Eat Out ~ Air Itam Laksa

Was craving for some authentic laksa so we made a day trip to Penang.  

Dad wanted to try the famous Air Itam laksa.  

As bonus, we had muarchee and original nutmeg drink!

Laksa at Air Itam
(Jalan Pasar, near market)

- Noodles was springy and not too translucent.  Very solid.
- Laksa soup taste delicious with just enough fish flakes/meat
- Not too spicy.
- Topped with lots and lots of heh koh (prawn paste)
- Very old school ambience :  Right by the road side.

Investigating and toying around with muarchee

- Muarchee was very yummy too!
- Every piece of the muarchee was luxuriously coated with peanuts.  So different from the ones we tried at Gurney Drive.
-  So good we pack another box to take away.

Tuesday's Sweet Treat

After so many hours, it is only TUESDAY!! 

And so, I decided to treat both of us something sweet for lunch today, at Santini.  I had set lunch and my little one wanted cake or icecream.  So I opted something with both! 

Chocolate cookie topped with 4 scoops of icecream! Yes, 4 scoops.  

Oh boy. I end up eating this for lunch and ordered the waiter to pack my set lunch and took it home.

How about you?  How is your week going so far? 

 Are you like me too, feeling that the week seems like crawling away, slowly?

Eat Out ~ Sun Ming Charcoal Roasted Duck

Sun Ming Charcoal Roasted Duck restaurant is in Taman Connaught, Cheras.

Heard so much about it that we know we have to give it a try.  Went once and got hooked. The first time we went, didn't even have time to snap the pictures.  Second time around, managed to take some shots and that too I only get to snap one shot of each dish and our lunch 'entourage' was waiting to attack the duck and they could not wait any longer for me to finish shooting!

Here goes the photos and some thoughts of mine.

Rating:

Duck meat - Extremely tender, juicy and succulent.   Skin is crispy.  Taste D.I.V.I.N.E.!!! Portion is just nice.  The gravy  (natural juice) that came with the duck was very flavourful and we could not get enough of it.  It was so good that we did not even touch the other bowl of the thicker brownish gravy.

Charsiew - Very delicious.  Slightly burnt and caramalised.  Not overly sweet. 

Sausages - It was much more tastier than the rest I tasted elsewhere.

We also ordered the sour vegetables (Chap Choy) RM3.00 a bowl for 1 pax.  No picture, sorry.  Nothing to shout about. I only had one spoon and that was it.  Too sour for me.

It was worth the drive all the way from PJ, fighting the jam, queuing for table, waiting for the food to be served.  Bliss.

:: Tips ::  Crazy crowd  during weekend, make sure you arrive before 11.30am to get a table without waiting for too long.

**  Restaurant Sun Ming **

137 Jalan Sarjana

Taman Connaught, Cheras

The highlight and star of the restaurant
Charcoal Roasted Duck

Charsiew (bbq pork) and sausages stuffed with some organs (sounds gross but taste awesome)

The light of our lives
Isabelle getting bribed with a can of 100 Plus to tolerate the long wait

Junk Food Lowers Your Child's IQ

Some useful info to share.

http://www.impactlab.net/2011/02/08/junk-food-lowers-a-child-iq/

http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20110209/feeding-kids-junk-food-lowers-iqstudy-id-101701709355.html

Happy stocking up your pantry with healthy food for your kids' future :)

CNY Shopping Accomplished!

Although this is not a necessity, but I am very happy that finally, everyone has something new to wear to usher in the new year. Neither are we superstitious because we even wore black outfits for new year which is a taboo to some Chinese tradition. But because DH is a thrifty person when it comes to himself, I made it a point to him that he MUST get at least a shirt a year, for the new year. And for Isabelle, it is only natural we want to doll her up in pretty clothes all year long this new year as she will surely going to be the centre of attention.

