Heavenly Paradise@AdelineAng.com

Snooty Fox Pub is strategically located in the heart of downtown Fredericton. It’s my favourite pub in town!

Their comprehensive and innovative food menu offers food items such as salads, sandwiches, soups, steaks, fish & chips, pot pies, maple curry pasta, Thai coconut shrimp, Thai green curry etc. I was very surprised with the new Thai dishes on menu! I didn’t try them and therefore, won’t be able to tell if they tasted authentic :P I’ll save that for my next visit.

Snooty Fox is one of the very few places where I’d go back and try the same food items, because they are so good! A nice meal with my roomies on a breezy winter evening ;)

Poutine… the best in Fredericton!

Guinness Steak Pie with green salad and Italian dressing that I ordered. Yumm…

Bruschetta, nicely toasted and topped with fresh tomatoes and melted cheese. Think you’ve tasted the best bruschetta? Not until you try this!

Sweet potato fries with tangy Cajun sauce.

Caesar salad with bacon bits and croutons.

Fish & chips with tartar sauce and coleslaw. A big serving of fries!

Here are some other food items I tried during previous visits:

Cheesy and flavourful French onion soup. Delicious!

BBQ chicken nacho, with salsa sauce and sour cream on the side.

This is one of the best items on menu! Creamy artichoke and spinach dip with pita bread and tortilla chips.

Looking for some healthy fast food options? The sub sandwich at Subway restaurant could be one of them! Established in 1965, the Subway chain has expanded over the years. Currently, there are 30,711 locations in 88 countries around the globe, including Malaysia. The first restaurant was opened in Connecticut, U.S.A. by 17-year-old Fred DeLuca and his family friend, Dr. Peter Buck. It was called the Pete’s Super Submarines.

The wide variety of sandwiches offered at the Subway is amazing! The friendly Subway staff put together your favourite bread, filling, toppings, and dressing, to make a hearty sub sandwich! There are different breads to choose from: honey oat, Italian herb & cheese, Parmesan oregano, wheat, white, hearty Italian etc. Toasted bread is available too.

Here are some amazing facts about Subway. This chain restaurant serves approximately 2,800 sandwiches and salads in the United States every minute! If all the sandwiches made by Subway in one year were to line up end to end, they would go around the globe at least 6 times!! “The Subway Guy” Jared Fogle, lost 245 lbs from his one-year Subway diet program, with lots of walking involved. His Subway diet comprised of a 6-inch turkey sub for lunch and a veggie footlong for supper. He is now the spokesman of Subway for its advertising campaigns. What an incredible story!

Subway sandwiches are freshly prepared on the spot. The price is comparable to other fast food restaurants. For a hearty and healthy meal option, try Subway! “Subway. Think fresh. Eat fresh.”

Hmm…. what should I have?

Here are some of the sandwiches on menu:

Classic: Cold Cut Combo, Meatball Marinara, Ham, Pizza Sub, and Veggie Delite.

Select: Spicy Italian, Italian B.M.T. (Biggest, Meatiest, and Tastiest), Roast Beef, Turkey Breast, Turkey Breast & Ham, and Tuna.

Signature: Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, Steak & Cheese, Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki, Subway Melt, and Subway Club.

Gourmet: Chicken & Bacon Ranch and Chicken Pizziola.

Choosing my toppings and dressing…

Two footlong Subway sandwiches. One 6-inch sandwich would suffice for a meal ;)

Chicken Pizziola on Italian herb & cheese bread, with tangy Chipotle Southwest sauce and plenty of toppings.

Chicken Bacon & Ranch on honey oat bread, with tangy Chipotle Southwest sauce and hot peppers. Deliciously spicy!

Spicy Italian on honey oat bread, with a generous serving of toppings.

Apam balik, a sweet and crispy snack that I enjoy a lot. It can be easily spotted at Malaysian night markets (a.k.a. “pasar malam”). The combination of mouthwatering smell, crunchy pastry shell, savoury crushed peanuts, and sweet creamed corns, makes this a delicious snack!

Apam balik is a crepe-like snack, made by spinning the batter until very thin on a custom made flattened wok, and then frying it on one side till brown. It contains melted butter, sugar, crushed peanuts, and creamed corns. It’s yummy!

