Nasi Lemak Brunch Gathering

Rice boiling in rich coconut milk and coconut water, thrown in some pandanus leaves for that extra fragrant nose. YES JS boils all his rice from scratch and our rice cooker is a bit under-used. He was contemplating to get another high-end Japanese super rice cooker which cost thousands of USD...I dunno wat it does, prollie can make coffee and massage me too bahahahaha

so back to the rice...it ain't easy to control the temperature, but according to HIM, it's much easier to boil rice this way to achieve the best texture, consistency and flavours. I guess if he could start some wood fire at home, he would do it....>.<

the amazing caramelised....beef rendang...oh my gawd, this was a bomb!!! It's so rich and intense in flavours with good balance of spiciness, sweetness and coconut cream. I don't wanna know how much of coconut cream and milk went into preparing this brunch :))

The ferocious chef with his Japanese knife, but wearing a cute Kumamon apron :)))))

one of his many Birthday pressie from MW Maho...he indeed looked cute innit. Thank you MW Maho!!

everything was made from scratch including this sambal belacan paste, where Mr. JS had to cut the red dried chilis with his scissors to remove all of the seeds, wearing his gloves and apron....he looked like he's about to cry. HAHAHAHAHA poor thing but the end results was so fabulous so it's totally worth it!!

The camera feast first before the human can hahaha.

Yes I do know, I've lost too much of weight, it's not the kind of healthy weight lost bcoz 7kg gone in 2 months. So now I need to stuff my face with more food and nasi lemak to gain those back :))) Gimme back my curves!!! I don't wanna be a bag of skeletons!!!!

even the preparation of hard boiled eggs has got its own techniques *rolls eyes*
JS said it has to start from slow boil...bla bla bla bla...to give it that full and creamie texture. Before he could finish explaining his methodology, Monkey ady popped a few into her mouth alongside the yummylicious sambal.



We took "orders" from guests the nite before.....how they want their eggs and number of pieces. Runny yolks or thoroughly cooked.



The must have fragrant peanuts and crispy slow fried ikan bilis from Kuantan. Oh yes the anchovies must be fried slowly and patiently......ohmmmm ohmmmm ohmmmm, took quite some time and Monkey was bz stealing fr the bowl in the process...krop krop krop yummmsss.


superb beef rendang, garnished with thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves....oh so caramelised and the meat was so soft and succulent :)))))) delish~~~~If there's any rendang that can convert anyone, this would be it....bcoz even those guests who don't consume beef had the thick gravy.


crispy fried fish with turmeric powder. This's my all time favourite, if JS prepares this for dinner...oh yummssss.....dip with sambal or any homemade chili sauce makes my evening :))))


Homemade from scratch.....sambal sotong...

JS was so anal, he insisted that it has to be the yellow sotong, instead of the white one for its chewy texture and it can absorb more flavours from the base sauce and gravy. This whole pot of sambal was gone in 1.5 hours time.


very last minute, Mr. JS prepared a bonus dish - fried salted fish with sugar, fish sauce and drizzled with lime juice and cut bird eyes chili.

Monkey: "Eh I think some of our guests don't eat smellie salted fish lar."
JS: "Nevermind lar, I wanna eat."

in the end, everything gone.......-_-"
Monkey to a guest: "hey hey hey I thought u don't eat salted fish?"
Our Guest YS: "What do u mean I don't eat? I swallow them whole....love it!!!"

so...wat did Monkey prepared?
heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
*sheepish smile*
I cleaned and cut the japanese cucumber. Very important to complement the main course...no nasi lemak dish is complete without the cool cucumber...JS insisted it has to be cut in such angular chunks. and I thought doing this task was easy....when u are in JS's household, nothing is "easy"

and oh my......the end results...
forgot to add in beef rendang and fried egg into my final presentation. All the multiple preparation and hardwork was worth it. The grain was so flavourful with coconut milk and juice. Everything else complement each other from texture to flavours, spiciness was balanced with a certain amount of sweetness, the saltiness of the fried anchovies just add some zeng to the dish....but my ultimate favourite was still the sambal sotong....

and bcoz I've cut a huge servings of cucumber...there's a lot of leftover...I just ate them all with sambal :)))

chitter chatters on a beautiful sunday morning :))))
I lurve dining at my own home, no dress code....and so so comfy especially in the comfort and company of my friends :))))

everything was gone including 1kg of rice
-_-"
I dunno how we could finish 1kg of rice!!!!

