Gao Ren Guan, Jaya One - Simple Pleasures

NON-HALAL

Absent from the blogosphere during the whole month of February, the past month had been a fury of Chinese New Year meals, one after another.  At a time when one is constantly barraged with the usual rich good food, it was a pleasant change when we dined at Gao Ren Guan in Jaya One recently.  Not to say that the food was different but it was really food that not only filled the tummy but touched the heart.  If you check out their website...they have a tag line that says "...feels like dining at home".  Yes, though the restaurant was crowded and with the endless loud chattering (that includes even the usual "loud wishes" routine during the lo sang ceremony!), we really felt at "home".  I had the opportunity to dine at Gao Ren Guan twice during this Chinese New Year period and I gotta say, it has now become one of my favourite restaurants to go to.  With great tasting food that speaks for itself, the simplicity won me over ... Needless to say, my friends are of the same opinion too and we look forward to our next meal there again.  Here are some of the dishes we "connected" with ...

Having eaten about 8 times of Yee Sang during this Chinese New Year celebration, the group of us really like Gao Ren Guan's version.  The condiments were refine but what made it good was the sauce.  Subtle yet rich enough, it had a sweetness that was spot on and yet a pleasant sourish taste that gave a balance of all the right flavours.  Looking forward to this in 2014!

Another great yet simple dish was the Hakka Char Yoke (Small RM10, Large RM20) - lean yet tender pieces of sliced pork.  Each slice had a wonderful crunch as we bit into it...breaking the crispy marinated layer of skin. A real delight!

Tis The Season To Be Jolly - Snow Bear from Lavender Bakery

A quick post to perk one up on Mondays :o).  When I dropped by Lavender's Bakery in Midvalley, this bread, the size of my big palm, was the only one left on the tray.  It's slightly out of proportion; one hand bigger than the other, one feet smaller than the other, a bow tie with a frayed end and most noticeably - a cross belly button that was off center.  When I showed Owen this pic, he lamented that this was one "bad" bear (as in badly made) as the one he had a few days earlier was "better".

It was still a cute Snow Bear (RM4.80) to me, in my eyes, it still had all the attributes of bringing me the festive feeling regardless of its imperfections to others.  It was there, alone on the tray and still brought a smile to my face. I had to take it home and with the help of Glorious Jade's backdrop, took a pic of it...didn't have the heart to eat it.  But it was made for that purpose...so, ate it in the end we did (except for the bow tie).  Well, better than to let this white chocolate covered bread go mouldy and thrown away.  Now, that would be a waste...

Yes, it's the month of December.  Christmas decorations are all up around the shopping malls and Christmas songs being played on loop across the sound system in every shop/restaurant.  Let's get into the Christmas spirit.  Yup, tis the season to be jolly ... Happy Christmas shopping folks!

CNY Waistline Damage ... Thus Far

With all the gatherings with friends ... over food and more food during this Chinese New Year period, our waistlines are increasing at an alarming rate.  Who or what is responsible for such a deed?  So it seems that we have been dining out at restaurants and eating all the "auspicious" food that has indeed brought us such "prosperity". Thankfully, it hasn't always been elaborate meals and in between the onslaught of abundance calories, we had some reprieve in some simple and yet delicious meals.  I shall now end my short post with pictorial evidence of such meals that we had shared with much laughter, love and joy!

Popiah (Spring Roll) skin

"Lettuce" eat! Can't help myself.... :o)

"Hare"py Chinese New Year !

Breadvale, Paramount Garden - Added Joy For Year End Celebration

(NOTE : AS AT FEBRUARY 2011, BREADVALE IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED AS THEY ARE HAVING STAFFING ISSUES. I WISH BREADVALE WELL AND PRAY THEY WILL BE ABLE TO RE-OPEN SOON. CALL TO CHECK IF YOU NEED TO).

Happy New Year! Now that it's back to work for most of us...I can only recall with much delight over the celebrations I had in the month of December 2010 while lamenting about going back to work! Hahaha.... I had come across Breadvale during one of my trips to Paramount Garden for my usual Hokkien noodles and I'm glad I did. It didn't start out as a bakery as it was initially a cafe but the proprietors decided to change their business model a couple of months down the line. So, Breadvale is officially only about a couple of months old and has now become one of my favourite haunts .