We usually start scouting for new clothes about 2-3 weeks prior to new year. But this year, wedid the not-so-norm. We went to The Gardens this evening to finish up our assignment. And it was so relaxing because the usual crowd at the mall was nowhere to be seen. It feels so spacious and free! Probably most of the people from the city have already started the yearly pilgrimage back to their beloved hometowns. I even joked with DH that maybe it would be wiser to do it this way for the years to come, last minute shopping.

As in why I chose The Gardens was because I missed out on Zara’s sales which carries a range of pretty and sophisticated collection of kids’ apparels. And my alternate resort was to head to Isetan in The Gardens which I know I can find something I would like. And thank God, I found Trudy & Teddy. I will share the photos of my little princess in the pretty dresses soon! But I am still thinking dearly of Zara Kids. I must not miss the next sales again.

One of the dresses from Zara kids which got me drooling and still drooling

*Picture sourced from zara.com

DH got himself an shirt in ash grey tone and a pair of classis blue jeans from Marks & Spencer. Handsome!

As for me, I managed to grab a simple top from Dorothy Perkins in dark mocha last 2 weeks (yeah, I am a coward because I dare not wait to hunt for my clothes too near to the new year). Photos coming up soon!

And our last minute shopping rendezvous ended with a ribsy note. We had our dinner at Tony Romas (unfortunately, their famous pork ribs are not in our local menu - for religious reasons). I am not a big fan of the ribs here so I opted for the pacific cod steak, pan seared sesame crusted served with rice and lots of greens. The captain suggested I try their scampi butter so did I. But the butter looked like a bowl of greasy oily heart attack causing cooking oil. I just left it untouched. The fish was juicy and tender. DH had Rib Combo Dinner (2 ribs and a stick of char-grilled giant shrimps). I love the succulent shrimps! Isabelle had her porridge I brought from home and stole some of our food. (Sorry, didn't capture any photos because the food was served very quickly and we gobbled them down very quickly too because we were very hungry)

Well, that was our first time last minute shopping story. And, here is wishing you and loved ones a happy, healthy, joyful and harmonious year of Rabbit!

Food Discipline

*Picture from google*

No one is perfect and that includes myself and my little Isabelle. But I am thankful her discipline in many aspects are so far, satisfactory although not flawless. I am specially thankful for her discipline towards food. She is not choosy and overly particular. Of course she have her preferences. Well, who doesn't?

Since day 1 we started her on solids, her daily diet consists of a fair amount of vegetables. And till today, she is still obediently taking in all her greens with no struggle at all. Apart from that, she will never say NO to bananas and apples. One of her favourite is steamed apples and omelette.

We rarely offer her unhealthy snacks, namely icecream, chocolates etc. She doesn't crave for it nor does she begs for it. But once a blue moon, we will let her taste a bite or two and that's it.

A bonus to that... Isabelle also learn to clean up any crumbs for her tray or table. And occasionally we catches her wiping her trays and table too. Never too young to learn & start :)

As parents, it is not easy to feel contented specially when it comes to our children's achievements. But in this case, I am a contented Mummy because my child could have been one of the grumpy fussy little eaters , but she is not. And I have no reason to complain or to ask for more :)

Baking ~ Strawberry Muffins

I am blessed to have fresh strawberries from the recent Cameron trip to experiment with. So here is the recipe.

Recipe

1. 2 cups of flour

2. 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3. 1/2 tsp baking soda

4. 1/4 tsp salt

5. 1/2 cup of sugar

6. 2 tbsp of honey

7. 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

8. 2 eggs

9. 1/2 cup of milk or water

10. 1/2 cup of melted butter or oil

11. 1/4 cup of plain yoghurt

12. Chopped strawberries

13. Chocolate chips

Method

1. Pour all dry ingredients into big bowl - flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar into a big bowl.

2. Lightly beat eggs and add in vanilla essence, milk, honey and melted butter. Mix well.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour in the wet ingredients into the well.

