Meet the Finalists: Asian Invasion

And finally, our Q &A with the final pair of Nom Nom Nom finalists. It's Kai and Farhan aka Asian Invasion. Kai's no stranger to Nom Nom Nom having reached the finals three times.  Let's see if he and Farhan (first time finalist) have got what it takes to win.

What makes you two the perfect NomNomNom pairing?
Farhan loves cooking savoury dishes Kai loves cooking sweet. We both love the aesthetics, and presentation of a dish, and want to make it look perfect on the plate, as well as taste just right, with the right balance of flavours complementing the savoury and sweet flavours.

What impact do you think social networks and bloggers have had on the world of cooking and/or restaurant reviewing?
Farhan: It’s given people an outlet to cook and share their favourites, and learn from each other, evolving recipes, and dishes much faster than would have been previously possible. The restaurant reviewing, especially, means that more and more people know exactly what to expect before going to a restaurant, and also then being able to share their dining experience with the world, to ensure others benefit from their learnings.

I know I always use the community reviews, from yelp, qype and spoonfed, if there are any, to make sure the place I eat out in, really is worth spending a dime in!

Kai: Discovering where to eat through various social networks has been a blessing when discussing where to eat. Group of friends, mass hunger panic with little or no knowledge of food in the area often results in the kaiiPhone (trademarked) being pulled out to find where is best.

Food blogging has given a real push to share amazing memories of food often visually encapsulated with the aid of a hi-res photo to be shared with the world. Regardless of it being of the home or restaurant memory. It's wonderful the possibility of generations of our children and their children's children getting the chance to see these memories when we are long gone. Especially with the aid of video on YouTube and vimeo showing how something is made with that personal touch.

What’s your most memorable kitchen disaster?
Farhan: For me it was when I microwaved a cake, back in uni. I left the cake in the microwave for a whole half an hour after it had cooked. I’ve never seen a microwave ever burn something so spectacularly before. Smoked the whole kitchen out, and set the fire alarms off! Be warned: Microwaves continue to cook food, even after it’s beeped and stopped running!

Kai: I guess spaghetti, presuming it would magically weave it's way into the just the pan and not the fiery flames of the cooker. Again, happened around uni and not before my housemate Ben decided pot noodles just needed a microwave and no water to cook. The results were pretty hysterical.

If you were marooned on a desert island, what food couldn’t you live without?
Farhan: Coconuts. I just love them. The water inside them, the flesh on the inside, and the fun in cracking them open, and breaking them apart. Then when I get bored of eating it fresh (which I’ll never!), then I can leave it out in the sun to dry, and dessicate it!

Kai: Sushi! The beautiful sweetness of well prepared sushi rice with fresh tuna and various other toppings dipped in wasabi and soy, followed with ginger is something I would miss...

And finally (aside from bribery), what is the special element that will ensure that your team wins?
Our artistic flair!! Each of our dishes will be a perfect masterpiece, of taste, colour, style, and design - not to mention piled high with generous portions of yummy food!

Let's make sure we keep microwaves well away from these two!