Their range of buns and cookies are rather good and reasonably priced at the same time plus the proprietors are friendly folks too! I like the Onion Cheese & Ham Bun, even the simple Chicken Ham Bun is lovely as the bun is pillowy soft :o). Most of all, what I love most from Breadvale is their Bread & Butter Pudding!

Chinese New Year - A Whole Lot Going On!

Well, it's the 9th day of Chinese New Year and there was just a barrage of firecrackers going off just now at midnight-so much so that I could smell the smoke in the air. Time flies....soon Chinese New Year celebration will come to an end. I have been having so much fun the past 9 days and there's more to come for sure .... What happens during such a festive period????

• Get a surprise! Meeting up with relatives and still amazed to see "new" additions to the family tree even though it happens year after year.

• Get acquainted/re-acquainted and bonding time with new and old friends over more food and activities that mostly involved decks of playing cards and mahjong tiles :o). Hahaha...no pics for this one!

• Get a delight in seeing how cute some kids are and how they are becoming even cuter day by day (year by year)!

• Get a reality check by being reminded of my "real" age as my once little cousins/nieces/nephews left their childhood days behind and entered adulthood as their over 6 foot frame hover over shorty me.

• Get an overdose of "Yee Sang", but it's always a welcome "fix" during this lunar new year period.

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's Friday and most people at this time are on their way back to their hometown, in time for the family reunion dinner on Saturday. As the Ox make way for the Tiger, those celebrating have been busy - spring cleaning the house, shopping for waxed meat to prepare the traditional Chinese dishes, buying/making cookies, making sure there's an ample supply of snacks and soft/packet drinks for guests etc. etc. etc. This is also the time for meeting up with relatives, some whom you see now and then and some whom you see only once a year! Knowing how to address your relatives proper is a challenge in itself - e.g. Yee Sum, Sam Sook, Tai Koo, Say Koo Cheong, Sai Koo Ma (meaning - 2nd paternal uncle's wife, third paternal uncle, paternal eldest auntie, fourth paternal auntie's husband, youngest paternal auntie) Phew! And that's just to name a few! :p

I remember when I was a kid, I use to get a kick out of drinking Anglia Shandy, it made me feel like a grown up. But now that I'm all grown up (and sideways too!), I want to be a kid again! Hahaha....And it was also during that time, we use to drink bottled drinks that are no longer available now like Green Spot (remember how the jewellers in Petaling Street would give the customers a bottle of Green Spot whenever we patronize the store?) and my all time favourite - ice cold Magnolia Chocolate Milk (which is now available in carton form, but it just doesn't taste the same). Of course, I'll be holding a bottle of this in one hand and a piece of "long yoke" - BBQ jerky in the other. That was and still is, happiness at its simplest. Best of all, it is a time of family togetherness, I'm recalling right now as I write this post; our family would be visiting other families and friends. It was the longest celebration for me, as I got to stay out with my family (yes, with that bottled drink and BBQ jerky in my hands, hahahha). Those are the moments that I treasure till today :o) What do you remember most about Chinese New Year when you were a kid?

To those traveling back to reunite with their families or just simply enjoying a short break, I wish all a safe journey! To all those celebrating Chinese New Year.....

GONG XI FA CHAI!

A New Year Ahead...

What a night .... first there was dinner in Subang, then to a pub in Taman Tun Dr Ismail for countdown which we "technically" missed by the last 9 seconds as we were sitting outside! Then it was supper for each of us to sober up a bit before we drove back home. Hahaha....I got home at 4 a.m, ending my outing on a brand new day of 2009!

Here's me, signing off WMW (with the neon green torchlight) for 2008! Here's to 2009...

May 2009 fill your heart with new hopes, open up new horizons and bring you promises of brighter tomorrows!

A Very Porky Christmas!

(NON-HALAL)

Folks, I've been busy and currently swamped with errands to do before the year ends. So, another quick post from me (not something from my archive but on dinner I had with my family two days ago). The family had an additional belated Christmas dinner this year as we celebrated Ethan's birthday too. Big Bro made plans to give Ethan his first taste of beer since he will officially be of legal age to drink in a public establishment! Hahaha.... So, the family went with Big Bro's decision and off we headed to Bavarian Bierhaus at The Curve.

