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Family meal deal at Habib's

Dinner for four, only $31

That works out to just $7.75 each. While it is in the fast food price range, the family meal deal at Habib's is much more satisfying. In fact, get it take away and you can save a further $4!

For only $31, you get a fuss free spread of:

• 4x Lebanese bread
• 1x whole butterfly-cut charcoal chicken
• 2x plates of garlic sauce
• 1x salad or tabouli
• 1x plate of pickles
• 1x plate of chips
• 1x 1.25L bottle of soft drink

The charcoal chicken is juicy and has a beautiful smoky aroma to it, going hand in hand with a smooth spread of the pungent garlic sauce. Wrap it in a roll with chicken salt coated chips, fluorescent pink pickles and tabouli or attack it with a fork and knife. For only $31, four people (or two very hungry people) will have a guaranteed mouth full!

Habib's, Bankstown is finger licking good shows my brother, Bryan

And as my younger brother, Bryan, shows in the photo above... It is finger licking good!

P.S. Don't forget I've got 5 packs of Blu Gourmet Pearl Couscous to giveaway! See how you can win here.

P.S.S. Have you been to Habib's Bankstown, Al Barakeh Liverpool and Franks Fairfield? Let me know how you think Habib's compares. I haven't been to the latter but have only heard good things!

Habib's Charcoal Chicken
24 Restwell Street, Bankstown, NSW
Phone: (02) 9708 2219

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I am health conscious but I do not count calories and I most certainly do not weigh my meal portions! I'll trim large bits of excess fat off my pork chops and chicken wings but I'll never avoid eating them. I prefer full flavoured chips over the fat free alternatives and I've never said no to my stomach when it grumbled at an odd hour.

Lean Cuisine have just released a new range of frozen meals which claim to target specific areas of nutritional concern including protein, fibre, wholegrain and calcium. It is great knowing that so much research and thought has gone into producing these convenient meal kits, but does the taste stack up?

Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake
The creamy chicken pasta bake was my favourite of them all. Promoted to be a good source of calcium, I licked the cream sauce off my spoon ever so freely. There were tender strips of marinated roast chicken, peas, carrots and mushroom tossed in with penne pasta and topped with a breadcrumb and cheese mix. This hearty bake would be well liked by even those who aren't health-conscious.

Creamy chicken pasta bake

Beef Ravioli
I love a good napolitana sauce but found this basil and tomato sauce to be too tangy, too light and well, not quite enough. The pillows of beef ravioli were soft and wholesome but as much as it was meant to be helping me maintain muscle and a lean body mass, I would have preferred something richer.

Beef ravioli

Chicken and Spinach Risotto
Have you ever made a tasty risotto in 5 minutes? With this Lean Cuisine meal, you can. The marinated chicken breast was flavoursome but a little rubbery, and as you can see in the photo below, it was a scrumptious and satisfying meal -an added bonus that it was also an excellent source of wholegrains!

Chicken and spinach risotto

Meatball and Bean Casserole
This meatball and bean casserole tasted better than it looked -trust me. The meatballs were evidently flame-grilled and mixed with red kidney beans and green peas in a creamy tomato sauce. The mashed potato and herb dollops provided enough carbs for me to call it a meal. Overall, a rather delicious source of fibre.

Meatball and bean casserole

Lean Cuisine Everyday Wellbeing range
Available in supermarkets nationwide, RRP $6.29
For more information, visit www.nestle.com.au/leancuisine

Why don't you be the judge? :)

As a kid, many of us daydreamt about leaving school to work in a dream job. Amongst the firefighters, astronauts, teachers, doctors, footy players and actors, there were dreams to be icecream taste testers. Not quite an icecream taste tester (I think it is debatable, which is better) but today, I had the pleasure of meeting McDonald's executive chef Dan Gould, who has the joy of experimenting in the McDonald's test kitchen. I just can't begin to imagine the stuff he gets to play with!

Earlier today, Zing and McDonald's invited a few of us bloggers (Helen, Howard, Lorraine, Karen and Shez) to a fancy pre-launch sampling of the new certified Australian Angus Beef burgers.

