Restaurant Review: The Globe, SoHo

The husband and I have visited The Globe twice now and we both love it. We really enjoy the easy vibe, the music, the choice of seating and of course, the food! 

Over our two visits, we've had caesar salad, fresh prawns, tandoori chicken skewers, mezze platter and mushroom beer beef pie. The salad, pie and platter were stellar - I definitely recommend them very highly. The tandoori chicken was also very nice and tender and spicy. The fresh prawns were slightly disappointing as we were expecting a wider range of flavours going by their description on the menu.

Had some excellent apple and pear cider and red wine sangria. Both are worth trying again. I could not finish the recommended blueberry-basil margarita. The basil flavour was just too overpowering and completely overshadowed the blueberry. Will not recommend that till they've figured out a balance.

We felt completely at home in the comfortable alcove with the couch, bookshelves lined with books, the wall with an ancient map of the known world and the big screen LED TV! The Globe is definitely a place which encourages patrons to lounge around and spend some quality time there. The staff was friendly and very welcoming and the service good. I'm going back again soon!

Recommended dishes: Ceasar salad, Mezze platter, mushroom beer beef pie!

The Globe

Garley Building

45-53 Graham Street, Central, Hong Kong, 

Tele: (852) 2543-1941

Website: http://www.theglobe.com.hk/ 

Garlic broccoli bruschetta: super easy snack in 20 minutes!

After moving to HK, we have developed a healthy appreciation for green vegetables like asparagus, celery, broccoli amongst others. These vegetables were not very easily available back home and therefore we never really got to experiment with them much.

One of my favourite greens is broccoli. An extremely versatile vegetable, it cooks quickly and tastes great with any sauce.

Here's one of my quick and easy broccoli recipes, garlic broccoli bruschetta. It makes for a great starter if you have company or is a wonderful snack if you're in the mood for a healthy homemade bite!

Ingredients:

Five pods of crushed garlic

1 whole broccoli flower, cut into florets

Salt and pepper

Dried oregano, chilli flakes, parsley

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon soya sauce

3 teaspoon lime juice

Bruschetta bread or toast bread and cut into square slices

Preparation:
Add the oil in a non-stick pan for 2-3 minutes on medium heat
Lower the heat to sim; add crushed garlic and oregano
Once the garlic starts changing colour, add the broccoli
Stir and cover with a lid and for for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally
You can add a little water if the broccoli starts sticking to the pan
Once the broccoli is cooked (tender but not soft), add salt, pepper, chilli flakes, parsley and lime juice
Mix well, adjust the taste as required
Add soya sauce, mix and turn off the heat
Place one floret on one piece of bruschetta or toast and serve!
Optional - You can also grate cheese and sprinkle on top

Do let me know if you enjoyed the garlic broccoli bruschetta! Did you make any changes to the recipe? Can we substitute the broccoli with some other green vegetables?

How a foodie celebrates her last day of 'freedom'

After two months of job hunting, I got a job in HK. What makes this even sweeter is that this is the kind of job I was looking for!

The picture above is the story of my life in the past two months - always on the search! But actually, that picture is of the husband looking for the last piece of deep fried eel in the bed of sichuan peppers. Yup, you read it right. I was tricked into eating eel on my last day of freedom - that was my husband's gift to me. And would you believe it, I loved eel!

So what else did I do on the eve of the really big day? On the day before I joined the ranks of the working people once again. 

Met the husband for an unexpected lunch date at a Sichuan place called, Yellow Door Kitchen. 

Had some truly excellent stir fry eel with chili and stir fry beef.

Post lunch, the husband went back to work and I decided to spend some time at a bookstore.

After spending some two hours browsing through who knows how many books, decided to go for 'The Bling Ring'. Enjoyed every popcorn of it!

Post movie, headed home, opened a bottle of my typhoon wine, washed a bunch of grapes and settled down with my new book.

My day of doing my favourite things came to a close with some really relaxing cooking; and some laughs thanks to NPH on HIMYM! 

Garlic broccoli bruschetta

A perfect send off into the sun and a great start to a brand new episode in the life and times!

Yogurt Delight: An easy and delicious breakfast!

Like flavoured yogurt? Make it at home!

For you lovers of yogurt, fruits and breakfast, here is a simple, delicious yet energising start for your day!

This easy breakfast can be made the night before and stored in the fridge till such time you want to eat it.

Here goes the recipe!

What you'll need -

Low fat yogurt, blueberries, chopped strawberries, cornflakes, muesli, raisins and honey.

A juice glass

Step-by-step preparation:

Put two spoonfuls of yogurt in the juice glass

Put a layer of muesli and raisins on top of the yogurt

Top with a layer of yogurt

Top yogurt with chopped strawberries

Add a layer of yogurt

Add a layer of cornflakes - I use Kelloggs K yogurt and berry flavour

Top that with a layer of yogurt

Throw in the blueberries (you can also use banana, payaya, mango - any seasonal fruit that you like!) and add a little muesli

Add another layer of yogurt, that's the last layer

Take care that the layers are visible

 

On the top layer, lay down the strawberry slices, add 3-4 blueberries, sprinkle some cornflakes for the crunch and drizzle with honey.

Voila! Breakfast is ready!

