Friday Coffee

It's almost the weekend again. I am on my laptop nursing a cuppa with a breakfast of peanut butter sandwich.

It's Friday the 13th today.................. anyway, some flowers to get everyone going.


J, the architect is coming over here for dinner tomorrow to talk about his designs, so hopefully I will have something to show you guys next week. I am planning a small dinner so I will be looking through the recipe books again this afternoon to see what grabs me.

For now, I am just reading the news on some fav websites, The Guardian and The ST for local updates. Sometimes I check up on AJ's website where T has started blogging about politics and business. His entry a few days ago was very short but it pointed me to another website that had interesting facts about his birth country. Anyway, for those who are interested, here's the link.

Have a good weekend ladies!

World Best Restaurants 2009

The result for the this year's World's Best 100 restaurants are out and for the 5th year running, El Bulli is the winner.

The Fat Duck in London took second place and the third is some Danish restaurant.

I scrolled down the list of 100 and at no 34, is Singapore's Iggy! I haven't been but tried to once, they have very limited seating and reservations are at least 24 hours.

Les Amis also made the list at 60. Australia's Tetsuya was at no 17 and did I hear, they might be opening a branch when the casinos open?

Anyway, as I pored over the list, I was trying to recall the name of a french restaurant that I had a really brillant dinner in. It was in 2005 and it was in a small town near the Pyrenees but I cannot recall where exactly. Very frustrating. I do remember that it was at that dinner, I realised that eating was total experience and at that point, I begin to pay more attention to food and cooking.

I so wished I wrote a journal to note these memorable dates/ places down, like Z does. My memory is so lousy I can't remember what I did last week. Thankfully with the blog now, I can go back and relive the moments.

So for the record, here are some of the places I enjoyed when we were in NZ earlier this year.

Best burger ever. Arrowtown Bakery and Cafe. They are supposed to be famous for the pies but the burger blew me away.


Best lunch with stunning view was Mt Difficulty


And I only had the antipasti platter. It was insanely good. And with that view, we didn't want to leave.


Best breakfast and coffee strangely was at a chain coffee shop called Joe's Garage.

I had the same breakfast 2 days running, "the sweetie", crispy bacon and fried egg in a toasted bun. Simple but world best. The bbq sauce and some strange cream coloured sauce that they provide at the tables, makes the breakfast bun messy but oh so good.


(pic from here)

Best pizza in a nowhere town, Twizel - Shawty's

Best dinner - La Toscana and The Fat Duck in Te Anau.

:) Now the memories are immortalized.

Finger licking good

The last time I tasted bbq pork ribs was probably at Tony Romas near Orchard Towers and that was many moons ago. I felt a sudden craving for it and wanted to try making it on my own.

A few weeks ago, some AFC program taught viewers to make blackening spice that can used for seafood or meat. Its origin is cajun and the mixture was not complicated, merely a medley of your regular spices with various salts. I prepared a batch mixing ginger powder, garlic powder, celery salt, coriander seeds, mustard etc.

Different people have different blackening spice concoctions like this one from southernfood.about.com
Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons ground paprika
• 4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

I just use whatever is available and made enough to store in a small canister. Sometimes when I have no clue as to what to make for dinner, I rub this stuff on any meat or fish and grill it. It never fails to please.

For my ribs, I used the same spice but added brown sugar and cinnamon. Normally one has to marinate the ribs overnight but I didn't bother. I was craving some ribs today not tomorrow.

First the rubbing and some cut onions and peppers that will cook along with the ribs in the oven. The oven has been preheated to 150 degrees celsius.


Then in a pot a tiny bit of oil, I sear the meat. The pot is used instead of a pan because I would put the whole thing with its lid into the oven.


After a couple of minutes browning, the ribs were removed and the onions and peppers go in.


When the onions have softened slightly, I added a tin of tomatoes which immediately starts sizzling.


The ribs go back in and then the whole pot sits in the warm oven for 2.5 hours.


At the 2 hour mark, I tested the meat and it was falling off the bone already. The meat was removed and laid to rest while I made homemade beans as a side.

Left over yellow zucchini and a tin of kidney beans were warmed together with a little bit of garlic and oil.


The tomato-y juices that were cooking with the ribs were added to the beans and I sploshed tobasco in, to make things a little spicier.


Finally a little fresh red cabbage and carrot salad completed the dinner. This photo looks terrible, I really have to brush up on food styling.


It was heavenly though. I can't ever become a vegetarian, meat like this tastes too good.

Bling It On

Tis the season to be hammered lalalala- lala-la-la............!

My friend is throwing the first party of the season next Friday. The theme is Bling Bling and my mind is reeling with ideas already. I am going to dress T up as a gangsta rap-star ( unbeknown to him of course) and I will go as a tranny.

Today as I was browsing in the Lucky Plaza equivalent in KL, I chanced upon 2 floors of boutiques that stock clothes I swear that only either pimps or those at Top Ten would frequent. Perrrrfect !!

T would need a giant bling belt buckle and there were so many to choose from too.

Money talks?

The classic skull

My personal favourite - the diamante pistol, it comes in a silver, black or gold.

