Happy 1st Birthday 'Irene's Getting Fat!'

Hip hip hurray!

I really can't believe it's been one year since I first made Blogger account and publish my first post. When I was thinking of making my own food blog, I wish to just share my culinary journal, which has not changed until now.

I wasn't expecting anything major from this food blog of mine, all I wanted was just some comments from my fav Aussie food bloggers such as Suze from Chocolatesuze and Helen from Grab Your Fork, to be really honest with you. But oh boy, so many great things have come to me through this blog.

It is crazy how internet can bring us so many unexpected surprises. One of the greatest advantages I get from blogging is the people. It's amazing when people are just commenting at each others' posts at first and finally become good friends. I have met awesome humans which I know I may not be able to meet if it isn't for this blog.

I remember when I was first invited to my first food tasting ever, I was completely excited. It's also great to see how much I have developed my writing and photography skills, which need more and more improvement I believe. Sometimes I wince when looking at my old posts' photos. So it's kinda relieving to see something looking like this:

...has become to look like this:

And yes, both of the photos above were taken with the same camera.

I am so grateful that the father had decided to invest on a bigger, better DSLR camera, and he kindly let me get a hold onto it even until this moment. I prefer snapping pics with the DSLR than my small Sony dig-cam, as the results are significantly different and with the DSLR I don't need much editing-photos skills. I am not really good at Adobe, really. I am really happy to improve something like this:

...into something like this:

The best part I have received is the support. Every comment or critique from all of you, my dear readers, makes my day. I love the feeling of knowing that this little journal of mine has been read by other people, and I hope from the bottom of my heart that all of you enjoy it. Thank you very much for supporting me all the way until now, and I promise to provide you more food porn.

I am truly sorry that I can't do giveaway which is usually done by birthday blogs, but I will do it when I am on a more stable grounds. I promise! To make it up, I'll make something so unique and cheeky, I'll post it on Wednesday. Stay tuned.

From now on, Irene's Getting Fat! will just get better so that all of you guys can enjoy it even more. The writing style will be improved, and hopefully I can improve my photography and photo-editing skills as well.

Thanks again and cheers!

Hip hip hurray!

A Uni Student's Food

'What are you  having for lunch?'

Sushi rolls set

Such a typical question in uni. Maybe at many other places as well, but I am talking about uni now.

Lunch for uni students (e.g. me) is really important. The lectures are really draining energy and thus we need good nutrition supply during the 30 minutes or one hour break. In this post I'll be talking about the six types of food that I most often see from uni students (and myself). Please tell me if I miss something.

1. Leftover food

This is the ultimate lunch for uni students I think. Whatever left in the fridge plus some rice, put into the microwave-safe boxes and there it goes. It may not be the freshest food, but a minute or two in the microwave can make it all better.

Leftover food is the best saving-money strategy for me. Yay for leftover food!


2. Simple, self made food

What happens if there's no edible leftover food in the fridge? This is when a preparation is important. I usually prepare my lunch box at night, so I won't be troubled in the morning (i.e. can sleep more). When I reckon there's no food I can bring for tomorrow's class, I'll just chop any veggies and any protein that I can find and stir fry them all with some rice/noodles/vermicelli.

My best stir-fried product so far is the BBT fried rice. It's bacon-basil-tomato. So simple yet so delicious. Slightly salty chopped bacon, plus fragrant holy basil, sour-sweet cherry tomatoes, and an addition of egg if you fancy. You might wanna try this.

BBT fried rice (bacon, basil, tomato)

3. Sandwich

And what if you're too lazy to put the pan on for stir-frying? All you need is a toaster.

George (or Gary?) in Masterchef said that sandwich is one of the most eaten food items in Australia. I think this is correct. Sandwich is certainly very popular, and it can be filled with endless possibilities of fillings, but for me cheese has to be involved. I don't mind any type of the protein, but it's ham in the photo below.

It's really quick to make, and I usually give in a good scrub of butter and dollop of chilli sauce. And I love making the cheese melt.

Ham and cheese sandwich

4. Cheap eat from the university's food court

Q: What's other option if we can't (or too lazy) to cook or made something from home?
A: Easy, eat out.

