The gift of food this Christmas

The team at Food Obsession wishes all our readers a very Merry Christmas, and an awesome new year ahead! Hopefully you have had a wonderful holiday season, celebrating with family and friends (and also celebrating over some food!)

As mentioned in an earlier post, we've been working on various number of projects this summer. One of my personal projects is making food gifts as Christmas gifts.

I stumbled upon this recipe at sortedfood.com and could not resist making them as they looked so easy to make. These Cranberry Florentines also made really cute gifts for colleagues and friends.

 

Cranberry Florentines fresh from the oven.

 

All these cookies are packed and ready to be gifted!

Recipe (taken from sortedfood.com)
75g butter 
75g caster sugar (I used less as I am not a fan of cookies being super sweet) 
2 tbsp honey
75g plain flour 
75g dried cranberries 
50g glacé cherries (chopped, optional)
50g mixed dried peel 
50 flaked almonds 

1. Melt butter, sugar and honey over simmering water.
2. Stir in the flour to create a batter. 
3. Tip all of the dried fruit and flaked almonds into the batter.
4. Mix well. 
5. Spoon mixture with a teaspoon onto baking trays and press slightly to flatten a little. 
6. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C, then cool for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Enjoy and happy baking!

Meetings over lunch

All work-related meetings should be done over lunch, especially if it is a meeting which the parties dread, for example, performance reviews.

We did exactly that; a semi-formal meeting where discussions about career progression took place over delicious food (and a glass of wine or two) at The Olive Tree Restaurant.

 

 Chicken Schnitzel with Seeded Mustard and Cheese Sauce and Fries

The Olive Tree Restaurant may look like a tiny, cramped cottage from the outside, but inside, it is spacious and its decor provides such a good ambiance. There is definitely more space out the back for larger groups (and even wedding receptions). The food has always been delicious and it is a good lunch spot for something different than the usual grub from the food courts.

Why not check out the menus when you plan your next luncheon? They have set menus and also serve dessert!

The Olive Tree Restaurant

20 Emerald Terrace

WEST PERTH WA 6005

www.theolivetreerestaurant.com.au

Late, impromptu dinner at Terrazza

It has been ages since our last update - we are so sorry! There have been other priorities this year and somehow we have neglected our blogging passion. However, a lot has happened (including eating and travelling, of course) and we will be bringing a lot more exciting projects to Food Obsession starting this summer.

In the meantime, let me fill you in on a fairly recent impromptu food adventure.

Terrazza was discovered because my friends and I:

• planned for a later than usual dinner time; 
• had no idea where to eat;
• needed to eat at somewhere close to the cinema; and 
• did not realise that the initial restaurant we wanted to go to was not opened! 

We were lucky that Terrazza was opened and because it was a (very) late dinner, it wasn't packed at all.

 

My Penne Alla Vodka and a side of Cajun Spice Fries for the table! 

My thoughts? Service was excellent and our meals were not only served within 15 minutes, but they were delicious! The only thing was we were late running so very late for our 9:15 pm show, we scoffed everything down, burning our tongues in the process. If we had more time, I am sure we would have enjoyed the meal more. 

This just means that I have an excuse to return to Terrazza again, right? Next time, I am staying for dessert! =P

Terrazza Cafe and Restaurant

767 Canning Highway

APPLECROSS WA 6153

Taste of home

Guess what's cooking on a 37C hot day?

Oxtail soup! My dad's #1 dish. 

I thought I will take a stab at this dish. So yes, it is simmering on my stove top now. =)

Now, how about a icy cold drink?

Lunchtime!

I discovered a new lunch spot since my return to West Perth last year (courtesy of a friend's recommendation) and I have been frequenting this place each time I crave chicken rice.

Tucked behind an alleyway, Noodle Inn is actually quite difficult to locate. If you do not pay attention, you can easily walk past the entrance.

The meals are not cheap but they taste good and your meals are served within 5 minutes! Perfect for those who do not have long lunch breaks. Just one word of caution though - this place gets really packed!

 

Chicken Rice! 

This is my absolute favourite. Yes, I know the restaurant's name might just suggest that the noodle dishes are more popular, but it is difficult to get good chicken rice in Perth and I think Noodle Inn makes decent chicken rice.

 Curry Laksa! 

Finally, I went out of my comfort zone and ordered something different. It isn't the Penang style 'assam laksa' though and I consider curry laksa as curry noodles but it's still better than nothing! The only thing was I felt really thirsty when I was back at work. I wonder if it was the MSG or it was just a very hot day...

Noodle Inn

Shop 5, 1273 Hay Street

West Perth WA 6005

Cafe Pavé by Trak Norwood

Latte

It is almost sad to say it tasted burnt. It has been a long while since I tasted coffee bitter in such a way as I do not add sugar in mine. 

Sleepy Tuna, it is called. Tuna in port, mustard mayo on a bed of avocado and lettuce. 

