Drools....

how could u not drool at the Bottega Veneta Early Autumn 2010 collection??
Monkey saw this at the boutique 3 weeks ago and.....
drooled like a one year old....
"kuuuuu kuuuuuuu kuuuuu I want.....:((((("


the soft intrecciato leather in the beautiful shades of rose pink
"kuuuuuuuuu I really want.....:(((("


oh dear Monkey pls hold on there....
I know this is the best collection with the best color EVER!!!!!!
but u soooo got to stop this bag addiction and stop buying....
"kuuuuuuu kuuuuuuu..........."


oh....I'm suffering so much........
:((((((((((((((((
seriously need help here


stop staring at the pic u damn it!!!!
and stop browsing that damn website!!!!!
GAH!!!!!

Check in lounge

there are 2 separate check in lounge at Ayana
for the Resort and the Villa

the entrance to the whole resort was very strict...
upon arriving at the guard post
our cab was checked for bombs/terrorist/watever

next step was to check our names on their "checklist"
O_O walau at the guard post already so many procedures...
I wondered wat else they wanted at the check in counter :P

but I can assure u they didn't take long
guess they've been doing this for quite some time liao.

the check in lounge for Villa guests
so zen!!!!!!

lurve their beautiful garland of frangipani
the resort is full of frangipani trees
and every morning we saw staffs picking the flowers off the tree with a long stick

service was so accommodating and friendly
we spent almost 45 minutes savouring the beautiful ambience
before being led to our villa in a buggy

today is Friday and I'm missing this place
:P
weekend is here folks and it's another busy one for me
and best of all I've double-booked myself for 2 important partays tmrw
GAH!!!!
www.ayanaresort.com

Shifting in Stage 2.28

the Lourvered Sliding Shutters at the balcony
when we first saw the unit...
"wat do u call this?"
"Lourvered sliding window"
"but there's no window" *gritted my teeth*
"it's a louvered sliding shutter, can be used for windows as well."
errrm I lurve to torture designers :))))))
coz with more torture come more creative juices outta their brain and they work better!!!


Today we.... *definition of we = Monkey alone coz JS is way too busy compared to me*
*he's busy fire-fighting at work and with the gov* *long story*
*I so hate u GOV.....go and increase the fuel price sumore...and implement more mind boggling policies.....GO DO IT!!!*


anyway today the Smeg Opera cooker is coming in
the Liebherr fridge is coming in
Smeg cute lil microwave for monkey to cook Maggi mee is here too
plus smaller appliances such as my STEAM IRON :P
*why the heck do I need one?*
and of coz....my savior......the BOSCH dishwasher!!!!!
*YAYYYYY I HATE DOIN DISHES!!!!!*
I'm sooo gonna take care of u Mr.Boschie and u better take care of me too :)))))


the stainless steel kitchen delivery is today
installation is like a long more way to go


Happy Thursday peeps!!!!
another busy day and I hope it's gonna be a great one :))))
MUAKSSSS!!!

Am missing this......

missing Cilantro....
it's been errrr 3 weeks....
hai.......


missing some good burgs...
it's been 3 weeks as well
:(


withdrawal syndrome


kenot kenot kenot!!!
tmrw is Friday....must have a good burg
but this round would be Sage....coz it's been errr...2 mths???
heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Penang

some beautiful shots taken by JS

*yeah not like this Monkey can snap the above*
lurve the texture...

he turned the muddy sandy bay into such spectacular view
u won't wanna see the original :P

Shabu Shabu @ home

well sometimes u just get too bored over wat to eat
this is wat my Si Fu alwiz said....."eat until dunno wat to eat...sien"

and till today I still dun trust his definition of "simple"
walauweh....if u r my boss, sure die....
"nah, just keep it simple........"
but I'll ended up doing something so extraordinary coz boss's definition of simple is a milestone notch above the actual term
-_-"

so when JS and Monkey really bored over dinner
and sometimes just too tired to cook
and most of all prepare and clean the food
Shabu Shabu is the best!!!!!

