Guzman Y Gomez

We were visiting a family friend whom we only see about once a year when we found out that (some of, I think) the Guzman Y Gomez (GYG) Mexican food joint have halal chicken and they cooked it separately! The mother was telling me that their eldest son has been a part-timer at the Guzman Y Gomez at Crows Nest for a couple of months now. He then described how the head chef there is also a Muslim, the chicken meat is halal, and they made sure it is cooked and prepared separately. I have been wanting authentic Mexican since forever and this is a good news for me! Husband asked him whether the GYG at Westfield Parramatta was also halal. The eldest son doesn't know for sure, but I think we can just ask the shop.

The following week, we went to Westfield Parramatta for an afternoon stroll, looking for quilt for when my mum comes over this winter inshaaAllah to help look after bubba. After we finished circling the mall, we headed straight to GYG just near the Phoenix Chinese Restaurant. I asked the girl at the register whether their chicken is halal - and she said 'yes'! Yippi!

I ordered quesadillas and burrito for husband (because he couldn't make up his mind as usual). They also had nachos, tacos, fajitas, and enchiladas. For the complete menu and the price, you can go to their website https://www.guzmanygomez.com/the-food/.

Reviewing the order while waiting for it to come

QUESADILLAS

I've never tried quesadillas, but they sure look very tempting hence why I had ordered it. My order came with two quesadillas (but there is also an option of 3). The quesadillas look small, but it fulfils my stomach just right. If you're a big eater, like my husband, I'm sure two flat quesadillas will not make your stomach full. It tasted authentic to me - well, I don't know how the real deal tastes like, but this one tastes very nice. The oh-so-gooey Australian jack cheese is soooo yummy, and the grilled chicken is also fantastic. I thought the chicken would taste like Nando's (Portuguese style), but I was wrong. This one does taste 'Mexican' - it doesn't have that tangy flavour like the Portuguese style chicken.

BURRITO

Husband loved the burrito, but I think he's a bit overwhelmed by the size. His burrito came with extra guacamole and brown rice (which also cost extra). GYG actually had two options for the burrito, which is the classic and the bowl burrito. The classic comes in a form of a (tortilla) wrap, whereas the bowl came with a bowl for those who likes less mess when eating. The black beans and the salsa compliment the taste very nicely, giving it that 'Mexican taste'. But perhaps if you're not a big eater, skip the rice. Otherwise, you can make two meals out of one burrito!

***

I think GYG is definitely worth it in terms of taste and price. I will definitely return to try their other menus! 

And apologies for the low quality photos - I took it with my phone. I should have packed my M3/4 in my bag more often now.

*Update: since this visit, we have also visited the GYG outlet at Rhodes. We enquired about the chicken again, and they claimed it is halal (and my husband saw the certificate on the wall of the kitchen).

Pregnancy: 24 Week Update

Oh gosh! I can't believe I'm already at the end of my 24th week now! I have already passed half way and soon I'll be off for maternity leave.

BODY CHANGES

Of course my body is changing, rapidly. The stomach feels tighter and tighter by the day, it's as if I'm going to explode. Some people at the office still couldn't tell that I'm pregnant because of the way I wear my hijab which hides my baby curves and also because most of my clothes are baggy/loose, which is  a plus because I don't have to buy maternity clothes! I have retired all my pants and my jeans skirt. And instead, took out all of my skirts and stretchy pants (which I rarely use because I hated it, but now I love them a lot).

I've gained around 4-5 kilos by the end of this week. I'm a bit worried how much more I would gain because I still have another 3 months to go. Baby needs to grow even more, but I can't gain more than 14 kilos by the end of my pregnancy! I guess now it's really time to get myself moving. I think my diet is already good. I eat carbs only for breakfast and lunch, and when I'm still hungry at night I fulfilled my hunger with fruits - really trying my best to cut the carbs by dinner. But I definitely failed at exercising, hahaha.