The best part about the Yogurt Delight - you can make it as many layers, in any order with any fruits that you like. The idea is to have a breakfast which looks pretty and keeps you going on a long day!

Stocking for typhoon - a list

Super Typhoon Usagi is raging out there and might hit HK in the next few hours. Strong winds are blowing, it's started to rain. And super market shelves are being wiped clean.

I realised rather late in the day that one should stock for a typhoon and made a run for the supermarket. Only to find it super crowded - don't know if it was the Sunday effect or the Usagi effect!

My typhoon rations list (besides milk and vegetables) included -

Water - Always, always, the first thing to have on your list in times of emergency. Loads and loads of water!

Fluids - Lots of fluids including juices, iced teas, milk/ coffee etc to supplement water and fill you up.

Bread - My best friend when hunger strikes. Picked up raisin and cranberry bread - don't need anything to have it with. It's great by itself and even better with butter!  

Snacks - Lots and lots of snacks including 3 minute noodles and soups. These will see you through the times when the cold wind is roaring and shrieking outside and keep warm inside.

Fruits - Fruits for those mid-meal snacks. Fruits to fill you up. Fruits to snack on through the long day cooped up indoors. 

Kebabs - Frozen, pre-cooked kebabs are a staple in the freezer. Defrost and eat or make it as a side with bread or naan or rice or even pasta! 

Wine - A little help goes a long way in calming nerves when sitting at home while nature rages outside!

And after all the groceries have been bought, I rush back home. The wind seems to have a life of its own, pushing me forward, making my clothes flap around my middle. In an absurd way, it makes me feel alive. But not for long. Soon it's time to head upstairs, open that bottle of wine and write this blog as I watch nature run it's course behind the safety of my window. And wait for the husband to come home safe and sound.

Stay safe everybody. Prayers.

Shopping: Top 5 things for the weekend grocery list!

The weekend is finally upon us!

While it's all about the Friday night, the weekend is also about catching up on your weekly shopping. To help you keep track of what goes on that list, here are the Top 5 things you'll need this weekend -

Fruits, lots and lots of them! Yum yum.

Veggies - all colours, all varieties!

Eggs - what would we do without them, I wonder from time to time...

And of course, our dairy champion, Milk!

Sausages - ready in under 15 minutes to go with that leisurely brunch or with those drinks!

Have a great weekend you guys!! Happy Friday night... and Happier Saturday night. Woohoo!!

Recipe: Great breakfast in under 6 minutes!

Weekday mornings are usually get ready, get out.

On such mornings, it's just so easy to miss the day's key meal - breakfast. Or, to just push down spoonfuls of cereal and scram.

One quick fix breakfast-on-the-go is grilled tomatoes on whole wheat bread. It's yum, it's filling and it's ready in less than 6 minutes!

All you need is -

• Cherry tomatoes
• Whole wheat/ brown/ multi-grain/ white... bread
• Olive oil
• Cheese (I used vintage cheddar but anything goes, including cheese slices)
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Dried herbs - parsley, oregano or anything else you like 

Now, just cut the tomatoes and cheese into slices, put them on the slice of bread, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle herbs, salt and pepper. Pop it into the microwave and grill for 3-4 minutes.

Ta-da! Breakfast is ready in approximately the same time it takes for you to apply your make-up. :)

Breakfast guarantee: Puts a smile on your companion's face and makes you feel super efficient!

Apples galore!

I love fruit based recipes! Just saw some really interesting apple recipes on The Frugal Girls website. Can't wait to go and buy tonnes of apples and get cooking! Especially excited about the Spiced Apple Cider; watching the rain from a window with a steaming mug of hot cider... perfect!! Find more apple recipes from The Frugal Girls on the link below -

BIG List of Amazing Apple Recipes! http://t.co/6f5CZUgL1g #frugalgirls
— Heidi @ Frugal Girls (@frugalgirls) September 11, 2013

Celebrating India: Teej

Yesterday was Teej - our first Teej. 

It is a fast kept by the wife for the long life of her husband. The wife dresses up like a bride during the evening puja and reads the Haritalika Teej katha; a reminder of the hard penance Parvatiji undertook to attain Shivji, who she had already married in her heart.

Festivals are marked with good food and while the day is spent fasting, the promise of yummy prasad - gujiya and thekua - can keep you going throughout the difficult night!

This was the first time I tried my hand at either mithai and was a bundle of nerves. But a Post-It recipe jotted down while on FaceTime with the sister-in-law took care of the methodology and words of wisdom and encouragement from the mother took care of the nerves! (Thank God for Apple and for calling cards!)

The final weigh in? The husband thinks the gujiyas were perfect while I loved the thekua!

Gujiyas for me, are associated with Diwali and the image of mummy in the kitchen. Felt so grown-up and responsible while making them. Missed my mummy a lot too!

Festivals are special. They are special because they remind you that you are an instrumental part of the human puzzle. They are a sign that some things will never change through the rolling of the ages. They tell you that you need to carry the legacy, take care of it and then hand it to the next generation. Festivals place you bang in the middle of evolution.

Festivals also help you celebrate and connect with a country thousands of kilometres away because India is in the heart.

Happy Teej... Akhanda Saubhagyavati Bhava!


P.S. - I thank the Almighty for my husband every day. Thanked him more yesterday - he made the vrat do-able by keeping it with me!