*Happy*

I am going back to Kuching later! omgee :DD

I'll be heading straight to the airport after work! So excited. I just packed!



I'm hoping the workload I have is lesser tomorrow so me and my friend can go off to KLIA earlier and take the bus instead of the train. Cheaper by RM 20 :P



Will only be back for the weekends tho' but well, should be enough to rejuvenate. I miss Kuching so much.

p/s : Don't remind me that I'm working on Monday. bleks.

Loves. :D

2 0 1 0 - In A Nutshell

I've said this over and over again but 2010 literally flew by! Allow me to do some recap - just in case I suffer a memory loss in the middle of 2011! ;p

Nothing exceptionally interesting during the first quarter other than my visit to AirAsia Academy. If you've been a long reader of my blog, you would have read how I declare my love for aviation again and again so visiting the Academy was enlightening for me. They were one of those corporate people that are so easy to deal with. On the same trip, I also visited the Petronas sky bridge for the first time. Felt more Malaysian. Lol!



During the trip , I managed to stop by for coffee with my lecturer and the conversation went into things that were pretty private. It was refreshing to see views of "certain things" in the minds of people who are much older. He also still remained the best lecturer I've ever had!



One ritual I practiced during my university days was checking in hotel before my final examination. I re-visited Tune Hotels in April, after exactly a year from my last visit. It was rejuvenating! Ordered pizza and had a couple of beers while watching Couples Retreat!



In May, I bid goodbye to the lecture halls and sleepless nights. I don't miss going to lectures but as crazy as this may sound, I really missed doing assignments. It was a part of my tertiary education that I enjoyed.



I went to Penang in June for my internship and it was a new adventure of sort. But everyone who started their internship in June would agree with me when I say June was when time passed the slowest. It was as though as the clock stop moving!

In July, 23rd to be exact, I met TL*. It was one of the highlights of the year and I actually miss going gu gu ga ga over his text messages and how I would spent the whole night talking to him on the phone - only to end up like a zombie at work the next day. Haha.



August and September were pretty much passed by without me realizing. I do recall going on gastronomic journey searching for the best lunch place with my colleagues. It was probably the only part I enjoyed during my attachment.

October were somewhat an interesting month for me. Lets see! On the first day of October, I had the most amazing first date! It was nothing poshy. Just the two of us with a pint of beer each, resting on the couch and our hands never leaving each others skin, talking and enjoying the time.



I also made a trip to my alma mater after an early breakfast with TL*. A lot of things have changed and the teachers could hardly remember me! haha.



It was also in October, I bid goodbye to a friend I really care and adore. I don't think my feelings ever change but I made the decision - and I'm not one who grieve over my own decision. I've since been meeting new people.

I can't recall anything bizarre in November besides me having pork overdose on my birthday! Less than a week later when I had dinner with Huai Bin at Finnegan's, he ordered another pork knuckle and I swear at that point I don't want to see anymore pork knuckle ever! haha. Most of the nights in November were spent with me puffing shisha! Ah, i'm definitely gonna miss it! And of course the great company. Beng, I'm already missing you as I'm typing this!



I only started searching for jobs in December so three weeks was spent in KL attending interviews. I was lucky enough to secure a job after only going for interview in two MNCs. One told me I was too good for the job and another hired me. I'm blessed, really. Oh Oh, a female nurse also touched my breast in December. Lol!



My last hours of 2010 was spent having coffee with a friend before we adjourned for beers to usher the new year. It turns out to be a wrong decision because we were in the club of the wrong demographics and the whole atmosphere was a tad too weird - albeit an interesting sight. haha! p/s : Thanks for the company Christopher!

I'm leaving Kuching tomorrow and will start the beginning of 2011 stepping into the rat race. Hopefully everything works out well. :)

Happy New Year all!

Bing! Coffee - Kuching, Sarawak

I always tell people I just met one thing, "I'm a very boring person by nature." Out of well, probably courtesy they would tell me, "No, No, you're not!". Haha. But it's true my normal daily activities involves me spending most of my time lounging in a coffee joint, either with friends or me alone.



Even my idea of a great date is boring! I just had a perfect date and would love to write about it - just so you would know how simple my expectations are and I can have more guys asking me out here. Hahaha!

