annachan

Speaking of bakeries: PIQ in Berkeley, relatively new, is making some amazing breads. I love the mushroom bread, there are also tomato, zucchini and other vegetable bread. The calzones are amazing. Cheeseboard in Berkeley is also a favorite. However, if you are not planning to leave San Francisco, you can go to the sister bakery, Arizmendi. My favorite bakery for pastries and such is Patisserie Philippe (SF). I have yet to have an item I didn't love from there.

Haven't been to Twist but have been to the others. Mix was good, but definitely not in the same league as the others. However, it was the cheapest of them all. We had the 16 course tasting @ Robuchon and everything was great. The items on Alex's tasting menu was wonderful as well. Since we didn't like everything on the tasting menu @ Savoy, our server helped us put together our own tasting menu of sort. It was easily accomplished since you can order many of the dishes as half portions. The artichoke and truffle soup is not to be missed. There was also this chestnut dish (app) that I loved.

Do pay attention to the packaging as they now also sell salted duck eggs that are already cooked and ready to eat. You don't want those for this dish.

My guess is that you'll probably stop by the Ferry Building. If you do, check out Il Cane Rosso (same owner as Coi). The breakfast is wonderful. Haven't the chance to try but heard great things about lunch and dinner as well. We're having lunch at Plum (another place by the same owner) this week. I'll let you know if it's worth going over to Oakland for. Oh yeah, Incanto is great, especially if you like the odd cuts. A few more places that I like around the city: Bisou (French bistro), La Mar (Peruvian/seafood), Waterbar (seafood - great patio and view), Lafitte (menu changes daily and is small, so check the day of to see if it's something you like before making reservations), Farina (Italian).

That's true, but Michael Mina has reopened in the old Aqua apace.

Yes, you can find them at many Asian markets.

Prawncrackers - that looks great!

Some finer dining favorite of mine are Coi, Quince, Prospect and the Dining Room at the Ritz. As for North Beach, my favorite casual place is Tony's Pizza Napoletana. I haven't been, but he added a new take out place next door that lots of people have raved about. I have to say that Gary Danko did not impress. Had the truffle menu earlier this year and was just underwhelm, especially for the price. Maybe we would have liked it more if we went with the regular menu.

Thanks! It looks like Westfield is where we'll be heading our first day there. That is great since we have to go there for banking and mobile phone anyway. I'm not sure how far Westfield is from the apartment. If it's close enough, maybe we'll check out the farmers market by foot.

We'll be staying in Parramatta for a month (Jan/Feb 2011) and I'm wondering where are good places to pick up grocery. We've rented a service apartment on Church Street, not far from the Westfield Center. I assume there won't be much in the pantry so I'll need to pick up a few things. I need to just get some basics the first day we arrive (bread, eggs, etc.) and don't want to be driving too far. I'm also looking for a store with good general prices as I have no idea what's cheap and what's expensive in Oz. Is there a place inside or close by Westfield? We'll venture out further to other stores after the first few days, so if there are specialty places that I should check out, please also share those. Thanks.

I've never had Gum Sa shrimp, but I've had that preparation with various ingredients. I personally love gum sa crab, probably my favorite way of eating crab. A local restaurant makes a good gum sa pumpkin. In Hong Kong, I enjoyed some gum sa frog legs. I've always been a salted egg fan so naturally, I'm drawn to these dishes. Sorry, never attempted to make it so I have no recipe to offer. I am interested to learn from others who have though.

I used to have the same problem with my toffee being inconsistent. Be it having different texture or sometimes with more oil on the surface. As I make this toffee over the years, I've noticed that timing is very important. When I add my sugar and when I add the almonds (I use slices) are important. Now, I haven't had made a "bad" batch in a long time. For the recipe I have, I know I have to add the sugar once the sticks of butter and margarine are half way melted. Almond goes in when the mixture foams. Cooked till my eyes and nose tell me it's done. I don't have a problem with my toffee separating and the toffee doesn't get greasy. I don't temper the chocolate that I use for coating the toffee. I put it on when the toffee has hardened and cooled down, then sparkle roasted chopped nuts on top. I break them up by hand when the chocolate is set. I let it set in room temp. Some nuts fall off when I break up the toffee, but the chocolate tend to stay put. Oh, I do flip the toffee over and put the chocolate on the smooth side. It just makes spreading the chocolate easier.

That soup is divine! Tastes even better than it sounds! My husband doesn't like artichoke much and he loved it. He said he would eat artichoke regularly if it tastes like that! Guy Savoy is my personal favorite, even compare to Robuchon (we had the 16 course tasting menu) and French Laundry.

Sa cha is standard when we have hot pot. I always use it in my dipping sauce. My grandmother used to make this noodle dish that is just the best. It's a beef chow fun (wet) with sa cha sauce. She put some Chinese broccoli in there as well. I so miss that.

Spicy! I like! Now it got me thinking bacon (not exactly sure why)....candied bacon crumbs! Is that wrong?

As I drank my cup of homemade salted caramel hot chocolate at home, I was dreaming how good it could really be. Start off with milk from Strauss (maybe even a little cream), chocolate from Weiss, burnt caramel sauce from Recchiuti and some Fleur de Sel. Is it possible to add something else to it to make it better? Maybe some torched marshmallow?

Oh, Trader Joes isn't upscale. The "uniforms" are Hawaiian shirts! TJ's everyday prices are often much less than the typical supermarkets. I can't wait to check out ALDI once we get there.

That is a slur madam! ALDI UK don't sell near-to-date items. Though there are some shops/chains that specialise in this end of the market. That is why I asked. Hubby said that he used to live across the street from one and that's what the store sold. That was 12+ years ago. It seems like that isn't the case as he remembered in Oz. If it's like Trader Joes, I'm a happy camper!

I was checking out ALDI's website and hubby looked over and said, "oh, ALDI - they sell the almost out of date products." Now, the ones he's referring to are the ones in England. Are the Australian ALDI store the same way?

I've used Grand Marque (from Marque Foods) and it's good for the price. I believe it's from Belgium. http://marquefoods.com/categories/grand-marque-couvertures Noel (France) is another reasonably priced option. I haven't used E Guittard for a while but remember it to be reasonably priced as well.

My friend used to save it for toast.

Anzac biscuits! An Aussie friend made some a while back and introduced us to them. We love that stuff!

Well, I still hope that Costco will open soon. Work faster people! Anyway, I went out to buy one knife today and came home with two! Got the MAC Pro santoku ($109) and the Sai damascus santoku ($187). The MAC Pro handle was just a little small for my husband and he prefers the feel of the Sai (about identical to the MAC damascus santoku). Since they were less than I anticipated to pay, we bought both so that we can each have a good knife to use when we're prepping together.

Costco in Sydney is open? That's great news!

The Fish Market looks like another place we have to check out. And the pork neck from the deli! We'll most likely be staying in Parramatta, so it'll be perfect!