Desserts @ Tong Pak Fu, Sunway Giza

Wandered into Sunway Giza after dinner the other night and ended up at Tong Pak Fu. The bright colours of the interior caught my eye and since the place had a decent crowd, we went in to try out Tong Pak Fu's desserts.

Oh, oh, Candylicious Is Here At 1 Utama! - Candy & Christmas

Hahaha...Oh, oh, indeed! Candylicious is now operating (minus the Gelato counter which is still bare, not sure when that will be) in 1 Utama.  So, it's good news and bad news.  It is really candy heaven at this place ...  Like it or not, this place will surely bring a smile to your place with it's bright and cheery look.  And yes, Garrett's here too ... I.Have.To.Resist!!!

 Candylicious' version of the Tree Of Life ... hahaha... talk about having sweet dreams.

"Sunny Side Up" Cupcake by O

Does it look like a sunny side up egg to you? It did to me ... was I fooled! hahaha...This is O's (my nephew) version of "Sunny Side Up" Cupcake.  It's so cute! One of the rare occasions where I was truly pleased that my nephew fooled me! Hahah..

Lovely...Great job O! Keep it up!

There are many versions out there if one Goggle "Egg Cupcake"...makes me wanna try making one of these cute cupcakes too. Sweet or savoury ones? I would add bacon to a savoury one for sure :o) O, watcha gonna do next?

Memorable For All The Right Reasons - Le Cochon Dingue, Champlain, Quebec

I had blogged on my tea time at Le Petit Cochon Dingue (Little Crazy Pig) back in October and mentioned about us doing dinner at Le Cochon Dingue (no longer Petit or Little).  It's a bigger place that caters to lots of hungry diners for breakfast, lunch and dinner with its French/European flavours.  It's a charming restaurant that's been around since 1979 - even before you set foot in...the bright orange boots around the building sets you in mood that's just as bright :o).

Well, I didn't take a photo of the soup we had but the bread basket that we were given was "attacked" - the bread was simply so delicious ... with a slight crusty exterior and its soft fluffy dough on the inside, we all loved it.  We had to stop ourselves from asking for more as we had to leave some room for our main meals! Actually, most of the bread and pastries we had in Quebec were all marvelous - they never go wrong!

Friday Quick Bites - Garrett Popcorn Indulgence!

Once upon a time...I tried Poppycock candied popcorn and it was love at first bite for me.  Last checked at Amazon.com, a 30 oz tin is retailing at USD20!  Yes, there is a price to pay in the quest of finding true love! hahaha....

Well, one can find Poppycock at some of the supermarkets here but now that Garrett has arrived on our shores (KLCC), nothing beats fresh candied popcorn indulgence! 

However, only two things can stop the frequency of such indulgence ...
1) The awareness of one's risk of turning into a diabetic
2) The awareness of a hole being burned in your pocket

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!

Kelantan Delights @ Wisma Consplant, Subang Jaya

I always remember my trip to Kota Bahru back in 2007 with a dear old friend of mine with great fondness.  I miss the wonderful East Coast hospitality from the folks there and of course - the food!  You can check out my older Kota Bahru posts HERE.  Ever since then, I've been on the search for great tasting food from the East Coast right here in the Klang Valley; while it's good, they just can't measure up to the real experience of dining in East Coast itself.  So, when I got an invite from Pure Glutton for dinner at Kelantan Delights, I just had to go.

While of course, eating in Kota Bahru has been more of street/hawker fare, dining at Kelantan Delights was a different experience altogether.  I could see how the fine dining concept would work well for this restaurant; there is only a handful of such fine dining Malay restaurants in Klang Valley.

Must Visit ! Paillard Cafe-Boulangerie, Quebec City

Folks, it's back to Quebec and this time round this post is rather photos intensive as Paillard is a must visit if you're ever walking about Old Town especially.

We decided to grab a bite at Paillard; it's rather well known for its sandwiches.  The moment I stepped into Paillard, I fell in love with the place.

Inviting enough? Paillard's entrance

The place is spacious and the high ceiling makes this place even bigger.  Helps since the place can get quite pack during peak dining hours.

TeaRoom by Bel Jee @ Wisma Volkswagen, Bangsar

Ahhh...now for a entry on a little delightful place.  Located along a rather obscure place for an eatery, one could easily miss TeaRoom.  Do take note, the only car park in the nearby area charges RM6 per entry. One can choose to park illegally across the building but I'm not one to risk my life in trying to sprint across the road should  the authorities show up in an attempt to try and escape from getting a summon.  So, the RM6 car park it is...

