Posted by Billy on Nov 19, 2008 in
Food Travel,
Japan 
Before heading to Japan, I have jotted down a few restaurants in my itinerary that I would like to visit, and this is one of them. You would wondering what so special about this restaurant, even the ex-President Bush dined there while in Tokyo. Take a closer look, does it look familiar to you? No… ? Perhaps you will remember hearing this quote in one of Quentin Tarantino’s movies:
“Silly Caucasian girl likes to play with samurai swords.”
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Tags: gonpachi, japan, kill bill, movie, nishi-azabu, roppongi, tokyo, yakitori
Posted by Billy on Nov 18, 2008 in
food talk 
It’s a nice feeling to know that people are reading my rather “extra virgin” blog, and keeping it in their bookmarks, linked on their blogs, and now I even got tagged. Thanks to Karen at
Citrus and Candy for giving me a little shout and meme tag. I am such a newbie, had no clue what this meme tag is about and had to do bit of google-ing.
So here goes, six random things about myself:
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Tags: about me, ink, meme, tagged, tattoo
Posted by Billy on Nov 15, 2008 in
Dessert,
Food Travel,
Japan,
Japanese 
Hello all! and I am back from Japan! Needless to say I had a fabulous time, lots of eating, lots of sightseeing, lots of socialising, and did I mention eating? Food are everywhere at every corner no matter where you go, from sidewalk food stalls, to standing-up ramen shops, to a full course traditional Kaiseki fine dining. Despite the poor currency exchange rate at the moment, so long you know where to go, you always can find good food at reasonable prices.
I thought I will keep my sugar level high up since the last post, and continued my sugar consumption at Henri Charpentier in Ginza. It has been a “MUST” on my to-do list since I first saw those yummy delicious desserts photos my friend K took during her trip last year. So with a little research on internet to pinpoint the exact location of the restaurant and here I went.
The restaurant is easy enough to find, so long you come out from the correct subway exit at Ginza. Once we turned around the corner, I noticed a luminescent red door from miles away, and I knew that is it! That’s where I should be heading to. When we arrived at the front entrance, there is a group of elderly Japanese ladies looking at the menu and about to step inside. So we followed with glee…
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Tags: cake, desserts, gateaux, ginza, henri charpentier, japan, tokyo
Posted by Billy on Oct 30, 2008 in
Food Travel 
Konnichiwa! A Table for Two is being served in Japan! We have arrived in Osaka yesterday and no doubt we will be busy eating our way around towns. Apologies in advance if there are lack of updates here for the next 2 weeks. You just have to wait till I get back and salivate on these photos for now. 
Happy Eating!
~ Billy @ atablefortwo
Tags: japan, osaka, travel
The annual Good Food Month is in full swing again this year in Sydney and everyone is talking about where to eat, and what to eat. There is something for everyone in this year’s event, from street festivals to cooking classes, farmers’ markets to lunches and dinners. And of course, the popular Sugar Hit is back this year for those who have a sweet tooth.
When the good people at Foodbuzz was running the 2nd round of 24,24,24 - I grabbed the opportunity and submitted my proposal - an idea that is crazy enough that no one has ever attempted before. Who would have thought the Foodbuzz people is as crazy as I am and have chosen me to be one of the 24 foodbloggers! Hence, our mission to set our foot down in foodblogging history - 3 foodbloggers, 1 night Sugar Hit, 5 restaurants, 14 desserts! Yes, you heard me right and We DID IT!
I’ve chosen my Santa little helpers - Helen from Grab Your Fork, and Christie from Fig & Cherry to help me out to make this post even more salivate by sharing their thoughts on what they think about those desserts. So prepare to have a sugar rush with us!
Read more…
Tags: 24 bloggers, 24 hours, 24 posts, desserts, foodbuzz, four seasons, good food month, hotel, intercontinental, marriott, shangri-la, smh, sugar, sugar hit, swissotel, Sydney, sydney morning herald
Posted by Billy on Oct 21, 2008 in
Country,
Food Travel,
OZ Outback,
food talk 
Where the bloody hell is BOURKE?
When author Henry Lawson came to Bourke, he claimed, ‘If you know Bourke, you know Australia.‘ Well, that was back in 1893 when he said that, but Bourke has changed a lot since. Nonetheless, Bourke is still considered as the gateway to the real outback of Australia till these days.
I went to Bourke over the weekend and it was my first real Australia outback experience. The town is small, a population of 2500 with 25% aborigines. I’ve been warned that the town can be rough if I am not careful and step into the wrong area.
When we arrived on Saturday afternoon, surprisingly it is almost like a ghost town. We’ve been warned that we better be quick for the last chance to grab something for lunch before the shops shut. We rushed to the the one and only award winning Morrall’s Bakery & Cafe in town, and unfortunately it is already shut. So we ended up at the Oxford Hotel, and placed in the last order before the kitchen close.
