Those that get out and about tell me that the latest asian dining fashion is to eat bowls of ramen soup. It is ‘big in Japan’ as Alaphaville sweetly sang (sing-Along here as it’s Friday). In Japan it is normal to have specialist Ramen soup shop on every corner. In the UK we have been a part of the ‘Wagamama’ and ‘Yo Sushi’ crowd for a few years now, but it’s only recently that the UK has embraced the real Ramen dish. This soup is on basic levels a combo of noodles, broth, vegetables (bamboo and bean sprouts a must), meat, and egg.

If you get the chance to eat at a Ramen bar, then go for it, as when it’s made properly, with love, expertise, and hours and hours of simmering to find the ‘perfect’ broth, then you will be hooked. Your soup will be either made with a chicken, pork or (no bone) broth, and they are likely to be named TONKOTSU Ramen, MISO Ramen, or SOY Ramen. This food is fun and satisfying for any takers. We take the kids all the time, and what we often do is order them each a bowl of steamed rice, and then share our soup with them. Get the kids their own chopsticks, and get them practising the art of chopsticking (?!) and that will kill at least 9 minutes until the soups arrive.

One of the cutting edge Ramen joints at the moment is Bone Daddies Rock n Roll Ramen Bar in Soho, which was set up by Zuma and Nobu veteran Ross Shonhan. Bone Daddies is a heaving and fun place for all the Soho regulars, and visitors. Our absolute favourite though is at the Regent St end of Brewer St :  Ittenbari. There are others, and the best bet is to head over to Time Out, and read up on their reviews of London’s Best Ramen Bars to find out where and when to slurp your soup.

We also hear on the blog-vine that there are fantastic take-away dumplings to be had over at Brick Lane, and check out the Rainbo traders van that sell boxes of homemade gyoza, miso soup and edamame at Kings Cross/ Granary Square, (check the Kerb website for a schedule of traders trading). Whilst we are here chatting pop-up market traders, another find of ours was the selection of food to be had at Leather Lane, EC1. There is a huge fan base for Daddy Donkey mexican, and a few other asian and middle eastern stalls that all looked really good when we were last there. I doubt there is much going on at the weekend though, as it’s a commercial part of town. Oh, and not forgetting the now popular Hackney institution that is Street Feast London, located in Merchant Yard opp the Kingsland Road station. It is open from 5pm to midnight on Fridays and on some weekends.

If you want to play the Dim Sum card, then below are a few classic picks around town, but again, we recommend a little flirt with our friend Google, Time Out, Square Meal and your favourite food blogs to find out more, (and if you know your gyoza from your donburi that is). We aren’t top of the pack when it comes to duck tongue and chicken feet knowledge, and aren’t too fussy either, and as you know us Brits are far too polite to complain even if the ceiling caved, in and we were poisoned by a lethal prawn cracker. Let us know how you get on and what you find out.

Phoenix Palace

Long queues for weekend dim sum demonstrate the pulling power of Phoenix Palace, proving that hardcore fans will do almost anything for their fix of duck tongues in sesame dressing or crispy Scottish lobster dumplings – not to mention spring-onion pancakes, ‘briny’ pork croquettes, crispy dough sticks & the odd incursion of Japanese gyoza. The capacious & ornately decorated dining room is stuffed with embossed carvings, lacquered furniture & red velvet curtains, giving it enough superficial razzle to occupy diners who also want to splash out on the likes of sticky braised beef casserole with lettuce, ma po aubergine or – perhaps unwisely – ostrich fillet flambéed with port & shallots. Service can be a tad too brusque for some, but the food remains ‘amazing’.

Royal China, Baker Street

With much more personality than some outlying London branches of the chain, Royal China on Baker Street continues to pack them in for daytime dim sum & a hefty Cantonese menu in the evening. The burnished gold & black interior still feels smart, & prices mirror this, though canny ordering can help to keep bills under control. Popular dim sum includes steamed satay cuttlefish, sesame paper prawn rolls & the house cheung fun, while the full carte (from 6pm) brings a competently produced repertoire featuring Royal China specials such as a hot pot of chicken & abalone or stuffed aubergine with minced shrimp alongside Cantonese standards (chicken with cashews, honey-roast pork, beef with chilli & black bean sauce). Alas, surly & uncaring staff, & some ‘cynical’ behaviour when it comes to extracting tips & service charges have been reported.

Ping Pong, Southbank

This is often on our ‘go to’ list for a few reasons. 1. It is right beside Tower Bridge, the Thames, Design Museum, Unicorn Theatre, Borough Market, London Bridge Station, Hays Galleria, City Hall and so much more. 2. It is one of our best places to scoot. 3. They are kid friendly, 4.  In the Summer, there are fun fountains on the paved area right outside the restaurant. The kids go mad for them. 5. I think you get the picture! The dim sum does us and the kids fine. They have a cute bento box kids menu, with ice-cream and chocolate buttons, and although it’s often busy the service is always attentive.

Imperial China, Lisle Street, China Town

They say at Time Out that this regal venue has lost its sparkle, but when we sneaked in for lunch in March, we ate and drank well and seemed to fit in well to the authentic set up, even if we did keep imaging James Bond to swing over on a Chandelier chasing an evil glass eyed baddy. Imperial China has a kind of formal-mafia feel to it, like there could be a few meetings happening behind the scenes between Imperial Royalty and MI5 agents, discussing Russian/Turkish petro-chemical business deals.

We ate the dim sum, which did the trick, and then the flat noodle/beef dish, that beat us, but that was my fault for ordering the prawn crackers again. If you are a Chinese gastro-expert, and worried about a the lack of good reviews, then maybe just stick with the safer options, enjoy the oolong tea, and see how many chopsticks you can balance on top of one another!

Leongs Legends, Chinatown W1D

Arrive in the afternoon when this dark-panelled, teahouse-style Taiwanese specialist is half-empty, or risk queues and hurried dining. Select any of the following: xiao long bao (crab or the original pork); luscious, soup-filled baozi (an absolute steal at eight for £6.50); meltingly tender belly pork and rice (a fantastic cheap lunch for £5.20); aubergine with mashed garlic and tao pan sauce; or the super-garlicky, salty-spicy chilli garlic crab, already cracked for convenient eating. We don’t, however, recommend the congee. Dishes sometimes arrive at staggered intervals. Try to ignore the purist next to you moaning about how it’s not all truly Taiwanese food, and then leave only marginally poorer.

