the day didnt turn out well at all..started off with 8am lesson where we have to pair up and produce 2 specific recipes that were allocated to us.
in my opinion, these recipes given were one of the simplest. and yet it took me and my partner super long to make. i seriously wonder where went wrong :( very upset...like up to the max, to the top to the highest point that it can be :(((((((((
tmr we will be continuing with the afternoon tea preparations by assembling what we had prepared today.
oh what a horrible day it is...i am so disappointed with myself..i am currently at Superior course and yet i am still so far away from being able to bake a proper cake in a designated time. Organization and time is still a huge issue for me..wth is wrong with me TT
looking at how well others are doing...i am pretty sure i have no baking talent and also i m not practising enough... :(
Monday, October 24, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
awesomey!!!!! hired!
went for interview at Melt Chocolates this afternoon and...as u can see from the title of this post...i am being HIRED! well not exactly being paid kind of hired but interning for free. hehe it was a surprisingly small place to work in. the place has a very homely feel. :) so excited to start as i cant wait to know what i will be doing and how things work in their kitchen. :) the head chefs are Japanese..and they look very amiable hehe hope it will be a great experience. will be starting next wednesday...screams!!! i cant believe how happy i am...muahahaha
a gift from Chef Eiichi san....a bar of dark chocolate from MELT.. of coz :)
a gift from Chef Eiichi san....a bar of dark chocolate from MELT.. of coz :)
OMG!!! cravings!!!!
hungry to the max!!! i wanna eat 'or kuih' (yam cake), nasi lemak, laksa, lor mee, char kuay tiao, herbal soup, fried carrot cake....i think i need to cook maggi mee right now now now!!!!
Thank goodness that Aunty Doreen who came to visit me with Mom left 10 packets of instant noodles with me!!!! kekeke....
like i said i need to eat maggi mee at this very instance and hence i whipped it up in 3minutes!!! nom nom nom...slurp slurp slurp...satisfying..super satisfying! burp!
eating instant noodle in a freezing cold night like today is daaaaaaa besssssssssst! ;)
Thank goodness that Aunty Doreen who came to visit me with Mom left 10 packets of instant noodles with me!!!! kekeke....
like i said i need to eat maggi mee at this very instance and hence i whipped it up in 3minutes!!! nom nom nom...slurp slurp slurp...satisfying..super satisfying! burp!
eating instant noodle in a freezing cold night like today is daaaaaaa besssssssssst! ;)
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
and i fell sick...
being in Superior, the stress is on. however, i quite like it. i feel that i am back in my uni days with reports and projects to hand up. i likeeeee.......i know i m a mugger and a nerd... -.-
since the start of superior, the chefs are preparing us for the final exam.
13 Oct 2011 - Tuiles
we had Chef G today where he demonstrates the various designs and flavours that we can create with Tuiles. we had learnt how to make a Tuiles since Basic and made some for plated desserts in Intermediate. Tuiles is one thing that we have to present on our plated dessert for exam. so it is one important component.
15, 17 & 18 Oct 2011 - DIY portfolio
my very 1st lesson that is on a Saturday. its a theory lesson where Chef G and C guide us on our new assignment. we had to pair up to create a cake of our choice. during lesson we did research and get some opinions from chefs. this is a new segment added in our superior lesson as the past superior batches feedback to the school that there were too many sugar work and chocolate work classes. hence the chefs decided to change the curriculum and added this segment which prepares us for the portfolio that we have to hand up for our final exam. so it's kinda like a trial run.
after the theory lesson on Saturday, we had 3 more practical lessons to build, prepare deco and finish our cake with the deco.
