Rump Steak (by Biggs)

Tonight I headed to the pub for dinner. An obvious choice and when I saw rump steak on the specials board it was another obvious choice.

As I was ordering it the staff started muttering that they're never eating the steak from here again. They must have seen the dubious look on my face so went on to explain that it's so good they've eaten it every night for the past week so just needed a little break from it.

It was pretty good. The charred fattiness reminded me of family BBQs from my youth. The mushroom sauce was great. The salad a welcome relief.

The view over the ocean....spectacular.

Ham and Salad Rolls (by G)

 

 

Soft-shelled Crab....then Beer and Crisps (by Biggs)

Okay, this was my error. I did bad. Really bad.

I love soft-shelled crab. It's one of my favourites, but usually order them in delightful little Japanese izakayas. What possessed me to order them in a dodgy bowls club I have no idea. The red flags started when the guy taking my order stared at me blankly and called over the chef. He didn't realise they had soft-shelled crab on the menu....concerning. The chef seemed only marginally more sure about the fact but was also clearly stoned as all fuck. More red flags.

I have no idea where they found these crabs but I don't think they'd seen the light of day for quite some time. The batter was cold and fatty but by far and away the best thing on the plate. I took one bite into the black, tarry crab, immediately deposited it into a napkin then RAN AWAY.

Horrifying.

Instead, for dinner, I picked up some beer and crisps on the way home. Much less horrifying.

'Sri Lankan' Curry (by G)

Chicken Schnitzel (by Biggs)

Okay, I officially feel like I'm on holidays now. I'm over on Straddie and will be for the foreseeable future. In fact, after an amazing day today, I'm considering never leaving.

I headed straight to the beach, then to the pub and after a big walk on the beach finishing with the Gorge Walk I was ready for dinner.

The closest eating place to where I'm staying is the Bowls Club which I have very fond memories of from many camping trips with mates over the years. This time I was dining solo but found it just as warm and inviting as I remember.

I went for the classic chicken schnitzel with gravy and was thrilled to be given the option of buffet style veges. G and I were recently introduced to the genius idea of two types of potato on a plate so I used this opportunity to give it a try. Mashed potato AND chips? Yes!

Dinner was most excellent. I've been wandering around all day sighing and muttering "perfect", "yes", "awesome" all day and dinner was no different.

Slow Roasted Lamb and Cold Veg (by G)

Leftovers (by Biggs)

Tonight didn't go accordingly. I was meant to be at the Eat Street Markets with Kylie but, as mentioned, tonight didn't go accordingly.

Luckily I had some leftovers in the fridge to eat for dinner. It's rare for a sausage to be leftover in our house but I'd blatantly lied to G about the number of sausages we owned just in case a situation like this came up. Well played I say, though do acknowledge I've ruined any hope of future sibling trust. In my defence, G (rightly!) hides alcohol and cured meats from me all the time.

The sausage was better the next day, the potato much much worse.

Korean Short-rib Stew (by G)

 

 

 

Sausages and Veges (by Biggs)

I had intended on a vegetarian dinner after G overlooked it last night but then got lazy and didn't want to wander any further than the local deli to gather some groceries. Sure, I guess I could have still gone with vegetarian but the handmade sausages were all too inviting.

The local deli is brilliant; full of fresh, interesting, local produce but the customer service is terrible. You almost have to beg to buy something from here. So, unsurprisingly I was given the wrong sausages. I'd asked for Italian, they gave me pork and fennel. But, being mistakenly given pork sausages is a pretty happy problem.

I served them with a side of asparagus, zucchini and snap peas as well as a potato mash, parsley mixed through both. G had some leftover bacon in the fridge which I graciously offered to use up and so mixed that through the veges as well.

Excellent!

Korean Chicken Necks (by G)

Yucatecan Tortillas (by Biggs)

G brought me a pretty cool present back from overseas - a cookbook entitled 'Yucatecan Cuisine from Hacienda Teya' which I decided to use immediately. I don't know if G ate at Hacienda Teya but, if he did, based on the deliciousness of tonight's dinner, he would have had a great time. In saying that, I did replace and disregard a lot of ingredients in the recipe.

1. I replaced handmade corn tortillas with shop bought flour tortillas
2. I replaced annatto paste with chili flakes, oregano, cumin and pepper. I should probably in fact say I didn't use annatto paste. What I used instead could be in no way be considered a replacement. Annatto from what I can tell is red. Just....red.....and becomes a paste when mixed with oregano, cumin, black pepper, peppercorns, garlic, cloves and vinegar.
3. I replaced sour oranges with grapefruit
4. I forgot lettuce leaves even though G offered me his second successful homegrown lettuce.

Dinner was great - I totally overcooked the chicken but it didn't seem to matter....still super tasty. I was particularly proud of my pickled red onions.

Prawn Salad (by G)

The weather is kind of warm so I thought it best to have something cold and refreshing for dinner. I find nothing more refreshing than something that takes virtually no effort.