I got the recipe from Lily’s Wai Sek Hong and have tried it a few times. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
(A) Pastry
85g all-purpose flour
50g rice flour
15g corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
75g white sugar
150g + 1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
(B) Filling
5 tsp margarine/butter
2 + 1/2 tsp white sugar
1/2 cup salted peanut, chopped
1 cup creamed corn

Directions:
1. Combine sifted all-purpose flour, rice flour, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, white sugar, 150g water, and vanilla extract.
3. Pour egg mixture gradually into the flour mixture, while stirring. Mix well. Refrigerate batter overnight.
4. Heat a medium-size round pan with ~ 1 tbsp cooking oil, on medium heat.
5. Add 1 tbsp water into the batter and stir well. Pour in batter while swirling the pan. Spread the batter out as thin as possible. Cook on low heat.
6. When the edge starts to turn brown, melt 1 tsp margarine/butter on the crepe (the side facing up). Remove crepe from pan.
7. Add 1/2 tsp white sugar, 1 tbsp chopped peanuts, and 3 tbsp creamed corn on the melted margarine/butter.
8. Fold crepe into half. Apam balik is ready to be served!
9. Continue cooking with the rest of batter.

* Yield: 5 pieces

Craving for some spicy food? How does a bowl of hot & spicy curry laksa sound? My curry laksa story begins with a sachet of curry laksa paste from Malaysia; and I’ve been wanting to try it out since a year ago (thankfully curry paste hasn’t expired). I was hoping for someone who is willing to help preparing it. Finally, the curry laksa topic was brought up by my roommate (who is also a great cooking buddy), and we decided to give it a try!

The instructions given to cook the curry laksa were easy. Simply add the paste into hot boiling water, then add desired ingredients (chicken, shrimps etc.) and coconut milk. Serve curry laksa with cooked yellow noodles or rice vermicelli; or better still, both! After some discussions, we agreed to prepare curry dish separately, not one but two; and serve together with curry laksa!

To ensure an authentic dish of curry laksa, we spent hours (more than 3 hours) in the kitchen. We cooked a pot of chicken curry, a pot of seafood (shrimps, scallops, and haddock fillets) curry, as well as a pot of curry laksa. 

This ultimate curry dish was served with yellow noodles and rice vermicelli, curry laksa (red curry soup), chicken curry (yellow curry), seafood curry (red curry), green beans, bean sprouts, and hard-boiled egg; garnished with mint leaves. It was as delicious as the local curry laksa in Malaysia, if not better! Three other Malaysians who tried it would agree with me too ;) 

It has never in life that I was so eager to grab a copy of the local newspaper. This morning, I got hold of the paper from a convenience store. Surprise, surprise, surprise!! The article occupied almost one full page, with two big pictures of me ;)

* Pictures taken from Daily Gleaner.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Josie for this beautifully written article, Steve from the Daily Gleaner who took excellent pictures; and last but not least, Tracy (my Manager) who was being supportive and accepted the interview.

Click here to read the article.

If you like the banana bread recipe that I’ve shared previously, you’ll definitely love this–the HEAVENLY banana muffin!! Using the leftover overripe bananas from making banana bread, I tried this excellent self-improvised recipe. Even my loyal food taster (who is a fussy eater) claimed that these are non-ordinary, deliciously flavourful and moist muffins!!

I really liked the topping of these muffins. The crispy texture of crumbs tasted delightful! Besides, the aromatic banana flavour was simply delectable!! I was really glad that it turned out to be a successful attempt. These are the best muffins I’ve ever tasted (not being bias); they are soft, buttery, and incredibly yummy! Craving for some mouthwatering muffins? Try this out!!

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup white sugar
1 + 1/3 cup butter/margarine, melted
1 cup mashed overripe banana
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp butter/margarine
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Combine all-purpose and whole wheat flour, together with baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well.
2. In a separate bowl, beat together egg, white sugar, melted butter/margarine with a hand mixer on low speed, for 1-2 minutes. Add mashed banana and vanilla extract into egg mixture. Beat until batter is well-mixed, on low speed.
3. Form a well in the centre of flour mixture. Pour in banana mixture gradually. Stir just enough to mix well.
4. Prepare the topping by mixing together brown sugar, butter/margarine, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon. Mix with hand to form crumbs.
5. Pour batter into a lined muffin pan. Sprinkle topping on them.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of muffin.