My team mate and i had decided on some exotic fruit cake...white chocolate mousse infused with lemongrass, exotic fruit jelly, biscuit joconde with lime malibu syrup and white chocolate glaze. it's quite a simple cake with very few components as compared to what my other classmates had made. everyone did a good job in class and all of the cakes tasted good.
had fun during class. everyone is busy filling up the portfolio and trying each others cake and chatting etc. superior class is just so 'shiok' (shiok = feels so good)
and back to the title of this post...i fell really ill during the 2nd practical where we had to prepare the deco such as the glaze, tempered chocolate deco, etc. i was totally fine in the morning when we were making the cake. but after break the cramp kicked in like really bad. my entire face went pale and i had to sit in the corridor to rest. the culinary chefs that were in the kitchens were very kind and concerned. they asked if i was all right and one of them asked me if i needed water, blanket, pillow, etc..even though i was in such great pain i managed to laugh a little. my hands were as cold as ice and i felt nausea. finally i had the energy to move, i went to basement to get a cup of warm water which i manage to puke profusely like a Merlion -.- and felt so much better after that. however, lesson had ended by then where everyone is packing up :( hope i wont be penalized too much for not attending lesson. oh well...at least the entire cake turned out well and i am glad that many of my classmates like our cake the best...keke.. thanks you ppls... ;)
since the start of superior, the chefs are preparing us for the final exam.
13 Oct 2011 - Tuiles
we had Chef G today where he demonstrates the various designs and flavours that we can create with Tuiles. we had learnt how to make a Tuiles since Basic and made some for plated desserts in Intermediate. Tuiles is one thing that we have to present on our plated dessert for exam. so it is one important component.
15, 17 & 18 Oct 2011 - DIY portfolio
my very 1st lesson that is on a Saturday. its a theory lesson where Chef G and C guide us on our new assignment. we had to pair up to create a cake of our choice. during lesson we did research and get some opinions from chefs. this is a new segment added in our superior lesson as the past superior batches feedback to the school that there were too many sugar work and chocolate work classes. hence the chefs decided to change the curriculum and added this segment which prepares us for the portfolio that we have to hand up for our final exam. so it's kinda like a trial run.
after the theory lesson on Saturday, we had 3 more practical lessons to build, prepare deco and finish our cake with the deco.
My team mate and i had decided on some exotic fruit cake...white chocolate mousse infused with lemongrass, exotic fruit jelly, biscuit joconde with lime malibu syrup and white chocolate glaze. it's quite a simple cake with very few components as compared to what my other classmates had made. everyone did a good job in class and all of the cakes tasted good.
had fun during class. everyone is busy filling up the portfolio and trying each others cake and chatting etc. superior class is just so 'shiok' (shiok = feels so good)
and back to the title of this post...i fell really ill during the 2nd practical where we had to prepare the deco such as the glaze, tempered chocolate deco, etc. i was totally fine in the morning when we were making the cake. but after break the cramp kicked in like really bad. my entire face went pale and i had to sit in the corridor to rest. the culinary chefs that were in the kitchens were very kind and concerned. they asked if i was all right and one of them asked me if i needed water, blanket, pillow, etc..even though i was in such great pain i managed to laugh a little. my hands were as cold as ice and i felt nausea. finally i had the energy to move, i went to basement to get a cup of warm water which i manage to puke profusely like a Merlion -.- and felt so much better after that. however, lesson had ended by then where everyone is packing up :( hope i wont be penalized too much for not attending lesson. oh well...at least the entire cake turned out well and i am glad that many of my classmates like our cake the best...keke.. thanks you ppls... ;)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
and then i am left with superior course....
3 Oct 2011 - Day 1 of superior class while Mummy is relaxing on her flight back home... (which she said it wasn't as relaxing)
Superior started off with Sugar work..i never thought i will like it that much. it is actually quite fun like REALLY fun! i hope i will be able to do it when i am back in SG. To pull sugar (which i will show you what products can be made out of this technique) we have gotta have a table with a lamp producing high heat to keep your sugar hot enough to pull which is freaking hotlah!!! so hot that it feels like u kena had sunburn lor. since i am not rich enough, i guess i gotta DIY a table and a lamp to work my sugar (as Chef G had done back then. i like how he always teaches us how to save $. be it ingredients or equipment. also telling us stories of his experiences) instead of buying those pro lamp cum table thingy..
so Lesson 1: Pulled Sugar (a technique where you boil sugar and water followed by adding glucose to it. At 137 degrees, add 5 drops of tartaric acid. cook sugar till 162 degrees and pour it over Silpat and add drops of alcohol colouring. let the sugar cool slightly and form a big ball of sugar on the Silpat. pressing down one end of the sugar with your palm and pulling the other end of the sugar with your fingers. repeat this process till the sugar is shiny and colour is consistent through out. and APLA! you are officially pulling sugar~) NB: don't say that i didn't warn you. the sugar is so hot that you get blisters on your fingers even after wearing 4 pairs of latex gloves. that happened to most of my friends. not me though. i guess my skin is just too 'thick' :x
Also, to add more knowledge to your brain or to impress others if you wish, glucose is added to reduce crystalization and tartaric acid is added to create elasticity so that the sugar is easily pliable.
