Pancake on the Rocks, Sydney

One of our main goals during our Sydney trip was to try different food and dishes in different restaurants. Well, we did eat a lot but we didn't take pictures of all the food that we ate. Anyway, one of the restos that stood out during our trip was Pancake On the Rocks.

I've been searching about this resto way before our trip. It was well recommended by a lot Sydney bloggers so I made sure that we will eat in this resto.

Our first try of this wonderful place was in Harbourside Shopping Centre. It was our first full day in Sydney and before watching Harry Potter in Lido IMAX, we made a stop at Pancake On the Rocks.

The place was jam-packed with people and we had to wait around 10 minutes to be seated. While waiting, my mouth watered on all the food items passed us. My stomach wasn't cooperating either. It wasn't hard to order. Almost all the tables in the resto had Steak and Ribs on it so we decided to order both dishes.

Rib Eye Steak

Pork Ribs

Our order came out this glorious! I didn't care about the long wait for the food. I wanted to stuff everything in my mouth so I can taste every inch of the ribs (OA!). The steak was well done just the way we liked it. The sidings of veggies and cajun fries made it more yummier. The Pork Ribs on the other hand was the best that I've tasted so far. The BBQ sauce was so good and the ribs were so tender.

Then, we ordered Banana-Rama which was so nice to the eyes and to the tongue.

Banana Rama Pancake

The pancake medley had ice cream and cream at the same time with caramelized banana and syrup. We instantly digged in the pancake and it was gone in minutes!

Our next trip to Pancake On The Rocks was on a Friday. It was drizzling and we had a hard time looking for the place in the Rocks. The 2nd resto was cramped a bit and it wasn't as comfortable as the one in Darling Harbour, but people still lined up to get in! Good thing we came in early.

We ate pancakes purely on our second visit. I loved it! I really think that the reason why this resto was and still is a big hit is because the taste in their food is really consistent wherever the location of the resto is. The staff was also nice and accommodating.

Food price wise I really wouldn't know because I forgot the prices already. I think it's on the site. Well, I love this resto and I will definitely eat here again when we get back in Sydney!

The Qantas A380 Experience and Rocking Novotel Rockford

I know I haven't updated my blog for the longest time. That's because I'm saving the a lot of events first before writing it down here in my blog.

Just like what my blog title states, I will be telling you our experiences and stories during our Sydney Trip. Mind you, I'm still starting with Days 1 and 2 so watch out for the rest of my blog posts.

Our trip to Sydney started last July 12, 2011. We bought our travel package months before this day to prepare for our visa and other stuff, like saving for our spending money, for the trip. I've researched on different places to visit around Sydney so I was equipped with maps and lists and transport directions before the trip.

Anyway, our flight was scheduled to depart Singapore Changi Airport at 9:40 am with an ETA to Sydney Kingsford Airport at 7:20 pm (local time). We were lucky enough to ride the new Qantas Airbus A380 Industrie planes.I was very nervous about this plane ride because I read news about this "new" plane and those news were not that good. Good thing I got myself together and told myself that everything will be OK.

The plane was huge! It was new and it was great! I loved the flight! I just hated that fact that we were grounded for almost 2 hours because of gasoline problems but aside from that everything was great!

Our in-flight entertainment consisted of a lot of movies in the touch screen panel in front of our seats which includes, Adjustment Bureau, Limitless, Tangled, Troy, Modern Family, Family Guy, Soul Surfer and other movies that were awesome and updated.

Food and drinks were also overflowing from our flight and I love the drink cans that were given away.

The flight was smooth. I didn't feel the take-off and the landing was quite alright. I remember watching Lord of the Rings first, then Beyonce's I Am.. concert then Soul Surfer. The food was great too! too bad I was not able to take a picture of our flight food.

Moving on, because of our delay, we arrived Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport  at 9:15 pm (local time). Ate Pla, our friend from PYM, was there to meet us and bring us to our hotel, Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour.

Our hotel was well situated in all areas around Sydney. Darling Harbour, IMAX Theatre, Cockle Bay, Chinatown, Harbourside Shopping Centre, Paddy's Market were just a mere 10 minute walk away from us. The main roads of George Street and Pitt Street were also near so walking to different places in Sydney was no problem for us.

SEGWAY: I took a picture of our hotel the next morning and here it is.

 And below is the view from our hotel room. The building that you can see here is Sydney Entertainment Centre.

