Food Hunt: 木頭車 ca Cart Cafe

You don't need a silver spoon to eat good food. Here, you could enjoy some great food that's full of childhood memories. Ca Cart Cafe was opened in 2019 at Beach street but I didn't have chance to pay a visit as the place is a little far from my house and is not so convenient to park car. This year, they have moved to a new place located at Burma road, which is just opposite to my church. The cafe is a small shop with a few seats inside. The design gives me a homey feeling with wooden classic house setting.

There are some wooden benches or wooden chairs outside the shop so that the customers could have a seat while waiting to be seated inside. I was quite disappointed as I had been waiting for around 20 minutes outside and the person that served us was not very friendly.

The menu is written in an old fashioned exercise book. Creative!

  

I had the chance to try their signature pork lard rice, curry fish balls and  fried dumplings. But, I waited for 45 minutes for the food. I was super hungry that time. Haha!

Their pork lard rice (RM5) was not bad! The combination of deep fried pork lard and soy sauce made the rice flavourful. The addition of half-cooked egg yolk was amazing! Yum!

Curry fish balls (RM6) and fried dumplings (RM10) were not bad too! The curry fish balls taste like the Hong Kong style one and was placed in a cute boat-shape bowl. The fried dumplings were crispy and stuffed with a lot of ingredients inside. 

We also ordered red bean soup (RM4) and honeydew sago (RM5) as dessert. That was a home-style red bean soup with moderate sweetness. Honeydew sago was a great thirst quencher in a hot day, with well cooked sago and suitable sweetness. 

Taste:         7/10 
Price:         8/10 
Service:     6/10
Parking:     7/10 
Ambiance: 7/10 

That's all for my food hunt this time. Stay tuned for my next food hunt! 

Outfit Sharing: Square Neck Puffy Sleeve Dress (Earthtone Series)

Chinese New Year is always an important occasion for the Chinese, especially those working apart from their family. This year, due to the Covid-19 spike, our CNY was different. No reunion, no house visiting, no gatherings and parties, but it's for everyone's own good. 

This time, I would like to share three sets of square neck puffy sleeves outfit in earthtone. Some were newly bought, and some were bought during last year end. 

1. Lacey White Floral Dress 

Sunlight is the best filter. I looked so white in this dress. White dress is so friendly and is usually a staple for most women. This square neck white dress is designed with puffy sleeves. Besides the lacey texture on the fabric, there's mini red flowers embriodered on it. This dress features transparent design on both sleeves and waist line. 

In this outfit, I matched a beautiful bowknot handbag with pearl beaded handle which is quite on trend now. This is a two-way bag, where you can hand carry it or use it as a sling bag. 

I had chosen a pair of white lace sneakers that suits the texture of my dress. Lace sneakers are perfect complement to any dress! 

2. Hearty Beige Plain Dress  

I just realized that warm colours, especially khaki series will make your skin look darker if the lighting is not right. Similarly, this is a square neck dress with puffy sleeves. It is designed with a row of buttons in front. The fabric has wrinkled texture and it enhanced the beauty of plain beige. I put on a gold hair pin and a pair of beige coloured flower earrings as light complements to the outfit. 

I matched this dress with a black sling bag with silver metal strap. The bag is such an 'all-purpose' bag where it suits all kinds of outfit well! I just found that the bag and my silver necklace are a perfect combo. 

I tried something new on the footwear this time, black leather gold-plated sneakers. This pair of sneakers is so comfy to wear and it looked great in any outfits as well! 

3. Ins Style Orange Plaid Dress

This plaid pattern dress is in orange which I seldom have chance to try on. Wearing colours that complement your skin tone will instantly make you look better. Surprisingly this colour enhances the healthy white of my skin. The sleeves are puffy as well and there's special slim cutting on the waistline. This dress is such a good choice if you're looking for some Korean fashion. 

I matched this dress with a mini ruffle hand-carry bag. It looked super cute and special! It is such a great accesories to this plain looking dress. I also tied a high half ponytail and put on a pair of egg-shaped cute earrings. 