Q: But that'll gonna put me on a tight budget, I am a student!
A: Well then, you can always rely on the uni food court.

Uni food courts usually have several stands which provide passable food with suitable price tag for student's pocket. In UTS, the food court on the ground level is quite reliable for providing good food in affordable prices. For example, my fav lunch from UTS food court is bento box from the Japanese food stand. It's only $5.2 for a small container box filled with rice and the selection of chilli chicken, chicken teriyaki or beef yakiniku. This probably won't satiate a growing boy, but the portion is perfect for me. The chilli chicken is quite flavorsome as well.

Steamed rice with chilli chicken

5. 'Lightning' meals

Sometimes the break isn't enough to have proper meals. Another common problem for a student. I have experience inadequate break as well, and that sucks big time. I hate eating in haste, as I won't be able to enjoy the flavour and what's the point of having break if we're not relaxed during that time?

So here's my choice of food when the lunch break's too short. 'Lightning' meals; LIGHT and FILLING meals, heheh get it?

There are several Japanese restaurants around my uni so it's easy to just grab a set of sushi and eat it right away. I don't really need a table to savor this bite-sized meal, all I need is the salty soy sauce and chopsticks. They're delicious, fast to eat, and can sustain me at least until the four-hour lecture is over.

Sushi set #2

Banh mi (Vietnamese pork roll) is another favourite of mine. It's perfect for breakfast, but really I don't mind eating this as my lunch.

It's filling because the crusty roll is quite big and filled with many condiments to the edge of being too full. Sure, it can be a bit messy, but the good part is it's doesn't have pungent smell like sushi so you can eat this in the lecture hall without being given weird stares.

Banh mi (Vietnamese pork roll)

6. Noodle cup

Students, especially international students and those who have to work for their own income, are often struggling to make ends meet. The part time jobs that students usually have sometimes don't provide enough salary, unless you're lucky and have a really good job.

And noodle cup comes to the rescue! They are cheap, and all you need is hot water which is usually provided by uni. I usually but noodle cups from an Asian grocery nearby, because Asian groceries got the craziest arrays of noodle cups. I haven't seen any Pop Mie (Indonesia's noodle cup) there, so the Korean noodle cup, Ramyun, is still my fav.

My problem with noodle cup is that they aren't substantial enough for me. Sometimes, there's a funny feeling in my stomach after eating noodle cup, which is very unpleasant and leave me craving for some rice. But they are cheap for sure.

Noodle cup

Gotta warn you though, this scenario isn't always the case for every uni student. It's just a sum of what I usually do and see from my friends.

So am I missing something? If you're a uni student, what kind of lunch do you usually have? Do tell me if you have your favourite type lunch as a student!

Cheers!

House Thai and Cafe Cre Asion, Sydney

Curiosity got the better of me.

BTS (Better Than Sex)

But how can you not be intrigued by a dessert called 'Better Than Sex'. It sounds very promising and I declared that I have to try it one day.

And so the opportunity came. A good friend of mine, Corry, has come from Indo for holiday, and we met up for a great lunch. It's a good thing because I get to meet up with her and refresh my mental state between all the assignments hassle.

House is not another Thai restaurant in Surry Hills, apparently they specialize in Thai northeast street food. I also noticed that they are cooking Isaan food, the spicier type of Thai food which involves fermented anchovy as a main seasoning.

House, Surry Hills

The weather was so nice that day; breezy, warm, and not excruciatingly freezing. Perfect for outdoor dining. They also have indoor dining which I didn't see, but looks elegant and cozy from the pics I see at other food blogs. Outdoor seating has several long, sturdy wooden chairs and tables, but there are also smaller metal chairs. Even with all the plants surrounding, the place still looks neat and very homey. It is called 'House' anyway.

Outdoor seating

The lunch special meals were welcomed with glee, although the original price isn't so bad either. The menu book is written bilingual; in Thai and English. We were looking for the sight of pad thai, but can't find it. Maybe pad thai isn't part of Thai northeast street food?

Clockwise from top left: menu book, lunch special menu, wooden chair, fried things menu

Not finding pad thai, Corry finally chose the one she got her eyes on first.