After freshening up and some chat in our hotel room, Ate Pla, Doms and I went out and tried to find a place to eat. Since most stores and restos in Sydney closes at 5pm or 9pm, we just ate in a Kebab Stall in Harbourside Shopping Centre. The food was great! I love how the kebabs tasted when I added the "magic sauce" from Doms' dish.

This is Doms' order and the thingy inside the red foil wrap was our Chicken Kebabs.

Ate Pla and me posing for the camera. Haggard kung haggard!

After our tasty dinner, Ate Pla headed for home but Doms and I stayed a bit and took picture of Darling Harbour at night.

Street Signs. Dapat lang hindi na kame mawala!

Posing parin!

After the short night tour, we headed back to our hotel room and rested to prepare for our Day 2 in Sydney.

Doms' Fascination with Musical Instruments

OK, I know I married a music buff. Ever since Doms and I first met, I already know that he loves music and that he loves playing musical instruments. He used to play in a band when he was in college as a bassist.

Well anyway, Doms bought a guitar from Manila and bought it all the way here in Singapore last January. He kept on saying he missed playing the guitar and that he will sing for me so I agreed to it.

He loves playing his guitar! I like hearing him play because he sings along every time he plays the guitar.

Now, his fascination is towards playing the violin! He said he wanted to start playing the violin. I immediately said NO! Because how can he learn to play it? But Doms insisted that he can learn.

Oh no, how can I get out of this?

Where?

Where will our feet take us next? I don't care. As long as we are together, I know I will enjoy it.

Sho Teppan Dinner

Last night, Doms and I tried the restaurant near Burger King in ION Orchard called Sho Teppan. It was the first time that we ate in this restaurant. The ambiance was nice. We were seated in the ledge in a high chair. I kinda liked it better if we were seated in one of the booths. Anyway, since it was a Friday and it's the Lenten Season, we ordered non-meat meals.

I ordered for Salmon Sukiyaki Set, which includes a big pot of different veggies in Sukiyaki soup while Doms ordered a Seafood Shabu-Shabu set. When I said big pot, I really meant big POT.

Our dinner was so heavenly! I liked my Sukuyaki soup and I can see from Doms' empty bowl that he liked his order as well.

I made Doms promise that we will go back to this restaurant again to try the pork and beef teppanyaki meals.

Sho Teppan is located at B3 of ION Orchard. Our meal costs 36.80sgd

Blog Promises Part 1

Now that I always make sure to update my blog, I will try my best to improve it as much as I can. Here are my blog improvement promises list that I really hope I can do:

• I promise to always put a watermark on all the pictures that I took or edited or customized.
• I promise to always put my online signature in every post, except for post authored using my iPhone.
• I promise to always put credits to pictures I get online or quote the site for info that I get online.
• I promise to make sure that I have updated and recent content so that my blog would be interesting.

I hope I can make and do all of the promises I listed above.

Enjoy!

Pork with Eggplant and Sesame Sauce

Another saucy recipe that I think tasted very well. I'm begging to love Sesame Seed Oil.

What I loved about this recipe is the incorporation of eggplant to the sauce. I missed the taste of eggplant that's why I love this dish!




Pork with Eggplant and Sesame Sauce

Ingredients

Pork Shoulder cut into cubes
Light soy sauce
Tapioca Starch or Corn Starch
Pepper
Eggplant or taling cut into cubes
Carrots, thinly sliced
Onion
Garlic
Oil

For the sauce:
One cup water or broth
Oyster sauce
Sugar
Sesame seed oil
Starch

Steps
Marinate pork cubes in light soy sauce and pepper for 15 minutes.

In a pan, heat oil. When smoking hot, drop eggplants and fry until golden. Remove talong from pan. Drop pork cubes in the same pan and fry until starch forms from the side if the pork or until pork turns golden.

Add garlic and onion to the pan and mix well. Add the cartoys and the pre-cooked eggplant and stir fry.

Mix all the sauce ingredients in the a bowl and pour sauce in the pan. Continue boiling hntil sauce thickens.

Enjoy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fish Fillet with Corn Sauce

Doms' loves corn! As in he loves it so much. He's an avid fan of the steamed corn with butter in hawker centers or food stalls. So, majority of the dishes that I'll be trying has corn in it.

Fish Fillet with Corn Sauce




Ingredients
Any white fleshy fish fillet
Salt and pepper
Tapioca starch
Olive oil

Corn kernels drained and det aside
Corn water
Butter
Tapioca starch
Salt
Dried oregano

Steps
Cut fish fillet according to the size you like. Me, I made it bite sized. Season with salt and pepper abd dust with starch. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.

