nikkib

i never understand people who order garic bread with pizza, i mean seriously!!! In reference to the initial pos, i also prefer the crust to the inner part of the pizza if i had to choose...

Mackerel is beautiful with ajo blanco which is traditionally served with grapes or melon - as is mackeral with rhubarb or gooseberries as well.

i think the point of the initial post was the variety offered by eating out in singapore - it's a real cultural melting pot and that infuses into its restaurant and cuisines available i would imagine - i leave in 2 weeks so will be updating regul;arly on my progress eating my way through singapore so to speak and any trips i happen to make elsewhere in SE ASia too - glad to hear Mlaysia has so much to offer as well, sounds like it is going to be fun!

Mushroom quiche would be the first thing that springs to mind - i also love doing a variation on eggs florentine using sauteed mushrooms and spinach under the poached egg. You could also add a poached egg to a bowl of home made mushroom soup to make it richer. For pure decadence though - you cant beat a variation on this recipe http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/65a0d20a-3e64-11dd-b16d-0000779fd2ac.html from Rowley Leigh - use a mushroom duxelle to replace the anchoives and serve with a crunchy baby gem or bitter herb salad for a delicious supper treat.

I think you can order from both menus at the bar which is where i imagine teh reservation is possible for as they have a Bar area with quite a few seats whereas the dessert bar is smaller. I really recommend it, i had a simply stunning meal there.

This is exciting - i love mexican cuisine and mescal!! Looking forward to see what is in store this week!

SCOTTY - i thought the panzanella you posted for a potluck a while ago looked pretty upscale!!

If you could get him out to Brooklyn - Frannys is great

OH MY!!! Care to share the recipe? I see those fritters turning into my own personal "bacon jam" quest (oooh i bet they'd go well together ;-) )

Looks delicious - what impact does the flour have on the eggplant? i make a dish similar to this (with chilli instead of mint) but wouldnt have thought to coat the eggplant in flour, does it just make it crispier and less oily?

yes i was puzzled by the "authentic" - unless you are eating the Mac Arabia burger at Mc Donalds this isnt really a problem....

I need some of those nutella dream cookies in my life now - oooh and some hostess cookies too!

Definitely eat in the main square -J'mna al fnar (or there abouts!) in the evenings there are loads of food stalls where you can buy everything from sheeps heads and sheeps eyeballs, to frogs legs, kebabs and the like - it is a real experience and we didnt really have a dud. Start by watching the sun go down from one of the ridiculously over priced cafes around the sqaure with a fresh avocado juice (or something similarly exotic) and then explore your options in the square, as well as the food items fresh mint teas and orange juice is also plentiful, you can even buy a glass of water from the fabulously dressed water men (they look almost like mariachi bands!) We had a very very good meal at Tobsil, its a beautiful setting, generous portions and we really enjoyed it as our one " fancy" meal - probably set us back 50-60 euros a head.

http://www.sarnicrestaurant.com/en/index.jsp My parents ate here and spoke very highly of it

Veg samosas,Bhelpuri, pakoras, onion bhajis, spicy chilli chaats... Some nice dips/salsas with store bought naans and mini pappadams. You could do mini tandoori veg skewers with some hard tofu as well. Corn on the cobs with a spicy butter would be good too but i think Jenni has to be the expert when it comes to vegetarian Indian food..........

Great news - i was gutted your week got cut short, i drove my parents mad with my insistence to cook your ricotta gnochhi one night (they both reckon tehy don't like gnocchi - safe to say they are now converted!)

yummy! Cant wait!

Bar shu is open again and i woudl really recommend it, certainly not cheap (nor ridiculous) but i think the food there is outstanding. They also have Bar Shan across the road that is smaller and more "fast food" for want of a better expression which i really enjoy too. I'm certainly no expert on chinese cuisine but the sichaun food at bar shu appeals to me because it is less "sweet", more unusual menu choices, and a hell of a lot more flavourful (spices - floral yet spicy peppercorns etc) I have eaten everything from the crispy pigs ear to the Hot and numbing beef (yes thats what its called!) to jellyfish and every dish has been a success. I am sure someone more knowledgable can fill you in a bit more on teh differences but thats my tuppence ha'pennys worth!

I work in the service industry so may only get to eating at home sporadically so a big weekly shop is not necessary for me - i buy small amounts of things in order to avoid waste (2 eggs rather than 1/ dzn, a couple of carrots rather than a bag etc) I tend plan out any meal i want to cook in advance and then shop for that. Certainly i make the odd impulse by but i feel this is cancleed out by the lack of waste a big shop would cause

I normally boil mograbieh for around 20-25 minutes until it becomes slightly tender and chewy...

Wow - what an amazing looking salad and great provinance, now all i need is a summer house near Rhode island and i'll be done... ;-)

what do you make with them?

why dont you just cook the bones and serve them whole so everyone can dip into them and spread them onto their own toast - such a great, fun visual!

I would definitely suggest winding down a bit longer - i need at least an hour or 2 if not more before i can even contemplate sleeping - a glass or 2 of wine also helps! Don''t set an alarm, get used to waking up naturally and even if you do this too early, force yourself to stay in bed longer, dozing, realxing etc. Then when you do need to wake up, a good shower finished with a blast of freezing water and a cup of coffee should do teh trick. I find my body needs a week or 2 to slip into routines, try to do teh same on your day off too - go out, have fun and go to bed as late as possible and then sleep in again before work. I function fine on 4 hours sleep - any less then that and im sleepy..

I do literally exactly the same thing but instead of tapenade i blitz up a jar of sunblush tomatoes in olive oil and brush the pastry with that then drizzle a basil and olive oil mixture over the top, so simple and quick but absolutely delicious.