Sunday, September 28, 2014

Eat: Peperoni Pizzeria... All we knead is LOVE!

Found another "gem" today.... I love their slogan.... "All we knead is LOVE", it is sooo cool.... pizza is thin crusted, baked to crisp in their huge traditional oven.. you can even watch as the chef prepare the pizza...

Chef @ Work
Located near private residential area at Binjai Park, it is one of the corner shop with both indoor and outdoor seatings. Inside, the decoration is rustic American with red metal chair...

Bar area
Old rustic saxophone as display
Two types of menu, one for the pizza and another one for other dishes...

Pizza menu...
For pizza, you can choose between 9 inches, 12 inches and 21 inches... all flavours are priced the same and for 12 and 21 inches, you can choose to have 2 flavours with no additional cost!

Normal menu book
And for other course, they have salad, antipasti, pasta , desserts, drinks etc...

BEST THING OF ALL: All prices are NETT, so no additional charges, what you see is what you pay!

They are pretty children-friendly too. High chair, plastic cutlery and colouring paper/crayon for kids to play while waiting for food...


What we had....

1. Rosticciana- oven roasted herb-marinated baby back ribs, served with leafy salad and wedges. Personally, i like the rib, it goes well with the tomato-based sauce that it comes with... hubby think it is not well marinated though, and a little dry...

Rosticciana, $28
2. Carbonara - sauteed bacon in light cream sauce. This dish really stands out.... only after one mouthful, hubby first comment is " this totally win over my love for Marche's Carbonara"... hubby used to love carbonara at Marche, but the quality has been fluctuating during our recent few visits... so i guess this will be out new hangout place when craving for carbonara...

I tried a few mouthful too and seriously, i must say it is good... even for non-carbonara lover like me... i seldom order carbonara because i get pretty sick of it after a few mouthful but Peperoni's version is creamy yet not too cheesy or flavourful so one will be able to finish off without feeling that it is too much/cheesy! Well done for this dish...
Carbonara, $23
3. Pizza is thin crusted, and cripsy.... and we ordered pepperoni and suprema (shitake, chicken sausage, onion and red chilli...  i love suprema while hubby love pepperoni flavour...

12 inches pizza, $24
As we are very satisfied with their main course, we ordered desserts too.. but were disappointed. 

Tiramisu is a little too sweet to my liking, no kahlua's taste and the mascarpone cheese mixture werent smooth, sponge take up quite a bit portion of the tiramisu, rendering them a little too dry.

Tiramisu, $13
Tortino al Cioccolato , on the other hand is rich molten varlhona chocolate served with vanilla ice cream. This definitely is a better choice compared to tiramisu. chocolate is very rich, and i love the pistachio nut that comes with it.... hidden under the vanilla ice cream...

Tortino Al Cioccolato, $13
Overall, we had a great lunch here... pizza, carbonara and baby ribs are good.... dessert just so-so...best of all, no GST or service charge... we are definitely going to come back soon :)

PEPERONI @ BINJAI
7 Binjai Park
Singapore 589n821
Tel: 65 6463 7800

OPENING HOURS:
Mon to Sat: 12pm-10.30pm
Sunday: 11am-10.30pm
Close 3-5pm from Monday to Thursday
Close on certain holidays, do call to make enquiry beforehand.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Cook: Mummy's Sticky Pork



Sticky pork is one of my sis and my favourite... It always come to our mind when mummy asked what would we like for lunch or dinner... Apparently, my mum learn this from my granny and now my sis and me loves to cook them for our family too :)

Plus, it is really a quick dish to whip up, just marinate in the morning or overnight. Take it out and deep fried... one dish is done :)

The secret lies in the corn flour so put a lot of them for it to be sticky, and when it is done, drizzle with dark soy sauce, i love seeing how the soya sauce react with the oil to form tonnes of bubbles. I feel like a chef when it does.. haha!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 150g of pork belly (or use lean pork for healthier version), cut into medium-sized thin strips (3-5cm long)
2. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
3. 1 1/2 teaspoon of light soya sauce
4. 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
5.1 teaspoon of sugar
6. 4 tablespoon of corn flour
7. 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce
8. chopped fresh chilli padi, optional

METHODS:
1. Marinate the pork with garlic,  light soya sauce, sesame oil, sugar and chilli padi for 4-6 hours.
2. Before frying, take them out from the fridge and add corn flour, mix well.
Frying....
3. Deep fry until it is golden. Tips: When frying, use  medium heat and let the pork turns golden before flipping them to the other side, it may takes few minutes for that to happen. This is to ensure that it is more crispy :)
Golden
4. When it is done, add dark soya sauce and coat well.
5. Serve hot!




Thursday, September 18, 2014

Play: Exploring Western Australia in Winter (Day 10)

Today, mummy is in the mood to make breakfast... plus it is very windy and raining outside so we were not in a hurry to go out...

