Smack Deli

To all LOBSTER LOVERS,

Burger and Lobster opened a sister restaurant not long ago. The best part is, it is now cheaper to eat lobster! The concept is all about lobster roll served as fast food. You will have to order at the till and collect your order, like you would at Starbucks or McDonalds. The only difference is that the quality is far higher than any fast food place I know. 

“Lobster roll is the new burger!”

£7 for a lobster roll to go and £9 to eat in. That’s pretty cheap for some quality lobster. I have to say, the portion is pretty generous. The lobster chowder, I suppose was made from the lobster cooking liquid plus all the shells. Though nice, it lacked a little acidic punch and depth in flavour. The courgette fries were the star and a must have. It was very crispy and so much lighter than a standard potato fries, it worked really well with the lobsters too. The one pound lobster which is served cold is really good too with lemon mayonnaise.

Ambience in there was trendy, casual and relaxed. Lobster without the fancy pants. Liking it!

Smack Deli

26 Binney Street
W1K 5BN London,UK

Continue

Crab apple avocado salad stack

Summer in London this year must have been the best we've had for the longest time. So much so that I have not been checking the weather forecast. I just expect the next day to be warm and sunny and continue being like this the day after. I'm getting used to wearing skirts, shorts and no jackets or tights. What a bliss. 

With this weather, comes simple and tasty cool food that does not make you sweat. One that is easy to prepare as well. This recipe is so pretty yet easy to make, it is perfect for a quick summer dinner after work. Even though it is weekday after work in London, having this salad on the balcony just makes it feel like holiday by the beach. Enjoy!

Crab salad served on lettuce gem leaves. This is a good way to serve the salad at a party. It's easy to pop into the mouth.

Crab, Apple and Avocado Salad Stack

serves 2

Ingredients: 

• 120g crab meat (can)
• 1 red chillies (diced)
• 1 granny smith apple (cubed)
• 120g baby plum tomatoes (quartered)
• 1 nectarine (deseeded & cubed)
• 1 large lime
• 1 avocado (cubed)
• salt and pepper to taste
• lettuce gems
• handful of fresh mint leaves
• extra virgin olive oil
• a few drops of balsamic to taste (on tomato)

Methods:

1.  Remove crab meat from can and drain. Place into a bowl then add the diced chillies and apple cubes.

2.  Squeeze the juice of one lime into the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix the crab well with some sliced mint leaves. 

3.  On a different bowl, place the quartered plum tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, 2 drops of balsamic vinegar and a little extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.

4.  To assemble, place a food ring on a serving plate. 

5.  Carefully place the avocado in the ring. Top it up with the cubed nectarines followed by the tomatoes.

6.  Gently press downwards with the back of spoon to compress the stack of avocado, nectarines and tomatoes.

7.  Top up with a generous amount of the prepared crab and decorate with mint leaves.

Continue

Seafood by the beach, a blissful evening I miss

Ask what a girl who grew up on an island misses, it will not even take her a second to tell you it is seafood and beach. My recent encounter with a few people who do not like crab nor prawns or even mussels, left me thinking. Why don't they like them? Is it the taste or is it because they were not exposed to seafood where they are from? I grew up eating seafood and was even nicknamed the queen of fish cause I will completely dismantle the fish down to the bones and head. Nothing's left! Well, except the bones and eyes of course. As for crab, the second on my favourite seafood list, I was told it looks ugly and no one should eat them. They have claws!! Well, who ever said this is wrong. A fresh crab need only to be baked, the shell actually keeps the flesh moist and juicy. It is so sweet, it tastes absolutely heavenly on its own. I remember watching the Great British Food Revival on TV one night a long while ago where Angela Hartnett, a michelin starred chef tries to revive crab to the British public who does not appreciate them at all. Most British crabs are exported to neighbouring countries like France.

Since I have not been home for more than a year, it is making me miss seafood by the beach in tropical weather. Lucky for me, I will be back on the beautiful island I grew up in, really soon so I would like to share with you what Penang has to offer. I remember the first time I came to this seafood restaurant. I was greeted by the smell and smoke of barbecued satay and a lovely view of the horizon. Not only was there a little wooden stand with barbecued satay, there was also an open air seafood restaurant. I was delighted to be brought here for dinner. One by one, the food were served not long after we arrived. We did not have to wait long as we ordered on our way there. The benefits of mobile phones.