Chef G showed us how to do a rose which is really pretty! i find the assembling of the petals quite tough as i cant really feel what i am holding. maybe due to the 4 pairs of gloves that i am wearing or maybe they were sore from the heat...the sugar when cooled are very fragile and brittle. as petals are thinly pulled, they cool down really fast and with the numbness of my fingers, it isn't as easy to fit the petals as when you are working on marzipan.
i find that my petals are too round. not very satisfied but overall it still looks like a rose right? keke.. Chef G was very encouraging as he goes around telling everyone that their roses are beautiful and that being a first timer to work on sugar, we are fantastic :)
see the 'sunburnt' that i had while working the sugar under the torch...
Lesson 2: Poured sugar (we are to do a sugar plaque, one of the item that we have to present for our final exam. basically the method of making is similar to pulled sugar, just that we do not add tartaric acid)
Chef G's
Chef N
hmmm so these (refering to chef's work) are what we are supposed to do for the exam and this is what i created..some hideous sugar plague plaque...
and believe me it got worst... -.- T.T
4 Oct 2011 - 2nd practice on poured sugar and pulled sugar
we learned to make ribbons which i like a lot. the technique is like how Sticky (Handmade customized candies) makes their candies :)
Chef G's ribbon
and mine..i cooked my sugar to 161 degrees, just 1 degree less and there are bubbles seen on my ribbons :( if cooked to the right temperature (162) the ribbon will be smooth and pretty...
and my poured sugar....like i said, the sugar plaque is still as hideous looking but i had changed the design where Chef G taught us how we can do stacking to create a different type of sugar plaque. ok i admit that my colour combination is all over the place.. but i am trying out the colours!!! which seems just an excuse...
i like how the orange twirly thing turns out. however, after 3 more tries to date, i am still not able to replicate the exact same twirl that i had done during this particular practice... hmmm i like how the design is all simple and plain..not sure if it looks boring and nothing unique...
and guess where all these sugar goes right after we were done with class......
6 Oct 2011: Technical lesson
for our very 1st tech lesson, we are already being pressured with the final exam. Chef J went through what are they expecting of us with the portfolio and the exam pieces that we will be making during our 6 hours exam marathon...she said you can bring snacks or drink or even your picnic basket..i am however quite sure that at the end of the exam, the food remain untouched. she said a girl once brought energy food and drinks. at the end of exam she asked the girl if she had any and the girl said: 'i don't even have time to pee!!!!' lol
just a breakdown of what has to be done for exam, just so you know i am not leading an all stress free life...
1. Two identical free interpretation plated dessert (there are criteria on what is to be included such as mousse, sponge, jelly, tuile, chocolate deco and sauces)
2. A petit-four stand (the sugar plaque) made from poured sugar with at least 5 techniques
3. Brioche a Tete
4. Six identical 2-flavoured Sable Hollandias
5. Six identical moulded chocolate truffles incorporating two colours of tempered chocolate
6. a portfolio (like a project report) of the exam piece (we have to write out the recipe, methods, description, design, cross sections, etc)
interesting and exciting right??? i know i always complain about projects, essays and reports when i was in school back then but actually i am secretly in love them to bits and pieces <3 <3 <3
9 Oct 2011: a day before 3rd lesson of poured sugar (a typical kiasu SGrean is preparing...)
the planned colour theme of the plaque was purple and gold... but it turned out.... (please see 10 Oct 2011)
and it's either i had double dose of caffeine (entire day of green tea, which i normally drinks and is still able to sleep, and a cup of black coffee) or i am just to excited for the next day's lesson as i cant wait to see how the purple and gold turns out as i was pretty sure it will look stunning...but i guess i am wrong :(
10 Oct 2011: 3rd practice on Poured sugar and 1st lesson on blown sugar
i didnt manage to get the purple that i wanted and the gold didnt turn out gold... look at the base! i added a few drops of violet colouring and it looks like black as seen on a thrash bag. fml -.- then i got the purple from the red and blue colouring as seen on my twirly sugar. however, it looks kinda dull. tried to marble it with the gold sugar which is epic fail to the max...as it seems like i didnt had enough purple to fill my mould and i used the gold sugar to top up -.- fml again...
