Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Flight from Hainan_SkyBlueSky

One from the archives: our plane from Sanya, Hainan to Guangzhou, circa 1985

This last month has seen us make several working trips to Malacca, Dave working in Chiang Mai, and both of us (mostly me, TTTT) frantically preparing to move our large (if you count pets) household from Kuala Lumpur to Penang.

Well. As of today the kitchen is unpacked. The dog walking route has been mapped. The house is equipped with most everything we need except internet. So, we're almost officially settled.

And now it's time to pack our bags again ... for Taiwan, where we'll be celebrating a pretty special occasion in Taipei and working on a couple feature stories in Kaohsiung.

Posting has been light here of late. We hope to right that once we touch down in what is one of our favorite places in the world to eat. (If you'd like a preview, have a look at posts from our last, very delicious, Taiwan trip here.)

Thanks for your patience. More soon...from Taipei!


A Decent Place for a Decent Meal of Chinese Cuisine @ Menjalara

Yong is the name of the proprietor of Chinese Cuisine & the Japanese restaurant next door. Yong is also the cook at the kitchen of Chinese Cuisine.
This is a decent place for a decent meal of Chinese cuisine.

Chinese Cuisine's special braised Chicken in clay pot and Pork Rib braised with peanut in clay pot were both marvelous but just a bit small portion for the group.

Yam basket was everyone's thumb! up and would love to come back for this again.

Braised Lingzhi Mushroom with Beancurd and Pak Choy.

Kai Lan stir fried with roast pork but I like most was this sayur manis cooked with egg. It was starchy & interesting delicious.

Patin fish steamed with soy sauce was fresh, succulent and yummy.

Haruan fish with lot of garlic in a super hot claypot was special, good and seasonal.

At last a fried beehoon with seafood to complete the dinner.

The eating crew was big and required two tables to dine.

Restoran Chinese Cuisine

29, Jalan Medan Putra 1,
Medan Putra Business Centre,
BandarMenjalara.
Tel: 0362779696









GPS : 3.192925,101.625754




A radish salad and a picnic at the beach

Les radis multicolores

When we woke up early on Friday with Lulu cuddled between us, the sun was already filtering through the bedroom blinds. A few robins were chirruping in the trees near our window and instantly, we knew that the day would be gorgeous. P. had the day off so we decided to go to the beach. And have a picnic.

Since our plan was rather spontaneous, I was thankful for my visit to the first farmers market the afternoon before.

I had come home with pretty colorful radishes, strawberries, purple spring onions and beautiful mesclun salad in my market basket. Enough to imagine a radish salad that would accompany a dish of warm black quinoa with asparagus sauce that takes only minutes to prepare.

On va la plage, we told Lulu while we were having a plate of vanilla-flavored millet waffles at the breakfast table. Her face immediately lit with a large smile.

Vacances ! she shouted out loud.

We laughed. Of course. Our small excursion sounded like a vacation indeed.

And so with the help from my Lulu, I prepared our picnic lunch.

It was a beautiful and easy day.

The bushes lining the sand dunes displayed pretty flowers that looked like colorful pieces of candy. I could smell the vibes of summer without the crowds and the August heat.

As excepted, Lulu had a lot of fun. Seeing her run and skip on the beach, laughing heartily, was the best gift we could have hoped for that day.

Tu as faim ? (Are you hungry?) I asked her shortly after her first dip in the water.

Oui, she replied instantly.

The three of us sat on the edge of the blanket with our feet dug into the sand. And we started to eat. Quietly. Undisturbed by the seagulls curious about our food.

The way Lulu was letting me feed her quinoa showed that indeed, she must have been hungry.

P. and I enjoyed the balance of texture and spicy taste the radish salad brought to our meal. I had also packed a strawberry salad and apricots, and was glad to find rhubarb muffins in the freezer that I wrapped and tossed in our picnic bag too.

By three oclock, we decided to leave because, on the way back, we wanted to make a stop at a farm nearby to pick strawberries.

We start tomorrow, the tall solidly-built young girl standing at the cashier said when I asked her whether we could pick the fruit.

But you can buy strawberries weve already picked, if you want. And you can go and see the animals at the back of the farm.

So I bought two large containers of strawberries. One for us to enjoy. The other to go inside a des! sert I was planning to make and bring to a friends garden party the next day.

