GIVEAWAY: Meld Magazine's Little Orange Book of BIG Discounts

If you've followed me on my Instagram (@winceeee), you might've seen me post some photos with the hashtag: #littleorangebook the past few weeks. It's basically to show how I've taken/used Meld Magazine's Little Orange Book of BIG Discounts around Melbourne.

It's essentially a book of Discount vouchers with over $1,000 of offers at various establishments around Melbourne. This voucher is put together by a Non-for-Profit online magazine called Meld Magazine, which you can buy from their website for only $25: here

#littleorangebook at Cacao Green 

(Instagram: @winceeee)

I was given one copy of this book to use and another copy to giveaway by Karen, the founder of Meld Magazine. What I not only like, but respect, about Meld Magazine's work is that they are centred around helping international students settle into life in Australia by presenting various topics from lifestyle, to politics and just general advice articles to help them find their way. Having been an international student myself for 5 out of my 5 1/2 years in Melbourne, this is a cause that I can really identify with and am happy to support. Besides that, they are also a great platform for media and journalism students to obtain practical work experience through their magazine.

Best thing about this is seeing all these businesses supporting the international student community as well by being generous enough to sponsor and participate in the Little Orange Book of BIG Discounts.

Read more about Meld Magazine from their website: here

#littleorangebook at Cacao Green 

(Instagram: @winceeee)

Flipping through the book I found that there were a lot of vouchers in there that really caught my attention. I definitely will be use it to have a meal at Pepper Lunch, maybe followed by a froyo snack at Cacao Green and if I'm feeling cheeky, a bag of awesome fries from Snag Stand. Otherwise, I could always date my friends out for dinner at Izakaya Chuji before an intense Karaoke sesh at K-Box. Too good.

#littleorangebook at Hometown Asian Grocery 

(Instagram: @winceeee)

• Ajisen Ramen • Chatime • Pepper Lunch • Central Grocery • Mad Mex •• Nando’s • Krispy Kreme • Dangerfield • KBox • IKEA •• Bao Now • Coconut House • Izakaya Chuji • Momo Sushi • Mercadante •• Hometown Asian Supermarket • Plantation Specialty Coffee • Snag Stand •• porgie + Mr Jones • Cacao Green • Ganache Chocolate •• Extragreen Holidays • Picket •

& many more!

SO, winning a copy of this discount book is very easy. All you have to do is answer the question below: 

"Where is your favourite place to take friends or family visiting Melbourne for the first time?"

Simply leave a comment with your response below and the most interesting answer will win a copy of Meld Magazine's Little Orange Book of BIG Discounts! Competition ends at 10pm on 31st August 2013 and valid to Australian residents only.

Good luck!

Tokyo Teppanyaki, South Yarra + Groupon GIVEAWAY!!

Teppanyaki, baby!

Howdy!

When Groupon first approached me to kindly ask if I would review one of their restaurants so that they could assess the restaurant options they're listing, I wasn't sure how I felt about that to be honest. On one hand, I liked the idea of helping them improve the quality of offerings to customers. On the other, there seem to be an unspoken "taboo" from the blogosphere for participating in too many sponsored posts for fear of being labelled "commercialised". It's true...

After (very) much thought, I realised it was really silly to not do something if your only concern was what others might say about you, when you yourself know perfectly well what your blog stands for, more than anyone else. At the same time, I was very persuaded to do this because I personally know people who actually buy Groupon vouchers regularly and that this would really interest them and actually be a huge benefit to them, in one way or another. That, to me, makes it all worth it. Plus, it's always great to work with different people and build connections, IMO...

Can you see how it really is a journey when it comes to (re)-discovering and (re)-affirming the identity of our blog? 

Anyway, SO glad that I went because I got to experience my very first live Teppanyaki dining experience (where the chef cooked and does awesome tricks/games in front of you). Always wanted to go! Also got to make a FUN day out of it as I brought 3 of my really good friends to dine with me at Tokyo Teppanyaki in Chapel Street on a nice, sunny afternoon... Hurrah! 

BIG shoutout to my mate Julian for putting a video together just for this post so we could share our uber fun Teppanyaki meal with you guys. Love itttt...!!

The voucher was for the Osaka Set which usually costs $65 per head (without sake) but on Groupon it costs $27 per person INCLUDING SAKE. Here's what we had... =)

Course #1: Spring Roll, Salmon and Avocado Sushi, Chicken Karaage

LOVE the concept of having an assortment of entrees on individual plates, just feels more cute and personal. Loved everything on the plate. Chicken: good. Sushi: good. But the spring rolls.... YUM!! After that, I was so tempted to ask the waitress if I could have like 10 more of them rolls lol.

Course #2: Miso Soup

Good as well. Right amount of Miso/saltiness and always comforting to have...

Hot sake!

Love sake!! Doesn't burn down your throat (despite being hot) like most liquor but it's smooth and excellent to slowly sip on throughout the meal.

Course #3: King Prawns

Omg these prawns were SO darn tender and succulent. Awesome knife skillz were involved when making this too. It was perfectly cooked and every mouthful was a delight, with a slight crunch too. LOVE.

