the little brownie company triple choc fudge brownies

Usually I'm not so lazy and can whip up a batch of brownies in no time and as I bake regularly, the ingredients for a brownie are always in the pantry so it seems a bit silly to go buy a packet mix. These days I'm a little short on time and the combination of packaging and supermarket sales lure me to buy things like this triple choc fudge brownie from The Little Brownie Company. Well the range was on sale at my local IGA and between the flavours of Caramel, Cookies and Cream, I thought I'd stick with the more traditional triple choc fudge to give it a go.

Like I said, I'm a sucker for packaging and I think they've done a cute job with this one.

You'll need 60g of melted unsalted butter and 2 large eggs to add to the contents of the box. Mix away and straight into the oven.

The recipe recommends between 32-38 minutes in the oven (pending on how gooey you want the centre).

I picked 32 minutes in the oven for the right amount of gooiness.

To be really honest with you, this packet mix compares to even the best brownie recipe I've used (and easier too as you don't need to make a mess melting chocolate) and for $6, we had a tray of brownies as snacks and dessert for the entire week. I kept them in the fridge and zapped them in the microwave for 15 seconds to warm them up; they were perfect with ice cream or just with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

I'm keen to try the the Cookies & Cream one now - that one has the extra step of frosting the top of the brownies. Till next time!

bondi pizza @ top ryde shopping centre

For the third time in just as many weeks, we find ourselves at the newly opened Bondi Pizza at Top Ryde Shopping Centre. We took one of our friends here when they were visiting from overseas, then my brother came back from HK and picked this place and before you know it, it was my B.I.Ls birthday and he also picked this place to celebrate. Seems like everyone is keen to give this place a go.

So having been three times, you do get to see the appeal of this place. All of the menu items are designed to share, plenty of seating for both big and small groups, the restaurant itself is neatly decked out without being over the top, meals are quick to get to the table and the service is consistent. As for the food, there's a mecca of items to bring you back and so far, all the items we've tasted have failed to disappoint.

Our side of wedges and meatballs. Still haven't quite worked out what that brown sauce is that they serve with the meatballs (I eat it anyway, as I do).

Our choice of pizzas: Chorizo and Prawn plus the Sicilian.

One will note that they've gone down the route of serving the food on the wooden boards which is very hipster in my eyes but often not very functional when you start to see the boards split from overuse and overwashing. When seated at a table of 4, you really need to eat your sides/starters first otherwise there's no way you can fit more than 4 of these boards on the table along with the cutlery and plates.

If you don't manage to finish your meal, you can get it takeaway boxes to take home though to be honest, the pizzas (being on a thin crust) dried out in the fridge very quickly and didn't look too appealing to eat the next day. Best to finish it off there when you eat in.

I'm guessing there's a high chance we'll be back here soon for our next event!

marion grasby's sesame tuna with ponzu

Weeknight dinners tend to be simple affairs in our household; often we cook enough to last more than one meal and things like spaghetti bolognese, baked chicken wings and fried rice are those staples we constantly have on rotation. Recently, my aunty introduced my mum to frozen salmon and tuna fillets at the supermarket (mum then got me some) and they've been a real treat. Take them out in the morning to defrost in the fridge and they're ready by the time you need to cook at night. So when I flicked through Marion Grasby's 'Asia Express' and saw the recipe for Sesame Tuna with Ponzu, I knew I was going to make this one soon.

With the defrosted tuna pieces, sprinke with salt and coat in sesame seeds. I only had white sesame seeds but Marion recommends a blend of black and white in her recipe. Heat oil in a pan and cook the tuna for about 2 minutes each side.

Marion's recipe for ponzu sauce is a combo of 1 finely sliced spring onion, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, grated zest of 1 lemon,  2tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp wasabi paste and 1 tsp freshly grated ginger all whisked together.

Here's how the tuna looks in the book if you have the black sesame seeds. I though the white sesame seeds already gave it plenty of flavour.

We had our tuna steaks with rice and it's actually a very filling meal. Admittedly frozen tuna steaks aren't as great as fresh ones but if you happen to be in the supermarket, do grab a bag of the frozen salmon steaks. You can hardly tell the difference with the salmon.

