I love taking photographs and have joined Flickr where photographers (professional to amateur i.e. me) upload their photos and share in techniques on how to take the best photos. I also hold Flickr meet ups where everyone comes to Sweet Mandarin armed with the latest kit and big lenses. Wow there are some powerful beasts roaming the streets of Manchester. The king of the pack is Tootdood. Check out his profile and his pictures – click here . The guy puts so much passion and energy and love into each photo that he inspires me and makes it onto my Sweet Nothing List as #965. Go Toot Go!

Reminder. We are holding the next Flickr Meet Up – keep in touch with us by joining us on Flickr.

We recently held a Thank You Dinner for our longest standing clients – those who through generations have frequented my Grandma’s restaurant, my Mum’s takeaway and now us at Sweet Mandarin. (Click here for the video created by an incredibly talented friend, Lisa Chan)

As I was serving these wonderful folk, my heart twinged with sadness and longing. Unlike my grandma’s and mum’s businesses who have loyal regulars every single week – on the same day, at the same time – ordering the same dishes (‘Usual please’) for the last 50 years – being located in the Manchester city centre area – the population is far more transient.

Nonetheless, I value my regular customers and corporate clients and set myself a personal challenge to get to know my regulars with a view to build a lasting legacy for Sweet Mandarin and future generations. Helen, Janet and I want to invite you to my very exciting events see below. Who knows, maybe after my 50 years, our grandchildren can invite you, our regular customers to a wonderful event like the above.

July Events

13th July 6-8/9pm Rich Dad Poor Dad Cashflow Game (free)

18th July 6-8pm Twitter v Flickr Meet Up (free)

10th August 6-8/9pm Rich Dad Poor Dad Cashflow Game (free)

Congratulations to all the Graduates.

We see new friends coming in and old friends are about to leave. Graduates now have a big decision to make in their life track. Some of them will start their career next summer while others will plan for their further study. Time flies. Three years at university transform a person from a high school student to a professional ready to serve society. We at Sweet Mandarin congratulate you on your hard earned degrees and give you our best wishes.

But before you start to fly high, please slow down and spend a quiet moment on your university campus, where you have been studying, working and making friends for three years. Give sincere thanks to every road you went through, every book you read, and every friend you made. Because once you begin to work, you will see how different it is from university life.

At university, all moments, happy or sad, have been treasures from heaven. Pack them up in your mind, and embark on a new journey. Plenty more such moments are waiting for you in the years to come. Whether these moments are good or bad, you will understand life through experiencing them.

Years later, when you are in another part of the world, the moment you think of your youth, you will realise that part of your heart is still at university and Manchester will always be your home!

To celebrate, join us at Sweet Mandarin for a graduation banquet. To book a table email Lisa@sweetmandarin.com or book here

Today, there are so many incredibly delicious brands of chocolate to indulge in but there is one that is dear to my heart and which my sweet tooth craves, and that is Ferrero Rocher.

As a kid growing up in the backstreets of Manchester, I was mesmerized by the adverts that surrounded Ferrero Rocher – the tray filled to the brim and eventually the last one was distributed around a room filled with impossibly glamorous people and an even more dazzling chandelier.

Every Christmas, Chinese takeaway owners visit neighbouring Chinese takeway owners and usually bring chocolates and oranges. Well the oranges were usually discarded to the kitchen, but the chocolates were inspected and given a shake through the wrapping paper to try to distinguish what kind they were. Most were recycled by way of gifting them to another visitor but when it came to receiving boxes of Ferrero Rocher, I ensured those boxes of chocolates never left our premises.

There is an art to eating a Ferrero Rocher. The way I have always always always insisted upon to my siblings (after all I am the oldest by 2 minutes), is to eat layer by layer but DO NOT break the wafer shell. When one has nibbled away at the chocolate encrusted nutty layer, the wafer shell should be opened and the hazelnut Nutella goo should be scooped out (with the tongue of course) and the whole hazelnut hidden inside the hazelnut Nutella goo eaten as best possible without it getting stuck in the teeth. At the very end, that is when one can pop the two wafer shells into the mouth to melt. It takes so much better than just crunching into one of these beauties. Try it and let me know the difference. You’ll thank me for the advice above and that is why Ferrero Rocher makes #970 Sweet Nothing.

