Wagamama - Canberra

Despite hearing about how bad the food in Wagamama (Canberra Centre, 125 Bundah St) is, i still ended up there for lunch during a work training session. I must say that the decor is quite modern, very neat and clean (which i like). The staff was overly friendly or just extremely motivated to work because the waitress that served us, literally sat beside us while taking our order - not to mention the endless smile on her face. I ordered the Teriyaki Salmon ($22.20) and an 'Apple, Mint & Lime' juice ($4.70). The juice was a bit weird because it had this thick layer of lime foam at the top with a hint of mint but i have to say that it was quite refreshing for a hot day! The salmon was cooked nicely and i liked the crispy nori on top of it. However, the rice was a bit too wet and the sauce was a bit overpowering for the salmon. It was a really relaxed lunch and the overall experience was pleasant.

Sorry for the blurry photos, they were taken with my humble mobile phone!

Pão de Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Puffs

Recently, I've been craving so much for Brazilian food. I guess it was ever since i had the priviledge to eat feijoada (Brazilian black bean stew) at one of the Brazilian restaurants in Sydney: Favela. It was so good and quite authentic and now it makes me miss Brazilian food even more...every single bit of it - from main dishes to snacks! Been thinking of going back to my roots and start making some Brazilian dishes...soh pra matar a saudade! At first, i was determined to make feijoada, but gave up on the idea because i found out that it isn't easy to get the ingredients here, at least not in Canberra. Thus i decided to make something easy and that brings back good memories of my childhood: Pao de queijo! I still remember the days in middle school when i would line up in canteen queues just to get a hot and deliciously soft pao de queijo during recess. Awww.

So here is the recipe:

- 300ml of milk

- 125g of unsalted butter, melted

- 1 tbsp of salt

- 450g of tapioca starch

- 2 large eggs or 3 small eggs

- 150g of parmesan cheese (the ones that you sprinkle on top of your pasta)

Method:

1) Bring the milk, melted unsalted butter and the salt to boil

2) Remove the pot from the fire and add the tapioca starch in portions, mixing with a wooden spoon after each addition. It will eventually form something that look like a 'semi-dough'

3) Leave it to cool

4) Add one egg at a time and a portion of the parmesan cheese to the 'semi-dough' and knead it. Repeat the process until you get a smooth dough (something that resembles to a bread dough)

5) Make small/medium balls with the dough

6) Pre-heat oven to 180C and bake the cheese balls for around 20 minutes or until they are slightly brown on the top.

Enjoy!

A 'hello'!

Been wanting to blog so badly but due to the Canon competition, i've been negleting my lil' beloved blog and focusing on taking photos for the competition. Technically, i've submitted 4 photos but for some strange reason, only 3 photos show up in the Canon website. Weird.

Well...i hope that a photo of Snowie will keep you all happy for now =)

See you soon =)