I Feel Loved, In Daikanyama

Every year, I go through this minor drama with my friends. Ever since I hit the big FOUR OH in 2006, I have been disinclined to celebrate the day my mother's Labour Day, and its a genuine err....denial, or whatever you call it. However, my dear friends, and God Bless them all, somehow INSIST on wanting to celebrate with me. The different groups will ask me to commit to a date with them so they can buy me dinner, and it always appears that I am playing "hard to get" but in actual fact, I dont want people wasting money on me in this manner.

This year was no exception, and Thamby, aka the Queen, has been pestering me for nearly a month for a date. Little did I know, she used my Achilles Heel Du Jour, Fratmustard, to con me into committing to a date. Like two footballers strategizing towards the goal, passing the ball in perfect choreography, they perform their best.

On two separate MSN chats: (reproduced as far as I can recall)
Thamby: so, give us a date
FBB: No need la
T: 3rd December?
FBB: Aiya, NOOO NEED LA.

On another MSN:
Frat: eh, you free 3rd Dec?
FBB: Hmm, very fishy, thamby just asked me the same thing. Why?
Frat: oh, food review at Exotic
FBB: I can't say no to Thamby and accept your invite.
Frat: Screw Thamby la.
FBB: You are sooo dead....
Frat: Don't care. So you on?
FBB: Ya, okay.

Back to Thamby:
FBB: I not free la, on 3rd Dec.
Thamby: Cis, how come?
FBB: Got food review.

This must have been where I got caught hook line and sinker.

Fast forward, the Monday before the event. I totally forgot about the food review, and accepted dinner with Dr Jimmy, an old friend. I tell wife I am having dinner with Dr Jimmy, and she who is in cahoots with the surprise team, thinks I am pulling her leg. The con-team panics, and Frat quickly reminds me about the food review. I go, ARRRRRGH, I TOTALLY FORGOT. Luckily, Dr Jimmy was quite understanding, and allowed me to postpone our dinner.

Frat offers to pick me up on the night of the party. Wife says, "oh well, since you're going out, I'm also going out with the girls. (since it was a group of old friends, I didn't quite suspect). He rambles on about how the QGuides had managed to secure two new contracts with err... Cava, and Daikanyama, and since we were at Changkat BB (which should be renamed Changkat Babi, due to the many Porcine Shrines), he said he'd stop by at Daikanyama to pick up the contract.

And THEN I SAW IT!!!! GASP!!!!



What was HE doing outside Daikanyama, in full size some more!!!!! YIKESSSSSSSSSSSS!

Gathered there, friends from Standard 3, and friends who weren't even born when we were in Standard 3, bloggers and non bloggers, all shouting SURPRISE. Which it really was. HATS off to Thamby and Judas Frat Iscariot Mustard for such brilliant execution.

Thanks to Thamby, Bald Eagle, Ahboy (for that CUTE CUTE STANDEE), Fratmustard aka Judas, Masak Masak, Paprika, Unkaleong, Thenomadgourmand, Nipple Joe, Cumi & Ciki, Memoirs of Chocoholic, ToyCouple, Logan & Karen, dear Leon Lai, (Favourite Diva Instructor), The Just Heavenly Master Bakers (also for the lovely cheesecake), Cheng Ying, the dashing Andre of Rama V, the ever so bubbly Cheryl, cousin of Paprika and Barricuda and Edwin of Daikanyama. Special thanks to my old and dear friends, The Deaf One, Khaw Tai Tai, and my oldest oldest friend, Encik AAA.
You guys made it a night to remember. Copious amounts of Sake later....




Anyway, two weeks before this, Thamby had invited me, courtesy of Barri, and Edwin, to Daikanyama for a food tasting session. I instantly fell in love with the food, and the place, and mulled over the idea of hosting dinner there for my old friends.

This is what we had for that original food tasting night.


A lovely fish jerky kinda starter. Absolutely tasty and chewy, with a delicious mayonnaise.


Apparently Daikanyama is the name of a train stop. For me, Daikanyama will now and forever mean, "I AM LOVED BY MY FRIENDS".


A lettuce parcel, with lots of yummy bits inside.


Special sushi rolls, with sashimi salmon with a twist. I love this interpretative Japanese cuisine thingies.


My favourite. Pork and garlic yakitoris. What could be more blissful.


