Tuesday, 2 February 2010

The Best and The Worst

Well, Voting is closed and it's time to announce the winners and loser for the 365 Days of Food.



The Best


A tie for first was no real surprise with many ties in the weekly polling (and frankly, I think some people are voting specifically to get ties) which in the was split 3-ways.

Day 20 - Happy Garden Thai
Day 20 was the fantastic Thai food at the Happy Garden Thai Restaurant in Shek O. Those of you fast enough with your number may also notice that this was a Valentine's Day meal. Upon looking at the photos after the meal I couldn't decide which I liked best so put them all in!
Day 20 - Happy Garden Thai


Day 43 - Bimbo Deluxe Caesar Pizza
Ahh. Bimbo's Pizza. Bimbo's Caesar Salad on a Pizza.
People are always taken a little aback when they hear it for the first time, but after tasting it for the first time I was hard pressed to order anything else (although the Agnello with Spiced Lamb, Sultanas, Lemon and a huge pile of Rocket is also damn good).
Day 43 - Bimbo Deluxe Caesar Pizza


Day 201 - Cherries
Day 201 should really count as a studio type shot. It certainly wasn't the snap-a-second-before-digging-in that most of the photos were. Remote, tripod, off-camera flash, wireless flash triggers and a large white reflector were all necessary to bring together a simple portrait of the fruit. Still, nothing better than munching on some cherries while you're packing up your camera equipment!
Day 201 - Cherries




The Worst



Day 9 - Cinema Hotdogs and a Giant Coke
Day 9. So early on in the 365, I was still adhering to a "interesting food is better than a great photo" dogma when I took this shot. And really, this is a terrible shot. Pop-up Flash, barely any food visible and Hotdogs aren't exactly glamorous. This was a standout poor shot and got voted as such, easily besting (or "worsting") all contenders.
Day 9 - Cinema Hotdogs and a Giant Coke

Monday, 1 February 2010

Day 365 - Chicken Tandoor Pizza @ Mojo's Weird Pizza

Well, this photo completes 365 Days of Food. Although some photos were uploaded a little late (this one especially!) I managed to take a photo of the food I ate every single day for a year. As it turns out, it ends on the 25th of January, the day before Australia Day, with not a very special meal. Considering that we also opened with a not very special photo, I suppose this is somewhat fitting.

We ordered take-away pizza from the Richmond pizzeria Mojo's Weird PIzza. Fairly quick service and great pizzas, this place certainly warrants a return.

Friday, 29 January 2010

Day 364 - Metropolitan Chicken Burger

A fantastic Chicken Burger at a pub on Bridge Rd who's name current eludes me.

Day 363 - Jelly!


Day 363 - Jelly!, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

24 Litres of Jelly!!!

Yes, once again it's a food challenge. Last time I was in Melbourne we had a Viennetta Challenge and this time it's Jelly.

The Challenge was to finish 4L of Jelly , which turned out to be much more difficult than expected. In fact, it took me 4 hours and 19 minutes with a long break in the middle to have dinner!

Monday, 25 January 2010

Day 362 - Vegetarian Feast @ Soul Mama

The all-vegetarian, semi-buffet style dining at Soul Mama in St Kilda is fantastic. This restaurant offers views of the setting sun over Port Phillip Bay (but it's probably best not to spend your entire meal looking into the sun)!

Trouble in old Melbournetown

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the slight delay in the last few photos, I seem to be having some problems uploading photos to flickr on the dodgy Australian connection. But things seem to have slightly improved and I'll hopefully be able to get those last few photos up soon!

Cheers,
Joe

PS. Today (Monday 25th) is the 365th day!

Day 361 - Beef with Rice


Day 361 - Beef with Rice, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

Certainly not a great meal when the highlight is the James Squire Golden Ale (not that it's bad)!

Day 360 - Clams with Chilli


Day 360 - Clams with Chilli, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

A final dinner before I fly back to Melbourne.

Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Day 359 - Thai Green Curry


Day 359 - Thai Green Curry, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

Another photo of Green Curry in my rice bowl. This is because, despite how delicious it is and how much I love it, a large bowl of pale green liquid with some leaves floating in it isn't exactly photogenic!

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Day 358 - Tomato Mince Beef with Rice and a Fried Egg

Lunch at my desk again! A Bolognese type sauce on white rice, with a small amount of Vegie and a Fried Egg on top!

A delicious and cheap lunch from the LG7 food court at work.

Monday, 18 January 2010

Day 357 - Steak and Chicken Fajitas

... with Mini Chicken and Bacon Cheddar Beef Mini Burgers in the background and a Carolina Chicken Salad way out back. A quite expensive lunch at Ruby Tuesday's in Shatin.

Day 356 - Mango Sweet Tofu


Day 356 - Mango Sweet Tofu, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

This is a fantastic, fairly common Chinese dessert. Silken Tofu topped with Mango and puréed Mango. Sweet, Soft and delicious.

Day 355 - Pea and Scallop Salad


Day 355 - Pea and Scallop Salad, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

Home-cooked family dinner. Steamed fish and poached greens in the background.