I've passed by Wisma Volkswagen on numerous occasion as I make my way to Wisma UOA to get my monthly Melaleuca stuff.  Glorious Jade and I finally dropped by and found this place cosy albeit a "little" warm should the sun be out in full force.  We shifted from one "sunny" table to a much "shadier" one when that happened.

We were greeted by Bel Jee herself.  As to why she chose this location, Bel told us that she had wanted a place that would allow her to work close to office hours, which meant that she didn't need to open TeaRoom on weekends (oh, TeaRoom is opened for a few hours on Saturdays).  Setting up TeaRoom in Wisma Volkswagen meant that she could cater to the office crowd and tackle corporate orders along with cake orders from folks on the outside.  She would have the "foot traffic" without having to open in a mall somewhere which would entail longer hours.  Clearly, Bel still values her free time though she's an entrepreneur ... good move indeed.

The "I Can't Believe There's Pork Burger Here" Post - Restoran D.U. Cafe, Kota Damansara

SADLY, DUE TO SUCH UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES ... THE STALL IS NO LONGER OPENED.  LET'S HOPE THE SIZZLE COMES BACK SOON ... ONE DAY.


(Non-Halal)

I wasn't even sure whether I was gonna post on this but something this good must be shared...Well, the craze over pork burgers is still going strong and some might even think this pork patty sandwiched between two buns is overrated but whatever it is...looks like the craze is still very much alive. From simple eateries to fancy restaurants, a pork burger is no longer a novelty on the menu but still a highlight nevertheless.  Yes, given the difference in dining experience in different establishments, prices for a pork burger differs - from as high as RM30 (served with fries and salad) and as low as about RM10.90++ (no sides) at one of my fave places for pork burger, Kissaten.  But now...thanks to ML, we have found a new place (new at least to us...).

Now, this was a first for me.  A burger stall located along D.U. Cafe in Kota Damansara ... selling . pork . burgers!!!

Well, not just pork burgers as you can read and just look at the prices!!!.  Japanese Curry Pork Burger (RM6.50), Cheese Chicken Burger (RM5.50), Crispy Chicken Burger (RM4.50), Black Pepper Lamb Burger (RM6.50) - OOOoooo, this I gotta try  next time!, Teriyaki Chicken Burger (RM5.50) and Teriyaki Pork Burger (RM5.50).  Yup, we can now treat ourselves to pork burgers at RM5.50 (and best part? No service and/or govt. tax!).

Great Food @ California Pizza Kitchen, Fahrenheit88

It was a surprise to me and many others when California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) relocated to Fahrenheit 88.  The last time I went to CPK for my Red Velvet fix, it was still in Suria KLCC.  Ever since then I never got around to visiting the new location till I was invited to the launch of California Pizza Kitchen's latest menu additions in mid October recently.  They still dish out some innovative items now and then (how I fell in love with their introduction of Pesto Chicken Pizza and Cheeseburger Pizza back then in September 2010).  While the price range of CPK's items are on the higher scale; CPK delivers more with the generous, fresh and high grade ingredients they put into their servings. Do note that a few of CPK's items contain alcohol; it's denoted in their menu with an "*" next to the item name (I've also done the same here) and you can always check with the staff too.

There're two items which I didn't manage to take a photo of and that's the Wild Mushroom Soup (Bowl RM15, Cup RM11 - puree of Portobello, Shiitake and white mushrooms with a touch of cream and garnished with homemade garlic-herb croutons).  It's a heavenly treat for mushroom fans -  but some might not take to it as much as I did as they may find the mushrooms too overwhelming.  I guess if you like it mild you shouldn't order Wild Mushroom Soup, yes???

Then there's the Spicy Chicken Tinga Quesadilla (RM18 - Crispy hearth-baked flour tortilla with grilled lime chicken, Monterrey Jack and Cheddar Cheeses, chipotle sauce, caramelized sweet onions, roasted red and yellow peppers, black beans and fresh cilantro and served with CPK's homemade ranchito sauce).  Eat it while it's warm....yes, the gooey cheeses hangs on to the tortilla, hahaha... a bite of it actually made it look like it was performing a trapeze act minus the performer of course.  It still gave a lovely performance! Loved it!

This time round, there are another 12 new items! Feast your eyes on 10 of them....