Course #4: Tenderloin Steak

Wait till you see you see what happens next...

FI-YAHHH!!

Lots of "ooohs, aaaahs" and camera action going on for sure

So beautiful...

BEST DISH OF THE DAY!!

I read somewhere that the BEST way to enjoy good quality beef (like Wagyu) was in strips or cubes, then seared all over so that the meat juices caramelises the meat, which is exactly what happened here. Let me tell you, that blazing flame really did wonders to the flavour/texture of this beautiful piece of meat! Wow.

Meat was SO darn tender that it was effortless to bite apart, and it was nice and bouncy too! Was savouring each piece so much. Some of us even wondered if it could be Wagyu because it was SO tender. Friggin amazing, this one.

Course #5: Calamari

Enjoyed this a lot too!! Thick, but still chewy and springy, which I enjoy. Great smokey flavour from the teppanyaki plate. Yum.

Then, midway through our meal, the chef did something unexpected...

We were wondering what it was until he told us it was omelette rolls for a game he'd like to play with us... LOL

The game was SO funny you'll have to watch the video at the end to see what games we played... It was hilarious!

Course #6: Chicken Thighs

Nice. Juicy, tender and perfectly glazed with teriyaki and garlic butter. 

After this, the chef asked if we were ready for our next game. And here's the funny bit: When it came to my turn, he asked me to stand far away at the counter near the entrance. I thought he was joking so I laughed along, but apparently he wasn't. LOL. The challenge was for me to catch a bowl of fried rice from halfway across the room! NUTS!! Again, you gotta checkout the vid below to see how it all went down...

Course #7: Teppanyaki Fried Rice

Lovely. Beautiful smokiness from the scorching hot grill, which elevated an otherwise plain bowl of fried rice to a whole new level. Loved how the rice was slightly nice and buttery too, mmm...

Course #8: Beansprouts

Another simple, yet deliciously cooked dish. Wouldn't have this veg any other way. 

 

The aftermath from another table...

 

To cap off, I really, really enjoyed the meal here at Tokyo Teppanyaki. It was fun, interactive and most of all... DELICIOUS. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of meats too, to be honest! Every dish was great but the winner really was, without a doubt, the AMAZING beef tenderloin... Whoahhh. 

Will I be back? Most definitely! In fact, I think it's a great place to celebrate a birthday, with 6 - 7 of your good friends while sharing laughs/games over delicious food and sake. Also found out that they've actually been open for more than 20 years. Anyway, I'd definitely recommend people looking out for the voucher at Groupon so they can enjoy this meal at a very affordable price! Thank you, Groupon for such a splendid meal. We really had a great time here.

For more information on Groupon's deals in Melbourne, click: HERE
If you'd like to find other Japanese restaurant deals in Melbourne, click: HERE

Finally, do check out the short video Juls put together of all our games that day for all of you to enjoy... See whether I embarrassed myself in public or not, HAHA!!

_______________________________________________

GIVEAWAY COMPETITION:

On top of that, Groupon would also like to giveaway a $50 voucher to any of YOU!! Woooo-hooooo~~

And all you need to do is leave a comment below for a chance to win! 

Now, the rules:

- Competition closes 7pm, 31st October

- Open to Australian residents only

- May enter once a day, as many times throughout competition

- Winner will be chosen at random and announced on my Facebook page

Gooood luck!! =)

Disclaimer: Winston and friends dined at Tokyo Teppanyaki courtesy of a voucher from Groupon. All opinions are honest and based on own personal experience at the time.

Beef Ribs in Tomato Sauce + COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!!!

A great cookbook that I'm SURE you would

(image source: The Pioneer Woman)

Sooooooo... I bought a cookbook by The Pioneer Woman a couple of months ago from Fishpond. But, what happened was that they sent me an extra copy by mistake. Yikes! I wasn't sure what to do with the extra copy so I e-mailed them to ask if it was okay for me to use it as a giveaway... And they said YES!

YIPPEEEEEE~~~ Thanks, Fishpond!!

The thing is, I am VERY particular with the cookbooks that I buy but there's so many reasons why I just knew deep down that THIS was the cookbook for me.

Her food is SO utterly delicious because it's the exactly type of food that people crave to eat. Shown in jaw-dropping photography. Plus, they're simple to do! Not to mention how incredibly funny she is. And if you've read her blog, you'll know what I mean. You'll also realise why that this woman is so spectacular in so many ways that it's no wonder she's one of the most popular food bloggers in the world. Period.

So! Want to win a copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier? I'm going to make it very easy for you =)

Here's how to enter:

Simply leave a comment at the bottom.

As many times throughout the competition.

But max once per day.

Competition ends: 8pm, 22nd August (Wed)

Open to Australian residents only.

Winner will be selected at random.

AND... If you tweet this link OR like my Facebook page, you get 3 extra votes -- yay!

Feel free to let me know if you've commented and already a fan of my FB page. I'll know what to do. Best of luck to you all! =)

_________________________________

To accompany this post, I've decided to share one of my ALL-TIME favourite recipes by The Pioneer Woman. There's so many to choose from, because I've made so many of her recipes by now and they've all been such a huge hit every single time, no kidding!