next lesson on blown sugar didnt turn out well either..we are supposed to produce an apple and a pear which i only manage to produce a pear which surprisingly, Chef N said it was beautiful and elegant...kekeke happy to the max!!! :) like i said i only manage to produce a pear, the story goes like this no matter how matter times i tried, the apple keeps popping when i blow my sugar using a pump..when chef asked me if i had done any, i replied him sadly that i only have a pear and he say that's fine just present it. so i hurried to assemble my pear with the stalk and the leaves...hence only a pear was done :)
because i did badly for the poured sugar and the next day was my last practice, i was so nervous and afraid that i was not able to perfect what i wanted and also have no pictures for my portfolio...sooooo i had another sleepless night (not really sleepless. woke up at 1.30 am after sleeping for 2 hours and stayed up till 3.30 am still i had to wake up at 6.30am)
11 Oct 2011: last and final practice on Poured sugar and blown sugar
so i had decided on my design of my plaque as for the colour, i will be going with blue and orange..however....my blue turns out to be green!!! fml again and again..so...playing by ear, i guess orange should be fine just like the colour pencils that i had when i was young with one side being green and theother being orange..
much better right?!!! even my friend N look and said to me today's sugar is so much nicer :) thank you N!!!
also got a tip from Chef N, 'keep things simple'
we did a underwater sugar lesson...where all of us made dolphins using blown sugar technique. lesson was fun as it was very relaxing and everyone is joking around..talking about fins, beaks, sharks, whale, dolphin farms, etc...
and my 'ermmm are you sure this is a dolphin'?
haha i know the beak of the dolphin is funny looking and the shape is not quite like a dolphin either.. anyway, i made the top fin of the dolphin like a hook on purpose and chef commented that i put it on when it was too hot that's why it bended. then i look at him and said..ermm i did it on purpose =x and he stared at me and said ohhh on purpose?!!! haha i am sorry. lol well u know like free willy..this way i my dolphin is different from others..keke...
after 2 days of 'sleepless' nights, i better head to bed..have to work tomorrow..hope it will be a good day :)
nighty..
xx
Superior started off with Sugar work..i never thought i will like it that much. it is actually quite fun like REALLY fun! i hope i will be able to do it when i am back in SG. To pull sugar (which i will show you what products can be made out of this technique) we have gotta have a table with a lamp producing high heat to keep your sugar hot enough to pull which is freaking hot
so Lesson 1: Pulled Sugar (a technique where you boil sugar and water followed by adding glucose to it. At 137 degrees, add 5 drops of tartaric acid. cook sugar till 162 degrees and pour it over Silpat and add drops of alcohol colouring. let the sugar cool slightly and form a big ball of sugar on the Silpat. pressing down one end of the sugar with your palm and pulling the other end of the sugar with your fingers. repeat this process till the sugar is shiny and colour is consistent through out. and APLA! you are officially pulling sugar~) NB: don't say that i didn't warn you. the sugar is so hot that you get blisters on your fingers even after wearing 4 pairs of latex gloves. that happened to most of my friends. not me though. i guess my skin is just too 'thick' :x
Also, to add more knowledge to your brain or to impress others if you wish, glucose is added to reduce crystalization and tartaric acid is added to create elasticity so that the sugar is easily pliable.
Chef G showed us how to do a rose which is really pretty! i find the assembling of the petals quite tough as i cant really feel what i am holding. maybe due to the 4 pairs of gloves that i am wearing or maybe they were sore from the heat...the sugar when cooled are very fragile and brittle. as petals are thinly pulled, they cool down really fast and with the numbness of my fingers, it isn't as easy to fit the petals as when you are working on marzipan.
i find that my petals are too round. not very satisfied but overall it still looks like a rose right? keke.. Chef G was very encouraging as he goes around telling everyone that their roses are beautiful and that being a first timer to work on sugar, we are fantastic :)
see the 'sunburnt' that i had while working the sugar under the torch...
