Chocolate at Big O Cafe

Have you ever tried any chocolate cake that made you crave for more? It happens to me frequently. Was out with 妹 on Sunday and we went to Big O at Wheelock Place for tea. There was a selection of chocolate cakes so we asked for recommendations. The waiter recommended one of the nut-free chocolate cakes called 'The G Spot'. I was surprised by the name of the cake. Well, if you are clueless as to what it is, let's just say it is usually (normally) known as a little part of the female anatomy :P

The slice was so delectable that we ordered another. The fudge was just right. The sweetness was not overpowering and the chocolate sponge layers were moist that melted in my mouth. It was simply chocolate decadence.

The following picture may not do justice to the slice of cake, so I suggest you make a trip to the Big O cafe, which are located at two places in Orchard. Scroll to the bottom of this entry for the addresses. I'm definitely going back for more! Yummy!

Wheelock Place Branch - #02-04/05, 501 Orchard Road S(238880)

Mon to Fri: 1130 to 2230

Sat to Sun: 1130 to 2300

Paragon branch - #B1-11/12, 290 Orchard Road S(238859)

Sun to Thurs: 1130 to 2230

Fri, Sat, PH: 1130 to 2300

Dreaming of the sticky date pudding

Cupcakes set, anyone?

Sold at the Meri Meri Shop (: Cute name for a card store which also sells plates and napkins.

via daydream lily

Ichigo Daifuku (Strawberry Mochi)

I usually get the red bean Daifuku from Sun Moulin at Isetan Scotts Supermarket. The sweetness of the red bean paste is just right. But for those of you who would like to make some of your own, here's the recipe from Happy Home Baking! There is also an online tutorial on how to make the daifuku!

Ingredients:

(makes about 8 ichigo daifuku)

- 8 small strawberries
- 160g red bean paste
- 100g mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 120ml water* (original recipe uses 100ml water)
- some katakuriko (potato starch) for dusting

Method:

1. Rinse, dry, and hull the strawberries. Roll red bean paste into 20g balls. Flatten each ball into a small disc and wrap with one strawberry. Keep in fridge.
2. Mix glutinous rice flour and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Add water and stir to dissolve. (*Original recipe calls for 100ml of water, but I added more as the mixture was too dry, unlike the one shown in the video demo.) Cover the bowl with heatproof cling wrap or a heatproof plate/cover. Place in a steamer and steam over high heat for 15 minutes.
3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Dust generously with potato starch. When the mochi is ready, stir it with a wet heatproof spatula till smooth and transfer it onto the prepared baking tray(the mixture will be very sticky, I could hardly stir it). Sprinkle the mochi with potato starch, dust hands with potato starch and pat the mochi to flatten it slightly (the mochi is still hot). Use a pastry scraper or a knife to cut it into 8 portions.
4. Take one piece of mochi, flatten and stretch it into a round disc, dust off any excess potato starch. Place a strawberry (Step 1) in the middle, with the tip side facing down and wrap the mochi around it by pulling and stretching the mochi. Pinch and seal the seam.
5. Repeat the same with the rest of the mochi. (Note: Work briskly as the mochi will get less flexible as it cools.) Leave the daifuku at room temperature for an hour to set before serving. Daifuku tastes best on the day it is made. If there are any leftovers, cover and store at room temperature.

+ happy weekend +

Went out to town with C today

We ate and shopped as usual... and viewed art too.

The determiner 'a lot (of)' is an understatement for the amount of food that we consume

as well as the heart-to-heart sessions and laughter that we share

(and the $ that we spend too)

I'll be watching 500 days of Summer with my sister tomorrow!

Can't wait to spend quality time with her (:

my dear 妹妹

Happy, happy weekend to all of you!

i dream of macarons and desserts...

Let the pictures do the talking =P

I dream of sweet, delightful pastries and desserts

highlights in Melbourne

I had a great time in Melbourne, experiencing Fall/Autumn, taking in the beautiful scenery and all the other touristy things that we do. C and I had our meals at nice restaurants and cafes which serve delectable food. Love the cakes and other sweet stuff, especially the sticky date pudding! It is so addictive!

Here's a picture of the dessert:

This is available at The Quarter which serves predominantly mediterranean cuisine. Yummy.

I had Italian food for most of my meals, with the exception of sushi for dinner on my last evening and katsu don for lunch on the second day at Bridge Road.

Shopping at Bridge Road was fun, but because there was not enough time (we had to meet a friend), we did not finish exploring the place. True to what D advised, as we proceeded further up the road, the price of the clothes increased (by a lot). So I did more shopping elsewhere. You can find brands like Supre (their equivalence to Topshop but less colourful because it's Fall now) and the usual Sportsgirl, Cotton On, Diva and even Country Road. Wanted to purchase the canvas bag from C.Road, but it was A$60 which was way expensive for a bag that could easily cost $15 from Singapore. So I settled for one from Sportsgirl - about 30 plus.

There are nice quaint shops at the alleys which we explored. I bought a Blair Waldorf-inspired gray singlet laced top and a gray hair clip at a shop called Kinki Gerlinki at 22 Centre Place. There is another shop that sells clothes from Japan, HK and Korea called Hanabiya at Shop 9 Tivoli Arcade, Bourke Street. I purchased a white racerback top with lace (me and my obsession with singlet tops :P). I can't find their website, or a website providing information about the shop but I did find a friendster website on it. Click on its name if you are interested in finding out more about what it sells. There are other stuff that I bought, like a coat and more tops, accessories, water containers from Starbucks, chocolate, nougat, jam and so on which I am yet to unpack from my luggage.

We did not go to Philip Island to see the penguins or to the Great Ocean Road, but we explored the National Gallery and the Botanical Gardens so I guess that made up the tourist-attraction visiting bit.

I hope to go to Melbourne again! Or perhaps Sydney the next time. In spring/summer.

:)

Pictures of the trip can be found on Facebook, from C's album and mine too.