Oh dear, I can't remember what this was. I think it was cheese baked scallops. Must have been good, coz everything was good that night.


Another porky dish, kinda like an eggroll wrapped around pork. Eggs and pork, again, what a blissful partnership.


I LOVE THIS DISH. It's those mushrooms with the really fat stems. Dunno what they're called, but it taste like vegetarian scallops. Sauteed lightly in butter, it was fantastic texture and taste.


Mini pizzas...which were a bit out of place in the menu, I felt





Pan Seared Maguro Tuna, with a scintillating sauce, that really enhanced the flavour.


Squid Ink Pasta, with garlic flakes, that were moving from the steam, and looked alive. Fascinating effects. And the squid ink pasta was superb. Al dente, and not fishy at all.


More sushi. I felt like a duck reared for its foie gras! Eat eat eat.


Pork Fried Rice. Enough wok hei, and fluffy grainy rice that made for a perfect fried rice.






I have to thank Thamby again, for inviting me, and for Barri for hosting. Twas a lovely dinner, and despite having been there twice now, I can't wait to go again!

Location: It's along Changkat Bt Bintang, more or less opposite El Cerdo.

Dotter Turns Two

I remember the conversation as if it were yesterday. You see, I have always had this "tradition" of bringing a kid with me to the coffee shop for breakfast on Friday mornings. First, it was dotter no 1, until she went to kindy. Then it was boy no 1, (kid no 2), who used to lift his bowl of half boil egg and go "cheers". Then he went of to kindy. Then it was boy no 2, (kid no 3), the chubby little lad, who whacked adult portions... and I really felt the "pinch" knowing that the following year, (2006), when baby boy went to kindy, I'll have no more coffee shop babies left. ...that is until one morning, when wife told me, "looks like you'll have your coffee shop baby afterall".

9 months later, baby girl was born, and a few weeks ago, she turned TWO. (years). Where have the years gone? I still feel sprightly as a spring chicken on heat, and can stay up late at parties and dinners, (except when I'm pumped on antibiotics), .... I don't look a day older from the day girl no 1 was born... I just look 10 years older, granted, ... but as that charming song says, "Fairtytales, can come true, it can happen to you, when you're young at heart".....

Of all my kids, she is the most "shy", and doesn't take to strangers (as in strangers to her, but friends to me) unlike the first 3, who chat with you like they've known you all their lives. (which of course, is true in the case of some of my friends). However, she is a feisty little one, and certainly demands her fair share of attention.

For her birthday, after a maniacal month of March which had the birthdays of my MIL, my dad and son #1, we thought we'd have a quite dinner at home with the extended family of uncles and aunts, cousins and grandparents.
Steamed pomfret chinese style, with lots of ginger and shallots. Very fresh. I think pomfret is my favourite fish, all types, white, black, tou tai, and gold. And cooked all ways, steamed, deep fried, assam.

Our own version of KFC, which of course, in my opinion, tastes far better. Is it my imagination, or has KFC (chicken rice and their models aside) deteriorated over the years? The chicken to me taste manufactured.

The usual fare of the crispy skin siu yoke from the Village Grocer. We used to be die hard Mr Ho's roast pork fans, and it IS probably still very good, it's just that the Village Grocer, being within walking distance from my office, is a more convenient location.

A new discovery, that one of the family cooks, from my sister's household, can make lor mai kai. I recall Precious Pea had also made these in bulk before. Anyway, this homemade glutinous rice thingie was superb. Lots of quality ingredients, such as premium chinese sausage, mushroom, etc. I must learn this dish and procreate it in future dinners.

Our signature home made Lam Mee. A gorgeous pork broth, with noodles, water convulvulus, (kangkong), bean sprouts, and big prawns. With the sambal belacan, this dish sometimes form a staple for dinner.

There was other stuff too, which I forgot to shoot, like the Ju Hu Char, (Lettuce Wrapped With Some turnip filling), curry chicken, etc.

And finally, the burfday cake. It was a durian sponge cake.

I think the durian filling wasn't overpowering enough. I like my durians STRONG, whether they be in cake, or otherwise. I don't see how to make this commercially viable, as there was already 400gms of pure durian flesh in there, and still tasted a bit weak to me.

I wonder if 20 years from now, I'll be blogging about my kids' weddings.