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“…Of Course We Have Scampi!” Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant New York City

American Recipes By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

Warning! Warning! Touristy restaurant review ahead Proceed with caution Warning! Warning! Forrest Gump is one of my favourite films. I jumped with unabashed joy when we walked past the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant in Times Square, New York. I had no idea that the restaurant existed and I was determined to dine there. Just to give it a go. Bubba's dream is alive! I usually try and stay away from tourist-driven places when on holidays but I couldn't help but giggle like a japanese school girl when I enter the premises. The restaurant looks like the Hard Rock Cafe for Forrest Gump paraphernalia. Downstairs is filled with merchandise from the film. T-shirts, shorts, caps, mugs, pens, photo frames are printed with tacky sayings and logos mostly taken from the film. The restaurant was a little more tasteful and was themed more accurately to the film than the merchandise…

The Smokehouse – Vintage quirky and mighty delicious

Australian Restaurant Reviews By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

I love to travel. Take me to any exotic place and I will not fear to venture out on my own. There is nothing more exhilarating than to get lost in a city and discovering its many hidden treasures without the aid of a travel book or map. Pizzaboy and I have not been able to travel as much as we use to since we decided to settle down and buy a home. All our savings are now being banked up in a volt for when we find the right place. Isn't it odd that we must save money to borrow money? We have had to give up on a lot of things in pursuit of the homeownership dream, but we are not able to sacrifice the luxury of eating out. The discovery of The Smokehouse had left me with the same joyful feeling as when I travel without a…

Curried Butternut Squash Soup by Ellie Krieger

Asian Recipes By Amy @ cookbookmaniac

It was not long ago when I first made this soup. If you follow me on facebook you would recall a status update that read something like "ARGH!!!" I had the hardest time peeling the skin off the butternut squash. I used almost every sharp utensil in the kitchen to skin the bastard and I barely scratched the surface. I even beckoned Pizzaboy for help. We stood at the kitchen bench for almost an hour trying to cut away the tough outer layer and chop the flesh. Although the soup tasted very nice - albeit thin because i had cut quite a bit of flesh away with the skin and ended up with less than what the recipe called for - I declared I would never do it again. I told my mother about our ordeal and she let out a chuckle. "You are silly. You did not boil the…