When I hang out with my sister, she cracks me up. She sometimes just looks at me and we’re laughing our head off. You know, properly ROFLMAO (Rolling On Floor Laughing My Ass Off). These belly laughs are almost in an involuntary reaction because once you start laughing its really hard to stop. I tell you its great to laugh and just let it out – I call them belly laughs – because the laughter bubbles up from the belly and effervesces up tickling the nose. What a great way to just release any tension. It sure makes the day much sweeter. That’s why belly laughs make my #971 Sweet Nothing.

Happy Independence Day. Today on the 4th July 1776 America celebrated its independence from Great Britain. The funny fact I learnt was that the legal separation of the countries actually occured on the 2nd July rather than the 4th July. However, on the 4th July fireworks, banquet and parties were scheduled. So the entire USA adopted 4th July as the official celebratory day. That means food trumps legal papers! Hey I’m cool with that!
Thank you to America for embracing our book, Sweet Mandarin – which is used in schools in America and has been endorsed by Amy Tan and Oprah’s chef, Art Smith (click here) .

When we received the news that we had made it to the Final of the F Word’s Best Chinese Restaurant Competition we were estatic. Thanks to our wonderful customers who nominated us, we were on the map a la Gordon. However, before Gordon,  we were and still are are the third generation of women restaurateurs and have always had great families follow us generation after generation. Their gran knew our gran (who set up her restaurant before Chinatown was established), their mum knows our mum and now the third generation visit Sweet Mandarin.

Nothing had quite sunk in even when a black car picked us up at our home to drive us to the studios in London. Having not slept the night before didn’t help when we were faced with 50 chicken breasts and about 100 pieces of squid to cut in the F Word kitchen – and we had an hour’s prep time to get through the mountains of ingredients.

I was cutting away in my own little world when suddenly this voice said ‘Hello Lisa!’ It was Gordon Ramsay. He was so tall and I was so shocked that it was the man himself that I nearly cut my hand.  It was at that moment that it finally sunk – I was in the competition headed up by Gordon Ramsay to find the UK’s Best Local Chinese Restaurant and after three generations who have endured rollercoaster after rollercoaster it was a chance for me to restore the family name.  Then I got nervous.   I finally realised that this competition was real and was shocked that Gordon knew my name. I’ve seen him on the TV, but for him to know and praise me was a chef’s dream come true.  It was a true honour to cook with him and a huge accolade to get 82/100 mark for the Mabel’s Claypot Chicken (my mother’s recipe which we serve at Sweet Mandarin). When we won the Best Local Chinese Restaurant Award 2009-2010 I had tears in my eyes.  To my dear customers and to all of Manchester, this trophy is for you.

If you want to pop over for my mum’s claypot chicken, please book a table here

Virgin Trains now have regular trains every twenty minutes from Manchester to London and vice versa. Travelling down on the Pendolino faster-than-a-bullet trains  takes a record 2 hours and 10 minutes rather than the previous 6 hour zombified journeys one used to have to endure.  So technically I could be in London faster than getting from one side of Manchester to the other side.

Whilst London offers incredible opportunity and a zillion potential customers from all regions of the world I’m happy to dip in and out of London rather than pitch up Sweet Mandarin in the capital.

I find it sometimes so busy that the zillions of people that are tripping me up left, right and centre that I can’t do everything I want to do in London. Travelling on the tube for instance is my biggest nightmare. Its claustrophobic and I’m breathing in this hot rancid air that makes me faint. Even after a super super shopping spree, getting back to Euston and then getting a seat on the train back to Manchester is that little bit more stressful. That’s because everything is faster and rather than 10 to 1 person buying that sweater or train ticket, its more like 100 to 1 in London.

Personally, after I’ve collapsed in my train seat there is no sweeter image and sound than seeing the Manchester skyline and hearing the words now arriving at Manchester Piccadilly. That’s why this royal welcome home makes #975 Sweet Nothing.

For me, the family table is the heart of the house, where all the highs and lows of the day are celebrated or commiserated. It’s a sanctuary which rejuvenates me not only physically but spiritually and emotionally. In this day and age where there are more and more people living alone, the family table is replaced by a table at their favourite restaurant, Sweet Mandarin.