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Tags: australia, Bourke, mint, nsw, outback, rice, soft drink, splashe cola
Posted by Billy on Oct 16, 2008 in
Dessert,
Snack 
Mr Hynes: “M***** B** is coming back!”
Me : “Wot’s that?”
Mr Hynes: “The ice cream… best ice cream ever…”
Me: “Never heard of”
Mr Hynes: “You might not have been here yet, stopped making them early 90’s”
Me: “Isn’t the same as Maxibon?”
Mr Hynes: “Noooooo! Maxibon’s are gross compared to M***** B**! The biscuit is all wrong!”
(the conversation continues with Mr Hynes raving about his childhood love for this ice cream)
Yep, you guessed it right…
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Tags: dessert, ice cream, Monaco Bar, nestle, Peters, Snack
Posted by Billy on Oct 15, 2008 in
Central Coast,
Event,
food talk 
“Cheers!”- a contagious chant and the clinking sound of wine glasses are still ringing in my ears from this year Terrigal Food and Wine Fair. This event also marked a year since I moved up to Central Coast. We were informed by the real estate agent about this event last year while inspecting the new home we going to move into. So we went to check it out and we really enjoyed ourselves. This year, we are really looking forward to the event, and our friend from Sydney even decided to come up for the weekend and join us a fun day with food and wine, and more wine.
The annual Terrigal Food and Wine Fair is held at Terrigal Haven. White tent stalls all lined up along the Esplanade with the picturesque Skillion overlooking the ocean as backdrop, talk about being dramatic. It is absolutely a perfect outdoor setting with sunshine and sea breeze, to indulge yourself with live music, delicious food and fine wine.
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Tags: di lusso, di lusso estate, Event, Food, Gen's Jellof Rice, Ghana, Ghanaian, hunter, nsw, pokolbin, ridgeview, savannah hill, terrigal, terrigal food and wine fair, wine, winery
Posted by Billy on Oct 11, 2008 in
Baking,
Dessert,
Recipes 
This is a simple quick fix for those who has a sweet tooth. I had some strawberries soaked in Midori left in the fridge couple of days ago, so I thought I will use them to make a strawberries crumble in filo pastry cup instead. If you are lazy to make a crusty base like me, the filo pastry works like a treat! But the trick is not to get the pastry wet and soggy, or else it can be a disaster. Next time I will also try and soak the strawberries in Botrytis rather than Midori and see whether it will taste different.
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Tags: Baking, crumble, dessert, filo pastry, liquor, midori, Recipes, strawberry, sultanas
Posted by Billy on Oct 7, 2008 in
Baking,
Dessert,
Recipes 
*Disclaimer : I didn’t make this!
The cooking virus in this household is contagious! Everyone is in the cooking mood, and even Mr H decided to bake a classic Victoria Sandwich for my birthday! A total Iron Chef baked-off! It is very thoughtful of him to bake me a birthday cake, he even called up his mum in UK and asked for the recipe! I am honored.
The good ole mum’s secret recipe works like a treat. The cake is soft and delicious, with extra icing and jam filling for self indulgence. I don’t particularly like to celebrate birthday, is just another year older, more wrinkles, and no more wiser. I think the best thing about birthday is having a yummy birthday cake. That’s what is all about. 
And here’s Mr H sharing his “secret” recipe. He said the secret is the weight of the flour, butter and sugar should be the same as the weight of the 3 eggs you using.
Ingredients
1. 3 Eggs
2. Self raising flour (same weight as 3 eggs)
3. Caster Sugar (same weight as 3 eggs)
4. Butter (same weight as 3 eggs, softened)
5. 1 tbsp Vanilla Essence
6. Strawberry Jam
7. Icing Sugar (we used ready-made Betty Crocker icing)
Method
1. Blend butter and sugar together until mix well together with a wooden spoon.
2. Add 1 egg and 1/3 of flour into the mix and keeps blending.
3. Then add 2nd egg and 2nd 1/3 of flour and keeps blending.
4. Add 3rd egg and 3rd 1/3 of flour and keeps blending until soft and fluffy.
5. Add vanilla essence and fold it in with the wooden spoon.
6. Pour half the mix in a cake tin, and the other half into another one.
7. Bake them in a pre heat oven at 180°C for around 20-25 minutes.
8. Set aside let it cool down for few minutes, then take it out of the cake tins.
9. Spread the strawberry jam evenly on one of the cake.
10. Ice - and as is the family tradition - create a snow scene.
11. Sprinkle some hundreds and thousands as final touch.
Enjoy!
Tags: birthday, cake, classic, english, victoria sandwich