Yield: ~ 10 medium-size muffins

Suggestion: Add another 1/2 cup mashed overripe banana for a stronger banana flavour

The fluctuating prices of fuel is something interesting to observe. The fuel prices are different across Canada and they vary every week (at least in this city). New fuel prices take effect on every Thursday in Fredericton. For those who pay close attention to the fuel prices announcement the day before, have the opportunity to fuel up their fuel tanks or wait for a bit, depending on the fluctuation in fuel prices. You’ll be surprised how much can be saved, especially for those who travel a fair bit throughout the week!!

It’s almost like the stock market to me, except it’s with a weekly fluctuation. The change in fuel prices has a lot to do with supply and demand, political issues, and whatnot. The rising of fuel prices leads to cost increases in almost everything; groceries, transportation fare etc. The funny thing is, these prices will almost never go down even if the fuel prices decrease. I supposed that’s the way it is, even in many other places around the world.

How about the fuel prices in Malaysia? The citizens were shocked to learn that price of gasoline increased by 40 %, from RM1.92/litre (CAD 0.69/litre) to RM 2.70/litre (CAD 0.96/litre) and diesel price rose from RM1/litre to RM2.58/litre, after the local government decided to cut down on fuel subsidization, in June 2008. The good news is, reduction of fuel prices was introduced later, partly due to the drop in global oil prices. As of December 2008, gas price stood at RM1.90/litre and diesel price at RM1.80/litre.

One of the biggest questions I had when I first arrived in Canada: why is diesel cheaper than regular gasoline? It’s the opposite in Malaysia, where diesel price is always lower than that of gas. Basic chemistry is telling us that diesel is less refined and cheaper to processed from crude oil; it’ll only make sense that it’s cheaper than regular gas. How come this is not the case in Canada (and some other countries)?

Here is a good explanation for it:

Until several years ago, the average price of diesel fuel was usually lower than the average price of gasoline. In some winters when the demand for distillate heating oil was high, the price of diesel fuel rose above the gasoline price. Since September 2004, the price of diesel fuel has been generally higher than the price of regular gasoline all year round for several reasons. Worldwide demand for diesel fuel and other distillate fuel oils has been increasing steadily, with strong demand in China, Europe, and the U.S., putting more pressure on the tight global refining capacity. In the U.S., the transition to low-sulfur diesel fuel has affected diesel fuel production and distribution costs. Also, the Federal excise tax on diesel fuel is 6 cents higher per gallon (24.4 cents per gallon) than the tax on gasoline.

Other articles which you might find interesting to read:
Why is Diesel More Expensive Than Regular Gas?
Why is Diesel Fuel More Expensive Than Gasoline?
Why is Diesel Even More Expensive Than Gas?

Will diesel ever be cheaper than gasoline again? You bet!  Here is what happen in the United States:

Conversely, diesel prices are falling as a result of a milder than usual winter which has left heating oil stocks at higher than normal levels. That means that more crude can be refined into nearly identical diesel fuel. Supplies of diesel will rise quickly, but demand is not likely to follow unless the economy picks up. And no one expects that to happen at least until the second half of the year.

The reversion to higher gasoline/lower diesel prices is not expected to last, mainly due to demand for diesel in Western Europe, where diesel-powered automobiles currently account for 53% of new car sales. Refiners like Marathon Oil Company (NYSE:MRO) and Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) are expanding their diesel capacities to meet the expected global demand.

Once diesel prices drop below gasoline prices, they are expected to stay there for a few months. US railroads and trucking companies, especially, are expected to get some relief from high diesel prices. But that condition is not expected to last beyond the beginning of the 2009-2010 heating season. Strong global demand for diesel will keep supplies of the fuel tight, and refiner margins up. Diesel fuel, not gasoline, is where the money is right now.

The fluctuating gas price observed in Fredericton:

Dec. 13, 2008. 70.9 cents/litre for regular gasoline.

Dec. 18, 2008. 73.9 cents/litre for regular gasoline; 88.4 cents/litre for diesel.

