Food for Thought

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a dollar could buy 1,200 calories of potato chips or 875 calories of soda but just 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit.

- Time Magazine.

Read more about the report cited above here.

Rising rates of obesity in the United States have been linked to food supply trends and to the growing consumption of energy-dense foods.
More and more Americans are becoming overweight and obese while consuming more added sugars and fats and spending a lower percentage of their disposable income on food. Do you think that as Malaysians (Asians), we are at risk too?

Hua Xing Restoran Sungai Way

This restaurant that has been around for the longest time, is still a hot favourite with my family and the in-laws. Their Hokkien cuisine is famous and has never been short of endorsements from celebrities, both young and old alike.
Judging from the glossy, ads that adorn their walls, you can tell that Hua Xing has recently re-laminated their newspaper cuttings and wall photo-menu!


What is this place famous for?
The crispy eggplant with killer garlic chunks. The eggplant is coated with their special frying batter that is slightly sweet yet savory.
Only Hua Xing knows the secret recipe obviously.



Also famous is the Tapioca Noodles - non-halal due to the pork bits that comes with it.
The texture of the noodle is springy and chewy.. 'elastic' (for want of a better description, rubber-band like texture, but edible/digestible.. if you catch my drift.)
The wok-hei is excellent and the lard bits really give the noodles a fantastic aroma.



Another big favourite with our family is the bittergourd Hokkien Mee. The noodles this time was slightly over-cooked but in the past this has been another great fried noodle dish. The flavour of this bittergourd-dark-sauce-lard-noodle is a true classic!
We will never tire of eating here.

Add:
Restoran Hua Xing,
No. 1-12, 1st Floor,
Plaza Seri Setia,
Jalan SS9/2,
Seri Setia, Sungai Way,
Petaling Jaya

Tel: 603 7876 3288

Jiann Chyi Seafood Restaurant Sekinchan

Sekinchan.. scenic paddy fields and delicious seafood - just a stone's throw for KL.

Read about our past seafood experience at Guan Seng Loong here.


This time Jiann Chyi was on our list of must eats!


Talk about right choice of restaurant. The food was fantastic - even better than Guan Seng Loong.
The house specialty, the Chili fried prawns was delicious. Full of pungent garlic aroma and the freshest of prawn heightened by the spicy chili brought tears to my eyes. I loved the fact that the prawns were shelled and minced up for you. The small bite sizes absorbed the flavours even more effectively.



Shark meat soup.
(Please note that no shark suffered for this dish - we double checked that only WHOLE fish were caught and used in the right way! No shark's fin in this soup. Also, these are not endangered shark - they are shark bred for meat).


Shark meat shallow fried in spring onions, coriander and the pig's intestine afloat in some thick, dark, slippery sauce . Words cannot describe how fatteningly delicious this dish is.




Driving around the predominantly chinese fishing village of Sekinchan.


We were late getting here today, so no fishermen/middle men in action.


Only signs of movement was the flag, billowing in the wind.


The lazy journey back home is always made more cheerful with snacks bought from the keropok man outside the fishing village.
Yam keropok.
Purple, crunchy, aromatic yam keropok is just the thing to bring back for movie night!

Add:
Jiann Chyi Restaurant,
No.156, Jln Bagan Sekinchan,
Sekinchan 45400.
Tel: 603 - 3241 4690

Food:7/10
Service:7/10 (fast)
Salt:high
MSG levels: moderate
Price:Cheap!

Kimchi

Cumi recently picked up a relatively flat looking packet of Kimchi at the The Malaysia Food and Beverage Fair at KL Convention Center. It says on the label that the Kimchi continues to ferment throughout the course of its shelf -life and the gases will expand the packaging, but two days ago, we noticed just how much.

What will happen if we continue to let it sit? Does anyone know? At this moment it looks pretty close to exploding!

Cosmic Bowl

I cannot bowl to save my life. I can possibly count the number of times I have had the pleasure of bowling in one hand, maybe. This is cosmic bowl in Mid Valley. 38 lanes! Fully Computerized! The first glow in the dark bowling centre in Malaysia! (That's what the Ad says).


CK lines up the bowl...

CK strike!
(some people make it look so sexy.. i mean, easy.)


Those who cannot bowl, levitate.
(Air-borne bowler)

What can I say? Things have changed since I last bowled as a teenager.

The good thing about being a novice bowler here is that you can blame your bad bowling skills on the worn-out bowling balls, the smelly rented shoes, the neon lights, the frantic, deafening 'feng-tau' music or even the distracting fluorescent pins.. heck blame it on anything but you!


"Blame it on the rain (rain)
Blame it on the stars (stars)
Whatever you do don't put
the blame on you
Blame it on the rain yeah yeah
You can blame it on the rain
Whatever you do, don't put the blame on you."
- milli vanilli

(incidentally, if this was back in the day when I actually bowled as a teenager, then Milli Vanilli would most probably have been playing over the airwaves.)

HAPPY HOLS!

