Yummiest Things I Had in Cote d'Ivoire

I didn't expect anything when I traveled to Ivory Coast. Some of my colleagues told me some horror stories and recommended me to pack some food. And no, not cup noodles, because the hotel we stay in might not have a kettle. Yikes! I packed a bunch of soyjoy bars, cookies and nuts, thinking that I would be totally miserable, but it would be nice to lose a couple of pounds out of this trip. Silver lining is all I see :)

 Little did I know... that Ivory Coast, being so French influenced, is so full of delicious treats! Every day, I had buttery and flaky pastries during breakfast (if you followed me on instagram or liked my Facebook page, you've probably seen my breakfast photo reportage ^_^)

Now, here's one memorable short food adventure my colleagues and I had, courtesy of our very lovely and hospitable local customers, in-between working like mad preparing for a successful event.
Hard boiled eggs. I am not a big fan, but...

...with this sprinkle of yummy spices, I fell in love!


Wait a minute. These little nuggets look familiar...


They are Vietnamese spring rolls and they are so popular in Ivory Coast! WOW!


Next, we sat down and had our late lunch alfresco.

The weather was beautiful! We were elated to be dining on the street!

I tried Orangina.

And I LOVE this fizzy orange juice!

We tried this yummy coconut chips.


And these fluffy and crispy shrimp fritters.

YUM!

And say hello to the best sandwich I've ever had!

The generous bits of grilled beef were so beefy, tender, juicy and so charcoal smoky... none of us could say anything but ..mm...mmm...MMMH!
Did you notice how my local customers got used to me taking pictures of my food? At first they went "Ahhh Rrrrrittaaaa... Riiiittaaa!!! You and your photos!" but after a while, they helped opening this sandwich up for my photographic benefits ^_^
I can't thank you enough!!!


Look at how they wrapped the sandwich in recycled paper!

J'adore!
Ivory Coast, you are delicious!

Mushroom Omelette with Black Truffle Pate

OMG! It's been so long!
Lots have been going on in my life... a new job, a new flat, business trips, etc etc etc...I am overwhelmed!
And naturally, I've been eating a lot of carbs, dumping my diet aside, which is a bit sad since it was going so well :(

Anyway, looking at my old low carb pictures, I am inspired to start again, and I'd like share this one with you. It's meatless but very tasty and satisfying with a touch of luxe ;)

Recipe
- 1 egg, beaten
- half a cup of button mushrooms, sliced
- a tsp of black truffle pate
- butter, salt, pepper

Melt butter in a non stick frying pan, saute mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, pour beaten egg, cook for a bit (do not overcook), flip, serve and add black truffle pate on top.

YUM!

My Holiday Breakfast Indulgence

Chocolate cake for breakfast. So un-me, but so delish!


It all started when I bought a bag of super soft and chocolatey chocolate cake from A1 Bakery for baby M, and he cringed at the sight of chocolate cake (weird!!!) and refused to even try it (double weird!!!). But he adoresss eating just chocolate (triple weird).

Anyway... so we ended up with this chunk of temptation, and finally caved and had it for breakfast.

I added touches of savories, one's peanut butter and the other is cream cheese with passion fruit jam.

I had mine with coffee and SC devoured this with milk x yakult (weird?), with his bedhead (censored) and iPad on his lap (we no longer have human interaction on dining table since... iPhone and iPad).

Hehehehe...how was your Easter holiday, guys?

Sweet Savory Breakfast Sandwich - Croissant with Candied Kumquats and Cream Cheese

I received a jar of candied kumquats from my awesome foodie friend, Mr. W. He told me "Use it as you would marmalade"...and here's how I used it. I love a combo of sweet and salty, thus the buttery croissant and the creamy savory cream cheese with the candied kumquats. I love love loveeee!

It makes an amazing holiday breakfast!

YUMMY Eats from Bangkok

I haven't been cooking much.

I just got back from a business trip to Bangkok...and I surely blew my diet, but it's totally worth it (no point dieting when on trip right? Everything I ate in Bangkok = ZERO calorie?)

So, here are some links of the absolute deliciousness I had in Bangkok. I didn't do much research on where I should go, etc. I submitted myself thoroughly under the tender loving care of my local coworkers who are all awesome!

Hugest, sweetest, springiest prawns with charcoal smoky goodness!

Yummiest mango sticky rice ever!

These are from Ob Aroi seafood restaurant, more pics and info here.

Here's Greyhound Cafe's (I went to the one in Central Chidlom) new chocolate and salted caramel cake...

I adore their crab and corn fritters too!
More pics and info here.

Unbelievably yummy grilled pork, served with rice, refreshing broth, spicy sour chilli sauce and fragrant herbs.

I also had a huge bowl of tomyum goong, which was not red at all.
More pics and info here.

It was also my first time trying home-cooked Sri Lankan food from the only Sri Lankan eatery in Bangkok. This Chinese-Lanka shrimp dish is out of this world! My favorite from the night, along with coconut sambal and hoppers. Adore!

More info and pics here.

If you visit Bangkok, give them a try na~!