Dining together allows us to better understand who we are, regardless of our social status. The food does not have to be elegant, complicated or fancy. I find that busy people like simple food- the busier they are, the simpler the food. The food at Sweet Mandarin is straightforward home cooking with a few contemporary dishes.

Getting back to the table allows us to love and nurture each other and renew connections to our families – however they are configured in this diverse and ever-changing society. Such connections are crucial in a fast-paced world where we feel more disconnected every day.

One of the best ways I know to restore that daily balance is to sit down at the table. As a child, growing up in Manchester, UK, I learned the importance of the family table or eating together in a restaurant. It was there that I felt love matched only by my family’s appreciation for fresh, wholesome food, a love of good cooking, and a fellowship just not possible if you are eating on the go or if you are whizzing through the drive-in window of a fast food outlet.

These early experiences started me on my life’s journey of cooking for families. It is around the family table that there are times of celebration and times of great sadness, and always we came together to embrace the food and each other. The table is a place of communion for life’s large and small events: holiday meals, weddings, birthdays, and everyday get-togethers. We welcome you to our family table at Sweet Mandarin. Don’t be a stranger, you’re home from home at Sweet Mandarin.

Try our wonderful banquets – to be shared with friends and families. To download the menus go to www.sweetmandarin.com

Do you need to book out Sweet Mandarin for your special event – call Lisa 0161 832 8848 to discuss your event and how we can make it extra extra sweet.

Best wishes and sweet dishes to you and your family.

Lisa

www.sweetmandarin.com

Tel: 0161 832 8848

Twitter: www.twitter.com/sweetmandarin

Facebook: Sweet Mandarin Appreciation Group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Mandarin/26658875016

Myspace: www.myspace.com/sweetmandarin

#977 Sweet Nothing – Flying Saucers

In the 1980s we were the proud owner of the wide screen tv (black and white), swirly brown carpets with matching hideous wall paper and dungarees. We were also highly protective of our stash of flying saucers in industrial sized containers. That was the beauty of growing up above a chippy. We got the chance to go to Bernard’s cash and carry behind Asdas and there was a sweet display that would make Willy Wonka proud.

Its great to see flying saucers making a comeback as they were my favourite sweet. Two pastel coloured wafers containing fizzy powdered sherbert that zizzled the tongue.

Let me share with you my way of eating these beauties:

1. Nibble the edge and open up the saucers.
2. Eat the first saucer.
3. Then lick the sherbet. Shiver.
4. Finally in huge satisfaction, rest the second saucer on tongue and let it melt.
5. Repeat.

That’s why Flying Saucers are #977 Sweet Nothing . If you are visiting Sweet Mandarin you are always welcome to bring a packet or two of flying saucers!

Today is my darling’s birthday. Happy Birthday :0) He shares his birthday with Henry VIII (you better not get six wives!!!)

At Sweet Mandarin, we love and welcome birthdays. If you are celebrating your birthday at Sweet Mandarin, let us know and we’ll arrange to surprise the birthday girl or boy with a cake on the house. You can even eat the whole thing with your hands if you must.

We can cater for parties of 2 to 80. If you need balloons, table decorations, banners or special requests, let us know and we’ll try our best to make your birthday party a most memorable night. If you are looking for a perfect gift, don’t forget our memoir, Sweet Mandarin. And we’ll sing Happy Birthday to you. That’s why Birthdays are my #978 Sweet Nothing.

About Happy Birthday To You
“Happy Birthday to You”, also known more simply as “Happy Birthday”, is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person’s birth. According to the 1998 Guinness Book of World Records, “Happy Birthday to You” is the most recognized song in the English language, followed by “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” and “Auld Lang Syne”. The song’s base lyrics have been translated into at least 18 languages.

Here’s a picture of Janet’s third birthday.
Front row L to R: Helen, Janet, Lisa
Back row Jimmy and Mum

Twitterers (T) (photo 1) Meet the Flickrs (F) (photo 2) could be come Jazz Hands Extravaganza (photo 3)

I Tweet (a lot), I Flickr (quite a lot), I Eat (all the time). I host Tweet Up meetings for Twitterers and Flickr Up meetings for Flickr, so I’ve decide to link up these two groups. It could be a smash hit with splattering of photographic evidence (check out the third photo with the aptly named Jazz hands effect lol). Or it could be a bit like the first school disco where each group cliches to their own – the Ts verses the Fs. Its worth the experiment. So here is its my friends, I’m hosting the first ever Twitter Meets the Flickr Tweet Up @sweetmandarin.

