Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Felda Hotsprings, Sungkai, And Pusing Public Redux

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:23:00 +0000

As we've established, overseas holidays in Spain, or dinner in Hanoi are out of the question when you are a mere mortal raising a brood of four. Not that I would trade them for the world. Anyway, as necessity in the mother of invention, or innovation, we are always on the look out for CHEAP affordable and value for money holidays. Hence, thank God for AirAsia, or we'd not have stepped out of the country in the last 6 years.

School holidays are always an exciting time. The thought of having breakfast with the kids at our regular kopitiams, the incessant noise, the fighting for computer time, etc. This year, for the long holidays, we decided to explore some Cuti cuti Malaysia destinations, and remembered reading about the Sg Klah Felda Hotsprings in the NST some time ago. But like all MALAYSIA BOLEH things, there was NO phone number, no contact, nothing at all, to show us where this veritable Garden of Eden lay. So, thank goodness for the internet.

Actually, surprisingly, the Felda Hotsprings have an impressive website, and really, you gotta hand it to these people, they are genuinely friendly. "Oh, book sahaja, tak payah kredit kad, bila datang aje bayar la". (oh, just go ahead and book. No need for credit card details. Pay when you get hear) Now, no commercial chinkie operation will let you get away with that. On airasia, you change your flight because you have a flatulence attack oso they will whack you with a surcharge.

Anyway, being the perenial skeptic, I lowered my expectations to the lowest possible bar on the rung, although instinctively, I knew it was probably good. RM180 nett per night, for room and breakfast! Bonus! When we reached, wife found flyer that said, weekday special, RM150 net per night, for room, breakfast AND DINNER! WOW!

The torrential monsoons were upon us when we arrived, but that didnt stop me from being impressed already! The rooms were very nice. Large, spacious, clean, decent bathrooms, AND, free extra mattress thrown in for our fellow rakyat who have an average of 8 kids per family. Mind you, my brood of 4 already reaped the benefit from the extra mattress. Nooo, we did not take just one room.

The sprawling grounds, nestled in what must have been an oil palm estate, boasts 64 rooms, several villas (self contained, with kitchen and 3 bedrooms, which were fully booked, despite the RM800 per day price tag), a gorgeous spa village, with private hotspring pools, for those who do not wish to mingle with the rabble, family spa pools, RM75 for 8 people, therapeutic pools, reflexology paths with rivulets of hot spring water, one HUMONGOUS olympic sized hot spring pool, and one HUMONGOUS cold water pool with mountain spring water. Think of bathing in a large pool of Evian....except spoilt by the thronging masses of fully clothed people. Again, there is a choice, you can opt for exclusive family spas. Me, I am a rakyat and proud of it, so had no qualms basking in the public pools. (also a cheapskate la. Not gonna pay RM25 per person for a private hot pool when its free elsewhere).

The rooms. Clean and large.

The Large Hot Springs Pool

Can see the steam rising in the background. Water from the hotsprings are channelled here.

The water source.

This picture is not doctored. The steam around the area is that misty! Those kids are walking along the reflexology path.

Smaller therapy pools, ranging from 35-40C.

The cold water mountain springs pool with slides and fountains.

The modern chalet style rooms.

The SPA village.

If this was a vineyard in Tuscany, the price would be how much in Euro? All we need now is for palm wine that can be sold at a premium.

The fully clothed masses in the pools.

There are some springs that are so hot, 100C you can boil an egg.

The boiled egg. Very tasty. Just a tip. Next time bring your own eggs, and soya sauce, and disposable bowls. Nothing like gorgeous half boiled eggs cooked by Mother Nature's Hot Spring Water.

After the Hotsprings, we proceeded to Ipoh, but not before stopping for lunch at Bidor.

Freshly baked chicken biscuits are absolutely gorgeous and addictive. Not cheap. RM3 for a bag of 8 or 10. But it can be whacked in one go, easily. The aroma is really fantastic, despite the absence of lard.

Trust the Chinese to animalise everything.

Mushu? Wushu anyone?

I celebrated my 43rd (ARGH!!!!!!) birthday in Pusing Public, Ipoh, with a fabulous dinner, courtesy of my dear brother in law.
I didn't know this the first time round, but this time, we found out that this was actually an EUNUCK, ie, castrated chicken. Eunuch Cluck. No wonder it was sooo tasty.

This amazing pomfret is cooked two ways. Fried on one side, and steamed on the other. I've seen those filleted fish, where the flesh is steamed, but the bones deep fried. But this is somethign else. Fried on one side, and steamed on the other! HOW? !!!!

The lovely sang meen. Very nice, crispy, doused in gravy which makes it chewy all again.

Amongst the many greeting I got, a few asked, "Who is baking your birthday cake, FBB?". Her name apparently is Josephine, or Jo's workers did it. The tiramisu, which wife bought from a trendy cafe in Ipoh, costs RM110. Isnt that like the GDP of Ipoh? Exorbitant, even by KL standards. Circumferenced with non dairy cream for that pure white effect. Son remarked on the absence of booze.

Thanks everyone for the birthday greetings!!!

How to get to the hotsprings: Up the north south highway, turn off at Sungkai toll before Bidor. However, if need to eat at Bidor, its only 13km away. After the Sungkai toll, turn left, follow the signs. 1km from the turn, turn left again. It is SURPRISINGLY WELL SIGN POSTED, and anyone with half an eye couldnt miss it.

Spanish Wine Pairing Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:41:00 +0000

When You Wish Upon A Star, ...makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will comeeee to you..... from Walt Disney's Pinocchio.

No, I was not wishing to be a real boy, nor that any of my puppets became a real boy, or girl. I was merely dreaming of Spain. Unlike some of my well heeled friends, I cant go traipsing around Spain, sampling all the culinary (apparently pronounced KIEW LINARY, not CULL inary, as in Culling Pigs with the Nipah Virus) treasures the country has to offer.

Alas, the stars in Kuala Lumpur's polluted skies aren't very bright either, and I wasnt sure if I was wishing upon the Measat Satellite, or a blinking aeroplane, but hey, whaddaya know, I get an invite from my good pal, Peter Yew of the Cava Opus Leonardo Moxie Chain, for a SPANISH WINE PAIRING DINNER WITH GUEST CHEF FERNANDO MARTINEZ TABERNO. I was allowed to call 3 others, and drum roll, the lucky guests for the night were .....the inimitable Alison Joan Victor, of Red FM Fame, and equally as hot as Red, the perpetual comedian, Frat Mustard, and the ever reliable Nipple Joe.

We started with the octopus carpaccio potato confit and Pimento Oil....the bummer about posting these things a few weeks after the event is these alcohol infused brain cells cant recall the exact flavours. But this I do remember, the Spanish omelette with Bacalao and Piquillo Peppers was sublime. The glass contained Gazpcho with Baqquerones, Piquillo Peppers. It must have slipped my brain to ask what Piquillo Peppers are, coz I now have NO idea what they are. Chicken rolls stuffed with dry fruit formed the missing link in the platter. These were paired with the Pag del Vicario Talva 2005, Chardonnay Savignon Blanc. We had earlier been apperitiffing on Castellblanch Cristal Brut Cava, the very VERY drinkable Spanish version of the bubbly.

Lighting here sucked big time by the way, hence the lousy pics. A bad workman blames his tools, and a lousy photographer blames the light. The Prawn Salad with Tomato Marmalade and Cauliflower Sauce was good for me. My fellow comrades had some mushy prawns, but mine were all ay okay, and the prawns sweet and succulent. Frat discovered his cream was missing, and asked the waiter to cream his plate.

Life is a bed of roses for some people. Chicks gawk at him, and he gets to live life in a designer coffee tin.

Mains were a choice of Tenderloin Beef encroute with poultry musseline (not related to the more famous Moussolini, the Italian fler), Lubina stuffed with seafood and vegetable confit and calamari crisp, or Lamb Chops with Membrillo Aioli, red Pepper confit and gratinated potatoes. Of the three, I'd say the tenderloin was probably the best. To be honest, the Lubina, which is a fish, I think, stuffed with all the stuff was so so.

The mains were paired with a Pago del Vicario Penta 2005, Tempranillo Merlot Cabernet Syrah Petit Verdot. (finger cramp after typing all that)

Can You Hear the drums Fernando? I dunno why, but when I sang this line, Frat burst out laughing. Yeah, the handsome chappie is the spanish guest chef. Very friendly, and took time to explain to us this and that. Alas, some of us were rather sloshed by this time.

The Spanish cheese platter with the lovely quince paste was a perfect end to the dinner. Paired with Pago del vicario 50-50 2005, Tempranillo Cabernet. Some of the other dinner guest on the long table didnt care for cheese. Less men more share I say!

Check out my cheese, says Frat.

Caramelized Torrijas With Nougat Soup. Frankly, it looked like oatmeal or some healthy gunky breakfast, but it tasted superb, a lot better than it looked!!!
This was paired with a Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava.

We drank the night away, yarning and chatting, amidst great company, great ambience.

I always thought Cava meant Cave, like the Bata lives in the Cava.

We learn something new everyday. Ooh, and I just checked my trusty dictionary. Culinary can be pronounced both with the Cull or the Kiul...so pbbbbbbbbbth to whoever told me that misleading bit of info. My life is vindicated!

Chef Tam At Selayang For "Yim Kai"

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:35:00 +0000

Apparently there was a time, when a fellow on a bicycle used to go around offering castration services for chickens. With a deft snip and thread, the deed is done, and this strapping young rooster HERE, ....

..would not have been able to sire this little chicken here.

Now, the chinese are not the only ones who have no qualms about snipping off lineage (the roe and sperm of hairy crabs, for example) to satisfy the palate, apparently castrated chickens are called CAPONS in English. I just call them Eunucks.... a cross between eunuchs and cluck.... EUNUCK...

Apparently, the loss of male genitalia decreases testosterone levels in the chicken, causing them to get fatter, (oh dear, I should go check my testosterone level soon), ...as females have a higher fat to muscle ratio, according the the slimmest person on the table, CIKI.

Well, rewinding the tale a bit, we were invited for a food tasting of these free range birds, bred by the company called Sunshine Chicken, (presumably the roosters crow at dawn), helmed by Gerlad D'Cruz. The farm is in Kuala Lipis, where chooks are allowed to roam free, without stress, multiplying as they pleased, .... the equivalent of Malaysians with all our free land, as opposed to our poor Singaporean neighbours, all cooped up in HDBs...

The lunch venue was at Chef Tam, in Selayang, next to that famous seafood wholesaler, Jin Chwan. I had forgotten to RSVP the invite from Gerald, and had to tag along as the Queen's date, as her real husband, Bald Eagle, could not make it. Which theoretically means I don't REALLY have to blog about this, but the meal was so excellent, I simply have to share the good news.

We were first brought on a walkabout study tour of Jin Chwan.... a real marine treat for those who want to go diving but can't. Geoducks, alaskan king crab, moray eels, oysters, clams, prawns, fish of myriad variety, grace the tanks of this place.

Our celebrities, who are late, make their grand entrance..... very you yeng huh!

Such a celebrity couple, that one.

Most of the Wax Princesses found the 5 minutes in the heat too long, and quickly scurried back to the aircond comforts of the Chef Tam restaurant.

The brochure of the Sunshine Chicken. The farm as mentioned earlier, is in Kuala Lipis, and this prompted us to make sure we organise a trip there, afterall, fellow food blogger, THULE is based there, and I am sure would make a wonderful host. Gerald also very kindly offered us a tour of the farm, and the best wild boar curry ever.

Huge plump Pacific Oysters were the perfect way to start the meal. Of course debates abounded whether small is better, or large is better, but there seemed to be an equal number who preferred small, and big. (oysters, I mean). Walking Wikipedia reckons smaller oysters are sweeter, Ciki likes hers plump and large, and they slide down her throat.

Well, they certainly were very fresh. The oysters, I mean. And not fishy.

The highlight of the meal, the Yim Kai, or EUNUCK. Absolutely fantastic. Lovely golden yellow skin, with a layer of free range fat beneath the skin, and gorgeous flavour of meat that you will never get in a supermarket chicken. Texture wise, incomparable. Firm meat, with a real taste of chicken. Excellent. It's my first exposure to an EUNUCK. One wonders how one will eat normal chicken after this.

Ah, fantastic chicken rice in elegant little spoons. Special rice (beras) cooked in the chicken fat. Fluffy, sticky, flavourful all at the same time. Really very very good!!! And went fabulously with the ginger condiments.

Just look at that chicken. I can understand the hype.