My appetite is definitely back. I am much more happier now that I can eat and drink anything I want. But I do need to watch my diet and exercise so I don't 'expand' too much! I've also realised that I don't eat as much fruit as I used to anymore since my appetite's return, so I also need to work on that as well. Milk has been on my list daily now that I want bubba to get used to it (I don't even know whether it would make any difference!).

Face-wise, no (or hardly) any pimples! But I can tell that my skin is much drier than it normally is. I have heard a couple of times that if the face skin is dry during the pregnancy it usually signals a baby boy - that's one of the reason why I was quite convinced that this bubba is a boy. I just need to religiously use face cream everyday. My current favourite is the Nivea Soft moisturising cream (I ran out of Kiehl's but have just reordered the large size).

FIRST DOCTOR VISIT

Two weeks ago we were due for our first doctor's visit. Our original appointment was at 9 am but I didn't get called in until 10 am when I checked with the nurse who collected my urine sample. She said, "oh sorry, we must have skipped you!" I was a bit annoyed because I was planning to return to the office at 11am, which then got delayed until 12pm.

The doctor's appointment only lasted around 10 minutes. She checked my health records which was taken by the midwife from the previous meeting and also asked whether I have started to feel the baby's moves. I also informed her of my previous breast surgery, just in case I need to do any follow up in regards to breastfeeding. The doctor advised me that this will be my first and (perhaps) my last appointment with the doctor before labour. My regular biweekly check will be with the midwife, not the doctor, because my pregnancy is quite normal and there is nothing to be closely observed by the doctor, unless something comes up along the way.

After the doctor's visit, we received counseling from the maternity ward liaison officer. Not everyone gets it, because there are so many people to counsel sometimes they would miss a couple of them. Basically the officer needs to explain thoroughly about a list of topics listed on a red card, such as having the appropriate support after birth, importance of attending parental class, . This red card will eventually be handed to you at the end of the session. At first, this officer of Asian decent touched on how it is different from the care that we would received from our home country. She said, "The health system here is very different from our country, I know because your country and my country is almost similar. We don't need to pay for any of these maternity services. I was like, uhmmm, of course I know that. It's not like I just came out of rural area in Indonesia who knows nothing. Anyway, this lady talks a lot, I guess it's for a good thing, but she made me even more late to arrive at the office.

BABY'S KICKS

Like I mentioned previously, the doctor asked me whether I have started to feel the baby's kicks. I hesitantly told her "no" because I wasn't even sure how it feels like! She said, "Well, people have told me that it feels like butterfly in your stomach. But I don't know how it feels like too because I've never been pregnant before." I said, "I'm not sure how 'butterfly in your stomach' feels like either..." She took me to the bed to check bubba's heart beat. Alhamdulillah, it's there. Phewww. Then she said that if I don't feel anything by week 24, then let the hospital know.

I was already so excited to feel baby's kicks since the nurse who helped our 19-week scan said that she felt baby's soft kick. Unfortunately I had to have the disappointment that it took me a while to actually feel it. I have a thick rhino skin!

On the following week after the doctor's visit, I started to feel baby's little kicks, especially at night. It feels so funny and amazing at the same time! It's like having a fish bowl in your tummy! I began talking more often to him, reminding him to be careful while 'playing' inside. Last night baby was especially active, it's like he's having a blast at his own party! He was kicking here and there, making the surface of my stomach vibrate, hahaha. Can't wait to see you soon, bubba.

My Own Pace

Beberapa minggu yang lalu akhirnya aku mendapatkan konfirmasi - lampu hijau - dari manajerku bahwa memang sudah waktunya aku untuk menambah responsibility dan menghadapi challenge baru. Lucunya, manajerku sempat bilang, "Dita, aku tahu kamu udah bosen dengen kerjaanmu yang sekarang." Hahaha. Alhamdulillah senangnya bukan main, karena aku sendiri pun sudah mulai merasa bahwa aku siap untuk step selanjutnya. Tapi apa daya mungkin belum rezekiku, belum ada posisi kosong yang bisa aku isi untuk 'naik'. Ditambah dengan perut yang semakin buncit which means sebentar lagi akan masuk maternity leave maka semakin kecil lah kesempatanku, although it's not impossible. Aku bukan tipe orang yang diam saja menunggu. Aku juga proaktif mencari posisi lowong untuk bisa 'naik' dan lagi-lagi aku harus kecewa, kali ini karena HR. Katanya aku tidak punya cukup pengalaman untuk bisa mengisi posisi yang aku incar. Hmm... padahal kupikir I'm more than capable, just need a bit of training and that's it. 