Anyhow, our rangehood in the kitchen decided to explode over the weekend so this might be a mini break from any cooking posts for the moment until we get that fixed.  Though truth be told, I would've been more sad had our oven broken down as I wouldn't be able to do any baking!

big tree house cafe @ calder rd., rydalmere

So I'm starting to catch up on my blog but at the same time catching up on all the other food blogs that are out there. So much has changed in the space of the year - there are so many food blogs! Sadly a lot of my favourites are either no longer blogging or are only blogging intermittently but then a lot more blogs are morphing into lifestyle blogs which every now and then I toy with the idea of (yes I'm very tempted but we'll see). Excitingly, I also hand the baton over to two of my younger cousins (bunnybloggers - bunnybloggers.com and friedfoodfanatic - friedfoodfanatic.blogspot.com.au) who have started their own respective food blogs and who on a rare mid week which I had off work, I caught up with to check out Big Tree House Cafe in Rydalmere.

In a most unsuspecting location (nestled in amongst residential), Big Tree House Cafe joins the wave of hipster type cafes which seem to be popping up. When I say hipster, I refer to the meals served on chopping boards, milkshakes served in old fashioned milk bottles and the menu, of course, must have a pulled pork burger. This hipster trend can be a bit of a hit and miss but I think Big Tree House Cafe are doing a reasonably good job (this was actually my second visit and there's still items on the menu which are bringing me back).

What did I say - here's my chocolate milkshake in its signature milk bottle.

My choice of the pulled pork burger with fried potatoes.

My younger cousin Chris orders the Baked eggs with toast which is part of their breakfast menu. There's actually a lot more items on their breakfast menu compared to their lunch menu so might be an idea to check them out for breakfast/brunch if you're planning to head here.

The cafe appears to be Korean own/run and serves up the Gangnam style burger - a burger of bulgogi beef on a brioche bun.

The meals aren't overly generous so meant there was room for dessert. Between the three of us we shared this delicious slice of ricotta cake.

And just because - I felt like banana bread which comes served deliciously toasted with a side of whipped cinnamon butter. I've tried to make banana bread so many times at home now and nothing beats banana bread ordered out at a cafe (and of course toasted and with a generous serve of melted butter).

Big Tree House Cafe offers both indoor and outdoor seating (seating available out the front but also out the back). We had a sneak peak of the back as the cafe is meant to have a big tree for climbing (hence the cafe's name) but was a little disappointed to find that the tree wasn't all that big. Ah well - we had a lovely time sitting indoors and having managed to nab a spot out the front, we didn't have to waddle very far after our meal.

marion grasby's chicken and egg donburi

I didn't think twice when Marion Grasby's 'Asia Express' cookbook was released; picked it up off the shelf and straight to the counter and so far have already cooked three out of the hundred recipes which make up this cookbook. I haven't even bothered with putting post-it notes through it because I have no doubt I'll be cooking all the recipes in this cookbook; the tricky thing has been deciding which recipe to start with first!

Chicken & egg donburi has been a long time favourite of mine; I've actually cooked it a couple of times with several different recipes to the point that I've stopped ordering this dish when I go out. It's actually a really easy dish to cook. This recipe from Marion is true to her cookbook; fast and easy which makes it great for a weeknight meal.

Start with cooking 1 cup Japanese sushi rice - yep keep it authentic. This recipe requires 300g thinly sliced chicken thigh combined with 1/3 cup chicken stock, 1 tsp sugar, and 1 tbsp soy sauce. In a large frypan, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil, add 1 thinly sliced brown onion and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add the marinated chicken until cooked. Drizzle 3 slightly whisked eggs over the top and cover with a lid until the egg is set.

 Remove the pan from the heat. Divide the rice in two bowls and top with the chicken and egg mixture. You can sprinkle with some chopped spring onions and shichimi togarishi (a spicy Japanese seasoning) to serve.