Deep sea grouper. Again, lovely freshness to it, and the flesh firm, and sweet. Steamed to perfection. Originally someone said it was a Jack Something Something, which was an utter red herring. The NEXT table had the Jack something. (not "OFF"). Oh, did I mention the cast? Babe in the City KL, Pure Glutton, Gourmet Garden from Penang, the Nomad Gourmand, our dear Hooi Khaw, Cumi & Ciki, Just Heavenly Pleasures, ROKH, and the Queen of the DSLR herself. Quite a glittering gathering.

Some people like head.

This would have been my least favourite dish I guess. Not because it was bad, but it seemed a bit inconspicuous. Japanese snails, in a creamy cheese sauce. Mornay, almost. It was unanimously agreed the cheese sauce drowned the taste of the snails, and a light sautee with garlic would probably have been better.

Sunshine Chickens also do breed normal chickens, and this was it. A lovely roast crispy skin chicken. Again, the natural taste of the chicken, and texture, outstanding.

This beancurd dish is excellent. Deep fried bean curd, wobbly like panna cotta on a bed of choy thams. Perfect comfort food.

Something like the Sabah fern vegetable. Not sure what it was, but it was good. A slight slimy texture, but such a healthy feeling as it passes your throat. The Queen, not a veggie person, had a few cursory strands, and gave me the rest.

Dessert, guai lin gou. That herbal jelly with fruit cocktail.

The very affable Chef Tam. According to him, (and I had to play translator to Her Madge, sitting next to me....cis, her marder is chinese oso dunno how to speak), he has no one signature dish, but specialises in the cooking of seafood.

The horde of adoring female fans surround the Chef.

What a perfect way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon. Thanks Babe for the white wine....it WAS from you right? And thanks Gerald for having us.

Well, if you are looking for excellent quality chicken, you should contact Gerald D Cruz at 012-2085590. I am already thinking that the castrated chicken would make a great turkey substitute for Christmas. So much tastier, and probably a fraction of the price. Them EUNUCKS can grow up to 5kg.... that's one large chook.

[NOTE: The Eunucks are available now on offer, at RM25 per kg. It is usually almost double the price in the markets. So chefs out there, give them a call now!]

Chef Tam is located along the same row as Jin Chwan, and judging by the food, serves excellent Chinese food at affordable prices. The seafood is purchased at Jin Chwan, and cooked in Chef Tam.

ZLS, Sentul

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:23:00 +0000

It is the dawn of the festival of lights.... I eagerly grab my phone to see if there are any invitations to any open house, but nah leh.... how oh how was I going to spend this lonely public holiday. Oh, wait, it's a Saturday, and every Saturday IS a public holiday. For most of us anyway. The ever efficient Agent Cikay has managed to muster the troops. YAY. And guest starring Hairy Berry, all the way from Singapore. Whenst once upon a time, his trips back here used to be a weekly affair, they are now reduced to rare appearances, because (official version) he is doing his masters and has classes (unofficial version) we think he has a girlfriend there in the republic...who wont let him come back. Dang you girl, we want our Hairy Berry!!!

The Five Fine Outers, ie, Cikay, Kenny Mah, DevilWearsPrada, Hairy Berry and Me, bundle into the hot red Honda Civic, and head to Sentul. The entire landscape of Jln Ipoh has changed so drastically over the years, I no longer recognise it. It's more botoxed than the First Lady, and almost as beyond recognition.

Time travels at the speed of light when you are busy yarning with friends, and before we know it, we're there, in a route that I am not sure I can replicate, as I wasn't paying attention. I only remember Hairy Berry mumbling something about his old school being in the neighbourhood. La Salle Sentul la, must be.

Nothing like beer before 12 noon to make one feel one is REALLY on holiday.

Hairy Berry, the expert of this place, orders the dishes with the familiarity of an obese kid ordering at Macdonald's. Before we know it, its Bon Apetit.

The duet of kailan, leaves deep fried and stems sauteed. I wonder which innovative chef first thought of this. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the pioneer of this dish must be flattered to death by now.

Beer with lovely chicken wings. They go together like
rama lama lama
ke ding a de dinga a dong
remembered for ever like
shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom.

It's the kind of food you could eat all afternoon while downing several pints of beer, over good conversation.

Ooooh, look at the pig.

Pork Knuckles. Is it a misnomer? Is it really the knuckles? I thought the knuckles are the joints between the fingers and fist. That reminds me....
Man walks to a farm, and sees a pig with three legs. Asks farmer what happened. Farmer says, oh, I was in a fire once, and Wilbur there saved me. Man says, oh, he lost a leg in the fire? Farmer says, Nooo. In fact, later on, I almost drowned, and Wilbur saved me. So he lost the leg in the river? Noooo, farmer says. And again, Wilbur saved me once from barbaric burglars. So he lost the leg to the burglars? Noooo, says farmer. SO HOW DID WILBUR LOSE HIS LEG??? Farmer says, hey, a pig as good as this, you can only afford to eat him one leg at a time.
[running away from the pelted vegetables and tomatoes]

Now, I reckon no one does Pork Knuckles, or Trotter or whatever they're called, like the Chinese. I find the German ones usually a bit too dry. This one is not only moist and succulent, but swimming in a delicious gravy.

Four of the Five Fine Outers in Action.

Fish head curry. All these dishes scream out for rice don't they. Lovely rich curry sauce. I didn't really try the fish though, but judging by the fact that there was none left, it must have been good.

I LOVE this squid dish, presented on banana leaf. Not sure what its called, but its damn good, and apparently has the option of prawns as well. The squid was not fishy.

We weren't full after all that, so decided to add another dish of Oooh Lala. Gorgeous fresh clams steamed in a rice wine sauce, with wolfenberries. Loved the soup.

What can I say? Deepavali or not, it was good fun. Good food, good company, and beer with ice. How not to be happy?

Oh, the restaurant is called Zhen Liew Shiang, No. 30, Jalan 14/48A, Sentul Raya, Off Jalan Sentul, 51000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 603 4041 3781

Mow Hai Hai Mow? Hairy Crabs at Dragon i.

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:50:00 +0000

Paranoid Android, who is the next Walking Wikipedia after Nigel Skelchy, (Nigel has the age advantage), asked on Twitter, are hairy crabs "Mow Hai" in Cantonese. Ciki replies, "Mow Hai, Hai Mow?". All my friends are comedians. My twitter page can be the script for a sitcom, as could my MSN, especially exchanges with the Venerable Thamby, aka Queen of the DSLR.

Those doomed to a life of humdrumness, and twiddling thumbs and swatting flies, like me, sit around all day waiting for friends to call. So, when I saw a Yahoo msg or was it an sms, from CIKI, obviously I scramble to open it quicker than our government changes it policies. And that's quick. OOOH, she asks me to be her date (I am shivering with excitement already) for a food tasting of Hairy Crabs (not Hairy's Crab....Hairy Crabs) from the famous Tai lake, at Dragon I at the Curve, on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Turned out the day was anything BUT lazy.

Mad rush ensued, as I juggled with the 15 cake orders for the day, and a slight hangover from the night before. Although it was just a little tipple with friends from the gym, this old man's resistance is dropping as quickly as his waistline is expanding. I was the LAST to arrive at Dragon I, much to my embarrasment, as seated on two tables were like the blogging gliterrati of Malaysia. The Queen Herself, KY Speaks, Nigel Skelchy, Ciki, KgBoy&Citygal. Gasp, its like attending an event with the DYMM himself, and coming late. I apologized profusely to our host, a very friendly Mr Kong, of PRK (PR Kraft), the PR company for the Dragon I group.

The first dish was the double boiled superior chicken soup with Fish Maw and Bamboo Pith. Superb hangover food. Cleansing to the soul, and rehydrating to the body. It wasn't too salty, as some soups are prone to be. The textures of the fish maw and chicken were just right.

They are very well prepared, the restaurant, as they even presented a bowl of soup specially for photography. A bit like a bride....doesnt always look like the real deal.

The next dish was Sauteed Fresh Vegetables With Crab Roe. Female crab roe, Kong explained to us. Female crab roe is harder and coarse than male crab roe.

"Male crabs have roe?" I ask in bewilderment. Obviously I should watch more National Geographic, and less Grey's Anatomy, as the latter doesn't teach you about crab anatomy.

Aren't the Xiu Long Baos with Hairy Crab row absolutely adorable? So dainty, almost a sin to eat them.

Of course, elegance should be consumed with elegance......
Of course no one saw it fit to photograph ME wolfing down MY xiu long bao, with all the finesse of a drunken sailor on heat.

Young Chow Style Fried Rice....probably the mandatory carb dish in the set. Oh, I did mention it was a set right? RM128++ for a six course Shanghainese set meal. Loved the rice. Fluffy, enough wok hei, and all that jazz. As Nigel pointed out, the prawns had been in a sodium bicarbonate spa for too long, and while they were texturally crunchy, there was about as much taste in it as a noveau rich chinaman decorating his newly built mansion in Kenny Hills.

We're heading for the climax, and given the necessary tools to do so as well.

No, its not for you to dig your nose, though I can't say I wasn't tempted.

Tah dah......... a platter of hairy crabs, all male, with 3 billion potential offspring on the plate to satisfy our greedy palate.
Oh, in answer to the earlier question about "Do male crabs have roe", well, [CHILDREN BELOW 18, dont read this], according to the reliable source on the table, it's kinda like Crab err...Sperm.

Look at me! I'm Hairy and proud of it!

The Glitterati throw themselves at the magnificent platter, not wanting to lose out on any action.

With the deftness of a surgeon, or a vet, the Captain deshells the crab, and reassembles it on a plate, as shown below. (corner right bottom is the Master Chef himself, whom the staff venerably refer to as Si Fu)

So, not only the Japanese can reverse engineer, so can the Chinese.

I HAVE to say, that the Male Roe was creamy and rich, and oh so good. Absolutely divine. Like eating Teuschers, Foie Gras and Truffles all at once. Shuddering in delight. Mmmmmm. Of course, that really IS the highlight, as the rest of the crab is nothing to shout about. The meat is sweet, but there's so LITTLE of it, it's like running a marathon to drink a glass of 100plus.

Dessert was Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls In Ginger Broth. As I couldn't hold my balls steady and photograph them at the same time, Nigel kindly held mine for me while I took a picture. I dunno why he only held up one ball. I reciprocated by holding up both of his, as can be seen in his post.

Not only is she the Queen, and writes like Shakespeare, and takes pictures like [who are the famous photographers in this world ah? Andy Warhol?], she can also multi task as she held up her own balls to photograph them. She the man!!! Bow bow bow, we are not worthy.

Posing for the Paparazzi.

Thanks Ciki for asking me to be your date. How else would little old me get to hob nob with who's who of the blogging world. Thank you thank you.

And special note of thanks to Mr Kong Wai Keong for having us.

The promo is on in autumn, (not our autumn la, autumn in China) when the crabs are in season. They are flown in on a weekly flight, on the promise of a vacation. At RM128++, well, it is a luxury, but hey, you have to factor in the airfare of the crabs, their rarity, and the loss of their descendants, so to savour that glorious roe, I'd say an occasional treat is in store.

Bruno's at Jaya 33

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:47:00 +0000

There's been this rumblings in the flogging scene ("flogging" is food blogging, to the uninitiated, and not some sado masochistic ritual, although the way we stuff our bodies sometimes does border on s&m), about the integrity of food reviews when it is gratis, whether or not we should declare and be transparent if we were paid in kind or in other services, (ahem), etc etc. Aiya, why so complicated? My motto, if someone wants to invite you to eat, and talk about them, oooh, why not. And if I have to declare that this was so, so be it. In fact, lately, due to the fact that I am hobnobbing with the correct celebrity bloggers, I seem to get a lot more invites to this and that.

So, I received an email from Candy, who is actually on my facebook and whom I distinctly remember as having ordered a cake from me before, inviting me to Bruno's for free flow drinks and grub. The words "free flow drinks" are to me what the words "abstinence" means to a Catholic priest. Hangon, I think I lost my train of thought there. Nah, there is no connection.

Anyway, yeah, free flow drinks, on a weeknight, with some vaguely familiar people, like Ciki, and Alilfatbanana, .....why not I say!

Happiness is Guinness on Tap. And the G.O.T here is gooooood! And only RM12 at happy hour for the glass size you see above. As the black liquid lubricated my thirsty throat and I soaked in the company of my delightful table mates, I began to feel happy once again.

The interior of Bruno's is pleasant enough. Parking was ample, at that hour, and cheap too. A perfect location for happy hour, if you ask me.

