This time it was about accessories and styling, there was a stylist who taught us how to wear our LV scarves.

I believe there was a photo session at the end as well, but mum and I didn’t stay until then~~~

Here are some of the food photos I took:

I got to take a book home (^-^)

Couldn’t take a very good photo of this one, because I was in a hurry, the waiter was standing right there waiting for me to eat the lamb and take back the spoon 

There was a grape inside the goat cheese~~

Dark chocolate with popping candies on the top, and a small cake base at the bottom~~

The dark chocolate was so creamy and delicious~~~

It was a great night!! 

The fact is I can’t eat them!

Commercial products like Yoghurt Face Cream.. It smells like Yoghurt, looks like Yoghurt, is apparently made of Yoghurt, but it cannot be eaten…

Or Fruity Body Butter, which smells so delicious, but it can’t be eaten…..

Then there was the time when I was still living in Taiwan and I came across some colouring pens which smelt like chocolate.. CHOCOLATES!!

WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I remember some of my classmates were using their red or pink colouring pens to draw on their nails or (worse) on their lips.

Even back then, I was quite certain these pens and their ink weren’t designed to be edible.

Therefore, wasn’t it in a way dangerous to have these chocolate-smelling non-edible pens for children?

Is it a marketing technique???????

I notice a big chunk of the female population (myself included) really enjoy desserts, and sweet things in general. (Not to say the male population doesn’t.)

Also, it seems like most food-smelling non edible products are aimed at female consumers. Since, the Face Cream and Body Butter all have photographed female faces or body parts plastered over their containers.

And as for the colouring pens..

Good thing that times have really changed, and everyone is on more equal terms now, but the fact is in Taiwan, back when I was little, the mothers would have been more likely the parent to buy stationeries for their children; hence I believe it may be plausible to suggest the pens were designed to attract both the children’s and mothers’ attention.

So maybe the marketing teams of these businesses think they can sell more products by adding in the dessert-smelling element?? Actually, that’s a very silly question, of course they think they can sell more products by adding in the food smell!! That’s why it’s there!!!

But what made them assume that??

I can only theorize.. without knowing the real answer.

ANYWAY, enough ranting.

It would be very interesting, at least for me, to understand the reason behind the design of these commercial products.

I am sure anyone who knows me well will know we were at One Tree Grill~~

Here is a restaurant review I did earlier!

All the menus are now on iPads.

Now time for some photos!!

Complimentary Cured Salmon from the Chef

For Entrée Mum and I ordered Portabello and Celeriac soup~~ It was SO good and had shaved Black Truffle pieces in it~~~

A piece of Black Truffle

Dad had fresh Bluff Oysters

For Main I had Black Angus eye fillet

Mum had Snapper and scallops

Dad had Grilled market fish which was Hāpuku

Dessert was of course Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée for Mum and I!!

Dad had the house made ice cream and sorbet

We also shared some Manchego (sheep milk) cheese which came from Malagon, Spain

Yum yum!!

First time harvest from the Chestnut tree in the backyard!! (^-^)

There have been studies done which suggest non-homogenised milk is a healthier choice compared to homogenised milk.

(There are many studies and literature, related to the topic, which are readily available on the world wide web if anyone is interested in finding out more.)

Ah~~ Takes one back to the good old days when milk wasn’t homogenised~~~

**Note: The photo was taken awhile ago, hence the printed expiry date is outdated.

If you look carefully, you can already see the layer of creamy goodness on the top

Make sure you shake the container well, if you don’t like the layer of  cream.

LOL!! Doesn’t look very appetizing.

However, personally I do prefer the taste of non-homogenised full cream milk~~

Taste: 4.5/5

The milk tastes somewhat sweeter to me than homogenised milk, and the creamy bits have texture like cream cheese~~ Mmmmm~~~~~

Cost: 4/5

The price is NZ$4.85 for a 2 Litre container.

