Fake "breakfast seafood" in Manhattan :p

I'd consider myself as quite the seafood connoisseur, but even then I was fooled :p

For weeks, I had been dying to try the breakfast 'lobsters' served only at one Japanese-owned cafe that I pass by quite often in midtown Manhattan.

When I finally tried the "lobsters", I realised that they're actually 'lobster cakes' : MSG-laden flour + artificial colouring & loads of other chemicals

They look like real lobsters, don't they?

But that fake stuff taste disgusting. They should be banned (at least, from the breakfast menu)!
Silly me, I was craving so much for seafood that I bought 3 of the fake lobs

Other food items at the Old Bridge Gourmet Deli are probably okay

The ambiance is good

Free water for diners

But at the moment I'm still very traumatized by the "fake seafood experience", I don't thimk I'm likely to revisit that deli anytime soon

Thanks, Old Bridge
From now on I'll stick to bagels & eggs for breakfast
I miss New Zealand yogurt ;p
NZ's got the best yogurt in the whole world

Crunchy vacuum-fried NZ mussels (Low-fat) : D-I-Y :)

Discovered a good recipe for crunchy vacuum-fried NZ mussels when I accidentally dehydrated some fresh mussels while cooking them in the microwave :)

The "dehydrated" mussels taste as good as the Japanese deep fried baby crabs (omg..I sound so cruel) - normally sold in small packages of 100-200grams.

The best part about the mussels :)
- no oil is used for frying them.
Crunchy + low-fat

Remember the egg bombs? :)

 

It's funny how some of the best recipes are discovered when cooking experiments go wrong...

How do u say "Karangahape" Road? (New Zealand)

In Maori language, the vowel 'a' is pronounced as 'aa'
- just like in Malay & Indonesian languages


Karangahape Road - a famous street in Auckland, New Zealand - is often mistakenly pronounces as "Kay-rang-gay-happy"

Over the years, Karangahape Road acquired a shorter name - K Road

But still :) heritage/history is important
and it's good to know the original name of K-road
So, here's the story about the famous road in Auckland city :)...

From about 1900 to the early 1960s Karangahape Road was Auckland's busiest shopping street with many clothing shops large and small along with several Department Stores. Most retail chain stores had branches on K Road, often in preference to Queen Street. During the interwar period most of Auckland's main shops selling furniture, musical instruments, radios and other household appliances were located here.

After 1965 K Road lost most of its local customer base when construction of the inner-city motorway system resulted in over 50,000 people having to move out of the surrounding areas.

The downturn in trade led to many shops closing and the relocating of businesses to other areas of Auckland. This accelerated the decline, and by the early 1970s the low rents meant it had acquired a rather seedy reputation as Auckland's red light district.

Since the early 1990s there has been a move away from this image due to newly constructed apartment blocks attracting residents back to the area, as well as a general gentrification of close-by areas like Ponsonby.

Nowadays only very few enterprises are connected with the adult industry.However, the 'Las Vegas' is thought to be New Zealand's oldest established strip club, and its nude 'Vegas Girl' sign has become somewhat iconic.

(Image source: Wikipedia)

Alongside the few remaining shops and venues catering to the sex trade, K Road currently boasts an eclectic collection of shops, cafés and art galleries. At night its restaurants, bars and nightclubs make it a major part of Auckland's social scene.

Yummy Indian snacks at Rasui Restaurant

K Road has become a centre for much of Auckland's bohemian scene, with many venues for alternative music and fringe art as well as the LGBT community. It is also home to many trendy Op shops.

K Road in Pop Culture

The song Verona by New Zealand rock band Elemeno P, from their album Love & Disrespect, refers to the cafe/restaurant/bar of the same name at 169 Karangahape Road.

The current Verona building dates from 1923 and gets its name from the Victorian house that previously occupied the site; Mrs Bishop's "Verona" Boarding House

Fo more info: http://www.kroad.com/

Low-fat snacks @ Choice Bakery, Auckland

Ever wondered how Chinese girls manage to stay so slim (despite eating like horses)?

Well, they don't have super-high metabolic rates

The secret is in their choices of food..especially Taiwanese desserts, which are literally like 'diet food' - yummy, but almost fat-free

If you're in Auckland, good news:)

You can easily get those fat-free cakes at Choice Bakery outlets
The one that I normally go to is at Newmarket
The Japanese Cheese Cakes (no added butter)
are light, fluffy... :))
(ohh yumm, I'm in heaven - just thinking about it)

"Butter-less" cakes

Now, instead of having the usual pound cake, you eat 200-300 calories less per serving with these:-

These cakes have a higher protein content

(more egg whites used in the recipes, to compensate for the fat reduction)

Wife cakes aren't exactly my favourite...but I'm including the pics here just in case you might wanna see what they're like :)

and then tehre's something similar to the "wfie cake" except that there's "red bean paste" inside the pastry

not very healthy - it's just lots of sugar, oil, flour & boiled mashed red beans

Sahaa: best African restaurant in Aus & NZ:)

Tucked inconspicuously in a line-up of ethnic eateries near the busy intersection of Khyber Pass and Broadway (Auckland, New Zealand) , this superb little restaurant is a real off-the-beaten-track, local haunt.

You don’t often come across quality Algerian, Morrocan and Tunisian flavours in New Zealand.

In fact, Sahaa is the only one of its kind on the whole North Island, something that makes its menu shine even brighter.

Naturally, tagines are the specialty here and the setting is positively North African exotic with a private, traditional low-seating area, a family dining room complete with Moroccan fountain, colourful pottery on the walls and dainty glass cups from which to sip your mint tea.

Chef-owner Makhlouf (Marco) Benyettou cooks dishes from his native Algeria as well as Morocco and as well as Morocco and Tunisia.

