Hotspots: Narai Thai Northcote (Restaurant Review)

We were out for dinner with one of my partners, for an early "Xmas function for the families", and the venue of choice was the Narai Thai Northcote, being somewhat central for all three households. We've been here once before, for combined birthday dinner, and this time remembered to bring along the folding high-chair for the baby! This is a cheerful, relaxed suburban Thai restaurant, if perhaps priced higher than I'd have expected for the meals.

Pud bai gapoa: chicken stir fried with garlic, chilli and sweet basil. I really liked this dish, the chicken and egg mix was delightfully blended with the sprouts. The basil was a lighter flavour than I'd hoped but the flavours blended sufficiently that I wasn't disappointed at all.

Pud khing: beef stir fried with ginger, onion and black bean sauce. This was a tender dish, with a light chilli heat, the beans were crisp, the onions sweet and the sauce rich.

Gang Dang; traditional Thai curry made from red curry paste, cooked in coconut milk and vegetables, with duck. We almost didn't get a shot of this one, as it was so delicious but we did manage this quick shot. tender duck, fragrant curry and a nice selection of vegetables.

HotSpots: Ghin Khao Thai Food (Restaurant Review)

We get out and about to lunch in the city at least once a week, usually on a Wednesday, and have the chance to sample many of the tasty treats and quick eats that Melbourne has to offer.

One such spot is Ghin Khao Thai Food, on Swanston St.













One of the things that I really appreciate in my tragically short lunch-breaks are house specials and combinations.  

At Ghin Khao, these consist of the four "Flying Lunch Sets" which are universally set at $11.90

I order the "Set D" and following a short wait, my food arrived in this triskelion (I know, its not, but close) of dishes and a side of rice.

I ordered the mango drink to go alongside my tropical meal. Alas, it was just mango juice with ice, I had hoped for fresh, with pulp, and maybe something else.








The satay chicken skewers were juicy and well crisped, and had a delightful crust of marinade, as well as a generous dollop of peanut sauce, which was likewise tasty, and well textured.












The clear soup was delicious. Salty, crisp and flavorsome, with fresh bean sprouts and coriander to garnish, along with some fried tofu for added substance.











The "main" was chilli basil chicken, which was unfortunately disappointing. this may have been because I specifically ordered mine "without capsicum". I'm allergic to capsicum (bell peppers) which I can assure you, is extremely annoying when dining out. Conversely, I LOVE chillies. 

The result is often that I get "no seasoning" when I make my request, and this seems to have been the case on this occasion.






We also ordered the Chiang Mai Noodle soup, (Khao Soi), which is a spicy, creamy soup base with crispy fried curried noodles to dip in it.

All in all, a quick, tasty bite to eat, close to shops and the hustle and bustle of Melbourne's CBD.



 

Breakfast mashups: Frittata

Taking a collection of ingredients from the fridge and pantry and turning them into tasty breakfasts for the variety of people we need to feed come weekend mornings leads us to some interesting mashups.

This frittata took eggs from our chickens, milk, oregano and rosemary from the herb garden, rehydrated dried mushrooms and herby soft-cheese. A serving of middle rasher bacon on the side finishes the picture. The first step was to rehydrate the dried mushrooms in a mug with hot water. The liquor was then reserved to add to the mixture.

I then fried the bacon, and put it aside, the rich grease adding to the strong flavour of the mushrooms and herbs which I sauteed in it. I then put them all aside and built this up from the egg and milk base, and fried it in that same pan. When mostly cooked, I returned the mushroom and herb mix to the top, and spooned the soft cheese onto top, and placed the lot under the grill to cook from the top. This is when I applied the reserved mushroom liquor as a sauce.

Served on some lightly toasted buttered bread, we had a very civilized, 20 minute breakfast.

Family Feasts: Market Day Feast

A fortnight ago, we stopped in at the Mulgrave Farmers Market )Wellington Rd (Jacksons Rd), Mulgrave) and picked up some gorgeous local and fresh produce.

These, combined with more veggies from our front-yard garden came together to make a delicious and wholesome dinner for the family. We love getting to markets, not just for the produce, and social aspects, but also as a chance to find new things to taste and try. We had Tactical Baby along (having been on our way back from dropping Triceratops Girl to her mother's place) and she was likewise delighted to see it all, taste everything we did (apart from the wines) and generally going ballistic over all the dogs being walked.