Khao kar moo (braised pork leg served with steamed rice, soft boiled egg, and Chinese broccoli) arrived in a crowded square plate. It is even completed with clear soup and some kind of peanut sauce which tastes sour and a bit spicy.

The pork leg is as tender as it can possibly be, not much effort put to chew. It's also well seasoned for me, and the peanut sauce gives more tangy kick for every mouthful.

Khao kar moo - $10

My moo daed deaw & som tum (sun dried marinated pork strips, lightly fried served with Jim-Jaew dipping sauce and green papaya salad with dried shrimp, peanut and chilli) is supposedly served with sticky rice, but I asked for steamed rice instead.

I gotta say, this plate contains lots of interesting bursts. The pork strips, despite the dry appearance, are tender and I love the slightly crunchy outer side. They pair amazingly well with the Jim-Jaew sauce which packs some heat and acidity. The som tum is surprisingly spicy, even for me. It is obvious that House use chillies exceptionally well and generous. It's quite fiery, but very fresh and crunchy. I recommend this one for you chilli eaters.

Moo daed deaw & som tum served with steamed rice - $12

Now here comes the piece de resistance. Better Than Sex (BTS) consists of one (or two?) slice(s) of perfectly toasted brioche, topped with pandan-coconut gelato, accompanied by generous drizzles of Thai caramel sauce and finished by black and white sesame sprinkles. The idea is to put the simple yet deadly combination of pandan, coconut, and gula melaka (brown sugar), and create an ultimate foodgasm on a plate.

For me, it certainly is delicious. The trio has once again proven its superiority, as the combination works perfectly. The gelato itself is smooth enough with perfect level of sweetness. The brioche is incredibly crunchy outside and fluffy inside, and it also seems to enjoy soaking the melting gelato. The gula melaka (a.k.a Thai caramel sauce), however, is given too much in my opinion. Lessen the brown liquid a bit and the dessert will be perfect. Anyway, that is the highlight of our meal despite the quite expensive price tag.

BTS (Better Than Sex) - $15

Still have some time to spend, we walk a few blocks to Cafe Cre Asion. This is my second visit here, and I was as excited as I was on my first one. There weren't too many people enjoying the cafe's treats, but more and more people came and the place was packed by the time we left.

Cafe Cre Asion, Alberta St.

It's really interesting to see most of the patrons there, especially young people, snap pictures of their macarons. Some bring bigger cameras and some just utilizing their iPhones. It is understandable though, I mean, who doesn't want to take picture of this lovely display of macs?

Macarons display

Still feeling bloated after the Thai meal, we only pointed our fingers to three macarons:

Yuzu (citrus from East Asia) - is Corry's fav because she loves sour things. It's tangy, has the perfect structure and texture, and the sweetness level is also faultless. I still have issues with citrus-flavoured macs though.

Cassiss - this one's more adorable for me than the Yuzu one, the lovely lady behind the counter said it's blackcurrant-flavoured. The filling is jam-like and has really nice blackcurrant flavour, I wonder if they actually use real fruits for this. Love this.

Dear Chris - again, how can I skip this one. This one's my fav from the cafe. I am weak when encountered with hazelnut and chocolate combination.

Macarons: yuzu (yellow), cassiss (purple), Dear Chris (chocolate) - all three for $8.4

Undoubtedly, it was a really great eating out.

Does the BTS live u to its name? Quite questionable. But will I go back to House? Sir, yes, sir!

Currency: $1 = IDR 9,500


Rating:

House: 4/5 (Recommended)
Great Thai dishes and interesting dessert, service is friendly and very quick, ambiance is nice, price can be expensive but quite reasonable.

Cafe Cre Asion: 4.5/5 (Very recommended)
Great macs, service is really friendly, limited seats but quite nice ambiance, price is affordable.








Address:

HOUSE


202 Elizabeth St
Surry Hills, NSW 2010


Phone: (02) 9280 0364


Website: www.housethai.com.au





CAFE CRE ASION


21 Alberta St
Sydney, NSW 2000


Phone: 04 0494 1528


Website: www.creasionmacaron.com