White Corn Guacamole & Roasted Tomato Salsa with Chips (RM25 - Fresh avocado, sweet white corn, black beans, jicama, green onions, red bell pepper, cilantro, serrano peppers and a homemade roasted tomato salsa served with white corn tortilla chips).  I was torn between the two dips which tasted great and had their own merits.  The creamy crunch of the White Corn Guacamole and the tangy zing of the Roasted Tomato Salsa - both exceptionally tasty!

Roasted Vegetable Salad (Full RM30, Half RM27 - Roasted artichoke hearts, asparagus, eggplant, red and yellow peppers, tossed in homemade Dijon balsamic vinaigrette.  Topped with fresh avocado.  Add grilled shrimp for RM14 and/or sauteed salmon for RM16)

Charismatic Canada - Quebec's Parliament Building Part 9

Happy Sunday everyone....

It's a start of another wonderful day and yes, I'm still swooning about Canada (especially about Quebec!).  Here's yet another pictorial post on Quebec's Parliament Building.  The place is so picturesque and is filled with statues...actually, can be rather scary at night actually!

Happy Deepavali!

Wishing All A Happy Celebration!

Testing Android Photography Apps - HDR Camera on Super Kitchen Chilli Pan Mee

Just a quick post today...I've been checking out the Photography Apps from the Android Market.  I've bought a few but there are loads of free apps in the Market that are rather good.  One of the free apps that I would recommend is the HDR Camera app. The HDR Camera App takes three consecutive shots at different ISO settings, merges them for stronger colours, depth and clarity.   But of course, you obviously have to try to be still while the three shots are being taken, so you will need to have steady hands. I have done some brightness/contrast adjustments to the photo below but the clarity part of the pic is what I would like to emphasise on.  Would you have known that this shot came from a phone's camera if I didn't tell you?

 Super Kitchen Chilli Pan Mee, Kota Damansara (tastes better than the SS2 branch).  Taken with HTC Sensation using the HDR Camera app (with some post editing).

I have to admit that I've been using my HTC Sensation phone to take photos of food nowadays.  I only use my DSLR when I'm doing a proper/official food review cos it's a lot easier and simpler using the phone's camera. While of course, it might still not be able to deliver shots like pics from a DSLR, I find that the HDR Camera app does a pretty good job...don't you think so?  This is just but one of the few HDR apps around.  Camera 360 has this option too with two selections; HDR Light and HDR Heavy which works just as well too.  It takes just one shot and changes the settings.  However, while this is a simpler one shot HDR app, the processed photo is only available in a much lower resolution.  Take your pick and pic, whatever it is...these are sure great additions to pushing the phone's camera limit further; especially when one doesn't have a camera in hand.  Have fun most of all...I just love all the phone photography apps.  I'll be blogging more on such apps in the near future. 

Lim Kee Tang Hun off Jalan Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur

My first visit to Lim Kee (yes, just Lim Kee sans Tang Hun) was a few years back with Jason. Soon, after a few more visits to this place, the shack was torn down and I wondered where it had gone! Two years later while chatting with a new found friend of mine, I was elated to find out the new location of Lim Kee.  I was told it's now located in a proper corner shoplot and wondered whether food still tasted as good as before.

I was indeed excited at the thought of finally revisiting my long lost Lim Kee, now known to me as Lim Kee Tang Hun.  So, has any of my old fave dishes stood the test of time (and relocation)?

The Fried Abacus Seeds still tasted good to me.  The abacus seeds seem a bit softer as compared to back then.  I just love biting into the bits of dried prawns and coriander!

Le Petit Cochon Dingue, Quebec (& More on Night Quebec!)

We were feeling a bit peckish as after all that walking around and decided to have some snacks at Le Petit Cochon Dingue (which means "Little Crazy Pig").  This is a cozy little place for one to chill with some coffee and pastries.  It was a surprise to me that its bigger premises Le Cochon Dingue is very nearby and while we were having our snacks, we decided that we would do dinner later there too! Hahaha...yes, planning what to eat is very much a part of our holidays, no??? But let's get back to that later....Check out our lovely tea time :o)

What is this place well known for? Sugar Pies!  Assorted ones...

Happy Hippo Kinder Weekend & Giveaway Winner!

Happy Hippo's been around awhile but I only got to the real thing recently. It was absolutely yummy!  One can't help but smile at Happy Hippo as he's so cute!  One of his early appearances was on YouTube, singing "Lion Sleeps Tonight".  Check out the video...

