February, 2010 | Cookbookmaniac

Chat Thai – Street Food in a Little Shop

Asian Restaurant Reviews By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

"Amy, where are you going to eat this Friday?" "Dunno... you wanna come?" "Yeah. Do I have to pay?" "Errr. I have a bottomless stomach. Not a bottomless wallet!" Bunnifar is my younger sister, by nine years. I hate to admit that she has me wrapped around her little finger. I cannot bear to see her sad, and will do anything to see her happy. Spoilt, she is not. Well looked after by 5 big sisters, yes she is. When she doesn't get what she wants from one sister, she moves on to the next. Sometimes she'll get what she wants, five times over! All of this done with the innocence of a youngest sister, despite being 21 years of age. We both decide to visit Chat Thai. It resembles a well-dressed hole-in-the-wall. Like many super busy asian eateries, they do not take reservations. You simply turn up, write your…

Thai Kangaroo Salad – What is Australia’s national dish?

Asian Recipes By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

It was Australia Day a week ago. For a longtime I'd been wanting to cook and present one of Australia's National Dishes to the blog. However, I was having a hard time selecting one, or actually, I don't know if I had even found one that didn't have its origins from elsewhere. Pizzaboy and I came up with a few possiblities: Meat Pie & Sauce Shepherds Pie Fish'n'Chips Pavlova Sticky Date Pudding Lamingtons Masterchef runner-up Poh Ling Yeow suggests that it may be Salt & Pepper Squid. I don't think she was too far off. You see, Australia is culturally multi-layered, built by many years of immigration from around the world. Almost all of the world's cuisines are represented here, we are very lucky in that respect. With all this in mind. I do believe that we show our "Australianess" by throwing together a barbeque. Everyone can bring whatever they…

Hope and Greenwood – Life is Sweet

Cookbook Reviews By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

In this jolly little gem of a book, Miss Hope and Mr Greenwood offer 50 of their most delectable sweet recipes delights such as toffee and fudge, coconut ice, gums, jellies, nougat and perfect hand-made chocolates. Like the confectionery they sell in their shops, everything in the book will recommend the use of the best ingredients, including fresh cream, butter and natural vanilla, and never use artificial flavours. You will also be treated to a delicious array of sweet stories, historical anecdotes and scandal which are guaranteed to make you chuckle. Exquisitely designed and lavishly photographed, Life is Sweet will tap into the current nostalgia for the confectionery we remember from our childhood and allow us to indulge our sweet tooth to the full. The writing style - deliberately jolly hockey sticks with a huge dollop of innuendo actually made me laugh. Guiltily because I thought for a moment that…