Has recently consisted of…

(the original, fruit-free one in green)

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Ha cha cha cha cha cha cha! Delicious!

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SOUTH KOREA—Given this column’s recent devotion to reviewing ginger beers and ales (prior to our slight diversion onto gravy chips) I thought it only right that our readers be kept informed of ginger beers on the international scene, viz., from north-east Asia.  At this point, I should probably point out that there is no ginger beer in South Korea.  I have seen Coke in every corner store, I have found Jinro tonic water with difficulty, but when it comes to ginger beer, I always accepted that it did not exist in this part of the world.

… That is, however, until five nights ago.  I popped into the corner store on the corner of our street to withdraw money, in my usual hurry, as I was late.  And as I turned away from the ATM, cash in hand, something in the drinks fridge caught my eye and stopped me dead in my tracks: there before me, I kid you not, was a bottle of Haitai Ginger Beer. I was familiar with the brand. Haitai is an industrial company in Korea that does useful things like refining oil, probably constructing apartments, making ice-cream, and is also responsible for a very cheap quality dry gin (that goes well with the equally cheap quality Jinro Tonic water).  But there it was: Haitai GINGER BEER! Naturally, my curiosity was at the bursting point to know what it tasted like; and being stunned as I was, with money in my hand, I turned and left the shop without purchasing a bottle. (???)

After spreading this news to my wife and then friends and family in Australia, I decided to return to the corner store last night, to purchase a few bottles of this exotic Haitai Ginger Beer, and drink it, with the express purpose of writing a review to see how it stacked up against better known brands such as Bundaberg, Schweppes, and of course, Stockmans. Imagine my surprise when I returned and (GASP!!) where the Ginger Beer bottles HAD been, there was now only Coke, Fanta, and Iced tea.  I checked and rechecked the fridges to no avail, and in the end left empty-handed and most bemused.

“…but when it comes to ginger beer, I always accepted that it did not exist in this part of the world…”

On returning home, I informed my wife. She ridiculed me. “There is no ginger beer in Korea! Everyone knows that!” She exclaimed. But I cannot accept it. No indeed friends, I know what I saw! You may call me mentally-unstable if you wish … a lunatic, a crazed-UFO-loving-conspiracy-theorist, but there is ginger beer in Korea. I HAVE SEEN IT! If there is anyone out there with further information on this, please step forward …

a-chau.net is happy to add this new elusive beverage to rank alongside other unsolved mysteries.

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A consequence of Australians becoming more health conscious is that eateries that serve artery clogging and cholesterol-level rising foods are on the decline. Not only that, but even well established destinations for such foods aren’t receiving enough business to stay afloat.

I will admit that I am partially to blame for this, because I cannot even remember the last time I looked for a fried chicken establishment to purchase some real plain gravy (don’t even dare to mention KFC as that is just packet mixed garbage)

“…Likely to cause health problems to young children, pregnant women and the elderly…”

Although my first choice in food has changed, my first choice in fried chicken however has remained unchanged, and that is one of a number of family run businesses that go by a few names but clearly share the same recipes: Sydney Fried Chicken, Oz Fried Chicken and Chicken King. Unfortunately all but the latter that I know of have gone belly up.

Here’s why:

Yes, at only $1.50 there is a tub of saturated fat that has an uncanny resemblance to gravy. Likely to cause health problems to young children, pregnant women and the elderly it is not something that should be consumed frequently. In my original Gravy Chip review however, I promised to review the Gravy Chip + real gravy. So here I am, delivering on my promise and putting my health at risk, all for the benefit of culinary adventurists.

So here the question stands: Is it possible to have too much gravy flavour? And can one man handle it?

My male egotistic side wanted to say yes, and I almost believed that I could take it. But after my experimentation and flirting with cardiac arrest I have to say that the answer is NO.