Dinner cooked in less than half an hour (including prep) - what more can you ask for! It's great also that  the recipe says it serves two and actually serves two. It's not really a dish that you can keep overnight and whilst the photos might not quite do the dish justice in terms of portion size; trust me that it's nice and filling (anything with egg in it generally will fill you up).

yellow @ macleay st., potts point

Amongst my friends, there's a handful of us turning the big 3-0 this year (myself included later this year) but whilst we had big grand plans for celebration, most of us have actually settled for some lower key get-togethers and catchups. I'd say partly to avoid the fuss but turning 30 seems to bring on the next stage of our lives where we value those closer friendships and a small no-fuss meal is just the best thing.

For my dearest friend Amz, her birthday this year was a brunch celebration at Yellow in Potts Point. I'd called up thinking we needed to book on a weekend but was told that we should be able to get a table if we turned up at 10. And as advised, we rocked up and were promptly seated at a table to enjoy the glorious food that they offer.

Without a doubt, there was breakfast envy amongst the table when my brekky of scambled egg, jamon, harissa and aoili turned up at the table - check out that generous slice of jamon!

The boy opted for the baked eggs with chorizo and spiced yoghurt which was equally as delish.

I've known this girl since primary school and she's stayed one of my closest friends yet. We don't see each other as much as we should but she is one amazing person!

Seeing the table next to us order this one, we were eager to try it to - it's toasted licorice bread with fresh cultured butter. O-M-G. It tastes like banana bread but it's licorice - I don't know how that works but even if you don't like licorice, you'll be eating this bread (trust me!)

For a brunch with a bit of class, this is definitely a place to visit. It's actually not all that expensive (about $25 a head for a breakfast and drink each plus the licorice bread to share). We managed to find metered street parking just outside and guess what, Bourke Street Bakery is just down the road for your next fix - which is exactly what we ended up doing once we finished brekky here. Hope you had a awesome birthday Amz!

marion grasby's singapore laksa

An unintentional 10 month hiatus from this blog has left me fumbling around with the computer keys and re-familiarising myself with all buttons that you need to press to get a blog post up. Fortunately, like riding a bike, it seems to be coming back to me and I present you with my first post for 2014; an absolutely scrumptious dinner from last night using the Singapore Laksa kit from the Marion Kitchen's range (on sale this week at Woolworths for $4). Anyone that has been following me on this blog will know that I'm a big fan of Marion and have been following her range for a while now. In addition to the Singapore Laksa, she's also recently launch some Indian curries which I'm keen to get my hands on; though the boy seems to think she's not Indian so asked me to err on the side of caution (but after eating this last night and being full of compliments, I think he might've changed his mind).

Singapore Laksa in its signature orange box.

It's an easy 3 step dinner. Fry off the laksa paste that comes with the kit in a little vegetable oil (be warned that it will splatter so a pot is probably better for the task rather than the saucepan which Marion advises), add the cococonut milk (also part of the kit) and add 2 cups water. Once it comes to a simmer, add approx. 500g of your preferred meat (I used sliced chicken breast) and how can you not have a laksa with fried tofu puffs! The puffs soak up all goodness of the sauce. Then serve with your favourite noodles which in my case is Hokkien noodles for Laksa though I did sneak in some rice vermicelli with it for double the texture. The pack comes with a chilli sambal paste which compliments the laksa just perfectly.

From start to finish - allow about 20 minutes and voila; dinner is served! And why not some hard boiled eggs while you're at it.

Coming from a Malaysian background, the boy thought the laksa was quite authentic (and perhaps even better than the one his grandma makes at home and thank goodness, the grandma doesn't read this blog). The soup is a little on the thick side but not to the point where you think you're about to have a heart attack eating a bowl of this. As for serving 4, I'd say the pack comfortably feeds two hungry people i.e. me and the boy. I know I can be fickle but this is definitely my favourite from Marion's range to date.

cumulus inc. @ flinders lane, melbourne

I'm a strong believer that a decent breakfast gives you a good boost to the day. My daily breakfast generally consists of toast, otherwise yoghurt - never really got into the cereal thing but over the years, I've learnt that keeping it healthy is the way to go. Healthy keeps the energy levels up and keeps you fuller for longer but saying that, I wouldn't say no to the occasional chocolate croissant or muffin (both are amongst my favourite!)

And when I go on holidays - finding great places for breakfast is always on the itinerary. On our recent trip to Melbourne, we were recommended Cumulus Inc. as one to try and when I get a recommendation, I generally make a commitment to check it out.

