MELBOURNE TRIP 2016 # 1 -YARRA CHOCOLATE FACTORY

4/3/2016
Friday

Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery @ Yarra Glen..  

Quiet comtemplation before the day get  busy. 

 I and my niece had arrived Melbourne yesterday around 9.00 pm but we did not get to sleep till the early hours.  We had a rather eventful start of  our holiday.  My sisters and nephew Kit were at the airport to pick us up.  So we split the transport.  My niece was happy to connect with her brother while we sisters were also happy to meet up. We were almost home when we received a call from my niece that Kit's car had stopped along the main road before reaching his house!!  We detoured immediately to pick her up and poor  Kit together with his mother waited  by the roadside till the repair man arrived after past 1 am.

Breakfast in the house.... Deep fried Nian-go with yam and sweet potato prepared by May.

Baby Audrey.... my grand niece...I am "gu-poh" 

My sister May had planned our itinerary for us.  Our first stop to see Kit's baby Audrey and wife Hyejung. 

Audrey is only 4 days younger than Alexa....

We enjoyed our morning with them before leaving for our lunch nearby instead of going to Springvale for Pho'.

Hot tea and cold oranges while waiting..

clear soup but noddles a bit on the thick side.. loved the tripe (the white ones)

rice rolls...

big plate of crunchy beansprouts and freshest basil leaves!

Our next stop... dessert time...

Cannot resist taking a big bite......... 

Yes, free tasting to your heart's content!!! My favourite.... the dark one of course...

You name it, they have it.... 

Looking forward to Easter..

a peek at their pristine clean  kitchen... chocolatiers are work.. 

who can resist these? 

chocolate sauces for your ice-cream....

more chocolate pastries.... 

you can sit outside and glaze at the clear blue sky...but I tell you it was very very hot..... 

So we preferred to sit in the air-con to enjoy gelatos  

We stopped by the new block of Eastland Shopping Mall before heading home to pack for our weekend trip to the Ghost Town.....  

MELBOURNE/SYDNEY TRIP MARCH 2016

15/3/2016
Tuesday

Hello!  I am back from a short  Melbourne/Sydney trip.  Will be updating about the trip and photographs shortly.

It was good trip together for the 4 sisters and a niece to keep us out of trouble...with the internet!

The highlight, of course was meeting face to face with my first granddaughter Alexa and.......

and my grandniece little Audrey!

Love Melbourne for its heritage buildings and arts

Happy to do one item off my bucket list....

 Enjoyed some awesome meals together with my family...

Delicious homecooked korean food by Eunice.

Tasting some yummy authentic Greek Food

and of course not don't forget the coffee.....

A SMOOTH SAILING AHEAD FOR EVERYONE

21/2/2016
SUNDAY

Happy birthday "girl" with baby Audrey, Kit and Hyejung.

My dearest sisters.....


more happy faces with my brother and wife....


this is a classic... why ? because its baked by my sister who hardly venture into the kitchen except to make her salads :D

So while over in Melbourne, they were celebrating my sister's birthday,  I cooked an advance Chap Goh Mei dinner for her husband and family. 

One of the must-buy vegetable for the Chinese New Year have to be Leeks for its symbolic sound/meaning in Chinese "smooth-going".

The filling - minced pork, diced yellow taufu and leeks of course.

Baozi ready for pan-fry 

 

This time, I used slightly more oil for the pan and a medium-low heat  to get even brown bottoms (though still 2-3 of them were stuck in the pan).  Serve with the dipping sauce of black vinegar, sugar and soya sauce and lots of ginger!

I saw someone (sorry, I just cannot recall which blog) posted this dish. So I copied the method of making this steamed vegetarian dish.  The green outer leaves of the long Chinese cabbage are blanched in boiling water till soft and an ice bath. I used the remaining cabbage in the Fish Maw Soup.

The mushrooms, dried oysters, dried scallops and taufu have been lightly braised beforehand.  Then they  layered into the "cabbage bowl" . 

I topped more with gluten balls (mein gan) and vegetarian fu-chok. Pour the sauce over. 

Cover and steam 

This turned out beautifully.....only I should have steamed it longer so that the cabbage leaves are softer as it was a bit messy to eat the long and chewy cabbage... maybe cut them before serving?

The rest of the dishes: Waxed duck Rice; sweet and sour pork, stir-fry green veg and Fish Maw Soup.

My version of the Fish Maw soup: (could not find any photo of it!!!!)

Prepare the soup base using pork bones and pork meat.  Boil/simmer for at least 4 hours. 

Soak the fish maw till just soft (depend on the fish maw, we don't want them too soft or they will break up easily)

Stuffed the soften fish maw with fish/minced meat paste and steamed for 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Remove the bones and meat from soup.  

Add a piece of chicken breast to boil till just cooked.(or you can steamed the chicken breast).  Remove and shred into thinly when cooled.

Add the sliced cabbage, carrots, can of button mushroom and enoki mushroom to soup.

season to taste.

To Serve:  Cut stuffed fish maw into slices.  Place into bowl with shredded chicken. Ladled the soup over and garnish with chopped spring onions and coriander.  Enjoy !