And now, here's Happy Hippo .. all wrapped up

Reminder : Oldie Golden Goodie Woo Lan, Brickfields

(NON-HALAL)

The family use to patronise Woo Lan quite frequently till it shifted from it's zinc roof shack (I remember, they use to have the water sprinklers on to cool the roof in the daytime!) to a proper shoplot.  I wonder why we stopped going? Lost its charm due to the move? Not sure why actually.  But finally, we did get round to having dinner in Woo Lan; dining on some old favourites.  Some things never change...yes, it may be an oldie but it's still a golden goodie!  Yup, the family needs to be reminded about this place now and then ;o), we all need a such a reminder (such as this post).  It's easy to forget with all the new restaurants that keeps appearing as time goes by (while some fade away in our memories as their doors close for business due to such changes or economic reasons).  Are there any restaurants that you have loved in the past and miss; now that it's no longer here?

So, let's us remember ...

Woo Lan looking foreign to us ... but the food remains the same

Salad Prawn

*nom

1) The act of eating

2) An act of affection

3) A sound to express satisfaction through eating

So, yes...all of the above; eating the dishes affectionately (but not loudly! HAhaha....).

Tea Time @ Tang Shifu, 1 Utama

(NON-HALAL)

Sometime back when Precious Pea was back here for a short holiday - she and I got hungry after singing our hearts out in Neway and decided to look for some tea time food.  Now, I've been curious to try out Tang Shifu's food; two items in particular and suggested to Precious Pea to try out it with me.  So, as soon as we sat down, I already knew what to order.  Yes, the two items from their menu that caught my eye the most ....

The Abalone Sauce Rice Dumplings (RM9.90) was very flavourful ...The dumpling seems to have a mixture of glutinous rice with some brown rice.  The wolfberries added a sweetness to the dumplings, adding more plus points to it.  The cool cucumber was refreshing with some walnut and sesame mix topping though I would say that it looked like some type of meat floss was also added to it.

My Memories Suite Review & Giveaway!

Giveaway? You read that right! Read on till the end to find out how you can take part in My Memories Suite   Giveaway ($40 value).  How did this come about?  Let me do a quick recap from the past :o).  I still remember what I wrote sometime back in Feb 2007 (5 things you didn't know about me).

I love paper crafts - I buy lots of magazines and books but I never sit still long enough (apart from being on the PC) to do a proper project! Ha ha ha...Here's part of the "library".



And then in January 2008 when I did a tag passed on to me by NKOTB, I had said that one of the things I’ve always wanted to do is to be serious about my paper craft work!

Recently, I was given a copy of My Memories Suite to review and blog on my opinion of it. I now have the opportunity to get some projects off the ground!  This digital scrapbooking software that's rated #1 by Amazon and Top Ten Reviews, creates scrapbooks easily (photobooks, cards, calendars and much more too!).  Since I had said that I'm usually on the PC most of the time when I'm at home (that is whatever little amount of time when I'm indeed at home!), this scrapbooking software definitely is such a booster for me to start on my projects! Best part about it is that one can even add audio/video to the projects! Before this, projects usually means clearing table space and having my craft tools & kits at hand which which is why I haven't been that serious about it as I want to be.  Anyway, I've been checking out My Memories Suite bit by bit and recently did a project.

Here's a screen shot of the software

Starting on my first project, I wanted to do a page with the dogs ... you can design your own album or choose from one of the many design templates.  Here, I use one of the pages from the "Out Of The Box-Spring" design.  Selecting photos to be used is a breeze, you can just drag the photos from the left panel and right onto the design boxes.

I did some slight redesigning to move (and add) the boxes around and I added the ready-to-use embellishments (Word Art) from the Dog Gone Cute kit and created this. That's it, quick and easy.  Okay, you are gonna ask how did I get the picture to be posted here from the album in the first place.  Here's how....

Click on the "Share Album" button and you can choose any of the options from the drop down list :-

Export to JPEG (which is the one I chose), Photo Album, Calendar, Interactive Album, Make Movie, iPod-ready Movie and Burn DVD-Video!

I had so much fun making this too, so much so that I need to stay at home more often to start on more projects.  My Memories Suite is easy, quick, fun and most of all mess free, hahaha...Actually, it's great for bloggers as we can make collages out of the many photos that we put on our blog, makes it more interesting.