Mantou are originating from Northern China.  These buns are soft and fluffy in texture, pretty plain in taste, not sure if everyone will like it but I’m a big fan.  I like to eat them fresh straight after steaming (plain) or deep fry them.  You can also give it a little sweet flavor by dipping in condensed milk.

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve dried yeast in warm water.
2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, attach the dough hook and mix the ingredients with low speed.  Knead the dough until it’s smooth, around 10 minutes.  Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
3. Dust a clean work surface lightly with flour, roll out the dough to a 25” x 6” rectangle.  Fold it into thirds and roll it out again to approx. 17” x 10” rectangle.  Brush the surface with water.
4. Roll the dough tightly from the longer edge to form a log.  Cut the log into half and cut out 4 even pieces from each log.
5. Prepare 8 square pieces of parchment paper, slightly larger than the bun.  Put parchment paper under each bun.
6. Place buns in a large steamer (most steamers have multi layers), pour some cold water in the bottom of the steamer, cover and let the buns rise for 20 minutes.
7. After the final rise, steam the buns for 20 minutes until they are cooked and puffed.
8. If not eaten immediately, they can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.  Reheat them in a steamer for 5 minutes after removing them from the freezer.

Somewhere tucked away deep in my heart is a precious place called Hong Kong.

After a three and a half hour flight, I was surrounded by pastels and plenty.

Plenty of food, people, signs and buildings.

Prior to this trip, I felt that three days would be sufficient. But as I began to plan, I knew I had miscalculated some things. I must return to Hong Kong. It’s raining today, which reminds me of my three days in Hong Kong. This also explains the lack of pictures I took on my trip–rain and cameras don’t mix well. What you see here is pretty much all I have. Instead I was more involved in my trip.

I’m still craving the dim-sum from Tim Ho Wan. I found refuge from the downpour at a cozy tea shop called Hollywood Tea Gallery. I was hosted by Virginia and treated to a lovely taste-testing session. I haven’t found anything like this experience in Seoul. When I was researching for this trip, I asked the Twitter travel community via Lonely Planet for some advice on where to get tea. Many suggestions led me to try Hong Kong’s famous pantyhose milk tea at Lan Fong Yuen. I also recommend trying their yin yeung (tea+coffee).

Aside from stuffing my face (a sign of a good trip, in my opinion), I got lost, I went up to the peak for a very foggy city view, found the giant rubber duck, and imagined being part of the cast in Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express when I explored the famous Chungking Mansions.

(above: pantyhose tea)

I have only dined twice at the Crystal Mall food court, and both experiences were completely underwhelming. The food was so bad that I almost completely blocked out my memories of the two meals in my mind. I blocked out the name of the stalls I visited as well as the names of the dishes I ordered. All I can remember was that the food was cold and that the flavours were unidentifiably suspect. I gave up on the food court after my second visit. I have never had food from the food court since then and I planned never to return unless a new stall opened up to great reviews.

But I had a change of heart yesterday. I decided to give the food court a few more chances. I reasoned that I shouldn’t be such a cynic and dismiss the entire food court just because I happened to receive bad food from two of its stalls. After all, there are more than a few reviews in the blogsphere by highly-regarded critics/bloggers singing the praises of the food offered by some of the stalls.

I started with Xu’s Wonton House – which seemed to be one of the better-reviewed stalls in the food court. I ordered two dishes: the XLB and the wontons in red oil (spicy chili oil).

The wontons in red oil tasted like wontons in red, lite soy sauce. The spice level of the sauce was very low, and so was the saltiness. Even though I knew that the sauce was in no way watered down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow some of the water that was used to boil the wontons made their way into the chili soy sauce and diluted it. The pork-based fillings of the wontons also tasted like they were flavour-deprived. While biting into the wontons, I was hoping that I would encounter scallion, napa, lard, or anything, ANYTHING that had a distinct and recognizable flavour; I never did. The best part of the wontons were their skins. They adhered nicely to the filling and stayed intact even when bumbled and mishandled by my clumsy lefty chopstick prods.

The XLBs were HUGE. They were, without a doubt, the largest individual soup dumplings that I remember having locally or anywhere else. I’ve never had any trouble stuffing any XLB in my mouth, but there was no way that this soup bun would fit. The XLB was so big that it actually took me three bites to finish each bun. There was also a lot of soup in each of the XLB. I was never able to suck all of the juices out of one bun without an excess amount dripping down onto my plate. The soup didn’t taste particularly unctuous or porky, it just tasted watery and bland. This blandness continued with the pork filling. Like the wonton filling, the XLB filling lacked flavours to the extreme. It also lacked any enjoyable textures. The filling was way too mushy from being inundated with too much soup. Unlike the skin of the wonton, the skin of the XLB was not its salvation. It was too tough and dry at the creases and it breached too easily at the sides. I was never able to not poke a hole in any of the five soup buns that I attempted to pick up with my chopsticks.

Xu’s Wonton House served me disappointing XLBs and wontons. This would normally be a deal breaker and discourage me from ever trying their food again, but I actually already have plans to revisit Xu’s because I want to try out their Chinese breakfast items (sticky rice balls, beef rolls, and egg pancakes). I’ll just be steering clear of their selection of dough-wrapped-minced-pork items.

…unless you’re telling me every restaurant in Ashfield isn’t authentic Shanghainese, in which case AWKWARD.

But anywho, authenticity is never something I valued much – when friends say “it’s really good – it’s authentic!” I go “ahhh that’s great ” without really meaning it. After all, in the end, who cares if it’s authentic or not, as long as it tastes good.

Well, that small rant aside, I’m pretty stoked that it finally opened in Hurstville (which is close to where I live now). I barely ever eat out at Hurstville, but I decided to give the Hursie branch of ToS a go, just to see how things have changed (or not) since my various stints at Ashfield.

Date Visited: 11/12/2012
Address: 177 Forest Rd, Hurstville NSW 2220
Go-to dish: them dumplings & xiao long bao

Definitely can’t mistake this place for anything but a Chinese restaurant (Y)

The decor is very similar to the one back at Ashfield – the use of exposed brick seems to be a hallmark. It works – the restaurant stands out from both the outside, as well as the inside.

One day I’ll be able to read this. One day.

I’ve actually been to Hurstville’s ToS twice now, but didn’t take pictures the second time around. Kind of unfortunate, as the second time I had a much larger variety of dishes, but suffice to say I was pretty happy with them (for the record: deep fried milk dough – yum, fish fillet in sizzling hot sauce – yum yum, pan fried pork buns w/sesame – yum!).