We were allowed to order anything we wanted from the menu. How generous of our hosts. [eyes scanning for the MOST expensive item...drat, no foie gras]

Sauteed mushrooms. I love mushrooms. Even the non magic ones. And these were nicely done. Simple, and delicious. The sauteeing sauce was just right, not too salty, and enhanced the natural flavour of the white button mushrooms.

And the breaded mushrooms. Perfect companion for alcohol. So much so, we ordered another serving.

Somewhere along the line, Alison Joan Victor of Red FM Fame joined us. I could not believe it. A living breathing and rather attractive celebrity in our midst. Drat, I forgot to ask for her autograph. Anyway, this delightful famous Deejay was very down to earth, and very charming company. We of course spoke fondly of our mutual friend, Fratmustard, who at that moment was having Vietnamese. Not a vietnamese, but vietnamese as in the cuisine. The fler was actually in HCMC while we dined in Petaling Jaya. Life is pretty unfair isnt it.

I have to say that Monkey is a man of many faces.

I digress. Back to the food. The garden salad with orange was ordinary. I mean, its healthy and all, as salad should be. Otherwise, why bother eating salad right. Might as well eat lard.

Isnt she the dainty little one....

Oh, the free flow alcohol comprised all of the happy hour items listed below. At times like this, I want to spank the monkey and say, Cis boy, why dont you drink alcohol.

What was I saying about Lard? Yeah well, one of Bruno's main attraction for me would be the wide array of Oinkety oink dishes.

Check out the Bruno's BBQ Wine Ribs. All our meat dishes came with a bit of pasta carbonara. They're really trying to make us sign a contract with Lipitor. Now, I loved these ribs. There was enough fat on the meat, and the marinade wasn't overpowering. I love that lovely chunk of oink fat in the picture above.

Ciki tried to be different and ordered the sirloin. Well, she disdainfully tossed away the huge slice of bread which formed the mattress for the dead cow, proclaiming "I don't eat carbs". Yes, looking at her svelte body, I think I kinda knew. The little bit of steak that she tossed my way seemed decent enough.

Now I ordered the Roast Pork in Chardonnay Sauce. The very word Roast Pork in my mind conjured up images of belly pork, crackling, and everything evil, but this was even healthier than the salad. The pork was lean!!! Argh, I'd been cheated! Anyway, it would suit the more health conscious, as the meat was really very white, and lean, rich thick sauce notwithstanding. Luckily there were two portions of those yummy ribs on our table thanks to Monkey and Aly J.

Perfectly manicured hands holding up the Campari Soda, which was the least sweet of the cocktails.

I thought I'd be healthy for a change, and tried the lychee comfort. (fruit ma, healthy wat). Nice, but very female drink. I should've stuck with Guinness. A MAN'S DRINK.

YUMMMY caramelised bananas. Amazing how such a simple dish can taste so good... but in the dessert department, THIS really took the cake.

The wobbly panna cotta. EXCELLENT. So much so, it was sold out, and we couldn't have more. Lovely texture and creamy flavour without being overly dense. Very yummy, and I would certainly return for another dose of this....

My friends are all multi talented, clowns and comedians, mostly.

Look, his brain is a magnet.

Just when we thought dessert was over, Candy, our dear hostess, brought us THIS little baby, from Food Foundry, the famous Vanilla Mille Crepe Cake. She must've known I was dying to try this. Lovely layers of crepes sandwiched with vanilla cream.

People compare their various accessories.

Mmm, the almost finished mille crepe. And then, Cumi walks in, all sweaty after a basketball game, and orders the Lamb Shank.

All of us were too full to try his shank, and in any case, he was carrying some flu bug around.

They started serving mojitos. Yay. My kinda drink. I love mojitos. I used to make a mean mojito. Used to, being the operative word.

We then adjourned to the outdoor area, where their resident band was playing. Very pleasant atmosphere outside. The band wasn't bad either.

I had a great night. Got to meet Alison Victor, Candy, my cake customer, hung out with all my favouritest people in the blogging world, free flow of alcohol, lovely lardy ribs, and it was only Thursday. Ah, distant dreamy faraway look.

Thanks Candy for the invite. Bruno's is located on the Ground floor of Jaya 33, facing the main road, and is at the left hand corner of the building if you are standing outside the entrance looking in. Next to the True Fitness Gym. Outstanding Happy Hour value for drinks. Anyone wants to join me there for HH soon?

Electrolux Launch of the New RM10K Inspiro Oven

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:02:00 +0000

Of course, when fame eludes someone the way weight loss eludes Oprah, any opportunity for even 20 seconds of exposure is not to be sneered at. I was delighted when dear Adly of Fried Chillies asked me if I would be interested in doing a demo for the launch of the new electrolux oven. Considering that I myself have been an avid electrolux fan (as in a human fan, not a stand fan) for years, I thought why not. Although initially the job specs included DECORATING CUPCAKES!!!! SHUDDDDEEERRRR! You know how decoration and me go together like BN and Pakatan.

Anyway, upon further exploration, to my great relief, there was no need for cake decoration, as the very capable Saw Leng of Electrolux, who also happened to be an old friend of mine, was taking care of that aspect of the launch, and would make the cupcakes and icing and conduct the icing and decoration workshops. So, all I had to do was bake some cupcakes, and pizza.

The new Inspiro is a highly intelligent oven, that requires no preheating, and with one touch of the button, you can select from an array of baking options, from cake, to bread, to bagels, to pizza. And under the sub heading of pizza, there's thick crust, thin crust, frozen, etc. Really, quite amazing. So canggih so much so there had to be a dry run, lest the oven was TOO intelligent.

So, ahead of time, I made my way to the Electrolux office in Jaya 33, and conducted an impromptu demo on how to make Banana Cupcakes, and Pizza from scratch. Quite nice to have all these chicks hovering around with great fascination. If I wasn't married yet, I probably can find a bride quite easily with all these cooking demos. While not much to behold aesthetically, and though women try to hide it, the way to their hearts is through their stomach. Contrary to men.... the way to their hearts is ...errr, below their stomach. Oh dear, I hope the Electrolux organisers arent reading this.

The Electrolux flagship store is located in Solaris Dutamas, and you really CANNOT miss it. Decked up with three functional kitchens, and rows of Electrolux appliances, it really is quite a treat to be able to conduct a class there.

The who's who of Electrolux(M) were there for the launch, I guess. Also present was the lady who had designed the Inspiro, who gave us a very interesting talk on the rationale behind the designs etc. Indeed, a lot of thought had gone into creating a highly intelligent oven.

After the unveiling for the oven, I was then tasked with making a few quips...and proceeded to demonstrate how to make pizza in that oven. True to my undecorated form, the pizza took on a free form, not your usual round pizza, mainly because we had to use back the original electrolux tray that came with the oven. The crust was nicely cooked, thankfully, and the demo went without a hitch. I could get used to the camera rolling in front of me I think. Offers anyone? HALLLO, AFC, are you listening??? Chef Wan-nabe in the making.

Anyway, I had a fun time, and special thanks again to the Fried Chillies Team, for giving me the lead, and for the Electrolux team for having the faith in me to pull it off.

Wow, Mrs Frat Can Bake Really Well! Macarons Mama!

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:16:00 +0000

I was pleasantly surprised when Fratmustard dropped by to collect his order of cakes today, and gave me THESE babies, made by his wife, who incidentally is a mother of twins. How a mother of twins can find time to bake time consuming things like macarons is really one of those mysteries, like how do Pygmy seahorses make babies.....

Texture is fabulous, almost if not on par with the french lady's, Natalie Arberfuille, who's class I attended.

Mrs Frat, can sub-contract mac orders to you ah? ;)

Thanks muchly...... my waist line thanks you too.

Bukit Tinggi BBQ Restaurant, And Happy Deepavali

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:09:00 +0000

I love to go a wandering, along the mountain track, and as I go I lub to sing, my Ciki on my back. Valerie, Valeroo, Valle hahahhahahppy diwali, valeri, valeri, my Ciki on my back.

It's Deepavali, and what better way to celebrate, in true Malaysian style, but to go out and stuff our faces, although we were not invited to any open houses. Well, if no house is open to you, then we open our own.....

All the way from Bolehwood.......

Yeah, so, further to my previous post, and wishing for a woodfire oven, and wondering where to get supply of firewood, well, apparently even in this equatorial heat, people do stock up firewood. Perhaps for those cold monsoon nights, when TNB grids blackout.

Alilfatmonkey, with his surprisingly impressive knowledge of High Hill and its surrounds, (the one in Pahang, not Klang), brought us, ie, me, the ahpa, Cumi & Ciki, the fellow monkeys, to a delightful little getaway, nestled in the luscious verdant virgin tropical rainforests, in the sleepy town of Bukit Tinggi for a delightful lunch.

A rather odd name, for what is basically a Chinese restaurant. I've learnt that these days, a name doesn't belie the contents. Hakka Republic is anything BUT hakka, and KFC is anything BUT chicken. As in real chicken.

The first thing that hits you is the LARVERLLY interior decor of the place. Upside down umbrellas line the ceiling of the place, rows and rows of used wine bottles, ....all lend a certain rustic charm. The surrounding gardens are all well vegetated, with passion fruit, vegetables, ....land as fertile as a roman catholic woman not allowed to use contraception.

OOOh, competition time. Guess who's silhouette this is???? The prize, well, a clap from me. (A clap, not "THE clap")

Lately, we have been rediscovering our chinaman roots, and have been taking to drinking beer with ice cubes. JC Jacobsen would turn in his grave.

This snapshot is of particular significance, coz apparently it is the basis of an upcoming competition on Ciki's blog.

Monkey had forewarned us that food will take forever to arrive, and that the chef, his uncle, was exceedingly grumpy. So we brought along our monopoly sets, knitting needles and wool, expecting to kill time, but LO AND BEHOLD, within 10 minutes, voila, nourishment time.

Wu Li Wu Li something something rice. Now, I tell you, if I never believed in the old adage, don't judge a book by its cover, I am a believer now, yeah, hallelujah. AMAZING!!!! So simple, but SOOOO GOOOD. Bits of crispy pork, in a lovely broth that is both tasty and healthy. Vegetables galore, peppers, pumpkin, like a chinese paella so to speak. I could eat this very often. Such comfort food. And only RM12.

Their signature salt baked tilapia, from both angles. Tilapia is kinda hit and miss sometimes, with that muddy taste, though I notice that quality all around seems to be getting better, as I think restaurants these days let the tilapias have a spa holiday in clean waters for about a week before doing them in. Lovely firm sweet flesh, falling off the bone. And stuffed in the fish is a lot of other goodies too, like onions, garlic, etc, which the very stern manager "instructed" us to eat.

This is another amazing dish. Hoi Sin pou. Seafood pot. Trust the Chinks to be so ingenious. A multi layered steamer, whcih collects the juices from the steamed seafood, which is made into a FABULOUS vegetable and mushroom soup. The seafood was amazingly fresh, although there was no sea in sight. Hallo, we're in the middle of the hinterland, .....did they have a secret wardrobe like in Narnia, that opened out to the blue ocean for fresh seafood? The prawns were sweet, and springy, cooked perfectly. The crabs, though a bit of a pain to eat, were also very sweet and fresh. AND THE LALAS!, oooh lala. Plump (monkey spelt his PLUM) and succulent...
RM80 for that pot of goodness. Well, not cheap, but worth it.

Fantastic Rack of Lamb!!!! Who'd have thought. Previously the purview of the mat sallehs, this fler in the jungles of Malaysia can do it so well, and with homemade fresh mint sauce too. It was seriously good. Tender, not lamby, and the skin, caramelised and crispy. Almost as good as pig. RM80 .... a bit steep la.

Ah, the Peking Duck of Seafood. Ie, they use the soup for another dish, just like they use the duck meat for another dish. Aren't my analogies brilliant. The vegetables were fresh, but I think they added too much salt to the soup. Natural flavour would have been perfect.

After stuffing ourselves stupid at lunch, Monkey brought us to this secret hideaway that he discovered. Isn't it gorgeous. I had to restrain myself from breaking out into song....specifically, THE HEEELLLS ARE ALIVE, WITH THE SOUND OF MUZZZZZIKKKK.....

Our secret holiday home. Want to know where it is, ask monkey.

The garden of eden is dotted with all kinds of strange foliage. Can anyone identify this fruit? Is it HAW?

Monkeys on their pseudo holiday. Bad enough we were trespassing, go and soak feet into people's pool some more.

Cumi was trying to make his own rainbows.

He even walks on water! Wow, this is paradise.

An amazing range of flora and fauna. Check out the Rouge Dragonfly.

Ah, nothing warms the entrails of an AhPa than to see such happy children, leaping with joy!

