Sunday 14 April 2013

Brunch & Co on Wheels - Again!



Here's a quick post on our latest outside catering job!

Mission: Feed 10 hungry adults & 9 kiddos with a buffet of yummy homemade savoury & sweet goodies - here are some photos of the results!

On the menu:

- Gourmet finger sandwiches
- Savoury mini quiches & muffins
- Houmous dip & crisp rosemary & sea salt flat breads
- Antipasto platter of cheeses & cold cuts
- Soy & honey chicken drumsticks
- Beef lasagne
- Lemon drizzle bundt cake
- Salted caramel brownies
- Caramel pudding shots
- Rice crispy squares for the kiddies!
- Lemongrass Lemonade, Sangria & Gryphon Teas

Mission accomplished! Thanks Sharon for giving Brunch & Co the opportunity to cater for your get together!







Friday 12 April 2013

Brunch & Co's Coffee Pop Up at Matt's The Chocolate Shop


So some things are just meant to be - take for instance our successful coffee pop up held during these last couple of weeks.

It all started about a month ago when I diverted from my usual route and happened to walk past Matt's The Chocolate Shop on Amoy Street and decided to pop inside to escape the afternoon heat.  I was instantly struck by the delicious chocolatey aroma that hit me as I entered the shop.


I ordered a little chocolate fudge cake and noticed, to my surprise, that no coffee was available to go with it.
Matt & I - Photo courtesy of Gwen
That's when the little cogs in my brain started to turn...."hmmm", I thought, "I have an awesome espresso machine & need coffee customers I can practice on and, Matt has a lovely cafe without means for making coffees".


So a deal was struck and the Brunch & Co Coffee Pop Up idea was launched - within a couple of weeks of meeting, there I was standing behind the counter of Matt's shop on a Monday morning ready to make coffees!
Photo courtesy of awesome regular coffee customer, Mei Wan Foo!
Photo by amazing photographer Ron Lee - me skiving off work!
Fast forward two weeks, over 5kg's of Liberty SpeakEasy coffee beans, copious amounts of milk & 225 cups later I can honestly say it has been such a brilliant experience.


Whilst hard work being on my feet all day, I absolutely loved the buzz of working in Matt's cafe.

It was great getting to know Matt, Sharon & Gwen from the shop as well as some of the local neighbours who became our "regulars".


Most of all I was so touched to see all our friends coming out in droves to pop in and support me - thank you to each & everyone of you from the bottom of my heart.

My #1 Supporter!
Special thanks also to Matt & his team for being so open and welcoming and to Terence & Pauline from Liberty Coffee for their huge support as well!

PS. If you know a good place for a coffee pop up please drop me a line at brunchandcompany@blogspot.com - in the meantime, happy brunching & coffee drinking to one and all!

Louise x

Sunday 7 April 2013

Brunch & Co Event #17 - Brunch Malaysian style!

Today's brunch was a very special one for Brunch & Co as we welcomed, for the first time, our friend Li-Yong Choo into our underground kitchen to dream up her own idea of a perfect brunch menu and to cook & serve it up for the lucky few Brunch & Co customers to snaffle up seats for this event!

Li-Yong describing her dishes!
Li-Yong hails from the crazy melting pot of Johor Bahru & loves whipping up a spicy curry amongst other treats in her spare time so today's brunch was all about serving up homemade Malaysian dishes that embody a symphony of flavours - spicy, aromatic, pungent, salty & sweet.

To kick off the Malaysian food journey, Li-Yong served up shots of Tea Tarik along side homemade kaya toast sandwiches using lovely loaves of homemade bread.


Photo courtesy of Sous Chef of the day - Kirby Mark (Li-Yong's hubby)!
She then served a starter of Roti Jala (lacy pancakes) with Kari Ayam Kapitan, which is a Nonya style chicken curry - rich, spicy & complex flavours!



Photo courtesy of Sous Chef of the day - Kirby Mark (Li-Yong's hubby!)

To cool the palates after this starter, we served up a refreshing & tangy lemongrass & lime granita.


For the main course Li-Yong whipped up a dish called Nasi Lemak Udang which consisted of spicy sambal prawns served on a bed of coconut & pandan infused rice accompanied by crispy fried anchovies & peanuts, pineapple & cucumber salsa and a soft centred egg - phew, so many flavours, colours & textures!


Crispy fried anchovies & peanuts.
Photo courtesy of Sous Chef Kirby Mark

With tongues on fire, we served another sorbet - this time lychee & coconut flavoured ones...


With our fantastic group of guests engaged in lots of great conversation & laughter, Li-Yong set to work preparing her final course of "deconstructed" banana fritters - bananas pan fried in butter served alongside crunchy buttery crumble, pandan ice cream and a small slice of pandan butter cake with gula melaka syrup drizzled over the top - YUM!


Li-Yong also provided homemade coconut candies for our guests to take home - these candies used to be made by Li-Yong's Mum & Auntie when she was growing up and she recounted waiting excitedly at the kitchen counter waiting for them to come out of the oven ready to munch on. 


So, tummies full of delicious food and new friendships blossoming - those are the signs of a successful brunch!  Well done & a HUGE thank you to Li-Yong & Kirby for such an awesome effort!

Our next brunch - the Domestic Goddess Brunch will take place on Sunday 12th May and promises to be filled with decadent & tasty British treats! To book your place, please email us at brunchandcompany@gmail.com

Until then, keep well & happy brunching peeps!

Cheers,
Louise & Mark