Fancy dining at McDonald's

We were courted with a single long stem red rose; juices and soft drinks were served in wine glasses, there was white table cloth and napkins; we had an unlimited supply of piping hot and crispy French Fries and not one, but two Angus beef burgers. It was a premium and grown-up take on McDonald's kids parties!

Huge bowl of McDonald's signature French Fries

Daniel Gould, Executive Chef of McDonald's test kitchen talks about the Angus Beef burgers

Dan, who jokes about having eaten his fair share of Angus beef patties in the test kitchen, presents to us, two perfectly adequate completions, which will be in stores from tomorrow. These burgers are the result of months of innovation and tests so I felt quite privileged to be tasting them before they're made available to the public.

The Grand Angus

The Grand Angus burger

I love this burger's colourful appearance and its textured bite. Although the Angus Beef has been ground into a pattie, there was still a traditional beef burger flavour which was rather tasty.

The Mighty Angus

The Mighty Angus burger

The winning combination of caramelised onion and bacon resembles nothing you would expect from a fast food joint so I'll be welcoming these with an open mouth, the next time I need a late night meal.

Available in store at McDonald's from tomorrow.
For more info, check out www.mcdonalds.com.au

Burgers are made across Sydney every day -in homes, at the corner milk bar, in fast food joints and pubs. Over the last few years, we have seen more gourmet burger restaurants pop up to glamorize the bun and patty formula. Some of them focus on our health concerns by offering gluten free or leaner options and others attempt to lure us with a sexy brand personality and fancy must-have sides.

So where are Sydney's best burgers?

Plan B
204 Clarence Street, Sydney
Plan B is of course Justin North's (of Bécasse) cafe which feeds many with affordable take away lunch choices. Mention Plan B to any foodie and you'll hear about the 600-day grain fed wagyu burgers. It is understandable why there's such a big following. Priced at only $10, the combination of a glossy brioche, a generous sized melt-in-your-mouth wagyu patty topped with melted aged cheddar cheese, pickled beetroot and caramelised onion is just impossible to resist.

Grill'd
57 Willoughby Road, Crows Nest, and all over Victoria and Queensland
Thanks to the team at Undertow Media, who brought Grill'd to my attention, I was able to trial the first Sydney store with a $20 voucher -and let me just say, I'll be back. I simply love the cheeky burger names (some to name are The Zen Hen, Hot Mama and Baa Baa Burger), the rosemary sprinkled thick cut chips, the retro store layout and the fun culture within the staff. With bun choices of panini, traditional, gluten free or bunless they've got everyone covered. These burgers are packed to the max and will have your jaws aching. Price ranges from $8.90 to $11.90.

Grill'd: Hot Mama burger: Grilled 100% lean beef, roasted peppers, dill pickle, tasty cheese, tzatziki, salad and harissa paste

Grill'd: The Zen Hen burger: Grilled chicken breasts with all the fat trimmed, tangy satay sauce, coriander, shredded carrot, salad and herbed mayo

Burgerlicious
130 Liverpool Street Sydney (also in Darlinghust, Newtown and Bondi)
When I used to work near World Square, Burgerlicious was a favourite lunch destination. All burgers can be served as wraps or as a salad and they also do a mean nacho. I loved the Zorbar, an ingenious combination of beef, grilled onions, fetta, roasted eggplant, lettuce, tomato, olive tapenade, semi-dried tomatoes, tzatziki and tomato relish. The burgers are slightly cheaper here, leaning towards the $8 mark, making it a real meal deal.

Cafe Giulia
92 Abercrombie Street, Chippendale
Cafe Giulia is the only reason I would ever wake up early on a week day. They have an amazing breakfast menu and by lunch, a to die for offering of some brilliant burgers -including the grilled fish with lettuce and homemade tartare, or the classic hamburger with grilled beef, tomato, lettuce, marinated beetroot, bacon and egg! Cafe Giulia also serve classic European pastas (I can't get enough of the spicy chorizo, tomato and chilli penne), stews, salads and bagels (I absolutely adore the grilled prawns with watercress, roast tomatoes and tahini). The burgers are priced from $6.90.

Fox Studios Backlot Cafe
Frank Hurley Grandstand, via the Professional Entrance, Fox Studios, Moore Park
Now, you can only get to this cafe if you enter via the professional entrance, which means restricted access from the public; hence why I try to schedule any client meetings I have with Fox, just before lunch time. I haven't tried anything else other than the delicious chicken and avocado sandwich on Turkish bread toasted, or this scrumptious chicken burger, complete with guacamole. If only all workplaces had a cafe like this downstairs!