For the sauce, melt butter then add starch. Make sure to stir it. Then add corn water abd cintinue stirring until sauce consistency becomes a little sticky.

Top corn sauce on fish fillets then add dried oregano for garnish.

Enjoy!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 14

Day 20 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Well,  let me think. Who can this person be?

No other explanation needed. Doms is my husband and I married him just to be with him and grow old with him and build and family with him. Of course, he is the person I cannot live without.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 12

Day - A Picture of Something You Love

I recently bought these lip care products from Sephora. Ate Bern was the one who initially recommended Burt's Bees. I love these products because they help me have a soft and subtle lips. I am not a lipstick person that's why I bought the colored lip balm as well.

Hear Our Prayers, Lord

Lord, my mind is racing with possibilities as I wait for news of what we have worrying about.  Quiet my mind and lessen my anxiety during this time of waiting.  I turn this situation over to Your care, confident that You will bring a quick and positive result according to Your will.  Amen.

Prayer to Saint Dymphna

In Nervous or Emotional Distress
I turn to you, dear virgin and martyr, confident of your power with God and of your
willingness to take my cause into your hands. I praise and bless the Lord for giving
you to us as patron of the nervous and emotionally disturbed. I firmly hope that
through your kind intercession He will restore my lost serenity and peace of mind.
May He speak to my heart and reassure me: "My peace I give you. Let not your heart
be troubled nor let it be afraid." Pray for me, dear St. Dymphna, that my nervous
and emotional turmoil may cease, and that I may again know serenity and personal
peace.
Amen.

Prayer to St. Jude

Most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Make use I implore you, of that particular privilege given to you, to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly - (here make your request) that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever.

I promise, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.

Amen.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 9

Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

Of course, Doms, my husband has been the only person who has gotten me through the most. He was and he will always be there for me no matter what. But, I don't want to fill this blog with all of Doms' photos.

So, for this challenge, I will be posting my picture with my friends. I will refrain from posting pictures of my and Doms or me and my family because it is well understood that those people are always there.

For Day 9's challenge, here is a picture of the first person I thought of...

Anj is my high school friend and seatmate. We used to talk a  lot on the phone before when we were still in college. I remember we used to talk about our school problems and of course, BOYS! Remember Orange and Ponkan?!?!?!

She was also the first person that I ran to when my heart got broken. She was there to listen.

Now that we are both happy with the love of our lives, I am really thankful that until now, Anj and I still communicate with each other.

Garlic Adobo and Stir Fry Kang Kong

Since Doms loves Adobo, I made some "revisions" to the current style that I do when cooking adobo.

Garlic Adobo

Ingredients
Pork Liempo
Garlic
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Mama Sita Adobo Mix --> Yes! Instant!
Bay Leaf

Procedure
1. Cut pork liempo into bite sized strips.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper to pork
3. Disolve Mama Sita Adobo Mix in water then drop bay leaf.
4. Marinade pork in the mix for an hour.
5. Heat pan with olive oil then when the pan is hot, drop pork strips.
6. Cook pork until it changes color or when the sides become crispy.
7. Add marinade in the pan and let it simmer.
8. In a separate pan, heat olive oil then cook garlic pieces until fragrant.
9. Pour simmered pork in a serving dish then top adobo with the garlic.

Stir Fry Kang Kong

Ingredients
Kang Kong Leaves, washed and drained
Oyster Sauce
Sugar
Tapioca Flour
Chili Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
Garlic

Procedure
1. Heat olive oil in a pan.
2. Drop garlic and cook until fragrant.
3. Add Kang Kong and make sure that the oil glazes the leaves.
4. Add salt and Pepper.
5. In a bowl, mix water, oyster sauce, sugar, chili sauce and flour.
6. Pour sauce to the kang  kong.

Not in Manila: Fairprice Singapore Scan, Pack, Pay System

When I was a kid, I used to go with my mom in Cherry Foodarama for grocery shopping. When she's in queue to pay the stuff we bought, I will go to the side of the cashier and watch her punch the numbers or prices in the cashier register. I used to think, "How can she memorize all these prices?!?".

When there was an empty stall or booth, I'd happily sit on the adjustable chair and punch the cashier registry as if I'm a cashier too.

Time passed and I outgrew my cashier registry dream phase. The actual registry even changed and got updated to the scan type and the only "punching" that cashiers do is to enter their ID number. But my longing to try and scan the grocery items still lingers in me even until now.

So, I was so surprised to see the Scan-Pack-Pay system of Fairprice Finest in Clementi Mall.

