happy 1st birthday

TO MY BLOG!!!

its been a year since i started this blog.. right in the middle of the study break for EOS3. mainly as a form of relaxation and also to put some recipes cos (i don't mean to brag) friends often ask me for recipes, so here is an easy way, i can put photos and all as well. and it extended to food reviews as well.
and its hard to separate the "food posts" from my other personal posts cos sometimes is connected! that's why its a jumble sometimes :P

some basic facts about my bloggie:
Day I opened it: 27th may 2007
Day I put up a hit counter: 4th February 2008
hits so far: 4200
(I am quite surprised that people actually read my blog. and apparently I was the one that started the whole "who can get 1000 hits faster" well, indirectly anyway ;p)
posts so far: 191 (including this) and more to come :)

Daiki kafe *revisit*

another quick food review.
daiki kafe. click here for my first review.

DAIKI CAFE
143 JALAN SS 15/5A
SUBANG JAYA

their deco is very nice also. its like a kopitiam, with wooden chairs and marble top tables. and the most unique thing is the bamboo plants (is it? I'm not sure what plants they are) lined outside the shop.

the nanyang coffee (rm1.90) it was love at first sip for my mum. smooth, rich and just the right balance of sweetness and bitterness. realized i didn't take a photo before consuming..sooo it looks abit messy

ice lemon tea. refreshing :) not like others which comes from powder form, i think this is real tea. with lemon. the "tea" taste is stronger, which is nice. i liked it anyway

plain nasi lemak (rm2.50) sambal is very very nice. anchovies are crispy too.
gyoza (rm6.500 deep fried dumplings. yummy meaty filling.
garlic fried rice (rm5.50) very good also. fragrant with lots of garlic pieces and egg. quite a big serving for me.
kim-chi hot pot udon (rm9.90) the star of the day. the soup was sour spicy and very appetizing, perfect for a cold rainy day to give you that warm and fuzzy (and a little fiery) feeling. Udon noodles and nice and thick, providing a nice bite. comes with carrots, different types of mushroom and some other stuff. a must try!
toast bread. crisp on the outside but there is still a soft tender bite. with butter and kaya in the middle.

very satisfying lunch. can't remember the exact prices, but a meal for 4 of us costs rm36.90

rating
food&drinks: 7.5/10
price: 7.5/10
ambiance:8/10
service:7/10
overall: 7.5/10

kafe 888

as promised, here is a restaurant review cos i am on schedule (surprisingly) but tomorrow is going to be bad :( electricity will be cut from 10am till 4pm. OMG, there goes my nerding session. anyway...we went for dinner at 888 coffee and tea in kota damansara cos we have heard lots of stuff about it in the food blog sphere

Cafe 8881-1,
Jalan PJU 5/10,
Dataran Sunway47810 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul EhsanTel: 03-61416560

click here for another good review

apparently 888 was a brand of coffee very very long time ago (according to my dad)
the deco is very nice. lots of white and wood elements. nostalgic yet has a modern touch to to it.


service was excellent. the staff were friendly and very efficient.

now about the food and drinks. their menu has a mix of malaysian, nyonya and western food. also light snacks, ideal for breakfast for a quick bite in the evening.

this is the drink that i ordered. rose tea (cold) (RM 3.00) it was very fragrant and soothing BUT......it caused my hours of my beauty sleep. one night before my mock OSCE some more.
Lime juice (rm 3.90) tasted abit weird, i think its not 100% from lime juice.
our starter. inchi kabin chicken (rm7.90) i expected something aromatic and flavourful. but i was soooo disappointed with this dish :( the chicken was meaty but it was too dry and not well marinated. so much so that it tasted bland.

the nyona platter (rm12.90) top marks for presentation. served with prawn sambal, inchi kabin chicken, sotong curry.it was so-so only. sambal not bad, had two prawns in it, but i'd prefer it to be spicier. sotong gravy was a bit watery.