Still, you go to ToS for the dumplings. They’re as good as the ones from Din Tai Fung, but when it comes to dumplings, home made is still the best (unless you suck at making dumplings in which case, there’s ToS/DTF for you).

Curry crab meat/beef & basil xiao long bao

I list two flavours not because what’s pictured is both (it’s the former), but because I’ve had the latter too and they both look the same anyway.

Xiao long bao is pretty much what anyone gets when they visit a place like this. It’s almost like rice – you pretty much always order it as part of your meal. And of course why not – xiao long bao is DELICIOUS

• Though I gotta say, I question my own choice of picking “curry” as a flavour. It tastes really…weird. Not bad per se, but something I have to acclimate to. The taste could best be described as…juicy meat + Chinese medicine flavour. Okay that does not paint a good picture, but it’s like durian – smells like rubbish but actually tastes pretty good. That analogy does not work if you dislike durian, in which case I can’t help you any more son.
• The beef & basil flavour is a lot more standard, though still “out there” with the use of basil. It’s very Thai-like, and tastes like a fusion of sorts. It’s not bad.
• Xiao long bao is all about that juicy soup that bursts out when you break the tender soft skin. ToS has no problems with this – so savoury and hearty. I could (and have) eaten up to 40 of these in one go before. It’s like chips, but healthier and more delicious.

Like ramen, I have a constant craving for xiao long bao. Heck, I feel like going to Hurstville right now to order some…

Obligatory close-up

The inside of the curry xiao long bao

The inside of the beef xiao long bao

Braised pork dumplings w/sticky glutinous rice rice

The last time I tried braised pork sticky rice dumplings before this time was years and years ago. Parents usually don’t order it on when we have yum cha as they reckon it’s not very healthy. Well they’re mostly right about that, so I ordered a set this time when they weren’t around

• I didn’t like these too much; too much sticky rice, didn’t taste the pork as much, and there wasn’t much overall flavour to it. 
• It does taste a lot better with soy sauce (which is on every dable), but most things taste better with soy sauce so…
• Overall too much stickiness for the flavour it brings

Well, I guess I won’t be getting this again.

Carbs wrapping more carbs mmmmm…..

Poached pork dumplings in chilli oil

My god that chilli oil…

So you know how dumplings are generally meant to be healthy right? Well there’s always a way to turn anything healthy into something that’s outright artery-clogging. Just add copious amounts of chilli oil.

• Then again, the dumplings do taste better because of it. Add in some soy sauce, and you’ve got a wonderfully oily, juicy dumpling on your hands (hopefully not literally)
• The filling on the inside is also some of the best that ToS produces. If I were to have hand made dumplings that aren’t made at home, I sure wouldn’t mind getting some of these (parents can’t make xiao long bao unfortunately).
• Just watch yourself, it sure doesn’t rest easy on your blood vessels. You can wipe the oil off if you wish, but then what’s the point?

Man those juicy dumplings…

Firm pink flesh. Well cooked!

There seems to be a lot of criticism on review sites which drag ratings of the various ToS branches down that are primarily concerned with service. My own opinion is that most of the time service is on the mark. There was one occasion where it took way, WAY too long for a dish to come out (30+ minutes), which was just ridiculous, but that was an isolated incident.

Seriously, at peak times, ToS branches get queues, so I can forgive them if in their rush, the busied staff forgot an order. This is not fine dining, so give that a rest and empathise with the wait staff once in awhile.

Overall, a place I would go to if I just cannot be bothered going home to eat, or the parents don’t feel like cooking. That doesn’t happen often though, but when it does, may as well get some quality.

As usual, feel free to leave a comment or three

The Good: food that pretty much hits the mark with respect to their prices

What could be improved: flavour tuning for several of the dishes, extra wait staff during peak times

I give  a grand total of  seven Caesars out of ten – 7/10

Places to eat at:

Hong Kong Island – Aberdeen, Lan Kwai Fong, Murray House, SoHo East (Sai Wan Ho), SoHo, Stanley Main Street and Starstreet Precinct (Wan Chai)

Kowloon – Ashley Road, Knutsford Terrace & Observatory Court, Kowloon City, Lei Yue Mun, Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui East

New Territories & the Outlying Islands – Cheung Chau Seafood Street, Discovery Bay-D’Deck, Lamma Island and Sai Kung Seafood Street

The Must Eats 

Dim Sum

Steamed shrimp dumping, shao mai, barbecued pork bun, spring rolls.

Seafood

Hong Kong will always have fresh seafood!

Steamed fish, stir-fried fish, stir-fried crab, drunken shrimp.

Roast Meats

Barbecued pork, barbecued goose, roast pork.

Fine Dining

Restaurants to go to: Cépage, Amber, Ming Court

AND THIS WOULD BE THE BEST OF ALL…

LATE NIGHT EATS!

Hong Kong Desserts

Hotpot

Noodles and Congee

Spicy Chicken Wanton with Szechuan Soy Sauce

I’ve always enjoyed Asian food but since my trip to China (where I didn’t eat any of the local food, besides a caramel coated strawberry and taste of Macha Ice Cream ) I’ve developed a serious craving for the stuff, especially Dim Sum.

Dim Sum basically refers to a style of Cantonese food which is prepared as bite size pieces or individual portions and then either served in steamer baskets or on small plates.

I generally prefer to eat like this as it’s a great way to taste loads of different flavours. As my foodie friend Kath says “you get bored after a few bites anyway,” so why not eat a variety of dishes instead of one.

I’d been hearing loads about South China Dim Sum Bar from a lot of people lately so I’d been dying to go. They posted their menu on Facebook and as I read through it I literally salivated and enough was enough – I needed to eat there!

Luckily we managed to get a booking for the next night…

Situated at the top of Long Street, the decor is simple but quite lovely, I adore the old school Bruce Lee movie posters plastered on the wall. There’s a tiny kitchen and they serve everything (except wine or drinks) in or on eco-friendly cups, bowls or plates so no washing up is required (I’m seriously considering adopting this trick at home, imagine no more dishes?)

Kath ordered for us to share as she’s eaten there before and I trust her judgement. The menu is also incredibly small so you don’t have a massive amount of choice but trust me, the stuff you have to choose from is amazing.

Beef Pot Sticker with Chinkiang Black Vinegar and the Vegetable Pot Sticker with Nuoc Cham sweet chilli sauce

We started off with the Spicy Chicken Wanton with Szechuan Soy Sauce – a magic combination of chicken, water chestnuts, ginger and spring onion in a poached wheat dumpling. Really gorgeous flavours which left me wonton more (get it?) Next we had the two choices of pot stickers on the menu – Beef with Chinkiang Black Vinegar and the Vegetable with Nuoc Cham sweet chilli sauce. Both absolutely delicious and possibly the best I’ve tasted to date.

