what's for lunch?

On a cold and rainy day,

there was nothing we wanted more than bak kut teh.

But alas,

lunch at Founder was not to be.

For they were closed. :(

Whampoa Market then.

Still gotta queue even at 3pm in the afternoon.

For a delicious mess.

The sauce was more than ample.

And I loved my healthy mix of vegetables.

And of course we needed some comfort food.

These oysters were bigger than I expected.

Crispy egg and just enough gluten.

Pick a main.

Duck rice.

No question.

Their orh peng (Black Rice)

was savoury.

Duck meat was firm and braising liquids were clearly infused.

For the first time,

I didn't actually mind the gravy.

It was a good compliment.

And their chilli?

Mmmm.

And a mandatory stop at my favourite tau sar piah shop. It's an iconic neon lit signage, first shop at the start of the row of TSPs.

Flaky.

That pastry is to die for.

And I always only ever like the salty ones.

You just can't stop at one.

*Gobbles.

We're coming round the mountain!

Too early.

But here we are on board Five Stars Tour Bus departing from Golden Mile Complex and headed for Genting Highlands.

Pleasantly surprised by the abundance of legroom and perfectly reclinable seats.

I'm a happy camper and it's been a long while since.

Six hours and not a moment too soon.

We're round the mountain and right at the top at that.

Our complimentary rooms were at First World Hotel.

And boy, was I momentarily taken aback by the massive queues.

What a nice surprise though,

to see a welcome message to Singaporean Bloggers flashed on their LCD tv screens which directed us to a dedicated service counter.

And of course, it was time for lunch.

Good Friends at Maxims Genting specializing in Hakka Cuisine. 

I didn't need to make a choice.

Only the apple chicken soup was available.

The apple was boiled to mush.

But it didn't boil in vain.

A mouth of the soup left a lingering fruity sweet aftertaste in my mouth.

Mmm. 

And this was sugarcane chockfullofingredients.

We're talking chestnut, orange peel, red date, sugarcane.

I could down two of these cups easily.

But let's savour it shall we?

Home styled beancurd.

It was a little heavy on the salt and it had a briny seawater aftertaste.

I thought it might've just been the use of prawns in the mixture

but the chef says he thinks it's the water.

hmm.

Our order of carbs.

This came on a massive plate.

For a single portion this was scary.

And no it wasn't nice.

The flat rice noodles were stir fried in soy sauce for color.

And everything else was just fried in a cornstarch gravy.

This was beyond bland.

Not even soy sauce could save this.

Hakka Twin Pork Belly.

These fried slices were terribly addictive.

And these stewed ones were no less.

I'm duly impressed and way too full by now.

Red bean and pandan mochi.

These cool parcels were a welcome dessert after our savoury meal.

I was less impressed with this.

Although this was my choice. Oops.

And with this kind of weather outdoors?

I think it's time for a mandatory nap.

We aren't pigs.

We took a hike outdoors back to our hotel.

Before that nap. :)

More to come!

bedok central interchange

I was wondering what kind of name Jin Mu was.

I obviously have an issue with my eyesight.

It's glaringly obvious that the signboard reads

Jimmy.

Should've known an ang mo name wouldn't do justice to my cheenah char kway teow.

Dismal right?

I know.

And my blood cockles had sand in them.

Oh Jimmy.

Then along came Qing Tian.

Oh it totally brought along clear skies to my dismal dinner attempt.

Dramatic I know.

But,

Now you see what I mean?

Just randomly, the Samsung SIII makes me perfectly confident without a compact camera.

It takes awesome pictures on the auto setting.

And back to the popiah that saved the day.

Long queues at this popiah stall that shares a stall space with Qing Tian Niang Dou Fu #01-58.

It was full on ingredients and full on flavour.

A mouthful of yum!

And just because Dad said that no trip to Bedok is complete without Bedok Chwee Kueh 勿洛水粿.

He's my best friend.

For best friends know exactly what you love to eat.

And just because the parents just came back from Genting Highlands,

I get takeaway from the Bakery at Genting Hotel.

American Cheesecake at a costly RM14.

The brownie cake base was moist and cheesecake a good balance of savoury sweet with a lemon tang.

Thanks for the love.

But hmm. I'd still rather my cheesecake from the CBTL outlets anywhere on my humble island. :)

Didn't feel like a Monday.

Long weekends are meant to be savoured.

Literally. :)

All in a Day's Eat when in Kuala Lumpur

Oh what a tough call.

