Vietnamese spring rolls

It's been a while since my last recipe post, and I did promise Cheesecake Boy for his birthday this year that I would cook more of his favourite foods and that we would eat at home a bit more frequently.  I may not cook at home as much as I used to, but I'm hoping to change that soon.  However, when I do cook, they are mainly Cheesecake Boy's favourites, so I did keep half of the promise, if not the other half yet.  

Vietnamese spring rolls are my favourite type of spring rolls, to the point that I actually came up with this recipe so that I could whip up a batch at whim and just to my liking.  However, as this recipe does make around twenty spring rolls, I always make sure that we have guests over when I make these and there are usually never any leftovers.  I'm thankful that our friends like to eat as much as we do.

Tapioca, Cremorne

I've be wanting to dine at Tapioca for quite sometime now, as the offerings seem a bit different compared to the usual Thai eatery options in the area.  Cheesecake Boy and I just never seemed to get around to trying this place out, but I knew that we'd get here eventually.  Even though,  Cheesecake Boy and I usually get sidetracked by Ju Ge Mu & Shimbashi, I was not going to get sidetracked this time, as I wanted to try something different to mark a certain special occasion.  I guess most of us can relate to finishing high school and my sister Pumpkin just undertook her last HSC exam the other day, so I thought Tapioca would be the perfect spot to celebrate the end of an era, and the start of a new beginning.

Shanghai Stories 1938, Chatswood

Don't know if it's just me, but there seems to be a lot of Taste of Shanghai restaurants around now a days.  I guess, Taste of Shanghai must think so too, as they had a competition to name their new establishment at The Concourse.  The winner came up with Shanghai Stories 1938 and won an iPad2 and iPhone4, and for everyone else who participated they received a Taste of Shanghai VIP discount card.  I'd love to know the winner's thoughts whilst coming up with this name, as the time period chosen seems a bit controversial.

Anyway, Shanghai Stories 1938 is quite modern and sleek.  Although it's a massive two level restaurant, we still had to patiently wait our turn before getting a table.  I wanted to give up and eat elsewhere, but Cheesecake Boy said we'd already waited too long to leave our spot when we were almost there.  You see patience is definitely not one of my virtues, but Cheesecake Boy kept me going with the thought of dumplings.

Gigi, Newtown

I love getting emails from readers, especially the kind where they thoughtfully read your blog and understand exactly where you are coming from.  A few weeks ago, I received an email from a reader urging us to try her brother's ricotta cheesecake, as quite a few customer's claim that it is better than the legendary Pasticceria Papa's ricotta cheesecake.  However, she did mention that it all came down to personal preference at the end of the day.  Of course with Cheesecake Boy's intense love for Pasticceria Papa's ricotta cheesecake we were more than intrigued.

For Cheesecake Boy and I, it's a huge call to say a ricotta cheesecake can top the one at Pasticceria Papa's.  We actually get offended for Pasticceria Papa when people tell us they don't like the ricotta cheesecake, or I think their taste buds might need to be checked.  As a matter of fact, Cheesecake Boy could not stop thinking that there really might be a better cheesecake out there, so as soon as we could, we dashed over to Gigi's for their ricotta cheesecake and some pizza too.   

Iku Sushi, Perth

If you've been following us on twitter or reading this blog quite frequently, you may remember that in early October I tagged along with Cheesecake Boy on his business trip to Perth.  While Cheesecake Boy was working hard, I was busy munching and exploring.  Like any good food blogger, I had to do some eating research.  That's how I stumbled upon Iku Sushi, the home of the deep fried cheeseburger sushi.

In Sydney we have many deep fried foods available thanks to The Abercrombie, but deep fried cheeseburger sushi is something that I have not heard or seen in Sydney, and if someone can let me know otherwise, I'd be more than intrigued to compare them.  I initially came here by myself, but later discovered this place was near Cheesecake Boy's work and as the prices were more than reasonable than other establishments around, so we met up here for a couple of lunches.

Felix, Sydney

I'd been wanting to go to Felix for quite sometime now, so when our friend Flying High Girl was down for a visit, we decided that we would catch up over dinner.  Flying High Girl let me decide where we would meet for dinner, and since Cheesecake Boy and my relationship is democratic to an extent, I gave him a list of places that I was considering, and all he had to do was choose the place and I would book it in.  I knew he was going to choose Felix, especially when I mentioned that they had oysters, cheese souffles and last but not least Reuben sandwiches, so I may have slightly manipulated his decision, but that's how we finally ended up at Felix.  

I have to say that the environment of Felix really was very inviting with all that red, it's really seductive and quite dark at night, so great for a cosy dinner and thinking your in a brasserie in France, but not great for taking photos especially in the plush booth corner we were in, so the photos on this post don't really do the food enough justice, but they were the best we could do given the circumstances.