6-ish), so you should not follow suit by not making a booking prior to your visit!
Complimentary nut platter as an appetizer. We both ordered Red Wine and a Champagne that was infused with raspberries to give it an extra berry kick (Kir Vin Blanc-Euro 4, Kir Royal- Euro 5.50)
The french and their plats (english translations: dishes)
This dish, is by far the most tasty, wholesome and natural vegetarian dish I have ever had in my life! No offence to Asian vegetarian eateries, but I always find the veggie restaurants offering more mock-meat than vegetables in their natural form. I also have never imagined myself saying, "This tofu served in a French restaurant actually tastes much better than the tofu served in any Asian restaurant!", but this is a FACT. The lightly grilled tofu was so tasty that I did not need any sauce to go with it and found it mouthwatering-ly indulging to the palette.
Assiette Gourmande - Euro 17.95
Baked apples stuffed with tasty fillings to go with a piping hot casserole. Highly recommended!!!
Assiette Berbere - Euro 16.95
Address: 18 Rue de la Bûcherie 75005 Paris, France Phone: 01 43 29 98 29 Reservations: Recommended
Was extremely delighted to find a new vegetarian stall in Pavilion KL's Food Republic. Was expecting near to taste-less / unsatisfying food but I was proven to be so WRONG. Not only is it very tasty, the portion was so huge that we struggled to finish our food despite being famished from a whole day's worth of walking around Sungai Wang, Low Yat and Pavilion! Prices were very good value given the extremely huge portion and delicious taste! :) Head over to lot 1.44.00, you should be able to see it when you get to Madam Kwan's.
Chap Fan
Chap Fan (Bitter gourd and tofu with minced "meat") "Fish" head noodles @ RM7.90++ Highly recommended! A must try for noodle lovers!!! Malaysian buffet
I read that asparagus has many health benefits so I have decided to add it as a part of my healthy diet.
Here are some of the benefits of asparagus. It can detoxify our system, has anti-aging functions, can protect against cancer, reduces pain and inflammation, can prevent osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, can help prevent birth defects, is considered an aphrodisiac and especially as heart disease is very common now asparagus can help to reduce the risk of heart disease as it has a good source of folate which helps to regulate the amino acid homocysteine, which in high levels can be a strong risk factor in heart disease.
I find that by using THERMOMIX to stir fry my asparagus, it helps to retain the nutrients as the machine does not heat up to more than 110 degree and still stays green and fresh when it is ready to be served.
I would like to share here a very simple and easy to cook asparagus.
Ingredients:
300 gm asparagus
50 gm Japanese mushrooms
Small pc of ginger
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp of miso to taste
Method:
1. Place a small pc of ginger into TM bowl and use TURBO speed for 1 sec to chop it up
2. Add in 2 tsp of olive oil and set temperature to 100, time to 5 mins, speed at stir fry and remember to use reverse mode to avoid vege being chopped up
3. After 1 minute, remove measuring cup to add in asparagus without removing the cover.
Replace MC when all asparagus have been added.
4. After 4 minutes remove MC again and add in the mushrooms.
5. At last 30 sec add in a tsp of miso
6. Remove immediately from TM bowl and serve immediately. Notice that vege is still fresh
green in color.
ANYONE INTERESTED TO HAVE A DEMO ON THIS WONDERFUL MACHINE MAY EMAIL TO:
thermomixhealthyliving@gmail.com
Notice that asparagus still stay freshly green
after frying
I had a bunch of bananas and their skin were already turning black. It cannot be kept for another day as they will be dropping off one by one and will go bad. I put the whole bunch in a plastic bag and kept them in the freezer overnight. Next morning I removed them from the freezer and the skin could be peeled off very easily. Cut them into halves and placed in the blender. I did not have to add anything extra and just had to pulverized them from speed 1-10 for one minute and a bowl of extra creamy banana ice-cream is ready as a dessert.
There was a bowl leftover and after one week, I took it out from the freezer and again could easily break them up into a few pieces to be placed in the blender and pulverize from speed 1-10 for half a minute. The taste is even more creamy and delicious.
ANYONE INTERESTED TO HAVE A DEMO ON THE WONDERFUL MACHINE (THERMOMIX) MAY EMAIL TO:
I have never attempted to make mushroom soup before as I feel that it is too much of a hassle having to weigh, cook and then to blend. However, today I felt like a very wholesome and chunky bowl of Mushroom soup. There isn't enough kick, even with the "chunky" commercial soup out there, so I decided to make my own using my new machine - Thermomix! The super machine that can weigh, blend and cook all the ingredients in one place.
Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 packet of button mushrooms, about 300 gm
1 bay leaf
20 gm soy milk
400 gm water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt and a dash of pepper to taste
Method:
1. Cut onion and mushrooms into thick slices
2. Fry them in olive oil for 2 mins at medium (scale 4) at 100 degrees
3. Add in 400 gm water and cook for 10 minutes at speed 2 at 100 degrees
4. Add in 20 gm soy milk and blend at high (scale 9) slowly increasing it from speed 1 for 2 minutes
5. Add in salt and before serving add a dash of pepper
ANYONE INTERESTED TO HAVE A DEMO ON THIS WONDERFUL MACHINE MAY EMAIL TO:
Best Thai Pineapple Fried Rice Ever - only at Yishensu, 1Utama
As you may or may not know, One Utama's old wing is nearing the end of its facelift and is expected to reopen to shoppers soon, with some shops already upgraded and resumed operations. I do not know the exact reopening date, but if you are thinking to visit and get a sneak preview of what's coming but is having trouble finding the motivation to do so, worry not, as here's a good reason for you to visit this very weekend!