Les fraises de la ferme

And then we walked outside to see chicken and geese; ducks and goats; sheep and ponys.

On reviendra la semaine prochaine, (We will come back next week) I told Lulu as we were walking back to the car. She was holding her papa by one hand, with a warm doughnut I bought for her at the farm stand in the other.

These are good! P. exclaimed after biting into one too. So nice that I think I want a second one!

I looked at them and smiled. Munching each on a doughnut, they really made a happy-looking pair.

I am sure she is going to sleep in the car after all of this, I laughed.

It didnt fail. Back inside the car, within minutes on the road, Lulu was fast asleep, assuring us that she liked the beach, when we asked her if she had had fun.

Radish salad with apple, avocado, egg and shaved Manchego
Radish salad with apple, avocado, egg and shaved Manchego


(For 4 people)

    For the salad:

  • 2 cups mixed mesclun salad
  • 2 bunches of colored radishes, diced
  • 2 hard boiled eggs, shelled and crumbled finely with a fork
  • 1 red apple (like Gala or Honey-crisp), cored and diced
  • 1 avocado, diced and drizzled with lime or lemon juice
  • Shaved Manchego cheese, to ta! ste
    • For the dressing:

  • Sea salt and pepper
  • 1.5 teaspoons honey-flavored mustard
  • 1.5 teaspoons honey
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1.5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.5 tablespoons pistachio oil
  • 1 spring onion, chopped
  • 1.5 tablespoons chopped parsley, dill and chives

  • Steps:

  • To make the dressing: In a bowl, combine the ingredients in this order: sea salt and pepper, honey mustard and honey. Whisk in the vinegar and garlic, and finish with the two oils. Emulsify and stir in the spring onion and herbs; set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the mesclun greens, radish, egg, apple, avocado. Add the dressing and toss. Toss in shaved Manchego cheese and serve.
  • Share and Enjoy:PrintDiggdel.icio.usFacebookGoogle BookmarksTwitter

    !

    KoreaTrip2011 Everland (pt 2)

    Previous posts :

    1. Seoul Highlights (photos)

    2. Itinerary and Hotel Astoria

    3. How to get from Incheon Airport to Seoul downtown

    4. First taste of local food (in a 24 hrs restaurant)
    5. Paris Baguette
    6. Everland (Pt 1, how to get there)

    OK now in Everland, remember to get a map. Honestly I have nothing much to say. Just want to post up some pictures.

    #1 Hello penguin!

    #2 Twas the Rose festival

    #3 Rose festival.

    #4 sho kiuuutttt

    #5 the fake ball tree.. lol.

    #6 Whats an amusement park without a parade?

    #7 Hello biri biri..

    #8 and whats an amusement park without some ridessss Pirate ship, oh no big of a deal haha

    #9 makes you feel like youre in a washing machine sans the water and soap!! jeng jeng jeng!

    #10 Oh right, we need some food, like superlong churros and sausage!

    #11 Please dont do this after your meal. HAHaha of course we didnt. In fact we di! dnt go f or this ride as we ran out of time..

    #12 Are you ready for this ?

    #13 T- Express. If u think it doesnt look big enough, try this; it is currently the worlds steepest wooden coaster, breaking El Toros record by one degree. It is also the worlds ninth fastest, fourth tallest, and sixth longest wooden coaster, with El Toro being the third tallest. eekk!!

    #14 Oh yeahhh!! IF you sit at the back, when it drops, it really feels like as if youll be thrown out of the roller coaster. Scarry but oh SO FUN!! The drop is at 77 degrees and why dont you tilt your chair 77 degrees and sit there. Certainly was an adrenaline pumping ride!

    Stats to blow your mind

    • South Koreas first wooden roller coaster
    • Worlds steepest wooden roller coaster (77 degrees)
    • Falling altitude: 56m (7th in the world)
    • Attraction time: 3min 00sec (the longest in Asia, 7th in the world)
    • Air time: 12 times (the most air time in South Korea)
    • Altitude: 56m (the highest in Asia, 3rd in the world)
    • Maximum Speed: 104km/h (the fastest in Asia,! 8th in the world)
    • [+] Gravity Force: 4.5g
    • [-] Gravity Force: -1.6g