Fox Studios Backlot Cafe: chicken burger

Fox Studios Backlot Cafe: Chicken and avocado on Turkish bread

Where do you think the best burgers in Sydney are?

Today is the last day of my week of convenience.

Yesterday's Beef Lasagne was the last flavour to try as there are seven Real Food variants in total, 6 of which I had already tasted on day 1, day 2 and day 3. Seven flavours for each day of the week!

How was the experience?
The time I saved from grocery shopping, food preparation, cooking and cleaning was astounding and even productive but having Lean Cuisine twice a day for five consecutive days was pretty full on because I'm so used to eating out several times a week! They are no doubt frozen meals which are as healthy as "fast food" can get (that is, 97% fat free, and free from preservatives, artificial colours and flavours) and more importantly, they're deliciously satisfying. Well, most of them. This is my order of preference:

1. Pumpkin, spinach and ricotta lasagne: the best of them all and even better when prepared in the oven vs microwave
2. Sun-dried tomato tortellini: cheesy tortellini with a good textured sauce, what more do you need?
3. Beef lasagne: hard to go wrong with frozen lasagne i say!
4. Mushroom tortellini: so creamy, so quick and easy, this one works well in the microwave
5. Vegetable cannelloni: pasta is made from scratch!
6. Country-style mince and mash: perfect hearty meal on a cold night but looks less presentable of all meals
7. Honey mustard chicken and rice: very flavoured and nice mix of wild rice grains

Thank you Mark Communications and Nestle for the supply of Lean Cuisine!

Next week, there will be lots of cooking from scratch... or maybe just eating Mum's cooking! I am sure going to miss it when I'm overseas. 13 days until Europe. Yay!

I'm starting to question the 97% fat free claim on these now. Today's meals were so filling and they didn't taste 'light' at all. I'm glad to report that both the tortellini and mince were full in flavour. Mmmm...

The creamy sun-dried tomato and vegetable sauce had a nicer texture than the tomato sauce on yesterday's cannelloni and the cheesy goodness inside the tortellini made the meal much more satisfying.

The country style mince was like a deconstructed meat pie with dollops of mashed potato. I toasted this in the oven for crunch.

Al dente cheese filled tortellini in a creamy sundried tomato and vegetable sauce

Country style minced beef and chunky vegetables topped with creamy mashed potato

I'm loving these fuss free meals. Day 3 over now, just 2 days and 4 Lean Cuisine meals to go...

Still feeling optimistic and mildly energetic, day 2 saw me munch down the vegetable cannelloni and honey mustard chicken with rice.

The cannelloni was filled with ricotta cheese and spinach and served with an Italian style tomato, capsicum and eggplant ratatouille. There were speckles of cheese and parsley on top which made it look less like frozen food. The sauce was slightly too watery but otherwise quite delicious.

The honey mustard chicken on the other hand was flavoursome but a serving size too small. What I did like was the blend of wild rice with long grain rice.

Vegetable Cannelloni

Honey mustard chicken with rice

According to Lean Cuisine's research with 1000 Aussie women, the microwave oven is the most liberating invention in the last 30 years. This was closely followed by the dishwasher, the pill, the washing machine and tampons! No real surprises there, but I do take these inventions for granted.

If there were no microwaves, there'd be no Lean Cuisine and if there were no Lean Cuisine then I'd be cooking dinner all this week which would leave me less time to blog!?!?!

Oh, and the campaign site is now live! Check it out at leancuisineopenhouse.com or do a step better and stop by the open house on 95 Bathurst Street, Sydney CBD.

When Mark Communications first approached me with a publicity initiative for Lean Cuisine, I wasn't too sure about the consequences involved with eating packaged food for lunch and dinner all week... but when I read that it was actually free from artificial colours, flavours and preservations, I was in.

The campaign as a whole is rather exciting! Three girlfriends live in a glass-front retail space on Bathurst Street, sort of like a Big Brother in the middle of Sydney's CBD. And over the duration of a week, they eat Lean Cuisine and take part in a fitness schedule, etc.

