Saturday, August 31, 2013

Steves Fine Wine and Food

My friends and I went out to a bar/restaurant called Steves Fine Wine and Food on the The Avenue out near uni in Nedlands today. We went for a late night snack, drinks and a catch up. We ordered the fries with aoili, baked Turkish bread and dips platter, and my friend got the soup of the day. The food was presented very nicely and tasted just as good. 

The place looks so fancy from the outside! We thought the food might be overpriced, but it was pretty standard and what you'd expect for a Perth restaurant. There was live entertainment with a singer performing jazz songs and the atmosphere of the place was very relaxed and laid back. There was a beautiful fire place as well and heated outdoor seating where it was a bit more quiet. 

I think normally you will have to book a table, but we rocked up at around 8.30pm without a reservation and were able to find a table for four easily. The service was great and we were really happy with out first time dining here. We'd definitely go again. 

Unfortunately I didn't take my camera with me, and the photos I took on my phone didn't turn out very nice. Sorry :(



Baked Turkish bread platter with dips (unfortunately the dips weren't vegan friendly)

Friday, August 30, 2013

Marc and Angel repost #4

I'm reading new posts from the Marc and Angel Hack Life site all the time, but today I though I might share with you a new post that I read tonight. I strongly believe in a lot of the things that are written in this post, and I can say from experience at trying to apply these things to my own life and attitudes that it does indeed lead to a happier version of yourself. 

Feel free to read Marc and Angel's latest post: 8 Things Unhappy People Refuse to Admit. Let the words really sink in so that you can take away something meaningful from it. Number 1 and 7 on the list are particularly important to me. I find myself constantly telling people to make themselves their best friend. The way I see it, a best friend is always there for you. When you are sad they comfort you; they're someone whose company you enjoy; you readily forgive them for any shortcomings; you love them for who they are...and the list goes on. The person that you have to spend the most time with is yourself; become the type of person you'd want to spend every waking minute with. 

Number 7 on the list mentions being able to accept our true feelings. This is something that takes a lot of time to achieve, but will be worth it in the end. You can't fix a leaking tap if you keep telling yourself that it is the knob that is broken when really the problem is in the pipes. In much the same way, you can't resolve your own issues and problems if you aren't honest with yourself about how you feel. Sometimes admitting the truth is so difficult, but so is having to continue living with whatever problem you're facing. Choose to be the stronger version of you and face the truth head on. "Courage isn't a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.” -Jon Pertwee.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Vegan crumpets with berry compote, peanut gravel and vegan yoghurt

I came across an Instagram photo of a scrumptious looking breakfast at the South Perth cafe Gusto Food. It was homemade crumpets with berry compote, peanut gravel and yoghurt. Wow wow wow how delicious does that sound?!

This is the non-vegan version from Gusto Food (photo from here)
I love peanut anything, so this was something I really wanted to try. But I knew that it would not be the same without the yoghurt, and I was sure the homemade crumpets wouldn't be vegan friendly either. So in the end I just accepted the fact that I'd probably never get to taste this plate of breakfast goodness. 

That is until I came home yesterday and saw a packet of wholemeal crumpets that mum had bought from the grocery store. I also had some blueberries and vegan yoghurt left over from the vegan fruit pizza my friends and I made the other night. I also had peanuts left over from the bun thit nuong cha gio that I made too. It was like all the stars had aligned so that I could make my own vegan replica of Gusto Food's crumpet breakfast. I felt like a winner :P

My version didn't turn out as pretty as what Gusto Food plates up, but I know that if I ever make this again, I will know what to do right, and I guaruntee you that this is probably just as delicious as anything from the cafe. 


My vegan version
 
For my berry compote, I just cooked some berries, apple and kiwi with a bit of water and let that simmer until it had a thick consistency. 

For the peanut gravel I roasted some skinned peanuts in the oven until they browned and then processed them in the food processor once they had cooled completely. If you're roasting your own peanuts, then let them cool overnight because the peanut oil that is released during the roasting causes the gravel to clump up. You want your gravel to look more like powder. 

For the yoghurt, I added 2 tablespoons of Tofutti to a tub of vegan vanilla yoghurt to give it that thick white consistency. 

And I just got the crumpets from the packet. Yeah I cheated...but it was because I was short on time and had to go to work. 

This is one seriously great breakfast meal. Make your own, or go to Gusto Food cafe. Either way, you won't be disappointed.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

As you might know from reading earlier posts, I am on a mission to eventually watch all of the movies on the IMdB Top 250 list

I wanted a quiet night in so I watched the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (number 76 on the list). It had quite a star studded cast, with Jim Carey and Kate Winslet as the protagonists. 

It is about two people in a rocky relationship who try to erase each other from their memory. It was a very unusual movie and at times it took some time to get my head around what was happening. I think that the concept of the movie was a pretty good one. I've definitely never seen a movie quite like it, and maybe that's why it is on the top 250 list; because it certainly is memorable. 

