Appearances and Tastes can be Deceptive - ingesting bad food

Freshly made, piping hot and appealing to the senses of sight, taste and smell. We decided to check out the new kid of the block serving northern Chinese cuisine. There was a long queue outside and we thought it must be good?! A new Shanghai restaurant in Sydney northshore CBD of Chatswood serving central Chinese cuisine.

Hand made xiao long bao (small steamed dumplings with pork and crab meat) with equal number of folds and flavoursome stock encased in the thin pastry skin.

The bite sized pan fried meat buns were tasty but slightly burnt at the base.

The all-time soy milk is a favourite that goes well with crispy fried dough sticks.

It was a quite a satisfying and inexpensive meal. However, we saw a lady looking really sick and purging on the upper level of the building was an ominous sign. Could she have eaten at the same eating place downstairs? We didn't know.

Unfortunately, we came down with a mild case of food poisoning - queasiness in the stomach and abdomen. Was it a coincidence that some customers had problems after eating at the previous restaurant that occupied the same premises as this brand new one. It may be too early to conclude if the restaurant would do well or pinpoint the cause of the stomach disagreement with the food. But I'm not taking any chances of patronising it again.

Erratic weather patterns - reflections of sandstorms and hail

We endured two sandstorms like never before, well, not in metropolitan cities at least. My elderly friends who grew up in the country said that sandstorms were a frequent phenomena but it was just dusty and carried a yellowish tinge, not the reddish siren colour we saw in late September. I was awakened by excited noises beckoning me to the window. For a moment, I thought of a raging bush fire, quite unlikely in our area with wide open spaces and some distance from the bush. It was like we were teleported to Mars during the night.

Sydney sees red : shrouded by thick dust


- SMH photo


We missed a large part of the second sandstorm 10 days after the scary first. While driving interstate early in the morning, I was puzzled by the poor visibility despite vague recollection of the local weather forecast. We were greeted by freezing temperatures during a rainy and chilly weekened in ACT, but still preferably to another boring weekend indoors.

The adults we know went to work as usual, hindered by inconvenience, breathing difficulties slower traffic as a result of more careful driving. Not the children who had good excuse to stay away from school when the slightest opportunity arises. Some children who were apparently asthmatic were playing soccer outdoors - defeats the purpose of not inhaling the dust and worsen their health condition. I could not open my eyes the moment I stepped out of the door, and had to call in for last minute leave.

Hail, heat and cold spell

It has been a month since and the rains and chilly winds washed away most of the dust. Then came the hail, a hot spell which lulled us into believing that summer has arrived, followed by days of rain this week. All within a short space of time! The skies must have gone crazy, you might think. Fortunately, the hail did not hit us badly this time round. Knocking sounds on the awning and roof but did not cause much damage to the house and the car.

Remnants of hailstones from my friend's backyard :



Compare this with the hail storm two years ago :





Reflection or after thought?

Sceptics of climate change would need to find good excuses for their lame defence against saving the earth. Perhaps a more powerful message would be sent in the form of higher food prices as the top soils eroded from the outback would cause agricultural prices to spiral and hit consumers' pockets. I would like to see this as a blessing in disguise. A wakeup call to feet dragging politicians and industrialists to take serious steps to reduce carbon emissions and stem global warming.


Sydney Morning Post cartoon :

Seafood - new taste of abalone and soft shell crab

Entree : deep fried soft shell crab has been popularised in recent years by Japanese tempura chefs. Nowadays it is common to find this crispy fried dish on the menu of most restaurants serving Asian, modern Australian and cafe food. Usually seasoned with salt and pepper, shallot and chilli or chicken powder before they are battered and fried.

Although Australian used to have an abundance of abalone in its seas, this shell fish delicacy was rarely enjoyed and appreciated as a food ingredient by the locals - indigenous and white settlers. The Chinese have been fishing in the Pacific ocean, seas and straits around Indonesia and northern Australia for centuries for exotic seafood such as abalone and sea cucumber.

This abalone is fresh, not dried or canned. The chef's skill is put to the test - to slice the abalone thinly and stir fry it quickly so that the texture of the shell fish does not become too tough and stiff.

Other ways of eating abalone include : hot pot, double boiled soup, braised in mushroom and oyster sauce and chicken stew.