The best part of the post is here...Good news for all! Here's a special for You Get What You Give readers, MyMemories.com is giving a $10 discount off the purchase price of My Memories Suite Scrapbook v2 software and also a $10 coupon for purchases made at MyMemories.com store buying your own digital kits ($20 value!) Just enter this code at checkout STMMMS37325 to get your $20 value!  Copy and paste the code to avoid typos when using it.

However, one of you blessed readers now have a chance at getting a FREE download of My Memories Suite v2 valued at $40.  Enter this giveaway by doing the following : -

1) Visit MyMemories.com

2) Choose your favourite digital pack or layout and then leave a comment on this very"My Memories Suite Giveaway" blog post of mine. telling me which ones you chose.

3) Click on the Like button located at the top left corner of this post so that you can also share the news about the giveaway.

4) Follow my F.A.T adventures - click the "Join" button located on the right side bar of my blog.

For extra entries, follow MyMemories on their blog or Facebook or Twitter (follow all 3 for an extra 3 entries!).

Closing Date : 6 October 2011.  The winner will be announced on 7 October 2011.

ALL THE BEST!

Charismatic Canada - 'Qool' Quebec Part 8

There is really so much to see (and do!) in Quebec, this was one of the most enjoyable stops we did on our road trip around Canada. Continuing from my previous post on 'Qool' Quebec, here are more sights (oh, there's my dessert pics at the end of the post and there's more to come in future post!) around Quebec town - simply too marvelous for words.  Lots of pics but take a look, I'm sure you'll enjoy them as much as my family and I did. When Quebec comes to mind and I start missing it, I just need to look back on the pics and relive the beauty of it.

Happy Friday! The weekend's here again :o) 

K3K Benta Kaya Kopitiam - My Latest Love

Happy Monday! Well, at least try to be :o)...I've been busy and haven't had the chance to blog though I had the intention of putting up a post earlier. Anyway, I want to put up a food post that definitely adds on to my Happy Meter.

I've been going to K3K Benta Kaya Kopitiam of late ... they have been around for awhile but I never got round to it earlier.  It was only when a friend told me that they had some rather special toast with different fillings that I felt the pull.  Anyway, they do have quite a number of unique items on their menu (one that includes a giant curry puff - it's big, it's as wide as the span of two open palms side by side) and of course, there's their kaya too...There will be more pics gathered along the way but for now, meet my latest love...

Topee Red Bean with Condensed Milk

Serious? Condensed milk? Cos I can't seem to find condensed milk in Malaysia, only sweetened creamer available.  Well, I didn't ask but it does have the thick consistency of condensed milk (look at the pic).  I really need to ask to confirm cos I want my condensed milk supply to resume! Where is my condensed milk? Susu pekat manis is gone and I have to resort to asking friends to buy a few cans for me each time they go over to Singapore and I even bought some from Thailand. Cis! Sweetened creamer just won't do! Why? We need the government to bring it back, make it more profitable for the manufacturers to sell it so that production can start again! Do register yourself as a voter (make sure it's in time for the next coming election!) so that you can vote.  Vote for a better Malaysia...and hopefully it would count as a vote for condensed milk too! Hahaha... Okay, now that I've finished ranting about my loss - loss of condensed milk, that is..hehe...let us get back to my original topic!

Where were we??? Oh yes...Topee Red Bean! I have no idea why  it's called Topee except that it's the name of the bread.  Pardon my ignorance...It's more like a pizza dough but with less density.  This Topee Red Bean comes with red bean filling between two slices of topee and then it's slathered with peanut butter and drizzled with condensed milk (the menu reads Topee Red Bean "shower" with Condensed Milk).  I love it! Do tell them to toast the bread longer for extra crisp, it tastes even better! Half set (half circle, divided to two pieces goes for RM3.80, a full set is RM6.80).  K3K Benta Kaya has found a new fan! I need to go back more often to try out the other interesting items on their menu.  Enough with Papparich, MammaPoor, Old Town, New Town, Georgetown, Hometown ...


K3K Benta Kaya Kopitiam
32 Square outlet
Jalan 19/1
46300 Petaling Jaya

Tel : 03-7954 2131


Other outlets' location : Damansara Perdana, Subang Jaya SS15, Kuchai Lama, Klang Carrefour & Bukit Tinggi

"Sometimes it pays to stay in bed on Monday, rather than spending the rest of the week debugging Monday's code"

- Dan Salomon

Nasi Lemak Panas Yati & Suri - The Tale of Two Colours, Selera Jaya 223 Petaling Jaya

From croissants in Quebec, I'm gonna get back to something dear to most Malaysians' hearts, Nasi Lemak!  I've been going to Selera Jaya 223 at Jalan 223, Petaling Jaya for quite awhile whenever I need a Nasi Lemak panas (hot as in temperature hot!) fix and I bring my friends there whenever they are desperately seeking susan Nasi Lemak panas too. I think the place is open 24 hours (stalls open at different hours though).

