Le Pub

Last Christmas, me and my friends went to this awesome restaurant. This is my first time trying this restaurant in the city. It is a French cuisine and we loved it :)  

Escargots

 This is my first time trying escargots. I think that the taste of the escargot is really unique. The snail is baked with butter, garlic and some herbs. The texture of the snail is a bit chewy and it taste really good with the butter garlic sauce. I will probably try it again next time.

Roasted Duck 

This is the one of the famous dish in this restaurant, Roasted Duck. This dish is serve with some smash potato and roasted duck on top. The roasted duck taste really good because they roast it with some special spice. The sauce of the roasted duck is the juice of cooked fresh berry. It taste sweet and has a bit of sourness in it. If you ever go to this restaurant, I recommend you to try this dish.

Creamy Chicken

This dish is serve with roasted chicken and creamy mushroom sauce. The skin of the chicken is really crispy and the chopped bacon adds up a bit of saltyness to it. There are also some boiled potato and spinach under the chicken. Overall, I give this dish a 8 out of 10.

- Ivy Lee

Moon cake

Traditional Mooncake Fillings
the mid-autumn festivalMooncakes with sweet bean paste
The types of filling vary according to the region's tradition. The most used fillings are as follows:

Lotus seed paste (I bought this one): It is made from dried lotus seeds. Lotus seed paste is considered by some people the most delicious and luxurious filling for mooncakes.

Sweet bean paste: There are several types of sweet bean paste: mung bean paste, red bean paste and black bean potato paste. Red bean paste is the most commonly used filling for mooncakes.

Five kernel: This filling consists of 5 types of nuts and seeds. The types of nuts and seeds vary according to different regions, but commonly used nuts and seeds include: walnuts, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts, sesame seeds, and almonds.

Egg yolk: A whole salted egg yolk is placed in the center of mooncakes to symbolize the full moon.

Jujube paste: A sweet paste made from the ripe fruits of the jujube (date) plant. It is dark red in color.

Where to buy Moon cake?
In Macquarie shopping centre, level 3, MIRACLE SUPERMARKET

Gift of Nature

China have the world's most strange natural landscapes, plateaus,mountains and forests, lakes and rivers, coastline. Such kind of geographical span is very good for the growth and reserve of species, which any of other countries don't have a lot of potential raw of food like China. To get the gift of nature, people collect, pick, dig, catch all year round.

China has diverse natural, conditions across its land. As a result, Chinese people living in different areas enjoy absolutely different but rich staple food. From the south to the north, the diverse staple food provide energy for human bodies. Moreover, they influence people's feelings towards the change of four seasons and enrich the lives of the Chinese.

Chinese cuisine can be divided into eight main regional branches:

Sichuan: with characteristic rich and spicy.
Shandong: which is particular in its selection of ingredients for dishes.
Suzhou: its carefully presented steamed crucian carp.
Guangdong: with distinctive sweet and crispy dishes.
Fujian: famed for Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Zhejiang: which emphasises fresh food and natural flavours, particularly seafood.
Huizhou: which favous delicacies from the land and sea.
Hunan: which features rich foods with strong colours like cured meats.

Traditional Chinese food part 2 :Tangyuan

When we will eat and meaning

Tangyuan are a traditional Chinese sweet usually served at festivals or Chinese New Year, or anything that is celebrated with family. They are little glutinous rice balls that may be unfilled or filled with sweet or savory fillings, and served in syrup or broth. The little dumplings nestled together in the bowl represent togetherness！

Differences type in China

This type of glutinous rice flour dumpling is eaten in both northern and southern China, but the name "tangyuan" is more common in the south while the older name "yuanxiao" is still used in the north. The fillings differ regionally: in the south, sweet fillings such as sugar, sesame, osmanthus flowers, sweet bean paste and sweetened tangerine peel are used, while in the north, salty fillings are preferred, including minced meat and vegetables.

Cultural significance

For many Chinese families in mainland China as well as overseas, tangyuan is usually eaten together with family. The round shape of the balls and the bowls where they are served, come to symbolize the family togetherness.

Famous French Food

The French are known for their fine ways of dining and exquisite food as well. Every region in France has its own specialty, which is probably why we have different types of French food that are popular all over the world. Here is a list of all the food items that are a delicacy of French cuisine.

Croissants

Croissants are crescent-shaped bread rolls made from dough in a manner that is similar to that of making bread; however, it has some additional ingredients, such as eggs, butter, sugar, and milk. The dough is first applied with butter, and is then folded and rolled before rolling it into a sheet.