We then each had a Char Siu Bao which is a small steamed fluffy wheat bum filled with honey-roasted pork and onion. Definitely much nicer than the ones I’ve had in the past but I much prefer wontons and pot stickers to these buns as I find them incredibly heavy. Seriously delicious though, and the perfect portion size. We then ended off our meal with the Cold Sesame Noodle Salad which was exquisite. Cold noodles tossed in soy dressing with carrot, cucumber, red peppers, spring onions, beans sprouts, peanuts and sesame seeds. Really crunchy and smacks of freshness.

Char Siu Bao

Unfortunately their pressure cooker wasn’t working so I didn’t get to try the Braised Beef Short Rib but I will definitely give it another shot next time, because there will be a next time. Many in fact…

Open Tues-Sat for dinner from 6.30pm – 10.00pm and lunch Tues-Fri from 12.30pm to 3.00pm. Bookings are essential as this place is extremely popular and only seats around 30 odd people. Reservations on 078 846 3656.

Gigi’s Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar! Gigi’s Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar is located at 5085 Westhemer, #B2515 in The Galleria with entrances inside the mall and on Westheimer, over by Del Frisco’s. Stop in, say hi to Bryce and check out the world-class whiskey selection. On Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there’s all-you-can-eat dim sum for $15. http://bit.ly/79QL9q

Wow, it’s been a long time since I last wrote something here.

So I’ve been spending the last few days just hanging out as much as I can with family and friends before mid-May comes in and a new nerve wrecking, stressful semester kicks in. I need to store some fun memories first before I go back to the dark underworld known to many as school. Since both of us had nothing better to do, I invited Christine who’s a good friend of mine to make polymer miniatures. It’s been ages since I last touched that tin can containing all the clay and tools so I thought it’s a good time to finally take another crack at harnessing my miniature making skills. Besides, having company to make them with me wouldn’t be so boring. We we’re talking as we we’re shaping clay and making stuff until the topic got into Chinese food. So food became the main theme of our creations.

1. Pork Siu Mai with Ponzu sauce, Baby Carrots, Grape Tomatoes and Lettuce

Anybody notice one of the siu mais lacking a green pea on top?

Back where I come from, the two most commonly found dim sum items people sell there are pork buns and the more expensive and fancy siu mai. I absolutely love pork-shrimp siu mai dipped in a tangy sauce made of soy sauce and lime juice. Which is why in this miniature, I made three of them and a small bowl of golden Ponzu soy sauce (soy sauce with citrus). I don’t have a black polymer clay right now so I used brown to make the sauce. To take up more place on the plate, I added a couple of baby carrots, fresh grape tomatoes and a bed of lettuce. Like anybody would notice those when you’ve got three delicious siu mais popping out of your plate, right?

2. Stir Fried Noodles

I must say I’m 50/50 about this one. The main concept for this was like a sort of vegetable and meat chow mein. The green strips are sliced, crisp string beans, the red ones with white middles were tender pork slices and I don’t know if you guys could see it, but I’ve put some yellow scraps to make them look like scrambled eggs (my friend wanted scrambled eggs on hers). It looked awesome before I baked it but after I took it out of the oven, the top part came out burnt… Well that sucked as I hate burning poly clay miniatures. Anyhoo, if one looks at it the other way though, the dark colour on top of the noodles looked like the part was smothered in some sort of a sauce. So, I suppose it came out burnt in a good way. What do you guys think? Does it look edible?

3. Lobster on Pasta with Herbed Cheese Sauce

Yes, a whole lobster on pasta. Who the heck would serve it like this? 

After painstakingly making the noodles and the siu mai dish, I ran out of other fun ideas to create (I also made 8 crappy plates and an ugly pork bun). So I asked my friend what she would want to eat right now and when she said lobster, I readily got excited as lobster looks pretty intimidating and fun to make.

Until she said lobster on noodles with cheese sauce. Which is apparently, a favourite of hers.

Well, I certainly can’t deny my friend a miniature of her favourite dish and I also do not want to make boring, shredded lobster meat on a plate (might as well pretend they are crab or prawn meat), so a compromise was made and I served it like this. A whole lobster on a bed of pasta with herbed cheese sauce then sprinkled with parsley. Looks weird, eh?

]]> http://mzkimchi.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/dragon-view-chinese-cuisine/ Wed, 08 May 2013 17:21:33 +0000 mzkimchi http://mzkimchi.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/dragon-view-chinese-cuisine/

We made reservations on sunday, but of course being in Richmond and at a dim sum place, we still had to wait for a bit. The service wasn’t actually as bad as I thought or read on other blogs. But the place is quite jammed, I feel like I’m having dim sum with other people from other tables.

To start off, the deep friend seafood salad roll. The batter here isn’t as thick as other places, but because it was so light the salad dressing actually made the whole roll very soggy. There was only a little dressing, the entire thing was not jam packed.

These were some pretty big steamed shrimp dumplings. A lot bigger than the ones I’ve had in other Dim Sum restaurants. The skin was thick but somehow it broke easily. Or maybe it’s my lack of chopstick skills.

I wanted the Chinese donuts one, but… no one else did. Steamed Beef and parsley Rice Roll. Pretty standard, I actually like it a lot more than other places. The rice roll was just the right kind of thickness, a good balance between the beef and rice roll.

We ordered the typical dim sums, which are usually safe. The steamed Siu mai was alright. Very big again but very oily at the same time.

I’m not sure what this was called, but it had chicken, fish maw and…? I was wondering what that white thing was. I still don’t know what it is, but it wasn’t cooked thoroughly. So i took a bite and left it. It’s some kind of Chinese herb, I believe. The fish maw was good though, other than that, nothing spectacular about it.

Last thing that came was the steamed pig stomach with black pepper and Ginko. I’m not a fan of intestines and stuff, or any sorts of internal organs of animals haha. But this was actually pretty good. But I think it’s because of the sauce. And the texture of the stomach wasn’t as gross as I thought it was, it was chewy.

Overall, the food was alright. It wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t bad. I’ll come back next time and do the ordering myself and try out other things. Service was quite good even though it was super busy today.