Something I do acknowledge is that my readers are not usually from Sarawak and I feel very obligated to write about Bings!, a place I really enjoy back home. It's a famous local grown coffee chain (Yes, we do have Starbucks in Kuching in case you're wondering -.-) that is doing reasonably well in Kuching with three outlets under their belt.



Even though it is local grown and is not obligated to any franchise royalty, the prices here aren't exactly cheap. Well, they can't be charging half of what Starbucks is charging for one reason. Their coffee are brewed using illy's coffee beans, an Italian blend with qualities at par with the one Starbucks is using.

I can't possibly write and comment each and every drink I had there cause well to begin with, the knowledge I know about coffee is too little to be commenting and next I don't think I have a long list of adjective to describe coffee. But two of my all time favourite drink from Bings! are Ice blended Tiramisu served with a sponge finger and the espresso machiatto. (both pictured below)




The interior of all three Bing's outlet is of Balinese inspired and while I am not a fan of the Buddha paintings and the likes, I love the couches there. The dim lighting also made the place perfect for an intimate outing with close friends. It's nice to laze on the couch and I have a thing about reading in low lights - I know it's bad for my eyes. :p




All the hot drinks here are served with an almond biscotti and a cookie. The biscuits are nothing much to write upon - I usually just leave them.



If you're not a fan of anything coffee, fret not! They do serve non-coffee drinks. There's flavored tea if you don't mind paying RM 8 for a tea beg. It's obviously not ordered by me - hell, would I pay so much for tea. Lol.



The Ice Blended Chocolate Blueberry is good too for a change. Generous Blueberry! It's slightly sweet so if you're diabetic, this is not for you. :p

Their Tiramisu is by far the best I've tasted. It's very rich and I don't think it can ever be finish by one person! Best of all, it's only RM12.90! Beats Alexis' famous and expensive (RM 17 per slice, not to mention half the size) Tiramisu anytime!



I've also sampled their carrot slice. Having worshiped meat all my life, cakes made of vegetables are not something I am fond of. Lol. But this was ordered to share with my friend and If taken at small portion, it's actually quite nice. :)



The ironic thing is that I'm also writing this from a coffee joint! Was in Starbucks Great Eastern Mall (staying nearby, come visit me!) since 8 this morning. Finished reading Escape before I started blogging.



Ah, pleasures of life is to read a nice magazine (not Cleo please.yucks.lol) with a good cup of coffee. Love!

How to prepare Christmas Turkey with Stuffing

If you've read my blog long enough, you would know that I am one who is not fascinated by any festivals. The only one that I get really thrilled is the jolly Christmas! Partly because it comes with really awesome food and it's also the only time I get to eat to eat turkey. It's not that its of much difference compared to chicken but I love the preparation!



Last year was actually the first time I had a hands-on experience on preparing the turkey. My parents were away for holiday and they gave me the responsibility to prepare the Christmas dinner. :P

The turkey price ranges from RM 95 - RM 150 depending on size and has to be defrosted thoroughly before marinating it. The turkey is marinated overnight with minced/blended garlic, black pepper, worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, salt and MSG. Marinating it overnight will also ensure the meat to be tender and moist.



For the stuffing, finely diced onions, fennel, button mushrooms and sausages. Try not to used the local frozen sausages as they tend to be quite soft. I used Vienna sausages where you can get it at Cold Storage for roughly RM 27 - a pack of five.



The diced potatoes and carrots are to be pre-boiled to cook. Let it cook for about 75% only though. You don't want them to be slimy and soft once the turkey is cooked.



Then you also have the streaky bacon. It's pre sauteed so that the caramelized fats of the bacon would add flavors to the stuffing.



Mixed all the above ingredients together with italian herbs, black pepper, salt and MSG.



Before you start cutting the vegetables and what not, remember to soak the bread in the milk first. White bread soak faster but I used wholemeal loaf so it take a while to fully soak. This is added to the stuffing so that the stuffing would be slightly creamy (not the liquid kind of creamy but you get the idea right?) and at the same time won't be all lose and scattered.



Once the bread is soaked thoroughly, mixed it with the other stuffing ingredients. It should look like this before being stuffed into the turkey.



