Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse

I've always wanted to try Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse (North Quarter, 125 Bunda St, Civic 1300 546 475) but, for some bizarre reason, i never got to try it until i was formely invited by them last week. Perhaps the thought that "It's always there and i can try it anytime i want" was the reason why i did not put Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse at the top of my 'to-try list'.
Kingsleys features a rustic decor with dark wooden chairs and tables which, to my opinion, are a perfect fit for a steakhouse; the addition of a few funny cow or crab-related humour on the walls adds that nice little extar touch to the restaurant. Their menu is not extensive but enough to leave you spoiled for choices, from steaks to seafood and an array of tantalizing entrees and sides; they also have a comprehensive drinks menu.

We started off the night with some Lemon, Lime & Bitters and an Alaskan King Crab Leg - with mayonnaise and lemon to share. The crab meat was succulent with a delicate and sweet flavour, definitely worth getting my own next time =P

For mains, we decided to sample some of the steaks that Kingsleys had to offer. We ordered the Rib Eye - 120 day grain fed, Riverine Premium Beef, marble score 2+ and the Wagyu Rib Eye - 350 day grain fed, marble score 6-7, Oakleigh Ranch (QLD), all served with a sauce and chips/potato mash. To accompany our mains, we got a Tomato, Bocconcini & Basil salad.

For the rib eye, i chose a mushroom sauce to go with it together with some chips. The steak had some marbling and was deliciously juicy and tender. The chips came out pipping hot and i just couldn't get enough of those!

As for the Wagyu Rib Eye, a Bearnaise sauce and potato mash were chosen to accompany it. Although the wagyu was a bit burnt on one side, the marbling was nice and definitely more evident than in the Riverine Rib Eye and the steak was equally tender. The potato mash was okay and quite a lot for a side.

The Tomato, Bocconcini & Basil salad was simple but refreshing. The tomatoes were tasty and sweet, especially the green ones, and it is one of my favorite combos that can never go wrong. It was a good side to go with the mains.

I personally liked the Riverine Rib Eye more than the Wagyu Rib Eye (not taking into consideration the burnt bit) maybe because i prefer my steak to be more on the lean side. I am not saying that i dislike Wagyu, on the contrary, i love Wagyu but i prefer to have it in smaller portions as opposed to a whole 400g wagyu steak. A bit too much for my petite-self...

After our mains, we decided to only order a Key Lime Pie to share because we couldn't fit another dessert in *i heard that their Creme Brulee is not bad either. The pie had a smooth and creamy texture and it wasn't overly sweet; the key lime taste was refreshing and the dessert was a perfect way to finish off our meal at Kingsleys.

The dinner at Kingsleys was lovely and the service was great. The staff is knowledgeable and diligent; the food overall was good and i will certainly come back to try other things from their menu.

Thanks Sarah, Marcus and the Canberra Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse team for their awesome hospitality!

Gold Coast: Amimoto 網元

Amimoto (Shop 13 Lido Arcade, 24 Orchid Avenue (07) 5538 7816) is, by far, the best Japanese restaurant that i've tried in Gold Coast. It is literally a very tiny restaurant quietly tucked away at the Lido Arcade (just remember that it is just next door to a Korean restaurant). Amimoto doesn't have any fancy decor nor extravagant tables and chairs, just simple white tables and a few japanese drawings hanging on the walls...ohn...and a bookshelf with very old mangas. Honestly, i probably wouldn't have gone in if it hadn't been strongly recommended by a good friend of mine. I'm glad that i went in, or else i would have missed this little gem from Gold Coast.

Like, Yama Sakura Japanese Restaurant, we were spoilt for choice and the set menu literally went from A - Z and further to AA, AB, AC...it took us, again, a while to choose what we wanted. Since we didn't have breakfast, we had a bit of extra room to fit dishes beyond the sets that we ordered. We ordered a Sashimi Set and a Chirashi Set, which came with soup and rice (only for the sashimi set since Chirashi already contains rice). The sashimi set came with a good variety of fresh sashimi (scallops, variety of fish, squid, fish roe and octopus) and everything was beautiful and delicious. The same can be said for the Chirashi too!  

Sashimi Set

Chirashi Set

We also ordered a Grilled Unagi (Eel) and a Mixed Tempura. I was utterly impressed by the grilled unagi for being so flawless. It's a strange word choice, i know, but everything about it was just perfect that left me wanting to order another one *if only i wasn't full. I am usually not a fan of deep fried food but i have to say that the Mixed Tempura was great! It didn't leave your mouth feeling like it had been soaked in oil and you could really taste the freshness of the ingredients (vegetables and seafood) used. I particularly liked the fish fillet and the sweet potato tempura.

Grilled Unagi

Mixed Tempura

Lunch was great and very satisfying. I loved the use of good and fresh ingredients by Amimoto as it highlights the essence of Japanese Cuisine. Everything was great and particularly loved the sashimi set and the grilled unagi. I will be back for more and perhaps try their sukiyaki too! It is a little restaurant worth visiting if you happen to be in Gold Coast!