Wooden satay stand

The beach view in front of the restaurant

Chilli crab

Baked crab is a perfect way to cook crab as you can taste the juicy sweetness of the crab

Smokey and tender sauceless satay

Kangkung belacan (Fried morning glory with shrimp paste)

Kam heong style kappa

Steamed fish teochew style

Sunset at Teluk Kumbar

Sitting by the beach while the sun sets, accompanied by the calming sound of waves is the perfect way to enjoy fresh and well cooked seafood.



TELUK KUMBAR SEAFOOD

84, Mk 9, Teluk Kumbar
11920 Penang
Malaysia

+604 649 1403

Continue

Cod with sweet potato slices and sauce vierge

Sauce vierge!! It's French and it sounds complicated! I don't know about you, but for me, anything food related with a french name either makes it sound more sophisticated or complicated. Well, it is actually as easy as 1-2-3 and it takes that long to make it. There is barely cooking in this sauce, and you don't even have to warm up the oil if you prefer but I personally think that warming up the oil slightly with the ingredients will infuse it with more taste.

COD WITH SWEET POTATO & SAUCE VIERGE RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 2 cod fillets


• 2 sweet potatoes


• 50g butter (25g for cod, 25g for sweet potatoes)

• 2 tomatoes (peeled, de-seeded, chopped)


• 1½ tbs chopped basil


• 1 tbs chopped coriander


• 70ml extra virgin olive oil


• Juice of ½ lemon


• Freshly ground black pepper & sea salt to taste

Method:

1. Make a cross cut on the bottom of the tomatoes and place in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and rinse with cold water. This will enable the skin to peel off easily.


2. Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into about 5mm thick.


3. Place the sweet potato slices in a sauce pan and pour hot water over it, enough to cover them. Add salt and 25g butter.


4. Boil the sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes or until just cooked through to keep the shape intact. Make sure to not over cook until too soft as the slices will fall apart.


5. Heat a non-stick pan with olive oil and place the cod fillets on it to crisp up the skin.


6. Add the knob of butter and spoon the hot butter and oil over the top of the fish until just cooked through.


7. Remove fish from pan and let rest on a kitchen towel to soak up the oil.


8. While the cod is cooking, warm the olive oil on a very low heat, be careful not to boil it.


9. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, basil, coriander leaves, freshly ground black pepper and salt in the warm oil for about 1 minute.


10. Remove from heat and squeeze in lemon juice. Sauce vierge, done. Place this aside for plating later.


11. To plate, use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the sweet potatoes. Place each slice gently on the plate to create a flower shape.


12. Position the fish in the middle and spoon the sauce vierge around the cod and a little of the liquid on top of the fish.

Continue

Chili's Grill & Bar (Patnem, Goa)

This was our most frequented restaurant bar throughout our stay in Patnem. We loved the seating and service here. Too bad they did not have wi-fi otherwise we will be here most of the time. 

The awesome comfy seats to chill out. Of course, they have normal tables and chairs too.

Happy hour cocktails cost us £2 for 2! I got tipsy before sunset. Wink :D

We were recommended the masala grilled kingfish, served with salad and chips. Obviously we weren't told it'll be a giant fish!! It was so fresh and delicious, I had to scour the remains of the head too. M looked at me weird, eating off the fish head but it's really normal in Asia. Well, I usually have to fight for the fish head with dad when I'm home. Not when I'm with M of course. Hah!!

Is this scaring you? Kingfish with Piranha-like teeth!

We were sat chilling out, drinking cocktails and watching the sunset. What a bliss. What more anyone could ask for.

This is what Chilli's entrance look like at night. Everything is transformed into a romantic affair, lights and candles everywhere.

Shark and barracuda waiting to be grilled.

Our freshly grilled prawns on the BBQ. Yum.

Continue

Salmon Ceviche

Ceviche is a very popular seafood dish in South America, especially in Peru. It has been declared as part of Peru’s ‘national heritage’. There is even holiday to celebrate this dish, to encourage more people to eat it.

Salmon ceviche

This dish uses raw fish or seafood and marinade in citrus juice. The chemical reaction of the acid in citrus juice will cure the fish. Since there is no heat involved in this process, it is advised to use the freshest raw fish to avoid food poisoning.

