Baking For Elizabeth Mah

ALL PROCEEDS OF CAKE SALES FROM 1-14 SEPTEMBER GO TOWARDS THIS CAUSE




Liz, and her husband, Henry, are dear friends of mine. I am the godpa to their eldest kid, Nicholas, and they are godparents to my youngest daughter, Mei. Two years ago, Liz was diagnosed with Stage 4N Non Small Cell Lung Cancer. By the grace of God, she has managed to put up a good fight, and for a year or so, the targetted Chemo drug Tarceva seemed to work well.

Earlier this year, however, scans showed that the drug had stopped working, and the cancer has spread again. They are now embarking on a new form of treatment, which you can read about in Henry's appeal letter below.

Anyway, September is Liz's birthday month, so I would like to dedicate all dough (excuse the pun) raised from cake sales in the first two weeks of September towards her treatment. In all the years I've been blogging, I have never appealed from my friends/readers, but on this occasion, I am asking you if you find it in your heart to contribute to these dear friends of mine, please do so. The photo shows what cakes are available during the first two weeks of September for sale.

You can sms your orders to me at 012-3240988. Do please indicate if you are responding to this note, so I can relay to them who their kind benefactors are.

God Bless you all, my friends.

HENRY'S APPEAL LETTER

Dear friends

We write this in great humility seeking your help and support. As you may know, my wife Liz was diagnosed with 4th Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in June 2009. Subsequent to that we have been on this tremendous journey of faith seeking treatment while trusting God for His healing. (www.lizadventure.blogspot.com )

Since diagnosis, she has been on this targeted therapy drug called Tarceva and it had been very effective for her, helping to shrink the tumors in her lung & at one stage even removing the metastasis in her liver.

Unfortunately from the beginning of this year, the drug ceased to be effective and the tumors have continued to grow with the metastasis returning to her liver. Having prayed about it, we did not opt for chemotherapy as we understand its effectiveness to be limited against advanced stage lung cancer.

We then decided to take the path of an alternate treatment using low-dose naltrexone (LDN www.ldn.org) and most recently this herbal Taiwanese drug derived from solamargine which in itself is derived from a herb used in Chinese medicine. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014579304011962)

Recently we were approached by some friends who had come upon an exciting new breakthrough in cancer treatment which had been particularly effective in treating tumours and has been extensively used in China with very good results. This new drug is called Gencidine and is administered intravenously. (www.genetherapyhospitals.com/PatientStory2.html )

The doctor we consulted is both a cardiologist and oncologist (Dr Beh from Heartscan www.heartscan.com.my ) and when he saw Liz’s condition he proposed using it together with a cutting-edge new treatment called HITV (Human Initiated Therapeutic Vaccine - http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2010/7/18/health/6614843&sec=health). The therapy involves injecting a patient’s immature dendritic cells (imDC) directly to the tumour before and after radiotherapy (to reduce the number of cancer cells) and generate an immune response that will kill the cancer cells (through imDC injections).

It certainly looks promising and has already proven effective in many late stage cancer cases. The only flipside is that this treatment with the support treatment of Gencidine is estimated to cost close to RM500k, and as this is an outpatient treatment, insurance will be unable to cover the cost.

However, because of our friends’ relationship with the doctor, he is willing to lower the cost to RM250,000 for both treatments.

It is with this email that we humbly ask for support from you our friends to help us in our time of need. RM250k is a large sum of money but we want to keep our eyes on God whom we believe will help us.

If you feel moved to help us in any way please could you help transfer funds to my account as follows:

Henry Wong Yuen Kwong

Public Bank Berhad

Branch: SS2 Petaling Jaya

3063772934

SWIFT CODE: PBBEMYKLXXX

As soon as we reach the targeted amount, we will inform everyone so that you can stop remitting funds. In any case, we thank you for your continued prayers. God is the ultimate healer and all the glory in the end belongs to Him. We will keep you updated of her progress and the treatment as well.