First of all, let’s talk about the gravy I chose. I imagine it’s a chicken based gravy since it comes from a fried chicken shop and its consistency and colour lead me to believe that it is made mostly of fried chicken drippings and juices. The flavour however is the biggest tell and here it delivers perhaps a bit too well. Why do I say that? Let’s just say that in my younger, crazier years I’d been known to eat gravy with a side of chips instead of the other way around.

I have yet to find a gravy like it, it also sticks to hot chips like no other. Take a look at this photo and how gobs of gravy grip to the chip with ease:

Yes the only thing that can produce a gravy so solid and thick is loads of saturated fat (and probably some corn starch or similar) but just looking at the way the gravy holds its own shape worries me. Actually it probably worries my doctor more than anything else.

So, what about tasting notes? I decided to have the Gravy Chips a number of ways with the gravy. First was to scoop in and eat immediately. Secondly I let the gravy marinate the Gravy Chip for a minute. Finally I made a bit of a Gravy Chip soup.

There was one thing in common with all of them: very salty, too salty. Everything I loved about the Gravy Chip was no longer there, just salty flavour. Even after a cleansing of the palate with a 2005 Cape Mentelle ‘Trinders’ Margaret River Cabernet Merlot. (In hindsight I probably should have gone with a heavier shiraz as even a Cabernet Merlot could not clean my mouth of the salty flavour) Subsequent tastings confirmed that this combination was too salty and that no, one person cannot handle all that gravy flavour.

“…Just remember, not only can you not improve on perfection but sometimes the damage that can be done to your health alone should be enough of a deterrant…”

Differences in the texture of the chip were the only things noted depending on how long they had contact with the gravy, all were dominated by saltiness regardless of whether the chip quickly scooped the gravy, was left to marinate or eaten soup style:

Was it worth it? I would say no, I consider it an exercise in which a priceless packet of Gravy Chips was wasted and that could not be enjoyed in its best conditions - straight. I believe I sang enough praises for the Gravy Chip in my original review, those opinions still stand.

Let that be a lesson to anyone else who is curious whether or not the Gravy Chip can be further enhanced with real gravy flavour.

Just remember, not only can you not improve on perfection but sometimes the damage that can be done to your health alone should be enough of a deterrant. Sometimes when your heart says yes, but your brain says no you may be able to get away with it (such as when it comes to members of the opposite sex). But when both your heart and your brain say no, stay far, far away.

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I’m not generally one with a short attention span, but I really am losing interest in the literal sense of the word.

On the first Wednesday of this month, just like the first Wednesdays of every month the Reserve Bank of Australia decides whether it will announce an interest rate change. On this 3rd day of September, 2008 they reduced the cash rate a quarter of a percent from 7.25% down to 7.00%.

That would make it the first time in almost 7 years that the RBA has announced a decrease in the Australian cash rate. Since the 5th December, 2001 we have only seen a steady increase in the cash rate from 4.25%. Funnily enough I predicted this exactly 6 months ago.

Prior to this, amid fears that inflation was happening too quickly the RBA attempted to thwart spending by bumping the cash rate. However the economy simply grew too quickly and spending continued with little signs of hesitation. Inflation peaked in June of this year at 4.5%, much higher than their target of 2-3%.

It seems that finally consumer spending has eased and interest rate increases combined with the high cost of petrol are reducing confidence in the economy. What are the consequences to savers then?

Pre-empting the RBA’s announcement all the major banks quickly reduced interest rates on their high earning internet savings/term deposit accounts. Where a few briefly touched 8.70%, many lingered at the 8.50% mark for quite a while, until I guess they saw this coming. Despite only expecting a quarter of a percent decrease, some banks have dropped by almost a whole percent to prevent losses caused by paying private bankers higher than the cash rate, combined with less loan applicants and investment from business. This can snowball if investors feel that the bank is performing poorly and take their funds elsewhere, causing a bank to go broke.

