Au Cheval, Chicago

In Chicago, in September and we were introduced to a delicious burger place and we had it for brunch one Sunday morning.

Le Pain Quotidien, Wan Chai

It was our last day in Hong Kong and we found place to have proper breakfast that I had been missing.

We had Coconut Berry Muesli and Fritata of the day. The staff that waited on us did not know what it was that she had to go in and find out. Later on, I also found another staff that also had no clue of the flavor of the Fritata of the day. I guess, they don't get any briefing before the cafe was open or they did, but they di not pay attention. Or simply it was not mentioned. I definitely will respect the place better if the employees have the knowledge of this sort of things. Anyway, Fritata of the day was spinach and feta.

We also had coffee and green juice (no picture).

Pao De Queijo

Still loving this. I have tested making these guys with different and easier recipe and it works wonderfully. These cheese buns are good for breakfast or anytime.

Il Lumino, Macau

We were in Macau for a short getaway, this was back last month and was almost forgotten, because life has been so hectic. DH had booked a table for dinner in a new Italian restaurant in Studio City.

We started with their Fritto Misto and followed by our entrees Squid Ink pasta and Pan Seared Salmon. We also tried their pizza simply because we wanted to try. The crust was thin and cheese was too much and too overwhelming.

Garibaldi Brunch

This was from last month when we managed to have four family members in the country and had the time to have a Sunday brunch together. 

Garibaldi was someone's pick and I just followed along. It was like a feast, or it was really a feast. There was so much food and they were mostly enjoyable. The meal ended with a tray of desserts. 

Cheese Bread

Occasionally, I bake some cheese bread at home. It's one of those that everyone eats at home. I normally use Hokkaido milk bread or any soft bread recipe. Give each piece a generous amount of grated cheese and they will ooze out when you opens it. So good. 

La Pizza & La Pasta/Eataly - Chicago

Earlier in the day, by earlier, it was nearly noon, we had dim sum for brunch. A couple of hours later, we found ourselves, sitting down in one of the restaurants in Eataly, Chicago, to have some of their dishes. Here I was, trying not too have something to heavy and pick Caprese to share among the four of us. We had two more dishes to share, kind of, ravioli (stuffed with gorgonzola dolce and walnuts, served with pear butter and spiced walnuts) and pizza (Norcina, half of which without Italian sausage). They were so yummy. No regrets.

Cheese Popovers

I always love popovers, especially with cheese on top. They are simple to make and good for breakfast. They are light and they do not take too much effort to make. 

Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup flour (sifted)

½ tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 tbsp. melted butter
Grated Cheese as desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Put the popover or muffin pans inside. Sift together flour and salt into a bowl.

2. Whisk together eggs, whole milk, and butter in a bowl. Then add flour, whisking until combined (some lumps may remain). You can continue to whisk again to combine. 

3. Take out the pan from the oven and butter the molds using a brush. 

4. Pour batter into popover tin or muffin pan, filling individual tins two-thirds to three-quarters full. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top if you wish. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and continue baking until puffed and browned, about 20 minutes more.

5. Remove from the pans and put them on the rack. (You can pierce sides of popovers with a toothpick to allow steam to escape, I don't do this) Serve immediately.

Dinner At Baffo, Chicago

It was not my intention and plan to have dinner after we arrived in Chicago that afternoon. I thought, we just grabbed a light meal or salad for the evening, especially since we were going to fit into our dress on Saturday. But. Sometimes. Circumstances just forced us to change our plan. Italian food would not be my first choice as well. Again, we ended up here, in an Italian restaurant for dinner. 

Here we were, the three of us. Our mouse bouche was Savory Cannoli and we cleaned them up well.

We ordered two appetizers, burrata (above) and polpo (octopus) - below. All were small portions and both were good.

The mains were Triangoli (beef cheek, black truffle, castelmagno),

Risotto (whose else but mine!) (fontina, artichoke, black truffle)

Tajarin al nero (frutti di mare, breadcrumb, herbs )

Our dessert was Crema, salted caramel, saffron, apples, sesame. With these many small dishes and drinks, the three of us were very full indeed. Delicious food overall. 

 

SQ 16 - First Meal

It was traveling time again, very soon after we arrived from Bali. It was the beginning of March, I couldn't believe it's March already. The first leg of our flight took us to Seoul and these are the food that served and/or picked by me. No matter how good they look and how wonderful the way they are presented, they are still plane food and they do not taste as good as when we enjoy them on the ground, in my opinion. Nevertheless, it is certainly enjoyable to have these nicely done food up there in the sky.

For main, I chose to have Punjabi Tandoori. Unfortunately, the naan was bad compared to what I could have in some food court in Singapore.