There's actually no "engineering" to stuffing the turkey. Just stuff it till it's full, then stitch it. Remember not to cut away the skin at the upper breast - if you do, then you have nothing to cover your stuffing. I'm sure surgeons or doctors are good at this. Lol.



Rub butter on the turkey skin and arrange rolled streaky bacon the side. Bacon are like magic in cooking. They always add flavors to any cooking especially the fat streaky ones! hehe.



Roasting the turkey takes a long time so if you have guests coming, you should at least have five hours grace. The turkey should also be put on room temperature at least an hour before roasting.



To avoid it from being too dry - as it will be roasted for a couple of hours, glaze the turkey skin with butter and the oil that ooze out from the turkey itself every fifteen minutes or so.



Once the temperature thermometer is all popped up, your turkey is done! Serve it with sides of your choice. :D



If you're not too tired after all the turkey roasting, you can also prepare espagnole sauce to go with the turkey. It's very easy!

Melt about five tablespoon of butter (They say Christmas is when you put on weight :P) with about three tablespoon of flour.



Then add the turkey goodness - stock from the roasting! :P



Stir in a very low heat cause you don't want it to curdle, and you're done!



Serve the espagnole sauce with the roasted turkey. Bon Apetit!



This is actually a post I had been wanting to write for a year. I didn't wanna blog right after I prepare it cause I didn't see the relevance of writing about how to prepare turkey after Christmas. A year has passed and now Christmas is just less than a week away from today, so I hope this post comes in handy.

Feliz Navidad everyone! ;D

Mr. Ho Fine Food

It usually take a while for me to review a restaurant I visited but I had such awesome time on my birthday that I feel obligated to write it straight away! The initial plan was to have dinner at this Indonesian restaurant that I've been wanting to try but upon arrival, the restaurant was packed, a tad too noisy and the menu was just too disappointing. So we hopped on to the restaurant opposite.

Mr. Ho is a place I really liked but have not visited since I left Kuching for my tertiary education. That was four years ago! The interior didn't change much though and I was keeping my fingers crossed the food will be as good.



For appetizer we had Bruschetta (RM 7.00). Slightly soggy for my liking but taste wise, it was definitely above edible. The price is however on the higher end though. RM 7 for four slices of garlic toasted loaf and some tomatoes on top is not cheap. It was a good thing that the taste does justice for the price. A note of advice though - the garlic taste is really strong so if you're on your first date, this is not recommended. :P



The Spaghetti Aglio Olio (RM 14.90) With Chili Flakes was a very straight forward dish but at the same time very tasty! It has a hint of spiciness and the spaghetti was done al dente. I like! :D



Highlight of the night was the Pork Knuckle (RM47.90). It was orgasmic! Or if you like, ejaculation of flavors! Hehe. It was divine. The skin were oh so crispy and the meat were oh so juicy! It has enough ratio of both fats and lean meat. *high* However, the portion is enough to feed at least five diners and we actually had trouble finishing it!



I almost forgotten the fact that I am not blessed with a good metabolism rate and ordered German Sausage Platter (RM 30.90) even after knowing the large serving of pork knuckle. :p The platter comes with four sausages of different sizes (no pun intended. heh heh heh) and I find the biggest one to be the best. (heh heh heh. lol) I didn't like the accompanying sides of fried cabbage though. Felt like it degrade the whole dish.



Of course, after ordering all the fatty meat we felt a sense of responsibility (Lol) to eat vegetables and ordered Caesar Salad (19.90). The salad was a good complement to the rest of the fat-laden dishes. I love the salami and crushed garlic. Goes really well with the romaine lettuce.

Being a food lover, it was actually very therapeutic to see so much food lay before my eyes! Lol.



I have to give credit to the restaurant on the time frame (no more than 15 minutes!) used on preparing the food. We arrived quite famished - it was a wet night (the rain! *winks*) and everyone were driving so slow the whole night!



After all the food, it was cake time! My friend also made all the hostess and kitchen staff to sing along the birthday song! :D

We then adjourned for a good shisha session (and me being a regular there got it for free with extra nicotine to boot! :D) and of course by then we were so pork overdose that we ended up laughing just about everything! But it was all good, good, good and I couldn't ask for a better birthday night out.

Gracias much for the great time! You know who you are :D