Where to eat? Burma

Bagan for noodles.

Where to eat? Melaka

For a minute I tried to spell Melaka in english and couldn't - how many l's and how many c's which is it? So lets do Malay lots easier.

Honestly
Melaka has some amazing food
Definitely worth a detour
Try Portuguese food and in Umbai, a kampung not far from Melaka is a Malay fishing village
There is a large hut
Outside will be parked mercs snd BMW etc
All races
The Malay villagers will have tanks if fresh seafood
Pick and pay by weight cooked ALa Melsyu
Try udang harimay simply goreng in kunyit
And each table has simple but delicious Nasi lemak bungkus
Just east that and too up with some anazing Malay seafood

Jonker 88
No. 88, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200, Melaka, Melaka, 75200, Malaysia

Best laksa and chendol
To die for

Onde Onde 
Roti John berkas and Ayam golek near tanjung Kling

In limbongan in Melaka there is a small food court that serves breakfast
One side is a hokkien family that serves roti bakar,Telur kukus etc
But the other side is a melaka secret
Roti canai Faizal MohdcYusof
His secret?
He cooks over arang, not gas so heat control is an art form
And try with kari kambing

Where to eat? Penang

Penang

Peace & Joy coffee shop

Peace & Joy Coffee Shop located in the corner of China Street and Queen Street Penang has a stall selling delicious curry mee! Generally, the curry mee soup itself is very flavorful, while the ingredients top it off beautifully.

Curry Mee

Wan Tan Mee

http://www.misstamchiak.com/10-must-try-hawker-food-in-penang/

Alor Setar

ALOR STAR: IF you are a coffee enthusiast who appreciates freshly-brewed coffee, head to Caffè Diem at the heritage building of Pekan Cina, here.

://www.nst.com.my/node/65850

Bison

10 years ago while walking around Melbourne city. I found this store. It had these most beautiful jugs. I would use it as a salad dressing jug. Many years later, visiting Kate in her beautiful home in Alexandria, she served us tea with milk in one of these jugs. Kate has amazing taste and furnishes her home with art, beautiful things and the best local organic food.

In Singapore last week, I found Bison in jones the grocer in Dempsey Barracks. I fell in love again, but felt it wasn't the place to get a jug. I would like to visit his home store in Canberra to get mine now. The above is the set I would get. One for salad dressing, one for milk and the other....

Castlecrag

Unsung food suburbs: Castlecrag, New South Wales

Among the beautiful stone houses and clipped lawns of this north shore Sydney suburb are a host of surprisingly good dining options for those living in the area – and beyond

Roberta MuirTuesday 19 August 2014 04.18 BST

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/19/unsung-food-suburbs-castlecrag-new-south-wales

Artusi in Castlecrag, a dining destination that flies under the radar. Photograph: Roberta Muir for the Guardian

Originally planned by Walter Burley Griffin, Castlecrag on Sydney’s picturesque Middle Harbour, just 8km from the CBD, is known more for its historical than its culinary significance. A love of nature drew Griffin and his wife, Marion, to Sydney’s lower north shore in 1925, where they designed beautiful homes built from local stone. They named the suburb after a huge crag of rock overlooking the water, dubbed by locals “Edinburgh Castle”.

While Sydney’s north shore is rarely thought of as a dining destination, the inhabitants of Castlecrag are better served than most, with a united nations of restaurants close by.

Artusi Italian Restaurant

Artusi’s calamari fritti with lime mayo. Photograph: Roberta Muir for the Guardian

Artusi, run by Paola and Luca d’Adamio from Abruzzo, holds its own in a city that does Italian food very well. Exposed brick and Italian tiles create interest and warmth inside, while diners at outside tables enjoy the streetscape.

House-made grissini and bruschetta topped with spicy Calabrian nduja are a great start, as is calamari fritti with lime mayo. The pasta menu showcases regional specialties from around Italy, from vibrant green pesto trofie enriched with a non-traditional but thoroughly delicious chunk of burrata, to Puglian fusilli with cime di rapa, cacioricotta and chilli.