I took some cooked prawns and mixed them with a whole bunch of chopped coriander, a finely diced jalapeno, cucumber, cubed mango, shallot and packet coleslaw left over from last night... not forgetting a spindly homegrown lettuce. For the dressing I mixed about half a jar of mayonnaise with some savoury hot sauce. Add some crispy flat bread and viola - there's your dinner.

This meal came out to about $16 a portion but the lettuce was all profit - imagine how much it would have cost if I had to buy that shit.

Hot Dog (by Biggs)

So, I officially started holidays this weekend but haven't quite slipped into holiday mode yet. Perhaps it was my hangover from yesterdays pub crawl but I spent most of today huddled in bed ignoring the world. I even cancelled on dinner with a friend....a massive regret upon reflection because the company probably would have been healthy for me but also because he's an amazing cook.

Later in the evening I wandered the streets looking for dumplings or Japanese or something great but most places were closed and I'd pretty much given up. I knew there was a Lord of the Fries near my hotel so picked up a vege hot dog on the way back. The first bite was pretty good, the next uninspiring, the rest fairly terrible. Probably not their fault given my mood.

But, that is an awful lot of tomato sauce on my fries given I asked for no sauce.

Hotdogs (by G)

My first time cooking in over a month - best keep it simple. I had a craving for sausage sizzle the other day so hotdogs...

Firstly I slow, slow cooked some onions until they were almost a liquid. Then quick fried some strips of bacon until they were very crispy. Along with some soft rolls were fried pork sausages and avocado seasoned with rice wine vinegar (I forgot to get limes). A bit of packet coleslaw and what you have is a pretty gourmet hotdog.

Mac n Cheese, Poutine and Greens (by Biggs)

Mid-way through a pub crawl today, Red and I decided we should probably line our stomachs with some food. It was probably too late in the game for this evasive action but the food was delicious none-the-less.

We were at a fairly unassuming bar that Red knew had an awesome menu....including poutine which she's missed since being back from living in Canada.

So, we obviously ordered poutine, my pick was spicy Mac n Cheese, then at the last minute we decided we should order something green. We went with the 'daily greens' of asparagus....fortunately the is place douse their greens with cheese and salt. Exactly how I like a green.

Awesome dinner.

Airline Beef Thing and Things (by G)

Touché Hombre (by Biggs)

I was in Melbourne for work today and my work meeting with Nick turned into beers with Nick which turned into dinner with Nick and he chose this Mexican number in which to feast. And feast we did, ordering virtually everything on the menu, several tacos, several quesadillas, tasty little tostadas, chips and dips....beers. Because of all the beers I'd consumed by this point I didn't really do the dinner justice but fuck it was good. I liked my selection of chorizo and potato quesadillas the best because....chorizo.

Based on the name I'd expected to be taken to some sort of seedy, tacky Mexican dive in a back ally somewhere but it turned out to be a very popular, totally trendy Melbourne hotspot. Nick and his girlfriend discovered it by being rewarded with a Touché Hombre voucher for finding and returning a ladies wallet dropped in the street outside their house. If being considerate, kind and helpful results in delicious Mexican like this I think I might need to look into this 'good deeds' business.

Pretzels (by G)

Pizza (by Biggs)

Seriously, this is getting out of control. I really truly thought I would make an effort to eat healthy and interestingly while G was on holidays but that really truly did not happen. I'm seriously close to being on holidays myself so decided to celebrate with some good old fashioned laziness tonight.

No more (pizza), it's the law.

Mr Chicken (by G)

Chicken (by Biggs)

Working really late tonight so I decided on a take-away chicken dinner for, er....dinner. I think the potato was Deb which I usually have a nostalgic love for but tonight I just found it all a bit depressing.

Queso Relleno and Empanadas (by G)

Hot Dog (by Biggs)

Fuck yeah! This was good. Bonnie and I had a bit of a fail recently when we tried to go Red Hook while it was closed but we tried again and were rewarded for our persistence.

I went with a hot dog which was totally awesome with a kransky, pickle and crispy fried shallots. The chilli cheese fries were tops too with a big chunk of slow cooked beef topping some salty, crispy fries.

I also had quite a bit of beer. Happy days!

Cochinita Pilbil (by G)

Thai Fish Cakes (by Biggs)

Wow. Average Thai place up the road twice in a week. Things are out of control. Most of their food is pretty average and the constant emptiness of the restaurant in a buzzing suburb is off putting but the do make a great Thai fish cake.

Heaps of flavour. Some might say too much kaffir lime leaf but I love the bitty sourness.

Sausage (by G)

Wine (by Biggs)

After last night I didn't think I'd ever drink wine again. Not only did I drink it again but I've replaced food with it.

Hotel Chicken (by G)

The Vietnamese Restaurant (by Biggs)

YES! My friend Fiona is back from holidays so she, Kirst and I immediately headed to The Vietnamese Restaurant for too much wine and a cheap and cheerful dinner.

We started with some spring rolls and dim sims with too much wine then moved onto mains with too much wine.