Benyettou’s wife Dianna undertook the waiting duties by herself; ranging around providing efficient and knowledgeable service in a low-key dining room with lemon-yellow walls, Moorish pendant lamps and a smattering of rugs.

Tagine dishes symbolise North African cuisine, and here at Sahaa they are brought to the table piping hot and placed on a decorative tile in front of you. The conical lid is then removed so you can eat from the cooking platter.

The lamb, apple and prune stew ($26) - the large dices of lamb were very tender, and the fruit contributed a heady sweet-savoury character.

This dish was what good restaurant food should be: sublime in its simplicity, yet the sort of thing that would be difficult to recreate at home.

Sahaa's wine list was small, made up of good value Australian and New Zealand whites and reds, selected to match the food.

However, an evening at Sahaa does not require spectacular flourishes. The low-key service, calm atmosphere and satisfying food invite you to relax and enjoy your food, wine and company.

More info: http://www.viewauckland.co.nz/restaurants/sahaa-review-57866.html

Prices: Entrées $10 - $24, mains $20 - $26.

Contact:
475 Khyber Pass Road,
Newmarket,
Auckland
Tel: 09-523-4578
Fax: 09-523-4578
Email: sahaarestaurant@hotmail.com

A drink called FumFum?? :)

I'd regard cocktail names like Singapore Sling and Bloody Mary as pretty adventurous... but Fum Fum?;p
It's way too extraordinary & umm... naughty :p

Well, TEZA Co. invented a new tangy cocktail recipe and gave it a very sexual name - "Fum Fum" :P
It's a combination of the work "fuck" + "cum" = Fum
Even if it tastes really good, when I go to a bar I don't think I'd be bold enough to say, "Can I have a glass of Fum Fum, please?"

But then again, it's an interesting drink to have if you're having a party at home... or wedding/birthday function :)

So, I'm now gonna share the recipe with you...

This is the new funky layout of Teza's interactive website

...and this is the recipe for FumFum. Just click on it if you'd like to view it.

I'm too lazy to transcribe the recipe :P

You'll need a carton of Teza's "Lemon Mandarin"

Well, my favourite Teza drink is Velvetberry :)

...or Velvel Underground

I love berries :)

Too bad I missed the berry season in NZ...

Website: http://www.teza.co.nz/
Email: teza@greenstonedrinks.co.nz

How I ALMOST ate DOG FOOD (Chocolates) ;p

By now you probably know that I love chocolates, especially dark ones;p

So, it's perhaps not a very surprising revelation that I almost ate Home Brand's "Choc Drops" for dogs.

Hey, it's not that I'm dumb...but the Choc Drops were placed at the mini shelves near the cashier, where you'd normally find food items FOR HUMAN like "chocolates", mint, chewing gums...

Hence, when I was waiting for my turn to pay for grocery items while shopping in Foodtown (now taken over by Countdown), Quay St (Auckland) I almost picked up a box of these...

...until I spotted the other items besides the Home Brand Choc Drops

So... I really am not that dumb... ;p
Or at least I refuse to believe it

I mean, Home Brand is a brand that I'd normally associate with "human food items" like butter...

cheddar cheese

self-raising flour

but not dog food!!!

Ok... Home Brand, I'm overreacting ;p
You are most entitled to carry any types of products you wish - be it for human, cats or dogs...

But FoodTown or Countdown really shouldn't put that stuff here! LOL :)

....especially above Watties' stuff

Naughty OZ souvenirs: Kangaroo scrotum bottle openers, sheep skin nipple warmers:)

Discovered these treasures in a souvenir shop in Market City (the mall beside Paddy's Market) :)

Kangaroo scrotum bottle opener ;p hehe

"Sheepskin Nipple Warmers"

"Proudly made in New Zealand"

"Supporting you from Downunder"

"Because...it's Rude to point!" ;p

Crocodile tooth necklace

Kangaroo scrotums...

Kangaroo claws

Weber Bros Circus

Have you ever seen a "Chinese clown" before? ;)

I was still very impressed with the refreshing novelty of "Chinese clowns" despite being a 25-going-on-26 adult - & having seen many good Chinese acrobatic acts throughout my life.
So, if you have young kids at home who are 10-20 years my junior, I bet they'll just love the goofy "Chinese clowns" at the Weber Bros' Chinese-theme circus! :) :) :)
The audience interaction is very good!
Members of the crowd are given a hands on Tai Chi & Wushu lesson :)

& of course... there are the usual gravity-defying stunts by very well-trained Chinese acrobats

 

There weren't any mattress, trampolines... *gulp*

I probably have mellowed a lot over the years. I used to watch scarier stuff on television & while visiting China with my parents, but didn't bat an eyelid.

Yet, I found the acrobatic stunts at Weber Bros Circus (which are apparently mediocre by Chinese standards) to be too much for my weak heart - & I was praying hard that the girl wouldn't fall.

In one of the dance acts, the beautiful girls dressed in elegant red colour Ching Dynasty palace silk costumes, along with elaborate flower adorned headgears and 5-inch high wooden clogs, carrying red Chinese lanterns. Took a snapshot of my favourite girl

The "Fairy Dance" is my favourite :)
Girl danced in white, soothing music in the background...

 

I was quite amused with the stage deco:) - which reminds me of the fictional singer Cora Corman (a parody of Britney Spears and Madonna) in the film Music & Lyrics

 

The show lasts for 2 hours, with a plenty of entertainment throughout the 1/2 hour mid-show break

  

Bumper car

  

Game stalls:)

  

The Chinese acrobats interacted with the crowd at the food stall - serving popcorns, ice creams, drinks and hotdog

  

  Tea cups!:)

 

For more information on booking information : http://www.weberbroscircus.co.nz