How to make Pad Thai

Hello friends, long time no hear, I'm sorry I have been away for so long.

We are doing great although it is winter again in Wellington, this weekend, we decided to experiment with Thai ingredients, by making a "Pad Thai." Although not authentic, my version was speedy and delicious. You will see in the video that I left out the soy sauce, as I mistakenly forgot to include this item on my shopping list earlier this morning, that feeling that I missed something was nagging at the back of my brain earlier, which I was aware of at the time but left behind in the depths of lost memory, in other words, life after 30.  Nevertheless, I think I did a good job. Enjoy this video:


By the way, I promised a budget for this dish, so you may replicate this at home. Here it is:

500g of tiger prawns ($23.99/kg) - $11.99
1 white onion - $1.99
4 cloves garlic - $0.99
1 Pak choy - $2.99
2 packets of 200g Chef's World Pad Thai noodles, 99% fat free - $2.30
1 green chilli - $1.99

Pantry items:
vegetable oil - 30ml
Salt - 1 tpsp
Raw sugar - 1/2 tpsp
1 lemon
1 size 6 free range egg

Total cost for 2 people: $22.25 or $11.13 each!

Peko Peko (South Melbourne, VIC) - Review

Photo source: Urbanspoon.com

190 Wells Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205 (03) 9686 1109

‎Peko Peko is tucked away in the business end of South Melbourne next to a small collection of take-aways, cafes, and sandwich shops. This place is bustling with people around lunch time so be sure to order in advance before you arrive otherwise you will wind up waiting for about 20 minutes. This is a nice place to sit down and unwind from the stresses of work. I can't say much for the food though.

You will pay 15-25$ per meal here and to tell you the truth it is way over priced for what it is. We ordered combination seafood noodles and ginger fish fillet on rice. The noodles looked like somebody popped open a pack of instant noodles and mixed it with some vegetables and prawns. The ginger fish did not taste ginger at all and was an extremely simple dish anybody can make at home.

Half expecting for this dish to blow my mind instead I found myself staring at a clump of rice, a pile of vegetables, and a fish fillet served on the one and only soy sauce! Where is the ginger and couldn't the cook use something more imaginative for the sauce? This place should not advertise like you are about to taste genuine Japanese cuisine. I found the food to be simple, bland, and unimaginative hardly worth the 17$ I paid for it.

Quality of Service - 6.5 / 10 stars

Quality of Food -  5.0 / 10 stars

Atmosphere and Presentation- 7.0 / 10 stars

Value for Money - 6 / 10 stars

Overall rating - 6.1 / 10

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The Hanger Bar - Waitakere, Auckland, New Zealand - Bar Review

104 Central Park Drive
Henderson
Waitakere, Auckland
Website

The Hanger opened roughly 4 years ago. This was new to me since I have been away from Auckland since that time. To my surprise the Hanger turned out to be a very pleasant, down to earth bar.

For many of you who don't know much about Auckland City, Waitakere is located in the West region of Auckland City and is renown for its  extremely down to earth, friendly locals. To me this will always be home.

The bar itself was actually constructed to look like a hanger. Here you will get the benefits of a neat, tidy, and polished bar atmosphere with nice music and very good deals on alcohol like 10 shots of spirits for only 27$. Normally I would overlook the local pubs because to be honest they are a bit of an eye sore. However the Hanger will win you over with its polished and charming appearance, pleasant atmosphere and music, and most important of all the friendly locals.

Presentation & Atmosphere: 8.0/10
Quality of Service: 7.5/10
Value for Money: 8.0/10
Quality of Drinks: 7.5/10

Overall rating:  7.7/10 



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Cookie Bar and Restaurant - Melbourne, VIC - Review

First Floor, 252 Swanston Street,
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9663 7660
Visit their website

Cookie is a hidden away gem that you will only find by sheer chance. It is located on the first floor of the Roof Top Cinema building. This pub is presented perfectly in every way. The music is delightful, and the decorations are simply eye candy. They also have 3 private balconies perfect for a rendezvous. They have an impressive selection of cocktails and other types of drinks to choose from, as well as an extensive food menu. 

The drinks are standard price like anywhere else in Melbourne city. The food however is pricey to say the least. We paid about $20 for 1/2 kg of steamed muscles, and roughly $17 for steamed fish and coconut custard served in banana leaf, and that barely scraped the surface in terms of satisfying our hunger. 

Its a pretty bar, with beautiful atmosphere, that will make you want to stay here for as long as you want.

Quality of Service - 8.0 / 10 stars

Quality of Food -  8.0 / 10 stars
Quality of Drinks -  10 / 10 stars 

Atmosphere and Presentation- 10 / 10 stars

Value for Money - 5 / 10 stars
Overall rating = 8.2/10

Gardening for Good

If Winter is getting the best of your creativity and stamina, Gardening can be a great way to restore your health and vitality in the cooler months. The falling leaves, yellowing foliage and muddy soil can inspire you to take to an old pair of Gumboots and the Land. Human’s were meant to sow, pull, and landscape – not to be too feudal about it all – but some down-to-earth peasantry can do wonders for the mid-Winter Willies. 

I’m growing thyme and a combination of flat- leaved parsley and coriander. Herbs can be a great inspiration, especially if you can imagine the end result on your dinner plate. And you earned it. Well done. The cat can get involved too; he just loves the smell, and sounds of native birds, Tui, black jay, and other miscellaneous ornithology flying about your slice of paradise.

So whether it’s your patio or some neglected porch space out front – it’s yours. Let your imagination run wild. This sure is good.