Starting the day with coffees and cannele (there's time when I've considered moving to Paris just so I could eat a cannele every day). At Cumulus Inc, they serve these in 3 sizes - of course I went with the big one.

The Full English Breakfast consisting of bacon, blood sausage on toast, fried eggs and smoked tomatoes.

I opted for the House made crumpets with whipped ricotta and rooftop honey. Rooftop honey seems to be the 'it' thing in Melbourne - this wasn't the first place we saw had it over the weekend we were in Melbourne.

All the cakes to be found near the coffee machine.

To sum up Cumulus Inc., expect really clean flavours and honest, good food. They're also open for lunch and dinner which I'd wished we'd stayed longer to try as the menu looks pretty awesome. And they have a cookbook too - which yes, I almost bought till the self control kicked in!

little cupcakes @ degraves st., melbourne

I love finding cute shops and little cupcakes on Degraves Street in Melbourne is a cutie! From the cupcake motif in their shop sign, the blackboard signage which draws you in, inside you'll find some cute bunting, filled glass jars and a cabinet filled with cute as a button cupcakes!

Here's the shop from the outside.

From where I was sitting.

We had a Belgian Chocolate milkshake which I'd highly recommend. I reckon Raspberry would've been ace!

Here's the cabinet with all the little cupcakes. So many to choose from and you can order them for birthdays too.

It wasn't hard to decide on Elmo & Cookie Monster - how cute are they! Just realised looking at this photo that I picked all chocolate cupcakes. The cupcakes are the perfect size - you can have that extra one without feeling too guilty.

That's me inside the shop!

To be really honest, it's been ages since I've had a cupcake. They were the 'it' thing at one point but then cupcake shop after cupcake shop started popping up and the cupcakes just got bigger and bigger and not very tasty. Good to see that little cupcakes has them just the right size and tasty too!

wonderbao @ a'beckett st., melbourne cbd

I remember growing up eating Chinese steamed buns. Mum would make these for breakfast or our nanny would serve these up as after school snacks. My favourite is the Steamed Bun with Lap Cheong; something I always had to fight dad with to see who got the last one. So for something that's been around for awhile, it's amazing how the 'steamed bun' has made a resurgence with 'bao' places popping up here and there. On my recent trip to Melbourne, a colleague recommended Wonderbao as one to try.

Arriving at 10am that particular morning, I'd actually wanted to try the Roasted Pork Belly Gua Bao which is apparently they're specialty but wasn't available till 10.30am. Instead, the boy and I ordered their mixed selection of sweet and savoury bao's with some hot soya milk.

There's only a handful of seats available with most of the space taken up by the kitchen and counter. I was expecting to see buns being made on location but looks like they're being made offsite (as I saw the car pull up transporting the un-steamed buns in plastic containers).

Aside from soya milk, there's a selection of what they call 'FOB' drinks - love it!

Unfortunately, didn't manage to stay long enough to try the Gua Bao but after eating 2 buns each, we were a little stuffed so wandered off. Of the bao's we tried, the Custard Bun was probably my favourite with the Barbeque Pork Bun following closely behind. Personally I think it's a great idea what they're doing in this space but wonder how long it's going to last. Definitely the Gua Bao's still have my interest but a part of me still thinks that the 'bao's' that mum used to buy frozen and steam at home were just as good as the ones I had this visit.

huxtaburger @ smith st., collingwood VIC

Can you believe it's the first of November already? Where did the time go?! The last 4 months of hiatus from this blog has included a trip to the Hunter, various weddings, watching Recipe to Riches on TV (and subsequently getting sucked in to buying the products each time I head to Woolies - will blog later), bit of a roller coaster ride at work but on a more exciting note, a long overdue trip to Melbourne where I did plenty of eating.

If you're like me, you're probably jumping on the Huxtaburger bandwagon a little late but hey, who's to judge. The tiniest of kitchens (pictured below) are serving up Melbourne's most sought after burger.

The Huxtaburger. Served with crinkle cut chips.

Burger innards. It's a tasty burger and I'd recommend it for the burger pattie if anything. Crisp on the outside which gives the burger a real texture kick.