Risotto, always a difficult dish to get right amid the pressures of a commercial kitchen, is surprisingly good too. A simple tagliata of beef, cooked medium, cut into thin strips and served with radicchio, aged balsamic and roasted potatoes is typical of Luca’s approach to quality produce, prepared simply.

Desserts, including a nougat semifreddo with Ligurian honey, almond milk and candied almonds, are all made in-house and the short, Italian-heavy wine list contains a few gems.

2/122 Edinburgh Rd, Castlecrag, +61 2 9967 5371
Ganache French Patisserie

Master pâtissier Didier Sockeel’s almond croissants. Photograph: Roberta Muir for the Guardian

It’s not unusual to find a queue out the door on busy weekend mornings as locals stop by to grab master pâtissier Didier Sockeel’s almond croissants, pain au chocolate and fruit danishes fresh from the oven.

Later in the day they’re after quiches with short pastry and fillings such as classic lorraine (ham and cheese), spinach, or blue cheese and caramelised onions; individual ones are great snacks, while the larger size is a mainstay of family picnics.

The sweets case is crowded with cold fruit flans and baked open tarts, beautifully decorated cakes and bite-sized treats as well as bags of biscuits including delicate tuiles and langues de chat. Crusty baguettes, meltingly soft brioche and great coffee complete the package.

85 Edinburgh Rd, Castlecrag, +61 2 9967 2882
Flavours of Peking Chinese Restaurant

Northern Chinese food worth crossing Sydney for. Photograph: Roberta Muir for the Guardian

While Sydney has plenty of Cantonese food, it’s harder to find good food from China’s north. This unprepossessing restaurant tucked at the back of a small shopping centre attracts many Chinese families and others willing to travel for great noodles, dumplings and Peking duck.

The space is humble but the service is friendly and there don’t appear to be any double standards when it comes to what Chinese and non-Chinese speakers are offered. Everyone can enjoy falling-off-the-bone braised pork belly, large garlicky prawns steamed in lotus leaf, and deep-fried tofu in brown Peking sauce. Or make a meal of the excellent three-course Peking duck (pancakes, san choy bau and soup).

Northern Chinese specialties such as steamed, or pot-sticker, dumplings are among the best in Sydney, and the crisp, salty shallot pancakes and smoked vegetarian goose are moreish. Even more familiar dishes, such as salt and pepper prawns, are treated with respect, with fresh hot oil used to fry large meaty prawns in a thin crisp batter, finished with a scattering of fresh green onions and chillies.

Quadrangle Shopping Village, Shop 7/100 Edinburgh Rd, Castlecrag, +61 2 9958 3288
Cyrus the Great Persian Restaurant

Music and food meet at Cyrus the Great Persian Restaurant. Photograph: Roberta Muir for the Guardian

Persian food is also under-represented in Sydney, so it’s exciting to discover Cyrus tucked away behind Artusi.

It’s a large space designed for big groups who enjoy Persian music videos projected on to a giant screen dominating one wall, musicians and a belly dancer who keep things lively on Saturday nights, and generous banquet menus.

But earlier in the week it’s usually much quieter, perfect for couples or smaller groups to sample superb charcoal-grilled kebabs of chicken, minced or cubed lamb, or fish, alongside yoghurt or eggplant dips, fresh salad and big discs of charred Persian flat bread.

6/120-122 Edinburgh Rd, Castlecrag, +61 2 9967 0051
Castlecrag Cellars

Castlecrag Cellars, one of Sydney’s best independent bottle shops. Photograph: Roberta Muir for the Guardian

Cyrus isn’t licensed and Artusi allows BYO early in the week so it’s handy that they’re either side of one of Sydney’s best independent bottle shops.

George and Anna Doukas at Castlecrag Cellars carry a great range of wines, including multiple vintages of the sought-after Moss Wood cabernet and Leeuwin Estate Art Series chardonnay. There are also single-malt whiskies alongside other spirits, liqueurs and beers, including some harder-to-find treats such as Cynar artichoke aperitif.