But this I suspect would be T's choice though.

An LED belt buckle which you can customize by typing in your name or a rude word. You can see it now couldn't you? ( Head shaking ). Compared to the above choices which cost between RM 45 - 60, it is the most expensive at RM 99 ( small) or RM 198 ( large), I think it is a waste of money but we'll see.

For me, I am searching for a OTT sequinned dress in some ghastly colour, some false eye lashes, boots and maybe ( and i am very tempted ) a candy pink wig.

Evolution Peter Hoe

Peter Hoe is a homegrown brand in Malaysia, a designer who has the coolest retail space around. Over at Chinatown, in the old Lee Rubber Building, he stocks classy but not expensivehomewares, tufted cushions and quilts in beautiful fabrics, silver candleholders and such.

When Z and D were in KL months back, we spent hours there poring over the vast space and came away with tons of stuff. Peter is smart, there is also a cafe in one corner that serves up simple but hearty salads, pasta and KL's top quiches. You could eat lunch or have a coffee while you think of excuses to buy that silver platter that you don't need.

I visit at least 4 times a year to check out the new merchandise. This time I spotted some winners.

An Indian wool scarf in blue waves. RM 149


A silver letter opener in a classy black gift box RM 69


Cherry Blossom Baby blanket in navy with a lime green underside. RM 169


The baby blanket comes with its own bag.


Now if you see anything you like, let me know, I can do a shop for you.

Weekend Brunch

Faced with boredom, I decided to try out some new recipes. We managed to round up some friends to come over for sunday brunch so that they could be tasters.

I spent all saturday doing prep work so that solved the boredom issue. As usual, halfway through the work, I ask myself if it was worth the effort. But I ploughed on and the results I think were pretty good.

I made

• Jamie's potato and chorizo fritatta,

• 
• smoked salmon spring rolls with sweet and sour dipping sauce,
  
• Indonesian Spicy chicken,
• Citrus salad on avocado shells

• Three bean salad and
  
• Desserts were store bought from a patisserie in Shangri-la hotel. A fruit topped vanilla and walnut cake. ( wanted coffee cakes but none available)
  

As for the drinks, we set up a bloody mary station and made homemade tomato juice by roasting then pulsing fresh roma tomatoes. It was tasty.

Forgot to put the jug of juice out for this photo.

Our friends brought around some drinks too and it's Savanna cider, which is of 6% alcohol. I had half a bottle and was tipsy ! C had 3 bottles of it and did not waver. Amazing these South Africans. Apparently, it is her choice of poison, give her a glass of wine and she's off her rocks.

Now to plan for a christmas party. It's only 6 weeks away people!!

Happy Friday !

It's the weekend again!

Played a round of golf with Ambat who was in town today. He came with C for the weekend and he managed to sneak away for a game with me.

It was looking rather bleak this morning with the rain but we braved it and got a little wet during the front nine but it eased after a few holes.


Tonight we are going to meet up at La Bodega in Bangsar for a few drinks and then they will probaby have an early night. Me and T will be going over to G's later for a masked party.

We don't have masks but I cut holes out in 2 brown paper bags to put over our heads haha.

Have a brillant weekend everyone!

OMG

Z and D, you might remember having char kway teow at the sidewalk cafe next to my condo unit? Well I always enjoyed the convenience of having takeaway food just steps away from my apartment.

And not long ago, I blogged about the van lady who brings you groceries twice a week. So I thought, life is pretty cushy as it is but it got even better hah!

They opened a spa next to the sidewalk cafe !! A balinese spa that opens from 11am til 11pm!!! Now only if they open a mani/pedi service, I never have to leave home !!

Life Organiser

Came across a new shop in Ion, Singapore last week. A stationery shop boasting clinical white shelves stocked with colour coded book binders, diaries and all sorts of paper related paraphanelia.

The bright white lights from the shop sucked me in and soon I was drooling over the possibilities of colour coding my life, arranging my priorities by date and hue, never forgetting a birthdate, labelling my pickle jars ( like real) and so on.

This Aussie company Kikki-K, newly launched in Singapore offers notepads for meal planning, to files for the wedding planner, christmas shopping, all your bills and receipts, recipes, to lists for shopping, to-do, to-eat etc etc.

This is the weekly meal planner pad that you can rip off afterwards.


The food type stickers that you see here come separate. Useful for cookbooks.


I guess it can be really useful, besides sometimes it is useful to keep paperwork in line especially when you need to claim that dental bill or produce the warranty card for the broken oven. I have a box that I stuff all sorts of receipts and warranty cards into and it is a disgrace because I can never find anything.

However after half hour of fussing over which folder to purchase, I gave up. It was exactly here where I was looking at 2010 diaries, when I got a call from mum that Gabrielle was born!

I guess so thats why I decided to buy something - to commemorate the occasion.


This book records all my friends and family birthdates and addresses. The calendar is not year stamped so I don't have to keep copying the dates whenever I change a diary. The book also holds several cool segments like the favorites and shops and restaurants.