However, I have to psych myself up before I head over there everytime.  No, not because I want to down 5 packets of nasi lemak (my personal best was a max of 3 packets) but the barrage of "food recommendations" from the vendors/helpers and "advice" on where to seat! They would greet you enthusiastically, giving you names like, "Mee goreng...Nasi Lemak...Roti Canai...Murtabak....Tom Yam...Ayam Goreng...etc etc....  Excuse me, but my name isn't Murtabak, okay? LOL!  They would also call out to you, "Kawan, duduk sini (Friend, sit here)", "Mari duduk sini, ada kipas (Come sit here, there's a fan)", "Duduk sini, semua sedap! (Sit here, all delicious!").  That's because each vendor has a demarcated area where they can serve, so income is dependent on where customers choose to sit.

I normally just make my way straight through, without looking left or right with NO eye contact and just zoom in on my favourite area which is around the middle (it's further away from the crowd in front area which is usually more concentrated.

Nasi Lemak Panas Yati.  Packets of Nasi Lemak panas, wrapped in banana leaves and plain paper are placed before you on a plate and are usually snapped up fast (if not by you, by other patrons around you).  They are never cold but warm and sometimes still hot as it's freshly packed on the spot.  At times, demand exceeds supply and we have to wait for the helpers to pack them.

Nasi Lemak Panas Suri (I wonder if Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes know that somewhere in Malaysia, Suri is also famous for dishing out yummy Nasi Lemak?)

Boulangerie Premiere Moisson, Quebec, Canada

Boulangerie Premiere Moisson (First Harvest Bakery) was our first stop for brunch.  Actually this place is more than a bakery ... well, check out their website (there are French/English versions) and find out more about Premiere Moisson.  For your info, they even have a section on tips and recipes like Maple back bacon sandwich with home made coleslaw, Ratatouille Bites, Lemon Weekend Cake with Raspberry Coulis to name a few...so check out their interesting website with the many interesting sections/tabs.

Food, Flora & Farewell in Cameron Highlands - Farewell Ethan!

At this time of writing, Ethan, my nephew has already embarked on a new chapter in his life.  He has just recently left for Switzerland to further his studies, his first time being away from his family for such a long duration.

Prior to this, the whole family took a mini vacation and stayed in Bukit Ruil, Cameron Highlands.  I still recall that morning before we were about to start our journey, I had several smses and phone calls from friends asking whether I was still going to Cameron as news about the Cameron Highlands landslide that killed 7 people made the headlines.  Bro had called to check with the housekeeper and was informed that the route to Bukit Ruil was not affected and hence we decided to go ahead.

It was a smooth journey and we reached Cameron Highlands in time for tea.  Bro had gotten the housekeeper to prepare most of the meals for us for the duration of our stay there. While food is essential, so was the floral sights in Cameron Highlands.  The weather was really nice and I enjoyed the low temperature more than some of my family members as I was still walking around in t-shirt and shorts while they put on their sweaters and long pants! But it was a little bit of an ordeal sitting down on the toilet seat cover - one always have to psyche themselves up for the "cold" surface :o).  Ethan said that it was a good training ground to prepare him for the cold weather in Switzerland! Haha...(but actually, it's really warm over there right now!).

It was a time of family bonding and also a time of pure rest and relaxation.  We slept, ate, went out, ate, watch TV, ate and slept...that was the routine for each of the day, hahaha...Meal times were great (Chinese meal with dishes, western food - chicken chop & ginger cake with custard lemon sauce!, tea time - sandwiches and even steamboat) and so was hanging out with the family.

Here's some pics and collage from the trip - floral and food! No pics of us relaxing and sleeping, hehehe....

Hokkaido Cake - RT Pastry House

I've been munching on yummy cakes made by my sis-in-law, (she makes lovely layer cakes - original, black sesame and even green tea ones!).  Yup, I'll be the one who is layered alright ... help!  And just when things are looking so good and yet so dangerous at the same time, sis-in-law gave me these to try ... and now I'm living my life dangerously one day at a time, hahaha...

The Hokkaido Cake