4. Combine both dry and wet ingredients. Do not overmix.

*consistency of batter should be pourable, slightly lumpy and not too thick

5. Add in and chocolate chips and chopped strawberries

*lightly coat fruits with flour before adding them into batter to avoid them from sinking to the bottom

6. Scoop 1 scoop of batter into muffin cups. Add half or quarter spoon of strawberry jam in the middle and to

up with another scoop of batter. Garnish with a slice or two of strawberries on top.

7. Put the tray in the middle of the oven. Bake for 10 mins at 200 degrees and continue to bake for another 10

mins at 150 degrees.

Note : * Preheat oven for 15 mins at 200 degrees but different type of oven may need different settings and baking time.

Result

DH, DS and a friend tasted it and said it is very much more moist and fluffy than my previous attempts. They also love the fruity flavour from the fresh strawberries and the little surprise from the filling. I am guessing the moistness could be due to the addition of yoghurt and extra 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder. I am not sure but I will try this recipe again.

What Could Be Better

No dome on my muffins. Perhaps it is due to the height of the muffin cups or maybe I scooped too much batter into the cup. I am going to study on this and learn how to make muffins with domes. All the best to me.

Our Family Getaway

Day 1

Thank God that we have some place cooler to escape from the heat. And this time, our family getaway destination was none other than Cameron Highlands. This is the umpteenth time we visited this place yet it still excites me.

We met up with my parents coming from the northen region in Tapah for lunch and then adjourned for the most dreadful part of the trip... going up hill. Why did I said it is dreadful is because I am a pititful person with miserable motion sickness. I wasn't alone because DH was having sinus and not feeling well too. Poor DH.

We stopped at the Lata Iskandar Waterfalls because Isabelle has never seen a waterfall before. And I needed a break as well. The 40 minutes drive up the hill felt like 40 days!

Isabelle went bonkers when she saw this banana kiosk. Talk about banana powers!

Reached the top of the hill and I was the happiest person. Not only because I can put away the plastic bag (for some unsightly output), but also because the weather was cooler!

After checking into the 3 room apartment, we started preparing for the steamboat dinner while my brother and my sister in law went to get some fresh greens from the market.

After dinner was the highlight of the whole trip... Dad's birthday. There was no birthday cake but birthday blueberry muffins! Yes, I made them. :) We hid it in the fridge and it was meant to be a surprise. So we surprised Dad with me walking into the hall with the lited up muffins and Dad looked delighted.

We then headed off to the night market. Seems that a trip to Cameron Highlands is not complete without visiting the night market and having steamboat. We must find something new to do for our future trips.

By the end of the day, everyone was tired and our initial plan to play some games was called off.

Off to a cool la la land!

Day 2

Went for breakfast at the usual cafe (Cafe Excellent). Well, it wasn't a cafe actually. It looks more like a stall in a food court. But the food was delicious and many varieties to choose from. I had my nasi lemak and coffee. DH had chicken curry rice. We had some side orders namely french toast and american breakfast.

Visited the Chefoo Methodist Guest House because we wanted to see the new version of it after renovation. There was a big field and basketball court in the compound. Isabelle had so much fun playing and running around.

Headed off to Kea Market to grab some local produce. And then lunch. Then Isabelle needed her nap so we all head back to the apartment.

Dinner time again! We had tomyam steamboat because we could not finish the food on the first night so we had to continue the steamboat adventure.

Day 3

Dad and Mom had to leave early. Isabelle woke up in time to bid goodbye to Ah Kong and Ah Ma. I swear I saw their eyes watery when they kissed her goodbye. :)

Me, DH, DS and bf packed and left for brunch at T Cafe, famous for its scones. A picture paints a thousand words. Scroll below to see the delicious brunch we had.

Strawberry cheesecake and cream scones

American breakfast with home made hash browns & apple pie with ice cream

Coffee that makes the brunch complete and blissful

Then another dreadful episode of the trip to fight. I had faith in the anti motion sickness pill but it didn't work for me. About half way down the hill, it attacked me.