Availability: 5/5

I get mine from Pak’nSave.

Overall Mark: 4.5/5

Comment: Worth giving it a try if you haven’t had it before!!

The figs from the fig tree in the garden is ready for picking!! (^-^)

They are very sweet and a bit chewy~~

The presentation in the restaurant was very good. Everything looked clean and tidy.

We ordered Banquet Menu 2.

First up we enjoyed some assorted appetizers.

Each one of them was wonderfully fried and very crispy~~

The Tom Yam Goong Soup came next.

Spicy Prawn Soup seasonsed with Lime Juice garnished with Hot Chilli, Lemon Grass & Mushroom.

The mushroom and prawn pieces were very sizable!

The main course consisted of five different main dishes.

Kaeng Panaeng – Red Curry of sautéed Beef with Sweet Basil & Coconut Milk, Gai Ob Pu Kao Fai – Sizzling Platter of Baked Whole Chicken marinated in Thai Herbs served with Sweet Chilli Sauce flambéed with Brandy, Pla Krapong Rad Prik – Whole Crispy Snapper with Hot Chilli Sauce, Goong Tod Kratiem Prik Thai – Sautéed Prawns & Calamari with Garlic & Peppers, Pad Pak Look Chin Pla – Pan Fried Mixed Vegetables with Fishballs.

This flamming baby chicken a.k.a. Gai Ob Pu Kao Fai deserves an honourable mention.

It came out engulfed in flames, the view was quite spectacular, however the flames had dampened down by the time it reached the table.

If you look carefully you can still see the bit of orange flame on the top of the chicken~~

My favourite part of a meal is the dessert which was

Hot Banana Fritter served with Coconut Milk Ice Cream.

It was DELICIOUS!!

For Coffee I ordered a Latte, which was very good as well.

Marks: 

Taste: 4.5/5

Price: 4.5/5

Service: 5/5

Overall Mark: 4.7/5

The service was excellent and the restaurant has high hygiene standards, which could be noted by seeing serving staff using a towel, which acts as protection against hand contamination, when handing out clean new plates.

I had a great experience at the restaurant with my family.

Highly recommended!

]]> http://hungabusta.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/red-elephant-thai-restaurant/feed/ 0 hungabusta Red Elephant Red Elephant1 Red Elephant menu Appetizers Tom Yam Goong Main course Gai Ob Pu Kao Fai Dessert Latte http://hungabusta.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/dinner-one-tree-grill/ http://hungabusta.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/dinner-one-tree-grill/#comments Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:33:13 +0000 hungabusta http://hungabusta.wordpress.com/?p=1809 ]]> I took my family to One Tree Grill Restaurant for a nice dinner tonight~~ (^-^)

The drink menu is now on an iPad

One Tree Grill Bar

For starter we had Entrée tasting trio

The Entrée consists of Salmon, Venison, and Scallops

We were given some complimentary Thai style snapper from the Chef

Roasted pork belly roulade (free range)

baby vegetables, crackling, mulled wine pear purée

Grilled market fish (Snapper)

citrus kelp crust, herb gnocchi, saffron tomato, edamame

I had wild venison

Wild venison

stonefruit compote, kumara, gingerbread, licorice jus

Dessert menu!!

For dessert I had Vanilla bean crème brûlée

hibiscus glaze, pineapple & mango sorbet

The Vet instructed that I put Chip on a diet

However, still took him to the local Café with mum after the Vet visit as a treat~~~ Since it is a tradition for my fur babies and I~~

(Jab = Carrot cake)

My chubby boy~~

“Mummy!! Dieting will have to wait until after the Carrot cake!!!”

Yummy carrot cake, I took some bits home for Pippa as well~~

Angry Bird!!

FINALLY!! I TRIED TWINKIES!!!!

My wonderful friend got me one when she came across them in a shop in Browns Bay!!

It tastes very sticky and sweet, and pretty much melt in the mouth straight away~~

IT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!