After the stopover at the Good Widow, we adjourned to the quaint hamlet of Bukit Tinggie which is hustling and bustling with activity. I am sure I used to traverse this road in my distant youth, when I followed my dad to Kuantan for Ching Ming on the old road, in the days before touch and go and PLUS concessionaires. It's amazing that it is still such a hive of activity.

Roselle fruit. Supposed to make good jams, and extract. Bought a kilo. Must try to make.

Thick FAT bananas, in such glorious hues of red.

As if we hadn't eaten enough, we decided to have the famous thinly sliced sweet and sour pork for dessert.

Well, FINALLY I had been included in those epic Cumi&Ciki ronda ronda Malaysia food trails. I have finally lived. What a fun day it was, and I cant wait to do it again!!!! Where to next!

Dubrovnik, Solaris Mont Kiara

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:58:00 +0000

I am sure if we had a "ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FORM FIVE KID" game show, and the category was GEOGRAFI, and the question was, "DI NEGARA MANAKAH ITU BANDAR DUBROVNIK?", (In which country is Dubrovnik), some culinary fellas might say, "OOOH, SOLARIS MONT KIARA", for RM50,000! I can imagine the game show host rolling his eyes till the sockets pop out.

But well, honestly, before I myself went to Dubrovnik in 2005, (YES YES, THIS TIME I CAN ACTUALLY SAY FBB HAS BEEN SOMEWHERE, unlike the previous Norway post where I can only salivate at where Thamby (Awhiffoflemongrass) has been...oh, Happy Deepavali by the way, AWOL), I also did NOT know where Dubrovnik was, nor had I any clue where Croatia was either. All we ever heard of these Balkan states, which were previously part of Yugoslavia, were the atrocities in Bosnia Herzegovenia, (just a tip to those intending to form your own country, ....try not to have more that three syllables la. Tongue can cramp you know), and Croatia was as foreign to me as Fortnum and Mason was to a farmer in Yunan.

Little did I know what a GORGEOUS place it was, located right on the Adriatic Sea, which is bluer than an A grade adult movie. Oops, maybe not such a good analogy. Bluer than Paul Newman's eyes. And what a quaint little city Dubrovnik is.

So, you can IMAGINE my excitement when I heard a group of floggers had been invited to sample Croatian Cuisine at DUBROVNIK, in Solaris Mont Kiara, organised by Fratmustard and Lisa of QGUIDES. Except, ahem, as I wasn't on the original guest list, I had to throw away all dignity and grovel like dog on heat, .... to get on the list.

There's nothing worse than appearing for a food tasting thingie, only to discover, ARGH, your camera's battery was deader than Moussolini. And I didn't have my Lumix on me either. Sigh, so what choice did I have but to use the camera in the mobile phone. So please don't laugh at the pics.

Nestled in a row of myriad culinary outlets, Dubrovnik has a prominent frontage, that you CANNOT miss as you enter the Solaris complex. It also has a nice outdoor area for diners and presumably, smokers. The downstairs boasts a well stocked bar.

I wouldn't mind one of these woodfire ovens in my kitchen. It must be a pain to start the fire though. And where does one get firewood in Malaysia?

To start with, we were offered an array of Mocktails, such a Macha Soy Shakes, Virgin Mojitos, Blueberry Shakes, ....but well, a mocktail is a MOCKtail, and to me personally, if it doesn't contain alcohol, its just a waste of calories. Very communal, as each drink was passed around for sampling, through a straw.

The PR agency boss, Alice George, giving some preamble. The hot babe, Dina, is the owner, and the chef's daughter.

First impression, RISOTTO. But nope, couldn't be further from the truth. Its not even rice. It is pasta, shaped like rice, and is called ORZO. (not ouzo). In a lovely tomato-ey sauce, with loads of fresh prawns. I liked the texture of the orzo. I am not a risotto fan, so was actually pleased that it wasn't. I wonder if they have a million tiny elves shaping the pasta into rice grain shapes in the kitchen at the back.

Spaghetti ala Buzara. Basically similar to an aglio olio concept, very minimalist, with garlic, prawns, parsley, dash of white wine. Could have been a bit more al dente, but taste wise, was good. Apparently the chef goes to the Kajang market every morning for fresh seafood.

Is Frat licking The Nomad Gourmand's ear?

Mmm, lamb peka. A traditional Croatian way of preparing meats, it is seasoned with salt and pepper together with a special Croatian spice mix called Vegeta. It is cooked in a wood fired oven in a cast iron pan. Not something you can replicate at home, obviously. The lamb was tender and moist, falling off the bone, and the spices had worked in erasing the lamby smell. Highly recommended, though I do not know if it's always available.

Gratinated Jacket Potatoes, with a crispy layer of cheese, presumably parmesan mixed with cheddar. The potato itself was hot and fluffy, very nice.

Sauteed Button Mushrooms. Ordinary, but familiar, and I never complain with mushrooms, as I love them as a sidedish.

The Croatian version of Palak Paneer. Spinach in a thick creamy sauce. (milk, apparently). Very rich, and definitely not a substitute for Salads, for those contemplating this as their main green dish.

Another version of sauteed mushrooms with some greens. Very generic, and again, familiar. Could have been any cuisine.

Lamb burgers. (no, not lamp berger). I thought they were good, with some feta cheese embedded within, but Ciki found hers a tad salty. Perhaps the salt wasn't evenly distributed in the tossing. Loved the bread too.

Croatian version of a goulash. Main difference is that it is gratinated, so it was like a cross between lasagne and a rich lamb stew. Or was it beef? Very rich, so one spoonful at this point was sufficient, just for taste.

The chef himself appears to prepare dessert at the table, good old Crepe Suzettes. Generous amounts of Cointreau and Brandy were splashed onto the sauce, imparting a lovely alcoholic zing to the sauce. Sometimes, I find crepe suzettes taste like cough mixture, or haliborange, but this one was good, probably because of the generous doses of booze.

Dinner in the presence of Hawt Babes like these!

Well, it was a rather pleasant experience, and the ambience of the place is rather inviting. The place they seated us looked perfect for a private function for about 20 people. Parking at Solaris is easy and cheap, if you are prepared to park in the basement. Rm1 only.

Address: J-0G-14, Solaris Mont Kiara
Tel: 6203-6780
Wesite : Here

On a separate note, we were each given a QGUIDES tent, and were told to submit an entry where we'd place the tent with the most publicity or prominence. Here's my entry.

Thanks Frat & the Qguides team for the invite to Dubrovnik, and thanks to the gracious Dina for having us.

Norwegian Seafood Fest

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:26:00 +0000

I have a dream, a song to sing....to help me cope, with anything.....I believe in angels, something good in everything I see.... - Scandinavian Pop Group of the 70s.

Yeah, unlike SOME JETSETTERS, I can only dream of this scene.

(Photo courtesy of Gard, friend of AWOL)

Alas, the closest thing I've come to Norway is probably Ikea, and the closest glacial experience I've had was an old refrigerator with no frost free function. Such is the life of a peasant. So, you can imagine my delight, when Hooi Khaw (what would I do without this dear lady? My life would have a dearth of worthy eating invitation) invited us to the Annual Norwegian Seafood Fest at the Mandarin Oriental. Us meaning Masak Masak, who couldn't make it, AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS (Voted for her yet or not? If not, too late, forever hold your piss), CUMI& CIKI, and ME, the FBB.

The mother of all seafood buffets, she said it was going to be. And boy, was she right.

Sometimes, it pays not to pay attention to details. I don on a casual shirt, and slacks, and brave the Friday evening traffic jam headed into town, and arrive 10 minutes late, but obviously, the Europeans are very punctual, and the foyer of the ballroom was already packed (like canned salmon) to the brim with gentlemen in suits and tuxedos, and ladies in ballgowns. FORTUNATELY, Cumi& Ciki were also dressed like me, ie, the rabble. Why it pays is, as Ciki pointed out, it would look odd if I were in a suit with a camera, snapping away. So twas a blessing that we were casually dressed, and looked the part of PRESS. AWOL of course is always dressed for a ball, so she fitted in quite well with the rest of the ladida.

As part of the PRESS, (actually, we were very blessed, out of 600 odd guests, there were only us 4 motley food bloggers), we were allowed into the ballroom to photograph the untouched buffet. Time spent on reconnaisance is never wasted, says the old army adage.

A shrimp platter that could have fed a hungry Orca. When we did eventually get to demolishing this hemisphere of prawny delight, yeah, it was good, and went well with the sour cream dressing.

Samples of Norwegian seafood produce on display. These were the raw ingredients, but all of them had been used in some way or other in the huge array of stuff that laid before us. If I was a piscetarian, I think I might have thought I was in Paradise. Heck, I WAS IN PARADISE.

We were to discover that salmon can take on many forms. Sashimi, obviously....

Lots of interesting decorative items. The Indian elephants hung above the Salmon Tandoori.

Salmon Tandoori. Yup, no Asian cuisine was spared in the fusioning of Salmon. There was even Salmon Satay, which I forgot to photograph.

I wonder who first thought of serving these horse divorce (hors douvres?) in little chinese soup spoons. Very quaint, but what a nightmare to wash up. At least its environmentally friend and recyclable. These were topped with a gorgeous sauce made with liquid nitrogen. Made by these chappies. Whom Ciki wasted no time in getting acquainted with.

The flying culinary circus. Apparently this troupe of chefs travel the world to perform their culinary magic.

Its not a pizza. Some salmon tartare dish. Lovely tangy sauce.

Platters and platters of Salmon. I began to feel like spawning.

Salmon with Olives

Salmon smoked in more ways that you can say Dunhill.

Some vegetables for the non fish eaters.

Sushi galore.

My vocabulary has run out for ways to describe salmon, but I actually think this was herring. Not so red.

Lobster salad. Or very large crayfish.

Poached quails eggs in salad. How lovely is that! I simply must try poaching quails eggs. Oh wait, too much work.

Copied from the Press Release

Chef Frank Naesheim’s seafood dinners have become the annual highlight of the Norwegian business community in Malaysia and Singapore. He has worked in two and three-star Michelin restaurants in France and was chef de cuisine at the Bagatelle in Oslo when it was awarded a Michelin star, the first restaurant in Norway to be honoured this way. Known as the Salmon King in Asia, Naesheim first came to work as executive chef at the Vikings Restaurant in Singapore in 1987. A few years later, he established Snorre Food Pte Ltd, to import quality Norwegian seafood and focused on promoting it in Asia. He launched cooking competitions, focusing on salmon, as part of the Salon Culinaire, a high-profiled Asian culinary event in Singapore. Naesheim’s Salmon King title is well deserved. He has written a cookbook, Norwegian Salmon in Asia, produced recipe booklets for salmon and organised the Salmon Buffet of the Century in Singapore. He has been guest chef in numerous food promotions in Asia and Norway. Naesheim has been serving on the Singapore Bocouse D’or committee since 2000 and is the director of Continental WACS Asia (World Association of Chefs Societies).

A lot of work goes into these events. I wonder if these sculptors have to sit in a freezing cold room to chisel away on these ice blocks. OR, are they made in moulds?

Just look at the ship....even complete with Poseidon's trident in the background.

Caviar, and lots of it. Okay, so it's not Beluga or Sevruga, but hey, a lot of baby fishies had to still give their lives okay.

Ciki was arguing with me if the dish at the buffet was crab or lobster. I insisted it was crab, but she said it was lobster. Ahem, I won. It was actually King Crab, similar to the Alaskan or Hokkaido deep water King Crab, and OH SOOOOOO DELICIOUS!!!!! It was done chinese style, ie, with salted egg yolk. YARMEEE. Forgot to take pics!

My first round.

They even had foie gras (free flow) on pieces of white fish. Halibut I think. I really should start taking notes if I aspire to be like Anton Ego.

Plump Juicy Scallops. I love scallops.

And there's always room for dessert.

Norwegian donuts.

Waffles. At this stage, one chooses unique desserts that do not occupy a lot of stomach space, so waffles wasn't high on the MUST TRY list.

Chocolate Lollipops, with a lovely mint filling. Had a few of these. Dark Choc, of course. I hate white choc, and milk is just too sweet.

Riskrem, a traditional Norwegian dessert, that is a bit like rice pudding. Very nice. Oh, and not photographed, but very yummy too was the cloudberry ice cream.

I dunno what these last two items are. Talk about slack blogging.

Anyway, I had a lovely time, but couldn't stay on for the rest of the proceedings, which included a performance by a norwegian diva, awards ceremony for best brand, (Digi won I think).

But really, it WAS the mother of all buffets. Again a special note of thanks to Hooi Khaw for so kindly inviting me. Meanwhile, I think I shall stay away from salmon for a few months. But let's keep spawning ya.