JS had to supplement more with the leftover belacan paste and fried a Nasi Goreng Belacan. Spicy yo!!!! He was too generous with the belacan paste.

mini cute sweet and crunchy apples and Teh Tarik and Horlicks ice creams!!!! Yup Nasi Lemak must have teh tarik. Beautiful CS brought a few packets of hot and fragrant teh tarik but we forgot to snap pics.

Lil Monster can't wait for her ice cream!!!

YS, Melvin, JS, Brian C and Eric C
Good to see that everyone had an amazing time and thank you for mopping off all the food. :)))

and the ladies - Beautiful CS with her Lil Monster, Sal, Monkey, Brian C and Eric C
Thank you for your infectious laughters and beautiful friendship.

We ate brunch till 5pm
hahahahahaaha so now it's time again to prepare for the next Nasi Lemak brunch for another group of friends. Now I can no longer eat outside Nasi Lemak for the version that's prepared and cooked with love by Mr. JS is just too yumssss.......

my colleagues still don't understand why izzit that I alwiz rushed home for dinner before coming out again to see them for events. 
Colleague: "Babe let's grab dinner before the event."
Monkey: "Dude, I gotta go home to eat ...."

Boss: "Do you want to dine with me before we head off for the event?"
Monkey: "I am goin home to eat first, so see you at the event boss!!"

colleaguesssss: "What is it about you goin home to eat first ALL THE TIME??? You don't like us izzit???"
Monkey :)))))))))) hehehehehe

Intercontinental Hong Kong

I'm sure you have seen this pic already, from a blog posting that I did not too long ago. This was the exact view from our windows. Yep windows with the "S" coz when we opened the door of our room...both of us exclaimed:
"Where's the BED?????"

The room was just too huge for all of us, including the hobbits....but after a few days, no complains...space is such a luxury when it comes to Hong Kong.

Yaaay the exact same model of Nespresso machine as our home :D:D:D These days I can't remember which hotel doesn't have a Nespresso machine...oh maybe the Mandarin Orchard in Singapore....even Royal Plaza on Scotts have Nespresso machine.

We really love our Nespresso, it may not be the best coffee in the world but the convenience of getting up with its aroma every morning just makes life so much easier. Plus it's so easy to maintain, the one that we had at home is now 6 years old. With new models coming up every quarter in different attractive colors, I was contemplating of having one on my desk at work...just like Mr JS the Food Snob who has one on his desk.


The large living area, where I lurve to chill with my drinks and fruits platter...and some desserts which they served. Intercontinental Hong Kong isn't a new hotel, opened in 2001 as the Regent Hotel, we still love it for its impeccable service, amazing dining options, panoramic view of the harbour but most of all its locations. The other hotel that has all of these convenience would be Four Seasons at HK island. W Hotel is nice but doesn't count bcoz its location is pretty off.

Not only Monkey was enjoying the view, hobbits were sun-bathing there everyday till they were warm and hot and fluffy every evening when we put them to bed.

I forgot to snap pic of their turn-down service. Each hotel has their different ways to turn down my dearie hobbits. In fact we have enuff pics to do a compilations by hotel listing and locations around the world. Sometimes they even tucked my hobbits with quilt over them, or could be holding some silly flowers and chocolates, or just got turned down in a terrible way. It's the matter of giving hotel guests the extra miles and services by not only cleaning their room and attending to their needs, but that lil extra special personal touch that could make guests like me go "awwwwwww that's so sweet."

Forgive me, I have very simple mind. Simple things and personal touches like greeting me at the lobby by my name makes me extra happy *oh well afterall we were on a vacation* and of coz all these will retain ur customers/clients. Point to note.

And we found our bed in the next room....the orange Monster is 2D and he's JS personal favourites. He insisted that 2D must be brought along to Hong Kong even though to my disagreement coz he's 

bigger than the rest and do occupied some bit of space on our bags.

JS is a very efficient man. He quickly unpacked and got all his jackets and dress pants hung neatly at the walk in wardrobe. Oh well not all hotels that we stayed in have got butlers to do all these. Anyway I have yet to get used to having people touching my clothes - including my weekly maids. I still do personally clean, fold and iron all my clothes, including that of JS.