The menu, as I  understand is not as extensive as the original branch in Hong Kong. And they have no Liu Sha Bao…which makes me sad. We had the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork ($4.50 for three), Steamed Egg Cake (ma lai gao, $3.8o), Siew Mai ($5) and har gao ($5.50). The Steamed Egg cake was softer than the local versions but was no great shakes, the BBQ pork bun however was the best I have ever tasted. With a polo bun shell and sweet bbq char siew on the inside, I had no problems polishing off three of these buns. The siew mai and har gao both contain pieces of fresh shrimp. They are also made to order, so none are just sitting around.

Their Teochew-style dumplings ($4) were filled with chives and pork-  which reminded me faintly of crystal dumplings – and the Beef Balls with Beancurd Skin ($4.40)was a miss for me. Both had an odd flavour that perhaps, I did not appreciate but others might. Tim Ho Wan is also well known for their liver chee cheong fun, but I got the BBQ pork filled rice roll (chee cheong fun) and that was simply heavenly. So were the deep fried Spring Rolls with Egg White. Mmm.

I have not eaten at the one in Hong Kong, so I do not have any preconceived notions about the dim sum at the Singaporean arm of Tim Ho Wan. It is definitely worth a visit, but I would never queue more than 20 minutes for it. Wait for the hype to die down, then go.

Tim Ho Wan is located at Plaza Singapura’s new extension on the first floor.

I am literally towards the end of my trip and it’s been so great to have home cooked meals by my auntie. The thing is, I never met my cousins from Melbourne until I arrived at the house. I was going to stay in a hostel in the CBD; however, to my surprise I had family in Australia.

My mom had asked if I could stay and fortunately they were able to accommodate me. Although it is about 40 minutes away by tram from the city, I was able to do everything I wanted and more. The family consisted of my uncle, aunt, and three sons. My dad’s grandfather and my uncle’s grandfather are brothers which makes me 3rd generation cousins. In addition, I learned that my uncle was on the same boat that my dad had organized to come to the States/Australia.

I have been eating out so much prior to coming to the house from Asia and just wanted my mom’s food in front of me. Of course, when I had walked into my cousin’s house, there was a familiar smell of home. My aunt had made pho. Yum! It was perfect because I went from 100 degree weather with 60% humidity to 4 seasons in one day in Melbourne. The weather was cloudy, cold, and around 50 degrees. Great night to have my big bowl of pho.

The next day, Rorky and his girl friend took me to see the Great Ocean road and the Twelve Apostles.

This is from Wikipedia:

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243-kilometre (151 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the world’s largest war memorial; dedicated to casualties of World War I. It is an important tourist attraction in the region, which winds through varying terrain alongside the coast, and provides access to several prominent landmarks; including the nationally significant Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations.

The drive took us about 7 1/2 hours total. I would recommend doing a camping trip and staying a bit longer especially when the weather is nice outside. Thankfully, it was for us! No rain in sight.

Got home and of course my aunt made us Ca Kho, caramelized fish simmered with onions and tomatoes. Delicious.

The next morning, I had decided to do a free walking tour in the CBD of Melbourne. Basically the city centre. I wasn’t sure what the weather was going to be like since it could be unpredictable but let’s just say I wish I had brought my rain jacket since it did rain and was windy later on towards the night.

I took the tram on my own and was able to find the tour guide easily. Most big cities usually offer free walking tours and they are normally pretty good and you can cover pretty much the entire city in one day if you are short on time.

We had met at the State Library of Victoria and it was impressive. When I was a little girl, I was obsess with my home town’s library and this was very pretty. Not sure what this means but Melbourne, Victoria, Australia is UNSECO second City of Literature.

From there, we did a 3 hour walking tour around the CBD.

During my walk, I had made friends with David and Oli. I was on a mission to find the best Banh Mi (a Vietnamese baguette sandwich); however, I figured, I can do that some other time (Never got the chance). They had invited me to hang out with them and meet up with their friend Lydia and explore the city some more.

We first went to a side alley where you can find cafes back to back and people sitting outside drinking their espresso and eating light snacks. Afterwards, we went to go the Sofitel Hotel to have a cocktail on the 53rd floor so that we can see the view of Melbourne. Unfortunately, the bar was not open but the bathrooms had a nice view!

Walked around the city more and decided to get a beer at the Workshop Bar.

I had to leave early to catch the tram because I was having dinner at Phan’s house that night. My cousin’s girlfriend. It was a week full of Vietnamese dishes all crammed in the last 7 days.

This evening, I had Ca Hap (Steamed Fish with Ginger Sauce) and Bun Bo Ko (Noodle Beef Stew). These are basically some of my favorite Vietnamese dishes. It was yummy!

I shouldn’t have eaten that much because when I had gone home, my aunt had made dinner and wanted me to eat. It’s kind of hard to say no to someone when they had cooked for you and in my culture, it is a bit rude to not eat. She had made, salmon with grilled onions, beef stir fry with snap peas and green beans, and Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce.

The next day, my uncle had time off and after the gym (yes, I actually went to the gym) he took me out for lunch. Honestly, at this point, I just can’t eat any more and although I said I was not hungry, he took me any ways. There is a small Vietnamese community around the corner and he wanted to show it to me. Before we had lunch, we went to a salon near by where his cousins were working to introduce me. For lunch, I had Bun Thit Nuong (Rice Vermicelli with Grilled Pork) with an Avocado Shake. I haven’t had these two meals in a while and it was pretty good, especially the shake. I must make that when I get back to the states. Very refreshing!

It was a chill day and later on that night, I finally got my Banh Mi – however, it was okay :/

The next morning, my aunt had a day off and we took the day to go to a bigger Vietnamese community where we had lunch (Roasted Duck with Veggies) and shopped for fresh fish and produce for dinner that night.. But before we go, she made me a bowl of porridge with prawns and bacon. Yum It’s basically hot pot with whatever you want in. I will have to say, sorry mom, but my aunt makes a great hot pot full of fish, tofu, and veggies.

I actually didn’t end up eating the dinner partially because I was super full from all the eating throughout the day and I was going out that night with Phan and her girl friends.

Love the city atmosphere and the quirky speakeasy bars around town. I forgot that the drinks here in Australia are weak compared to the State and the Black Russians that I was ordering had coke in it! It was not done properly. Once again, I was disappointed in the drinks and wish I had beers or wine instead.

Again, Pie Face disappoints me. I thought I give it a try again that night and it was gross. I was craving a cookie but got tricked into the chocolate croissant and that was disappointed with no chocolate in it! The manager gave me a chocolate cookie to make up for it but it was hard as a brick. Learned my lesson, tried it 2x, never again!