good quality shabu cut beef *wagyu better*....make sure have enuff fats as well, u dun want ur meat dry

freshly made toufu fr Isetan
*to make things simple, just shop at Isetan....they have everything fir Shabu Shabu*
**anyway that's where we shop for groceries all the time :P**

the stock....just get the bottled one fr Isetan :P
otherwise make a dashi stock but we dun have time for that
throw in the sweet onions first
followed by leeks and spring onions
this will further sweeten the base soup
:)))))))))))))))

we lurve this vege....it's called Tong Hou in chinese
or known as Garland Chrysanthemum
in Jap it's called Shigiku
with its good texture and a bitter after taste it's excellent for shabu shabu

not to forget all the dips for Shabu Shabu
on the butterfly shape dish is Yuzukushou courtesy from Chef Takashi Kimura
Thank you :))))))))

actually ppl dun eat it with Shabu Shabu but we lurve it with beef :))))))))))
on the deep dish is the goma *Sesame dip* very very yummy
and not to be missed a Malaysian favourite....spicy can die kampung chili padi in good quality soya sauce
*we get our soya sauce supply from Ipoh*

throw the food in and cook according to your liking

u can add a lot of other things...like small lil baby sweet corns, chinese cabbage, seaweed,
but not too many things coz u dun wanna spoil the originality of Shabu Shabu...kekekekk

the leftover broth can be cooked with rice, noodles, udon watever to ur liking
we usually use japanese glass noodle :)))))))))))))))

very easy and quick huh?

and most of all it's comfort food
*stomach rumbling*
heeeeeeeeeeeee

Prestige, Prosseco and il Lido rooftop Party

last week was the official opening of il Lido's rooftop lounge
overlooking the Petronas Twin Tower
it has one of the most spectacle view in town.

invitation defined the dress code as "Summer splash of colors"
I didn't know to turn up in floral kinda splash
or just Emilio Pucci's kinda splash of colors :P
so in the end, I just pulled out the most vivid colored dress fr my wardrobe :P

Monkey, Hawt Nadine, Baby Wei, Prestigious Cheryl *I need to change ur nick soon* and Energetic Lyla
taken by Tall Calvin's mobile phone

Tall Calvin: "Sorry Cherry, my phone not hi-tech enuff"
Monkey: "get an iphone la.....ok???"

Energetic Lyla is part of the team running this amazing place...
thank you for having us yea!!!

Cheryl, thank u for everything
during ur tenancy with Prestige
all the best at ur new portfolio
there's no farewell.....just goodbye for now :)))))

Monkey & Baby Wei
finally a proper pic fr Baby Wei's camera
that's the only one we had :P

il Lido Restaurant,

Lot 183, Jalan Mayang,
Off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng,
50450 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 603 2161 2291

www.il-lido.com.my
read bout the previous dining post *here*

Dining At The "End of The Sea" *by JS*

This meal took place the night before we had the CKT in the morning.........so need to rewind folks..........jump the gun cos got too carried away with this legendary Tiger Char Kway Teow :)

Baba Melaka and JS was driving to Penang for the infamous territory meeting which is a monthly affair.

JS : whats for dinner tonite?

Baba Melaka : Let Penghulu bring us lar.

JS : where do you think he will bring us?

Baba Melaka : He always bring us somewhere nice for makan and if not nice his reputation will be blemished! haha.

Just at that moment, Baba Melaka's handphone rang........and guess who was on the line?? :)

Yes, it was Penghulu from Penang!! (long life lar !!) after the exchange of formalities on the h/phone...

Baba Melaka : mana makan Penghulu?

Penghulu : On your way in drop by my petrol station and i bring you for dinner lar. Aiseh man.....Don't worry lar......I from Penang one lar.........i know this place....i know that place..............blah blah blah......

Baba Melaka : okokok.....spare us the speech.....we meet up first (phew....sweat man!!).

After fetching Penghulu, we headed twds Bayan Lepas and towards Balik Pulau. At one of the junctions , we turned left towards Gertak Sanggul and reach a sign board which say "Restoran Hai Boey Seafood" and a little further we saw this big signage and we knew we have arrived.

Hai Boey(hokien) literally translates to "end of the sea" ..... yes, now you see why the title!!

This place sits next to the sea and located at this very dark(cos it's night time lar) and quiet corner of Penang Island. The fresh seafood is replenished everyday by fishermen who sell their catch directly to the restaurant so be rest assured.

Jumping fresh seafood in a arrangement of cascading aquarium.

We were greeted by the owner Mr Tan and as we were hungry until can die, Penghulu wasted no time and order dinner immediately.

First dish to appear was this one.

Salted egg fried prawns.

There was still visibly huge chunks of salted egg yolk and the curry leaves gave this dish a very different dimension and very Malaysian indeed. Definitely a must have at this restaurant.

Spitting fresh clams cooked in a garlic sauce with lime and chilly and garnished with coriander stem. The fresher the clam the bigger the flesh and these clams were really meaty!

Grouper fish braised in a claypot with light soya sauce.

Bali Tong( a kind of shellfish ) a malaysian delicacy. For those who are not familiar with this creature, the shell is cut off at the top so this allow you to suck out the meat from either end.

