Ibyang Sanchez, Author at Ibyang

Costco Opening in Sydney on 21st July

15 July 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 0 Comments Category: Aussie Life

Costco has finally announced their opening dates in Sydney and Canberra! Their Sydney branch will open on the 21st of July while their Canberra branch will open on the 22nd.

Have you registered to become a member yet?

If you want to register as a Gold Member, go to this link. For Business Membership, you may click this one.

Once registered, print out your membership confirmation and bring to the temporary office on your first visit. Costco will give you an eco bag as a special gift for signing up before opening day.

Happy shopping!

Recipe: Easy-to-Prepare Kimchi

9 July 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 13 Comments Category: Recipes

I’ve been learning how to cook Korean cuisine for the past weeks because other than wanting to learn cooking different cuisines, my Husband and I really enjoy eating Korean food. Last weekend, I was able to cook three Korean dishes. I felt very good being able to practice what I’ve read about Korean cuisine and very happy because my Husband loved them.

While there are Asian grocery stores in our area and they usually sell Korean marinades and packed Kimchi, I love that I’m able to make my own Korean marinades and Kimchi. And as much as possible, I avoid buying bottled marinades because they are sometimes high in salt, sugar or preservatives.

There are different ways of making Kimchi. I got the inspiration of this recipe from a Korean Blogger named Maangchi where she shared a few Kimchi recipes in her site.

The traditional Kimchi is made with Napa Cabbage, but this recipe uses the common cabbage we see in the markets. One of the things I learned when we visited the Kimchi Museum in Seoul, Korea was that any vegetable is a probable candidate to be “kimchi-ed”.

I chose this recipe of Maangchi because this is the easiest and less complicated. I made a few changes on the measurements of the ingredients because I based it on my family’s taste and tolerance for spice. I suggest that if you make your own Kimchi at home, season as you mix so the taste will also be based on your preference. You can just use my measurements as a guide. The Kimchi I made was just medium spicy; not too hot.

What you need:

1/2 head of medium sized Cabbage (cut into strips)

1/4 cup Hot Pepper Flake

3-5 tbsps Fish Sauce (depends on your taste)

1 tbsp Sugar

1/4 cup minced Garlic

4 stalks Green Onion (cut into strips)

1 medium-sized julienned Carrot

1 cup cold water

1/4 cup Salt

What you need to do:

1. Cut your cabbage into strips and place into a large bowl.

2. Add 1 cup of cold water and 1/4 cup salt. With use of your hands, mix it well to properly salt the cabbage.
3. Set aside for 10 minutes.

4. Make the Kimchi Paste by mixing the following ingredients:
1/4 cup hot pepper flakes (you can lessen or add depending on how spicy you want it to be)
1 tbsp sugar

3-5 tbsps Fish Sauce (saltiness should be based on your taste)

1/4 cup minced Garlic

4 stalks Green Onion (cut into strips)

1 medium-sized julienned Carrot

5. Wash and rinse the salted cabbage in cold water for about 2-3 times then drain.
6. Mix the Kimchi Paste into the cabbage thoroughly. Better to use your hands in mixing.

7. Put the Kimchi into a container or jar.
8. Press the top of the Kimchi down with your hands to protect your Kimchi from being exposed to too much air. Seal container tightly.

You can eat this Kimchi right away and call it fresh Kimchi. If you want to ferment the Kimchi, keep it at room temperature for a few days. I fermented my Kimchi for 3 days and then stored it inside the refrigerator.

If after a few days of fermentation and you find white stuff (mold) on top of the Kimchi, remove the top layer and the rest of Kimchi will still be good for the months and months.

Jal Meokkesseumnida!!!! (Bon appetit! in Korean)

Restaurant: KOZY Korean Barbeque (Sydney, Australia)

4 July 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 4 Comments Category: Food

With Sydney bringing life to the CBD’s laneways these days, restaurants and bars are opening one after another. I have been lucky one afternoon to pass by Wilmot Street and saw a sign that said “Korean Barbeque“. Told the Husband about it and decided to have our late lunch there on our Friday date in June.

KOZY Korean Barbeque is near Townhall Train Station tucked in between George and Pitt Street. Even if located in a small laneway, you won’t miss the sign of their resto.

The wooden interiors, dim lighting and big TVs showing Korean stars singing & dancing will make you feel like you are in Korea.

A Korean trademark: cutlery and a box of tissue in every table.

Open the box and you’ll find Korean cutlery: chopsticks and spoon for soups and rice.

KOZY offers their lunch special to patrons during weekdays that costs AUD$8.00 per meal. Each meal comes with 3 side dishes and a small bowl of salad.