I’m annoyed that I didn’t re-invest my term deposit at 8.70% which is the highest rate of interest I’ve seen for a self-managed internet savings account or term deposit. Not only would that have secured a higher interest rate but it would have done so for longer. But at the same time I am somewhat pleased that at least it will be locked in at 8.40% for a little while yet as the banks’ rates are all starting to drop to and below 8.00%.

Not that I have any intention of retiring soon and touching my superannuation, but having opted to go with an “aggressive” investment plan has not only slammed the brakes on double digit growth, it has also incurred losses! When checking my quarterly super statement I was shocked to find my superannuation savings had lost money!

Oh well, I guess this is the price paid (pun intended) for being greedy and hoping for an even higher rate of interest. Besides, how’s the saying go again? “the early bird catches the worm” … or something like that…

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We interrupt your regular ginger beer viewing for an urgent announcement:

Chip-story in the making…

Hamish & Andy

asked the people

And the people said:

“Let there be gravy”

So Smiths went away and gathered their team together. And then there was the

gravy flavoured chip

And the people knew that it was good.

I managed to acquire a packet of Hamish & Andy’s limited edition, gravy flavoured “The people’s chip” manufactured in conjunction with Smith’s.

When my work colleague surprised me with it on Thursday to say I was overcome with emotions would be a gross understatement. I was overwhelmed with happiness and felt thereafter forever indebted to her.

At first I wasn’t sure whether I should have kept the packet for monumental reasons passing it down from generation to generation or whether I should fulfil the purpose of the chips and enjoy the flavour. In my hands was a part of Australian chipstory with an expiry date about 2 months from now. Would/could I hold off…?

After an overwhelming response from friends to eat the chips I opened the packet and first shared it with each of my work colleagues. The first of whom was my lovely workmate who had made this all possible, Laura.

Temptation was fought off and most of the chips were spared for later consumption in a more dignified atmosphere. Fridays at work go slow enough, and this didn’t help. Not one bit.

“…this gives it a real hand made, home cooked feel to it. I feel so comforted just looking at them…”

When the time finally came to give the Gravy chip the taste testing it deserved without risk of spoiling from exposure to a work environment I was nervous, but realised that it was for the best. Besides, if I kept it unopened past its use by date it would then be inedible even if I later did want to eat them. So I re-assured myself that this was the best course.

Olfactory response is excellent. A very fragrant flavour exudes from the chip packet, the smell of oven roasted meats basted to perfection. A chip that truly excites all senses is a rare creature, in fact not one I’ve ever had to face before so to me this is uncharted territory.

The crisps are seasoned with flavour that you can see, albeit not real flavours but definitely distinguishable from the potato portion of the chip. For instance, the chips are not evenly seasoned with the flavouring darker on some chips than on that of others, this gives it a real hand made, home cooked feel to it. I feel so comforted just looking at them.

You may be wondering, “but how does it taste?!”. Good question, I will try to best put into words the sensation I experienced, the raw emotions I felt and the sheer magic that is all enveloped into a sealed, 100g foil bag.

As chip contacts lips the fried texture is immediately evident, this is no ordinary Smith’s crisp but rather a Smith’s Legend! My suspicions of the chips being hand made are more and more confirmed as it seems they were not left to drain of oil as well as most of their other products. There seems to be a higher oil content, and higher oil saturation into the potato - not good for calorie counters.

Auditory senses are not left out here as the crunch that comes from biting into chip reveals it doesn’t possess the manufactured “crunch” that is so reminiscent of modern mass-produced chips. Instead, tastes of a well aired chip that has had time to rest and finally reach to its final slightly softer, but ideal crispness. (I note here that it could just be that they are nearly stale chips, the close use-by date supports this suspicion but for the sake of overly-dramatic blog writing I will stick to the above theory)

After covering all of the 4 other senses (smell, sight, touch and sound) the final and ultimate test is the taste. At first, I was disappointingly under whelmed by the flavour, or lack thereof. In fact what first came to mind was the flavour of Chicken Twisties - not surprisingly also made by Smith’s. “Could they have made such a fatal blunder and re-used flavours from another line?” I thought to myself.