Vote For AWOL

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Quick. Thamby's been nominated for best food blog in Nuffnang APAC Blog Awards 09. Go cast your vote, or forever hold your piss.

Vestiges Of Victoria

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:55:00 +0000

No, not the dead queen, who has a noble institution named after her.

I'm talking about the State of Victoria, in the land of Oz. The tips of the Australian continent which during our Ilmu Alam (the subject, Geography) days, we were taught had Meditteranean wet winters and dry summers. Or is it the other way round.

A year ago, in my finite wisdom, during an Air Asia fare promo day, I idly logged on and checked prices for Melbourne, and discovered, wow, I could bring the entire family (ie, 6) to Melbourne for under RM6,000-00. Considering the last time I'd checked, an MH ticket was in excess of RM3k each, I thought, ooh, what a steal. A year later, we found ourselves all super excited, at the Lousy Cheap Cheap Terminal, embarking on a journey, with the sole mission of seeing snow. Meanwhile, other more glamorous friends, like Thamby (AWhiffofLemongrass) were traipsing around Spain, and Britain, (as my son calls it), while we headed South.

Snow? You expect snow at the end of September in Victoria? Well, maybe there might be bits and bobs of slush, but please do NOT get your children's expectations up. So I was told, by faithless unbelievers in the power of PRAYER.

Actually, when we arrived, at midnight, it was 12C in melbourne. Aiyo, 12C at midnight, must be even hotter in the day, so what's the melting point of snow again? 0+ whatever?

We spent the first day like all good Malaysians, ie, in a shopping mall. Afterall, isnt that our national sport. Since we were holed out in Doncaster, a trip to the mall after a home cooked breakfast of pancakes and divine bacon, was part of the itinerary. How very exciting. Day 2 saw us at the Royal Melbourne Show, a hodge podge of funfair, carnival, livestock exhibition, ....which the son described as "lame". It is getting harder to impress these days. Roller Coaster rides from AUD8 PER PERSON! I was ready to throw up before the ride.

Finally, day 3, where we made our way to the country. The rolling hills past the Yarra Valley, and a landscape that sometimes made you think you were in Britain, ....afterall, you were right at the nether regions of Victoria, a state aptly named, for I think this countryside is the most Imperial British in Australia. And the weather, VERY british too. Dark grey skies, enough to drive one to contemplate suicide, and rain.

"Those poor things. They arent gonna see ANY snow. Look at the rain. It's pouring" ...the hushed whispers amongst our friends who had accompanied us on the trip. PRAY, children, PRAY.

The rolling plains that you could almost envisage Stonehenge in the yonder. Well, Salisbury doesnt have as many trees, but you get the drift. Convict druids performing their rituals in the dark of night.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, LOOK at what we got.

It was almost blizzarding.

The road leading up to Mt Buller was like a Christmas fairyland. The kids had a LOVELY time up there, toboganning, building a snow man, etc. God does answer prayer!!!

If it is rumored that you can experience all 4 seasons in a day in Melbourne, its not an urban myth. A Hot Summer's Day At St Kilda's beach upon our return from the snow.

Now that we've gotten the storytelling over and done with, we must talk about FOOD. First highlight, NOBU, at Crown Casino Complex. Generous host, Godpa to the kids, brought us here for dinner.

Nobu. The much talked and hyped about Interpretative Japanese Cuisine.

Excuse the flash photography, as the lighting was terrible. Oyster sashimi, with 3 different types of topping. I liked 2 of the 3.

Hamachi (I think) in a special sauce. Actually, the sauce was so overpowering, which I think was a waste of the good sashimi fish. Could have put haruan there and I probably couldn't tell the difference.

The famous beef tartar, also in a tangy sauce. This time the sauce was more palatable, as I personally am not a fan of raw uncooked meat, so the strong sauce masked, if not cooked, the meat. The meat was succulent and tender though.

Prawns with 3 types of dipping sauce.....

One that tasted like 1000 island. One was a wasabi sauce, and one was a soya sauce based sauce.

Their signature Black Cod and miso, with ginger stems, dipped in some red coloring. The ginger stems were rather unique, it was something new. The cod was fresh, and texture perfect.

Scallops with Asparagus and Mushrooms. One of the other diners reckons she could replicate this at home. Yeah, not difficult.

This dish was rather unique, as I've never had it before. It's a baby cabbage, (not as cruel as suckling pig I guess), ...or a grandmother brussel sprout. The taste is something in between the two. Twas as if Cabbage did naughty with Brussel's Spout in the Cabbage Patch, and low and behold, the hybrid. Drizzled with truffle oil, I'd say this was my favourite dish.

I think this was a Black Angus teppenyaki thing. Not very memorable. In fact, I have no recollection of it at all.

The fancy desserts were nice, black sesame mousse, various flavours of ice cream. The total bill was about AUD100 per head, with no wine. I did have a Sake though. Thanks so much to our generous sponsor for a most memorable dinner.

Actually, the Aussies have it good. They earn dollar for dollar if not more. A secretary apparently earns AUD70,000 a year. With that kind of income, a AUD100 dinner is nothing. While we poor Malaysians languish with our putrid exchange rate of AUD1 = RM3, sigh...... it is no wonder that cash register bells were ringing in my head more often than the bells of Notre Dame.

Australians pride themselves in being a big melting pot of various cultures. They probably boast cuisines from every corner of the globe, including the mythical land of Elbonia from Dilbert. And they've always touted themselves to have the best Italian food outside of Italy. Next stop, local Italian at Camberwell.

I had the Veal Scallopini, which was nice and tender. Apart from Nobu, the kids were with us for all the other meals, and in an effort to save cost, we force fed them at home with rice, bean curd and maggi mee. (incidentally, the Australian made maggi mee is very healthy. Baked, no msg, and tastes absolutely like nothing). Alas, these tactics dont work, as the kids were like furnaces in the cold weather, and 5 minutes after being fed, they were ravenous again. So they managed to eat a fair bit of pasta as well. And pasta, like everything else, is not cheap. A bowl, not very big, of their signature 4 types of pasta, is AUD24, and doesnt go very far with the 3 hungry fatboybakeslets. Luckily youngest girl is a pure chinese girl, and doesnt like all this western food.

Dessert at Magic City was good. Loved the steamed banana pudding.

St Kilda Beach. The idea was to stroll along the beach and feed the kids with fish and chips from some deli along the beach. You know, the $9.95 variety. Alas, along the beach proper only exist nice trendy cafes and eateries, like Donovans, and Beachcomber. Having eaten at Donovans 13 years ago, during our honeymoon, we decided to try Beachcomber.

The usual fare, fish and chips for the kids, fried soft shell crabs, shrimps on skewers, nachos, wedges, ....... perfect food for a sunny afternoon by the beach.

Unlike Monkey, who went on holiday unencumbered, and could check out trendy cafes in Chappell Street etc for breakfast, WE had to play suburbia, and I felt like a desperate housewife from Hysteria Lane. Washing machine and dryer perpetually in motion, dish washer filled up before you can say detergent, .....I am suddenly reminded why I CANNOT emigrate. It is fun though, to whip up breakfast when on holiday. Lovely thick chunks of bacon, fresh button mushrooms, gourmet sausages.

Over the years, it has become fashionable to bottle your own jams, and sell them as "gourmet". Ubiquitious shops selling chutneys, preserves, jams, olive oils, dot the way from Melbourne to Mansfield. They must have the highest number of jam jars per capita. Some streets are like gourmet pasar malams. Mind you, the word "gourmet" I find is bandied about a bit much. We saw a van (forgot to take pic) selling ice creams and hotdogs with a big label, "GOURMET SAUSAGES" at the parking lot in the Royal Melbourne Show.

This lovely quaint little eatery in Mansfield, called the Mansfield Produce Shop. Jams, and more jams. Generic cafe food, ie, pies, salads, soups, the usual token exotic Asian fare, Wonton Soup With Shrimp and Noodles.....

Another quaint eatery on the way to Mansfield, in a town called Yea. Again, generic cafe food, with the token Indian Curry Pie. Actually, there was even a board advertising an Indian night. Let us not forget Britain's national food IS curry, and well, Victoria is very English.

The absolutely MUST have when in Oz. Pho. I LOVE the Pho in Oz. The large Vietnamese population, coupled with the fresh produce really does make for the best Pho. Piping hot Pho on a cold winter's day. Heaven in a bowl. Our hosts ordered some other stuff too, a flounder cooked with some interesting tangy sauces, spring rolls, vietnames chee cheong fun, ......We had this in Boxhill, at a place called Tien Dat.

Ah well, thank you Tony Fernandez for making it affordable so that EVERYONE CAN FLY. The food on the return leg of the flight sucked big time though. Rice, Beans and Curry Chicken. Very Kamunting. (except Kamunting probably wont give you that much meat).

Now, to start saving again for the next holiday.

My Nourishment, Issue 4

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 03:40:00 +0000

Am pleased to announce that Issue 4 of My Nourishment is now out in print. This time round, our very own Queen of the DSLR, Awhiffoflemongrass, has showcased her brilliant photographs, and is featured as FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER.

Kinda like a festive issue, covering Raya and Deepavali, this issue has an array of DELICIOUS recipes. Chef Devagi, the Spice Queen of Singapore, gave us a sample of her apricot chutney, (recipe in the magazine) which was ABSSSSOLUTELY DIVINE. Chef Ismail shares his childhood raya memories, ahem, interviewed by yours truly.

Chef Esa, handsome celebrity chef, features his recipes, including delectable nasi tomato, nasi dagang, etc.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA to all Muslim readers.

Announcement: Fatboybakes will be away from 22nd Sept to 2nd October. However, I have bought a new phone with WIFI capabilities, so I shall only be a click away.

Lunch With Michael Elfwing, Senses, KL Hilton

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:47:00 +0000

As at the time of writing, I can safely say that this meal I'm gonna blog about is the BEST meal I've had this year. It was already thrilling enough to get an invite, courtesy of MY NOURISHMENT magazine, (thanks, Chief Editor Ryan Khang) to have lunch at Senses, with Chef de Cuisine of Senses, Chef Michael Elfwing. (who is Swedish).

Are all celebrity Chefs good looking, or do they become celebrity chefs BECAUSE they are good looking? And how the heck do they remain so slim? I guess life in the kitchen can be quite gruelling, on your feet all day, in a perpetual sauna, ..... but oh, when you see the chef at work, like an artist brandishing his paint brush to create a masterpiece, you can't help but develop a certain awe and newfound admiration for these gurus who bring so much joy to our palates.

Today's meal was indeed an attack on ALL the senses. Sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Oh, and a bit of the sixth sense too, as I had a premonition that I would be sinfully full after that meal. As the Director of Markeing Communications, Sally, very kindly briefed us on what to expect, by the sheer variety, we were expecting bite size morsels of every dish, ..... kinda like those portions in degustation menus that leave you wondering if you need Hokkien Mee later on.

Boy were we wrong!

The original guests were supposed to comprise A Whiff of Lemongrass, A Lil Fat Monkey, Frat Mustard, Ryan and me. [Ciki was invited too but was off to Singapore] But as the event was postponed, Lemongrass had already arrived in London, Monkey had a working lunch, leaving Frat and Me, together with the two lovely sisters of THE COOKING HOUSE, photographer Ah Po, and Ryan, for this decadent lunchtime soiree.

I am sure most readers by now have met Frat.

I like this place already. They serve REAL butter with their buns, which were incidentally, excellent. My rye bread was yummy. But in retrospect, I should have laid off the bread completely!!!!

Excuse me while I hide behind these cards, I need to loosen my belt.

SMOKING ALLOWED ....

.......that's the name of the dish. Sous vide Tasmanian Ocean trout smoked at the table, new season potato salad, cucumber cress and sweet mustard dressing. Those little leaves that look like weeds, taste like cucumber skin. The trout was amazing. Look at that glorious color, which bears testimony to the excellent farming methods in Tasmania. Chef said that ideally, of course, he would prefer WILD, but WILD being WILD, isn't always available. The slight hint of smokiness on the trout, which wasn't too salty, was delicious. As assailing of Sight, Smell, and Taste.

Beetroot & Scallop Salad....The scallop on the right, is the MUKI HOTATO, while the other two on the left, Hokkaido scallops. Chef had given us both to taste to contrast the texture of the two types. Indeed, one was chewier, but so very flavourful, and sweet. The Hokkaido ones were more normal, but also seared to perfection. Who'd have thought the beetroot mash could be so delicious.