ahh, this dish saved the day, easily the star of the day. nyonya spicy fried rice (rm 8.80)served with a piece of chicken wing, which was very delicious-sweet and spicy and bursting with flavour. rice was good, spicy enough for me and very fragrant.

last but not least, the seafood aglio olio(rm 15.90) tossed in olive oil, lots of garlic and herbs and a hint of chili. im just guessing the ingredients cos it tastes awfully like the one i always cook (except that i never tried using seafood-hmmm, shall try next time round) it was good.

time for dessert. this is the star of the day (dessert category:P). caramel custard (rm4.90) smooth silky and oh so rich. caramel sauce is simply divine. and i found a recipe in Flavours magazine. you wouldn't wanna know how many eggs and how much milk they use. but that won't stop me from trying it ;p

and finally one of my all time favourite, sago pudding. (rm3.90) a huge mass of sago (i love looking at them, so pearly and all) in coconut milk and gula melaka. nice :)

overall, its a nice place to dine, but prices are a little steep. the meal for four of us (everything that i reviewed) came up to about 68 ringgit.

and i came up with a new review system that is more comprehensive, after looking at how some other food bloggers do their review

food and beverage: 7/10

price: 6/10

environment: 9/10

service: 9/10

overall: 7/10

and then we went around kota damansara which is developing into a "happening" place with lots of makan makan places and BOUTIQUES. and there was one in particular, glitter venus..where my sister found her DREAM DRESS,.the owner is a young, pretty and friendly lady who is so good in doing business. i shall do a proper "boutique review" the next time i visit this shop again.

but just a sneak preview of the pink dress..(on me. muahahha) and it only costs about 80 ringgit.

**and to all who sent comforting messages, thank you. i appreciate it loads. i know bee yuen is happy in bunny heaven**

my baby is in bunny heaven

My precious yuen mei, or fondly known as baybee is bunny heaven

im so so so so so sad :(

so this is a page dedicated to her.

the thought that she is in bunny heaven with snowy comforts me a little

and i'm already tired of crying. this is so depressing. no more keeping white bunnies from now on.

no one can replace yuen yuen anyway

hope there are lots of pots in bunny heaven so you can hop in each and everyone of them
when she was small, she already learnt how to jump up into the rubbish bin and scour for food.

her manja-ness just grows on to you...


when she just arrived, i made her pose with mashi maro

working hard on my used school books
she was sooo teeny
and the pink flower. love this photo
no more playing three guesses (a silly game my sister and I play. try to guess what is yuen yuen doing...stretched out, ball-ing, grooming etc)

and no more luring her with oranges (her ultimate favourite treat)

she was a gift from James, when we were in college and i was so sad because my previous bunny died too (snowy) . and James gave her to me to cheer me up.. thats one of the reason i love her so much. *sob sob* she was supposed to turn 3 in july. i figured she was born in july, so we share the same birthday. sighhhh

i already miss you, my baby.....

may you rest in peace.

hot, bothered, tired and sleepy :(

just a post to complain.

had a long day today.
hardly got any sleep last night (maybe about 2-3 hours)
may be due to the rose tea i drank for dinner in 888 coffee&tea. (review will be up next week maybe if my studies are on schedule, plus photos are not with me)
or the fact that my MOCK OSCE was the next day
a combination of both factors made me toss and turn in bed, and trying to convince myself that is only A MOCK EXAM.
as morbid thoughts filled my head(oh no..how to sit for mock osce, what if i fell asleep???)
i finally got a few hours of restless sleep.
mock osce was actually not that scary. was lucky cos our stream got the more lenient lecturers.
did ok for PE, but i think i flunked my history taking and self standing. nevermind...
and don't know why IMU was so hot today. right from PBL to Mock OSCE and during lectures as well. what happen to the crazy air conds that made IMU a freezer before this????

less than 6 WEEKS. arghhh
tummy is growling and stacks of notes are awaiting. feel much better after a cold shower and locking myself in the air cond room.
only one consolation tonight-desperate housewives =) yes, one show that i simply can't sacrifice..