I decided however to reach for a chip with a more generous portion of seasoning, so I took in my hand the darkest looking chip I could find. It was not the largest, but as I would soon find out it was not the size that mattered. As the chip made contact with the taste buds on my tongue it was as though a gravy fountain had started flowing inside my mouth. The hit of the flavour concentration took me completely by surprise and left me awestruck. Subsequent tastings revealed that this was no mere chance or evolution of flavour, but was the work of deliberate chip creation.

“…it was as though a gravy fountain had started flowing…”

After recovering I promptly poured myself a glass of Grant Burge’s 2005 Barossa Shiraz and savoured the moment - a great chip and a fine complementary wine. So great was the flavour of the gravy chip that each subsequent gulp of wine brought new and interesting flavours to the palate. This is an experience that must be tasted to be believed.

However, I haven’t finished with the chips just yet. Some crazy lunatic of a friend suggested that I have the gravy chip, dipped in real gravy. Could one person possibly handle that much gravy flavour? Can the two even be safely kept in the same room together? I am willing to selflessly put myself into such a compromising situation to further the delight of Culinary Adventurists everywhere.

Stay tuned as I will make a subsequent post detailing my findings of the Gravy chip + gravy. The quest for the best ginger beer in Australia will have to wait, as more urgent matters are at stake here.

For now, enjoy the rest of the photos.

Gallery Link: The Gravy Chip

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I walked into what is a now a dying breed of retailer - the “milk bar”. Gradually being phased out by supermarkets their selection of ginger beers was sadly abysmal, there was Kirks (let me die), Schweppes Dry Ginger Ale (yay!) and Bundaberg Diet Ginger beer (interesting).

Well I guess I could lose a few inches off my waiste, and it’s not a flavour I’ve tried yet, so what the heck. This is an excerpt of Bundaberg’s own description for the drink:

“…Bundaberg Diet Ginger Beer is traditionally brewed to release the natural flavours of ginger. Bundaberg Diet Ginger Beer has all the taste of Bundaberg Ginger Beer with fewer calories…”

Well I can’t say too much about their brewing process but I’m sure it’s what they say it is. I don’t have the resources to accurately measure the calories in their drinks, so again we’ll have to take their word for it. I can however tell you how it tasted…

The Diet rendition is definitely not as good as the non-diet version, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It has a less spicy edge and the sweetness is derived in part from cane sugar as revealed by the ingredients list as well as a laxative-effect causing artificial sweetener.

Being Vietnamese has exposed me to cane sugar drinks from a young age - I picked it straight away in the Diet Ginger Beer, even before seeing the label. It’s a very refreshing drink, much like cane juice. Where the Diet is a more subtle drink, I would consider the original more aggressive and up-front and in your face flavour. Both are equally refreshing depending on your mood/the food with the original being a much better palate cleanser and the Diet more complementary in flavour.

I don’t know if I can accurately gauge fizziness without back to back tastings, but my diet seemed a bit flat. This could in no small part be due to it sitting in the back of that milk bar’s fridge for months/years. The use by date was about 4 weeks away which seemed a bit close. I somehow doubt soft drink or even ginger beer for that matter is so perishable or brewed that freshly.

Edit: On second thoughts, I may need to re-visit this one seeing as the quality of the drink has been called into question. But then again, if it’s within its use-by date it should be fine right? What a dilemma…

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Back in December last year I made this post speculating that Braddles and I were captured by the Google Street-View car.

As it turns out our hopes and dreams came true. So without further ado, I present you:

dc and bb in car

View Larger Map

As you can/cannot see, the darker-than-legal tinted glass on Brad’s Astra obscures our faces. Just as we were about to become “the next big thing” on the internet, making the rounds via email forwards, product endorsements as well as the fame, fortune and glory associated with internet viral marketing a piece of glass got in our way, literally.

