Of Cupcakes and Scones....Marmalade, BV

Silk Road @ Pavillion, KL

Bali Hai, Penang....Simply Yummy

Neroteca...Great food Great service

The Ultimate Indulgence...

The Spa, The Andaman....

Luxuriate
Foot Polish
AromaTheraphy Massage
Body Scrub
Flower Bath
Facial
Foot Reflextology
The ultimate indulgence....

The Andaman

Even as the Fokker plane glided down to the runway of Langkawi International Airport, the vast difference of the skyline and landscape from that of KL is immediately noticeable. I have not enjoyed the presence of so few cars (on the ride to the Andaman) for a long time, not to mentioned the trees and greens that have been allowed to exist in its natural form in comparison to the impeccably "human-landscaped-gardens" of that back home. The air and the sound of nature were all so refreshing!

And ah The Andaman, how do I begin to describe it - luxurious, sanctuary, relaxing and because we checked in on a weekday it was all so personal and perfect and expensive! The beach was wonderful, with few guests it was almost like a "private" getaway. The sand host a very fine texture and the water a clear green, the weather without the scorching sun accompanied by the sea breeze perfected the stroll by the beach in the evening.

This is life!

Kuching, 2006

Latest dining craze

Bakerzin at 1Utama new wing...





Menu
ClamPasta
Fresh Strawberry Juice
Strawberry Short Cake

Both Iwan and I are crazy about it!

Jogoya

We went to Jogoya’s buffet brunch for an early Mother’s Day celebration, last Friday, 12 May, and since neither my mom nor George’s mom was in KL, I was the “celebrity”. I have dropped so many hints of my interest in checking out Jogoya that it would be almost cruel if my husband has not made that effort to bring me there.

I did not have my camera with me that day, photos are "courtesy" of Makan Kings.

Reasons of my interest in Jogoya being - my lastest passion and constant craving for Japanese food; more specifically, high quality salmon sashimi and deep fried softshell crab as well as the fact that this buffet is possibly the most talked about eatery in town this past couple of months.

What I “fancy” about Jogoya – Definitely the selections, those who thrive on "variety is the spice of life" will find this place fulfilling for the soul, mind blowing selections with good quality. The oysters, salmon sashimi, soft-shell crab and miniature coconut drink were simply divine!

Beautifully designed and well positioned buffet counters, space, space and more space, this definitely beats many other buffets where grazing elbows, rubbing shoulders and playing footsie with your neighboring table seems to be a culture.

Excellent presentation of dessert; small, elegant individual serving of everything, how clever! This beats digging into a big unidentified mess of “could it be” cheesecake?!.

What I didn’t “fancy” about Jogoya – Service was purely focused on efficiency; little to hope for or rather non-existence “personal touch”.

You pay even before stepping into the premises of Jogoya, they measure the height of your child to decide how much to charge for him and they leave subtle messages on their cards and brochures that you need to get out within 2 hours as they could be running full house! (I understand they also make general reminder announcements, although this did not happen when we were there.)

So stuffed your face to the brim, get your money worth it and move on! Ha, ha, having said that I guess one would not go for buffet for the better of “personal touch” so it is acceptable.

Will I go back? Yes, I think I will, although it is not kind to the pocket, it will be good for those days when I need re-training on decision making from too many choices in life and I believe it would be an experience in itself for those who has not been there.

On the same floor as Jogoya, Relish, Starhill Gallery, I was extremely tempted by the inviting exterior of Gonbei! That will be next on my list.

Prague

If you are looking for a relaxing get away and is ok with a long haul flight – lovely walks, sights to behold, arts and architecture that take your breath away, doing next to nothing in a beautiful, beautiful world, Prague should be your destination.

It is amazing how these medieval treasures have been preserve in its most glorious form for us to enjoy today; the doors of buildings, the windows even the manhole is worth stopping by for a closer look. The churches were overwhelmingly beautiful. Intricate, delicate and the finest of workmanship that emanates pride from the heart are prevalent even in the air!

The colors of autumn when I was first there makes every detail more prominent, and I wanted so much to “boxed” it up and to bring it home to share with George and Iwan.

A feast for the eyes...

Ever since I was introduced to Pamela, I have been going back to her the past 4 years for every cake that I needed.

It started when I wanted to get a cake for Iwan’s first birthday, and I was intrigued by the 3-D cakes that I have seen at some parties.

Annie gave me Pamela’s contact; unfortunately she was not able to fulfill my order that year as she was working on a “multi-tiered” wedding cake!

She referred me to a friend and I got a “football” cake that year. Subsequently there was the “Choo-choo train”, “Thomas the tank engine”, Winnie Pooh” and “Sponge Bob” and also Mommy’s Birthday cake last year which were all from Pamela.