Dan dengan umur kehamilan yang inshaaAllah tinggal 3 bulan lagi, rasanya ingin menyerah. Rasanya sudah capek mengejar sesuatu yang kemungkinan tak tergapai sebelum cuti. Tapi aku nggak mau berakhir seperti orang di gambar di bawah. Setidaknya nggak ada penyesalan di akhir karena tidak mengusahakan yang terbaik.

“Feet Away From Gold'” Courtesy of Google Images

MY LIFE IS NOT SOMEONE ELSE'S

I guess, aku selalu lupa bahwa hidupku adalah hidupku. Tidak serta merta bisa dibandingkan dengan kehidupan orang lain, apalagi pencapaiannya. Aku sering merasa down ketika melihat teman-teman sebayaku sudah naik jadi manajer, sudah pergi ke luar negeri untuk menyelesaikan S2, etc dan aku masih stuck disini dan tidak ada tanda-tanda bisa melanjutkan S2 dengan beasiswa (dikarenakan kondisi kami yang domisili tetapnya di Australia, kami berdua sama-sama bekerja, daaann kami punya mortgage *alhamdulillah?*).

Ketika aku trace back 'udah ngapain aja sih aku sejak lulus kuliah?', aku baru sadar I'm behind my peers by two years in terms of work experience. Nggak banyak juga yang bisa aku perbuat, karena keterlambatan ini dikarenakan dua kesempatan yang nggak aku sesali: 1. spending one year in Japan, 2. getting married and getting my Australian permanent visa. Wajar aja kalau aku akhirnya terlalu ngoyo untuk mengejar 'ketertinggalanku', tapi lambat laun aku sadar bahwa aku harus mawas diri - I'm already two years behind, I cannot ask a lot. Yang bisa aku lakukan adalah berusaha sebaik mungkin mengambil setiap kesempatan yang ada, bekerja keras dan cerdas, kemudian biarkan tangan Tuhan yang menentukan hasil akhirnya. Ya, mungkin aku lupa bahwa tangan Tuhan juga punya andil sama besarnya (bahkan lebih) dari ikhtiar yang aku lakukan dalam menentukan outcome.

STOP LOOKING UP!

Ini nih yang paling susah, aku akui - keeping up with the Kardashians eh, Joneses! Mengejar dunia itu nggak akan ada habisnya. Akan selalu ada orang lain yang lebih baik, lebih cantik, lebih sukses, lebih kaya, dan lebih lebih semuanya dari kamu. Dan you know what, social media zaman sekarang hanya memperparah penyakit envious ini dan membuat orang semakin greedy (hello Youtube haul videos!) - that's why I do socmed detox.

Setiap kali melihat orang lain sukses misalnya si A baru aja dipromosiin jadi manajer, si B baru aja ikut training BPI Green Belt, si C baru beli ini-itu baru, terkadang yang ada di kepalaku, "ya Tuhan, kenapa bukan aku? When will my time come?". Akhirnya aku sadar aku nggak pernah tau cerita di belakang itu semua. Mungkin aja orang itu dipromosiin jadi manajer setelah memiliki 6 years of working experience (which I don't have yet), atau ternyata orang yang ikut training BPI Green Belt itu udah begging a million times ke manajernya untuk diikutkan (oh, berarti selama ini aku kurang kekeuh 'mintanya', hehe), dan mungkin orang yang sering beli ini-itu nggak punya kewajiban finansial seperti kamu. Focus on what you have, not what you don't have.

