Tomato soup

Tomato Soup


Serving for 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and quartered

3 tablespoons fresh snipped basil

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt (may need more, depending on acidity of tomatoes)

1/8 teaspoon black pepper


Directions:
*Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
*Combine butter and olive oil. 


*Saute the onions for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
*Add tomatoes and basil. Add both salt and pepper. Simmer for 40 minutes. 


*Serve in bowls with spoon of sour cream, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil / dried basil on top.

Creamy mushroom soup

Creamy mushroom soup

4 servings

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
* 1/4 cup butter
* 1 cup cream
* 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
* 1 cup chopped portobello mushrooms
* 2 shallots, chopped
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoons dried basil leaves
* 1 cup half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the shiitake mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, and shallots for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Mix in the flour until smooth.Add the cream in it then cook, stirring, 5 minutes, or until thick and bubbly.
2. Stir in the half-and-half, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with dried basil leaves. Heat through, but do not boil.

How did you spend your childhood?

I went to a dinner with my friends last Sunday, we talked about our childhood during we eating dessert. My friend asked me how did I spend my childhood. Most of them spent their childhood playing video games or basket ball. And the answer which shocked me the most was one of my friend spent his childhood in tuition class. His parents was very strict when he was a kid, they wanted him to be a top student and sent him to tuition class after school. So he thought his childhood was miserable.

So, I'm wonder how did people spend their childhood normally? How did you spend your childhood? Did you spend your childhood reading? Did you spend your childhood playing video games?

I spent my childhood reading and drawing. I don't really play video game even until now, I'm just not that into playing video games. Beside that I started to cook when I was 9 years
old. I think, cooking is my hobby and I'm quite enjoy it. I enjoy how my friends and family like my cooking. I baked cake for my teacher in teacher's day when I was ten. I don't remember how was it taste like but I think that cake wasn't good. Anyways, it was my first cake. When I was study in high school I always cooked for my friends during weekend. Then I went to China for study and I cooked for my friends as well, especially Yenyin and Dawson. I'm glad they like my cooking and they were good helper.

I think what you did in your childhood could effect your life. Now I have my own café and art gallery. And my friend, the one that I mentioned who had a miserable childhood. Do you know what is his doing? He own a tuition class and teaching math now. Isn't that funny?

So, how did you spend your childhood?

Strawberry Ice-cream cake

I make this Ice-cream cake for my grandmum on her birthday :)

Cafe = Mamak? Folk er rare !

Would you walk in to a western restaurant and ask for Chinese food?
Would you ask the waiter give you some curry in Starbucks?

Most of the Malaysian would.

Some of my customers have the contact number of my café, usually they will call us to order some food before they come. Sometimes they blamed me why I didn't served Asian food in my café. I told them because my café is a western style café.
Then they said :' I'm in Malaysia now, I want Malaysian food, I don't care what kind of café you are, you have too serve me Malaysian food.I'm appreciated that they like my café, but I'm sad they thought my café was a "cafe" which is a cafe like 'Old Town'.

My friends asked why didn't I open a mamak.
It's because I like to cook western food or fusion food better. Beside I'm not interested to open a Malaysian style café which is some café like "Kopitiam", "Old Town" or "Paparich".

Actually I found that most of the Malaysian misunderstood the meaning of café, the "cafe" they know is something more similar to "mamak". The only different between the "cafe" they know and "mamak" is "mamak" served cheaper food and beverages.The 'cafe' which they know like Old Town and Paparich are serving some food where you can find in mamak but only more expensive.

Since I came back, I found that seems like every shop who served food can be named as a café. The restaurant next door which is serve Malay food named "cafe cova delight". Even A random food stall in a complex or beside the road named "cafe fatimah " and "cafe abu".
Now, I'm confused what cafe was?


* Café
1 a small restaurant selling light meals and drinks.
2 a bar or nightclub.
3 a serving of coffee, esp. prepared European-style [in combination ] : an assortment of cappuccinos and café mochas.

* Mamak
A mamak stall, also referred to as mapley, is a food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Tamil Muslims, who generally own and operate them. Although traditionally operated from roadside stalls, some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or cafe-type establishments. Mamak stalls tend to be popular among Malaysian youths as hang out spots, due to cheap food and beverages being served 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

People of all races, religions and ages frequent mamak stalls to gossip or catch a late-night football game while enjoying a cup of hot teh tarik. No other eatery has quite as much cultural significance in Malaysia, save for the kopi tiam.

The artist of The Art Café - Christian Lai

Christian Lai
Malaysian
Born in 1987-9-12
Artist
Both owner and chef of The Art Café

Contact

Address :
L1.32 Cova Square, Jalan Teknologi,
Kota Damansara PJU 5, 47810 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia.

Business Time :
10 am - 10 pm

Tel :
+603-61422490

The Art Café - A home in the city

The Art Café is a modern style wireless café that serves Western-fusion food and coffee.
It is a great place that offers quick and friendly service. It is a place where you can stop in for your morning cup of coffee and chat with other enthusiastic morning clientele, or come hang out after work or school; or a place where you can spend your afternoon taking a break or reading books.
The Art Café is not just a place that serves coffee and food. It is both a café and an art gallery.
All the paintings that display in the café are painted by the owner of The Art Café - Christian Lai. The Art Café's menu is separated into two parts: the Standard Menu and Daily Menu. The Daily Menu is market-fresh and changes daily. We also serve some traditional malaysian food everyday,for example tomyam.The Art Café is all about fresh food,simply cooked. This time we have taken that philosophy off to a homely place of fine coffee and relax place to provide an inspiring setting for the stunning food ideas. Who would resist such an invitation to escape the everyday and feast on lush tropical fruit,crisp salads,barbecued seafood and tangy noodles dishes,food spiced with a splash of lime and a scattering of fragrant herbs. So relax,escape and indulge in all things luscious.