I mean,

there was a one for one on sour cream fries.

And of course I needed a bowl of chilli.

Super size me.

And thankfully shared and spared. for now. :)

Handmade taro fresh milk tea.

At only RM 6.90 (SGD 2.80)

was a steal.

But you totally get what you pay for.

With 9 people in the shop,

only one was at work making the drinks.

Hence we waited forever.

And with forever came a drink that was indescribable.

three quarts of crushed ice that buried my yam bits to death.

and fresh milk with a lot of syrup. even on a 50% request.

thanks but really?

sigh. 

So let's go back to the one who'd never fail.

Marking is serious business.

Definitely requires a green tea latte.

Hot.

In a takeaway cup for my leisurely sips. :)

Work ended as it should according to work hours.

watami at the pavilion.

who decides first gets to order first.

pork katsu.

with an extra large rice set please.

gyuniku nabemono.

awesomely generous with the beef slices.

with an udon set please.

oh my bubble broth of comfort. :)

it was an entirely satisfying dinner at a fraction of what it would have cost here in Singapore.

After a night out in town at Jalan Perak,

it was a cab ride home with a noisy drunk and an all drunken out drunk and they both insist they weren't yet drunk.

If you were confused, we all came home anyway.

Making sure they were fine (i.e. one collapsed and fast asleep on the bed, the other with water and towels to keep warm), we walked across for some late night comfort food.

what interests you?

I never know what to pick.

But I love the beancurd skin

and salted egg yolk.

and please, if there is, curry vegetable gravy.

I don't know if you ask for it?

But I've cultivated the habit of asking for a bowl of porridge water.

It's supposedly a remedy for fevers. 

Cooling for the body, so says the Chinese.

So there we have all in a day's eat.

Our last full day in KL.

Full indeed. :) 

 

sushi tei

An advanced summer menu.

loads of kampachi and amaebi.

definite order.

while i love my greens,

i'd always wish there'd be more sashimi! :)

sushi tei dressing.

or wafu perhaps.

But I still love your version of the wafu.

pork katsu curry rice.

very. satisfying.

 the pork cutlet while juicy could do with being a little less burnt.

and just so that it wouldn't be soggy-

curry served on the side is always appreciated.

one of them random singapore souvenir shops at lucky plaza.

I wouldn't have stepped in save for the fact that I was out with some tourists.

and this was just so precious!

I didn't get it though.

When's the last time I accessorized.

Value adding.

I do that for you.

But you're pulling me down, friend.

Nuffnang's akan datang FREE 3D2N Genting trip! :)

The surreal feeling of being in Genting is indescribable.

Being just one causeway away from home and there you find yourself atop the mountains, in the midst of hotels, casinos and theme parks.

Stepping out of the hotel lobby, you find yourself enveloped by clouds and that leaves you no wonder on why Genting's to be named as the summit of clouds in Mandarin.

I loved bouncing down to the hotel lobby to check out the digital thermometers and stepping out into the cold to see how long I could last before I had to run back to the warmth of my daddy's arms. And of course, I'd be talking about memories of the past.

Now that I'm all grown, I've had a lot of trouble finding friends to go up for a short trip to Genting. The last time I was there was a whole three years ago...

If I were to get to go on Part Deux of Nuffnang's RWG adventure,

I would grab myself a turkey ham quiche from the cafe at Maxim's Genting for a light lunch break. My parents don't even need me to ask for them to bring my takeout from the cafe anymore. They always come home with two turkey ham and two mushroom quiches. Now that's all for lunch because I definitely plan on trying out dinner at Genting Palace.

credits to Brad of ladyironchef http://www.ladyironchef.com/2012/08/resorts-world-genting-food-tour/

Ohmyyum. I cannot wait to indulge myself in Jiang Nan style chinese cuisine. Or actually, I'd just really be happy with a serving of double-boiled chicken soup with ginseng. That's just to charge myself up for a Hacken Lee concert at night!

It seems he's gracing the Arena of Stars 24th and 25th August. I have never been into the Arena of Stars before and it has been a long while since I've caught a Cantopop concert. ihopeiwishihopeiwish!

And the next morning, I'd wake up early to head back to Genting Palace to try the custard buns for myself as recommended. Dim Sum for breakfast on a Sunday? Adding this to my to-do list! :)

I'd love to find myself surrounded by the scent of lavender and fresh pickings of strawberries after breakfast!

credits to Brad of ladyironchef http://www.ladyironchef.com/2012/08/resorts-world-genting-food-tour/

Wow! My parents still regularly make their trip up to Genting for the long weekends throughout the year for their piece of quiet away from us but even they haven't seen the strawberry and lavender farms. And just because it's hard work picking strawberries (yeah, right!) 