My week's worth of Lean Cuisine, thanks to Mark Communications

So along with two of my food blogging friends, ChocolateSuze and NotQuiteNigella, Mark Communications has supplied us with a week's worth of Lean Cuisine's new range of 'Real Food, Real Taste'.

Today was Day One.

Lean Cuisine's Pumpkin, Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne, served with salad of baby spinach, olives stuffed with anchovies and diced roma tomatoes

Due to the rain, I felt like something really warm and hearty and opted for the Pumpkin, Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne. Having never had Lean Cuisine before or anything similar to it, I was surprised at how quick it was to turn the frozen box into a meal. I was also impressed with the plastic tray which was oven proof! The package even claimed the pasta was made from scratch.

How did it taste?
Considering it was 97% free, it was creamy and very satisfying! The pumpkin was sweet, the spinach and ricotta was a little too salty but it ticked all the boxes for me. Yummo!

Tonight's dinner will be the Rich & Creamy Mushroom Tortellini.

Without having to worry about lunch or dinner this week, I might just be able to push myself back to the gym!

If you follow me on twitter, you will know that I was out with some food bloggers tonight. While I'd love to share with you the smell of the all-you-can-eat mussels at Bungalow 8 (which I will eventually blog about), i have something more pleasant and actually very comforting and exciting to share with you.

That's right, believe your eyes. I was sent this bottle of aromatherapy oil which smells exactly like freshly baked pastries. Now this is something I would love as perfume or even a room air freshener. What's better than the soothing smell of freshly baked goodies? And guess which company has diversified into aromatheraphy? None other than McDonald's McCafe! Smelt first by their test kitchen bakers, I am tonight sniffing this stuff up!

Who would have thought it were possible?

McCafé's baking aromas are now on sale!

My very own bottle of oven fresh aromatherapy oil

The Essential Oil will be available online at www.mcdonalds.com.au for an initial trial period before becoming a regular item of demand is strong. What are your thoughts?

[Edited: 01/04/2009]

I received a few bottles of POM Wonderful from the lovely Darcie at Zing last week... just in time to combat this hot sticky weather! There's nothing more convenient than having some bottles chilled and ready for use.

When some unexpected guests arrived this morning, I whipped up this kid-safe pomegranate fruit punch in no time! It's refreshing, quick and full of antioxidants.

Pomegranate fruit punch
Makes 2 jugs which serves 6 - 8

473ml of POM Wonderful (1 bottle)
500ml of Dry Ginger Ale
1 small can of Chunky Fruit Salad
A small handful of kaffir lime leaves

Simply bash the kaffir lime leaves to release flavour, combine with all ingredients and serve with ice cubes.

When you're starving, any food is good food. But watch what happens when you put one hungry person, a busy day at work -meaning lunch at 3pm, and this divine salad of smoked trout, roast potatoes, capers, roast red onion, dill, celery, parsley, rocket, tomato, almonds and a lemon verjuice dressing?

This is the end result:

All I can say, is that this was quite simply one of the best salads I have ever had! It had the right consistency and a delectable variety of texture and flavours.

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Bourke Street Bakery on Broadway
130 Broadway, Sydney

I was going to wait until I had eaten all 5 salads this week before I blogged about it, but why wait? The best thing about blogs is that you readers get the latest pics and info with minimal turnaround time.

I actually had this salad for lunch today... and less than 12 hours later, here you have it:

Since Bourke Street Bakery started the email subscriptions, I have been obsessed! In winter, it was their hearty soups which were reinvented daily. Now, I'm stuck onto their salads -all of which are served with a generous slice of their delicious crusty sourdough. There's nothing better than receiving an email reminder of the daily specials every morning... it keeps my mind set til lunch time!

I found that the dressing in the roast beef salad (I had this last week, pic is above) to be too heavy, but the mix of lentils made it a scrumptious gourmet lunch that was extremely filling. Today's bresaola salad was a lot lighter and just as tasty, although I would have loved more than one zucchini flower...