Camembert

Camembert is a type of soft cheese, first made in 1791 by a farmer from Normandy. The version of this cheese known today is probably credited to the various cheese-making processes, and their industrialization during the 19th century. 

Valençay

Valençay cheese comes from the Berry province of France, and is made from unpasteurized goat's milk. Known for its truncated pyramidal shape, this cheese has a soft texture and flavored outer layer. The cheese gets its blue-gray color from the molds and is later dusted with charcoal to give it a darkened appearance.

Roquefort

Roquefort cheese is a blue cheese made from sheep's milk. According to the French laws, only that cheese, which comes from the French region of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon can be termed as Roquefort Cheese. This type of cheese is a tad moist, and gets its taste from the addition of blue mold during its preparation.

Beef Bourguignon

Originating in the region of Burgundy in France, Beef Bourguignon -- a classic French recipe -- is a type of stew. The stew is cooked from beef prepared in wine (typically, red Burgundy) with beef broth, along with bouquet garni, onions, and garlic to taste. 

Bouillabaisse

Bouillabaisse is a fish stew from the region of Provence in France. The name originates from two words; bolhir, which means 'to boil', and abaissar, meaning 'to simmer'. As per the regional tradition, a Marseillaise bouillabaisse includes at least 5 different kinds of sea fish, such as scorpion fish, shellfish, sea robin, and European conger. It can also include octopus, mussels, velvet crabs, or spider crabs.

Cassoulet

This is a slow-cooked casserole, coming from the south of France. Typically, a cassoulet consists of meat -- either from pork sausages, duck, or goose, and rarely mutton. Named after a traditional, circular-cooking vessel casserole, this dish originated in Castelnaudary and has been adapted into several variations. The cassoulet is also sold in cans, and the prices vary with the ingredients.

Crêpe

Crêpe is a thin pancake made from either wheat flour, or buckwheat flour. Originated in Brittany, crêpes are filled with different fillings, which can be sweet, or savory, and are served with cider. With the sweet fillings, crepes are served as breakfast, or dessert, while savory-filled crepes can be eaten for lunch, or dinner. The sweet fillings can include sugar, maple syrup, whipped creams, and custard, whereas the savory fillings consist of eggs, ham, mushrooms, cheese, and other products of meat.
--Starry(Wenqing Wang)

Arisun - Korean Restaurant in Sydney Review

Arisun Restaurant

Last weekend, I have a chance to try out this Korean restaurant called Arisun in China town. The restaurant's address is 1 Dixon st, Sydney, which on the same street with a chain of other restaurants. 

The first impression I have for the restaurant is that is always crowded with customers but luckily, me and my friends didn't have to wait to be seated. Inside the restaurant, you can feel the enjoying atmosphere as well as the hospitality of the employees there.

The restaurants offer a wide range of dishes with different sizes as well as prices. The prices vary from $13 to around $35 depend on the dish that you order but as can be seen from the menu, a single serving dish is $13 whilst the 2 to 3 people servings is around $20 to $30. However, there is one small thing that I don't like about it is that the amount of food for single serving dishes is kinda small, and you can't really feel full by just having a single serving dish.

Picture taken by The Hungry Plum.

Me and my friends decided to ordered a hot pot to eat together and then we will order other dishes to eat separately. The hot pot we ordered is called "Marinated Beef Hot Pot" ($35) and I have to say it was one of the best hot pot that I have ever tasted. The beef was well-done and the hot pot soup was just perfect, in other word, the hot pot is very delicious.

Overall, Arisun is a good restaurant to go to if you want to have excellent hot pot as well as Korean's food. However, if the amount of a single serving dish is a little bit bigger than it's better. I would recommended this restaurant to you to come and try it out.

P/s: I rate this restaurant 9 out of 10 for my personal enjoyment.

-Son.

Traditional Chinese food part 1 :Moon Cake

Mooncakes are traditional Chinese pastries generally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival typically involves family getting together to share mooncakes while watching the moon.

Mooncake Come from

Mooncakes are named after the moon goddess (Chang'e), who is said to make this kind of cake in china myth.

What is Mooncake

Chinese mooncakes are a traditional dessert of Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important festivals in China. They are round in shape, like the full harvest moon of Mid-Autumn Day. Most mooncakes consist of a pastry skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling.

Mooncake Packaging

Mooncake boxes can be very beautiful, and sometimes the boxes are more expensive than the mooncakes themselves! Different brands have their own unique designation of packaging, mostly colorful tins and card boxes. Mooncakes are generously packaged in their small-case-sized gift boxes. Typically there are several small boxes on a piece of yellow or red silk. Each small box contains a mooncake in a transparent air-tight wrapper, with an anti-oxidation sachet to keep it fresh.