Trying our the machines

Scan, Pack, Pay Stall in Fairprice finest @ Clementi

 The setup looks like the image above. Each stall comes with a scanner, a small monitor for instructions, the NETS payment machine and the grocery bags that are on top of a weight sensitive machine.

The system goes like this. The customer approaches one of the self-service machines and places his/her grocery bag on top of the white surface on top. Then, a set pf instructions will appear on the screen.

I really think this process is very cool! It doesn't need much manpower because the customers themselves do it. But this process requires a lot of honesty from the customers. Imagine, they will be the one who will declare the stuff that they bought??!?!

That's why I think this process will not be possible in the Philippines. Too bad.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 5

Day 5 - A Picture of Your Favorite Memory

Enough said.

My wedding day is currently my favorite memory. I like to repeat that day over and over again. I also found out now from my dad that our wedding video was delivered to us already. I can't wait to see it!

My Beautiful Breakfast

When I woke up this morning, I had the craving for the smell of cinnamon. That's why even if I know that I will be a little late for work today, I passed by the newly opened McCafe in Clementi.

The smell of cinnamon made me smile! I immediately went to the  counter and ordered my beautiful breakfast.

I've always wanted to try the Cinnamon Melts in McCafe but I had doubts because when I look at the picture, I feel that it's very sweet. That's where I was wrong. The taste was just right and I love how the butter melts on top of each cinnamon glazed bread.

I love this meal! I'm thinking of buying again tomorrow.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 2

Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

Of course, this challenge is obviously for my sister. She's my sister so she has to be the longest closest person I know.

Ate Bern is now based in Ireland. She's working there as a nurse. Even if she's far away, we always talk if we have time using Skype and chat using YM. She knows some of the things about me that my parents doesn't know (hmmmm). It will be her birthday on the 21st so this post is also my advanced HAPPY BIRTHDAY gift for her.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 1

OK, I know at first I hated the people that I see in FB doing this 365-Day Photo Challenge or 30-Day Photo Challenge or whatever you call it. I actually don't hate the idea but I hate the channel that they used to do it.

Why would you want to use FB for this challenge? almost everyone you know is in FB and you want them to see what your photos are with explanation? I really feel that in these type of challenges, a personal blog is the best place to put it. At least, not everyone can see your answers.

So, I'm starting it now here on my blog!

Day 1 - A picture of yourself with 10 facts

1.  I wanted to be a nun when I was a kid.
2. I read all the 7 Harry Potter books and all the 3 Lord of the Rings books.
3. I'm a sucker for artist.
4. The common facial feature that my past boyfriends and my husband have are they all have nice noses.
5. I envy people who talks confidently in front of a large crowd.
6. I hate kids who are not cute.
7. Half of our wedding misal were printed using our office printer and paper.
8. I always cry when I dream about wars and gun fighting.
9. I seldom wear high-heeled shoes.
10. I do not know how to apply make-up.

Gnomeo and Juliet

Doms and I decided to watch a movie yesterday.  We were arguing what movie to watch. I wanted something light and something that I will smile. Doms wanted adventure and actions. So, we were torn between Gnomeo and Juliet and Adjustment Bureau. 

Well, just what this blog implies, naturally I won. We watched Gnomeo and Juliet.

The movie started with a very cute gnome narrating about the novel Romeo and Juliet. I gave a loud snort when he said, "The story you about to see has been told before. A lot."

Well this was a reality. romeo and Juliet has been told a hundred times! In movies or in theaters or even in music videos, you will always find a relation to the famous novel.

It's a good thing Disney was able to lighten up the story of these 2 star-crossed lovers who was doomed by using Gnomes! This was a hilarious idea! The gnomes are so cute and I wanted to buy all of them and put it my garden!

All in all, the start of the story was nice. The stand of each family was clearly showed. I particularly loved the part when Gnomeo and Juliet met. I was so funny! I loved the song too! "Hello, Hello" by Elton John really matched the scenes. I also loved the idea of the "click" sound every time the gnomes touch each other. Reminds the audience that they are made of porcelain.

Anyway, there were hints here and there based from the novel. "Parting is such a sweet sorrow" was mentioned by Nanette, the frog companion of Juliet. Even Shakespeare appeared in the movie as the statue that Gnomeo was talking too in the college grounds.

I loved the movie but i didn't like the ending for the humans. They didn't even explain what happened when the two rival humans saw the wrecked backyard. Did they reconcile as well?

Here is my rating for the movie: