I declare...

this is THE BEST Penang Char Kway Teow I've ever had!!

Love how the cool Aunty with the big red floppy chef's hat slog away at the stove!  The char kway teow is delicious with an unbeatable "wok hei" flavour...and look at the size of the prawns!!

Each strand of kway teow is deliciously coated with some gravy and eggs, and the bean sprouts add a crunchy texture to the slightly wet kway teow.

Hmmm...I still can taste this char kway teow lah...how??  I need to fly back to Penang to eat this!!

I can't remember where this stall is located, but it's the famous one where the Aunty used to wear goggles to cook her fantastic kway teow!  Check this out if you are in Penang!

Nando's + Hard Rock Cafe, Penang

We touched down in Penang in the middle of the afternoon.  Having only had a pathetic salad for lunch before taking off from Changi Airport, I am ready to gorge on some substantial food!

We ended up at Gurney Plaza, because the place where we wanted to eat at was already closed!  But no worries, as I'm more than happy to eat Nando's at half the price in Singapore and Australia!

 

Me want drinks!  I was so thirsty and quickly ordered a jug of iced lemon tea...aaahh...

Chicken galore!  I simply love the peri-peri sauce in Nando's chicken.  It is dangerously addictive and make you feel like eating more of it!  I bought back a bottle of their Garlic Peri-Peri at like MYR10.50, and I'm as happy as a lark!

The sides were not too bad, the fries were decent.  The coleslaw was ok.  There was also a serve of butter rice, which I didn't like too much because of the frozen peas and carrots in it.

It was a happy meal alright!  And the price makes me even happier and there was NO queue, unlike the Nando's in Singapore.

After resting in the hotel for awhile, we set off to Hard Rock Cafe Hotel.  It's always fun to go to a Hard Rock establishment.  

This mosaic of The Beatles on the wall is freaking awesome!  Wish I can do something like this at my new place.

These lights changes colour every so often and it's a real pretty sight to behold.  The band was playing some music when we reached there, and it was a nice place to chill and have a nice glass of cocktail or beer.

I should book a room here for my next trip to Penang!

Sakae Sushi

Sakae Sushi is a place that we go to when we are very hungry, and when there is not much other choices around, and of course when there is no queue.

We were in such a situation not too long ago at Bishan Junction 8, after a super long day in church.

Sakae was empty, and we quickly grabbed a booth seat and ordered food!!  But my rule of thumb here is not to eat anything raw from the conveyor belt.  How fresh can it be after going through several rounds round the conveyor belt??

But first, a glass of cold green tea to quench the thirst!  

And grabbed the next plate of tobiko gunkan to quell some of the hunger pangs.  Ok, this is raw, but I made an exception this time round.  As usual, the seaweed has lost it's crispness and it's stale and "wet".  

Sakae didn't have lobster salad until they copied it from another sushi place...which I shall not name here.  But what's not to like?  Chunks of lobster meat with mayo...yummy.

J's all time favourite is the fried soft shell crab, but he placed the wrong order this time, and got the softshell crab sushi!  I find the rice is superfluous...you can just enjoy the fried crab on it's own.

A meal at Sakae is not complete with their Sakae Chawanmushi.  All the soft, eggy goodness in a cup. Not the best, but comforting nonetheless...

J had the chicken teriyaki don - he needs rice to quell his hunger!  It was ok, nothing fantastic.  I pinched some of his gravy soaked rice though.

I was craving for something hot and spicy and decided to order the beef kimuchi soup.  It was salty, spicy, and hot alright.  But I think there were only like 3 slices of beef inside!  Totally not worth the $13.80 price tag.

I was very full from the big bowl of soup, and didn't order anything else.  It was a quick meal to just to fill our stomachs, but it's a reliable place to go for a decent meal, just don't expect too much out of it!

Macarune

Finally, got my hands on a box of Macarune's macarons.

Can't wait to try it...so devoured two on the way home already!  And it is delicious!

I like simple designs with no fuss.  Just like the Macarune logo of 3 simple dots.

The treasures within...with 2 missing pieces :)

I clustered the macarons together for a group shot....but they don't look that photogenic.

So I arranged them in a long plate...aaahh...looks better...

The pics turn out a bit "greyish"...but I couldn't be bothered to adjust the lighting because I couldn't wait to devour the macarons!

What I like about them is that they have the chewy shells, and the fillings are more generous than the commercial ones you get from patisseries.  

