Ancient potion turned into brew for frazzled new age
The latest leaves on the tea market promise not only to cure life's more desperate moments, but also to 'soothe your psyche and enlighten your spirit as you prepare to enter the next age'.
Touted as the tea for the millennium, the Tazo range is inspired by a spicy intoxicating potion brewed by the forest people of Central Europe in 4786 BC. According to the blurb on the box, the blend was believed to have the 'power to transport a weary traveller back to his home the instant he closed his eyes'.
In reality, the range of seven teas ($40 for 24 bags) is far more credible and a lot more comforting than its marketing gimmicks. The herbal infusions include blends such as Spice (cinnamon bark, sarsaparilla, orange peel, chicory root, star anise, 'and the mumbled chantings of a certified tea shaman'); and Wild Sweet Orange (blackberry leaves, lemongrass, spearmint leaves, orange peel, rose petals and saffron, among others). Zen and Awake are the only two which contain caffeine.
The individually wrapped tea bags all contain a message, such as: 'True passion is intoxicating and invigorating, soothing and sensuous, mysterious and magical. We just thought you should know what you are in for.' And that's only on the Passion blend.
Tazo teas are also available mixed with juices and bottled, ready to drink. Bottled flavours include Basic Black, Passion Potion, Brambleberry and Tazo Berry. All are $16.
The tea - also packaged in tins ($14 small, $56 large) for those who prefer loose leaf tea - are available from Healing Plants and Healing Plants Too!, both on Lyndhurst Terrace. Tel: 2815-5005.
Cheesecakes of the world Cheesecakes have been given different nationalities by Lucullus. In its latest wave of creativity, the food and wine company has injected its cheesecakes with six international flavours.
The range includes Japan (mild cream cheese over a sponge cake base with slivers of orange peel and topped with fresh strawberries and dark chocolate curls), France (mild cream cheese laced with cherry rum over a jam sponge base), and Italian (cream cheese mousse between three layers of chocolate sponge flavoured with coffee rum syrup and wrapped in crisp dark chocolate).
The German version uses a stronger cheese over a butter-cake base, while the Swiss type uses a medium-strength cheese laced with rum and laden with rum-soaked raisins. The selection includes, of course, an American cheesecake, which features a layer of sour dark cherry. The cakes sell for $180 each. Available from Lucullus Gourmet Shops. Orders on 2798-1205.
Snacking on Japanese Tokio Joe's House Roll, with its soft-shell crab inside and avocado outside, is the best sushi roll in town. Which is why the Lan Kwai Fong restaurant has decided to carry on serving it way past conventional restaurant hours on weekends. The new late-night Izakaya - Japanese snacks and drinks - menu also includes skewers and grilled items.
Scripted for TV dinners Television never tasted this delicious. The new Dinner And A Movie Cookbook is inspired by movies such as Dumb And Dumber (soup on a stick), Moonraker (007 Martini fondue) and Soapdish (a really cheesy, deep-dish lasagne).
Compiled in conjunction with the American TBS television channel, the idea is to cook dinner and turn on the television for a complete evening's entertainment.
Rather than the traditional recipe categories, the collection is divided into sections such as Love at First Bite which includes the movie My Stepmother Is An Alien, teen angst classics with films such as Heathers, and Take This Job and Saute It which features the Pretty Woman -inspired angel hair puttanesca.
The book contains a healthy dollop of humour. All the recipes have an added ingredient, such as Hugh Grant's phone number, a Barry White album, and a magnifying glass for the recipe inspired by Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. The collection is available through Turner Publishing Inc in Atlanta in the US (tel: 1404-8854078).
