Make Room for Burgeroom

There are certain circumstances when acting like a total man is 100% acceptable if not required for a woman: working out and eating proper man food.
I'm talking ribs, sloppy joes, and of course burgers.

Being the burger enthusiast that I am, I go big (and never go home) when it comes to eating these stacks of mouthwatering goodness. The minute said plate of heaven is placed in front of me, the thought of using a napkin or other cleaning device becomes completely irrelevant. What good would man food be if you looked like a lady eating it? I mean, c'mon there's no fun in that...

So the other day, Liam and I set out on a mission to find a new burger joint we could call 'ours' and came across this jem: Bugeroom.

 Nestled in the depths of Causeway Bay sits this restaurant that serves up gourmet (and cheap!) burgers to suit any fan. More of a chicken burger kinda gal? No problem. They've got that. Going for something a little more off the rocks? Go for a fish burger with a fried egg on top. Let your heart, imagination, and stomach go wild.

Deciding that our appetites were big enough to demolish a small supermarket, we settled on two different burgers with a side of curly cheese fries.

Being a bit daring I went for the Chili Beef Burger where red faces and watering eyes were just part of the experience. 

 One that I hardly regret!

 Liam chose to balance our beef binge with a Chicken Bacon Burger that blew me away.

I'd like to think that I cook a meanly tender chicken but mine didn't even TOUCH this chicken burger. Burgeroom, please, let me in on your secret ways of deliciousness.

Delivered last (oddly) which made it seem like deathwish after eating those massive burgers, the curly cheese fries came completely smothered in 'nacho' cheese which we paired with the classic dressing of ketchup (on the side of course!).

Nom nom nom..

If you want to get your hands on one of these bad boys, their information is here.
But please, on behalf of man food, leave your napkins and femininity at the door.

Pure Veggie House

Hong Kongers are big on dim sum. And when I say big, I actually mean huge.

Being the local that I am (ha), I'm always up to grab dim sum. So the other day when my friend Sasha told me about a vegetarian dim sum place called "Pure Veggie House", I knew I had to give it a go. 

Typically meat-based, dim sum is done with a certain finesse. Everyone sits down around large circular table and a check-box menu is passed round for everyone to tick which dish(es) they want.

 Master Sasha (and Veg Dim Sum Expert) arranged most of the dishes.

We started off with one of the weirdest dishes I've ever eaten: marinated gluten. I have heard the word 'gluten' thrown around so much but to this day I still haven't got the slightest clue what it is. Is it good for you? Is it bad for you? If it is good for you, why do so many people go for gluten-free choices - like bread? Help me unravel the gluten mystery. 
But anyway, this gluten was marinated 5 different ways and had a texture unlike anything else. The closest thing I could compare it to is stomach but softer. I know, to the Westerners out there it doesn't sound particularly appetizing. But here in Asia, texture is as if not more important than the taste of a dish. So I can tell why this one is quite popular as a starter!

Once we finished chatting about the gluten mystery and the main dishes were set down, we tucked into:

(my all time favorite) Cha Siu Bao - normally a BBQ pork filled steamed bun but given it was a veg restaurant was substituted with another substance that was remarkably similar to the taste and feel of meat. These hardly lacked that little je ne sais pas that the normal buns have. So I had two..

MmMmMm. Yummy.

Dishes 2 and 3 are both common at dim sum: boiled soup dumpling and steamed vegetable dumplings were refreshingly tasty for they were light but heavy enough to leave you satisfied.

 And lastly, we had Sash's favorite pan-friend shredded turnip puff pastry to finish off the mains.

But being a Sugar Woman, no meal would be complete without a little sweet something. So we went with the mango nata de coco sago soup and got our worlds rocked. Nata de coco, meaning jelly cubes of coconut, floated in a sea of sago bubbles wafted in a mango and coconut 'soup'. 

Need less to say, one was barely enough.

Another unconventional day with two very unconventional people. Simply buntastic.
If you'd like to give this wonderful alternative to dim sum, you can find their contact information here. They come highly recommended!

Cheeky Movie Poppers

I love food. Period. 

There is nothing I won't try at least once and I am as content with that notion as a pea in a pod.

But when it comes to going out and ordering dishes, I usually go for the veggies with chicken (or something of that equivolence) while my friends indulge in fish 'n chips or a big slice of everything pizza. And you can't blame me for wanting to try what they're having - you know, to make sure it's not poisoned or anything - which drives them absolutely nuts! This is especially so when we go to the movies and they order popcorn and I'm over in the corner chewing my nails trying hard not to ask for a handful...or 10....

But with this virtually guilt free snack, I'm going to have to swat their hands away!

Behold the Cheeky Movie Popper (or roasted edamame!)

As easy as poppin' them in the oven, throwin' them in a bag, and cheekily sneaking them into the cinema while ferociously eating them during the intense action scenes.

All you need is (love):

1 bag frozen edamame beans

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper (I like a lot of flavor on mine)

1 tsp paprika (if you want a lil' kick)

1/4 cup grated part skim mozzarella cheese

First thing is first: defrost and drain the edamame.

Then lay them ou on your parchment papered tray and sprinkle ingredients generously on top.

I went for half paprika covered and half mozzarella covered because who doesn't love a little variety?

Lastly, pop them in the oven at about 180 degrees Celius (if not a bit hotter to speed up the cooking time) for around 15 to 20 minutes.
Once your house smells of spice and everything nice and your little beans have crispy tops, take them out and let them cool.

Popcorn? PSHH step aside for these little babies.

Sprinkle with a little more salt/pepper/paprika/cheese to your heart's content.

In Need of a Face Lift

Although I am somewhat emotionally attached to my blog theme that I created myself with my very limited photoshop knowledge, I think the time has come for Adventures of a Sugar Woman to get little a face lift.

So I am giving you the chance to play surgeon and submit a new website design!
I'm looking for any daring soul willing to give this challenge a try. And as a reward - besides getting credit for the site's layout - I'll give you a guest post on the blog as a little form of shameless self-promotion!
All you have to do is:
Make a mock up of your design for the new blog (must include a new logo to put as the new header *big picture at the top of the blog* and side column design *small links/pictures that redirect readers to other posts*) in the form of a picture snapshot (just to give us a little teaser of what you'd have in store) and a short paragraph of the other ideas you have.
Message your ideas and the mock layout picture onto the Facebook page here to enter. The deadline will be the last day of this month where I will see which one works best with the blog's overall theme.

I'm so excited to see all of your brilliant ideas!
Samamtha xx

Koh Samui Kooler

While I feel many of us have moved on from the Kohsa Blues (mainly because thinking about our perfect holiday will only bring more blues rather than bring back the trip), but one thing remains on my mind...the fruit!
So fresh.
So sweet.
So plentiful.
And so cheap!

So in the spirit of summer, nostalgia, and a thirst for something downright tasty, I whipped a fruity smoothie...

Behold the Kohsa Cooler. Full of mango and papaya goodness!

What you'll need:

1 papaya

1 mango

1 generous splash of milk (of your choosing but I used skimmed milk for mine)

1 drizzle of honey

As simple as that.

First off, you want to cut off the bottom of your papaya.

 And very carefully 'slice' off its skin.

 Cut it open,

 and deseed using a little toothed spoon!

Cut into strips then chunks and throw into the mixer.

 Next up is the mango where the above steps are repeated.

 In the mixer they go

 Add the dash of milk

 And swirl of honey

And whiz up!

 Then after a few torturous seconds, your refreshing glass of Thailand is ready to be sipped (or gulped in my case)!

 Mmmm, nothing like a fruit smoothie to ease an aching soul.