I ordered their Bibimbap. A bowl of rice topped with vegetables, beef strips and egg.

The vegetables were fresh and lightly seasoned which was more than alright for me as I’d like my dishes to be low in salt. A small bowl of Chili Sauce was served together with the Bibimbap and side dishes. It is the patron’s choice on how much Chili Sauce they would like to add unto their Bibimbap. I wanted my Bibimbap moderately spicy so I only added 2 tablespoons of the Chili Sauce to liven it up.

The Husband ordered their Bulgogi meal and it came with a bowl of rice. For only AUD8.00, the beef was abundant and flavourful.

The next time we visit KOZY, we plan to try out their Barbeque.

KOZY Barbeque Restaurant
7 Wilmot Street, Sydney NSW
Phone: 02 9267 3533

“A Wife’s Charmed Life” dined at KOZY Barbeque Restaurant as an anonymous guest.

Lindt’s Winter Exculsive: Hazelnut Hot Chocolate

3 July 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 4 Comments Category: Aussie Life, Food, The Married Life

There’s something about traveling together that makes us (my Husband and I) closer to each other that after we traveled, we missed being away from each other. After our Manila & Seoul vacation, it took us almost four weeks to spend a whole day out together.

It’s very rare that we in sync our day/s off work because we usually allot that for our respective “me” times. However, for our first day off work after vacation, we decided to align our schedules together and spend the whole day traipsing around the city. Although we enjoyed our vaycay immensely, we found that we missed the laidback atmostphere and familiarity that Sydney brings.

Our date started with a late lunch at our newest Korean resto find (coming soon in the next entry) and then we just wasted time hanging out in the shops at Pitt Street. A walk along George Street led us to the Apple Store where we just played with their devices and looked at gadget accessories. We were on our way to Circular Quay for the Vivid Sydney when tea time came and it was fortunate that we were near Lindt Cafe.

It was the first week of Winter and there were signs that they are offering their Winter Exclusive–the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate.

I was looking forward to having coffee but when I saw their Winter Special, I immediately changed my mind and ordered the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate instead.

Chocolate with almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts or toffee nuts are a favourite of mine so I had to take advantage as Winter is only three months.

The limited edition Hazelnut Hot Chocolate is only available at the Lindt Cafe. It combines the richness and earthy aromas of roasted hazelnuts and Lindt‘s dark or milk chocolate, with added honey and caramel for a perfect blend.

I smelled it from a few meters away as the waiter walks out of the counter to serve our drinks. I was in hazelnut heaven from the first sip thereon. The flavour of hazelnut was abundant and rich. Truly perfect for chilly-snugly days.

The Husband opted for his usual favourite: Cafe Mocha (Dark Chocolate was his preference for the chocolate).

We shared a slice of their Wimbledon, a layered cake of mascapone and vanilla bean cream, almond vanilla cake, strawberry puree, bordered by shards of red and white chocolate.

We’ve go two more months of the Winter Season so if ever you are near a Lindt Cafe, drop by and warm up with a cup of the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate.

Lindt Cafe
Martin Place * Darling Harbour * George Street

Costco Soon-to-Open in Sydney & Canberra

29 June 2011 Ibyang Sanchez 8 Comments Category: Aussie Life

One of the things my Husband and I enjoyed during our trip to Melbourne last year (September 2010) was shopping at Costco.

Costco is an international chain of membership warehouses that carry quality, brand name merchandise at substantially lower prices than are typically found at conventional wholesale or retail sources. I’ve heard about Costco from relatives that travel to America when I was in my teen years and I have always been fascinated with their shopping stories in Costco.

Costco opened in Melbourne last year and it became one of the highlights of our September 2010 trip. I love grocery shopping! Shopping in Costco reminded me of my weekly shopping rendezvous with my parents in Makro (in the Philippines) so when we entered “Costco-landia”, it was like deja vu on a larger scale.

Costo is a shopper’s haven. From electronic gadgets, musical instruments, clothes, cameras, groceries, furniture–they almost have everything anyone may need.

Fun fact: They have American chocolates!!!

Amusing fact: Huge items are sold here!

Even the cakes sold in their Pastry Area are in massive sizes.

Great find for the OC (obsessive-compulsive): an instant stain remover.

GREAT NEWS! Costco will soon open in Sydney and Canberra in July 2011! Since last year, the Husband and I have been waiting for their opening and we’re excited that it won’t be long now.

Early this year, they have announced that their registration for memberships are open so if you have not registered yet, you may do so here.

For more details and updates, check out their website.