It was a sweet movie. I like how they didn't sugar coat the idea of romance and love too much. I give it 6/10. 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Movie Poster

Here is my updated IMdB Top 250 list. Since my last post (here), I have been able to tick off two more movies from the list: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Life of Pi. Getting there slowly. 


IMdB Top 250 movies (15/02/13)


Rank
Title

1.

2.

3.

4.
Pulp Fiction (1994)

5.

6.
12 Angry Men (1957)

7.

8.

9.

10.
Fight Club (1999)

11.

12.

13.
14.
Inception (2010)

15.
Goodfellas (1990)

16.

17.

18.
Forrest Gump (1994)

19.
The Matrix (1999)

20.

21.
City of God (2002)

22.

23.
Se7en (1995)

24.

25.
Casablanca (1942)

26.

27.

28.
Rear Window (1954)

29.
Psycho (1960)

30.

31.

32.
Sunset Blvd. (1950)

33.
Memento (2000)

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.
Alien (1979)

41.
City Lights (1931)

42.

43.

44.

45.
Modern Times (1936)

46.
Citizen Kane (1941)

47.
The Shining (1980)

48.

49.
The Pianist (2002)

50.
Vertigo (1958)

51.
The Departed (2006)

52.
M (1931)

53.

54.
Taxi Driver (1976)

55.

56.

57.
Toy Story 3 (2010)

58.

59.
Aliens (1986)

60.
WALL·E (2008)

61.

62.

63.
Intouchables (2011)

64.
Gladiator (2000)

65.

66.
Amelie (2001)

67.

68.

69.
The Prestige (2006)

70.

71.

72.
Das Boot (1981)

73.

74.

75.

76.
77.

78.

79.

80.

81.
Chinatown (1974)

82.

83.

84.
Braveheart (1995)

85.

86.
Oldboy (2003)

87.

88.

89.
Amadeus (1984)

90.
Metropolis (1927)

91.
RashƓmon (1950)

92.

93.

94.

95.
Unforgiven (1992)

96.

97.

98.
The Sting (1973)

99.

100.
Raging Bull (1980)

101.

102.
Die Hard (1988)
103.

104.

105.

106.
A Separation (2011)

107.

108.
Downfall (2004)

109.
Yojimbo (1961)

110.

111.

112.
Snatch. (2000)

113.

114.

115.
Up (2009)

116.

117.

118.
Toy Story (1995)

119.

120.
Heat (1995)

121.
The General (1926)

122.

123.
Blade Runner (1982)

124.
Rebecca (1940)

125.
Gran Torino (2008)

126.

127.
Fargo (1996)

128.
The Kid (1921)

129.
Scarface (1983)

130.

131.

132.
Ran (1985)

133.

134.
The Avengers (2012)

135.

136.

137.
Sin City (2005)

138.

139.

140.

141.

142.
Jaws (1975)

143.

144.

145.
Platoon (1986)

146.
The Thing (1982)

147.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)

148.
High Noon (1952)

149.
Casino (1995)

150.

151.

152.

153.

154.
Warrior (2011)

155.
Annie Hall (1977)

156.

157.

158.
Notorious (1946)

159.

160.

161.

162.

163.

164.

165.

166.
Finding Nemo (2003)

167.

168.

169.

170.

171.
Network (1976)

172.
Ben-Hur (1959)

173.

174.

175.

176.
Stand by Me (1986)

177.
Donnie Darko (2001)

178.
Black Swan (2010)

179.
Life of Pi (2012)
180.

181.

182.

183.

184.

185.
Mary and Max (2009)

186.

187.
Persona (1966)

188.
Gandhi (1982)

189.
The Graduate (1967)

190.
The Killing (1956)

191.

192.

193.
(1963)

194.

195.

196.
The Artist (2011/I)

197.
The Hustler (1961)

198.

199.
La strada (1954)

200.

201.
Rocky (1976)

202.

203.

204.
The Exorcist (1973)

205.
Stalag 17 (1953)

206.
Rope (1948)

207.
Sleuth (1972)

208.
Barry Lyndon (1975)

209.

210.

211.

212.
District 9 (2009)

213.

214.
Argo (2012)

215.
Stalker (1979)

216.

217.

218.

219.

220.

221.
Ip Man (2008)

222.
Ratatouille (2007)

223.

224.

225.

226.

227.
Star Trek (2009)

228.

229.

230.

231.
Harvey (1950)

232.

233.
La haine (1995)

234.

235.

236.

237.
Rain Man (1988)

238.
Incendies (2010)

239.
The Wrestler (2008)

240.
Nosferatu (1922)

241.

242.
Mystic River (2003)

243.
Manhattan (1979)

244.
3 Idiots (2009)

245.

246.
Papillon (1973)

247.
Big Fish (2003)

248.

249.

250.