Namaskar in Kingston -Channel Court shopping strip

 This Indian place is so so good! We came here twice and really enjoyed it each time. Eating in is better than taking away because freshly cooked naan hot from the tandoor is always better. Below, the lamb briyani $11 which was really delicious with generous bits of lamb. Each grain of rice was perfectly fluffy and coated with a tasty spicy tomatoey seasoning and each piece of meat was so tender and flavourful. The yoghurt raita that came with it was the perfect tangy accompaniment.

 below, the 2 curries and rice $10, the orange one's the goat masala, and the yellow one's the vegetable kurma which was potato, cauliflower, carrot and green beans in a creamy sauce. A very generous serve, and both curries were very tasty.

I'd come here again to try the other menu items.

hello hello....

 Our friend's garden was bursting with wonderful fruit and veg last week and we were lucky enough to be given some of these freshly cut asparagus spears. They were peeking out of the soil, looking so luscious!
Now i know the usual way to cook them is to poach, boil or microwave them, but we like stir frying them with sambal belacan [a malaysian spice paste with fermented dried shrimp....]

 below, a pasta bake from the back of an ardmona tin of tomatoes. It was something like a lasagne but with eggs in it. basically it just involves mixing up some cooked pasta, tomato sauce, vegetables, cheese, eggs and meat and baking it till the cheese melts.

 it's kangkung season again! Here in Hobart, our only source of fresh kangkung is from the Hmongs at either Salamanca market or Moonah island markets [on weekends] so out comes the sambal belacan for a  kangkung stir fry.... this recipe is closest to what we do at home, using a food processor instead of a pestle and mortar.

dont try this at home if you dont have a range hood though...coz the smell permeates everything it comes into contact with!

Kangkung can also be used in a Philipine spicy sour soup called "Sinigang" or in Malaysia prawn noodles. Or you could just use them in any sort of stir fry.

tassie....in spring

 this is just an everyday scene for us Hobartians.... whether walking by, driving to work, or walking out of my office, the river derwent is never far!

 at the Royal Botanical Gardens - my favourite part is always the veggie patch! Here, some rainbow beet!

 at bellerive beach while waiting for our next inspection appointment - we'd been looking around for homes, and it's tiring! fortunately there was a shop nearby selling valhalla ice cream...

 a new japanese restaurant's just opened in North Hobart - Midori. So far i've heard good things about it though i havent actually tried it. these photos were from the hubby's lunch with his workmates. tht big fat grilled eel looks so yummy!

 above, some bonito flavoured fried chicken nuggets with salad, pickles and rice.

 of course u cant go wrong with sushi!

hubby was so adamant that this sign in Kingston is grammatically wrong because it's meant to be "reduced" rather than reduce but i wonder if the English language has evolved so that verbs or adjectives can now be used as nouns. you know, like "party" and "stress"  to name a few. alright i cant think of that many now but i reckon some of you could. just watch some saturday morning tv. so if an earlier sign says to "Reduce speed", then a later one would say "end of reduce speed" and it makes perfect sense to me!

vietnamese in melborne

 i love vietnamese food. it's sort of like chinese, but with more herbs and raw veggies that give it a refreshing character. And I just love how cheap it is in Melbourne - this big bowl of pho [beef noodles in broth] at a noodle place in Preston was just $8.50! they usually come with a big heap of raw bean sprouts but I like them cooked, so I requested for that when ordering. Also, there's a huge bunch of fresh fragrant herbs as a garnish.I know one of them is thai basil but the others I can't name.The broth's made from meat, cinnamon, star anise and some other stuff, with a squeeze of lemon juice for tang.

the rice paper rolls are delicious too but if u're going to have both in one meal, it's best to share the noodles as you wont have enough stomach space. it's very filling!

random eats - havent been organized enough to post regularly

 socks loves the sunshine. here he is, basking in its glory.

 Above, niku jaga which we had at Sakura, a japanese restaurant in subang jaya. very flavourful. it's just a simple dish really, beef, carrot and potatoes stewed with a broth. but so yummy!

 a whole soft shell crab, deep fried and stuffed into a sushi roll. the crab looks a bit like a tarantula in the pic! but it was delicious.

 home made "orchien" which is a malaysian oyster ommelette.

 homemade burgers! [pan frying burgers at home is not advisable if u're not keen on spending half an hour cleaning the floors, walls, surfaces and stove afterwards]

this isnt part of the "food" commentary but this poor thing was mauled by Socks and half of its leg got eaten too. The cat probably thought it was a tasty treat!

malaysia

 Im in Malaysia at the moment visiting family. This is a land of cheap and tasty good although not always hygienic. People don't follow safety rules here [which anyone can deduce from the way people drive] so eating street food is at your own risk! I've always had food poisoning every time I've come here after a long stint in Australia. but so far....so good....
Above is a south indian rice flour pancake with slices of onion and tomato, eaten with 2 curry sauces and a hot sambal. Yummy, freshly crisp and for just RM2 [about 70cents!]

 There're stray cats everywhere, and they hang around the tables hoping for scraps. This poor little kitty here was looking longingly at me, and compared to Socks at home, it's so so skinny! and had an infected eye too. Aussie cats don't know how lucky they are to be in the lucky country....Socks certainly doesn't always appreciate his Coles smartbuy cat food but if only he knew about these poor starving cats in Malaysia...

 compare this poor skinny fella to...

this well fed rounded one in our bed!

 Anyway, I attended a birthday party and the cake was an English trifle, complete with blue icing...

 and blue jelly!

 and blueberry pie!

here's me enjoying an iced macha [green tea] with whipped cream on top. Talk about east meeting west! it's a great combination. Who;d have thought?

it's 2 weeks to Father's day

pictures of gav's dad holding him as a baby

 how proud he looks of his new baby son!

 posing with an unsmiling baby can be fun...

 gav remembers all those 7 years together as some of the best in his life.

sadly, he passed away at age 37 in a car accident. Though I've never met him, I'm inspired by his life and how deeply he loved his family and sought that close relationship with his kids.

I know it's about 2 weeks early but I reckon all the shops would be starting their commercialist campaigns by now so....let me wish you an early Happy Father's day everyone! Spending money on gifts and meals out are nice, but relationships need time and communication as well... 2 things which may cost us more than the dollars we spend on gifts.