Black Pepper Prawn Spaghetti

For my friend who wants to cook a simple meal for her boyfriend - here's a very simple recipe to try out! All you need is a mere 30 minutes of your time, nothing more I assure you.



Ingredients:

- Prawns (Seafood works fine too)
- Celery - sliced
- Spaghetti
- Black pepper sauce (I use the bottle ready-made kinds which you can find in the section where the oyster sauce is)
- Oil - a few spoonful

Instructions:

- Boil the spaghetti for about 9 min (add some salt to taste and olive oil so they don't stick together)

- Meanwhile, heat the frying pan with some oil
- Add in the prawns and stir fry for 4-5 min
- Add in the celery
- Lastly add in the black pepper sauce (with some water if it's too thick)

- Remove the cooked spaghetti and transfer them onto a plate
- Pour the prawn and black pepper sauce onto the spaghetti

Good luck!

Cheese Toast and Mushroom Soup

This is another one of my comfort food combo...

Nothing fanciful with just a can of mushroom soup and some remaining cheddar in the fridge on toast.





It's food so simple that keeps me happy =)

10 min Udon Soup

The very best a student can afford to have (takeaways not included of course) in the midst of exam fever...a simple pre-packed udon soup available from most chinese supermarkets...add in your favourite ingredients and taa-da!

2 more weeks to freedom...

Lactuca Restaurant

The morning was spent at Barcelona stadium on a stadium tour and compared to Old Trafford, Anfield and Bramley Lane stadium, this is really the big brother of soccer...just being there one can already imagine the passion of the crowd during match time!



We overran our schedule by quite a bit due to the trip to the stadium and opted for something quick for lunch.

Lactuca, a chain buffet-style restaurant, offers a huge range of salad options and some mains for a mere 10.30 euros if I am not mistaken which is our cheapest meal in Barcelona. Quality wise it is the typical buffet standard but the gem is the espresso machine at the fruit bar for a nice finish to a meal.

It says on the board to:

(1) Take a tray, a plate and cultery
(2) Serve yourself
(3) Pay at the cashier at the end of the line



I enjoy the salad options especially the different types of olives served.



Mains consisted of pasta, pizza, chips and grilled fish fillet.



A very affordable and quick meal if you want to avoid fast food and the best part is its location being just right next to the Familia Sagrada so you can pop right in after lunch.




Lactuca
Provenza, 427
Barcelona, Spain

Breakfast along La Rambla

Been busy with the revision for the upcoming examinations which explains the lack of entries these days.

Here's a short update of a cafe along La Rambla in which we had a quick breakfast before the remaining exploration of the city continues.

Spanish omelette baguette



Cheese and ham toast

And before entering the metro gates, I came across the biggest vending machine I've ever seen! It is so unlike a vending machine that I did not give it much thought thinking it is the display window of a convenient store before the travel partner alerted me to it.



Gigantic isn't it?

(Will try to finish the barcelona series by this week...fingers crossed for my revision!)

Attic Restaurant

After a long day starting from an exceptionally early flight to Barcelona, I planned to call it a night not long after 10pm and retired to the hotel for a relaxing soak in the jacuzzi when my stomach urged me to do something to compensate for the unsatisfactory dinner earlier on.

Attic restaurant, one of the those in my list of restaurants to visit, is brilliantly located right next door to the hotel where I am staying and so, we ventured into the street of the still crowded Las Ramblas and headed for this chic and modern restaurant.

I heard it is hard to get a table during dinner time from about 9-11pm but since we arrived slightly before midnight, getting a table was not a problem but even at this time, the place was still reasonably occupied with a steady stream of patrons even after we were seated.



The salmon moose over seafood salad, with the distinct oak taste of smoked salmon wrapped around a mixture of salmon moose and minced seafood, literally melts in the mouth. The chef also added some zest to the dish with spoonful of sauteed apple that I quite enjoyed.



Instead of the traditional way of whipping up this dish with potato pan fried together with egg and served as an omelet, the Spanish Omelet at Attic is served first with a layer of potato fried to a rosti state, ruuny scramble egg in the middle topped with a generous amount of bacon bits.



The wild mushroom rivioli is served with a thick wild mushroom soup and a cheese filled rivioli done al dente.



A fantastic supper at midnight...

The perfect recipe for a good night sleep...


Las Ramblas, 120
Barcelona, Spain
(0034) 93 302 4866

Larros Arrosseria @ Barceloneta

Barceloneta, bordered by the Mediterranean sea, is known for its many seafood restaurants lining the broadwalk and with the long stretch of sandy beach, it's nothing short of a good breakaway from winter in UK.

We came here for some fresh sea breeze and also for the paella seafood restaurant that is being raved about by the concierge. Due to the fact that I am on holiday mood and the mind isn't particularly working well, both of us forgotten to bring the slip of paper with the name and address of the restaurant we wanted to dine in and so by memory (failing us of course), we made our way to Larros Arrosseria.



Appetizer of smoked anchovie on a thin pastry cust topped with spicy roe



For the main course, we ordered 2 huge portions of a chef recommended traditional scallop paella and a prawns and mussels noodle fideua (Spanish noodle paella).





Sadly, instead of enjoying what should be a great dinner by the seaside, the seafood was at best medicore and the mussels at time had a great hint of a detergent taste which my taste buds don't quite agree with.

While the main courses definitely have plenty of room for improvement, the service and ambience is good generally.

Pg. Joan de Borbo, 12
08003 Barcelona

Ciudad Condal (Barcelona)

Tapas is commonly known as the variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine and being in Barcelona, we of course asked for recommendations of good tapas restaurants upon checking into the hotel.

Ciudad Condal, located in the middle of Rambla Catalunya, is often crowded during meal time and come 9pm which is dinner time for the Spanish, a queue can be seen snaking from the bar area out along the street.

The interior is modern and comfortable with nice wooden decoration, with friendly service staff offering us their recommendations for first timers in the restaurant. Various types of Montaditos (tapas served on small slices of bread) are also available.



I usually do not have the habit of drinking in the afternoon so we ordered cola served in traditional glass bottles.



Grilled asparagus with coarse sea salt



Calamares - rings of battered squid (spanish version of calamari)



Tenderloin Steak and Grilled Prawns Montaditos



Parma Ham Montaditos



Prawn Salad Montaditos



My first meal in Barcelona...and a very light and satisfying one indeed.

(The same can't be said for the travel partner as he had to finish off the steak and ham dishes all by himself.)

After the trip in Barcelona, this remains the top 3 restaurants of the trip and if you happen to visit Barcelona anytime soon, do not give this place a miss. Coming to roughly under 40 euros for a meal for 2, it is certainly a good place for a slow lunch of good tapas selection and to rest the legs after a morning of sightseeing.

Rambla Catalunya, 18
Barcelona, CT 08007 Spain

+34 93 318 1997

New Year's Eve Dinner 2007

Decided to go chinese for the last dinner of the year 2007...

May the new year be one which will lead me a step nearer to my goal in life and a fulfilling one as well :)

Another simple homecooked meal of 5 dishes.
(Supposed to be 6 but I overcooked one and it got all burnt)

Cai Fan (loosely translated into vegetable rice taught by my Mum when she came over for a visit last year)



Scrambled Egg with Tomatoes



Choi Sim with Cuttlefishballs



Teriyaki Vegetarian Quorn with Celery



And the highlight of the meal...Broccoli with Abalone



Happy New Year to all of you!

Stay healthy....

and happy!

Farewell 2007...

Welcome 2008 :D