A Floral Table

Here are some photographs of a table I did a while back. Very floral! I used the cupcakes as a centrepiece and the arranged the flowers in glasses :) Enjoy!

Macaroons!

So here are the results of my first attempt at making macaroons! Raspberry and rosewater flavoured. As you might remember, (if you are an avid and obsessive reader of my blog- which I'm sure of), I took a macaroons cooking class sometime in May at Atelier des Chefs Dubai. This is the first time I make them on my own!- and my second time to make them in total. I tried making them once when I was a total newbie at baking and they ended up looking like soup so that attempt OF COURSE does not count! ;)

Enjoy the pictures!

xx

A Table, a Main Course, and a Dessert

Food Around the World: Entry 2

Here are some random pictures of food and food related things around the world. This entry is not specific to one country because as I mentioned in the last entry (which was about Turkey- the country), I do not have sufficient pictures of food... hmm...

So without further ado...

This is Djemaa el Fna in Marrakech. It's multi-purpose square full of people who sell water, snake charmers, dancers, musicians, and food stalls. This picture was taken during night time when all the food stalls are set up.

- December 2007

This is where my love of macaroons began! Gerard Mulot in Paris. On a quiet street on a Sunday afternoon. They had the best chocolate tarts there as well..

-June, 2008

Caffe Latte with icecream and frothy cream.

-Rome, August 2007
Marrakech, the first Moroccan tea I ever had! I love making it myself now.. it's very easy. All you need are some gunpowder tea leaves, mint, water, and LOTS of sugar!

Food Around the World: Turkey

Hello and welcome to my first entry in a series called "Food Around the World". These entries are basically going to contain pictures of restaurants I've visited, food I've eaten (and seen and coveted), and what the entertaining/food culture is like in that country. Since I just came up with this idea today and have not had a chance (as yet!) to teleport around the world snapping shots of food, I'm afraid the photographs in some entries won't exactly be spot on. Had I known about this wonderful idea of mine a few years back, I would have made an effort to be more specific or focused in taking pictures of food and all the lovely things that accompany it!

So here is my first entry: Turkey. I visited Turkey in July-August of 2009 and was instantly in love with its color, culture, history, vibrance, dynamicism (if that's a word), and all that jazz. Istanbul has wonderful food (albeit a LOT of it is kebab, kebab, and more kebab) served in beautiful locations. You can enjoy a full meal sitting in an award-winning restaurant in a five star hotel near Istiklal or you can lavish in an enriching meal served at the lokanta around the corner.

Here are four of my favourite eating places in Istanbul and Bursa.

1- HAMDI restaurant in Eminonu. This restaurant is three storeys high. Ask to sit at the top floor. The views are wonderful. You can see the New Mosque (which is my favourite) and the Sulaimaniye Mosque. Hamdi is well known for its wonderful hot bread and of course, kebabs!

2-Mikla @ Marmara Pera hotel. This restaurant is "the" chic, sleek, smooth restaurant in Istanbul. It has a wonderful rooftop bar.

3- Iskanderi! @ Bursa... this is where the famous Iskandari kebab was invented! It's lamb kebab with rice and a special yogurt! Tastes fantastic.

4- Il Porto- this restaurant serves up Mediterranean, mainly Italian, food in a beautiful outdoorsy location in a very good neighbourhood of Istanbul. I was staring at the view more than eating the food but the combination is fabulous!!!

COOKING ALATURKA: http://www.cookingalaturka.com/

This is a lovely restaurant-cum-cooking school where I took a cooking class at. The place is managed by a lovely Dutch lady called Eveline and Chef Feyzi. The cooking classes are intimate and very hands on.. I am horrible at chopping, always have been, and learned some invaluable tips while there! The best thing about the place is that you get to have a lovely lunch afterwards enjoying the food you've made with everyone in your cooking class. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning in Istanbul.

Some of thousands of kitties that I fed while in Turkey!!

Zucchini fritters and green beans

The other main dish

Lentil soup
Amazingly sticky and sweet fig dessert

Cooking @ Cooking Alaturka
The knife that looked like a fish!!

Spices @ the Spice Bazaar!

The pool at Mikla *drool*@ the view
Again, cooking at Cooking Alaturka

Waffle stand!
A.... WATERMELON! outside a lokanta

Tea leaves

The largest scoop of icecream ever.

More icecream.
Turquoise ceramic dishes that are so Turkish!

Outside a little grocery store

Playing checkers- Turkish men and a Japanese tourist. I wish the picture had turned out better though.
Rose tea leaves
What the tea is served in once it's brewed.

The view from Mikla
This is what the terrace opens up to at Il Porto

View from the top floor of Hamdi

The rooftop lounge at Mikla

Food stand around midnight in Sultanahmet