The bathroom is really spacious, with a huge mirror and stunning views too. The venetian blinds added touch to this rather tired looking bathroom. No, I'm not a fan of marbles in this color :(( and the laundry basket~~~ I was afraid that some snakes gonna crawl outta it.

Peek-a-boo~~~ what's on the outside.....there's a lot of energy outside, with tourists bz snapping pics of moving ships, boats and ferries. Early in the morning there's so many Hongkies having workouts and jogs along this strip called Avenue of Stars....then throughout the day there's more and more people, before finally they settled down and booked a good spot for the Laser Light called Symphony of Lights at 8pm every evening.

Really the bathroom is of quite a good size, with a separate lavatory. Just that we hardly spend time in the room. Most of our hours were spent outside the hotel, roaming the city that never sleeps....and bz eating :P

Such a beautiful pic taken by JS from the room.
Every morning, he will go for a morning walk at 6.30am with his camera, documenting the people of Hong Kong doing their morning tai-chi and exercise....and I usually woke up to hobbits all over me. *he tend to purposely tucked them around my neck, under my arms, on my stomach and wrapped me around like a pohpiah aka spring rolls before he headed out*

one of those morning, I woke up alone again and walked to the window....and among the throngs of ppl there, there's one human being of good height, walking ferociously among the aimless tourists waving excitedly at me. Oh my....what a mere coincidence to spot him among the hundreds of ppl down there...and of him walking past exactly at the time I was standing by the window for a mere 30 seconds just to see the Sun.

and on certain morning, Mr. JS woke me up with his own excitement...of passing cruise ships right in front of our windows. *yawnnnnn*

It's already Tuesday and time passed by too quickly, we are now planning for July and beyond. Gosh~~~~ but again life is good...we must always make it happen as our destiny is in our hands. Really, u make it happen so make your choices. As I've always preached, make changes or you will be changed. Always embrace changes. Enjoy!!!

Intercontinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road,
Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2721 1211
http://www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com

Yan Toh Heen, Intercontinental Hong Kong *2 Michelin stars*

Intercontinental Hong Kong was our home for a few days during our trip recently. The location is superbly good with everything else just around the corner. What's best is the view from the room :))) Sometimes it's just fun to do ppl watch from our room....even watching cruise ships passed by early in the morning.

Pieces of large jade-liked tiles made such beautiful wall decoration.

the elite and popular cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong since the 1970s. It has undergone massive renovations and currently helmed by Chef Lau Yiu Fai, one of the very few restaurant in HK that reinvent themselves and yet the DNA of true cantonese cuisines are being maintained. So it wasn't a surprise when Yan Toh Heen was awarded 2 Michelin Stars. :)))

The other 2 famous restaurants here are Nobu and Spoon by Alain Ducasse, which we have tried a few years ago. So you could guess that their wine list is pretty neat considering all the top 3 restaurants are "something" in the map of Hong Kong.

The interior was so neat and modern with more jade pieces being incorporated into its interior. This pic was taken before we left, so most of the guests have already gone home. We were lucky to have a round table to ourselves with stunning view.


Monkey enjoying her view with such intensity. The restaurant is basically next to the Avenue of Stars on the lowest floor of the hotel.

Each table have 6 different types of homemade sauces. From savoury to sour, sweetness to spiciness.

I really like that all of its tableware are made with jade. Not too sure if it's real or not but it just add touches to our dining experience :))


Amuse bouche was pickled lotus roots. The texture was crunchy with a very light and balanced acid sourness to it. I supposed they used a special sweet vinegar?


We settled for individual set menu after some discussion and the first course was a deep fried golden lobster with spicy salt. when they mentioned golden, they kid u not!!!

the lobster was cooked to perfection and this piece has been rested well in order not to burn their diners. Very good flavour with no sight of oiliness at all.

On the other end of the same plate was a single lone ranger piece of BBQ Suckling pig. The skin was oh my oh my....how do I describe this? So fine, with no fat at all...it's just a piece of pure crispy skin, on steamed man tou and another piece of succulent pork meat under it all. It's a sandwich but made from pork....sandwiching that piece of steamed bun. HAHAHAHA. I wished there's more to this~~~

Braised imperial bird nest

They said there's alwiz FIRST in our lives....First visits, first indulgence, first experience and so on. For Monkey, it was her first savoury bird nest, usually I have it sweet as dessert. Next it's the first time that I had such a humongous portion at one go.

the heaps of bird nest was definitely too much for us but this is how the Hongkies dined. However the highlight wasn't the exquisite, rare, prized bird nests....it was the imperial broth. Oh my....so so so good.