You can really taste the flavours, without having to discern and contemplate whether it's passionfruit or bergamot or...what??  I like "what you see is what you get" kind of taste!

My favourite so far is the cookies and cream, and coconut and passionfruit!

Preserving some of the stash for tomorrow night.  Must spread the happiness! :)

Ippudo Tao

Ippudo has a new branch in UE Square called Ippudo Tao.  Ok, I'm too lazy to explain the Tao part, but you can see Camemberu's review here.

It was a coincident that we were on our way to UE Square when W called me and ask me where is Ippudo Tao.  After telling her the direction, I realized she is on her way there too!

So we met for lunch...a double date!

Trying to take an artsy shot of the cutlery...but fail! :(

This is some grapefruit drink that W ordered...at least I think it's grapefruit...my memory fails me.

We ordered the potato salad...which I found it to be ok only based on my previous visit to their other outlet in Mandarin Gallery.

Wasabi and prawns...two combination that I cannot resist!  But the addition of chunky avocado somehow doesn't bring out the taste of the prawn wasabi.

I ordered the original Ippudo noods for J...again the name escapes me.  I must remember to write it down the next time!  The soup base is as usual excellent - full of flavour and umami kick.  Sort of regret not getting this for myself.

They don't have the char siew rice here, so I ordered a serve of this roast pork rice with tobiko, seaweed, shredded egg, raw cabbage and mayo!  It is delicious but not as good as the char siew rice in the other Ippudo branch.  But I ordered this to supplement J's food intake!

I ordered the Tao noodle - the in house specialty which is only served here.  The stock used is fish stock, so the flavour is not as robust as the pork base soup.  It is a little bit spicy, but I don't find the kick with this soup.

We wanted to order the grilled stuff - but they only serve it at night.  But I think I will stick to the

Ippudo in Mandarin Gallery, as I couldn't get over their black garlic oil ramen!

Ippudo Tao

207 River Valley Road
#01-55/56 UE Square, Singapore
6887 5315

新旺香港茶餐厅

This is our usual supper place if we need an air-conditioned dining area.  Since 新旺香港茶餐厅 opens until 2am, it's a popular haunt with the night owls.

There is a Queue sign outside the restaurant with the arrow pointing to the left, but strangely, the queue always forms on the right side!  

We waited for awhile to get a table, and I started snapping some shots as soon as we were seated.

I think Tabasco sauce placed on the table just make it look so old school :)

The French Toast is J's favourite.  It is delicious, but not as delicious as the Crystal Jade one. It is so sinful that I think only permanently skinny people like J can afford to eat it!!  I usually just take one or two bites, and I make sure it's the portion of the bread where it's soaked with butter and syrup! :)

This is another of J's favourite - black sesame paste with dumplings.  I like black sesame paste and dumplings, if they are served separately!  Somehow I don't think they go together!  The thick consistency of the paste just doesn't complement the chewy and heavy dumplings.

I wanted to have something light, so ordered a Luncheon Meat "N" Egg sandwich.  You can hardly see the fillings in between the 3 slices of bread!  And the bread was chewy!  This happens when you don't toast the bread enough, and it's an in-between texture of toasted and soft white bread?  You have to try it to know what I mean.

Anyway, I had to deconstruct the sandwich to see if there really is an egg inside.

The egg is there alright, but it's so much thinner than the bread! :(  Very disappointing indeed. And they used some mayonnaise that was so sweet that it tasted like jam!

This is another of J's favourite - fried wantons.  Hmmm...I don't like the fried wanton skin, because they just scream carcinogens to me!  So I will just eat the small pocket of fried meat and leave the fried skin.

The food here is not fantastic, but I think they have a good variety and you are bound to find something to satisfy your hunger.  We will be back - when we next feel peckish at night and have nowhere else to go.  And I think I should stick to their popular "char chan teng" dishes :)

The Good Lord taught me...

not to gossip about other people!  And today, I truly understand why He taught us that.

Because gossips can cause misunderstandings, anger, and separate you from your friends and family.  Through what happened these two days - I realize who are my true friends - friends whom I can keep for life and stand up for me.

But the greater lesson here is not about who are your friends, but how much harm can be caused through gossips.

Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit, and guide me away from all these hearsays.  Because only your Word is the Truth - may we be blessed with open ears, eyes and hearts to your Words and your Words only. 

Amen.

When I'm weary...

God sent me V who quoted me...

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up"

                                                                         Galatians 6:9

Thank you Lord for renewing my faith again!