The next morning, Phan treated us to dim sum! I tried my first chicken feet and was grossed out! This is actually my third time trying dim sum in my entire life. I just wished I knew we were going to the restaurant because a couple hours before, I had a big breakfast. Honestly, at this point, I don’t know how I have been consuming so much food.

That evening, Phan and my cousin took me out to a footy game. The ultimate Aussie experience was to have a beer in one hand and a meat pie in the other! I even wore a jersey but of course my team Richmond lost.

On Sunday, Phan and her girlfriends took me to the Victoria Market. I wanted to go here because I think I had saw it on one of my favorite Australian TV shows; My Kitchen Rules. Ah, it was a lovely lunch. Got myself a burrito of course. This place La Cantina had a local band playing South American tunes and it seriously brought me back to South America.

Afterwards, they all wanted me to try a hot jam donut. Honestly, I am not sure if this is an Aussie thing but I haven’t had donuts in forever and well, why the heck not. It was delicious.

Stuffed, we all decided to do the 1,000 steps that was about an 1 1/2 hour drive away You would think I would puke.

Once that was done, we went for some tea and scones. These are scones (they seem like biscuits to me), were the best! So moist and flaky on the outside. Their jam and whipped butter just topped it off.

Remember my aunt and I shopping for all the fresh ingredients for the hot pot? Had it again on a cold night and it was yummy.

Overall, I had a great time in Melbourne exploring the town and mainly eating away!

• they’re fiddly
• there’s a high probability (in my head) that it’ll be disastrous and my ‘good cook’ cover will be blown

This ‘to be avoided’ list includes intricate desserts/cakes that need a light touch, fresh custard,and by default home-made ice-cream, finicky pastry, home-made ravioli and home-made gnocchi. The last was the first and only time I’ve tried to make gnocchi but it went so horribly wrong that certain recipes just get a wide berth.

Let me set the scene. It was a dinner party for some friends in the house of my then-boyfriend’s parents who were away on holiday – a kind of up-market empty, if you will. I was still cutting my cooking teeth and on this night I had mainly meat-eaters and one extremely picky vegetarian to cater for. I can’t even remember what the rest of us ate that night but I was already fretting about the gnocchi before the guests arrived.

I had everything under control until the vegetarian and her hubby turned. He was brandishing, not a bottle of wine, but a bottle of tequila for the hosts. I got the starter out of the way before it was cracked open but once the genie had been released we realised the only thing we had to slam it with was beer.

I don’t remember much about the rest of the night – I only have fleeting memories engrained on the back of my retinas in hallucinogenic Technicolor. This included a pot of glutinous potato (the vegetarian got crisps for dinner), someone surfing on the ironing board in the kitchen, one of the guests being walked round the back garden where he later fell asleep and was found the next morning with his head resting in the flower bed, oh and the stain on the lovely green carpet of my boyfriend’s parent’s bedroom carpet where I barfed whatever I’d managed to eat before the tequila/beer slammers took hold. We had to find an emergency carpet cleaner the next day because they were due back that night.

Now I reckon the tequila had a lot to do with my failure that night but I have a dread of my cooking going so badly wrong that people have to either go hungry or phone a takeaway. So, it was with trepidation that I attempted Gok Wan’s Magic Chicken and Leek Pot Stickers last night.

I prepared well, left myself plenty of time in case we had to phone the Chinese takeaway down the road and I put on Craig Charles Funk and Soul show on the iPlayer to sooth my frayed nerves. And guess what – they only bloody worked! I wasn’t out my face on tequila or anything else, which helped.

From that I learned:

• Gok Wan is a cookery genius
• when it comes to cooking there’s nothing to fear except fear itself – and tequila

Tonight’s track

Tonight’s recipe

Magic Chicken and Leek Pot Stickers

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main

Stolen unashamedly from Gok Cooks Chinese. I get my Chinese provisions from SeeWoo in Glasgow who I can’t recommend highly enough. If I’m ever stuck or confused the staff are really friendly and help me out. Go for a look at the live seafood and the fabulous cakes. You’re guaranteed to come out with a shopping bag full of goodies.

Ingredients

200g minced chicken

half a leek, finely chopped

2 spring onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Lazy Ginger

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

salt and pepper

cornflour for dusting

1 egg yolk, whisked slightly

white wanton wrappers

1 tbsp groundnut oil

For the dipping sauce

2 tbsp runny honey

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp chives, chopped

150 mls water

I added the juice of a lime

Method: Put all the ingredients up to and including the salt and pepper, into a bowl and mix together well with your hands.

Dust your work surface with cornflour and put out some wrappers. Put just over a teaspoon of chicken mixture into the middle of each one. Brush the edges with egg yolk then pick one up and fold over, squeezing out any air and sealing round the edges. Repeat till the chicken is used up. I got 21 out of it.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan with deep sides to medium/hot. Put the dumplings in the pan for 30 seconds to a minute until the one side is crispy and golden. Add about 200mls of water and cover for 5-8 minutes, topping up the water if the pan dries out. Transfer to a hot plate if you have to cook them in batches.

I served them as a main on a bed of salad with the dipping sauce drizzled over the top. Nom

Mike and I still weren’t feeling well, so we spent another day at home.  I worked a little, napped a little, and somehow finished my jar of Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter….

A truly terrible idea.  I immediately felt sick to my stomach and spent the rest of the weekend completely avoiding peanut butter.  Luckily, I think I’m over that aversion now :)

I did plenty of reading, since I couldn’t do much else.  I finished Jennifer Weiner’s Fly Away Home (review to come later this week), and am already halfway through Born to Run – it’s riveting!

I was craving some spicy broth for dinner, so I turned to my old stand-by - ramen.  With some napa cabbage and an egg, of course.

Saturday

Saturday morning I woke up nice and early to get a run in before we started our car trip to NY to attend Mike’s niece’s 100 day celebration.  I ran my slowest interval run ever, because my stomach was still bothering me.

It’s okay though, because the treadmill still thinks I’m awesome.

We loaded up the car with the baby gift and snacks from Trader Joe’s, but when we turned the car on, it was making a funny noise. Turned out that our water heater broke, so we took it over to the dealership to get it fixed! NY trip cancelled :( Thank God our warranty was 15 days from expiring.  What timing!

So instead, we went into DC and watched Iron Man 3.  We really enjoyed it, despite some confusion about the characters’ motives and development and why the bad guys chose to do what they did.  But hey, this isn’t Law and Order: Criminal Minds.  Plus, it’s just so fun to watch Tony Stark come up with awesome stuff :) Go watch it! Also, the Regal Cinemas in Chinatown is 100x better/ comfier than the one in Potomac Yards.