Lesson 2: Poured sugar (we are to do a sugar plaque, one of the item that we have to present for our final exam. basically the method of making is similar to pulled sugar, just that we do not add tartaric acid)
Chef G's
Chef N
hmmm so these (refering to chef's work) are what we are supposed to do for the exam and this is what i created..some hideous sugar plague plaque...
and believe me it got worst... -.- T.T
4 Oct 2011 - 2nd practice on poured sugar and pulled sugar
we learned to make ribbons which i like a lot. the technique is like how Sticky (Handmade customized candies) makes their candies :)
Chef G's ribbon
and mine..i cooked my sugar to 161 degrees, just 1 degree less and there are bubbles seen on my ribbons :( if cooked to the right temperature (162) the ribbon will be smooth and pretty...
and my poured sugar....like i said, the sugar plaque is still as hideous looking but i had changed the design where Chef G taught us how we can do stacking to create a different type of sugar plaque. ok i admit that my colour combination is all over the place.. but i am trying out the colours!!! which seems just an excuse...
i like how the orange twirly thing turns out. however, after 3 more tries to date, i am still not able to replicate the exact same twirl that i had done during this particular practice... hmmm i like how the design is all simple and plain..not sure if it looks boring and nothing unique...
and guess where all these sugar goes right after we were done with class......
6 Oct 2011: Technical lesson
for our very 1st tech lesson, we are already being pressured with the final exam. Chef J went through what are they expecting of us with the portfolio and the exam pieces that we will be making during our 6 hours exam marathon...she said you can bring snacks or drink or even your picnic basket..i am however quite sure that at the end of the exam, the food remain untouched. she said a girl once brought energy food and drinks. at the end of exam she asked the girl if she had any and the girl said: 'i don't even have time to pee!!!!' lol
just a breakdown of what has to be done for exam, just so you know i am not leading an all stress free life...
1. Two identical free interpretation plated dessert (there are criteria on what is to be included such as mousse, sponge, jelly, tuile, chocolate deco and sauces)
2. A petit-four stand (the sugar plaque) made from poured sugar with at least 5 techniques
3. Brioche a Tete
4. Six identical 2-flavoured Sable Hollandias
5. Six identical moulded chocolate truffles incorporating two colours of tempered chocolate
6. a portfolio (like a project report) of the exam piece (we have to write out the recipe, methods, description, design, cross sections, etc)
interesting and exciting right??? i know i always complain about projects, essays and reports when i was in school back then but actually i am secretly in love them to bits and pieces <3 <3 <3
9 Oct 2011: a day before 3rd lesson of poured sugar (a typical kiasu SGrean is preparing...)
the planned colour theme of the plaque was purple and gold... but it turned out.... (please see 10 Oct 2011)
and it's either i had double dose of caffeine (entire day of green tea, which i normally drinks and is still able to sleep, and a cup of black coffee) or i am just to excited for the next day's lesson as i cant wait to see how the purple and gold turns out as i was pretty sure it will look stunning...but i guess i am wrong :(
10 Oct 2011: 3rd practice on Poured sugar and 1st lesson on blown sugar
i didnt manage to get the purple that i wanted and the gold didnt turn out gold... look at the base! i added a few drops of violet colouring and it looks like black as seen on a thrash bag. fml -.- then i got the purple from the red and blue colouring as seen on my twirly sugar. however, it looks kinda dull. tried to marble it with the gold sugar which is epic fail to the max...as it seems like i didnt had enough purple to fill my mould and i used the gold sugar to top up -.- fml again...
next lesson on blown sugar didnt turn out well either..we are supposed to produce an apple and a pear which i only manage to produce a pear which surprisingly, Chef N said it was beautiful and elegant...kekeke happy to the max!!! :) like i said i only manage to produce a pear, the story goes like this no matter how matter times i tried, the apple keeps popping when i blow my sugar using a pump..when chef asked me if i had done any, i replied him sadly that i only have a pear and he say that's fine just present it. so i hurried to assemble my pear with the stalk and the leaves...hence only a pear was done :)
because i did badly for the poured sugar and the next day was my last practice, i was so nervous and afraid that i was not able to perfect what i wanted and also have no pictures for my portfolio...sooooo i had another sleepless night (not really sleepless. woke up at 1.30 am after sleeping for 2 hours and stayed up till 3.30 am still i had to wake up at 6.30am)
11 Oct 2011: last and final practice on Poured sugar and blown sugar
so i had decided on my design of my plaque as for the colour, i will be going with blue and orange..however....my blue turns out to be green!!! fml again and again..so...playing by ear, i guess orange should be fine just like the colour pencils that i had when i was young with one side being green and theother being orange..
much better right?!!! even my friend N look and said to me today's sugar is so much nicer :) thank you N!!!
also got a tip from Chef N, 'keep things simple'
we did a underwater sugar lesson...where all of us made dolphins using blown sugar technique. lesson was fun as it was very relaxing and everyone is joking around..talking about fins, beaks, sharks, whale, dolphin farms, etc...
and my 'ermmm are you sure this is a dolphin'?
haha i know the beak of the dolphin is funny looking and the shape is not quite like a dolphin either.. anyway, i made the top fin of the dolphin like a hook on purpose and chef commented that i put it on when it was too hot that's why it bended. then i look at him and said..ermm i did it on purpose =x and he stared at me and said ohhh on purpose?!!! haha i am sorry. lol well u know like free willy..this way i my dolphin is different from others..keke...
after 2 days of 'sleepless' nights, i better head to bed..have to work tomorrow..hope it will be a good day :)
nighty..
xx
Saturday, October 8, 2011
MIAed again
i know i am sorry about that. had been busy with my September break. i was busy planning for my mom's visit and executing the plan when she was here. it was a super busy and tiring week. had been walking from morning till night, going through almost all the 'must go' places in London except Galleries and Museums which i am sure will bore her to pieces. lol
Day 1:
the day that mom (together with my Godma and Aunt D) arrived was rather hectic actually. i was busy preparing since noon (baking cake and preparing dinner) thinking i have a lot of them since they will be arriving at St Pancras station at 8pm. to my horror mom sms at 5pm to say they had alighted the train and is waiting for me at the station!!! and how 'lucky', the weather did not do me any favor as it was pouring at that time. Even tho the bad weather, my sweet flatmate E accompanied me to pick them up and helped with their luggage :) we were fortunate that the rain stopped when we arrived the station near my house. After this sudden hiccup, the night went well...
as mentioned, i had prepared dinner (Italian Chicken Soup adapted from The Pioneer Woman) for the 'guests' to welcome them to London.
the plan for the day is SHOPPING!!!! we spent 2hours or more just at Primark and the rate that we shop, we were stucked between Marble Arch and Bond Street!!! we walked the entire day and the sole of my feet hurts so bad...the aunties are really pro at walking..i kowtow to them..Thank you mummy to pay for some of my shopping spree as well as Aunt D who bought the grey sweatshirt for me...keke
our final stop for the day was dinner at Taro. not as satisfying as expected but good enough :) Godma's veg bento looks really yummy. i shall order that the next time~ as usual, everyone was full to the max! burpp!
Day 3:
it was an entire day out of london trip to Windsor, Bath and Stonhenge. super nice! relaxing scenary and lovely weather :) you can say that the tour guide has a sense of humour however, he 'shoots' you indirectly with his jokes or pretends to say things jokingly but means every word that he said -.- i wouldnt deny that he has good knowledge and is good at explaining and telling us the story behind the places that we had been to.
nevermind him. here are some of the pretty pictures that i took during the trip. :)
and it ended with Indian Crusine for dinner..
Day 4:
Happy Birthday Mummy!!!
it was a day to Borough Market, Tower Bridge, Harrods (Laudree) and Embankment.
Laudree: disappointed..not as good as expected.. :( might not patronise them again except that their Laudree tea is refreshingly nice :)
Day 5:
Buckingham palace, Charity Event, Four Seasons
it was a Summer week in the October (which is definitely sth weird) and mom was lucky to be here during that week (not in her opinion though). i would think it wont be nice to be out in the wind waiting for the soldiers to change shift. as hot as it is i am pretty sure i got a tann from the scotching sun shining brightly in the sky.