Jan. 3, 2009 (Saint John, NB). 65.9 cents/litre for regular gasoline. A record low in years!

Jan. 10, 2009. 73.9 cents/litre for regular gasoline.

Feb. 28, 2009. 77.5 cents/litre for regular gasoline.

As of today, the price of regular gas is 84.5 cents/litre in Fredericton.

Curry puff is a common snack in Malaysian cuisine. It’s commonly served for breakfast and during coffee break. I came up with my own recipe preparing curry puff for a potluck dinner. They were gone in minutes. Personally, I really like the flaky pastry skin ;)

Happy trying!

Ingredients:
(A) Pastry skin
3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup margarine/butter
1 cup water
3/4 tsp salt
(B) Filling
1/2 medium red onion, diced
200g chicken breast meat, small pieces
200g white potatoes
200g sweet potatoes
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water, or more

Directions:
1. To prepare pastry skin, mix flour and salt together. Cut margarine/butter into the flour mixture, while kneading. A crumbly dough should form.
2. Then, add water. Knead well and set the pastry dough aside.
3. To prepare filling, heat 1.5 tbsp oil in a saucepan. Saute red onions until light brown, add chicken into saucepan. Stir-fry chicken on medium heat.
4. When meat is almost cooked, add potatoes, sweet potatoes, and all other spices into the saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes, while stirring constantly.
5. Next, add water into the saucepan. Let simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft and tender. Let cool.
6. Take a handful of pastry dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface, to form a circular pastry skin. Place ~ 1.5 tbsp of filling in the centre of pastry skin. Flute the edge by pinching and twisting with fingers. Alternatively, use a curry puff mould (makes the preparation a lot easier).
7. Heat cooking oil in a pot. Deep fry curry puffs on medium heat, until brown on both sides (~ 15 minutes).
8. Serve hot!

* Yield: ~ 16 pieces

You’re in Canada and have no idea where to go for a quick coffee break/breakfast/lunch/brunch? Try Tim Hortons! This is where I had my first meal in Canada several years ago. The uptown Tim Hortons in Fredericton opens 24/7, the so-called “mamak” for Malaysians here :) I remembered those good old days where we sat and chatted while sipping on hot coffee till wee hours in the midst of everyone’s busy class schedule, in the cold winter nights.

Tim Hortons is Canada’s largest quick-serve coffee and doughnut chain. The first store was opened in Hamilton, Ontario, back in 1964. Currently, there are more than 2,800 store locations across Canada, and more than 400 in the United States.

Why can Tim Hortons be so successful? This has a lot to do with its location, marketing strategy, and unbeatable price (compared to Starbucks, Second Cup etc.). $0.80 for a doughnut and $1.01 for a small, or $1.14 for a medium cup of hot beverage. Beat that! Not to forget, the lineup at the drive-thru can be rather crazy in the morning and lunch hour. The lineup is so long that it often results in congested traffic on the main street! I don’t understand why drivers don’t just park their cars and walk into the store instead. Wouldn’t it be quicker than waiting in line?

Recently, Tim Hortons is working towards joining forces with Cold Stone Creamery (U.S.-based), to create up to 100 co-branded stores at various locations in the United States (Ohio, Michigan, New York, and Rhode Island). The idea is to offer some cold treats (ice-cream, smoothie, shakes) at Tim Hortons to attract more customers in the evenings as well; since it is busy mainly in the morning and lunch hour. On the other hand, Cold Stone Creamery which has a steady business in the late afternoon and evening, will be able to draw in a larger crowd during the day by serving Tim’s products (coffee, doughnuts, sandwiches and soups etc.). Apparently, this is not a brand new idea. More than a decade ago, co-branding agreement was established between Dunkin’ Donut (world’s largest coffee and doughnut chain) and Baskin-Robbins in the United States.

The doughnut shelf at Tim Hortons. Timbits (on the bottom shelf), Tim’s signature doughnut holes.

Freshly baked muffins, bagels, danishes, croissants, cookies etc.

The “Roll Up The Rim To Win” contest started since 1986. It usually runs during the late winter months, into early spring. Cups for hot beverages (medium, large, and extra large) have special rims that contain messages printed on the inside. When rolled up, messages indicate if someone is a winner or not. 35 Toyota Venza, 100 $10,000 cash prizes, 1,000 Toshiba laptops, 25,000 $100 Tim Card, and over 31 million food prizes are among the prizes to be won this year!! With 1:9 odds of winning, many has at least won some food prizes. The contest runs while cup supplies last.