Are you hooked yet? Here are some of the recent salads that were on offer:

• Pork with chat potato, chick pea, baby spinach, mint, basil and coriander, with a lemon, cornichon and spring onion dressing
  


• Duck with roast potatoes, roast beetroot, goats feta, parsley, celery, lentils, baby spinach, and a red wine dressing


• Roast chicken with white beans, croutons, braised fennel, parsley, and rocket and a lemon dressing


• Smoked salmon with potato, capers, roast red onion, basil, hazel nuts, tomato, witlof and a lemon and verjuice dressing


• Roast pork with chick pea, potatoes,baby spinach, mint, corriander, basil, and a light lemon mayo dressing


• Roast lamb with crispy pancetta, roast pumpkin, green beans, parsley, baby spinach, anchovies, goats feta and a balsamic dressing

Bourke Street Bakery on Broadway
130 Broadway, Sydney

I can relate with anyone who gets hungry in the wee hours of the morning. So I've put together a top ten list of my fave restaurants for late night dining.

1. Superbowl's (35 Goulburn St & 41 Dixon St, Sydney) menu caters for all your typical Chinatown cravings up til 2am every day. Feel like a midnight splurge? Try the delicate peking duck. Or if you're feeling peckish, I'd recommend sharing a pork and preserved egg congee (with deep-fried bread sticks of course), stir-fried pipis in a spicy XO sauce and one of the best salt and pepper prawns. Definitely give the noodles a miss though!
2. Seoul Ria (Level 2, 605-609 Cnr of George and Goulburn St, Haymarket) beats Superbowl by an hour, opening until 3am daily. This is the place to be for all-things Korean. Their kim-chi pancakes are scrumptious but be prepare to queue up if you're planning on dining here during normal eating hours.
3. Pancakes On The Rocks (4 Hickson Rd, The Rocks)... you can't ask for more from a place that offers breakfast 24 hours a day.
4. Hey Hey Kebabs (Parramatta Rd, Auburn) defies the common kebab and pizza joint by offering sandwich pressed kebabs and crispy fried chips which are seasoned generously with chicken salt, leaving you feeling moreish at 4am. The friendly service and odd jokes makes this place a winner with inner-westies.
5. Harry's Cafe De Wheels (Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo) is the legendary late night eatery that has been serving up pies, peas and mash for decades. Harry's operates til 2am Monday - Thursdays, til 1.30am on Sunday and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays.
6. Mamak (15 Goulburn St, Sydney) makes the local Malaysians feel at home. They serve nasi lemak, roti kaya, cendol & ice kacang all day, right through to 3am.
7. City Extra (E4, Circular Quay & 301 Church St, Parramatta) is a commercial-type cafe covering a little bit of every cuisine, 24 hours.
8. Guzman y Gomez (Bayswater Rd Cnr of Pennys Ln, Kings Cross) makes it possible for you to munch on authentic Mexican quesadillas, tacos and burritos until 10pm Sunday - Thursdays and 2am on Friday & Saturday.
9. BBQ King (18-20 Goulburn St, Sydney) do great Chinese dishes but are a tad pricey. Good thing they're open til 2am daily 'coz where else would you get such crispy glazed BBQ meat cuts this late?
10. Star City's Trophies Foodcourt opens until 3am on Sunday to Thursday and 6am Friday & Saturday. They're a bit like an international food court. Cheap, tasty and umm, fast.

When I decided to become a food blogger, I had vowed to eat, photograph and write about anything and everything gourmet. So while most of the time, I'd pass on fast food... Eagle Boys was different. It was hot from the oven... literally! The topping was chunky and so tasty & the base was both crispy and fluffy.

Eagle Boys is also 100% Australia owned and operated, so support them today!

Eagle Boys
www.eagleboys.com.au

Eat In @ Piccadilly is my new lunch destination. It is much smaller than the food courts in Mid City, Imperial Arcade, or Sydney Central Plaza... but there are plentiful seats, so there's no longer a war to fight for tables, and whilst we were limited to about 7 outlets, the quality and freshness of this place was a great change from the usual chaos.

I will definately be returning to Eat In @ Piccadilly. I couldn't help but notice how plastic take-away containers weren't being used... it felt so peaceful tucking into food which was stacked neatly on a white ceramic squared plate.

Eat In @ Piccadilly
Piccadilly Centre, Pitt Street, Sydney
Web: http://www.piccadillycentre.com.au/eatinpiccadilly.amx