Friday, 15 January 2010

Day 354 - Hot Pot


Day 354 - Hot Pot, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

We had a fairly big group for Hot Pot last night. We decided to go for a half and half soup base, where one side was a mild soup and the other was a tongue numbing, eye watering, super hot, spicy concoction.

De--my-mouth-is-on-fire--licious!!

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Day 353 - Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Another quick post-run lunch at my desk.

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Day 352 - Baked Dough Balls


Day 352 - Baked Dough Balls, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

Last time I was at PizzaExpress I ordered a salad that arrived with these dough balls on the side. They were great. So great, in fact, that I thought: "maybe next time I can just order the Dough Balls?" and so I did. Unfortunately, I was slightly less impressed this time, I was expecting them to arrive hot and soft and pillow-y in the middle (like last time). It wasn't to be... Next time I think I'll just go back to a regular salad!

Day 351 - Satay Beef with Sweet Potato Noodles in Hot and Sour Soup

This is limited time dish served at the Cha Chaan Teng at HKUST and since I enjoyed it so much last time, I decided to try the Satay Beef version this time.

Delicious

Monday, 11 January 2010

Polling is Back!

365 Days of Food resized


Hi Everybody,

Since it's just 2 short weeks* till the end of the 365 Days of Food, we're having final polls. Two! The first being the Best Photo of the 365 Days of Food and the second being Worst Photo of the 365 Days of Food. The shortlist for each of the polls was compiled mostly by me, but with a little feedback. If there's an image you particularly like, that's not here, let me know and I'll try to sneak it in. As per usual, feel free to vote on as many items as you like. Voting will be open until the 25th of January, midnight, the final night* of the 365 Days of Food.


* On the topic of the "end" of the 365 Days of Food, it turns out that I made something of a mistake when starting on the first day of the Chinese New Year (January 26th, 2009). The next Chinese New Year Festival doesn't happen until the 14th of February, which makes for 385 days in this Chinese Calendar Year. As it turns out the Chinese Calendar normally has 353-355 days in a year except for a leap year... where they have a whole extra month! And this year is a leap year, thus the 385 in this Chinese Calendar Year.

So... should I persist until the end of the Chinese Year, making 385 days in my "365 Days of Food" or should I just stop on Australia Day (which I'll be celebrating in Australia). I haven't decided yet, but am open to suggestions!

Vote Away!

Sunday, 10 January 2010

Day 350 - Sugared Donut and Coffee

Just a light (and very sugary!) lunch before an afternoon long run.

Day 349 - Indomie Instant Noodles

As I've stated before, I rather like instant noodles. My favourites are the Indomie which is a "dry" spicy Indonesian noodle and the Nissin Tonkotsu which is a Japanese Pork Bone flavoured soup noodle.

Day 348 - Smoked Turkey Sandwich


Day 348 - Smoked Turkey Sandwich, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

A post-run sandwich at my desk. As it turns out the Smoked Turkey Sandwiches are much better than the Ham Sandwiches at HKUST's Cafe.

Friday, 8 January 2010

Day 347 - Spaghetti Carbonara


Day 347 - Spaghetti Carbonara, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

So Easy!

Cook a 1/2 to 3/4 of a packet of pasta (I used a whole pack - probably too much spaghetti) until al dente,

Fry 1 finely chopped onion (red here, but brown is better), with ~6 rashes of bacon until crispy,

Well mix approximately 6 tablespoons of Parmesan, 2 eggs, ~1/2 cup of cream and white pepper to taste,

After the Bacon and Onion is cooked add the pasta to the pan and when everything is hot pour in the mixed sauce while furiously stirring.

Serve! Feeds ~4-6 depending on appetite.

I love a salad so included the only thing I could find rocket in, but was too lazy to include halved cherry tomatoes, carrot and cucumber (which would have gone well).

Thursday, 7 January 2010

Day 346 - Crispy Fried Rice with Chicken

Normally called Bo Jai Fan, this is a traditional Chinese dish cooked in claypots where the rice gets charred, crispy and delicious on the bottom.

Day 345 - Japanese Chicken Curry with Rice

Back to an old favourite.

Tuesday, 5 January 2010

Day 344 - Sandwich in a Bowl


Day 344 - Sandwich in a Bowl, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

Finally, after often finding it sold-out after a spot of lunchtime climbing, I got to enjoy a Sandwich-in-a-Bowl. I really enjoy salads, and often here in Hong Kong, there's not enough variety.

Monday, 4 January 2010

Day 343 - Roll-in-a-Roll


Day 343 - Roll-in-a-Roll, originally uploaded by JoeGray.

Another lunchtime treat: a return to the old days of Melbourne High School.

Sunday, 3 January 2010

Day 342 - Thai Pomelo Salad, Pineapple Rice and Green Curry

Take-away dinner from a Thai Restaurant. The green curry is my favourite!

Day 341 - Barbecued Chicken Wings

A Western-style barbecue on the first day of the new year.

Day 340 - Spiced Eggplant and Potato in Tomato

Dinner on New Year's Eve at a Nepalese Restaurant in SOHO. Very similar to Indian but still very good.

Day 339 - Pork with Sweet Potato Noodles in Hot and Sour Soup

Szechwan Style. Very hot, very sour, very good!