Afterwards, we were starving, and decided to eat lunch at Matchbox, which I’d been wanting to try for a while.

Mike got the chicken pesto pizza, and I got a cuban sandwich with fries.  I don’t know if it was because my stomach still wasn’t feeling great or what, but I found the food okay, but not amazing.  It didn’t stop me from polishing off my fries, though.

We saw some funny cars in DC:

That was enough excitement for us.  We headed home for some more napping and reading.  Mike makes the best “sick food” – he used to make ginormous pots of chicken noodle soup from scratch with all sorts of veggies.  This time, he made chicken matzoh ball soup.  I’ve never had matzoh ball soup before, despite growing up in a very Jewish neighborhood, and I loved it.

Sunday

I was feeling a little better by Sunday morning, so I headed off to Body Pump! It was a great class, and I’m feeling sore from all the squats today.  Tip for making your squats really effective – push your feet out as you squat, as if you’re trying to split the floor in between your feet.  You’ll work all sorts of muscles doing that.

After class, I refueled with a quick protein shake.  Protein powder + milk in a jar and shake vigorously.

Mike was finally awake, and we decided to watch a sermon online this Sunday.  Then, it was time for some lunch.  We headed to our favorite dimsum place – Mark’s Duck House, in Falls Church.

Luckily, we arrived early enough to avoid the hour long wait! You don’t want to show up starving around noon, because the wait + delicious food smell might kill you.

For those of you who haven’t been to dim sum before, it’s a really fun dining experience where waiters push carts of food around, and you order what you want a la carte, tapas style.  They’ll give you what you ask for, and mark your tab to indicate how much it cost.  They’ll add it up for you at the end. 

Some of the carts you’ll see:

We ordered our usual shumai and dumplings, shrimp rice noodles, and turnip cake.  I got all adventurous and ordered something different – mini pork ribs, which were delicious.  And we ended our meal munching on pineapple custard buns.

Guys, it was not a huge surprise to me this morning to step on the scale and find that I’ve gained six pounds.  I’ll be drinking a lot of shakes for the next few weeks.  Totally worth it.

After dim sum, we went home and took care of a few chores, and before I knew it, it was time for my 5:15 hot Hatha class at Mind Your Body Oasis! I got the intro week for $30 and have been taking full advantage of the pass.  I’ll review the studio soon, but it’s safe to say that I’m a big fan of this new yoga studio.

I celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a tropical smoothie – had I not been sick, I would have added a little rum in there to make it a real celebration :)

How did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo (if you did)?

Are you looking forward to any movies coming out this summer? Yes! I love summer blockbusters.  We’re looking forward to Man of Steel, the new Star Trek movie, Wolverine, and The Great Gatsby.  I’ll probably be watching the last one with my girlfriends since Mike doesn’t seem as excited for that one as I am…

Cinco de Mayo has come to represent a celebration of the contributions that Mexican Americans and all Hispanics have made to America. - Joe Baca

Cinco de Mayo is meant to celebrate Mexico’s defeat of Napoleon.  So, in the US, we wear sombreros and drink tequila.  Makes sense.

In the Chan household, we eat dim sum and shop at Asian grocery stores.  For those who don’t know, dim sum is a Chinese traditional “brunch” with family style dumplings and other small bites.  We tried a dessert that I hadn’t had before with tofu and condensed milk.

Louis informed me I was being very “Asian” in taking those pictures.  I just told him I was trying to fit in so I wouldn’t get offered water and a fork every time someone walked past.

There was a family seated next to us who were trying dim sum for the first time and I was very impressed!  It’s taken me five-plus years to try some of these foods, but this family was trying it all.  Even chicken feet, which I just can’t convince myself is worth trying.

Next stop was the Asian supermarket, where we do a lot of our basic grocery shopping.  Noodles, more noodles, some sauces, and of course Hi-Chew (fruit candy which lasts about a day in our house).  We found a new sauce to try, too!  It’s hot…ahem…”hat” and spicy.

Then we went home to continue work on the kitchen.  We’re so festive.

Outside, a “WANTED: Dishwasher” sign was posted and Pangs seriously thought of applying. His logic was to work for them to learn about their secrets for future references. He always jokes about doing this whenever we pass by successful restaurants. I guess my conscious want to be part of the McDonald’s crew stemmed from him.

The temperature inside was cool and in this excruciatingly hot weather, that’s the only thing that matters.

Shrimp siomai. When you’ve had a couple of versions of the same looking siomai from different establishments, you get to a point where all of them start to taste the same. Next time, I wouldn’t mind where I eat, as long as the it has the orange thing on top and yellow wrap, I can predict how the taste would be.

Chicken feet in taosi sauce. I like eating this because you need to skilfully separate the phalanges (are they called that in chickens?) with the meat and fat using your mouth and nothing else.

Sharksfin Dumpling. The same yellow wrapper, only the fillings were different. This was better than the one they have in Paotsin (you know, the stall in almost all food courts inside the mall which serves lemak rice in violet styrofoams). Gah, now I want to eat Paotsin stat! It’s not the most delicious thing in the world but you sort of crave for it for unfathomable reasons.

Shrimp Hakaw. After eating all the dim sums made with the same yellow wrapper, this hakaw was a very welcome change. It’s lighter (less saltier) and less nakakaumay. The white wrapper was thicker than what I am used to, it’s comparable to rice cakes sans the sweetness.

A pot of tea was put on our table and Pangs was overjoyed. He could finish this all by himself and the only thing that stopped him from doing so was the thought of having LBM while commuting. Oops. I tried a sip, still no.

My father wanted Lingnam’s Mami and since I wasn’t particularly keen on trying a new restaurant that day, the choice was okay with me. However, on our way to Alonzo street, we passed by New Eastern Garden Restaurant and we HAD to go in. The place and signage were quite small they’re easy to miss but the “Since 1950″ words caught my eyes. One marketing strategy that almost always works on me is to claim that you’ve been around for a long time, gives me the feeling that the food is really good otherwise you wouldn’t last for 50 years.

The fresh lumpia was reasonably priced. The only difference between regular and special is the addition of seaweeds on the latter.

The ingredients. I forgot to ask the lady to add extra garlic, maybe next time. Fresh lumpia reminds me of my maternal grandfather, Mamay because it is one of his favorite foods. I remember, he always orders one whenever we dine at Goldilocks.