We were at the the Collingwood store on Smith street - only limited seating available. Four of us were sat on benches facing the wall so a little hard to chat and if you observe around, most people dig in to their burgers and get out of there pretty quick. (You can't help it though cause the queue forms out the door and you'd feel pretty slack for occupying your seat too long)

One thing our Melbourne friends mentioned to us is that a bar opens up in the evening so you can enjoy a tipple or two with your burger. It's a cute little place and with 6 burgers on the menu - there's every excuse to pop back!

dulce luna @ king st., sydney cbd

Recently, two of my cousins started their food blogs and it's been with much excitement and gusto that they've been digging into their food and blogging away. These days, they know a lot more about what's going on in the food world and Dulce Luna was one that came highly recommended. I admit that I was a little bummed to discover Dulce Luna so late in the game; though better late than never!

At Dulce Luna, they serve up 'just the right size' croissants and savoury pasties. I'm very much a sweets girl and took my pick of the raspberry and the almond croissants; though I've been told the Dulce de leche is probably their best one on the menu.

There's only a handful of seats by the side of one wall so it's a bit of a squeeze but it's also prime viewing seats into the kitchen where they prepare their croissants. Be prepared for the thoroughfare of deliveries and people moving to and fro if you choose to take a seat.

Coffee - the perfect accompaniment to a croissant!

There's a handful of food blogs out there with a much thorough review as Dulce Luna brought food bloggers into the kitchen when they first opened up (which I think is a rather smart way to start a food business - and yes, if you're a food business, please invite me into your kitchen as I'd love to be there!) But I digress -  I wish I worked closer to this part of the city so I could actually try the rest of the Dulce Luna menu but until next time, do let me know if you visit here and tell me what you think!

the thai place restaurant @ beecroft rd., epping

I love those days when you don't know what to eat, you wander into the closest restaurant and end up having a awesome meal. The Thai Place in Epping is where we found ourselves one Saturday lunchtime and no doubt will be back for a feed. If you're after tasty and cheap Thai food, look no further!

We ordered off their lunch menu (which is a limited version of their full dinner menu). Every meal comes with a free entree - in our case, our choice of a curry puff each was indeed very tasty.

My all-time favourite Pad Thai. Did you know that in the Thai language, this translates to 'Fried Thai'?

My number one dining companion.

Pork Spicy & Basil Noodle might just be my next all time-favourite Thai noodle. Perfectly spicy and just that little bit different with pork.

Their dinner menu is actually a lot more extensive so will need to report back when I pay them a visit. If you're keen, their menu is on their website here: http://www.thaiplace.com.au/Cuisine.html.

piccolo's @ darling st., rozelle

It's been a little quiet on this blog since I discovered Instagram and it seems like a fair few food bloggers have jumped on the Instagram bandwagon; much easier to post and well, it's addictive! In an effort to stop me from being addicted to my phone and liking pictures at all times of the day, I thought I'd make an effort to come back to this blog and catch up on a serious back log of posts. I've still being snapping away with my nifty Canon of mine and you can only call it ridiculous how many photos of food I have sitting on my computer ready to be shared.

Let me introduce you to a nifty weekend brunch haunt in Rozelle; a place called Piccolo's where coffee is served at all times of the day.

I usually love the idea of an all-day breakfast but the chicken panini was the one that caught my eye this particular morning we were there.  Perfectly toasted and very, very tasty. I've been wanting to buy a sandwich press for awhile now but apartment living has meant we've had little to no bench space - so hopefully when we move to a bigger place, I can finally get one and make a panini of my own at home.

The boy opts for the big breakfast which is generously portioned as any big breakfast should be. I hate it when places serve up a big breakfast and you only have about half of what you see in the photo on the plate.

My regular brunch crew; we're happy eaters!

Don't be turned away when you first come through the doors of Piccolo's; there's actually ample seating tucked at the back which you don't notice when you first come into the cafe. And can I just say that these guys know exactly how to bring customers back; just as we were paying, I noticed the most scrumptious tray of iced cinnamon scrolls by the register which I wish I'd known about earlier. And yep, I'm always thinking about food even when I've eaten :)