Fi and Kirst won ordering with their choices of crispy duck and mushrooms as well as chili tofu and vegetables. Both excellent. My choice of BBQ pork and noodles was a bit average but was mightily enhanced with....too much wine.

I was most pleased with being given the honour of taking home the leftovers. I think Fi and Kist are just worried that I'm not surviving without G cooking for me....and I'm not. I also definitely won't survive if I keep drinking this much wine.

Booze (by G)

"Chicken" and Salad (by Biggs)

I thought it was time for me to "cook" dinner so I sliced up some salad and threw some pre-crumbed "chicken" in the oven. The box tried to assure me this was "real chicken" but I've got my doubts. Perhaps there was some beak and claws crushed up into the crumb but I really think that must have been it when it came to "real chicken".

Probably a good balance of good versus evil on a plate but never again with the "real chicken".

Fish by the Beach (by G)

Pork Pad See Ew (by Biggs)

There's a fairly average Thai restaurant up the road which I probably only go to once a year, if that. It is awfully convenient to our house though and tonight that convenience won out. Pad See Ew is one of my favourites. Pork is my favourite. Dinner was actually pretty good.

I hope G comes home at some stage though. I can't keep living like this.

Snacks... again... (by G)

Chinese Meal (by G)

Pasta (by Biggs)

And when I said, 'Never Again' I meant - again tonight. So uninspiring but too lazy to shop and too lazy to cook properly. This living alone lifesyle is getting a bit out of control.

I'm definitely going to die of scurvy.

Tortellini (by Biggs)

How insipid does this look? Packet tortellini, packet sauce - never again.

Trio of Tortillas (by G)

 

 

Hot Smoked Salmon and Salad (by Biggs)

Lazy Monday! Super lazy Monday! I chopped a few things. I unpacketed some salmon. That's right - I did not hot smoke this salmon myself. Surprised? I think not.

I chose yellow capsicum because I thought it would look pretty on the plate. Hmmm....that's awfully close to breaking our one rule of not pandering to the blog.

Tasty dinner though regardless of laziness.

Seafood Stew (by G)

 

 

 

Left-over Indian (by Biggs)

When I ordered Indian the other night my eyes were bigger than my stomach and I didn't even make a dent in this lamb korma. I was mighty happy tonight to remember this was in the fridge. It was delicious. We all know take-away Indian is better the next day....especially when it means you don't have to leave your house to find dinner.

Snacks (by G)

Pork Yiros (by Biggs)

Saturday night calls for my favourite (closest) take away. A pork yiros from Lefkas! Fuck me they do this pork well - charry and good. I feel like there's been many pork yiros posts on the blog so nothing further to add other than it was DELICIOUS. I ate it in bed watching movies. Messy.

Pozole (by G)

Pozole is a soupy pork and corn stew - why would I not want that? I wandered about looking for a place to get it but most of the restaurants in Oaxaca that had it on the menu appeared a bit too romantic for me to dine alone at.  Eventually I found a place - kind of like a sandwich bar - that had it.

Sadly the stew turned out to be pretty bland - I managed to get it to taste like something by adding a large quantity of lime juice and pickled chilli. Amusingly I was only given a knife and fork to eat it with. Oddly ´spoon´ is one of the words in Spanish that I just can´t remember - I know it is similar to ´knife´ but that is another word that I have trouble remembering so not helpful. In the end I just stole the spoon from the communal pickled chilli dish. Somehow that seemed more honourable than debasing myself by miming a spoon.

Indian Take-away (by Biggs)

Today was stressful and somewhat disappointing so I did afternoon beer drinking. We all know afternoon beer drinking leads to a take-away curry. I picked up a spicy Malai Kofta, potato and cheese dumplings. One of my favourites. There were also dinner beers.

Consume and Corn (by G)

I thought I would scavange dinner from the carts around the plaza in Oaxaca as a sort of progressive meal. Hotdogs and Hamburgers are common but I´ve had both of these recently. Apart from potato chips and sugary drinks the options are pretty limited. I found a taco cart that also did consume - onion, corinader, chilli sauce and finely chopped animal parts topped off with a meat broth. The organ meat made the soup fairly bitter but a squeeze of lime mellowed that out. It´s a really moreish combination.

Eventually I decided I should probably try the boiled corn that everyone is so fond of - Elotes (I think). I got one with the lot - mayonnaise, cheese and chilli powder a bit like paprika. I regret getting the chilli powder, it didn´t have much heat, tasted like dirt and ended up all over me. Still, the corn was very good.

After that I took a little break to get a drink and did the thing I´m not supposed to do by proving to the Mexicans how much I can drink. I managed to find one of the most disreputable drinking establishments Í´ve ever been in and proceeded to get loaded. Any thoughts of additional food were eradicated.

Spag Bog (by Biggs)

Challenge FAILED! It's taken me six days to get to day three of "7 days of vegetarian spag bog". The spag big is great, I'm pretty chuffed with how tasty it is but boy I'm uninspired to go any further with the challenge. I've had it too good for too long with such a variety of delicious dinners living with G.