But, this Beef Ribs in Tomato Sauce has GOT to be one of the best. Takes long to cook, but honestly, very minimal effort. Final product is deeeeeliciously slow cooked beef ribs, where the meat just falls off the bone and fats/tendons/cartilage just melts in your mouth. All drizzled in seriously lip smackingly good sauce.

Now, THIS is why I love The Pioneer Woman's recipes and also why I'm sure you'd enjoy her cookbook as much as me. Do give this recipe a go, you won't be disappointed!

NOTE: By all means, you can choose to cook and braise the beef in a single dutch oven. But, if you're like me and don't own a dutch oven yourself, just cook it in a pan before transferring to a large oven proof casserole pot (like Corningware). Otherwise, a baking tray covered in aluminium foil would work too. Just as long as it's covered and beef is submerged in sauce as much as possible =)

Beef Ribs in Tomato Sauce

(slightly adapted from this recipe by The Pioneer Woman, serves 6)

Ingredients:

1.5 kg short (or beef) ribs *

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp sugar

5 cloves garlic, diced

1 whole onion, diced

1 cup red wine

2 cans (14 oz) whole tomatoes

1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce **

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

1/4 tsp dried herbs

500g fettuccine

Grated cheese ***

Minced fresh parsley

* I can never find short ribs so I just buy normal beef ribs and get the butcher to cut it to about 2.5 inch long pieces

** Or mix 3 tbsp tomato paste + water in the 14 oz can

*** I LOVE the Mexican Blend from Costco. Good in sharpness and gooeyness. My shredded cheese of choice

Method:

Preheat oven to 140degC. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium to high heat. Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper.

Brown the ribs in oil, in batches until nice and golden. Very important for holding its shape cause we'll be braising for several hours in the oven! Remove to plate.

Throw garlic and onions into the pan. Stir to cook for a minute or two, then add tomatoes, tomato sauce, wine, salt, chilli flakes and thyme. Stir to combine.

With tongs, set short ribs back into the pan, submerging as much as possible in the sauce. Transfer to casserole pot. Cover pot and place in the oven. Cook for 3.5 - 4 hours. Short ribs should be tender and falling off the bone.

Remove ribs from the pot. Allow pot to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, remove from the refrigerator and remove all the hardened fats/grease from the top. Discard. Return pot to stovetop or oven and warm it up.

Cook pasta as per packet instructions. Serve the sauce and beef ribs generously on a bed of cooked pasta. Sprinkle generously with shredded cheese and chopped parsley. DELICIOUSSSS!!!

As you can see, I didn't have fresh parsley but it does make a big difference!

SO yum I seriously could not contain myself

The "Knock You Naked" Brownies that I've blogged about (here) was also featured in this cookbook. Great!

OZKitchenware Giveaway WINNERS! =D

HELLO!

What a fantastic week it's been reading all the amazing entries you guys submitted for the first ever giveaway on The Hungry Excavator, as sponsored by OZKitchenware. To be honest, it was really, really hard trying to pick just ONE winner. So many great entries to choose from!!! I really wished I could pick two or three winners, heee...

A VERY HUGE "Thank You" to every single one of you who has taken time out to browse, enter and even share the competition to your networks the past week! This giveaway wouldn't have been such a huge success if it weren't for each of you. Thanks again... I truly hope you had as much fun in doing so as I did hosting this giveaway.

But in the end, after much thought and deliberation, I have decided that the winner of the $200 OZKitchenware Gift Voucher is:

Vivian - vxdollface

*round of applause!!!!*

And here was her entry with a creative way to bless those around her with a product from OZKitchenware:

This year I've been a really good girl and would love Santa's elves at OZKitchenware to leave a crepe pan under the tree or hanging from my stocking pls :D http://www.ozkitchenware.com.a...

I would wake up early Christmas morning (even though I'm really meant to unwrap gifts on Boxing Day) and take it for a whiz to whip up breakfast for the family since mum gets up early every morning to do so ^^ CREPES FOR ALL!! All day every day xD lol. Then when friends or relatives come over, I can make them Japanese style crepes filled with strawberries, chesecake, and berry coulis (cause syrup is a no no)!

Congratulations on winning your prize, Vivian! Am sure you'll have loads of fun picking up kitchenware that you can use to continue to bring smiles to all your friends and family! ;)

ALSO, the winner of the UBER cool Scanpan Spectrum 6-Piece Steak Knife Set that was selected at random is:

Wee Xin Long

Congratulations to you as well, and thanks for "liking" both The Hungry Excavator and OZKitchenware FB pages! Now, you have a great excuse to invite your friends over for dinner just so you can show off your new steak knives! ;p

Winners, you will be contacted very shortly with instructions of how you can redeem your prize.

Thank you again everybody for participating in this giveaway the past week and also OZKitchenware for giving me this wonderful opportunity to host your competition. Hope you all have a great time enjoying the rest of your holidays!!

Cheers!

Winston =)