A Christmas Party

I love Christmas, and since I now have my own flat, I thought I would use the opportunity to have a little get-together with some of my favourite people to catch-up, listen to Christmas songs, and eat - of course!

I made most of the food myself, so thought a blog post on it was in order incase anyone is throwing a party and looking for ideas.

I of course started the prep with mulled wine. I use my slow cooker for this (only thing I use it for currently - must go on the New Years Resolutions list!) as you can put it on in the morning and let it warm away. It creates the most amazing smell, and I think the slow cooker really lets the flavours work their magic. I was a bit lazy and bought bottled mulled wine, but then added sliced fresh oranges and lemons, cinnamon sticks and star anise to make sure it looked and tasted amazing. The other benefit of putting this on first is that you can help yourself to some while you work on the rest...

In terms of food, in addition to the usual crisps, dips, nuts etc, I decided to try my hand at some blinis. I would highly recommend these as they went down a storm, were really easy and cheap to assemble and I think they look pretty impressive too. You can top them with whatever you want - I went for smoked salmon and cream cheese, tomato and soured cream, and olives and guacamole. They were all delicious and every single one was eaten.

As you all know though, baking is my thing. I decided to do chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing and a good old-fashioned Christmas cake. For the cupcakes I used the Primrose Bakery recipe which I thought worked pretty well, and tried to put to use my knew icing skills!

I personally don't really like fruit cake, but I baked three huge Christmas cakes this year to give as presents, which worked out really well. I made them back in October and have been 'feeding' them with brandy ever since. I also iced them using brandy marzipan, so it was quite a boozy affair but the recipients seemed rather pleased!

And here are some mince pies, but I didn't bake them (shhhh - it's on my list for next year!)

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and filled yourself to the brim with delicious food and drink - I know I did!

Brunching in Bali - Part 3: Betelnut Cafe

Our final foodie stop in Bali was Betelnut Cafe, another popular Canggu hangout.  It serves healthy but attractive and pretty delicious meals.

Spot our new furry friend on the left!

Brunching in Bali - Part 2: Milk & Madu

Milk & Madu is something of a Canggu institution.  It serves hearty all-day breakfasts, lunches and dinners and is helmed by friendly and welcoming staff.

So naturally Deena and I made it a point to pay them a visit when we were in Bali this past October.

We started off with some delicious smoothies:

Brunching in Bali - Part 1: Monsieur Spoon

I holidayed in Bali over the weekend.  It was as idyllic as it sounds - I attended a friend's beautiful wedding on Saturday and the rest of the time was spent on the beach, in the spa and of course working our way through the wonderful restaurants & cafes Bali has to offer.

Monsieur Spoon stands out as probably the best brunch we had during our time there.  It's run by two Parisian cousins, and you can tell: the dishes on offer are simple but made with such skill and finesse.

Yes, that was for 2 people - don't judge!

Breakfast Thieves

I've been to Breakfast Thieves twice in the past week - once at 9am on Sunday, and once in the early afternoon on a weekday.  The fact that it was jam packed with excited customers on both occasions is a testament to its status as one of the hottest new brunch places in town.

Accordingly, I had high expectations going in.  

On my first visit, we shared three dishes between us: My French Lady, The Breakfast Chain and simple eggs on toast.

My French Lady

Recipe book review: Tanya Bakes

So I thought I would try out a new type of blog post here on FeasToWest: where I give you my first impressions on recipe books and my experience of a few of the recipes. I thought I would start with 'Tanya Bakes'. As a big Tanya Burr fan, I pre-ordered this when I heard she was releasing a baking book, and it arrived on my doorstep a couple of months ago. I didn't waste any time in trying out a few of the recipes!

The book itself is honestly absolutely beautiful. The recipes are laid out so that they are really easy to navigate and very relatable. The book is split into a number of sections: Cookies & Biscuits; Muffins, Cupcakes & Traybakes; Cakes & Loaves; Puddings; Pastry; Bread; Brunch and Special Occasions - so there is definitely something for everyone. What struck me straight away is the stunning photography throughout the book: each recipe has a picture next to it, and I can promise you that every single one makes the bake look irresistible. Tanya has also added a personal touch to each recipe: there is a little paragraph at the top of each recipe explaining how it relates to her life, which I think makes the book unique.

Summer and Happy Endings' Ice Cream

The weather was absolutely glorious this weekend so Polina and I spent a day basking in the sunshine and enjoying a great selection of foods from the Broadway Market. I just had to write a short post to tell you all about the most delectable ice cream I have had in a long time. You should also bear in mind that I have just returned from Italy, where I feasted on the most sumptuous gelato - so this place must be good.