Brunch @ Prive

I wish that everyday starts with brunch instead of breakfast.  This means we can wake up later! :)

Finally had brunch @ Prive with gal pals, whom I've not seen in ages!  The poached eggs are to-die-for!  Whether it's in the Eggs Benedict or Eggs Royale, they just taste great!

Managed to capture this candid shot of W with a big smile!  And the other gorgeous brunch companion, V, busy taking pictures of the food before tucking in.

My Eggs Benedict - the best I've ever tasted!  Totally worth the $14.50 for two perfectly poached eggs, crispy, salty bacon, and the pan fried ham on top of fresh muffins!  I wish I can eat it again now!

V ordered the Eggs with Salmon and she declared it was delicious too!

W ordered the Pancakes - it looked really nice with the "snowflake" icing sugar over it.  But I didn't try it because I'm not into pancakes, no matter how delicious they look!

Everyday should be a Sunday, so that we can have brunch everyday!  I think I must go back to Prive this coming long weekend.

What should I do to...

nay sayers?

Yup, more people think I should not get a car.  The easy thing to do, is not to  offer them a ride in my new car ever!

The hard part is overcoming it and be forgiving and generous to these people, which is what I should do to be a follower of Christ.

This afternoon, I came across this verse:

"But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person."

Matthew 15:18

These people have no idea that they have hurt me with the things that they have said.  And I shall learn not to be like them and say things that will hurt other people.  This is also why I am very sensitive to what is being said about me. 

Even before I came to know Christ, I always believe that there is no smoke without fire.  So some people will say that they meant what they say as a joke, but I don't think so.  It simply means that you think unkindly of me, and that is why you "joke" about it to put it across to me "nicely".

I wonder how would these people feel if I also "joke" about them unkindly, and then say: "oh, it's just a joke mah...I don't mean it."

I learnt another meaningful thing from Father Stephen Yim today.  He said that people are not interested in what you know until they know you care.  Which again struck a chord in my heart.

I think all these angst these past few weeks regarding the car has a purpose.  It has made me realise how words can really hurt.  I hope God can give me the grace to be slow to anger and be more loving and generous towards other people.

I hope to close this chapter soon, and just get on with life.

Ippudo!

For once, there was no queue at Ippudo and I quickly grabbed the chance to try out their noods. I love ramen for their rich broth, and Ippudo's versions did not disappoint. I don't know how I can make myself eat Ajisen anymore after this!

We had an order of their special appetizer - Fire Chicken - and true to it's name, there is a devilish chilli bite that makes you want to eat more of it.  Love how the chicken was presented on a bed of deep-fried noodles.

The stars of came out pretty quickly - first is my bowl of ramen with garlic oil.  The soup is rich with collagen, fats and another extra layer of black, fragrant garlic oil!  It is very shiok!  But I think I've met my quota for fats consumption for the month!

This indulgent is worth the while once in awhile!

We also ordered a bowl of the Chashu Rice, but I didn't get the chance to take a pic.  The pork was tender and flavourful, and at $4 per bowl, it is a good supplement to those of you who needs more carbo to feel full.

We liked the food so much that we went back again the next day!  This time round, we ordered the mini gyoza - very mini indeed - I could finish all 6 of them easily.  The gyoza was ok, not fantastic, but still makes a good appetizer.

Mom will always order potato salad whenever she sees it on the menu, so that's what we ordered cos it was on the menu!

The potato salad is surprisingly dressed with a vinaigrette kind of dressing.  It was too sour for me, but Mom seemed to enjoy it very much.

This time round, I tried a different noodle, the spicy miso noodles - again the name escapes me.  But there are not too many ramen varieties to choose from, and I'm sure all of it would taste delicious!

I also added an egg into the spicy ramen, the egg yolk was nice and gooey but the egg was too cold.  Is it supposed to be cold?  I might just skip the egg the next time.

Overall, I like the soup base in Ippudo, and would queue up 30mins for it.  However, I'm glad the hype has died down and I didn't need to queue on the 2 occasions I was there.

Discussion or Judgement?

At this point in time, I am debating whether to buy myself a car.  A car all to myself - my own ride at my disposal, anytime, anywhere.

This has been my dream for many years, and now that I think it is the right time to get it, there seemed to be so many obstacles around.

Some people say that I'm hard to please - fickle even - as I try to figure out what is the best solution here.  I realised that most people are impatient with me when I try to sound them out, or share my thoughts with them.  I even sense exasperation from some of the unfortunate people that I've chosen to share my dilemmas with.

