Product Talk:Squeeze & Stir Heinz Soup

I recently volunteered to help Nuffnang do a review  for Heinz who has just launched a line of handy squeeze soup packs.  In return for this product talk by Nuffnang, I have received free soup and such.  Anyone keen can be part of this too.  Just visit this link here.  While there was not requirement to post this, I decided to do this because the product was actually pretty decent.  The product I received this time was Heinz’s Squeeze and Stir instant soup.  It actually just reached me last Friday and in the box, I had 2 sachets and a mug with a soup spoon! All that you would need to make it work, really.

 

Sunday saw a massive storm tormenting the state and this could not have come in any more handy.  With trees falling, going out for lunch during the storm is definitely not a choice.  So for my morning lunch, I had the soup.  The overall taste is pretty damn close to a quality tomato soup.  It was salty, sweet and hmm pretty yums actually. 

 

Unfortunately though, the only thing that was less than satisfactory is the consistency of the soup. A typical tomato soup for me has to be thick but this felt nowhere near thick. Also, you do not get much tomato bites pieces. Nonetheless, you do get small pieces of herbs and onions which were pretty decent. I guess it is hard to complain when you are dealing with instant food.

Over all, I am thankful to be included by Nuffnang for their product talk!  While this soup did not have all the qualities of a homemade one, this one was pretty damn good for one of a packet.  There was the ripeness of the tomato, saltiness was not overboard and this all made it fairly good.

 

WenY

Bites: Rasa Nyonya @ Victoria Park

My typical Saturday bite is a good fix of Nasi Lemak and a whole lot of other goodies.  Unfortunately, that only happens in Malaysia.  Nonetheless, if you are craving for a little goodie with a twist of exciting yet authentic flavours, perhaps Rasa Nyonya might be your pick.  The term “Nyonya” to my knowledge originates from the term “Baba & Nyonya” which is a Malaccan term for a certain mixed race of Peranakan Chinese.  Typically, Nyonya food often revolves about a concoction of sweetness, spiciness, saltiness with a hint of sourness. For me, that was what we had tonight.

Random decor!

 

For this table of four, we ordered dishes which were highly recommended by our Asian peers. 

Ikan Assam Gulai Pedas, was one of the dishes we ordered that night.  The slices of fish cooked in a broth rich in spices and flavour went with rice.  While the fish was not overcooked, the fillet slices were not the best fish to use for this considering how much the texture has deviated from what I am typical accustomed to back home.  The sauce which sweet, and sour with a hint of spiciness! Definitely yums for me!  However though,an unpleasant sensation was inevitable as the sauce was gritty due to the herbs and spices that was blended for this dish. 

 

Special Egg Tofu was another dish we had today.  This was one was pretty special albeit a little on the sweet side.  The dish to me consisted of two main components, an egg component which acts as a binder and the other, diced fried bean curd.  The omelette held the tofu together before being topped with fresh garnish with a mix of sweet chilli sauce and sweet dark soy.  This is pretty unique and I’m pretty sure the sweet tooths Nee and Fishman enjoyed it a whole lot!

 

The last dish was my favourite for the night.  This is a classic butter prawn with egg floss rather than an oatmeal coating.  Generous servings of egg floss made the ordinary prawns absolutely lip smacking!  Present also is the fragrance of the curry leaves which added another taste to the prawns.  Back home this is an absolute favourite in my family.  The thought of having steamed rice with the prawns covered in fragrant and crisp egg floss is almost impossible to resist!

 

Overall our meal was pretty decent.  Coming here tonight, it is clear that Rasa Nyonya has more to offer other than the Nasi Lemak that I have been having here for the past years.  While this might seem a little premature considering the 3 dishes were the few out of the many more served, their chef recommendations seem rather good too!  When I come back next time, it’ll definitely be to try the salted egg dishes as well as the kankung belacan!  Other than the food, Rasa Nyonya also serves up some of the Malaysian classic drinks such teh tarik, milo dinasaur and what not.  So would this restaurant be a yay or nay? Definitely a yay this trip!

 

WenY

Bites: Tuck Shop @ Northbridge.

It is finally good to not have Asian food for lunch at work anymore.  After a good 3 months at work, I have finally managed to visit the Tuck Shop which is no more than 5 minutes walk from my office.  Well known for its pies and other brekkie foods, this little establishment along Newcastle Street has already set a name for itself.  It is clear that Tuck Shop is a popular choice for both food and coffee considering the constant crowd it attracts as well as the mentions it gets from my office mates.

The interior of Tuck Shop is simple, neat with a touch of country I’d have  to say.

 

The Menu:

Approximately 15 choices for brunch ranging from simple toast to fancy ones with meatballs, oven roasted chorizos and such with the eggs of your choice! For lunch though, its a small selection of gourmet pies and dishes.

As the pies were all the rave at Tuck Shop, I did not bother looking further!  My choice for the afternoon was a Beef & Stilton Pie while my mates Andrew and Win had the Chicken, Vegetables and Tarragon Pie.

My choice of Beef & Stilton could not have gotten any better.  Rich, melt in your mouth beef enclosed in aN outstanding puff pastry was absolutely smashing.  Stilton as Andrew mentioned to me is a variety of strong pungent cheese like the Blue Cheese.  While the cheese taste was milder than expected, it did add some flavour which had me wondering what it was before.  Nonetheless, the pungent taste one normally gets from blue cheese is not all that obvious.  For me, the beef is really delicious as I have mentioned before, melt in your mouth!    For $12.50 this is no ordinary pie pricing.  Nonetheless, it was a good.  Unfortunately though, both Andrew and Win felt that their chicken pie lack in salt which I agree too!

 

Hand Cut Chips with Homemade Aioli to share.

Hand cut chips always seemed to get the better of these gourmet cafes promoting healthier eating habits.  For me though, the chips at the Tuck Shop were ahead of its peers but it is still, a healthy eat. For me, I have always been a fan of classic shoe string chips.  In this taste test then, this was OK only.    It’s aioli on the other hand was full of flavour which is a quality I usually look for in a dip.  Saltu, full of garlic flavour with that light pungent twist of mustard made it every bit desirable!

 

This seems like a perfect start to a long holiday drought for me.  I guess unless Australia wins the Olympics, there will not be a holiday until the 1st of October which is a good four month from now.  Tuck Shop definitely makes a name for itself in the Northbridge suburb putting out good food at fair prices.  While I know my review has come in later than other bloggers, it is always better late than never.

 

WenY