Mecca Bah - Canberra

Went to Mecca Bah for a friend's farewell and the first thing i've noticed about Mecca Bah (25-29 Manuka Terrace, Flinders Way (02) 6260 6700) was its beautiful and rustic decor. Mecca Bah has a very relaxed atmosphere and it is divided into two sections: the restaurant and the bar. The restaurant itself was very inviting and the patterned-lamps were my favorite things. The staff was polite but not very attentive as i had to keep asking them to refill the water for our tables. Our order took a while to come but it could be because we had 20+ people.

The lamps had the same pattern design as the menu

I ordered a Middle Eastern Spiced Swordfish with Spicy Couscous and loved the fish. The fish was lightly marinated and grilled beautifully - moist and juicy. The couscous was gently tossed with some pistachio which added a nice touch to the overall dish. 

Lamb Meatballs with Egg & Spicy Tomato Sauce Tangine was the most oredered dish at our table. I don't usually fancy lamb but the meatballs were really tasty (and not as 'lamby') and went well with the couscous. It's a very delicious and hearty dish but seemed like it wasn't enough for the guys.

Overall the food was good and i enjoyed dining at such a lovely and cozy restaurant. Will certainly be back to try their mezze menu as well as their Turkish pizzas.

Green Tea Buttermilk Cake

I decided to make a buttermilk cake a few weeks ago (after being in a baking hiatus) as i had almost 3/4 of a carton of buttermilk left in the fridge. This time i decided to wing it just to see what i would get and also because i was too lazy to google for a nice buttermilk cake recipe. I added some green tea powder but unfortunately there wasn't much green tea flavour in the cake - will have to add more next time! The cake is fairly easy to make and to my delight it turned out soft, moist and deliciously rich in buttermilk taste. I can't recall the exact amounts but here are the rough estimates:

Green Tea Buttermilk Cake

-1 1/2 cup of self-raising flour, sifted

- 2 eggs

- 3/4 cup of buttermilk

- 125g of unsalted butter, room temperature

- 1 tsp of cream of tartar

- 1/2 cup of caster sugar

- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

- pinch of salt

- green tea powder, as desired

1. Sift together self-raising flour, cream of tartar, salt and green tea powder together

2. Beat butter and sugar until you reach a creamy consistency, add in vanilla essence and mix.

3. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well

4. Divide buttermilk and flour into three batches and beat into the butter mixture alternately. If the batter is rather dry, add a bit of buttermilk OR if the batter is too runny, add a bit of flour.

5. Pour the batter into a 9" loaf pan and bake in a pre-heated oven (~170 C) for 45 - 60 minutes. if the skewer that is inserted in the centre of the cake and comes out clean, the cake is cooked.

Enjoy~

Pineapple Tarts 凤梨酥 Recipe

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

I love pineapple tarts, especially home made ones! Just to think about that lovely sweet and sour filling wrapped around by a melt-in-your-mouth pastry already makes me drool.

J and I have been wanting to make some pineapple tarts for quite a while and, after x months, we finally made it! Mission accomplished, in a way. Making pineapple tarts are certainly fun but at the same time, tiring and time consuming. Poor J had to cut up the pineapples and make the pineapple filling, which involved 1 - 1.5 hours of non-stop stirring. The sad thing? Two medium pineapples only yielded a minuscule amount of pineapple filling (fine, not that little...but you get the point). Making the dough was certainly less tiring and easier too. The most fun part was actually making the pineapple tart, i think i got a bit carried away and made a little chick (ate it before i could take a snapshot of it)
The finished product was very delicious and fragrant; all the effort put in was certainly worth it!

Pineapple Tarts Recipe (makes around 25)

Pineapple Filling:

- 2 pineapples, finely grated
- 4 tablespoon caster sugar

1. Slice and grate pineapple until fine. (If you have a food processor, use it!)

2. Strain the grated pineapple. (If you have a metal sift, that'd help!)
3. Let the pineapple simmer in a wok until dry
4. Add sugar and stir till the pineapple becomes thick, dry and sticky

Pineapple Tart Dough:
- 350g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon custard powder
- 250g butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 40g icing sugar
- pinch of salt

1. Sift flour, custard powder, salt and icing sugar together

2. Cut butter into cubes and add them to the flour mixture. Using your hands, mix the ingredients until you reach a crumbly consistency.

3. Add in yolk and keep working on the dough until you get a smooth and soft dough (make into a ball)
4. Rest the dough at room temperature for at least 30 minutes

Pineapple Tarts
1. Divide the pineapple filling into roughly 25 portions and roll them into balls
2. Do the same with the pineapple tart dough, each ball should weigh ~22g
3. Flatten the pineapple tart dough until it's enough to wrap the pineapple filling in it

4. Mould it into a rectangular shape and using a fork, draw lines on top of the rolls. Do the same with the rest of the dough and filling.

5. Put the pineapple tarts onto a baking paper-lined tray and brush them with beaten egg yolk. Bake for around 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before storing them in airtight containers.

Finished!

All you have to do now is to sit back and enjoy them. Share these lovely goodies with friends and families during this Chinese New Year Season! *putting them in nice containers make great gifts too! ENJOY~