2011-03-26 "Meet & Dine" @ Chez Buddha

It's "Meet & Dine" @ Chez Buddha!!!  We stalled on this idea for the longest time mainly because Buddha Boy and I are not comfortable to charge each guest a per-person-price.  Moreover, unlike myself, Buddha Boy is quite a shy guy so he has to meet the person first before we invite him/her over for dinner.  Prior to this event, we openly asked and discussed about pricing.  I would like to take this opportunity and thank all who commented or emailed us with suggestions and encouragements.  Most of our supporters thought it's reasonable to have a per-person-price between $15 to $25, depending on the cost of supplies.  In the end, for this first trial run, we sent out limited invitations at $15 per person.  Please note that we're not in this for profits or fame.  Instead, we're here to share Buddha Boy's cooking and to gather constructive criticisms/suggestions from our diners.

Since we have a small home and a small kitchen, I thought we could have hot pot while Buddha Boy cooks his dishes.  That way, there wouldn't be any "no food" moments...hahahahaha!!!  Above picture shows our hot pot collection...plus our sauce station and our non-alcoholic drinks...hahaha!  Yup!  It's like an AYCE hot pot!

Salty Crispy Chicken (鹽酥雞), also known as Taiwanese popcorn chicken, Taiwanese chicken nuggets, Taiwanese salt & peppery chicken, etc.  The first plate was not too crispy and did not have enough five-spices (五香粉).  The second and third plates were better...of course...that's after I pointed out to Buddha Boy!!!  Yup, I'm trying to get the credits here...hahahaha!

Buddha Boy's imitation of Phnom Penh Wings (金邊小館炸雞翅)...the wings were nice, but still a long way to go when compared to the wings at Phnom Penh...hahahahaha!  Nice try Buddha Boy!

"Compact Chicken Dinner"...just like the ones he made previously for MomJ and I (please see post 2011-02-13 "Triple D" Cooking @ Chez Buddha).  I thought the "ball" was not as good as last time, but the gravy was better this time.

Buddha Boy's Lu-Rou-Fan (魯肉飯), or commonly known as the Taiwanese pork sauce on rice.  This was a bit on the bland side, I think it needed a bit more onions and cinnamon, and perhaps a bit more salt?!?!?

Instead of a "honey toast" for dessert, why not try a "savory toast" for dinner?  Buddha Boy presented the Pork Bomb.  LOL!!!  Quite creative!!!  Just wondering, since "honey toast" is 蜜糖土司 in Chinese, what would you call a "savory toast" then?  I came up with 風味土司 or 菜餚土司 or 開胃土司 or 鹹味土司...any suggestions???

The bread was hollowed out, buttered and sprinkled with granulated garlic (for the "garlic bread" effect).  Once toasted, mac n' cheese filled the bottom, followed by meatballs and a light dusting of Parmesan and bacon bits.  Finishing it with a slice of bacon followed by a split hot dog that was deep fried to give it a "flare" effect.  Bacon bits and scallions were used to garnish the plate.  This was an all pork dish.

Buddha Boy's revised version of Fruit Medley Honey Toast (綜合水果蜜糖土司).  This looked and tasted better than the first time he tried at home (see post 2011-02-20 Honey Toast 蜜糖土司 @ Chez Buddha)...but both Elaine and I agreed that a strawberry sauce would work better than the mango or the blueberry sauces...perhaps he should create a Strawberry Delight Honey Toast (情趣草莓蜜糖土司)...LOL!!!

Building on Buddha Boy's previous attempt (see post 2011-02-20 Honey Toast 蜜糖土司 @ Chez Buddha), this version was the same as the previous, using french toast sticks, mango, blueberry and strawberries.  The additional changes to this version incorporated more ice cream (vanilla and strawberry), mango coulis and blueberry coulis.  His next version will incorporate the suggested idea of strawberry sauce.  He may also try a raspberry sauce too!

Buddha Boy's Oreo Sensation Honey Toast (奧利奧之戀蜜糖土司)...this was my idea originally, but Buddha Boy made it even better with almost everything Oreo.  Two-bite brownies, Oreo wafer sticks, and vanilla ice cream were also used.

After toasting, a liberal amount of Nutella was spread inside...mmm...Nutella!!!  Anything is good with Nutella!!!

LemonDroplet and Marv from 604 Munchies showered us, and all the guests, with yummy Filipino tofu dessert known as Tahô from Garden City Kabob Grill.  The sweetened pearl sago was a bit too soft for me, but it worked well with the silky tofu dessert...the combination was so fragrant!!!  I had two bowls of this plus all the left-overs the next night...hehehehe.  Thank you LemonDroplet and Marv for this wonderful dessert!  Please also visit their post on 604 Munchies - Dinner Feast @ Food For Buddha.

 

To Derek Ip (PanDa & Lully's), Michael Ip (PanDa & Lully's), Elaine (O My Sweet Tooth), LemonDroplet & Marv (604 Munchies), Gloria (Fork of Chopstick) and Bev...thank you all for coming!  Remember our rule of the night?  "The first person that stops eating has to wash the dishes"...hahahaha...so who was it anyways???