With all that advertisements, we succumbed to its calling and ordered Paulaner to go with our porky meal.

It's kinda hard taking photos here as the place is rather dim...I had to keep my hands steady and also take the pics as fast as I can as I had 7 other people waiting for me to get it done and over with so that they can eat! ;p

My Sis-in-law's Pancetta Salad (RM18)

A Pick n' Brew Halloween at 1 Utama

Was at 1 Utama today and they are currently running Halloween activities at the Highstreet Area on the Ground Floor. They have decorated the area very nicely according to the Halloween Theme. I was happy to know that Halloween is being celebrated here as it really a fun-filled event coupled with the fact that Halloween Day will always be a very special day to me :o)

Smiley, Silly and Scary Ghosts hanging around the spooky trees - watch out for 'em!

Away...

Just a quick note to inform that I'll be away till Sunday. Stay tuned for my next short travel posts. Meanwhile I would like to wish all those celebrating the Festival of Lights...

HAPPY DEEPAVALI!

and to the rest, enjoy the long weekend!

May all have the "awareness of the inner light"

Google Turns 10!

A short post in the wee hours of a Sunday morning ...

I turned on my PC and my usual Google homepage loaded and was surprised to see the normal Google logo making way for Google's 10th Birthday. I was surprised not because I saw the special Google logo but for the fact that Google has been around for a decade! Time sure flies...
I always look forward to seeing special Google logos for special occasions/holidays/events. My favourite so far must the the series of Google logos for Beijing Olympics 2008. Starting on 8 August 2008 till 24 August 2008, there were 17 different Google logos altogether; changing everyday. I've compiled this series and loaded it here for those who might have missed a few or weren't even aware.

Well, the holidays are here and some will be enjoying a week off from work, Happy Holidays!

To my fellow Muslim friends and readers, Selamat Hari Raya and for those who are travelling, safe journey!

MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN!

Belated Mooncake Post

Just a quick post today. Ethan forwarded an email to me about some mooncakes being sold in Hong Kong. I laughed when I saw it! I guess sooner or later, someone would come out with such mooncakes.....And now, presenting the mooncakes.....

CLICK ON ALL THREE IMAGES FOR A LARGER AND CLEARER VIEW

By the way, I did check if there was such a website. Turns out there is, G.O.D means Goods Of Desire but I couldn't find the link for the mooncakes! Maybe I missed it, here's the link if you would like to see if you can :o).

Happy Chinese New Year!

It's the eve of a brand new Chinese New Year! I would like to wish all a very Happy Chinese New Year and to those who aren't celebrating, have a great holiday. For those traveling back to their hometown , safe journey. I'll be taking a short break and will be back next Monday (hopefully!).

It's Lo Sang time! - at The Ming Room, Bangsar Shopping Complex

Lime tree (Four Seasons?) at NZX, Ara Damansara

Pink "Blossoms" at NZX, Ara Damansara

GONG XI FA CHAI
(Wishing You More Wealth)

2008's First Entry Of Few Words!

Waiting for countdown to 2008!

12 midnight!

The view from the garden

Close up - 1 a.m. shot, my first few photos for January 1, 2008


HAPPY 2008! HERE'S TO AN EVEN BETTER YEAR!

One More Day to Halloween Day!

I came across this funny video of this Buffalax who edited a clip of an Indian version of Thriller and did the subtitles of what he/she thinks he/she is hearing in English. I thought this is a suitable and humorous post to put up in time for Halloween, my favourite day of each year ;o)

I first got to know about Buffalax's videos when Precious Pea directed me to a zany video link (the second video below this paragraph) in YouTube. However, this one is rather vulgar but it's so extremely funny, I had tears running down my cheeks and almost fell of my chair. So, be warned...if you are offended by such obscenities, DO NOT click on play. But for those who can take it, go on, CLICK on the play button, you won't regret it. Just don't blame me if you end up rolling on the floor with tears streaming down your face while your boss is hovering over you with his arms akimbo and with his "I'm NOT impressed!" look on his face. LOL! The choreography in both videos are filled with killer moves!