First up on the menu was Brasserie Bakery Caramelized Galric Pullapart loaf which was a no-brainer when we tried it at their stall. At first we balked at the price. $9 for a loaf of galic bread, but upon tasting it, even cold in the taster-plate, it was stupendous. They also had on offer some delights such as a sour-cherry loaf and a variety of "plain" sourdoughs, rye. We reheated this loaf by just popping it in the oven for a touch, it crisped up and the inside was still delicious and moist. As each other element of dinner was cooked, i popped it into the still warm oven to be ready for table.

We also collected some tasty thin, lean beef sausages. These were sourced from Otway Prime Premium Grass Fed Beef who had a variety of happy looking beef on hand, but we had to limit ourselves somewhat (this time). These were very tasty, no-gristle, all-flavour sausages, with a just-right fat content to keep it succulent.

We rounded off our luxury purchases (or at least what I'm showing you here) with this fine vino, from a very encouraging fellow from Folino Estate Wines who plied us with the sweet reds that we delight in. We settled on this light and effervescent Moscato Rosso for dinner, but also tried their Muscat, several other sweet reds and even a taste of their hair-curling but smooth grappa! 

This complemented the meal terrifically.  From the garden, I parboiled these Désirée potatos. Unfortunately you can see that some of them were a bit too close to the surface, and were a touch green and had to be fed to the chookens. The rest were quite tasty, tossed with dried thyme and olive oil. The simple addition of herbs like this can really accent a plain dish, without overwhelming the flavours of home grown produce. Last up is another iteration of my "garlic and greens" This time the top of leek (yes, even the green leaves are edible) was sauteed in butter until soft and sweet, then removed from heat, and the bottom was again sauteed with roughly chopped garlic to form something like a tomato-free sofrito. Once golden, the greens were stirred back through, and the meal was ready! Simple, satisfying and tasty food, done in minutes. Farm or garden fresh ingredients can really add a subtle improvement in taste, especially if one doesn't mask them.

Family Feasts: Lamb with Mougrabieh (Big Couscous)

Here's something I put together the other night that turned out very tasty - Lamb and Mougrabieh (Big Couscous). Couscous is a family favourite, I always pick it up at a bulk foods store in every size they sell it - I love how the texture changes as it gets bigger. The big stuff like this is almost gnocchi-like - a pleasantly chewy texture that makes any meal hearty. 

I remembered to take photos while I was cooking! 

I started by searing the lamb - these are lamb chump chops (one of the cheapest cuts of lamb you can get, I think!), these were pre-marinaded in garlic and lemon. The brand is Campbells - no idea where we got this from, I just fished it out of our chest freezer!

 Then, I looked at what veggies we had on hand - broccoli, leek, carrots and potato as it turned out, so I coarsely chopped these (wanted them to be big chunky bites and not disintegrate, as I intended to let the lamb simmer).

In a second saucepan, I put the couscous on - following the instructions on the packet, I salted the water and let it come to the boil before putting the couscous in. We got this from the Oasis Bakery - so much more than a bakery, I'll talk more about this amazing place in a post soon.


 Then, I added water, stock cubes (Oxo brand) and left it to simmer until the lamb was falling off the bones.

 Just before serving, I strained and added the couscous to the dish, which soaked up all the delicious stock and changed it from a soup to a stew instantly.

This was well received by the hungry hordes, a tasty and filling meal for a cold night.

Winglets, greens and pasta

One of the difficulties that many parents face is how to make a healthy, hearty meal, that will be accepted by picky toddlers and finicky teens. Thankfully, I at least don't have to face those two dreaded parenting cooking issues "I'm a vegetarian now" and "I don't eat carbs now". This is a quick meal I threw together, once I realized how many mouths I was expecting. I like to make my spaghetti Al dente, both for its slightly lower-GI rating, and also because it copes with being played with by little hands better. I tend to toss mine in butter or olive oil after straining, to keep it from clumping and add a little richness.

For greens, I went out to our veggie patch with Triceratops Girl, and picked a mess of spring onions and kale. I'm always glad when she takes an interest in where her food comes from, and hope this carries on in all we grow, make and eat. The kale and spring onions were washed and blanched, then chopped and sauteed in beef lard which had crushed and diced garlic cloves previously browned in it. I didn't want to over cook the kale, wanting to lock in its flavour and not letting it loose that emerald green colour or turn to mush. 

The winglets were the easiest par by far. Pre-marinated honey-soy winglets and drummettes in a "family pack" from the meat section of Aldi. This is always a good option, and keeps our chest-freezer well stocked. To do these I greased the eathernware dish that would fir the chicken evenly, poured in the meat, and baked them in the oven until the raised winglets tips were crisped and the marinade was sizzling. All in all this meal was both very quick, easy to prepare and pleasing to both the picky and finicky eaters of the house, whilst being flavoursome and hearty enough for the more mature palates as well.