Organic Butternut Pumpkin & Perrier Soup. Oh, did I mention the main purpose of the meal was to showcase organic stuff as well? Of course, organic in my mind equates to healthy and bland. Hence, the GENIUS of Chef Michael. How is it possible that pumpkin and perrier can taste so good????!!! Superb!

Chicken Terrine, with Beurre Bosc Pear Chutney and Rock Melon Salad, Summer Truffles. And yes, those thin slices ARE truffles. The terrine has some foie gras in it, as a replacement for fat. How decadent is that?!!! My limited culinary vocabulary can't even think of adjectives to describe the kaleidoscope of flavours.

Frat and his Truffle.

Queensland Goldband Snapper with minute cooked coz lettuce, Boston Bay mussels, tomato basil beurre blanc. As you can imagine, by now, we were getting pretty full. The snapper, though it looks ordinary, was super fresh, and cooked just right. Nothing like the taste of fresh, good fish, cooked well, to almost convince you that you can give up meat.

As the Photographer was vegetarian, .... hmmm, did he say vegetarian? I am sure fish is not a vegetable.... Chef served him this delicious looking Loch Fyne Scottish Salmon, pan roasted, with grilled razor clam and garlic butter. Apparently he's a pescitarian, ie, can eat things that don't move, like scallops, razor clams. Anyway, whatever his culinary beliefs were, that dish looked good.

At this point, we nearly keeled over when Chef Michael brought out these platters of meat, a mixture of Kagoshima, Wagyu, Mayura Station Platinum Wagyu, Angus cross Wagyu, with marbling scores from five to TWELVE!!!! TWELVEEEEE!!!!!! The highest I've ever had was nine, and that already made me ahem.....

Our accompanying vegetables to go with the beef.

Without a doubt the Wagyu Rib Eye, from Darling Downs Australia, with marble score 12, full blood wagyu, AND the Mayura from Limestone Coast, South Australia, Marble score 12, 600 days grain fed, ...WITHOUT A DOUBT, has KILLED it for me. HOWW, I ask, HOWWWWW will I ever eat normal beef again??!!!! It was sheeeeeer heaven. I salivate at the very thought of it. It's almost obscene. I daren't even ask the price.

Melt in the mouth took on another meaning. Every single sense was assailed. The sight of that marble, the tongue tingling taste, the glorrrious texture (touch), the aroma that makes you want to live in a kitchen forever, and the SOUNDS of everyone going ooh and ahhhh..... and FRAT muttering incoherently as if he had just "arrived".

Thank Goodness for the "there's always room for dessert" theory, which by and large, is true.

Manjari Emulson, ...need I say more. Valrhona, 56% I think, not too bitter, not sweet, AMAZING texture, made only from Manjari and....water, apparently. I am soooo going to order this the next time I visit KL Hilton.

Lime & Gooseberries, lime curd with hazelnut and sable crumbs, Valrhona Ivoire Chocolate Emulsion, Physalis Compote and sorbet. Not a white chocolate fan, I didn't prioritize to try the white chocolate emulsion, and it was gone by the time I did want to try. The physalis sorbet was refreshing.

Mango Parfait Cannelloni....perfect for a hot summer day, which is every day in KL, except we were blissfully unaware all the heavens had opened outside, and it was pouring! Lovely texture, and strong definitive mango taste.

Pink Kiss Apple, orangic apple variation with crepes, vanilla espuma, fresh donuts & cinnamon sugar. At a glance it looked like some local dessert. Well, with all the other sinful offerings, this one, being organic and all, seemed rather tame, although the apple crumble was delicious.

Twisted Ganache, pink guava & passionfruit sponge, orange creme and toffee ice cream. The ganache was splendid, and eaten all together, really creates whole new sensations!

Grand Marnier souffle. I usually don't like airy desserts.... I mean, if you're gonna indulge, it should be solid right. Not eating air. But this souffle was sooo yummy.

Bread and Butter Pudding, for those who want something familiar and homely. Delicious, but not something I'd order especially with SOOO MANY OTHER FASCINATING CHOICES!!!!

TRUFFLE ICE CREAM. The height of decadence!!!! Eggs that had been sitting together with truffles, so that the truffle aroma permeated into the eggs.... wow!!!! This finished in a jiffy.

And at the end, Frat pengsan-ed.

Thank you Chef Michael for the real treat. It really was a memorable fantastic lunch. Oh, and thank you Sally too for your hospitality. Of course, thanks to Ryan and team for securing us an invite. (Sounds like an Oscar acceptance speech).

Reminds me of the song, A LOVE SO BEAUTIFUL...Michael Bolton...except, this was A LUNCH SO BEAUTIFUL...Michael Elfwing.

Maria, I Just Met A Girl Named Maria

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:54:00 +0000

Maria!
I've just met a girl named Maria,
And suddenly that name
Will never be the same
To me.... -

From The Bernstein Musical - Westside Story

When I got a call from Mae Ho, the Lady Boss of the Berjaya University College of Hospitality, (why didn't they have such interesting tertiary education places when I was growing up?! I might have been a local celebrity chef by now, ahem!) inviting me to a food demo by Maria Cordero, I was thrilled. Again, the invitation was thanks to Eu Hooi Khaw..... that dear lady who has been so very nice to us group of food bloggers, as she had given my name to Mae. Thanks so much Mae, if you are reading this. It was a fabulous event.

Yeah, so anyway, as it was a Selangor holiday, I thought I should not risk being late, ....I take these appointments with celebrities, ahem, very seriously, so I braved the masses and the threat of H1N1 and took the MONORAIL. Very convenient.

I had NO idea that Berjaya had such a grand set up in Times Square. After meandering to and fro in a maze, I finally found the venue for the event. Very la di dah, the press, very important looking people, the AFC rep, the Hong Kong Tourism Director, the Berjaya who's who....

I didn't get the name of the local emcee fella, but I have to say he did a fantastic job. Articulate, witty, and speaks well. With the local standards of English plummeting faster than the new depths our politicians sink, its heartening to see eloquent and grammatically correct emcees. The suave director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, David Liu (I think) certainly made us want to hop onto the next flight to Hong Kong. And the affable AFC rep, Simon, must have one of the best jobs in the world. When I mentioned this to him, he said, "nooo, not at all, it makes you hungry all the time". Or something to that effect.

The cooking island was laid out, like a concert stage awaiting the arrival of the Diva.

The event organisers. AFC, Hong Kong Tourism Board,

and...

Star Quality. Some people obviously have an abundance of it. Be it when they sing, or act, or cook, and this lady here is one such person. She radiates such a charming persona, it is impossible not to be taken by her. And her recipes make you feel that yes, I want to make that, it looks so easy.

Her tip for wives out there, don't call your husband and say, "oi, where are you ah? what time you coming home?". Instead, lovingly coo, "dahling ah, I am cooking your favourite dish tonight, are you coming home for dinner?". I would pay heed to this wise woman's words of wisdom. She runs a large household, with 4 generations under one roof and cooks for her grandchildren even. She is a SUPERWOMAN.

One of the things about Maria that struck me is how friendly and affable she is. I've seen some celebrities who are so up themselves, their a** is almost coming out of their mouths, but Maria is a people's person. Not an air of pretentiousness. She is seen here feeding her assitant the mushroom cappucino she just whipped up in a jiffy.

While waiting for the Rice Cooker Chicken to cook, she obliges us with her really powerful voice.

The chicken is ready. No need for formalities. She pierces it with a fork, lifts it and plunges the cooked chook into a waiting tub of ice water, to make the skin nice and firm. I shall try that in the shower too, after a hot shower, run myself under cold water to keep my skin nice and firm.

This innovative Diva made these Bitter Gourd Pickle in her hotel room last night. Apparently you just chop up the bitter gourd, boil a rock sugar solution with some sour plum, cool the solution, and chuck in the gourd, and voila, SWEET gourd the next day. The gourd was nice and crunchy, and not a hint of bitterness. Well, I personally like my bitter gourd to be ...well, BITTER, but hey, a lot of people don't like it bitter, so what better way to eat Foo Gwa.

She obliges to take pictures with individuals. Featured here is The Nomad Gourmand. Food bloggers also present were Boolicious, my blogging idol, Superwilson and Sid of Big Boys Oven. Oh, and Jason Mumbles was the photographer for the event.

After the cooking demo, we were treated to lunch at SAMPLINGS ON THE 14th. I am not sure if it is a restaurant or a simulated restaurant for the culinary school.

The yam puff was yummy and yammy.

Very healthy Maria Cordero Styled food. Steamed chicken, stir fried vegetables, a more watery version of her mushroom cappucino, and the mushroom rice.

Red Bean Soup for dessert. Blended smoothly. Not heavy, not sweet.

The organisers of the event, watching Maria perform. David tries to scuttle away as Maria invites him to join her in a song.

That's the boss of the University. What an elegant looking lady! I think I want to enrol in a course here.

The AFC fella.

The many faces and talents of Maria Cordero.

Well, the objective of the event was to promote Hong Kong as a tourist destination, but really, do they need to promote Hong Kong? Food is excellent there, the nightlife pulsating, shopping a paradise to the shoppers... and air asia flies there too!!!! Now, if only I can find some cheap accommation, I am soooo there!!!!!

Opus Wine Pairing Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:38:00 +0000

Just when you think your social life is over, and you've become a social outcast, comes an invite from an old friend, Peter Yew, manager of the Opus, Cava, Moxie & Leonardo chain, for a wine pairing dinner at my old favourite haunt, Opus. And, I get to invite a couple of other food bloggers too. And who were the lucky other 3? Ciki, Nipple Joe and Superwilson.

The wine pairing was with wines from E Guigal Chateau d Ampuis from the Rhone Valley. The entire restaurant was decked out for this purpose, and I think there was no ala carte for the night.

Lighting was challenging, especially for amateurs like me, with no fancy smancy photography gadgets. I have my Nissin (not the noodles) flash, recently purchased, (thanks Nipples for buying on my behalf), which I am still struggling with.

The predinner wine was a E Guigal Cotes Du Rhone Blanc, 2007, a drinkable white, which set to lighten the mood.

The neighbouring table, soon to be occupied with some other friends that I know.

Wild mushroom forest with black truffle oil. Ciki and I were wondering if we would be able to taste the truffle oil. Yes, we could. A light and refreshing salad, with rocket, and mushrooms. Dunno how "wild" they were though. Why is "wild" more exotic than "unwild"?

The wine for the salad and soup was the E Guigal Condrieu 2007. This is where my vocabulary escapes me. I drink alcohol generally for one purpose. And that doesnt really involve the swirling and the sipping and the sniffing and the savouring and the esctatic sounds that accompany a good bottle. The usual procedure for alcohol in my glass, is clink, cheers, gulp. I think I just ensured I never get invited to another wine pairing dinner again. The Condrieu is a white, and complemented both the salad and the soup.

Lobster Cappucino. Think prawn noodle soup, but thicker, and richer. I liked it. Not too fishy or prawny. I think I might have preferred it a bit thicker. However, to my disappointment, there were not bits of lobster floating about.

Spaghetti With King Prawn and Anchovies. This was accompanied by the E Guigal Cotes Du Rhone Rouge 2006. Rouge...that's red right? Yeah. Spaghetti was done just right, not too aldente, nor too soft. The prawn, a generous size, was also seared just right.

The last of the four types of wine for the night was the E Guigal Crozes Hermitage Rouge 2005, which accompanied either the rosemary lamb cutlet with a port wine reduction lamb jus, OR the Tarragon Fillet Mignon With Cabernet Jus.

My portion of fillet was succulent and tender, and the sauces did not overpower the flavour of the meat. Ideally I like my steaks naked, undressed, unsauced, if it's a good cut. There's something delightfully primal about digging into a medium rare piece of meat with some blood oozing out, with a dose of hot english mustard. No complaints here though. The medium was almost medium.

The lamb cutlets. Also tasty, but I am not a lamb fan.

Tiramisu for dessert. Satisfying, and a good way to end the meal. Not too heavy or cloying, nor was it too sweet.

This particular wine dinner was priced at RM188++ .

It was a great night, with great food and wine, the company of good friends....even the neighbouring tables were old friends, so it was a wonderful party! Thanks so much, Pete for the invite.

Pusing Public, Ipoh

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 02:45:00 +0000

School Holidays..... If you think it takes expensive overseas trips to entertain the kids, come to me for some parenting advice. Nothing like visiting relatives and letting the kids run havoc with their cousins, to make for a truly great holiday. At least for them. Who needs Disneyland or the snow slopes of Whistler.