I WANT TO BE CONTENT

Mau tau nggak (nggak mauuuu, hehe) salah satu doa yang paling banyak aku sebut? Dear God, I want to be content with my life. That simple! Saking aku nggak pernah puas sama kehidupanku sendiri dan akhirnya capek sendiri ngejar dunia. Aku pingin bisa menikmati semua dengan santai, menggapai keberhasilan at my own pace. Nggak terburu-buru atau ngoyo harus achieve karena melihat orang lain sudah achieve duluan. Sebetulnya, kalau dipikir-pikir, andaikan ada posisi kosong yang bisa aku isi untuk 'naik', it means aku bisa mencapai posisi itu hanya dengan 4 tahun working experience! Dan buatku itu udah bagus banget. Terakhir, aku percaya bahwa Tuhan tahu mana dan kapan waktu yang terbaik. Yang aku harus lakukan hanya berusaha sebaik mungkin, nggak patah semangat, dan nggak berhenti berdoa. Ketika hal-hal itu lekat di hati dan kepalaku, that's when I can really enjoy life... karena hal-hal duniawi nggak akan dibawa ke kubur.

Rujak Cingur

Bumil ngidam rujak cingur! Hahaha, masa-masa ngidam sebetulnya sudah lewat, jadi ini sebetulnya memang lagi pengen aja. Lihat pantry masih ada stok 3 botol bumbu petis terenak sedunia - Boyya. Kemudian Googling resep rujak cingur, wah, ternyata gak sulit ya bikinnya. Dan alhamdulillah semua bahan bumbu rujaknya ada di rumah, jadi tinggal dieksekusi. Tapi karena nggak sabaran untuk bisa menikmati, jadi cukup banyak juga bahan yang saya skip, misalnya tahu, tempe, cingur (yang ini betul-betul clueless, nggak tahu mesti cari cingur alias hidung sapi dimana di seantero Sydney, hahaha). Makan rujak cingur ini jadi inget rujak cingur yang selalu saya dan mama pesan setiap kali kami mampir ke food court ITC Mangga Dua - super yummy! 

Suatu malam suami saya cerita ke mama mertua kalau dia sedang makan malam rujak cingur buatan saya (tanpa cingur) dan mama mertua langsung kaget sembari bilang, "Dede suka??". Dan lucunya suami saya bilang "iya", padahal seumur-umur tidak pernah grow up dengan makanan berbau seperti petis tapi bisa suka, hihihi.

BAHAN:

• Tahu goreng
• Tempe goreng
• Timun, iris
• Nanas, iris
• Bengkuang, iris
• Kangkung, seduh air panas, tiriskan
• Taoge, seduh air panas, tiriskan
• 100 gr cingur/kikil, rebus, potong2
• Lontong/ketupat, potong2
• Kerupuk bawang putih (abang2)

BUMBU:

• Cabe rawit, sesuai selera
• 50 gr kacang tanah goreng
• 2 siung bawang putih, geprek, goreng
• 2 sdm bumbu petis
• Gula, garam
• Terasi (optional)
• Air matang secukupnya (tambahkan sedikit demi sedikit)

CARA MEMBUAT:

1. Blender semua bumbu menjadi satu
2. Tata semua bahan di piring
3. Siram bumbu petis di atas sayur dan teman-temannya
4. Aduk-aduk hingga semua tercampur dengan bumbu

Ini lho bintang utama dari resep ini, bagi yang berminat :)

Wherever She Is, That's Where Home Is

Image: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/smallglow

*This is going to be a long post, so prepare some drinks and snacks!

Mother's Day is coming up in a few weeks in Australia and I'm already getting email notifications for Mother's Day gift ideas. I saw this beautiful wooden sign saying: "Home is Where Mum Is" on Etsy and I it just prompted me to write this post.

You won't realise the value of something until you lose it. I used to dislike being at home, having to hear my mum yelling at us (me and siblings) almost every other day, or mum telling us to do this and that. I constantly complain about her cooking because she always cooks the same thing over and over again. But now that I live away from her, I miss everything about her. Every time I parted ways from her that's when our relationship actually grew closer than ever. When I just returned from Japan, I was very clingy to my mum. I hardly refuse to drive her anywhere she wants. And now that I rarely visit Indonesia, I miss her food really bad.