Somewhat cheekily, yet appropriately, named, 'Happy Endings' sells fabulous ice cream sandwiches. What makes these ice creams so good, are the clever and well balanced flavour combinations.

Weekend Brunchin' in KL - Part 4: VCR Cafe

Happy Labour Day everyone!  

Hope everyone's having a well-earned break and finding some time to try out new brunch spots :)  If you're looking for a recommendation, I may have just the thing for you!

The Grumpy Cyclist

Last Sunday I decided to go for breakfast at The Grumpy Cyclist in TTDI.

The first question I'm sure you are going to ask is - does it live up to its name?  Well, partly.  The cafe is certainly cycling-themed (bicycles and all sorts of biking gear line the walls) but the mood certainly is as far from grumpy as can be - friendly baristas and upbeat music make the whole experience very welcoming.

My dad went for the Gran Fondo, which is basically a big breakfast, whereas I chose the Crespella (chocolate chip pancakes with cream, strawberries and honey).

Spot the signed jersey!

Mei by Fat Spoon

Mei by Fat Spoon, run by the same people behind the very popular Fat Spoon in Damansara Uptown, is essentially a fusion-y Japanese Restaurant in Desa Sri Hartamas.  I've been there for lunch on a couple of occasions and this is what I had:

Hokkaido Scallop & Lychee Carpaccio

Weekend Brunchin' in KL - Part 2: Acme Bar & Coffee

So a couple of months ago a friend and I decided to try Acme (or ABC, as it is sometimes called) at The Troika.  A lot of people had been telling me about it, and I knew it is a very popular place, so I made sure to make a booking.  We got there at 12.30 (the time of my reservation), only to be told that our table was not quite ready yet.  So we waited…and waited…and waited.  The couple in front of us (who had also made a booking) were also waiting.  We ended up waiting for a good 20 minutes before we were taken to our table.  Not a good start at all.

Anyway, we got down to ordering the food and decided to share a couple of starters.

From L-R: fried prawns; salted egg yolk chicken strips and a variety of bruschetta.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

They are delicious and fun to make - your kitchen will turn into a chocolate factory for at least an hour so it's worth making two batches and sharing the surplus with friends. If you've been thinking about bringing something homemade to the office but haven't had the chance to run a SurveyMonkey and figure out what your boss and colleagues like, look no further than this recipe which has been successfully tested (across all sectors and industries!). In fact, many brownies recipes trace their origin to that special place in every office
where people leave birthday and holiday treats. 

The Godiva Chocolate Cafe at Harrods

Hannah made a fleeting trip back to London. We only had a couple of days to spend together, but top of Hannah's list of things to do was to visit the Godiva Cafe on the second floor of Harrods. Obviously I didn't want to ruin her trip, so I begrudgingly agreed to go with her - I know, I'm such a good friend. 

There was a bit of a queue when we went as the cafe is right next to the Christmas shop, which was absolutely heaving, but it didn't take long for us to be seated. We were then confronted with a huge menu of chocolate deliciousness. Frankly, I didn't know where to begin. 

After much to-ing and fro-ing, I chose the Godiva Chocolate Brownie, an 'indulgent brownie, baked with milk, dark and white chocolate, served warm with vanilla ice cream'. I know this was a safe choice, but it really was one of the best brownies I've had - and I've had my fair share. It was gooey but also crunchy, and incredibly rich. Basically, it was right up my street, and just look at the presentation!

Deep-Fried Dough

The title says it all really.  I mean, what is better than deep-fried bread?  Malaysia does fried snacks pretty well, so I'm going to introduce you to some of the most popular ones in this post.

You Tiao

These can be literally translated as 'oil sticks', so you can imagine how (un)healthy they are for you.  Nonetheless, their yummy rating is so high and they seem so light that I can more often or not momentarily forget about my arteries clogging up and stuff my face with about 10 at a time.  You tiao come in pairs, and they should be crisp on the outside and fairly airy on the inside.

Nyonya Kuih

As indicated in my bio, I am Malaysian by birth and nationality, so I thought it would be fun to share some of the food I grew up with.  I'd like to start with something rather exotic - Nyonya kuih.  Since most people outside Malaysia will not be familiar with this term, here is some background:

My mum is of Peranakan/Baba Nyonya/Straits Chinese descent, which means that her ancestors came from China and settled in the southern Malaysian state of Malacca approximately 600 years ago.  Over time, their culture and practices were merged with those of the local Malays, creating a unique and distinctive culinary tradition.