This recent holiday, me and the troops went to Ipoh, then to Cameron Highlands, and back to Ipoh. Camerons was lovely and chilly and sitting out there at a patio, having a steam boat in the cold, overlooking the vegetable farms, at night, with unlimited vegetables for the steam boat, (Free top up of veg), again, I patted myself on the back for getting away with an affordable domestic holiday and yet getting the same awestruck result from the kids as if they were in Disneyland. I mean, surely plucking fresh radishes from the ground, and harvesting your own leeks, and lemons, is infinitely more rewarding than Space Mountain.

As always, I digress. Whilst in Ipoh, bro in law brought us to this restaurant, Pusing Public, somewhere in Ipoh town, (please as J2KFM for more detail).

At times like this, I wish I went to an SRJKC. My 6 years of private Mandarin classes have followed my late tutor. Bless her soul.

Fried Crabmeat With Egg, in a lettuce wrap. I don't think it contained the unmentionable anatomy of Jaws. Lovely start to dinner. Looking at it makes me hungry again.

Lahverly steamed prawns. Fresh, juicy, and sweet. Plainly steamed, with a hint of egg white, and chinese rice wine. Perfect, not overdone. And the gravy was yummy.

Now, look at this dish, and the first thing that springs to mind is, oh, steamed chicken. But I tell you, it is one of the BESTTTTTTTT steamed chicken dishes I have ever tried. Seriously, the fact that it was such a simple dish, makes it hard for it to be outstanding, but this WAS truly outstanding. Kampung chicken, flavourful, and lovely texture, in an absolutely glorious stock, almost like a reduction of sorts. Accompanied with the ginger, ohhhhh, sheeeeeer bliss. Seriously. Excellent excellent stuff. How can I eat those roadside Ipoh Chicken places again after trying this.

Claypot Fish (can't remember what type of fish).....which was good, but by this time, was eclipsed by the chicken. Tasty, though the meat I found a bit tough.

The delicious ginger accompaniment for the chicken.

Vegetarian Chai Choi. Can't really go wrong with this dish. Kids whacked the foo choke, (bean curd skin), leaving all the greens and cauliflower. For the record, the one vegetable I don't take to is cauliflower.

And the most GLORIOUS sticky rice dish. The rice was nice and fluffy, flavoured intensely with all the chinese sausage, but the YOLKS!!! THOSE WONDERFUL NUGGETS OF GOLDEN GOODNESS, from the duck that laid the golden eggs. That salt egg yolk really adds a whole new dimension to the dish. If carbs were not so evil, I'd have chomped down a lot more of this stuff.

I can't wait to go back to Ipoh to eat that steamed chicken again. Thanks bro in law for the grand feast. It was soooooooo good!!!! Salivating as I write. Dang!

Fatboybakes Virgin Baking Class

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 05:43:00 +0000

Virgin baking class, .... as in, my inaugural baking class. Not baking of virgins...we have no volcanoes to appease, and no vestal virgins to sacrifice. Neither is it a class for virgins only.

Anyway, I have always fantasized about becoming a teacher, and barking orders to terrified intimated students, and throwing chalk at them when they doze off, or sending them out the room when they make smart arsed remarks. You see, when I was a student, that's what teachers did to me. I remember clearly, in an English class, in form 4, the teacher, a buxom lady that drew whistles wherever she went, was teaching phonetics, (not fanatics), and the "a" sound. As in farm, darn, etc. The guy behind me was asked to give an example. You see, English wasn't the forte of this particular school, and most of my classmates struggled to obtain passes for SPM, so the chappie behind me was silently mumbling some prayer, so I decided to help him out, and whispered, "FART". He gave me a relieved look of eternal gratitude, and said loudly, and clearly, in intonation that would have made professor Higgins proud, "FAAAAAARTTTTTT".

Now, in those days, moral standards were a lot higher, and any expulsion of wind from any orifice WAS unspoken off, much like procreation. I dunno why, but immediately, the Puan threw ME out of class. Why me? Why did she even think it was me? Chis!

So yeah, when I was offered to teach a baking class at THE COOKING HOUSE, all my childhood memories of studenthood came flooding back, with teary nostalgia. Then it dawned on me, drats, these students are paying RM120 per head. I doubt they'd take kindly to being thrown out of class for asking "What brand are your eggs", or for eating in class. Chis. Then the next phase of realisation dawned, GASP, I've never taught baking before. Images of a rocket scientist giving his first lecture on the theories of relativity and how it affected travel at warp speed came to mind..... and my knees suddenly transformed into konyaku.

Well, not quite la. Doing a demo at the FHM two weeks earlier, with a crowd of hecklers comprising Master bakers, cordon bleu chef, Consultants from Accenture, ....kinda gave me a new found confidence. I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain, I have confidence my cake will rise again, ....

I didn't know how many to expect, and in an unusual act of desperation, actually proceeded to announce the baking class in an earlier blogpost and all over facebook, lest I be staring at at empty classroom, with only KitchenAid as my ...aid. Was therefore pleasantly surprised to see quite a number of people, including the warm familiar faces of some floggers, ie, Alilfatmonkey, and Cacoethes Scribendi, and her ever smiling boyfriend. Also, friends of friends (Bald Eagle's colleague) were there, so sweet of them.

Everything was laid out and pre measured according to the recipes I had provided, which kinda horrified me, for the class timing showed 4 hours. It doesnt take me 4 hours to make 4 cakes. Heck, I was wondering how to make the class drag. I was counting on measuring and chopping and cutting myself, or asking the students to do it.

Malaysian students are generally a shy lot. Ask for volunteers, its almost like extracting 7 trays of mosquito hearts. Shy like anything, I tell you these girls.

As the class went on, and people warmed up, then there was more interaction.

The girl at the upper right hand square is Edyth, and her sister, Mei Kei. They own the Cooking House. You can HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EDYTH TOO at the Cooking House.

On the menu for the day, were Red Velvet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting.

Due to the high amount of cocoa powder, and less artificial coloring, sadly, the cakes arent as RED as some would like them to be. But even then, I saw some people gawking at the thought of putting two teaspoons of coloring into the batter. I personally prefer the entire thing without coloring, in which case, it'll just be chocolate velvet.

The no bake chocolate mousse cake. As it takes a few hours to set, I had to bring one ready made one from home.

Flourless chocolate cakes with molten centres. Always a hit with guests at parties, and so very easy to do.

If I ever go commercial, I'll be using her as my food model. Pretty hor.

Orange Jaffa Tart. A rich chocolate tart with orange flavouring.

I had a great time actually, and I hope the students did too. I would like to thank the Cooking House and all the wonderful participants for making my first time a memorable one, and special thanks to Monkey for taking pics for me.

Will be teaching more classes hopefully in October, November and December. Check out the cooking house website for their wonderful array of different classes.

Bangsar Seafood Garden, Redux

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:39:00 +0000

First I would like to thanks my baking idol, Nigel, who is also my English teacher, for the word REDUX. I used to think it was the brand of a shower gel, or deodorant. It means, to you uninformed out there, REVISITED.

So yes, Bangsar Seafood (then known as Bangsar Seafood Village) has been there since time immemorial, when some of the guests in this post were still in their diapers, I reckon. Some may not even have been a dirty thought. In perspective, when Bangsar Seafood first existed (on the site of BVII now), I think most of us hadn't even heard of the internet, mobile phones were just appearing, (the motorola brick ones, that can double up as a weapon, not like these flimsy sissy Iphones these days that can be mistaken as a slice of white bread), people still used typewriters, telexes were still used, badminton masters were still the school shoe du jour. And food bloggers didn't exist. Floggers did, but they were mainly oppresive slave masters who whipped their slaves into shape. Not feed their bodies out of shape.

I digress, in a moment of nostalgia. Secondly, I wish to thank Jade Wong, and Meng Lee of Bangsar Seafood, for their hospitality and inviting 20 of us food bloggers for a food tasting at the restaurant. Hmmm, 20 bloggers, several bottles of wine, a miniature mannequin, it's a good thing they locked us up in a private room.

The guest trickled in, and proportionately, so did the noise increase.

Paranoid Android very generously brought these two LOVELY bottles of rather expensive single malts. Thanks so much PA. Again, I clutched at my heart to prevent a cardiac when I saw someone adding water to the precious liquid. I seem to be clutching at my heart a lot lately.

For Starters, a boneless chicken with fruit sauce. The texture was good, the chicken fried nicely, but the chicken meat itself was bland and lacking in flavour. Another trend I've noticed over the years is the combination of sweet with savoury, apart from sweet and sour pork. I remember in the days of yore, when the older folk would frown upon a savoury dish being sweet.

Red snapper with bean sauce. Though it said steamed on the menu, I think it was fried. Unless there's a revolutionary new method of steaming, with all the taste of a deep fry. Fish was fresh, and the bean sauce tasty. A dish that would accompany a bowl of white rice well, sheer comfort food. Alas, as we all know, RICE IS BAD FOR YOU! Bummer.

Stir Fried Prawns in Curry. Mmmm, the curry sauce was most delectable, and again, is the perfect companion for carbo. The prawns itself were succulent and fresh.

Hear yeHear ye, the food connoiseur is giving his 2 sen worth.

Braised Beancurd, with some kind of yellow colored sauce. I hope the stark yellow is from tumeric. You can't really go wrong with taufu, it is the ultimate comfort food. I love the crunch from the water chestnuts.

Argh, I've had one whiskey too many. Hit me with the Jack Daniels.

Cordon Bleu Chef, Toyboy and Paranoid Android. Rub a dub dub, three men in the tub...
the butcher, the baker and candlestick maker. Hmmm, not quite.

My favourite dish of the night. Who'd have thought that stewed chinese cabbage with mushroom and dried scallops could be so good. The gravy was good enough to drink, and a usually dull vegetable had a complete makeover with the condiments of this dish. Excellent.

Crab meat omelette, or rather, omelettes with a hint of crab meat. Visually pleasing presentation. Probably a prettier version of egg foo yong.

Fried Rice With Prawns and Crabs....The Crab Claws were nice, but the dish could probably have stood on its own without the crabs. Generous helping of prawns, and rice was nice and fluffy. But ssshhhhhhhh, conspirational nudge, somehow, fried rice isnt quite the same without that unspeakable forbidden meat.

Crabs with Salt Egg ...trust the Chinese to think of the MOST unhealthy combinations in any dish. This is what? LDL heaven? Eat this often enough, and book yourself into the 5 star prince court. Or IJN. Delicious, but dangerous. Then again, life's short, so do treat yourselves once in awhile.

Butter Sauce Crabs. What did I say about lethal combinations? The butter sauce IS good enough to drink, and the dainty little mantaus (fried bread) that came with it, soaked up the gravy like a good sponge. Crabs were perfectly done. Highly recommended as well.

Don't just kill your heart, kill your liver too while you're at it.

Glorious crab claw. It has been said that one of the greatest acts of love is peeling crabs for someone. No one peels for me, and I peel for no one.

Frat almost falling into the bowl of mango sago.

They are also having a Ramadan promo as below. (plagiarised from AWHIFFOFLEMONGRASS)

Ramadan Set Menus:

Dine in style, this Ramadan:
Enjoy 9 signature dishes. Devour 1 KG of crabs for free.
From RM 498+

RM 498+: Appetizer, Shark’s Fin Soup, Chicken with Ginger, Spicy Fried Fish, Lychee Prawns, Signature Beancurd, ‘Kampung’ fried rice, Custard Buns, Dessert

RM 598+: Appetizer, Sharks Fin Soup, Chicken with Plum Sauce, Pomfret with Bean Sauce, Prawns with Sweet Corn Sauce, Steamed “Sang Gan”, Tom Yam Noodles, Banana with “Gula Melaka”, Dessert

RM 698+: Appetizer, Double boiled soup, Roast chicken, Red snapper, Otak Otak Fried Prawns, Braised Sea Cucumber, Oyster Fried Rice, Chinese Pastries, Dessert

RM 898+: Homemade appetizers, Sharks Fin Soup with Pumpkin, Boneless Duck, Curried Garoupa, Braised Seafood, Mango Prawns, Garlic Fried Rice, Banana & ‘Gula Melaka’, Dessert

Check out other reviews here:

A Whiff of Lemongrass
Lots of Cravings
Kampung Kayell
Superwilson

For the other reviews, go to those links and check out their links. I am too lazy to link them all.

Lunch At The Sage With The Thamby

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 01:51:00 +0000

I've defined sage before in an earlier post.
Sage [noun] - SAYJ - Skinny Indian Guru in loincloth that sits on mountain top dispensing advise to the needy.