So warm up some bread, grill some sausages, made some scramble eggs and heat up some baked beans... so we had a hot breakfast today... boy boy loves the bread and baked beans while girl loves the sausages and eggs...

Breakfast time
Yummy!
Love how he enjoys his bread
After breakfast, we just chill in the house for a bit, even went and pluck this lemon at the garden.... there are so many lemon at the lemon tree and it smells nice :)

Lemon...!!!
Lemon tree at the garden!
Initially, we were quick reluctant to go out... it was chilly outside and very windy... and so warm in the house... but it is our last day at Busselton so in the end, after SLOWLY getting ready, we got out of the house....

Got some free sticker after buying some groceries at Woolsworth yesterday and the kids are playing with them in the car...



Yesterday night, after preparing tiramisu, i also cut some carrots (which i buy from Woolsworth) into small finger bites pieces and we bring them to feed the goats and llama at the Countrylife Farm which we visited yesterday. We just park our car at the parking area and the kids are excited to feed the animals :)

Was drizzling though (on and off), so it was quite funny... we stayed in the car when it is drizzling, once stop drizzling, we go out and feed the animals, then went back to car again once it started to rain.. i think we did that quite a few times... cause the rain is really so fickle minded...rain and stop, rain and stop...


As usual, the "most" hungry animal is the llama!
I also cooked some porridge earlier (while preparing for breakfast), so feed the kids their lunch in the car and they get to watch the animals as free entertainment... haha!

After eating and feeding, our next stop is to FlameTree Winery. If you read my previous post, on my first night, hubby and me went to the hotel's lobby for a drink and i LOVE the dessert wine served there.. i checked online and this FlameTree Winery is not far from where we stay in Busselton, so of course i couldn't leave without buying some....

It is not hard to find as the signboard are huge...

Free tasting...
Price list
We gave the other types of wine a try as free tasting is available, but nothing else caught our attention so we only went back with the Botyris Riesling that we like..

Botyris Riesling @ Flametree Winery:
http://www.flametreewines.com/index.php?option=com_platfform&view=crm&layout=productdetails&productId=114&Itemid=104
Happy with my purchase... love the bottle too, simple and nice!
By now, kids already very tired. Have been travelling for 10 days now and most of the days are full of excitement and activity, our next stop is Margaret River town centre which is about 40 minutes away.. so let the kids take a nap first during the journey.. Plus, hubby and me haven't eat lunch so we gotta see if there is anything nice along the way...

We checked out a few places but because the kids are sleeping and the restaurant is far from the parking area, we couldn't let the car out of our sight...

In the end, we found this restaurant amidst of this olive plantation and the parking area is just right next to the restaurant and we can easily see the car... so we decided to let the kids continue with their nap and we can grab a quick bite... It was quite stressful lunch though, hubby and me take turn to go check on the kids every 5 minutes to make sure that they aren't awake yet...

I tried their homegrown and home pressed olive oil but didnt find anything that i like.. ended up buying one of their organic lip balm (as mine finished already). It is quite moisturising and not pricey.. love it!

Their food are nice too....

I had their homemade organic pasta: Fettuccine with venison chorizo, red peppers caramelised onion, garlic, basil, chilli, pine nuts with Premium Blend Extra Virgin Olive Oil

It was yummy!!! Light and not stingy with the ingredients. Also love the crunch from the pine nut...

Homemade organic pasta... $23
Hubby had fish and chips, it was ok, not bad as well...but pasta more special..
Whiting Fish and Beer Battered Chips, $27
For dessert, this caught our eye cause looks so pretty but not very nice.. luckily we only order one to share. And the kiddos woke up by now, they are so smart, wake up just in time for desserts :)


After meal, we walk around the olive oil plantation for a bit and then drove to Margaret River Town Centre. Along the road, great scenery and many winery... but town centre was nothing much, just a few rows of shops.... 

So, ended up I go shopping at Target... and bought quite a few discounted items :) Avents plates, kid's t shirt and shoes.... all quite cheap after promotion...

This is the most worth it buy of the day: A cute Christmas Suit for the kids... only $2 for the whole set!!! So buy for my niece who is due to born in September and by Christmas this year will be 3 months old, just nice cause only have one size left (0-3 months)... 

Cuteee!!!!
As there is nothing much at the town centre, we drove back to Busselton... went to Reject Shop and shop again... hubby also shake head... so he stayed in the car.... (well, weather is really bad, so must find some "indoor" activity, right?)

After shopping, went home and cooked dinner but.... it was really bad :(

I bought beets few days back at the Subi's Farmers' Market... it is my first time buying and cooking and we didnt really like it... it is really an acquired taste :(

Beets leave
Luckily, i have some tiramisu to save the day...

Tiramisu time...
Yum!
After dinner, kids played for a while and sleep early again... they took nap today but not very long... so very tired already...

After they sleep, it is some "us" time again.. and we enjoyed our tiramisu... well, it is no way near the one i had at Ciao Italia... but don't worry, i am going back to Perth tomorrow and i am definitely gonna go buy more tiramisu before flying back to Spore!!!

Enjoy dessert time
Hubby bought some wantan soup yesterday but really not nice, don't buy!
And by the way, did i tell you that we are sooo last minute, has been searching and thinking where to stay for our final 3 days of holiday..initially wanted to spend one more day in Busselton but we gave up cause the weather really bad (in winter), keep raining and no sun... unlike Perth area....

So finally after few days of searching, we found a place to stay tomorrow night for our last 3 days of holiday. We are going back to Perth!!! Finally, we can have some sun tomorrow and no need to wear so many layers of clothes and hide in car or indoor places most of the time!!! More outdoor fun!!!







Cook: Chokos/ Chayote Soup

Chokos soup


I am always in search of soup recipe cause i cook soup almost everyday. Kids and hubby love soup....Always cook the same thing-sweetcorn soup, lotus root peanut soup, watercress soup, winter melon soup or old cucumber soup...

So, found out the other day that chokos can be used as soup ingredient too, so gave it a try. It is not too bad and at least something different to try...Kids love it and i am a happy mum!

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 chayote/chokos, cut into small pieces
2. 2-3 pieces of pork bone (or chicken bone)
3. A handful of wolf berries (gou qi zi)
4. 4-6 red dates
5. 1L of water

Ingredients for soup
METHODS:

1. Wash all the ingredients and place them into a pot with water.
2. Let the soup boil for 15 minutes on high heat then simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Serve hot!

Cook: Steamed Herbal Chicken


Nourishing Steamed Herbal Chicken
If you ran out of idea of what to cook or full time working mum or wanted to cook a simple dish, and didn't want to do major clean up of kitchen after cooking, give this Steamed Herbal Chicken a try. No need much preparation, just wash the chicken, marinate them and then leave it in the fridge until its ready to steam. Pop it into steamer and it is ready in 30 minutes :)

It is not very heaty as i didnt add dang gui so can eat anytime.... :)

Soft chicken and flavourful soup .... and most importantly, very easy to prepare :)

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves 2)

1. 2-3 pieces of chicken thigh
2. A handful of wolf berries (gou qi zi)
3. 6 red dates, cut into small pieces using scissors
4. 5 small pieces of pao shen
5. 15cm of dang shen (cut into small pieces using scissors)

Marinate
1. 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
2. 1 1/2 tablespoon of minced ginger
3. 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
4. A pinch of ground white pepper

Herbs required
METHODS:

1. Wash the chicken thigh and add in the marinate. Mix well and keep in fridge for 2-4 hours or until ready to steam.
2. Place some herbs onto an aluminium foil, place the chicken on top of the herbs, and then place the remaining herbs on top of the chicken (as shown)

Ready to steam
3. Wrap the chicken with the aluminium foil and then place them into a steamer.
4. Steam at medium heat for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
5. Serve hot!

Look at the yummy soup... 

Cook: Time to Snack on some Purple Potatoes Stick


Deep Fried Purple Potatoes Stick with Icing Sugar
Purple potatoes is one of my favourite, love the colour and also its sweetness. On top of that, good source of fibre too :)

Twisted one of the kuih keria recipe and made some potato stick instead ... its texture is slightly chewy and even without the icing sugar, it tasted good. With the addition of icing sugar, it looks prettier and kids will definitely go for it!

Chewy centre :)
Have it without icing sugar is nice too (though it looks like sausages here :p)
*UPDATED: My second attempt, this time round, using sweet potatoes instead. Hubby said, very nice!!! 

Second Attempt-Using Sweet Potatoes
Yummy!
Chewy Inside
INGREDIENTS:
(Made 12 sticks)

1. 300g of purple potatoes (can use sweet potato too)
2. 30g of all purpose flour
3. 30g of tapioca flour
4. Oil for deep frying
5. Icing sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)

METHODS:

1. Peel off skin of the purple sweet potatoes and cut them into small pieces.
2. Steam them until soft.
3. Let it cool down for a while and mashed them using fork.
4. Sieve the all purpose flour and tapioca flour into the mashed sweet potato, and knead until well combine using hand (as shown).

5. Shape them into a long rectangle or any shape you like.

Ready to fry
6. Add oil into a frying pan (i only added enough to cover half of the potato dough, so that won't waste oil). Once the oil is hot, add the potato stick and deep fried until it is cooked (as shown)
7. Let it cool down for 1-2 minutes, then serve hot or sprinkle with icing sugar and served.
8. Enjoy!

P/S: The potato stick can be prepared beforehand the night  before and kept in fridge. Deep fry/bake them the next morning for a quick brekkie. If you would like to do so, prepare the potato stick up until Step 5, then cover with cling wrap and keep in fridge. 
Yummy!

Updated:
I have a couple of enquiry on whether the potato stick can be baked instead of deep fry. I tried baking them once... What I did was to coat the potato stick with some oil and bake them until golden. 

Verdict: Yes, they can be baked but definitely not as crispy as deep dry...