*either bz replying messages, instagramming or FB-ing or just prollie taking notes on the wines and food*

it was only our 2nd course and JS already concurred that Yan Toh Heen is way better than Lung King Heen, the only 3 Michelin Starred chinese restaurant in the world. Yes I do agree with him, while Lung King Heen has an amazing winelist, outstanding service and a panoramic view of Tsim Tsa Tsui, its cuisine and dishes were still not as good as Yan Toh Heen.




This tea deserves 3 pictures on my blog...coz it's not any tea but a 53 years old, Limited Reserves, Pur Er. Wahhhhh our dinner cost a bomb bcoz of you my dear Pur Er, not the bird nest, not the abalone, not the wines that Mr. JS ordered...

One cake sells for about HKD 75k and we were privileged to try this, after all the aging...the tannin has gone...the color was deep and dark with very soothing and mellow flavours. All the oxidation and fermentation process gave this tea a different dimensional taste and flavours.

Golden stuffed Whelk with its own meat and baked to perfection. It was so full in flavours with amazing texture of the whelk. So so yummy that we couldn't stop digging in endlessly...it was really endless coz there's so much to eat deep inside this long shell.

Braised whole abalone in its jus, it's a 28 heads abalone. Monkey learnt that the number of heads do not account for its shape or design or that it has 28 limbs or whatsoever. Heads is a measurement system used to weigh Abalone. The higher the number, the smaller the abalone is....get it?


Monkey looking not pleased....prollie she was expecting a huge abalone with 28 heads...that would be a windfall....LOL. Anyhow I dun think I can consume 28 heads or 28 abalones at one go!!!

The sticky imperial sauce used to cook this abalone was so yummy with balanced umami-ness. I wished there's some rice to utilise the leftover jus. In the end, we just picked up our spoons and gulped every morsel down. It's just too too yummy and tasty!!!


Choosing a bottle of burgundy ain't easy here....First most of its good stocks has been depleted. In fact this is a main problem and concern for most establishments, Sourcing of good, reliable, outstanding wines at extremely affordable prices are getting more difficult now.

JS knows his pricing and ratings well....the first bottle that we have selected was not available though the restaurant updates their winelist on a weekly basis.

But I noticed that's always the case, the first bottle that he usually selected is alwiz a rare gem at the best price. Either it's a historical pricing or they just did an error. So again we were left with disappointment but this bottle of Charmes Chambertin was equally good and evolved throughout the night with more beautiful aroma.



Wok fried wagyu beef with foie gras in spicy sauce. That's a hearty bowl of protein there with chunks of foie gras underneath.


Served pink as per my order :))) I alwiz like my meat pink. This was so sinful but extremely good.


Finally fried rice steamed and wrapped in lotus leaf.
We all need Carbs at the end of the meal don't we? Unlike the French where they load u with carbs at the beginning with all the yummy crusty bread.


Yes and I was very very very happy with this meal. The pot of Pur Er was bottomless as they re-prepared our tea throughout the evening. Not everyday u can enjoy such amazing finely prepared cantonese food, with a 53 years old tea and a stunning view. But most of all, all these to be enjoyed with Mr. JS :)))


I'm not a dessert person but this was so interesting. Basil Pearls served with homemade ginger ice cream. It was so refreshing especially after all the food.

Petit four looks like dim sum!!!!

no 2 pieces were the same so Monkey was marking her territory...
"This one is mine!!! don't touch it!!!"


Nope, JS wasn't drunk...he was focussing his lens onto the panoramic view instead of this tray of sweets.


we were the very few last guests to finish the dinner, as we booked it late at 8.30pm to watch the lights show. Yeah I know, the lightshow was nothing spectacular coz it wasn't our first time but for the sake of my videographer aka Mr. JS...he needed something to document.

Ok next time I promised to give u access to the kitchen for more fiery wok action for your videography works and collections. :))))


as we exit and rolled ourselves out of the restaurant into the lift, straight up to our room, we noticed this sculpture outside the restaurant....it has a reflection of the emblem from the top piece onto the water feature here. Very minimalist :)))

Yan Toh Heen
Intercontinental Hong Kong
18 Salisbury Road, 

Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2313 2323
http://www.hongkong-ic.intercontinental.com/dining/yan_toh_heen.php