Anyway, when I heard that we were throwing the Queen of the DSLR a surprise lunch at Sage, immediately I clutched at my heart, thinking of the severe damage to the wallet. However, I was assuaged by the fact that the set lunch is RM100 net, and it was unlikely that this particular lunch crowd would imbibe bottles of Chateaux Margaux during lunchtime, so with my discount card, press press calculator, I decided, yeah, I can probably afford it, even in these dark and troubled times. Have discount card will travel! In fact, my discount card kinda paid for my share and wife's share the last time the food bloggers ate there and conveniently decided to celebrate my birthday as well, last year. Not that I wasnt grateful.

So yeah, with a recent spate of broken leaky pots, and a certain lady with a penchant of letting more pussies out of the bag than the city hall stray cat pound, we plotted and planned. I even bought The Queen a decoy lunch (last year we ALSO had to do the same thing), at Rice Cafe, the day before the surprise. The day of the surprise lunch dawned, and everything seemed to be going without a hitch, when suddenly on MSN, she asks, "Why are people wishing me Happy Birthday?" (the lunch was a week before the real day). IMMEDIATELY, I thought of the Queen of Leaky Pots....but she had been warned that it was a surprise. However, she had mentioned to her daughter that she was going for the Queen DSLR's birthday lunch, and her daughter took the liberty of wishing QDSLR, "Happy Birthday Auntie Thamby".

Nevertheless, though suspicious, I think she probably didnt expect the scale of the celebration. I mean, these are all post blogging era friends...relatively new, all with the exception of one, made after food blogging changed her life.

The Calm Before the Storm

Very Fancy..... even the menu is in Gold Letters

You know fancy places when they serve breads with ladida things, like pesto etc, and not your usual run of the mill butter. I am a pleb. Give me butter, SALTED please.

The lady from that classy cake shop below comes bearing her gift for the birthday girl.

Shucks, MORE presents from generous friends. Me, I must have been Penang born in a previous life. Stingy to the bone. I reckon, if I am paying to BUY you a birthday lunch, I don't need to buy you a present. Chis. No one else shares my philosophy. I don't particularly enjoy receiving presents, nor giving them. Who started this gift giving thing anyway? Half the time, people buy what THEY like. Flowers for example. What the heck would one do with flowers? Make honey? It's fine if you are a Bee.

In a menu where too many things end with - OISE, but is not pronounced that way, is too taxing for my peasant brain. DAUPHINOISE.... (huh? not dolphin noise meh?) Choices choices.

We are in fine company. Perfectly manicured nails.

I opted for the foie gras, only coz I didnt know what the other thing meant. Allo, one foi grass please with the muscle salad. Hah? Mesclun? What that? Ohhh masculine salad. Yes yes. The fwah gras was divine. So was the accompanying quail. Whacked in two mouthsful.

The Vichyssoise, a lovely cold soup with a plump Hokkaido scallop. Creamy but not too jelak. So I was told. I managed to get a teaspoon full off a generous soul.

I opted for the foie gras, only coz I didnt know what the other thing meant. Allo, one foi grass please with the muscle salad. Hah? Mesclun? What that? Ohhh masculine salad. Yes yes. The fwah gras was divine. So was the accompanying quail. Whacked in two mouthsful.

Wagyu Beef Cheeks. Actually, it's quite a large portion, for lunch. I was kinda glad I didn't order that. It was rather good though, and not overly gelatinous as some beef cheeks can be. Someone apparently (not at the lunch) just found out that wagyu beef cheeks are actually from the cheeks of the face, not the butt.

Being ever the health conscious freak, I opted for the Seabass and Prawn. Actually it was very good, as was the gravy accompanying the dish. I shamelessly licked it down to the last drop. The fish was cooked perfectly, not over or under, and the prawn was sweet, not like some places where the prawns look good but taste plastic.

Earl Grey something something.... lovely wobbly texture it was. From the oohs and ahs, I assume it was lovely.

Cheese platter. Not much of a platter la. More like a mousetrap portion. But it was not bad. I love that fruitty thingie in the foreground.

Ironically, when we were talking about birthdays, Thamby was saying, "the least you could've done is brought me a pavlova to Rice Cafe for my birthday lunch". Well, she got her wish, unknowingly. A pav, made from the leftover meringue from an order from Monkey.

And the masterpiece, the gorgeous cupcakes by Su of Delectables. I finally got to sample those beautiful cupcakes that are just too pretty to eat.

Well, Happy Birthday (belated now) and wishing you many more.

Summary: My 2nd experience at the Sage was far more satisfying than the first one. At RM100 net, I thought it was very good value for money. The food was excellent, and really, no complaints at all.

Thank You A Lil Fat Monkey

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:43:00 +0000

I have finally succumbed!

Thanks Monkey for designing the adorable logo and printing the name cards for me. It kinda makes sense I guess, since at all these food events, I got no card to give.

THANKS AGAIN, A LIL FAT MONKEY. YOU DA BEST.

My First FHM....no, not the Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:35:00 +0000

Public Service Announcement, for myself: FBB will be conducting his inaugural (aka Virgin) baking class on 22nd August 2009 at THE COOKING HOUSE. Check the website HERE for further details.

When Ryan Khang told me that he's gotten me a pass to attend the FHM, (Food Hotel Malaysia 2009), I was rather thrilled, coz I remember reading about it in Masak Masak (my idol)'s blog years ago, and thinking, "wahhhhh, if only I had the chance to attend such an event".....

Pah, little did I know it's basically opened to all and sundry...though supposedly trade related visitors only. But doesnt the whole world need to Food and go to hotels? So by extension, the whole world is really trade related visitors. Chis, there went the aura of exclusivity.

Nevertheless, where there is food, especially free food, you'd find many a happy camper. So I merrily trot along on the first day of the FHM, and do my rounds.

There is of course a dizzying gallimaufry of foods, ranging from stuff for the rakyat, to gourmet odds and ends, which were few and far between. Fresh produce, baked stuff, desserts, fried stuff, ..... the song from Oliver, Food Glorious Food sprang to mind, although some of the stuff were FAR from glorious. On day 3, Nigel, Master Baker from Just Heavenly Pleasures, managed to pick up some bargains, including a block of smoked salmon, 1kg, for only RM65.

Having just interviewed Chef Ismail but two weeks ago, I find this affable celebrity chef to be a delight to talk to. It was nice bumping into him doing a demo, with the other celebrity Chef, Florence Tan, and Jimmy Liew. I love the animated interaction between them. It really added a special touch in an otherwise impersonal and almost cold exhibition. Of course, friends from THE COOKING HOUSE and MY NOURISHMENT booth are like extended family by now. Afterall, they are the ones who got me the pass.

Machinery in all shapes and sizes, and all kinds of accessories for chefs, from shoes, to toques. Some of the machinery look positively menacing. The huge cake mixer looks large enough to mix concrete. Another interesting machine was the giant vibrator. I think its used to separate the chaff from the wheat.

Lastly, (there was an entire section that I missed, drat it!), I paid RM8 to enter the Culinaire Hall, where aspiring chefs and established chefs are pitted against each other in various competitions. In the middle of the hall, in an examination hall like set up, chefs were diligently and carefully carving pumpkin. I wonder how they grade these things?
Cleanliness - 10%
Intricate Carving - 50%
Realisticness - 20%
Ability to speak English - 10%?
Speed - 10%

I'd love to be a food examiner or judge. Then we can be brutally honest, without fear or favour.

On display were also a variety of ghastly wedding cakes, plated foods, that looked almost plastic. Sigh, if you ask me, the Culinaire was a waste of RM8, which I could have used for parking, instead of exposing myself to the influenza pandemic by taking the LRT with the masses.

Nevertheless, it was an interesting experience. And thanks guys, you know who you are, for showing up for the demo.....

Rice Cafe, A Hidden Gem

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 02:29:00 +0000

Tucked away in that little row of shophouses on Lorong Maarof, a new little cafe has opened next to the laundrette. (Same row as HSBC ....someone huffed and said, WHERE got HSBC in Bangsar.... duhhh, HOT AND SPICY BEST CURRY LA)

Rice Cafe. Simple, straight to the point. Rice, the staple diet of every good Asian person. Before carbs became evil, that is. This simple, elegant cafe is the perfect lunchtime ...and breakfast spot, actually. The fragrance of Aromatic Aik Cheong coffee wafts through the premises.

For breakfast, good old nasi lemak, with all my favourite ingredients. Fried egg, (requested with runny yolk), lovely fried chicken, delicious sambal.... my only grouse was the rice that wasn't fluffy enough. I love fluffy rice. Though there are a great number out there who prefer softer wetter rice.

Half boiled eggs done to perfection. Ah, looking at them makes me want some now. If it weren't for the implications of clogged arteries, I could eat eggs everyday. I LOVE half boiled eggs.

The wife ordered the Singapore Fried Meehoon. I am not usually a meehoon fan, but this was yummy. Piping hot, and very flavoursome. The right hint of sweetness and saltiness.

Nasi dagang even! I loved the texture of THIS rice. Fluffy, and almost al dente. Pity I was already stuffed on nasi lemak, so could only try a spoonful or so of the nasi dagang.

Yummy fish curry. I think it was a mackerel of sorts, if not tenggiri. But it wasn't tongkol.

Oh, I have to say, their signature dish is their Assam Laksa, but as of press time, I have no photograph of it. Quite honestly, I reckon its one of the best Assam Laksas I've had in a long long time. Of course, the hot mama who runs the place....makes it even hotter. Or two hot mamas, should I say. They also have set lunches daily, and are opened from breakfast to dinner time.

I shall be taking pics of the Assam Laksa pretty soon.

In Yodelling Mode : Ozeki For The Old Lady

noreply@blogger.com (fatboybakes) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:49:00 +0000

Actually, she doesn't look a DAY over 30 something.

It's the arduous fitness regime and diet she's on, I reckon, and maybe even the yoga. At 4X, she's more lithe and nimble than most youth of today. Of course, I am not even within the comparable range. I'm as flexible as Y20 steel bar. But not even as strong.

I cannot believe I first met her in 1983, when some of the blog readers here were barely born, or not born. (Nipple Joe, you weren't even a dirty thought yet, WERE you! Toy Boy, you were probably still peeing in yer pants!)

Time flies, almost as fast as sound, as as fast as our new marathon runner extraordinaire, Toyboy, who apparently broke the sound barrier at the recent Adidas Run. It's been a year since she embraced the new poodle, at the Mill, and later on adjourning to Pulse, which she misheard as Piles.

Anyway, old girl, you're one of a kind, and I am grateful to God that our paths crossed.

Sooooo, since its kinda a milestone year, birthday girl graciously hosts a lovely dinner at Ozeki. Dinner guests comprised of friends spanning the decades. From the 80s, 90s and 00s. A cosy, intimate dinner. Free flowing sake, on a Tuesday night, and absolutely gorgeous looking food.

The ubiquituous undefinable starters that are signature to most japanese restaurants.

I've Never Bean To Me springs to mind.

A lovely beef carpaccio-ish thingie, dunno what its called, with Japanese mayonaise. Japonaise? Drat, that means something else. Tender slivers of raw beef, drowned in some soya sauce, topped with generous green garnishing. Oh, hangon, was it tuna? (the meat I mean). Help, someone.

A lovely crisp salad, with delicious yet unoily croutons, in a tangy dressing. If I remember correctly, there were soft shell crabs on the salad as well. Sake is like a delete button for the memory, I think.

The Fabulous Ozeki styled sashimi platter. Various kinds of fresh uncooked dead fish, with different types of condiments. Yummy. Admittedly, its a bad picture, ...but the different blotches of colour should clue you in as to the variety of sensations to the palate.

The super sushi roll, lots of lovely ingredients.

Yummy prawn gyozas. And the tails protruding out aren't just for show. There is a real whole prawn in there.

Saba Mackerel. My favourite. I could eat this everyday. Yet, I so rarely get to eat it.

Absolutely divine!!!! Pieces of wagyu beef lightly seared..... good beef doesn't need no friends, they can be consumed just like that.

Dobin Mushi. Soup in a teapot. These Japanese think of everything. Soon it'll be beer in a milk bottle. Chunks of golden needle mushroom bits of seafood, and chicken. Much like a cawan mushi, sans egg.

A satay platter minus the satay sauce. No la, Yakitoris I think they're called. The one at the far right is the TONGUE yakitori, my absolutel FAVOURITE.....GIMME TONGUE GIMME TONGUE. If you think about it, no wonder tongue is really expensive. One whole cow afterall only has one tongue.

At this unfortunate point, my camera ran out of battery. So I didnt manage to photograph the birthday girl blowing her cake, or the extra orders of food us greedy peeople ordered despite the feast above.

Anyway, happy belated, DEAF ONE, and hear's to many more.