Love in Christ

Henry & Liz

Hennessy XO Gastronomy - Mid Summer Night Feast with Michelin Chef Benoit Vidal

The people at Moet Hennessy Diaego and Milk PR, the company that handles the PR (am I stating the obvious?) have become like old friends. After a few events together, they've become familiar friendly faces, and dare I say, everyone is less starchy, despite the black tie dress code. Fortunately, (or not), most Malaysians do not observe the propah meaning of black tie, which usually means Tuxedo, because it is not a pleasant sight to waddle around like a penguin. Nevertheless, that does not mean most of us do not wash up nicely, and all in our Sunday bests for these events.

When the invite came, to dine with a Michelin Star Chef, Benoit Vidal, of course, all other social plans for the night (probably grocery shopping at the local Tescos) went out the window. The menu sent via email sounded divine, and well, these Hennessy flers know how to host a party. Elegant canapes served on silver platters (or at least silver colored platters), glasses of Hennessy XO, as we flit around like social butterflies. Or at least Master Baker, Nigel Skelchy flits around. I'm painfully shy, so I do not flit around.



The glamour people, Foo Ken Vin of MHD, Mr Skelchy of JHP, Thamby aka Lyrical Lemongrass of AWOL, and Mr B, BFF of Lyrical Lemongrass.


Our napkins are always folded in a fancy way. No swans ala Chinese Restaurant, thank you.


The cognoscenti prepare to do their work for the night.


What really distinguishes a ladida event from say, a dinner at a roadside tai chow? Well, for starters, you certainly wont get your chilli flakes, salt and stuff served in such a style.


Oh, did I mention, the venue of the event was Syook, Starhill Feast Village.


We start with Le Cocktail Trois le Couleurs, Aches Des Montagnes. Somehow food sounds fancier when you can't pronounce it. In English it doesnt sound half as exotic. Cauliflower cream, Green Pea Mousse and Tomato Gazpacho. My limited French tells me Trois is three, from Menage a Trois. I can't really say I could appreciate this particular threesome. Blame it on the unsophisticated palate. And tongue cramp from trying to pronounce the dish.


He knows 99% of KL, and the 1% he doesn't know is probably not worth knowing. The editor of Life & Times herself, the inimitable Su Aziz.


Pot Au Feu De Foie Gras - French Stew Foie Gras. Actually, it was more like large wantan, with Foie Gras inside. It is surrounded by a lovely broth, which is poured upon serving. The combination was interesting, and foie gras is always welcome, even if it is in a pseudo wantan. ( I can see the Milk PR people going, hmmmm, let's strike this uncouth fler from our future guests list)




You know, prior to these Hennessy events, it wouldn't even have occured to me to drink XO, which I associated as an old man's drink. But really, it is EXCEEDINGLY palatable, and smooth, and so far, has not given me a hangover, while achieving the same levels of happiness and contentment. Great drink, and glad to have gotten reacquainted with it.


Fillet De Daurade Aux Carottes Nouvelles - Sea Bream Fillet With Fresh Seasonal Carrots. A bit tempura like. The carrots, I mean. Dipped in batter and fried tempura style. The bream was poached or steamed, I am not sure.


Couci Couca D'agneau De Pays Au Praline De Cepes - Melting Pot of Lamb With Praline Flavoured Mushrooms. Okay, admittedly the portions do look a bit small, and we would be lying if we denied contemplating supper at nearby Jalan Alor. However, the lamb was moist, and succulent, and the accompanying sauce superb. I seriously would not have minded seconds, but see, that's thing about a black tie function, one can't just ask for some more.


The celebrity, and Jimmy Choo.


Of course, flitting over quickly was the other celebrity.....


Tarte Chocolat Fruit Rouges - Red Berries and Chocolate Tart...ah, finally some French I can decipher. The red berries were served in two forms, a sorbet, which was tantalizingly refreshing, and a mousse.


The chocolate tart was melt in the mouth. Well, it was already melt on the plate as you cut it, so yeah, it wasn't hard to melt in the mouth. Lovely.