Next we went to the Charity Event was held to raise fund for kids who had lost their parents during the Tsunami and quake. it was an afternoon tea served by top chefs from top restaurants :) some petit fours were yummy, some were so so and of course there were some i wasnt too sure if i like them.
the afternoon tea was from 3pm-6pm. i was sure my mom and aunts were pretty bored. really appreciated that they had joined me and urged me to mingle with my friends and chefs. not minding that i didnt keep them company :)
and ending the day with dinner at Four Seasons as someone is craving for duck...
Day 6:
Portobello Market, Hyde Park, My Old Dutch
Day 7:
last minute shopping and time to say goodbye T.T
no photo for this day though but it was a nice visit from Mummy :) i get to sleep with her every night for the entire week ^.^V
Day 1:
the day that mom (together with my Godma and Aunt D) arrived was rather hectic actually. i was busy preparing since noon (baking cake and preparing dinner) thinking i have a lot of them since they will be arriving at St Pancras station at 8pm. to my horror mom sms at 5pm to say they had alighted the train and is waiting for me at the station!!! and how 'lucky', the weather did not do me any favor as it was pouring at that time. Even tho the bad weather, my sweet flatmate E accompanied me to pick them up and helped with their luggage :) we were fortunate that the rain stopped when we arrived the station near my house. After this sudden hiccup, the night went well...
as mentioned, i had prepared dinner (Italian Chicken Soup adapted from The Pioneer Woman) for the 'guests' to welcome them to London.
Having dinner together with Mum, Aunt D, Godma, Flatmate E and Flatmate N.
A day before dearest Flatmate E and I made some cookies to welcome them :)
The night ended with a full belly, hence the cake was kept to the next day...
Day 2:
Mom had a good night sleep and we had a slice of the lemon curd cake for breakfast with coffee...
hehe i know the cake looks super unprofessional =x but it's tasty ok... :p
the plan for the day is SHOPPING!!!! we spent 2hours or more just at Primark and the rate that we shop, we were stucked between Marble Arch and Bond Street!!! we walked the entire day and the sole of my feet hurts so bad...the aunties are really pro at walking..i kowtow to them..Thank you mummy to pay for some of my shopping spree as well as Aunt D who bought the grey sweatshirt for me...keke
our final stop for the day was dinner at Taro. not as satisfying as expected but good enough :) Godma's veg bento looks really yummy. i shall order that the next time~ as usual, everyone was full to the max! burpp!
Day 3:
it was an entire day out of london trip to Windsor, Bath and Stonhenge. super nice! relaxing scenary and lovely weather :) you can say that the tour guide has a sense of humour however, he 'shoots' you indirectly with his jokes or pretends to say things jokingly but means every word that he said -.- i wouldnt deny that he has good knowledge and is good at explaining and telling us the story behind the places that we had been to.
nevermind him. here are some of the pretty pictures that i took during the trip. :)
and it ended with Indian Crusine for dinner..
Day 4:
Happy Birthday Mummy!!!
it was a day to Borough Market, Tower Bridge, Harrods (Laudree) and Embankment.
Day 5:
Buckingham palace, Charity Event, Four Seasons
it was a Summer week in the October (which is definitely sth weird) and mom was lucky to be here during that week (not in her opinion though). i would think it wont be nice to be out in the wind waiting for the soldiers to change shift. as hot as it is i am pretty sure i got a tann from the scotching sun shining brightly in the sky.
Next we went to the Charity Event was held to raise fund for kids who had lost their parents during the Tsunami and quake. it was an afternoon tea served by top chefs from top restaurants :) some petit fours were yummy, some were so so and of course there were some i wasnt too sure if i like them.
and ending the day with dinner at Four Seasons as someone is craving for duck...