Oops… try again :(

I find the marketing strategy of Tim Hortons is amusing. In order to sustain a steady flow of customers, special treats are offered during special occasions, for a limited period. In the early summer last year (in conjuction with strawberry picking season), Strawberry Blossom doughnut was offered.

Strawberry Blossom doughnut. Hard candy sprinkles with strawberry jam in the middle.

Candy Cane doughnut during Christmas season. Chocolate doughnut with colourful hard candy sprinkles.

My favourite Boston Cream doughnut. It’s filled with custard and topped with chocolate glaze. *Highly recommended*

The new Cherry Chocolate Bloom doughnut. Chocolate and cherry sprinkles with delightful cherry jam in the middle.

Doughnuts in a box (clockwise, from top left): Sour Cream Glazed, Vanilla Dip, Cherry Chocolate Bloom, Boston Cream, Blueberry Fritter, and Honey Cruller.

Trail mix cookie was offered with a cup of hot green tea for $1.99.

The newly introduced Whole Grain Rasberry muffin.

Pumpkin Spice muffin was offered in the fall of 2008.

Cheese tea biscuit with Pumpkin Spice doughnut and Pumpkin Spice tea.

Maple Pecan danish.

Hot breakfast sandwich (on Tim’s Homestyle Biscuit) with egg, sausage, and cheese.

Breakfast bagel, B.E.L.T. (bacon/sausage, egg, lettuce, and tomatoes). Yumm…

A bowl of chili with garlic toast.

Creamy Field Mushroom soup (contains portobello, white, and shiitake mushrooms) with tea biscuit.

Freshly baked crisp and flaky croissant with butter.

Do you frequent the baking aisle at the grocery store? You’ll be amazed what can be found here! Flour is the basic ingredient for baking. There is a variety of flour, such as all-purpose (white), cake & pastry, bread, whole wheat, multi-grain etc. Since the global shortage of wheat more than a year ago, the price of wheat hits a record high. I remembered getting a 10 kg of all-purpose flour for $ 4.99 when it was on sale. Nowadays, the regular selling price is $ 11.99!!

Feeling lazy and want to do some “no-fail” and quick baking? What about the cake/muffin mix? To prepare batter, simply add milk and eggs into the mix. I’ve tried before and they are pretty good; moist and tasty. It’s highly recommended to those who like to try baking themselves for a change!

Besides cake/muffin mix, there is also ready-to-bake cookie dough. It comes in a cylindrical shape. Simply cut the dough into slices (individual cookies), bake them, and serve! How simple is that!

Here comes a new creation–the Shaker cupcakes/muffins! What is it exactly? It says on the bottle “add milk & shake!” Wow… that’s fancy! Add milk into the bottle and shake it up. The batter will be ready in no time. Subsequently, pour batter into cake pan and bake! Easy enough?

Despite the convenience of cake mix, I prefer baking from scratch. This is what I’d call the “real” baking. It offers more flexibility and many at times, more challenging. As a result, baked goods have finer texture and taste yummier!

Why is it called banana bread, and not banana cake? To me, yeast and proofing involved in bread making. Theoretically, banana loaf is more like a cake, rather than a bread. Here is my conclusion: despite the ingredient used and process involved, it’s called banana bread because it’s baked from a loaf pan, which is commonly utilized in bread baking.

Anyway, be it banana bread or banana cake, it’s my favourite since little. I decided to give this recipe that I found from Allrecipes.com a try. This banana bread has a strong banana flavour and very moist. It doesn’t take long before the loaf is gone!

Ingredients:
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, soften
2 + 1/3 cup mashed overripe bananas

* Optional: add 1 tsp vanilla extract into batter

Directions:
1. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together eggs, butter, brown sugar, and mashed banana with a electrical hand mixer on low speed, until well-mixed.
3. Slowly pour the egg mixture into flour mixture, while stirring. Mix well.
4. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for 60 – 65 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the centre of loaf should come out clean when cooked. Let bread cool in pan before serving.