Hailing from France, Benoit Vidal has worked in most renowned restaurants in Fracne such as "Les Pres D'Eugenie", together with 3 Star Michelin Chef Michel Guerad and 2 Star Michelin Chef Michel Trama. In 2005 Vidal got his own 1st Micheline Star, winning accolade as the chef of the "Best Hotel Restaurant" by Conde Nast. In 2010, he decided to join L'Auberge de Marcon as Chef de Cuisine, masterminding a menu in tribute to Nature, using only seasonal products of Mother Earth that aim to emphasize and magnify a logn traditional culinary heritage with a contemporary twist.


The lovely Red Berries mousse.

As usual a big thanks to Moet Hennessy Diaego and Milk PR for a lovely event.

Godiva, Chocolatiers Extraordinaire

Young people of today have it good. I think I was in my mid 30s before I lost my Godiva virginity, and even then, probably only had one miserable truffle, and went ooh and ahhhh. These days, "she's" more readily available. Godiva, the epitome of chocolate decadence. Named after the legendary Lady, who rode on a horse naked, ...for a noble cause, of course, (fun raising), you can read all about the history, and the famous poem by Lord Tennyson, HERE.

Shallow person that I am, I was thrilled to be invited for a Chocolate Event, purely for the sheer pleasure of consuming these little nuggets of paradise. Our host, Yazeed from Godiva, regaled us with tales of the origins of chocolate, the discovery of Cacao, which you can read about HERE, at the Cumidanciki blog. No point reinventing the wheel I say. Is there a more blissful way to spend a lazy Saturday morning? Eating chocolates and drinking coffee.

The Godiva Gallery at Pavilion offers a wide variety of chocolate treats, and I was LITERALLY like a kid in a candy store, drooling at the cakes, the truffles, the bars. Okay, let's face it, you DO need to have deep pockets to afford these, they're not your ordinary Cadbury (no offence) bars that you pick up in the supermarket confectionery aisle. Well, afterall, their logo IS of a ahem, woman in her birthday suit, and I wonder that got through the censors.


If you observe carefully, the logo is of the Lady Godiva on the horse.




Just look at the selection! Cakes, iceblended drinks, chocolate bars, ... I was near heaven.


During Yazeed's briefing, we were given these to fill our stomachs.



After learning about the Azetcs and Mayans and the aphrodisiac qualities of Cacao, we were then shown how to make our own chocolate lollipops, biscuits dipped in chocolate and corn flakes covered in chocolate. We were divided into groups...wearing the lovely Godiva aprons that kept slipping off like a loose bra.





The finished products, which we got to wrap with the gorgeous Godiva ribbon, and bring home.


We were also amongst them celebrity bloggers.





Delectable Su, and Ciki.


Yazeed, our most affable and delightful host, from the Valiram Group that owns the Godiva franchise here in Malaysia.



And, if you are looking for a great gift for RAYA, Godiva has the most beautiful hampers. I wouldn't mind receiving one.

It was a great morning, and I can honestly say I am so looking forward to the next event hosted by Godiva. Thanks Godiva people.

Simply MMMMMM at Simply Mel's

It's exciting enough when friends open cafes and restaurants, but when close friends, who are food bloggers as well, open restaurants, WOW, that sets the bar wayyyy up high.... I can't imagine the stress they have to go through, knowing that all these food bloggers will be descending on you en masse. And not only is the friend a normal friend, (no offence to the rest), she's a CELEBRITY. Phwah.

Drum rolll......presenting SIMPLY MEL'S, at the SPHERE, Bangsar South. Easy parking, great ambience, excellent food, charming hostesses, you see, the set up is run by the Victor family. Aly's mum Mel, (Melba...like Dame Nellie) is the chef behind the fabulous cuisine. In order to preserve her Eurasian heritage and family traditions, she embarked on this mission to celebrate family recipes that have been passed down over 4 generations. In case you're wondering what genre of food we're talking about here, it's Portuguese Eurasian, similar to Peranakan, in some ways. And for those of you closer to schooling age, do you know what year this is? Well, yeah, 2011. What happened 500 years ago? That year that was seared into our minds like a branding iron? 1511?


These Portuguese flers were loading their ships, preparing to sail the vast seas, circumnavigate the Cape of Good Hope (Tanjung Harapan).....


Presenting Mrs Vasco De Gama and Mrs Alfonso De Alberqueuque...no la, joking only.


