Modern presentation of Thai cuisine @ Oxford Street, Epping

You would be lucky if you could get parking space close to train station. This restaurant is busiest during dinner time.

Restaurant owners and chefs have found it more convenient and economical to use imported frozen spring rolls than to make them from scratch at the restaurant because labour and ingredient costs are expensive in Australia. Known as "bird's nest" rolls with shrimp, crab and mushroom, these morsels wrapped in rice noodle to give a crispy netted texture after deep frying, are actually imported from Vietnam.

Phad Kee Mao - literally means intoxicated stir fry is aromatic and tasty because of the addition of chopped chillies and Thai basil leaves. Unlike the sweet and sour Phad Thai, this is supposed to taste fiery though Aussified Thai dishes are often sweetened to suit the local palates.

All time favourites chicken cashew nut chicken fried in roast chicken paste. Inspired by Chinese Teochew cooking, this dish has been voted world wide as one of the most popular dishes in Thai cuisine.

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Modern Korean food at Chatswood cinemas unappealing

You would only patronise this place if you are rushing to catch a movie and nearby eateries are packed.

Huge seafood pancake that has more egg than batter turned out to be soft instead of crispy. In anticipation of lots of seafood according to the description on the menu, the dish that arrived wasn't impressive. The mussels (usually left out in Korean pancake) didn't taste fresh.

Almost every dish has egg in it - fried, poached or boiled. The above picture shows double boiled ginseng chicken with chestnut rice balls and red dates in the soup. More appropriately described as salty than tasty.

Cold potato noodles with braised beef, egg and radish. Frozen soup stock keeps the noodle cool throughout the meal.

The appetizers are passable, especially the pumpkin soup (far left in the picture). Surprise!

Conclusion :

Food : average

Pricey compared to similar restaurants

Service : mediocre

Summer flowers in the garden

Summer blossoms, bright and colourful, herald the arrival of sweltering mid summer Down Under.

Bright red morning glory flowers have been awakened by the heat and are creeping quickly up the fence.

Agapanthus - Bright blue or white flowers on tall stalks that can reach 4 feet. Normally starts blooming after around Christmas but this year, the flowers appear earlier because of summer is longer and hotter.

Geranium - edible fragrant undercover that is easy to grow in semi shade. I like the crimson and pink geraniums.

Smaller roses that grow in clusters yield more flowers than the aloof and beautiful species. All roses need tender loving care - fertilise, debug and water regularly to ensure they stay healthy. Cottage flowers in general are not doing well this year due to the hot and dry weather.

Organic orange plant - only natural fertiliser and pesticides are used. Depending on the rainfall, the medium sized valencia oranges could be tangy or sweet.

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More exotic food - wok fried in West Ryde

Singapore Kitchen's ngoh hiang contains minced meat filling with mashed yam and onions wrapped in soy skin roll and deep fried till crispy.




Compare this with the Malaysian "lor bak" which has diced braised meat filling.

http://ausletters.blogspot.com/2009/11/malaysian-restaurant-sambal-in-ryde.html


Another signature dish - "oar luak" or oyster omelette.


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How Big is Australia relative to other countries - a map as guide

Australia is an island continent. How big is Australia compared to other countries in the world? This map I received in the email will give you an idea of how big Australia is.

Australian Mc Mansions - houses are getting bigger, the pros and cons

The race is not over the Mac burger size but the homes we live in. In a surprising turn, Australia has topped the world.

Many conservative and yuppie urban Aussies who used to showcase Federation homes, terraces with hip and funky renovations, are increasingly accepting oversized houses are a fixture and fact of life. Some are even enticed to build one for themselves especially if the family is growing for young professionals holding steady and well paying jobs. Others seem to have been won over by the advantages and comforts of having more living space and less maintenance to worry about during precious days off and weekend.

That councils in non-bushland areas are generally less stringent on land-house ratio has allowed developers offering land and house package to build impressive mansions without burning a hole in the wallet. Of course these are further from the city and amenities are not as handy compared to older and established estates.

Another social development which has boosted the popularity of huge residential abode has been the return to extended families as grown up children continue to live with parents. Expensive rentals mean that the children are likely to hang around till marriage.

Migrants also take up a slice of the residential property market. With either accumulated savings from decades of hard work or new found business generated wealth in booming economies, some of these settlers who hail from crammed housing in countries where land is scarce or restrictions are imposed on buildings, there is never a better time to tailor build their dream home in the new land.

However, it is ironic that many adopted Aussies who yearn for greenery and open spaces are finding themselves surrounded by the concrete jungle that has sprung up as more people build bigger homes. Smaller homes are no reprieve either. Many young first home owners who opt for convenience and accessibility instead of huge abode, are buying up townhouses and villas. However, the shared strata and management fees are hefty compared to independent titled properties.

It may be for this reason that some conservatives are resisting the allure of subdiving their acreage lands, some working farms, orchards or simply vacant unattended fields on the outskirts of the CBD Sydney. However, as the pressure for residential housing builds up and the economy picks up in the next few years, there will be increased demand for more new homes or rebuilding of old ones which are bigger but on relatively smaller land.

- c.g.