Cheesy chicken baked rice

latest recipe (and for a long time to come...)
cheesy chicken baked rice, recipe given by a friend who went for a "cooking course" for electives, with some of my modifications

ingredients
(A)
3pieces chicken thigh/breast, remove skin and cube the chicken
1pc lotus leaf ( i used bamboo leave instead)
1pc aluminium foil
3 cups boiled rice
(B)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
5 shallots. chopped
3tbsp vegetable oil

4-5 sliced button mushroom ( i added this wonderful ingredient)

seasoning
12 tablespoon tomato puree ( i used ready made spaghetti sauce, left over from the last time i cooked spaghetti)-if you want more sauce, put more puree
1tsp salt and ground black pepper
3tbsp sugar
3tbsp sake/ white cooking wine

topping
200g cheddar cheese
200g mozzarella cheese
(I'm not sure how much cheese i use..about 3 slices cheddar and..some mozzarella-its really up to you)

method:
1. marinade chicken cubes with salt, pepper and cornflour (i added some oregano)
2. heat oil in pan, fry shallot and garlic, add chicken and stir fry till it turns opaque
3. add in the seasonings and stir fry until the chicken is cooked
4. line a bamboo steaming tray (like the picture below) with bamboo/lotus leaves. brush with melted butter
5. spread a layer of cooked rice. and top it up with the chicken. sprinkle the cheese.
6. wrap the whole thing up with aluminium foil
7. bake in preheated oven at 180 Celsius for 20 minutes

bon appetite!

you will need a bamboo steaming tray. I got this from the HONG KONG shop in endah parade. sri petaling at RM19.90 melt the butter and brush it on the bamboo leaves


layer of rice
chicken topping
wrap up the whole steaming basket (without cover) bake it.... and here is the result. it would look nicer if the cheese is slightly burnt, like the one they serve in restaurants (thinking of Kim Gary in particular ;p)

it tastes good, very satisfying and the cheese is YUMMY. gooey, thick and all =) pure indulgence!

love this recipe. would try out more variants and make some adjustments. like using mushroom cream sauce, adding some vegetables to make it a complete meal.

Sushi Zanmai, 1 Utama

Another visit to sushi Zanmai. This time with my family and a newly open outlet in
1 UTAMA new wing .its at 2nd floor, high street.
near MPH and HOME LIVING shop.
Mummy's first time eating at a japanese restaurant ;p

the deco and open kitchen is similar to the one in pyramid, but this is more "open"

the front cover of the HUGE menu. i love their menu. it come with the description and a colored photograph..

the soft shell crab maki (rm6) although its a little messy, it still tastes good

but since it was almost closing time (we went there at 9pm and the was still a queue!) and it was still rather packed, service was quite slow. =( had to wait super long for the food to arrive and some of the food were sloppily done.

tuna (rm2.80) my sister coaxed me into taking a bite..and it tastes nothing like fish. not fishy at all, surprisingly. cooked fish tastes even "fishier" than raw fish. doesn't sound right. LOL

my main meal. chicken katsu don (rm8.80) rice with chicken cutlet and egg. the mushrooms were a great addition as well. yummy and very satisfying. love the japanese rice they use. so small, short and "plumpy"

this is the chuka wakame. (rm3.80)raw seaweed, my sister's favourite. hmm..it was...chewy and springy. and according to my mum, it reminded her vaguely about....a fish tank. hahahha

my dad's main dish. chicken katsu curry (rm10.80) curry tastes different. not spicy at all. not bad-la

ahh. this is the star of the day!
pan fried garlic rice (rm6.80) fragrant and nice. and packed with egg and...not much "liau" but it still Delicious. right up to every grain.

my sister's main meal. kakiage soba (rm8.80) soba with prawn and squid and mushroom and seaweed. quite nice also :)

another good dining experience at sushi zanmai..