"Tua Pun" as the Penangnites affectionately call it. Basically it's like a "hor fun yin heong chow" or the Thai version of "kway teow radna". I must say this is probably one of the best "tua pun" i have eaten. The "wok hei" was incredibly intense. Well done!!

Bitter gourd with minced pork.

This fried noodles is nicely different from the typical fry noodles. Its how my mum will fry the noodles on our birthdays.

Basically the food at this restaurant has a very clean finish on the palate and i would say it's damn fine for an outdoor restaurant next to the sea. My sifu once told me that for a restaurant to have good and clean tasting food, it's all in the sauce and stock they used. So this restaurant does have their secrets locked in the sauces and stocks! Do come early to wander around a bit on the beach and feel the sea breeze in your face and watch the swaying palm trees and the fishing boats coming back........ and the backdrop of the setting sun.......these may well inspire you and help add to your total dining experience as if the good food wasn't enuf :)

The service offered by the staff was also commendable.

BTW the total cost of this meal came to only RM107.00 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 0_0

Penghulu always with this serious look.......think he was saying "you guys come to Penang so often until no more places to bring you guys to makan lar"

Haha.....Penghulu, i am sure you will do more research and we look forward to you showing us more new makan places in the quest to broaden our culinary horizon and adventure.

Again i dedicated this post to penghulu and may he bring us to more makan places around Penang.

Char Kway Teow at Lebuh Carnarvon *by JS*

Ask 10 Penangnite about the best char kway teow(CKT) in Penang and you will most likely get only two answers......basically Lorong Selamat and ........this place!!

The locals call this stall Tiger char kway teow and it's situated in Cafe Ping Hooi at the junction of Lebuh Carnarvon and lorong Melayu. It's basically a coffee shop so please disregard the word cafe :) The chef is 3rd generation Yeow family and his grandfather started the business some 50 years ago.......so really we are talking about history in every plate of this CKT!!

This stall only open for business at 8am!

Do take note of the reflection of the flame from the stove. Thats how you get all that "wok hei" or "breath of the wok" literally translated!! Also take note of the condiments and sauces at the side of the stove.....that's probably where 3 generations of family trade secrets are hidden!!

The cool chef mr Yeow. The cooking area was clean and tidy. Guess it takes more than good food to be famous CKT in Penang nowadays........ Also need style and showmanship during frying process!!

BTW at this CKT stall you have options when you place your order in addition to the normal "chilly or no chilly".

1. vegetable oil or pork lard.

2. Chicken or duck egg.

I always request the CKT to be fried till very dry!!

I guess the other secret is probably to fry in small quantity. So far i noticed no more than 2 plates are served at one go.

The prawns are reasonably big size and very crunchy. Probably blanched in cold iced water and then toss into a very hot wok to get this type of texture. Sometimes you can have bamboo clams in addition to prawns depending on availability.

The taugeh (bean sprouts) were still crunchy. Also note the color of the CKT. It's light in color and exactly how every Penangnite would expect of their CKT......if too dark in color, they will suspect that the chef is trying to hide something.....kiasu leh :)

look at that big piece of duck egg!!!

droooooooollllinggg man!!

I would definitely rate this as the top CKT in Penang in terms of overall experience. The chef/proprietor was friendly and sometimes his wife would cook instead but the end product taste equally good.

In comparison the CKT at Lorong Selamat is nice but.......the waiting somehow kills the appetite and mood and the environment i don't find conducive.

Kway teow tng with shredded duck meat.

In addition to CKT, Ping Hooi Cafe also offer a lot of other dishes such as the kway teow tng , mee suah, loh bak, wantan noodles, etc...........but the star of the show is still Tiger Char Kway Teow!!

This post is dedicated to "Penghulu", my good friend in Penang!

A Stroll around George Town *by JS*

It was one of those morning that i woke up before the alarm went off...........and this is becoming quite frequent and makes one wonder whether age has anything to do with it cos i used to observed my grandma waking up really early and then it was my mum and now .......me!

Anyway i woke up in Penang(George Town actually) so i decided to be useful and productive before the char kway teow(CKT) stall open for breakfast. Yes, the thought of having CKT for breakfast is enough incentive for anybody to wake up this early!!

Armed with Monkey's EOS5D MK2 i wandered into the streets of George Town as the first light lit the sky.

First light along Carnarvon Street.

One of the many delapidated and deserted houses in George Town.

Shop houses along Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong.

My Final picture of the day.

Well for those of you who think Penang is all about char kway teow and hokien prawn mee for breakfast, i highly recommend that you try waking up early and take a stroll around the town. Lots to see and nobody to get in your way when you snap pics.

BTW, my next posting that will follow soon will be about CKT for breakfast :)