Date: Sunday 18th July
Time: 5-8pm
Cost: Free
Bring: Blackberry/Phone/Iphone/Camera/Your own sweet self
RSVP: lisa@sweetmandarin.com or DM me on Twitter @sweetmandarin (oh and please follow me)
Food: I’ll sort out the dim sum
Drinks: Pay as you go
Reminder: There is a Threewitter party beforehand from 1-5pm at Madlabs. Have your cake and eat it! Here’s the Threewitter link http://threewitter.eventbrite.com/

#980 Sweet Nothing – Hug

I saw this postcard by the artist Charlie Macakesy (http://www.charliemackesy.com/) and it struck a chord with me for years. This postcard shows the story from Luke 15.11-32.

Even if people make mistakes, a hug is the universal sign of forgiveness. Read Luke it is so powerful.

No matter how long you have been away from Sweet Mandarin you are always welcomed with a hug. My door is always open to you, my dear friends. That is why a hug makes #980 Sweet Nothing.

#981 Sweet Nothing – Pot au chocolat

I have an exceptionally sweet tooth that its embarrasing.
‘How many sugars do you want in your tea?’
‘Four please’ I respond
‘Four!!! Is that enough?’ said sarcastically
‘Oh go on make it five then’.

When I’ve been especially good, I give myself a little bit of Heaven on Earth, a pot au chocolate. Hey I know I’m Chinese but we Chinese can cook a mean dessert and even give the French a run for their money. I buy the real chocolate, the 72% chocolate to make this exceptional dessert. It feels really naughty and indulgent. There have been occasions when I make the batch. Eat the batch. Wash the pots and you didn’t even know a masterpiece was made. Selfish? Totally. Naughty? Oh Yes. But my goodness, or should I say Ooh la la, are they good. And that’s why my pots au chocolat make #981 Sweet Nothing.

Here’s my recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
550g 72% chocolate
6 egg yolks
125g icing sugar
250ml full-cream milk
1 pint double cream
25g blueberries to dress

Method: How to make pot au chocolat
1. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie.

2. Beat the egg yolks with the icing sugar.

3. Boil the milk and cream together and combine with the melted chocolate and sugared egg yolks.

4. Pour the mixture into individual ramekins and cool. Refrigerate until required and add some blueberries to dress.

If you want to try them, I’d be happy to save one for you (since its you)…..so when are you coming to visit me?
Book here for your oh so naughty pot au chocolat.

#982 Sweet Nothing – Heart to Heart

Sometimes, we all have off days, weeks, months or even years. During these low times, life feels stagnant, where we’re not quite ourselves and it feels like the world is conspiring against us. Some people internalise things and don’t express their feelings, their emotions, their thoughts – and after a while it all gets too much for them. There is a combustion of sorts and people do stupid things.

My friend is going through a tough time at the moment. I don’t know whether its depression or whether there’s some sort of eating disorder going on but I’ve noticed she’s not quite the same, and that sparkle has faded. She’s also become silent in person, on the text and even on Facebook (and she’s a prolific Facebooker).

So one day at Sweet Mandarin, we sat in the cozy alcove, brewed a big pot of Jasmine tea and we just talked. It was as if I had unplugged the plug that keeps the ocean within its surroundings. She cried and cried and cried. We went through about a box of Man sized tissues. She admitted she was a mess – she wasn’t eating properly, she wasn’t sleeping, she wasn’t taking care of herself and that she felt lonely, worthless with thoughts of suicide.

It hurt me to hear she was in such a bad way, and I cried because at that point I felt helpless and I feared she would harm herself. I sat with her until she became peaceful and we set out three small action points for her to put her life back on track. Number 1 – meet up once a week and have something to look forward to. Number 2 – talk to someone everyday for 5 minutes. Number 3 – eat properly.

I know these actions might sound small. But sometimes, we need to focus on the small things to get through day by day. Life is hard but we got to try and keep going because there are beautiful moments, sweet nothings that can brighten up our world.

I saw her the next day and some colour had re-appeared in her cheeks. I knew then that she was ready to love herself again and fight for her self esteem and happiness. There is always time for a heart to heart and that’s why it makes my #982 Sweet Nothing.