I'll definitely be hungry for lunch.

What about a Hakka style lunch at Good Friends restaurant at Level 2 of Highlands Hotel? I would love to try the Hakka yam abacus and Home style Braised Streaky Pork with Preserved Vegetables. Mei Cai Kou Rou come to me! :)

Now for some mountain air to ease my senses and to walk some of that food off. Off to the outdoor theme park for an exciting ride on the Corkscrew. A leisurely race at the Grand Prix Fun Kart and after all that heart pumping adrenaline rush, I'll let my nose lead me to the quaint Beryl's chocolate wonderland in a corner of the outdoor theme park. It seems I'd learn about the chocolate making process and there's even a shop for me to grab some locally made Beryl's chocolates. 

And before you know it, it's time for dinner again. I cannot leave Genting without a buffet dinner at the Coffee Terrace in Maxims Genting. I could name you everything I love but that one thing that I absolutely adore would be the thick cut salmon slices. :) And just to make it a balanced meal, freshly stir fried vegetables- your pick from the vegetable selection and fried on the spot. And of course, let's not waste our time at dinner, there's the fried kway teow that has a distinct wok hei many other places cannot recreate. How about their ice kachangs. Choose your toppings or if you have no preference, just take it with the works. I will put on a billion kilos but it's all worth it. *pats my tummy.

And what about an after dinner movie at First World Cineplex in Times Square, First World Plaza. I haven't even had time to catch Total Recall but hey, it seems they'd still be screening Bourne Legacy! Awesomepossums.

And let's finish off the awesome trip with breakfast before we leave-at the Resort hotel. An international feast at Resort Cafe or local food at the Kampong Cafe. And a signature teh tarik...

One for the road.

I've got it all planned out to a T :)

Hmm. A free 3D2N trip to Genting and I don't even need to ask for company. There'd be 16 bloggers in total on the trip. Fun! :)

Book your holiday with genting's iHoliday booking engine for a convenient one-stop solution!

sunday tunch @ clementi food centre & market

chicken cutlet from tanglin halt western food stall.

needs no further introduction.

it's been reviewed to death.

and perhaps it's just me but the sauce...

was not ideal at all.

i don't know if it was supposed to be bbq sauce

but it was sickly sweet.

and drizzled over my cutlet just makes for a soggy mess.

hmm.

i did hear the customer behind me request for black pepper sauce instead though.

and this was just a couple of stalls down.

I don't think it's the famed one that everyone talks about.

but I didn't take note of the unit number.

It sells carrot cake only in the p.m. though.

this was good.

full on egg.

preserved radish and

the chilli was just what I was looking for.

not excessively spicy just that bit of hot.

soft carrot cake. I'm not sure if it had radish though.

I doubt it.

craving was entirely satisfied. :)

and he grabbed a couple of smoothies for just a dollar each.

banana mango and banana apple.

both were yummydelish!

and because we packed chwee kueh home,

i suppose only rojak would go well with the nibble snack.

you can opt for the ingredients you want

and just state the price you'd like.

anything without vegetables for the kid please.

this elderly man works like clockwork.

he has a certain rhythm to his body and movements.

it was like a routine he had practiced his entire life.

Sundays at the market.

More of this please? :)

 Block 448 Clementi Avenue 3

foot massage and dinner at Jalan Alor #malaysia

nothing like a foot massage.

wash your own feet.

i felt a LOT of pain.

oh my poor ailing self.

ah well.

it was a good rubdown.

before we headed across the street for

dinner at jalan alor.

how could we give this a miss?

soy sauce soup anyone?

stir fried lou shu fun.

penang char kway teow.

or at least that's what they call it.

if anything else,

it was just a superbly oily and satisfying roadside style hawker food.

and boy, was this good.

an awesome live band at a random pub in bb park.

the man on the left owns the japanese restaurant down the row of pubs.

and does an awesome rendition of hotel california.

the girl's got a set of powerful vocals.

and the man with the guitar is no less praiseworthy on a jason mraz cover.

no wait,

that's nothing compared to his one night in beijing.

that.

totally blew us away.

no phones. no marking of compos.

taking time off tonight to savour life and all that's worth.