I personally found it amusing when the first hit into my mouth was the taste of spring onions. While eating, the only question running through my head was ''Where's the avocado?''. I noticed the avo spread on my

friend's but where's mine?!

 

Goody two shoes which translates itself as poached chicken with dill on a bed of avocado and lettuce.

A fresh healthy option, I guess. 

I liked the idea how cyclists can park their bikes, hanging on the wall. I also liked the little potted herb plants on the table and they were all different from rosemary, thyme and more! I was merely disappointed with the coffee and wished I could have tasted avocado somehow. Just my luck, I guess. 

138 The Parade

Norwood

08 8431 5711

新 年 快 乐

Happy Chinese New Year. Stay safe, stay happy.

Best wishes, 

Jin, Mich and of course, Ted!

One summer afternoon...

Hello, summer. Hello, heatwave.

It certainly has been warm throughout this summer here in Perth. Despite the heat, there was definitely a place we had to go to when Mich visited - Little Creatures.

Known for its beer, Little Creatures is a must for anyone visiting Fremantle for the first time. Don't be deceived by its appearance though; it looks like a very large shed. In fact, if I am not mistaken, the building was actually once a crocodile farm.

It doesn't only just sell beer. There's food too, of course. I think we ordered just a bit too much to share. 

 

Clockwise l-r: Chilli Mussels (comes with two slices of bread); Frites; Pumpkin Pizza

The frites (or chips) was a last minute decision. We saw bowls and bowls of frites being served from the kitchen and decided that we must have a bowl too (note: almost every table had either a bowl of frites or a plate of nachos!). 

Despite it being an enjoyable afternoon in a unique environment, our lunch cost quite a bit and maybe next time I will avoid ordering anything with seafood in summer. 

And the beer? Ask Mich. The joys of being the designated driver. 

Little Creatures

40 Mews Road, Fremantle

www.littlecreatures.com.au 

Sugar rush!

For the first time ever, we've planned a dessert party and all invited guests were to bring a dessert to share. 

L-R from top: spiced butterfly cookies, fried rice, orange & poppy seed cake, cream puffs and chocolate sea salt & olive oil cupcakes. 

 L-R from top: red velvet cake, berries cheesecake, lemon tart and pavlova

 From top (clockwise) : berries smash, durian cake, banana caramel cupcake, brownies (with and without nuts), batik cake (also known as hedgehog) and funny faces biscuits. 

I'm glad we ''allowed'' our guests to bring in savoury dishes if sweets were not their thing. At least it provided  a slight balance to the party. Besides fried rice, we had chicken claypot rice which was totally yum. A few friends were game enough to eat the strong pungent king of fruits! One thought it tasted as bad as it smelt, another thought it tasted like passionfruit. I am one of the very few who is actually okay with it, neither love it nor hate it. 

Happy Australia Day, everyone!

Adelaide Pho

A long due catch up with a friend at Vietnamese Pho. It was only a week before since my friends raved about the yummy food. Perfect timing, I jumped onto the opportunity as soon as my friend suggested the place.  

Some sort of dry pork noodles. My friend placed her order so quickly, I missed it entirely. She thoroughly enjoyed it. 

As a first timer, I had to order their combination pho noodles. Pho is definitely a must have; for a Vietnamese restaurant has to hold true to its reputation. I do love it. It has less msg compared to a few other restaurants I know. I definitely had an awesome brunch with pho and Vietnamese coffee, along with great company of course!

199 Waymouth Street
Adelaide SA 5000
08 8212 0997

Astonish Patisserie

Happy 2013!

Can we quietly ignore the fact that the blog has been in hiatus for a month or so? 

I stepped into Astonish for the very first time- and had to wait for the rest of the dessert clique to appear. This led to me entertaining myself taking photos of the empty place (well it was fairly early for desserts). And oh, I remember constructing my miniature piano out of nano blocks to kill more time too! Okay, I shall not go off topic now and focus more on Astonish. It was opened by two Le Cordon Bleu students, thus had high expectations of their desserts.

 

The interior of Astonish Patisserie. 

We love how each area had its personal ambience to it. We were also intrigued by the book stand and discovered the books were all glued together. 

 De-constructed chocolate cake topped with raspberry coulis, chocolate mousse and macaron on the side. 

The chocolate cake definitely needed the coulis to moisten the cake up. 

Chocolate tart (70% cocoa if I'm not mistaken) with hazelnut parfait

First few bites of the tart was lovely, then it gets a little too much for an individual. Two of my mates ordered the same plate and could not finish it.

Among other items we ordered from the menu, we were not impressed with the creme brulee which tasted very much like curry. It just did not feel or taste right... a curry inspired dessert. Can I now conclude we were not overly impressed after all?

note: These photos were not from a recent visit to Astonish.

393 King William Street
Adelaide SA 5000
08 8123 4646