Traditionally, ceviche is marinated for about three hours. But the modern technique has been influenced by methods of making Japanese sashimi, similar to the Peruvian version of tiradito. The recipe I am using is an adaptation from Gordon Ramsay's cookbook, which marinates the fish for about 5-10 minutes in Asian inspired flavour.

The salmon edges are turning opaque and firmer, the same way fish would when cooked with heat.

SALMON CEVICHE RECIPE

adapted from Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food: Recipes from "The F Word"
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 250g very fresh salmon fillet, skinned and thinly sliced
• small handful of coriander leaves, shreded
• small handful of young watercress (optional)

Dressing:

• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 banana shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs olive oil
• sea salt & black pepper
• pinch of caster sugar

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and caster sugar.
2. Set the dressing ingredients aside.
3. Thinly slice the skinned salmon and arrange them neatly on four serving plates.
4. Distribute the dressing evenly over the salmon.
5. Let it marinade for 30 minutes.
6. Scatter some coriander over the salmon.
7. Neatly place the watercress in the empty spaces to make the plates look presentable.

After marination, the salmon turned opaque as the citrus cures the fish

Continue

Randall & Aubin

Tuck in the vicinity of the Soho red light scene, the seafood displayed at the window and the usually long queue definitely entice Soho passersby. That was the reason why some of us were keen to go there in the first place. The interior had shelves filled with bottles of Champagne, framed pictures of seafood on the walls and a big disco ball on the ceiling. It was dim with groovy music that will get everyone ready to continue the night with more drinks and dance in Soho.

Well presented fresh Devon crab salad with shrimp, avocado and pimento dressing

Considering this is a crab and avocado salad, the chef could be more generous with both ingredients. It lacked the sweetness of crab meat and avocado creaminess although, I like the pimento dressing and that they packed the stacked salad with lots of crab roe which I absolutely love.

Mixed grilled seafood - scallops, squid, tuna, seabass, prawns, mussels with aioli and grille garlic flatbread

The mixed seafood was well cooked except for the fish. The tuna was overdone and was not seasoned well. The seabass could be better with crispy skin. The flatbread was good but aioli was more like mayonnaise as it lacked garlic and lemon juice.

Large roasted Langoustine with garlic butter  & pommes frites

The garlic butter brought out the already fresh and sweet langoustines to live. Remember to suck the juices out of the head. That is where the flavour and creaminess is concealed. Peeling them were a little messy but that is part of the fun of eating seafood. Get your hands dirty, lick the your fingers for any seafood juices that has trickled down your hands. At least you will be provided with enough serviettes and bowls of lemon water to wash your hands.

Sticky date pudding with ice cream

A plate of warm pudding with toffee sauce and cold vanilla ice cream that is to die for. I have been searching for this sticky date heaven that is rich but light in texture for a while now, and I found it! This is only second to the ones I had in Marco Pierre White's Kings Road Steakhouse and Grill.

By the end of the night, my legs were a little numb from sitting on the uncomfortable chair but since the end of our meal was a delight, that did not bother me so much. My personal reasoning behind the awkward chair is to make sure customers are not able to sit and chat for too long while a long queue of people are waiting in the cold for their turns. It is a small restaurant, very packed and do not take reservations for dinner so get there early or wrap up tight.

Smile..

Fresh langoustines. Sticky date pudding to die for.

Frown..

Uncomfortable seats, too dark and loud music. Price and value ratio needs revising.

Will I return?

For when I have craving for pudding.

Randall & Aubin

16 Brewer Street
Soho, London
W1F 0SG

Tel + 44 (0) 20 7278 4447
Lunch time reservations only

Continue

Hot & Sour Soup with Vermicelli

Hot and sour soup

These days, I try to stock up on lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves when I shop at the oriental store, making sure I never run out of them. Lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves freeze well so it is great to have them at hand as it is a staple in most south-east asian food. Lemongrass itself has multiple benefits. This natural ingredient has anti-cancer properties, high in anti-oxidant which also helps prevent cancer, reduces cholesterol, helps rid of cold and fever, and many more benefits. The juice of lemongrass is also used as insect repellent. I know this because each time I visit Tropical Spice Garden in Penang, the staff there would have us spray lemongrass juice on our bare legs and arms. There are lots of mosquitoes hidden between those tropical bushes so to prevent from leaving the garden with dozens of mosquito bites, bare with the smell and spray them all over you if you are going anywhere near a tropical forest or garden. It does help you enjoy the beautiful surroundings than to be annoyed being bitten by those tiny evil creatures.