Goldilock’s version is nothing compared to this. Delicious and light not to mention the huge serving size. Pangs and I shared in one order of Jumbo special and we still had a hard time finishing it not because of the taste but of the limited size of our stomachs. It was refreshing and I felt really healthy afterwards. haha. I only usually eat the wrapper and sauce and garlic off fresh lumpias and give majority of the ingredients away but I like the filling of this one. In fact, the wrapper was sub-par (it was dry and makunat). Also, I don’t eat carrots but I didn’t mind seeing all the orange in my lumpia, now that’s one of the best compliments a former-carnivore-trying-hard-to-be-omnivore could give.

Lastly, off we went to Lingnam to share in a bowl Mami. This time, we only had Beef instead of Beef Wanton and it was, as expected, satisfying.

Grilled corn on our way home because I love corn I eat one when I can’t think of anything else to eat. I like this so much Zea mays, it’s scientific name, is one of the few things I remember from my Biology class way back in second year high school. Another is Oryza sativa which is white rice. Gah, I miss taxonomy (not that I was good in memorizing all the nomenclatures, my Biology teacher Mam Ems is just awesome).

While we were walking along Avenida, the vehicles weren’t moving. We thought the commotion was caused by Labor Day rallies only to find out that it was Mayor Alfredo Lim and his running mate Lou Veloso’s motorcade causing the traffic. I couldn’t wait for the elections to be over so a little peace would descend upon the streets, to wake up on May 13 and not hear the blaring and incomprehensible sounds to the tune of “Call Me Maybe” (I’m sure Carly Rae Jepsen didn’t receive any royalties) from huge speakers attached to vans but I have to admit that it was nice seeing Mayor Lim on a kalesa trying to win the vote of the masses because I have always thought of him as a stoic person. Well, if you’re up against someone like Erap Estrada then you have to woo a little harder.

I love his blank facial expression which could also be interpreted as bored and angry, a contrast to his Vice Mayor who was all-smiles and waving left and right. Meanwhile, the mayor was pointing at the people who were asking for T-Shirts as if to say to his crew “Hoy, eto bigyan niyo“. Kyot! Way to go Dirty Harry.

I recently tried Hong Kong Islander off of Freeport. my first experience was mixed. food was delicious. service… well, not so great. I thought it must have been an off day so I returned for a second go. luckily, food was still good, and service was much better.

So, next time you’re looking for a brunch/lunch place, consider some dim sum. and oh, don’t forget your friends.

We go so often that the clams/tofu fah lady knows us and beelines for us after we sit down to serve us clams in black bean sauce, then knows to come back later to serve us the fresh soft tofu with ginger syrup. We know to get there on the earlier side, before she runs out.

We recognize other regulars such as the hapa (half caucasian/half asian) man with his Chinese wife and in-laws, who do not talk to him beause of the language barrier. It’s been a while and I’m assuming it’s because the last time we saw them, wife was pretty pregnant, and they must be busy with the new baby. So this definitely isn’t something I read about in L magazine or on the Serious Eats blog – this is family time.

And it’s great because after we eat we head to Fei Long market, where we buy meat, seafood, snacks, and other groceries for the next couple of days.

Below, our yumcha adventures:

Our first time about a year and a half ago, with David & Laurea. Before this the spot was Jing Fong in Manhattan, which by comparison is greasy and not as fresh.

The aforementioned clams. Tofu fah and tan tat at the ready – I think we were scared of these running out. The tan tat at East Harbor is the best I’ve had, especially when they’re fresh and still warm. The custard is soft and pastry shell is buttery and flaky.

Obligatory crowd shot. The trick is to get here by noon at the latest to get all the good stuff.

Pork on pork. The other dishes belong to the people across from us.

I think this is one time we ate with Mimi.

That one time I tried to eat a serving of chicken feet all by myself.

The usual, with some rolled rice noodles – these are not that good, I think there is chicken and vegetables inside. The thing to get is the one with pork spare ribs on top.

One of my favorite things, Char Siu So. It’s flaky pastry stuffed with char siu. Sometimes it counts as dessert.

Yumcha on Ryan’s birthday. We got salt & pepper squid and beef tendon, among other things.

That time we cheated on East Harbor on my birthday to eat dim sum at the racetrack. The food is fresh and decent. But the tan tat is nowhere near as good. Also those are durian puffs on the top right which look delicious but taste like farts. Or what I imagine farts to taste like – sweet onion cream.

The other time I tried to eat an entire serving of chicken feet. The caucasian couple across from us wanted to know WTF the jar leong was (after he edumacated her to the fact that hargow and shumai were “the things to get”), so we encouraged them to order it. I invited them to try some chicken feet, to which they politely declined, the female saying, “That’s great that you’re eating it though.” Um, that’s great that you’re a condescending a-hole.

The time we sat down across from a family of six who mean mugged us the whole time because we got this spread within two minutes of sitting down. My other favorite thing at the bottom, fried taro dumplings stuffed with pork and mushrooms (wu gok).

The time I insisted we start getting vegetables because all that fried food was making me sick. AKA the time I saved my stomach from dim sum.

Today’s dim sum. We kinda went all in.

The thing that’s fun about dim sum is even though we go almost every week, it’s always a different experience based on what we eat, where we sit, and who we sit with. I never get char siu bao because that takes up too much space in my stomach.

Today we got oxtail at Fei Long to make ragu for some chestnut ravioli I picked up at Paisano’s. So I guess you’ll be hearing about that next.

Cookies

Cake

Chocolate

Curry Rice

This tree is in full blossom in my garden. In Chinese, it is called the “hundred mile fragrance”, for its fragrance really pervades the air. Hope this fragrance will spread to the whole country. The clown in the picture reminded me that life is often a tragic-comedy. I do not know how many countries in the world, with exception of third world, need to ink their fingers in election. It is supposed to guard some people from going for a second round of voting. It can also be abused – people were alleged to ink and give up their votes, with promise of cash.There are widespread news of irregularies and violence in many places, but the polling station I voted is peaceful. I spent 15 min to cast my vote, due to priority to senior citizens, but my spouse had to wait for another 45 mins. We shall hear more news tomorrow.

Whatever the outcome of the election, the message is clear. People want positive change, end of racialism, fairness and justice in educational and other opportunities, end of cronism and corruption, secuirty and safety.This is the first time Malaysians vote on either support for the government party or for the opposition, beyond gender, race, religion, profession of candidates.

p/s The government spent some millions on this indelible ink that would last for days, but I just washed it off easily with dish washer detergent! No wonder people call for change!