Sim"pho" Satisfaction ...

There was an onslaught of all those Yee Sang and dishes after dishes of artery clogging rich food - a grand celebration during the festive period of Chinese New Year. Actually, while being thankful that I am and also in the company of folks who loves to eat and to have such a luxury when compared to the less fortunate, I look forward to something simple most of the time. "Simple" in itself is also rather subjective, depending on different individuals. To me, simple can be just as satisfying at times (putting aside my failed attempts at cake baking or trying out new recipes!!!!) and best explained that a simple meal is one that puts the warmth not only in my tummy but my smile. This was such a meal, another invite .... a home cooked one (yes...just like my earlier "Hearty Meal" post). This time round for ... Vietnamese Beef Noodles!

Thanks Korean Princess & Queen for the fabulous Phở. I am honoured to be the sole guest in your kingdom and to be able to partake such a meal :o). I would also like to thank my other friends too for all those other occasions where great food were prepared with blood, sweat (the hot weather is a killer!) & tears (from those onion slicing, hehehe...) and most of all, for inviting me into your home . I'm truly blessed indeed!

TGIF .... Here's to the weekend! Have a great one :o)

Modus Operandi @ Fong Lye Taiwan Restaurant,The Gardens Mid Valley

(NON-HALAL)

Say what you want about this place ... overpriced, portions too little, seating arrangements too cramped, the place too pack etc. etc. I myself find it hard to communicate with the staff and resort to mostly pointing at the photos on the menu. Not because they find it baffling to comprehend me but it seems that most of the staff speaks Mandarin - a language that is not foreign to me but never could I make comprehensive sentences of it even if my life depended on it. This results in most of us similar folks being "stigmatised" as a "banana"...yellow on the outside and white on the inside!

Well, anyway .... where was I? Oh yes, say what you want (oops, I wanna break out into Texas' song) but I do enjoy coming back here time and time again for a particular dish. Whenever I want to dine in Fong Lye, this will be my modus operandi.

The place too pack?

Well, I make it a point to come here on a weekday during off-peak hours...





Plonked ourselves down on the comfy seats (ladies be careful coming here to dine when it's that time of the month! Hahaha...) and order my favourite Rose Bud Oolong Tea...

Celebration @ Foreign Cinema, San Francisco USA

Taking a break from the excessive Chinese food fare for a while, I'm back to USA (yes, still lots to blog about since I was there for 2 months!) and reminiscing the time the group of us celebrated Mrs Pitt birthday (who had an earlier Peruvian fare celebration with the family) at Foreign Cinema.

We sat inside the restaurant as the weather would get colder as night approaches and this area has a more grandeur feel.

For those who chose to sit outside, there were heaters around to keep the patrons warm. More casual feel but sitting here has its benefit (More on the benefit later).

We had arrived at Foreign Cinema early for drinks first and took our time before we ordered our food. Boy! We took a rather long time to decide as we perused the large two sided A3 paper menu. Apart from loving the ambiance, I knew that the dining experience at Foreign Cinema would be different as their menu changes DAILY! The menu (even the smaller drink and wine list) has the specific date printed on it!

Fig wrapped in prosciutto - complimentary appetizer; a toast to the birthday girl; the busy kitchen area.