Despite all that, it was a good trip because nothing beats a warm reunion with our loved ones plus all the good food.

Looking forward to another trip, hopefully soon.

Nowhere Is Like Home

Coming home (to my parents' place) is always a joy and Isabelle's presence just add in nothing but more fun & laughter.

My parents would abandon half of their hectic schedule, mostly church activities to spend more time with Isabelle. It must be fun to be grandparents and I am glad they enjoy it. I am even more grateful Isabelle is blessed with so much love from Ah Kong Ah Ma.

This trip home, as usual, were fun filled and enjoyably busy because we always so much to do, so many places to go and so many good food to enjoy yet too little time.

Looking very ambitious

Isabelle having a blast of time in Ah Kong's office

Weather was good this evening and we decided to join Dad to a service in an outreach church in Port Weld, approximately 30 minutes drive from town. Our agenda was to go for fresh seafood dinner after the service. We even had the opportunity to visit the fishing village. It was another first for Isabelle. For the first time, she saw a sampan and fresh crabs! We were lucky to bump into a fisherman who just returned from the sea with the catch of the day.... crabs! Big plump crabs... irresistible. We simply could not resist the temptation and bought some home.

Sunset in Port Weld

Our supper before their lives ended in the pot and then our tummies.

Did not manage to snap any photos of cooked crabs because we were too busy eating them.

Dinner was good too but we saved some space for our crabby supper. Mom cleaned them up and place them in steamer and I can't remember when was the last time I tasted such sweet juicy crabs with absolutely no seasonings at all. Yummy.

I have the whole of next week at home and I am going to enjoy each & every moment of it. Maybe, another trip down to Port Weld for another round of sweet delicious crabs. :)

Good night & sweet dreams!

Holiday in LGK - Day 4

Very happy although it was pouring heavily, as we are planning to go straight to Red Tomato again because it just won't do if we don't get to check out their most reviewed Eggs Benedict.

After light breakfast (want to spare enough space for early lunch at Red Tomato), we took a walk around the resort's lush garden. Then we head down Pantai Cenang Road and dropped by at some duty free shops to get chocolates and maybe some liquor.

Shopping done but bought no liquor. Just chocolates.

Red Tomato, here we come again. I did not even look at the menu this time. Asked the waiter straight away for Eggs Benedict and cranberry juice. DH ordered some smoked salmon salad and a cup of espresso.

When my lunch was served, WOW! It was exactly what I saw in reviewer's website and what I expected. It tasted so so so superb! A piece of toast as the base, topped with beef bacon, sauted spinach, poached egg and generous hollandaise sauce to keep the toast moist yet not drenched. Perfect first Eggs Benedict experience.

Sad to say DH's salad was quite a disappointment. However, the espresso was powerful!

Visited Awana Porto Malai after lunch. Took some pictures. Beautiful and very quiet area. Not as busy as Pantai Cenang.

Afternoon was free and easy at the resort since we returned our 'part time car' shortly after lunch. Went to the beach at 3pm. It was hot and all the 3 of us were almost drenched in sunblock lotion. But the hot sun made all pictures look very beautifully sharp. It made me wish I have a DSLR camera because the weather was perfect & picturesque. But our simple camera did the job, the simple way. Isabelle took few steps without holding onto us or any furnitures.

Took a dip in the pool after Isabelle's nap. The pool was quieter than previous few days, maybe most guests checked out. We were glad to have the pool almost to ourselves.

Too lazy to take a cab or venture out of the resort. It was our last night and we wanted to spend as much time as we can to enjoy the facilities of the resort. Boat House at the resort was the ideal choice. They were serving theme BBQ buffet, Malay theme. Sounds and tasted familiar to us, and we still enjoyed it. There was even cultural show outside the outlet, where diners dined alfresco.

Well, that quite wrapped up our last night at the resort. And feeling a little bit heavy, from the buffet and also that we will be leaving tomorrow.