quiet time

My dad passed away yesterday . . .

happiness & texts

Yesterday was my birthday, and from 6:30am the text messages started arriving . . . thank you to my family & friends for the birthday greetings . . . especially my mom who, as usual, woke me up on my birthday.

And as per tradition, Malc planned and plotted a surprise dinner. The chosen restaurant was actually the restaurant that started the birthday tradtion, I surprised Malc to this restaurant several years go. Without further ado, I present my birthday dinner . . . at Yoshii Restaurant (115 Harrington street, Sydney 2000, ph +61) 02 9247 2566).

Appetiser: Cuttlefish marinated with white miso, Deep fried Japanese taro & chicken mince, Daily fish Nanbanzuke wrapped with potato mousse and Duck foie gras and kelp seaweed tsukudani



Zucchini flower tempura filled with cuttlefish mousse with cuttlefish ink salt



Milk fed veal sashimi served with forest mushroom dressing


Spanner crab mousse wrapped with long net mushroom in edamame bonino



Slowly braised wagyu beef cheek in red miso and red wine



Sushi



Dessert (mine): Mascapone



Dessert (Dr Malc): Smoked ice cream

no rice

Today, Malc & I made a special trip to Canberra to say au revoir to our good friend Dr Miwa, who is off to take up a post at Nottingham University. It was good timing too, as the Floriade flower show was on in the nation's capital, so we joined Miwa's friends for a picnic at the Floriade grounds.

We were supposed to drive up and drive down, but a few days ago, Malc told me that I need to pack some clothes . . . he had a surprise up his sleeve. The first one was a reservation at Crowne Hotel Canberra, how he managed to get a room during Floriade is indeed incredible. Then, for dinner, we headed off to another surprise location . . . Lanterne Rooms (3 Blamey Place Campbell ACT 2612 ph 61 2 6249 6889).

The restaurant had a nice ambiance, with high ceilings and toned down Asian-inspired decor. The waitstaff were also friendly and attentive. After admiring the surrounds, Malc & I checked up the menu and here were our choices:

I had grilled chicken marinated in galangal and lemongrass with okra. The chicken was nice an moist and the skin nicely grilled. I would have enjoyed this dish even more if there was rice! I was a bit surprised when my order arrived and it was just the chicken and vegetables . . . no rice. So Malc asked the waiter for some rice and he said "we don't have rice in this restaurant." My heart sank, but credit to the waiter, he did check the kitchen to see if they had prepared rice for the banquet menu . . . they did not.

Malc, for his part, thoroughly enjoyed his order of rice noodles in dark soya and ginger sauce with seafood (scallops, octopus, prawns and ikan bilis). The noodles were circular and as the waiter said, they were a bit chewy like gnocchi. The amount of seafood was quite generous and Malc reckoned it was top-notch hawker food and the dried fish was the ingredient that made the dish.

We hurriedly ate our dessert, I had strawberry shortcake and Malc had kulfi ice cream with peppered pineapple then headed back to the hotel in time for Iron Chef.