Now that I'm going to become a mother myself, I realised how much sacrifice my mum has done for me since I was still in her womb. Carrying a baby is not easy at all. In the first trimester, if you are unlucky, you will feel extreme tiredness because your body is creating a new soul and building a comfy 'home' for it. Then when the tummy gets bigger, it becomes harder for you to walk or even bend yourself. There will be a time when you will have a difficult time putting your socks on.

This is my mum

She is a thrifty person, but she is not stingy when it comes to education. I remember all of those cram schools and English courses that she made us attend. She always accompanied us, waited at the premise until the course/cram school was over, and bought us snacks and dinners afterwards. I do owe her a lot. I guess her thriftiness has helped her kids greatly from getting the best education to giving a head start at buying a house.

She left her job when she was carrying her first born, which was me, at 24 years old, because she couldn't cope with the morning sickness. But although she's not a working mother, she never cease to amaze me. She is a very smart investor and a woman with great taste. With no appropriate finance background or whatsoever, she knows how to invest her wealth in share market. And thank you mum for the art talent that we all (of her three children) picked up along the way.

Mum and I after crying at the airport

I have never ever cried at the airport before. And the only time I let my tears run down my cheek was when mum was about to fly back to Indonesia after a brief visit last year. She was hugging me very tight as if she had just found her lost precious belonging (or, rather, not wanting to lose her precious possession again). And she whispered in my ear, "why do you have to be so far away?" (I think this is partly my fault for not visiting her often, but the ticket are so expensive!). But deep down inside her, she knows that she had to accept wholeheartedly that my (then) future husband will take me away. She tried to cheer herself up, saying, "but anyway, living anywhere is just as good as long as you're with your husband." (I'm like - are you serious... with this kind of husband?? Nah, just kidding :D).

After she left, home is quiet again. No more pillow talk with mum anymore (she slept with me when she was staying over, I had to kick out my husband to the second bedroom). The next day I found her comment of our last photo together at the airport, "sometimes I still feel sad when I remember you." Oh mum, if she knew that I cried for days and days after she returned...

But, hey, everything is cool again now! We've been having lots of chit-chats about bubba. I gave my mum a task to purchase baby clothings and I can't believe her excitement. "Mama sudah belanja untuk calon cucu yaa," she said one day. I told my mum to get it later when I've reached my 7th month of pregnancy. I'm not even in my third trimester yet and she's already purchased (almost) everything! She even purchased stuff I told her not to get! Anyway, I'm happy for her because she's been waiting for this bubba for 4 years (LOL).

If you feel like you haven't been appreciating your mum enough... not loving her enough... surprise her with something that she likes on Mother's Day or arrange a mother-daughter/son lunch or dinner and tell her how much she means to you before married life separates both of you.

Shalom

We were planning to go to the Supermentor lecture at UNSW at around 6pm. Initially we wanted to take the public transport because I remember trying to get parking around Kingsford area is very difficult. After some arguments about walking to Merrylands station (LOL), we ended up driving the car all the way to Kingsford. Thankfully, there were plenty of parking when we arrived there at 5pm!

In the car, I said, "Let's have dinner around Kingsford after the lecture". I didn't have any clue about Indonesian restaurant's opening hours around that area when I said that. After I checked, most of them would close at 9pm - what a pity! So, because we would arrive early, we decided to get take-away Ayam Goreng 99, unfortunately the shop doesn't open until 6pm! I thought, perhaps it's not our luck to get Indonesian food that day. But I really want it!!

From a blog review that I read about Ayam Goreng 99, I found out that Shalom restaurant is not that far away from there. So we went to Shalom instead while waiting for Ayam Goreng 99 to open.

The interior of the restaurant is really nice and comfy. I love that they hang traditional pendant lamps (it actually looks like the lamp that I fell in love with at Bunnings), and use traditional Indonesian vintage enamel home-wares as decorations. There were a couple of tables with bench-style seating, it reminds me of warteg.