No matter which angle you look at it or how much you zoom in, we cannot be positively identified. From another angle you may see a bit of leg through the open door if you look close enough. I have also heard a viscous rumour that Google deliberately blur out number plates and faces. If you value your personal privacy this may be a good thing, but as aspiring stars we will have to find another way to display our handsomenesses on the internets!!!

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Take a good, long look at this bottle. Examine it carefully and maybe even commit it to memory:

Now that you’ve done that remember never to drink anything that came out of a bottle bearing this mark. Here’s why…

At first it all sounds very promising. I mean the thought of “Herbal” ginger beer with the trusted old Chinese ingredient Ginseng carries great appeal. Seeing as ginger itself is often considered a remedial ingredient gives it even more weight, if anything it makes complete and perfect sense.

Having been only days since I discovered Stockman’s Old Style Ginger Beer I was still on a high, and this would have been the perfect way to surf that high. A quick look inside the bottle even revealed sediment, just like Bundaberg’s! So after inverting the bottle and cracking it open I took my first sip. At this point I wish it had been my last.

“…ginger itself is often considered a remedial ingredient … makes complete and perfect sense…”

A glance at the ingredient list shows an immediate flaw: ingredient #3. As ingredient labels must list the ingredients starting from the most used ingredient to least used ingredient carbonated water and sugar will almost always take spots 1 and 2 respectively. Ingredient #3 though is a great tell and Bundaberg’s and Stockman’s #3 ingredient is occupied by ginger. Disappointingly however Tiger’s label is taken by “flavour”.

What makes this worse is that Tiger had so much promise. This could have been something truly special, but instead of combining two of nature’s best medicinal plants and making an absolute killer of a ginger beer they instead decide to use “flavour” - what on earth is that? Just when things couldn’t be gloomier the last ingredient on the list, a.k.a. the LEAST used ingredient was Siberian ginseng. Not only was it not Chinese, but it was there in the least quantity.

Just to add salt to the already blistering, burning wound this joke of a ginger beer is made by P&N Beverages. If that sounds familiar it’s because they make the ever so excellent Extra Juicy 90% Fruit Juice Cordial. From an up and coming company that showed them all by making fruit cordial from actual fruit juice it makes no sense to make ginger beer without actual ginger. If it had been any old company making any old ginger beer I wouldn’t be so worked up. But because it’s P&N and because it’s claimed to be herbal just makes it so much harder to swallow. (pun unequivocally intended)

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Maybe it’s the cooler weather as of late, but I’ve been on a ginger-drink binge-drinking rampage!

Ladies and gentlemen, I may just have discovered a winner to the long and hard fought ginger beer wars…

Can a drink with a label like this really be faulted? I’ll let you be the judge:

On the taste front, the first thing that strikes me is that this is as spicy as they come. My gustatory memory may be failing me here and I will have to confirm it with a blind ABX test but I have a feeling that this ginger beer is more gingery than Bundaberg’s AND less sweet!

“…When your throat’s as dry-as, make sure you’ve got a sixer of these in your ice-box. A man’s not a camel…”

Has the perfect ginger beer been discovered? Will Stockman’s Old Style Ginger Beer by Frucor made from a traditional, Australian family recipe from 1893 take the #1 prize? Only a back to back blind taste test will tell…

Late edit: There is one pressing issue that may just tip it in Stockman’s favour is that it has a re-sealable cap! This is one thing that has always bothered me about Bundaberg’s ginger beer. The race is so close that every little thing counts!

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22.07.2008: By and large the issues should be resolved now. If not then continue to send to the below address. However in the next couple of days everything will well and truly be sorted - DNS propagation and the sort, you know how it is.

If you’re going to email me (or have been trying to) my email is experiencing some issues.

Please instead send to my other email address which is dc [at] vnheadphone [dot] com

Currently experiencing some issues with my host (ran out of disk space, what?) and I will try and get these issues resolved ASAP.

I am however, surprisingly able to post on the blog. Go figure. The gallery though is also mucking up so hold the photos for now folks.

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