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Fine dining - modern Australian @ Silk Leura

The definition of fine dining ought to be all-encompassing from the taste of food to impeccable service given the exponentially higher price that patrons and customers pay. Falling short of either, a good restaurant does not maketh.

You could tell that the chef loves to use a lot of cream in its sauces and soup. This mussel chowder served in tiny bowl is flavoursome but that is probably all that you would like to consume as an entree. The spicy bread stick comes from a nice and soft layered pastry dough. Disappointing are the tempura prawns that are a tad too soggy. If it is called tempura, it should be crisp and non-oily. Otherwise call it light batter or by some other name. The secret to good tempura is in the flour, batter mix proportion and temperature of the oil for frying which seem lacking in this recipe. To its credit the seafood is fresh and succulent but lacks finesse in food prepration.

I love zuchinni flowers and would not miss a chance to have it as it is challenging to prepare and not many folks in my vicinity would like to share this dish when it is cooked in batches. The scallops are fresh and pan seared to perfection. Do you think this is an expensive entree which costs more than AUD 20?

This meat and vegetable main is a bit more substantial but you'll have to like Moroccan type cuisine and spices to enjoy it.

Though it looks like the run-of-the-mill fish and chips one could easily buy from a hole in the wall type of shop, the taste of flathead is extremely sweet. However, like the tempura prawn in the entree, the batter does not rise to the occasion. The hot chips are well fried and crispy, neither soft nor oily.

Sweet endings

This creme brulee appears and tastes good too. It goes well with the fruits and almond slice.

Quince in cripsy filo tart with whipped cream and poached pear. Other dessert are quite ordinary such as chocolate and sundaes, nothing to die for.

The verdict is : the bill does not fit the value and quality of the meal served at Silk. Yet this restaurant is usually fully booked and does three turns during busy seasons such as the floral festivals. Curiosity has attracted us to try just once.

A restaurant opposite called the Goblet, serves traditional French food is probably a better bet if you are just after a good meal but be forewarned that the service there is slow and lacks personal attention.

Breakfast at Red Door, Leura

To hungry diners, any food served is yummy. The Red Door cafe is crowded during the weekend of Leura Garden festival.

Oops! too late. The hungry person couldn't wait for the photographer. Already taken a bite on the scones with homemade strawberry jam and whipped cream.

Free range egg omelette with mushroom, tomato and cheese melts.

Hot chocolate drink to warm up and energize of the long walk ahead.

Cupuccino was a little overrated but good by overall standard.

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Leura Garden Festival - spring flowers in NSW

The annual two-week Leura Garden Festival was partly clouded by unusually rainy weather this spring. We managed to catch the last days of the display despite sporadic showers and windy conditions.

Tulips

These bulbs thrive in temperate climate. Though Leura is on the highlands in the Blue Mountain region of NSW, there are not many tulip blossoms this season compared to Canberra Floriade and the Tesselaar Farm in Victoria.

Violet tulips are not as common and a natural favourite of garden appreciators.

The champagne white tulips are lovely. The photo probably did not do justice to the actual flowers.

Camelias, Rhododendrons, Azeleas

Stunning hues

Solitary but not aloof? Fortuitous to capture the flowering stages of a magenta blossom in cascade.

Beautiful bright red orange Clivia blooms in multiple sprays from spring to autumn. These bulbs serve as a colourful hedge in gardens and do not require much work.

The shy apple blossoms emerged unscathed after days of rain.

A very nice arrangement of iris bulb flowers in this rockery garden.

Is this a butterfly, bird or flower? Looks like a merger between blue pea and pansy.

Cultivated orchids are majestic and refreshing to the viewer.

Liliacs leave a long lasting impression for their stunning looks and fragrance. Do they look like flower clusters or a bunch of purple grapes?

How do like having the Blue Mountains as your backyard? Many visitors simply fell in love with the spectacular view, envious of the enjoyment bestowed on the owners of one of the Leura gardens.

A giant windchime hanging on a century old pine tree.

Autum colours in spring time - a surreal feast for the eyes.

Frosty and evergreen leaves are visually deceptive. (above)

What a creative and practical idea it is to grow small succulents in the cracks between pavers and steps! (below)

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Reference : for more information on spring flowers and gardening, please follow this link -- http://www.types-of-flowers.org/spring-flowers.html