I was hoping they would have bakwan malang because I've been craving for that since my first trimester! Unfortunately they didn't. Their menu is revolves around various Indonesian traditional food such as ayam goreng, soto, ketoprak, various traditional snacks (e.g. batagor), pempek, mie ayam, iga penyet, etc. Since we already planned to get Ayam Goreng 99 take-away, I ordered something else that's not either ayam goreng or ayam bakar and something that I can't make at home. My choice came down to bakso and batagor.

BAKSO

For those who don't know, bakso is Indonesian meatball soup. It's usually served with vermicelli or egg noodles and pangsit goreng (fried wontons). I think their meatballs is good. They were generous with it too - they give 6 meatballs in a serve! Usually you will only get 5 meatballs at a bakso joint in Indonesia. The pangsit goreng was really nice too (I love myself pangsit goreng in a bowl of bakso!)

Unfortunately I have more negative things to say about the bakso as a whole since I am very particular about my bakso (FYI - I'm a bakso die-hard fan!). I like my bakso soup clear and free of any condiments, but this one looks like it has been added sweet soy sauce. The most disappointing part: the taste of the soup is also a bit off - I suspect it's because of the vermicelli noodle. Sometimes vermicelli noodles can be a bit smelly and I think that smell got mixed with the soup. You have to ask for the sambal bakso (chilli sauce) as it doesn't come along with the bakso when they serve it, but I have no issues with that. And the sambal bakso tasted nice.

BATAGOR

Batagor is an abbreviation from: Bakso Tahu Goreng, Sundanese and Indonesian: "fried bakso and tofu". I had ordered the batagor as a take-away for husband because I thought he would not be breaking his fast before 6pm, hence the plastic container (LOL). It turned out Maghrib was at 5.40pm and I had not finished my bakso, so eventually husband enjoyed his batagor at the premise. 

The batagor yesterday was quite a disappointment too. The only plus point is that it is crispy. The taste is not like what I had expected. In fact, I think the batagor that is sold at street vendors in Indonesia tasted much much much better. I couldn't taste the fish at all although I did spot the fish filling inside the tofu. And the peanut sauce, it's missing one important ingredient: lime. I don't think it has to be the kaffir lime, but it is definitely missing that citrusy aroma.

***

The bakso was $10 and batagor was $5. I also ordered the big bottle of Teh Botol, so the total damage was $17.50.

If I can rate this restaurant, I will give 3 out of 5 stars as a whole. Although I'm quite disappointed with my first experience at Shalom (yes, this is my first time there), this won't be my last. There are still other menu that I would like to try like the iga bakar or the tempting desserts (they have es durian, yum yum!).

Tahu Isi

Selama awal kehamilan pengennya makanan Indonesia terus. Tapi aku anggap ini bukan "ngidam" karena di keseharian kami juga aku hampir selalu memasak masakan Indonesia. Saat itu tetiba aku kepingin makan tahu isi. Tahu isi memang pas untuk teman nge-teh di pagi atau sore hari, namun terkadang untuk membuatnya rasanya malas sekali. Apalagi saat itu aku sedang lemas-lemasnya, rasanya ingin menyerah saja. Jadi berandai-andai apabila aku hamil di Jakarta, maka kalau kepingin tahu isi hanya perlu jalan kaki beberapa ratus meter untuk menemukan tukang gorengan.

Pada akhirnya aku bertekad tidak akan mengalah pada kemalasan, sehingga jadilah si tahu isi ini! Aku menggunakan resep tahu isi mbak Ricke yang sedikit dimodifikasi (sebelumnya juga aku pakai resep mbak ini untuk resep cilok). Menurutku rasanya isiannya pas sekali, namun menurutku rasa tepung pelapisnya kurang mantap (tetapi sampai sekarang pun aku masih belum tahu apa yang kurang supaya rasanya pas).