I think I will write down gift ideas in the Fav segment so I never run out of ideas. I guess I can always depend on FB to tell me when my friends' birthdays are but I like the old fashion way of writing things down....... hmm getting old I think.

Baby Gabrielle

My niece, Gabrielle Phang Mei Xing ( beautiful heart) was born last Thursday, Oct 29th at 1.17pm ( as it happens, it is also my sister's home address ! Block 117 !! Coincidence ?!?! ) in Gleneagles Hospital.

Both mother and baby are doing well, in fact, my sister was still glowing after the birth and she took to breastfeeding like a duck to water. Bravo!

Talk to the hand !

Last week, we spent a few days in Singapore anticipating the birth of the baby. Had some time to spend with Z, L and D.

For the first time in years, we sat down for dinner and on a school night. As D only finished work at 8pm, L and Z met me for pre-dinner cocktails at Le Carillon de L'Ángelus.

24 Ann Siang Road
Singapore

Tel: 6225 2897

I have never been to this joint and was pleasantly surprised as it was like walking into a bar in Paris. The dark wood floors paired with ornate light fixtures created an intimate atmosphere. Vintage french advertisements adorned the walls and there is also a basement with a pool table. Great for a group.

( found the only photo online by mediasushi)

We sat indoors on the few armchairs and were offered black olives with our wine of choice. You could spend a long time selecting your wine as the list is extensive. We picked a white that was quite nice and it was $78 during happy hour for the bottle. The food menu consisted of cold cuts and cheeses so it would be a great spot for a casual dinner.

After polishing up the bottle, it was time for dinner and D had booked a table at Otto.

This Italian has been around but now with a new executive chef who used to be at Pontini. Z ordered a pasta with white truffles and it said on the menu that one would get 30g of the delicacy. When she was served, the chef appeared with a digital weighing machine and the white gold and started to weigh it. I made a remark ( can't remember what ) and he shaved some onto my dish too haha!

Food was great and after stuffing our faces, we went off to Beaujolais for more... off course.

Made me smile

Faking it

My sister's baby faked it, she has been faking her birth for the last 5 days!! We were expecting a baby to be born last weekend but still no news. I guess it is time for her to induce. Will wait for news here and head down to Singapore later in the week.

Meantime, I faked it too. Came across a recipe for 30 minute chocolat croissants. Impossible? Not until you tried it.

Joy the baker is a baker extraordinaire , I came across her blog by acident and although her recipes were mouthwatering, it was this that got me working on dough at midnight last night.

Read here if you are interested.

I only had a small handful of puff pastry dough left in my fridge and after rolling it out and stuffing it with chocolate, it was the world's scrawniest croissant.

Still, after 10 minutes in a hot oven, it tasted like the real thing!


You can see the choc stuffing and I used dark choc so it was quite tasty without being over the top sweet. Should have stuffed more so it would ooze.


Next to try is Joy's Pecan Maple Muffins.

Winter lust

How sexy is this jacket? Winter collection hit the stores already and I could not help but try this baby on.

Armani Exchange black bomber jacket with detachable fur collar. I love the skewed zip in the front and the zips along the sleeves keep you warmer.


The back is even sexier that that clinched waist.


Now tell me why it costs RM 1,300 while it is only USD $195 if you buy online?!?! They will not send it outside the US the bastards.

Travel Watch

After months, I am still lusting after Michael Kors Turquoise rubber watch but nobody stocks it! I have tried buying it from Amazon and they won't send it anywhere outside the US. I found one website who will let me buy stuff in the US and ship it to me but the cost after shipping would be close to RM2,000!

Not the kind of money I want to spend on a watch. Especially not since I really just want a watch for when I travel.

Today at the Pavilion shopping mall, I came across this brand Toywatch. They had a whole range of bracelet and jelly strap watches in the most delicious colours. Priced at RM 688, it was much closer to my price range.

When I got home, I checked the Toywatch brand out and found that even Michelle Obama has one!


The one she's wearing is nice but the darker shade in eggplant is more me. Although this one in stormy grey is pretty classy.


Or I could choose the jelly strap in one colour and the face in another. How about this combo ?


Or this one?


Which one would you pick?

Waiting impatiently

My sister is due today and though the baby is engaged, the doctor said she is still not dilated and have to wait. Or induce soon.

Everyone is quite excited and hope all goes well. Once baby is born, S is on a mission to lose all the weight and so booked an Indian masseuse for 10 days.

She is weighing in at 71 now and baby is only 2.8kg! Where is the extra 15 kgs ?


How does Heidi Kllum do it? From baby bum to Victoria Secret runway ?!!!

Lanka Wishlist No.1

"It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up".

W. Somerset Maugham

So I am starting a wish list for Project Lanka and first on that list, I think, has to be the hammock. The whole holiday house idea would not be complete without one. On a previous post (here) , I blogged about the insanely expensive dream beds. Well now I found others that are more in line with my budget.

Do you like this design in seafoam blue?


Or this caribbean styled rope version?


Or Inghua Ting's environmentally kind recycled seabelt hammocks that come in stunning jewel tones?

I think the first option is best but white would be my colour of choice.