A pair of cute white flats are so suitable in this outfit. Simple and energetic. 

That's all for this series I would like to share. Stay tuned for next post on bright tone series. 

Food Hunt: The "Tycoon" Platter @ D' Fat Mona Lisa Cafe

There are so many wonderful delicacies around us in Penang but you won't expect Mona Lisa painting element in a cafe. D' Fat Mona Lisa cafe used to be one of my favourite breakfast spots. 

The environment is quite cozy and relaxing. They exude the warmth of home. During our visit, there were a group of ladies crocheting while having their afternoon tea. 

The previous menu was simple and minimalist, but the new one is designed with newspaper concept and there were many new and creative dishes being rolled out since my last visit, including the "Tycoon" Platter. I thought it was tempting and I decided to have a try. 

I ordered a cup of hot cafe latte. A good coffee is the best way to kick start my day! 

So, the "Tycoon" Platter looks like this. A great portion for two persons. The platter has a big portion of lettuce salad, served with roasted sesame sauce and thousand island sauce. A vege lover will love it. 

I like the wholemeal croissant the most. It is stuffed with scrambled egg made with special sauce. There's a slice of sour dough with a sunny side up egg on top. The egg yolk is perfectly matched with the sour dough. The ham and cheese omelette roll-ups were the best! Mixed with ham and sausage, the fragrance of the omelette has been brought out. The cheese also melted perfectly between the ham and sausage. 

Did you notice all three items were made with eggs? These may be friendly to the egg lovers. The platter is also topped with herbs and basil, which could enhance the overall taste. But to be honest, this platter wasn't bad but it didn't wow me. The platter is too simple, which can be prepared with not much effort. It could be better if they could serve some bacon strips and mushrooms. The absence of nuts in the salad has certainly deducted some marks. But hey, on the bright side, the coffee wasn't so bad! 

Taste:         7/10 
Price:         6/10 
Service:     7/10
Parking:     8/10 
Ambiance: 7/10 

That's all for my food hunt this time. Stay tuned for my next food hunt! 

Baking Diary: Successful Basque Burnt Cheesecake

This unique looking cheesecake has become very popular since March 2020. The cheesecake is creamy and light with a caramelized surface. With a caramelized top that borders on burnt and a jiggly custardy center, Basque Cheesecake is a mind-blowingly delicious combination of textures and tastes that comes together from a handful of ingredients with just a little effort.

So, let's start! 

To make a Burnt cheesecake, you will need: 

500g    Cream Cheese (I recommend Philadelphia brand)

140g    Castor Sugar

4          Large Eggs (one at a time)

1 tsp    Vanilla Essence

250g    Whipping Cream

22g      All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Salt

I was using a 6 inch round cake pan. Line the pan with a parchment paper beforehand. 

There are only four steps in making this pretty cheesecake. Easy, right? 

1. Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl with medium-low speed until it is slightly soft and creamy. 

Add caster sugar and continue beating, scraping down sides of bowl, until very smooth and sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. 

2. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. 

You may add in vanilla together with the last egg. 

3. Pour in whipping cream slowly and combine well. 

4. Turn off the mixer and sieve in flour and salt. Fold them well by using a spatula, scrape the sides and the paddle attachment and fold again until the batter becomes smooth. Remember, don't overmix, complete this step within 2 minutes. The batter may have lumps but this is normal, don't worry. 

Sieve the batter into prepared pan to have a smoother texture. Tap the pan on the table for a few times to remove the air bubbles. 

Bake at 210-220C for 45-50 minutes or until the top is completely burnt and it has a slight jiggle to it. 

Oh, my cake was rising high! 

Yay, the cake is out from oven! It may have a dull surface. Let cool completely at room temperature then chill in the fridge for 4 hours until overnight. The cake will surely dense. Don't worry, it's normal!

After chilling in the fridge, the cake will have a very bright and golden brown surface! Heat your knife before slicing the cake to have a smooth cutting. 

That's all I would like to share about the Basque burnt cheesecake! 

Happy baking and stay tuned for my next post!