Bahan isian:

• Tahu putih yang sudah digoreng, potong segitiga
• 100 gr tauge
• 1 buah wortel besar, potong korek api
• 1/2 sdt garam
• 1/2 sdt gula pasir
• 1/4 merica bubuk
• 2 bawang merah
• 3 bawang putih
• 2-3 cabai rawit

Bahan pelapis:

• 150 gr tepung terigu
• 100 gr tepung beras
• 1 sdt ketumbar, tumbuk halus
• 1/2 sdt kunyit bubuk
• 1/2 sdt garam
• Air secukupnya

Cara membuat:

1. Haluskan bawang merah, bawang putih, dan cabai rawit. Kemudian tumis hingga harum.
2. Masukkan sayuran dan tumis hingga layu. Tambahkan garam, merica, dan gula.
3. Untuk pelapis: campur semua bahan pelapis dan aduk rata hingga tidak bergumpal.
4. Assembly: belah tahu sampai dalam, tapi jangan sampai ada sisi yang putus. Isi dengan bahan isian hingga penuh, kemudian celup ke dalam larutan pelapis.
5. Goreng di dalam minyak yang banyak dan panas hingga kuning kecoklatan. Angkat dan tiriskan.

Recipe source: http://ricke-ordinarykitchen.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/gehu-aka-tahu-isi.html

Makoto Sushi

We spent Easter Sunday outing at Lane Cove National Park. We were only there for an hour because it rained hard in the middle of our bushwalking. Afterwards, we decided to have lunch around Chatswood because the exit gate was close to that area. I chose Makoto sushi.

I have read a couple of articles which lists Makoto as one of the best sushi in Sydney. I'm always excited for hunting the best sushi restaurant in town! I was really curious so I thought why not give it a try. Fortunately the restaurant was open on this Easter Sunday.

The restaurant is quite big, twice the size of Sakura sushi in Melbourne. We came around 1pm and the restaurant was full, but we managed to get a seat. I love the chairs in this restaurant because you know how annoying it is having to pull back the high/bar chair, sit, and adjust the position so you don't end up dining with awkward back position, right? The chairs there were permanently fixed to the floor and the seat could swivel easily. So when you need to take a seat, you just need to swivel (neat!).

Husband ate sushi from the sushi train while I have to order something cooked. Unfortunately they don't have many alternatives for me (well, duh, it's a sushi train restaurant). Eventually I settled for a portion of tempura with rice and miso soup.

SUSHI

My husband loved the sushi. He tried to be adventurous by trying various nigiri sushi such as the mackarel, garfish, and ocean perch. He also tried the shark fin salad gunkan sushi.

I tried the grilled scallop sushi. It was nice as well. The grilled scallop tasted about the same as the one from Sushi Bay, but the sushi rice was way more authentic. I consider a sushi restaurant good if the chef is Japanese, but I don't know if the chef could actually speak Japanese.

TEMPURA AND MISO SOUP

The seafood tempura consist of salmon, prawn, cuttlefish, crab meat, red pepper, and onion kakiage. The batter was good as expected (even I can make it like so with boxed tempura mix). The tempura sauce was a bit disappointing. My rice was also wet, so it just made it even worse. The miso soup wasn't the best as well, but still edible.

***

The verdict is, I would recommend coming in for sushi (the tempura was also good) but don't bother for the other food. Unfortunately because we were already very full, we didn't order dessert, but they have various mouthwatering dessert from mango mousse to black sesame ice cream.

Makoto sushi website: http://www.masuyainternational.com.au/en/makoto/

Banana Bread

Banana bread is a very versatile food. You can have it for breakfast as well as snack. And the smell of toasted banana bread is just so tempting to all noses who can smell it from afar or nearby - like what had happened to me once at the office.

The banana recipe that I used is an All Recipes favourite and featured recipe. I personally love the use of brown sugar in the recipe compared to white sugar. This banana bread is very simple to make and the recipe is very very easy to follow. All you have to do is mix all the dry ingredients, cream butter and sugar, then mix everything together and you're ready to bake! But you must be super patient as it takes 60 minutes to bake it, hehe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 3/4 cup brown sugar 
• 2 eggs, beaten 
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas (around 5 bananas)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into centre of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
• If you make a couple of loaves, you can cut them up, wrap it with plastic Glad wrap, and freeze it. They should stay fresh for 1-2 weeks.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/20144/banana-banana-bread/