#983 Sweet Nothing – Al Fresco Chinese (at Sweet Mandarin of course :0))

As we indulge in our two days of summer, I can finally use that bit of pavement opposite Sweet Mandarin to cavort in a bit of al fresco Chinese at Sweet Mandarin. I love sitting outdoors when the weather is warm and dry…it feels like I’m on holiday somewhere exotic. I just need the ocean to dip my toes in.

Oh, is it Pimms O’Clock already?

#984 Sweet Nothing – The Crowne Plaza

I found the location for Sweet Mandarin in October 2004 when it was a derelict car park. I’d been sweet talked by the developers that the area was being regenerated and that the Crowne Plaza would be opening literally next door to our building – at most a five second walk door to door. So I signed the deal and have hung in there waiting and waiting and waiting for 5 long years. Finally, after surviving beyond the odds, last year, a shiny new building was errected and became our latest welcome neighbour.

The Crowne Plaza crew namely Bob and Robin are a very friendly bunch who have the same ethos as us; to deliver a great experience to mutual clients and make them feel at home from home. They go the extra mile, and have even done that for me. Not only do they recommend their clients dine with us (we welcome you with open arms), but Robin has been that knight in shining armour when I was stranded during the snow blizzards in Manchester (thanks to freak global warming weather).

The snow was as high as the car tyre and I could not travel left, right, front or back. I just created snow circles and screamed like a girl. So I gave up on wokmobile and decided to stay at the Crowne Plaza. What a treat. The room was modern, clean, immacuate with a touch of elegance and luxury. I loved the piles of fat fluffy pillows and the power shower in particular. The next day, I was having breakfast and Robin walked past and asked what I was doing in the Crowne Plaza given that I am a Mancunian. I explained. He smiled and nodded and went on with his duties. After a sumptuous big breakfast and a good glug of coffee, I went to pay. ‘The bill has been settled Lisa. Thank you.’ I couldn’t believe it. Robin had paid for my stay out of his allowances and wouldn’t allow me to pay. Now that’s what you call a knight in shining armour.

Here’s their website – book there, its an excellent experience – home away from home http://www.cpmanchester.com/ and whilst your staying at the Crowne Plaza, book a table at Sweet Mandarin here, pop around the corner to visit me at Sweet Mandarin. It would be great to meet you and personally welcome to Manchester. Because of Robin and his generosity in my time of need, The Crowne Plaza makes my #984 Sweet Nothing.

Its finally back by popular demand. Our Rich Dad, Poor Dad Cashflow Game is back tomorrow (Tuesday 22nd June and Tuesday 29th June 2010). It starts at 6pm and is limited to 8 players (please email me to book your free place lisa@sweetmandarin.com).

The game arose out of my interest in the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki which taught me how to ‘Get Out of the Rat Race. Learn the secrets of cash flow and how to never worry about money again. This board game will transform the “money mind-set” of anyone who plays, whether they are new to financial information, or seasoned investors’. Ok it might not get you debt free immediately, but its always good to educate oneself and meet likeminded people.

Where: Sweet Mandarin 19 Copperas Street, Manchester M4 1HS
When: Tuesday 22nd June and Tuesday 29th June
Time: 6pm – 9pm
Cost: Free
Numbers: 8 maximium. Beginners welcome
Contact: lisa@sweetmandarin.com

#987 Sweet Nothing – High Energy Students

I must have been very wicked in a former life, because I am a glutton for punishment. Straight after an intense Friday night service, I’ve scheduled a cookery school session for Saturday morning. And straight after an even more intense Saturday night service, I’ve scheduled a cookery school session for Sunday morning. Often, its a battle against the clock. Wake up. Get washed. Drive – on road, avoid pedestrian. Open up just before the queue forms and psche myself up to teach.

I teach every weekend at the Sweet Mandarin Cookery School. I love meeting the students and it is their high energy which keeps me going, pumps me alive and they make me forget about that lie-in and trashy daytime tv. I teach three courses – beginners Chinese cookery, intermediate Chinese cookery and dim sum masterclasses. Courses are booked up till August (give or take one or two slots) and although my body is physically knackered, I’m up fighting, ready to teach and love bouncing off the energy in the class. If you want to find out more about Sweet Mandarin’s cookery school, click here