Yishensu, the vegetarian connoisseur, serves the BEST pineapple fried rice in town. Do opt for the "special" as you get extra toppings like macadamias, cashews, raisins, mock fish flakes from the ordinary version. It has a "curry" and tangy kick to it, making it a very appetising meal indeed.
Emperor Tofu (RM 16)
I liked the presentation of this dish and it was a perfect dish to go with steaming hot white rice
Fried Oat Prawn (RM 18)
I loved the generous serving of crunchy oats that coated the spongy mock prawn. I don't really fancy mock prawns a lot, and would actually prefer if they used something else instead, like something tofu based.
Then there is the not-so-special Char Kway Teow. I have to admit, nothing beats the Char Kway Teow served at Blue Boy Mansion. Read it here Blue Boy Mansion
Address: 1 Utama Shopping Mall (Old Wing), Lot G207 (Ground Floor), No 1, Lebuh Bandar Utama, 48700 Petaling Jaya
Location: Near TGIF Fridays
Brooklyn Bridge + takeaway meal while we queue for broadway tickets!
No visit to New York is complete until one visits the famous Brooklyn Bridge, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the US. Brooklyn Bridge spans over the East River, connecting Brooklyn and the ever bustling Manhattan.
The long walk to the first Brooklyn Bridge tower from Manhattan from the east end of center street.
Heavy traffic headed to Manhattan
View of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge's first tower
New York has many delis spread all around Manhattan that offers similar variety of fresh / pickled food. All you have to do is to pack your food into the containers and they weigh it. I don't like the concept, as I often end up with a "heart attack" when I see the amount I'm charged.
Looks darn tasty isn't it??? Beetroots, Brussel Sprouts, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Cous-cous etc.
Fresh mangoes+ grilled asparagus, a weird but tasty combination!
It's hard work to get discounted broadway tix.... look at the loooooooong queue.
For 25 years Pret's been creating handmade natural food, without the hidden chemicals, additives and preservatives. New York is practically a haven for health concious peeps like me as there are countless delis, cafes and restaurants that offer wholesome and healthy options. We stopped by Pret A Manger for our first breakfast in New York and were absolutely delighted with the variety of fresh choices available. It took us 10 minutes, before we were able to finally decide what to have that morning.
I went for the Red pepper tapenade and soft cheese sandwich. Pret's red pepper tapenade is made with blended roasted red peppers, olive oil and tomatoes which is then added to the sandwich together with with creamy soft cheese, freshly sliced tomatoes, red peppers, toasted flaked almonds and wild rocket. Ah, I could really have this every morning!
For my wakeup drink, I decided on a flat white, a strong, creamy milk, with a Pret Base (full shot of espresso). Pret shared their secret to making their Flat White on their website. They revealed that the secret is all in the milk, stemming from the idea of mixing a latte and Cappuccino together. Mixing the two milk styles is called stretching, it creates a fantastic mix; creamy and thick without being too light or foamy. Because it has the same size Pret base but made in a smaller cup it means you can drink more of our Flat Whites through the day with the same kick as our other espresso based coffees. Perfect wakeup drink.
Actually, the Pret store that we visited was really near the world trade center, which is currently under construction. I will leave that for another post, so stay tuned for that!
After breakfast, we continued our New York walking tour, making the World Financial Center our second stop.
Winter Garden
View from the outside: World Financial Center + Winter Garden
MG's Cafe Takeaway - one of the best grab and go service!
For working Malaysians, our busy and hectic lifestyle tends to eat into our lunch time, making it seem impossible to sit and dine in a proper restaurant. I tend not to mix my lunch time with my work, but I had to succumb to the negative forces that took away my lunch privilege. So, I decided to go for MG Cafe's takeaway as I really like the love put into their takeaway meals. You really have to try it once to really get what I mean!
Sambal Onigiri - perfect grab and go that's readily available at the counter
Tiramisu - made with yoghurt, cream cheese, coffee, etc
Rendang donburi - looks like something from a japanese restaurant isn't it?
The best would be the assam laksa. You would never think of taking away a soup-based noodle from a restaurant, but MG makes it a perfect takeaway. They generously seperate the noodle from the soup using two paper bowls. I really like this concept as it is never a good idea to put boiling hot soup into a plastic bag, depending on its quality and whether it is able to withstand the heat. MG eliminates all my worries!
A yummy meal indeed!!! This is where I start craving for my 2nd bowl but the unfortunate thing about takeaways is that you can never have seconds unless you plan ahead!
MG's Cafe Hartamas
38-G, JALAN 27/70A, DESA SRI HARTAMAS, 50480 KUALA LUMPUR, WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN, MALAYSIA
TEL: 6-03-2300 3118
FAX: 6-03-2300 3228
Two avid vegetarians are here to share some insights to the world of vegetarianism.
Hopefully, through this site, the lives of some animals can be spared. Always remember, animals have feelings too, they are our friends not our meal.
Ingredients:
A yummy meal indeed!!! This is where I start craving for my 2nd bowl but the unfortunate thing about takeaways is that you can never have seconds unless you plan ahead!
Vegetarian Party
Pot Luck Party