Footnote:
* This post is specially dedicated to Kenny Mah (of LFB), CK (masterbowler extraordinaire) , Alilfatmonkey, Steven and The Toy couple (who were a lil too late to bowl.. but still, it's the thought that counts!) .. never a dull moment witchu!
** motion shots courtesy of Alilfatmonkey.. thank u munkey!
*** if you really want to know how to bowl, and bowl WELL, kindly check out Life For Beginners by Kenny Mah!

A Mad Tea Party

`Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. `I don't see any wine,' she remarked.

`There isn't any,' said the March Hare.

`Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it,' said Alice angrily.

`It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited,' said the March Hare.



`I didn't know it was your table,' said Alice; `it's laid for a great many more than three.'




`Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.

`I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least... at least I mean what I say.. that's the same thing, you know.'




`Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. `You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!'
- quoted from the Mad Tea Party .. Alice in Wonderland


No better reason for a get together..


Scones and Tea.. you and me!


This table is laid for a great many more than three!

In the famous words of one tea party invitee.. " a clotted heart... I won't mind, especially with scones as delicious as these!"

Thank you FBB for hosting yet another superb tea party.. !


Also, don't just take my word for it that it was a mad tea party.. check out LFB & his take on the event.

Grand Hyatt Singapore

The best part about staying at the Grand Hyatt Singapore is not the just the convenient location of the hotel, situated right in the middle of Orchard, on Scott's Road but also the fact that it has a lovely green lung in the center of the hotel.

This green lung helps not just the environment but also the mental and physical recuperation of people here on business (contrary to popular belief, I work as well, not just shop and eat), staying in the middle of this fast paced, concrete city, where stress levels are constantly at an all time high.

I don't know about anyone else, but pausing to look at this green garden in the morning, helps me collect my thoughts and get centered, at the start of every day. It's really great.

ION Orchard by Night

Have I said enough times that this is currently my favourite shopping mall in Singapore..

ION Orchard by night is really pretty.

Ads are bright enough to illuminate the streets forever.

Skipping Lights Display.

Waiting around.. All dolled up with no place to go.

Girls getting ready to party on a Friday night. Pit stop at ION to buy last minute essentials..

mascara...
and
accessories..

All dolled up with no place to go.

PS. Cafe at Dempsey

I fell in love with Dempsey! Not Patrick Dempsey.. the place Dempsey in Singapore. Imagine large, winding driveways, massive, refurbished bungalows with loads of character... wining and dining amidst lush gardens, secluded green surroundings and amongst breezy trees..


PS Café, owned by Project Shop which is a clothing chain, is normally packed to the rafters. Word out is that this place gets so busy that they do not have the time to take your call for reservations. Well, we were lucky as my sis managed to get a reservation for three, easily enough during that weekday.

This place attracts a lot of trendy people and well-known faces in the marketing, fashion and even BLOGGING circles! You may think that there is ample space to sit in this massive bungalow with a rather high ceiling, but come 8pm, we are sitting elbow to elbow.
Hmmmm, I'm trying to see if I can spot any famous bloggers here. None at the moment.


We tried to get a place on the outdoor sitting deck as it was a cool night and my sis ensured me that its prettier outside.. but no such luck. All the seats were taken. No worries, the inside was equally pretty if you ask me.


Dempsey is such a handsome name!


The Classic Manhattan. I asked for the Perfect Manhattan but apparently they don't have it here.
This Classic Manhattan tasted a little bit like cough syrup. Must have been the Campari in it. It was pretty potent. Like I said, I like the drinks in Singapore because they make them strong.

The bottom of the Classic Manhattan. Time to order another.


Sis.

Apparently piercings are addictive. I wonder how often she sets off the scanners passing through the airports. Must be a riot;)


THE FLAMED PRAWN TORTIGLIONI.
My main dish of tiger prawns flamed with brandy, shallots, snow peas & basil in a light cream sauce served with a char-grilled baguette was fantastic! I don't know what cheddar cheese they used but it was heavy and rich and insanely good!



THE SMOKED FISH FILO BASKET.
This flaked trout & white fish fillet with fennel, onion & potato baked with creamy king island cheddar béchamel sauce in a crispy shell served with a grilled prawn & rustic salad seemed small at first but as one proceeds to eat it, one will soon notice how filling it gets. Must be the creamy sauce that makes this dish so rich. Say what you like, my cousin (who is currently in her final year in design school in Singapore) finished the entire basket without breaking a sweat. I loved the crackling texture of the crispy, flaky, phyllo basket.


SOME SORT OF VEAL.
My sis had one of the 'Specials of the Day' - veal stacked with sautéed baby spinach and field mushrooms. Done rare, this veal was tender, succulent and smothered in that gorgeous mushroom sauce.
Excellent choice sis.


THE SOUTHERN FUDGY CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE.
Pecan pie served piping hot with vanilla ice cream. It was a race to devour the cake before the entire dollop of ice-cream melted. We raced against the clock.. and won!



PS. PROFITEROLES.
A perfect end to the night with my perfect profiteroles. Choux pastry puffs filled with balls of vanilla bean ice cream & drenched in chocolate sauce.. I fear there was no more space in our stomachs for more food!

Add:
PS.CAFE at Harding,
28B Harding Road,
Dempsey,
SINGAPORE
Tel:+656479 3343
website