122 Edinburgh Rd, Castlecrag, +61 2 9958 1507

Adam Liaw's top 16 dishes 2013

Eating each one of these dishes was a special moment for me this year. Thanks so much for letting me share them with you.

So here they are, in no particular order:

1. Grilled Nagoya cochin chicken with yuzu kosho – Toriyoshi, Nagoya
2. Pumpkin cooked in mead with white rice ice cream – Sixpenny, Sydney
3. Babi guling – Pak Malen, Bali
4. Sumi 2009 – Narisawa, Tokyo
5. 25-year aged kombu stock – Takashi Okuda, Fukui
6. Cheeseburger and root beer float – Gordie’s, Okinawa
7. Marmite spicy frog porridge – Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur
8. Daiginjo sake soufflé and salt soft serve – Ryugin, Tokyo
9. Hairy crab and sea urchin nori roll with orange ankake – Kappo Okada, Sapporo
10. Yang rou chuan – Roadside stall, Beijing
11. Noto beef jibuni – Tsuruko, Ishikawa
12. Kumara scones – Mavis Suckling, Dargaville, New Zealand
13. Tea ceremony (Azaleas with their roots in a stone) – Kimura Soshin, Kyoto
14. XO Sea – Quay, Sydney
15. Eel spine kara-age – Kawatatsu, Kyoto
16. 2013 Christmas lunch – At home, Sydney

Ricotta toast

One of my favourite breakfasts in Sydney is Ricotta, honey toast. I had it once at a restaurant in Melbourne and it was stunning. I do it at home now, especially when there is nice bread at home. The most important and rarest part of this dish is a good ricotta. As I don't use ricotta often, I have not explored many sources. I do not use the ricotta in the supermarket as my impression is that it may be for cooking or mixing into sauces, without the gentle flavours it is meant to have. I discovered that Frattelli fresh has great home made ricotta. I have this dish when I get a chance to buy this one. They have great breads too. I assume getting the best honey would add to this dish exponentially.

We could make our own ricotta:

Or 

Milk, lemon juice, and about half hour of your time — that's all you need to make a batch of fresh, creamy homemade ricotta. You're not going to believe how easy and foolproof this is! And trust me, once you make your own ricotta, it's hard to go back to the stuff from the tub. You bring the milk almost to a simmer, add lemon juice or vinegar, and then let it sit while you work on the rest of dinner. 

How to Make Homemade Ricotta

Makes 2 cups

What You Need

Ingredients
1/2 gallon whole milk, not UHT pasteurized (see Recipe Notes)
1/3 cup lemon juice (from 1 1/2 to 2 lemons), 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar, or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid (available from cheese-making suppliers)
1 teaspoon salt, optional

Equipment
4-quart pot
Instant read thermometer or candy thermometer
Measuring spoons
Cheese cloth
Strainer
Mixing bowl
Slotted spoon

Instructions

1. Warm the milk to 200°F: Pour the milk into a 4-quart pot and set it over medium heat. Let it warm gradually to 200°F, monitoring the temperature with an instant read thermometer. The milk will get foamy and start to steam; remove it from heat if it starts to boil.
2. Add the lemon juice and salt: Remove the milk from heat. Pour in the lemon juice or vinegar (or citric acid) and the salt. Stir gently to combine.
3. Let the milk sit for 10 minutes: Let the pot of milk sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. After this time, the milk should have separated into clumps of milky white curds and thin, watery, yellow-colored whey — dip your slotted spoon into the mix to check. If you still see a lot of un-separated milk, add another tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar and wait a few more minutes.
4. Strain the curds: Set a strainer over a bowl and line the strainer with cheese cloth. Scoop the big curds out of the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the strainer. Pour the remaining curds and the whey through the strainer. (Removing the big curds first helps keep them from splashing and making a mess as you pour.)
5. Drain the curds for 10 to 60 minutes: Let the ricotta drain for 10 to 60 minutes, depending on how wet or dry you prefer your ricotta. If the ricotta becomes too dry, you can also stir some of the whey back in before using or storing it.
6. Use or store the ricotta: Fresh ricotta can be used right away or refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week.