I bet that you, Mrs Pitt, will probably be running towards the toilet to pee while/after seeing this video!!! Sigh...thinking of the time I spent my Halloween in San Francisco! I did write about that back in October 2006 and I have decided to repost the entire "Happy Halloween" here today (so that I can go to bed earlier. Hehehe...). Happy reading!

I had the opportunity to celebrate Halloween in the States a couple of years back and had the most fun ever. Mrs Pitt and friends brought me to the "famous" Castro Street in San Francisco where they had the Halloween Street Party. There were signs plastered everywhere that no weapons were allowed and there were policemen at every corner. I must admit I was rather thrilled, a bit scared initially but amazed with the crowd and my surroundings. After soaking up the fun, I was more relaxed. Surely, you can understand why I felt a bit nervous in the beginning, right?

Not sure where I was, but I felt burning hot! Ha ha ha...."Girls" Just Wanna Have Fun!

Guardian Angels or Devils In Disguise?

There were cute and funny costumes too. There was this particular group of "medic" wheeling this "lady" laying on a hospital bed who was screaming and seem to be in pain. When I got closer to them, this was what I saw.

The "lady" had given birth! It's a girl! LOL.....
Animal Farm?
The REAL cowboys from Brokeback Mountain

Well, there are some pictures that I can't post as I don't want my post/blog to be flagged by some conservative folks. Let's just say, there were also some guys that wore a costume that was a replica of a certain part of a male anatomy. They were literally a giant walking ....! Talk about being a ....head, LOL! Oh well, for my last pic, I was really partly amused and scared at the same time. This guy must have been about 7 feet tall! I know I'm short but I'm not THAT short! I was really wondering whether he was going to let go of my neck after the picture was taken. Ha ha ha...But since I'm blogging right now, I did live to see another day.
The crowd made up of people from "all" walks of life were well behaved and it was fun outing. Well, to me it was, I didn't see or hear anything unpleasant but it seems to have some ugly incidents every year. Apparently, some people in SFO are trying to put a stop to the annual Halloween Street Party this year for all sort of weird reasons apart from security related ones.

Let's hope Halloween celebration catches on over here on a grander scale. But knowing the crime rate in Malaysia, we might have more crime that night as criminals would take the opportunity to strike since it's would be okay to walk around in a Halloween costume and not be able to be identified! Oh well, que sera sera, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween. ~ Author Unknown

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

More Home Cooked Food!

Well Chinese New Year is officially over and it's REALLY back to work this time round (though I'm probably dragging my feet...he he). So as all the celebratory lunches and dinners lessen (will always exist as us Malaysians usually find the slightest reason to celebrate with food!), here is the last post (I think) of a Chinese New Year meal from Czar's place again. She had another two rounds of dinner at her place, one pre Chinese New Year and one during.

She bought a box of Yee Sang and added a whole lot of other stuff of her own to it (adding some plum sauce of her own too).

We really needed a big plate for the Lo Hei. Failing to find one, we used a cake baking tray instead!

Wantans (before they were deep fried), they looked so cute, shaped like the Chinese New Year gold nuggets. Once cooked, the shape changes a bit.

Kung Pao Cuttlefish, a fave of mine as I like Sotong Rendam (chicken is commonly used for this style)

Another hot favourite, spicy Four Angle Beans with dried prawns.

Czar's delicious Indian Chicken dish (Varuval - thanks CH Teoh for the word) - love the spices!

Desserts were mixed fruits soaked in lemon juice

Czar's cousin's masterpiece, chocolate chip cookies! Looks like Famous Amos Cookies, don't they? Tasted nice too.

Czar bought and deep fried these mini (food always appear larger than life in my photos! Ha ha...) prawn rolls herself. These are dangerous! I normally take a handful of them and start munching away!

Okay, activities are back to the norm now...Mrs Pitt, we missed you during this Chinese New Year and I'm sure you missed the food, ha ha ha....Hopefully we'll see you soon! Here's wishing Prosperity to all for the rest of the year and more!

When prosperity comes, do not use all of it. ~ Confucius