The excitement is in the sight of the cake, 3-D and beautifully decorated, Sponge Bob even held some miniature balloons! It is usually butter or sugi cake as the weight is needed to obtain a good 3-D form.

Pamela works out of her home in OUG and is definitely a master in this trade; she has a huge collection of different designs to choose from and often resulted in “ooohhhhs” and “aahhhhs” from her patrons. Most of her moulds are from the US and she has loads of magazines with latest designs that keep her inspired and up-to-date!

Kueh Bengka Ubi

George's all time favorite, Bengka ubi is a baked kueh of tapioca mixed in sweet pandan-flavoured custard. The kuih is yellow in colour but has a dark brown crust at the top caused by the baking process.

for the LOVE of penang food

Dedicated to my cousin, Jennifer..

We headed back to Penang, impromptu, last Saturday knowing very well that all the hotels by the beach are fully booked for the Labour's Day long weekend. So what can one do in Penang over a short visit of a couple of days without the sunny beaches? Of course, EAT and EAT and EAT!

This is not meant to be a food review so you will not find familiar names such as Sister’s Char Kueh Teow or Air Itam's Laksa, instead these are personal favorites, places that we duly pay homage to on every trip that we are back in Penang.

The interesting thing about eating in Penang (notice I did not write dining) is not about the ambiance, is not about the service and definitely not about catching up with family and friends over a meal.

These are places that you visit purely to satisfy your sense of taste, often in the madness of the tropical heat, perched on a stool with room just enough to maneuver the gestures of feeding oneself, not to mention in a coffee shop that has a coat of cooking oil over its flooring instead of varnish and hanging cobwebs that may possibly “peppered and salted” the dish in front of you! The next customer do not wait at the entrance to be seated, they will hover over you while you gobble down your food. Having said all that, these are what give the food its character, the taste our pleasure and an experience well worth.


We are “morning” people so usually our day will begin at about 8am, a walk to the Chai Leng Park market where George’s mom has her Banchang Kueh stall, a type of Chinese pancake, crispy crust with peanuts and sweet corn on the inside. She also has a variation of Apam, another type of pancake, soft and often with a slice of banana inside. Opposite her stall is the “rival” pancakes of Indian origin, also known as Apam, it is crispy on the outer circle and softer on the inner circle. All these pancakes are round in shape and folded into half when it is ready. These are “sweet” options that Iwan prefers for breakfast.

After which George and I will make our way to Xin Feng Coffee Shop in Taman Inderawasih for what we deemed as the best Hokkien Mee (Prawn Mee) around. Uncle Goh has been selling Hokkien Mee since he was a kid, learning the trait from his father. He has since branched out on his own some 28 years ago and says that over the years he travels far and near to try other Hokkien Mee in his effort to perfect the art. To me he has perfected the art. George will usually have his bowl of Lor Mee, while I will have a bowl of Taugeh (Bean sprout) Soup with extra small prawns (conscious of my carbo intake). A perfect start to the day!

Lunch will definitely be my favorite Duck Rice at the Swee Leong Coffee Shop in Chai Leng Park, the specialty in not in the duck but in the small bite size that it is served and the yummy sauce filled with chilli padi. We will also not miss the Chai Boey, one big bowl for each…

We will make our way to the island in the early afternoon, in time for afternoon tea at Genting Coffee Shop in Island Glades, this time it is for George’s favorite Chee Cheong Fun, Penang version where the magic is in how good the prawn paste sauce is. We will normally share a plate of Duck Egg Char Kueh Teow, sinfully yummy!

Of course there are others that we sometimes miss, as there are just so much we can eat in a day, Gurney Drive has excellent Parsembur (Indian Rojak) and the best Bak Moi in Kampung Malabar, trust me the art of selling this bak moi itself is an amazing experience to observe. We sometimes end the day with supper at Pelita Nasi Kandar, not the rice for me just 20 lady’s fingers (okra) in curry sauce.

And believe it or not this will be our routine for the next couple of days that we are back here!

Kueh Ko Chi Santan

My personal "top" rating amongst all nyonya kueh...usually packed like a miniature "otak-otak", it is a green dumpling stuffed with shredded coconut in brown sugar (gula melaka) and topped with coconut milk (santan) on the outside...to better describe it YUMMY!

Anyer, Indonesia 1999

Borobudur, Indonesia 1999

Parangtritis, Indonesia 1999

Located about an hour south of Jogjakarta, Parangtritis is mysteriously beautiful.

There is a legend that a princess lives beneath the surrounding South Sea and will claim lives of the swimmers or fishermen. It is not a famous tourist spot and there is hardly anyone around except for the locals.

We are there in 1999 with Anita and Tse Yee and we stayed at Puteri Ratu Kidul.