All the way from Aboo Dhabi Doo....


For starters, yummy crab cakes,


And Crispy Chicken Wings. It's screaming out for a beer. If you held it close enough to your ear, you'd hear them flapping, TIGERRRR, TIGGGERRR...





Kangkung Belacan. Now, this place is Anti Carbo's Nightmare, because all this food goes SOOOO well with rice.



Lemongrass Chicken. (and it's not just a whiff).


Assam Prawns. Actually my grandmother used to make something like this. A caramelized assamy sauce, imparting a hint of tang to the prawn.





Chuan Chuan Fish. Black pomfret in black bean sauce. I love this dish!


Devil Curry, I think which has since been renamed Logan's Curry. See Video Below.


Who knew condiments can be so pretty. I think the famous Nigel Skelchy is trying to get this named after himself, since all the other dishes have been bestowed names of Aly's good friends.


Black pulut dessert....


Gorgeous Glutinous Rice Colored by the Clitoria...slathered with homemade Kaya.


And my all time favourite, Sago Gula Melaka.

The gorgeous mural that adorn the place were apparently painted by fellow blogger's fiancee, Haze Long. Such talent that girl. Wonder how she fits all that brain into her slim head.




Unfortunately her madge, AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS couldnt stay for the group pic, so we just had to photoshop her in.

PART 2 - The Food Review Session.



Now, I am jumping queue in my blogging backlog, because Simply Mel's has RAMADHAN buka puasa specials, and we're already halfway through RAMADHAN, so I thought I better do this quick. There are three sets, RM38++ for Serai Chicken, Kembung Rebus, Kangkong Belacan and Rice, and Sago Dessert,
RM48++ for Beef Curry Malayu, Kembung Rebus, Kacang Bendi Udang Kering & Rice, and Pulut Hitam, and
RM58++ for Pineapple Curry With Prawn, Kembung Rebus, Kacang Botol Sambal, & Pulut Hitam & Fruits for Dessert.




A hot date, to buka with? Glutinous rice, and ondeh ondeh. Sugar rush after a long day of fasting.

Actually, we were split into two groups for the sampling, one group had the buka puasa sets, while we had the alacarte.


Some ulams with sambal belacan.


Crab Stuffing. Such a labour of love. Peeling crab and serving them to someone is definitely a labour of love. Crab shells stuffed with fresh crabmeat, diced turnip, carrots, prawns and onions! Soooo good.


Chicken Seybah. Normally made with oink, but this chicken substitute is also very delicious. Traditionally served for festive occasions, because it goes well with plonk.






Mel's Malacca Laksa. Lovely thick curry gravy. I would have preferred yellow mee than meehoon though. Don't know if there's such an option.



Buah Keluak Curry. Ah, my favourite. The nuttiness of the Keluak Nut, a tough nut to crack, with the curry, simply divine. Jason, the supernutcracker, managed to crack the keluak with his bare hands. He the man.


Lemak Assam Prawn. Rice with this dish is a must.

Apparently this dish has been named Meena's Ketiak. Oops, Keluak. Grrr...





Sambal Kacang Botol.


Sambal Terung. A must for brinjal lovers.


OHHHHHHHHHHH, TONGUEEEEE!!!! Ox Tongue Semur. Mel simmers the tongue for hours until it is tender. I want this dish named after me. I love tongue. I must have tongue.


Eggs are always welcome.


Deconstructed Keluak.


The uncooked Keluak upclose. What does it look like?


Mel's Traditional Butter Cake and Chocolate Cake below. Very homemade, very comforting.













That there is a gorgeous antique pic of Mel as a baby, and below, ahem, Mel with you know who.




Somehow, I have this feeling that I am going to see a LOT more of Aunty Mel, AT Simply Mel's. Might as well start a buku tiga lima.

Address:
Unit 1-1A, 1st Floor, The Sphere,
No. 1, Avenue 1, Bangsar South,
No. 8 Jalan Kerinchi 59200 Kuala Lumpur

E: inquiries@simplymels.com
W: www.simplymels.com
T: +6 03 224 14525
GPS: 3.11142,101.66748