Day 6:
Portobello Market, Hyde Park, My Old Dutch
Day 7:
last minute shopping and time to say goodbye T.T
no photo for this day though but it was a nice visit from Mummy :) i get to sleep with her every night for the entire week ^.^V
Monday, September 19, 2011
Baking baking baking i heart thee :)
17 Sept 2011 - Fresh Figs / Lemon Cake
After i am done shopping around in Sainsbury, i decided to detour back to the fruit section and bought a box of FRESH figs that were waving at me. I had them for breakfast and OH MY!!!! i never thought they will taste so refreshing!!! yes!!! refreshingly sweet!!!! geez...all these while i have been eating dried figs which to date i still love very much and they taste exceptionally sweet!!! however, the sweetness in fresh figs are just different. you do not taste the syrupy sweetness but the refreshing sweetness. hmmm u get what i mean..nevermind. just buy those fresh figs whenever you see them and u will know what i am talking about. and oh get the ones that r less green and be sure to eat them before they turn bad as they are fruits that are quite delicate.
so then after the yummeh fresh figs, i decided to try making Lemon Cake which we had learnt in school during basic. it was fun and i did purchase Poppy Seeds just for this purpose and left the entire bag on the table before i bake so that i will remember to include into the batter....but...so u know how blur i am, i entirely forgot about it till i put my cake into the oven -.-
oh well the cake still turn out delicious with my flat mate finished half of it and my other flat mate gonna bring it to school tomorrow. In my opinion, it taste better the next day. moist enough yet crumbly. hmmm talking about it makes me hungry. i shall head to my sack.
oh just to add:
18 Sept 2011 Flat Mate Day!!!
went shopping with flat mate since noon and she bought lotsa stuff and i did not!! yay to savings!!! then we went to buy some rice and vegetables to cook 'bimbimbap' of course not the actual one but just whatever we can get that is not too expensive =x and i finally bought KIMCHI!!!! it didnt taste bad just that i will prefer it to be spicier, less blend and saying in a Singlish way, with more 'kick'. shall start my kimchi diet tmr!!! nom nom nom... :) happy happy. after dinner we cleaned up and watched taiwan variety show, 康熙来了, together :) however, the internet connection seems a little slow these days which takes ages to load. by the time we finished watching, it was close to 0130. so tired!!!! and yet i am blogging at this hour when people in SG are awake. see how hard i am trying to keep this blog alive =x all right i shall not brag too much. time for bed.
good night.
xx
ps sorry i couldnt upload the pictures.. :( there errors, not sure why but i will try again tmr (tried for many tomorrows, i am still unable to upload those pics) :(
After i am done shopping around in Sainsbury, i decided to detour back to the fruit section and bought a box of FRESH figs that were waving at me. I had them for breakfast and OH MY!!!! i never thought they will taste so refreshing!!! yes!!! refreshingly sweet!!!! geez...all these while i have been eating dried figs which to date i still love very much and they taste exceptionally sweet!!! however, the sweetness in fresh figs are just different. you do not taste the syrupy sweetness but the refreshing sweetness. hmmm u get what i mean..nevermind. just buy those fresh figs whenever you see them and u will know what i am talking about. and oh get the ones that r less green and be sure to eat them before they turn bad as they are fruits that are quite delicate.
so then after the yummeh fresh figs, i decided to try making Lemon Cake which we had learnt in school during basic. it was fun and i did purchase Poppy Seeds just for this purpose and left the entire bag on the table before i bake so that i will remember to include into the batter....but...so u know how blur i am, i entirely forgot about it till i put my cake into the oven -.-
oh well the cake still turn out delicious with my flat mate finished half of it and my other flat mate gonna bring it to school tomorrow. In my opinion, it taste better the next day. moist enough yet crumbly. hmmm talking about it makes me hungry. i shall head to my sack.
oh just to add:
18 Sept 2011 Flat Mate Day!!!
went shopping with flat mate since noon and she bought lotsa stuff and i did not!! yay to savings!!! then we went to buy some rice and vegetables to cook 'bimbimbap' of course not the actual one but just whatever we can get that is not too expensive =x and i finally bought KIMCHI!!!! it didnt taste bad just that i will prefer it to be spicier, less blend and saying in a Singlish way, with more 'kick'. shall start my kimchi diet tmr!!! nom nom nom... :) happy happy. after dinner we cleaned up and watched taiwan variety show, 康熙来了, together :) however, the internet connection seems a little slow these days which takes ages to load. by the time we finished watching, it was close to 0130. so tired!!!! and yet i am blogging at this hour when people in SG are awake. see how hard i am trying to keep this blog alive =x all right i shall not brag too much. time for bed.
good night.
xx
ps sorry i couldnt upload the pictures.. :( there errors, not sure why but i will try again tmr (tried for many tomorrows, i am still unable to upload those pics) :(
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