I acknowledge that I should take a step back and see if it's the way I keep whining about the "what ifs" and the cons of each possible solution, that is putting people off, or it is just simply disinterest on their part.  Some people even think it's just a waste of money to get a car when I can easily take public transport.

I wish my situation is a straight forward one, where I need to get a car, and I just get one that is affordable.  Financially, I am able to afford a small car (although I've fallen madly in love with the Golf TSi 1.2!).  BUT....there is a few "buts" here...it is not that simple.

Our house is coming soon, and that will be a big expense, the wedding is also fixed for next year, another big expense.  Is it selfish and extravagant of me to buy a car now?  And after we are married, is it too much for my husband and I to own our own cars?  But there are married couples with their own car each, so where do we draw the line?  Does it mean if they are rich, they have the right to own two cars?  Just because I'm not as rich as them, I'm seen as being spend thrift to get my own car.

My new office will be in an inconvenient location, and this is what prompted me to think of buying a car.  I can save at least 30 minutes of traveling time to the office with the car, and I can go gym and dance classes more easily.  I can also dress up and wear my heels!

Some people also think that I'm making up excuses to buy a car, because I say I need to dress up for this job as my client is a high end designer house.  And that walking to the LRT station in 2.5 inch heels from my house is causing me to perspire tons and melt my make-up.  A lot of people take these as excuses.  But in actual fact, I do perspire a lot - to the extent that rivulets of sweat trickle down my face and neck, making me very self conscious in the sardine packed LRT train, because I am sure the other passengers can see my sweat and maybe be put off by it!  I mean, if you are standing so close to a stranger who has sweat running down his neck, how do you feel?  Worse, they will think that this fat woman is so overweight that she is perspiring so much!

It seems like dressing up for work, and taking pride in one's appearance, is not a value here?

No doubt, I have a share in J's car, but he needs the car and cannot fetch me as and when I want him to.  He is using the car to earn an income, so it's justifiable that he drive the car.  As for me, I just want to save time.

The experience from the past week had made me feel that I'm being judged for contemplating to buy a car.  I am sure my last sentence will have people saying that I am just being sensitive, etc.  But be it my sensitivity or what, I am still hurt by a lot of the things that was said to me.

Another reminder to keep things to myself.  Sharing my thoughts, dilemmas, and hoping for a productive discussion has not done me any good - I just get hurt again and again.

Touched by a prayer...

This prayer was in Father Stephen Yim's homily last Sunday:

I just came to tell you, Lord, how happy I have been. Since we found each other and you took away my sin. Don’t know much about how to pray, but I think about you everyday. So, Jesus, here I am, checking in today.

So simple and yet so true to my heart.  I also don't know much about how to pray, but I know that God is listening and guiding me along.

Amen.

Missing Indonesian food....

Came across pics of Indonesian food in iPhoto, which I took in February!  Now I'm sharing it with all of you what humble but delicious Indonesian food looks like...and hopefully, can convey the taste as well.

Whenever we drive up to Puncak (the mountain "resort" area), we will usually stop by Jangkar for lunch.  I've always wondered why a restaurant high up in the mountains would be called "Jangkar", which means "anchor"?  Was expecting a seaside restaurant to be named "Jangkar" rather than a mountain resort restaurant?!  Maybe I should ask the lady owner the next time I go up.

As you can see from the simply designed menu, this is a no fuss eatery, serving good food at cheap prices.

My absolute favourite is the beehoon with chicken.  It doesn't look much - pale beehoon topped with shredded chicken and garnished with spring onions and cilantro.  There is no visible sauce, but somehow, the beehoon is always very tasty, with each strand coated in some aromatic sauce!  Simply love it!

My 2nd favourite is the steamed rice with chicken.  Again, it looks pale, but I can tell you it is even more aromatic than Hainanese chicken rice!  And because the chicken is kampong chicken, they taste even better!

The standard nasi goreng topped with a perfectly fried egg.  What more can I say?  I just love the Indonesian style of fried rice.

                                      

These beef balls are also marvellicious.  Bouncy, beefy meatballs, totally unlike Ikea meatballs, but as good or even better!  The perfect accompaniment to the main dishes!

These dishes are Indonesian staple, just like the mee pok, chicken rice, and economic rice that we find in Singapore's hawker centers.  I do miss them a lot when I'm in Singapore, and wish that someone would open an Indonesian restaurant serving these dishes instead of the nasi padang type of food.

Ok, a trip back home is a must before the end of the year!