HOW TO MAKE LEMONGRASS TEA:

Boil about 4 stalks of lemongrass in a pot of water. Make sure you bruise and split them in halves so the lemongrass will infuse a lot faster. I have not measured nor timed this process so depending on how strong you would like the tea to be, add water accordingly. Let it boil and simmer for about an hour. Once ready, pour into teacups and serve with honey or sugar.





HOT & SOUR SOUP WITH VERMICELLI RECIPE
serves 3-4

Ingredients:

• 3 stalk lemon grass (bruised)


• 5 kaffir lime leaves


• 2-3 bird's eye chilli


• 15g shallots


• 5 cloves garlic (peeled & bruised)


• 2 inch ginger (peeled & sliced)


• 2 stalks celery


• 2 large carrots


• 2 large tomato (cut into wedges)


• 250g mixed seafood (prawn, squid, mussels)


• 1 litre boiled water


• 1 chicken bouillon cube


• 2 large lime (juice only)


• 1 1/2 tbs palm sugar


• Salt & ground white pepper to taste


• Coriander (as garnish)

• Vermicelli

1. Heat the pot with some oil and partially cook the seafood. Remove from pot and set aside.


2. Saute the onions, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, chillies and ginger in the same pot until fragrant.


3. Add in water and let boil for a few minutes, turn the heat down to let the lemongrass flavour infuse into the soup.


4. The celery, carrots and tomato is then added into the pot, together with the bouillon cube.


5. Let the soup simmer on medium to low heat fora bout an hour and until vegetables are soft.


6. While waiting for the soup to be ready, cook the vermicelli in hot water for 1 minute and drain.


7. Divide the drained vermicelli in separate bowls.


8. Squeeze some lime juice into the soup. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste.


9. Tip the seafood into the hot soup to heat them up.


10. Ladle soup over the noodles and garnish with coriander. You can add a few slices of red chilli if you like, just to give some colour and contrast.

Continue

Seafood Stick Tortilla Cup

There must a time when you are left with too many tortilla wraps and not sure what to do with it. Well, I have found a way to use them! Instead of the usual tortilla chips, make them into little tortilla cups instead! You can always fill the cups with whatever filling you fancy. The recipe below is for fillings made with seafood stick. I know it is processed food and will not be very healthy but that was what I had in the fridge as my backup food and it's tasty. So when you are out of ingredients and have too many tortilla wraps, this could be a lovely option. Seafood stick is also handy for a quick addition into Tom Yum Soup or anything for that matter. Get creative!

Below is a step by step compilation of images and further down are the ingredients and methods.

Quarter the tortilla wraps and push each quarter into ramekins or muffin tray, whichever you have handy. Make sure the edges are pushed through but be careful not to break it.

Once all the ramekins or muffin tray is filled with tortilla wrap, fill each of them with some shallots and bake.

Fill the crispy tortilla cups with the mixed fillings and top with basil leaves.

Recipe: Seafood Stick Tortilla Cup

Ingredients:

• 2 tortilla wrap


• 2 shallots (sliced)


• 1 ripe avocado (sliced)


• 1/2 long sweet pepper (chopped)


• 200g seafood stick


• 4 tbs mayonnaise


• 10 basil leaves (tear)


• juice of 1 small lime


• sea salt & black pepper to taste


• extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.


2. Cut the tortilla wraps into quarters. Push each quarter into the ramekins / muffin tray.


3. Slice the shallots and place them in the tortilla cups.


4. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until tortilla cups are brown and crispy.


5. When the tortilla cups are ready, leave it to cool.


6. While waiting for the cups to bake, fork or tear the seafood sticks into long strips. You can also cut them with a knife, whichever way you prefer.


7. Mix the seafood stick strips, chopped peppers, basil leaves, lime juice and mayonnaise in a bowl and mix well.


8. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil then season with salt and pepper to taste. Give it a quick stir.


9. Slice the avocados and arrange them in the tortilla cups. Top it up with a generous amount of the crab stick mix.


10. Decorate it with basil leaves and they are ready to serve.

Note:

1. You can substitute the seafood stick with crab meat, tuna, pieces of chicken or even minced pork. Be creative, cooking is suppose to be fun.


2. This is also a quick and pretty party food.

Continue