Samsung Galaxy S II The Ferrari of Mobile Devices

Got my grubby hands on a new toy 2 weeks back! Its the new Samsung Galaxy S2!

I have been an Android fan for sometime, and at one point of my life I owned 2 Androids simultaneously (HTC Desire courtesy of the Maxis10 program). My Nexus One was my favourite for a while before I switched phones as I love playing around with new models & different OS platforms.

The Samsung Galaxy S II is the latest Oh-my-gawd gadget to hit the world. My unit was on loan from Samsung Malaysia for 2 weeks, enabling me to get first hand experience owning this device touted as the handset that that set new standards for the high-end Android range (quoted from Phone Arena).

So, is the phone as good as its hype?

Let us start with the innards of the phone:

The Dual-core 1.2Ghz ARM Cortex-A9 processor packs lots of dynamite power for such a small device. Combine that with a Mali 400MP GPU Orion chipset for graphics, its one of the most powerful handheld device in the market currently.
The specifications make it more powerful than a netbook. With its introduction to the market, the netbook will eventually become obsolete. The con to too much power is, it drains battery at a faster rate.
Sometimes having too much power is useless if the software cannot make use of the power and thats what exactly happened with the Android Gingerbread OS. On first impressions, it lagged and I was wondering how can such a p! owerful machine lag, after subsequent investigations, it became apparent the issue was not with the hardware but the OS.

Verdict: Whatever points earned by the hardware are negated by the OS. Battery lasts roughly 1 day. Pros 1 : 1 Cons

Exterior Body

It is much wider and slimmer than its predecessor. With dimensions of 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm and a weight of 116g, it provides a wider view. Though the body felt a little flimsy, I dropped it once and the impact did not do any damage to the body though the phone shutdown and had to be reset by removing the battery.

Verdict: Do not judge by its flimsy body, it is as strong as the old nokia devices that could kill ppl though I do not recommend trying it. Pros 2 : 1 Cons

Exterior Display

The best part of the phone!
Super AMOLED plus capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors! Even my laptop doesnt have that! Couple that with a 480 x 800 pixels and 4.3 inches display, you have an HD ready video device! Who needs handheld DVD players etc. I am so tempted to give 2 points just for this feature but lets not be biased *cheeky grin and adds 2 points to pros*.The touch screen features have not changed much from the previous device and still supports multi-touch.
Now, for every pro, there is always a con.
With the glossy Gorilla Glass di! splay, y ou practically cannot see anything when you are outside under the sun as it reflects all the light. A good thing to add to the device would be something similar to what they have on Nokia E71 where the display actually sparkles when under extreme lights hence giving you a better view.

A little bird told me that the AMOLED is a practically unbreakable screen!

Explains why I dropped the phone and yet no damage to the screen! Have a look at this amazing video:

Verdict: Wide display, wonderful colors and HD screen, thats 3 points! Cons, reflective surface makes it near impossible to view under sunlight. Pros 5 : 2 Cons

Exterior Controls

One thing I did not like about the phone was the lack of exterior controls for various functions such as taking pictures, controlling music etc. The only controls available are for volume control and locking the phone.
For example, for me to skip a track while driving, I need to unlock the screen and control from there whereas on my blackberry, I can just press a button on the body and track skipped.

Verdict: Bring back external controls. Pros 5 : 3 Cons

Functionality Camera

One of the highlights of the phone! 8MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, lots of preset functions, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, image stabilization, HD video recording with 1080p @ 30fps! Who needs to lug around bulky digicams!! IT has a secondary camera on the front with 2MP resolution!

Below are some sample pictures.

Macro

Night Shot.

Sunset.

Panorama. (I loveeee this shot!!)

Verdict: The qualities of pictures speak for themselves! Being a photographer-wannabe myself, I am very very impressed with the sensor! Pros 6 : 3 cons

Functionality Sound

Now this is 1 department that I was not planning to test and just happened to hook up the phone to my friends car BOSE audio system. What I heard blew my mind away!!!! My favourite song J.LOs On the Floor sounded so much better than what I had heard in the clubs!

Verdict: 10 times better sound than what I had heard on iPhone 4! Pros 7 : 3 Cons

Overall

Best phone in the market yet though with some minor imperfections. Then again its the imperfections that gives Samsung (or the mobile phone manufacturers for that matter) room for improvement.

Final S! core: Pr os 7 : 3 Cons. Its a BUY!

Sunday Brunch @ Avenue Bar, Four Seasons Toronto

Ive only got one Sunday in Toronto to spare for brunch with my friends and really wanted to spend it on something nice. After a long debate between Avenue @ Four Seasons and Origin we finally settled for Avenues Sunday Buffet Brunch.




I only managed to take shots of my food and not the actual Buffet Line as there were quite a number of people dining in the brunch. The Buffet was split into several small sections that included a Cold Cut/Salad Bar, Cooked Food Buffet, Carving Station, a Live Cooking Station for Eggs and Pasta and Desserts.








The quality of the food was good and favorites of mine included their Maple Roast Salmon and Eggs Benedict. However I was a little disappointed with the variety of the food especially their Dessert Station which had a limited number of Mini-Cakes and Pastries! .






So far Ive only been to two other Sunday Buffet Brunches in Toronto, Markham Hilton Suites and Windsor Arms. The quality of Avenues Cooked and Live Food Stations are on par with Windsor Arms. However I still prefer Windsor Arms as my favorite among the Brunches for offering a Wider Array of Dishes that includes Alaskan King Crab Legs and made to order Waffles, Pancakes and Scones.





Food: 3.7/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Service:! 4/5
Price: $$$$$ (Approximately USD $55 per person)

Contact Information:
Address: 21 Avenue Road, Toronto, ON M5R 2G1, Canada
Tel: +1 416-964-0411
Web: www.fourseasons.com
Map:

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Delicious Dinner 45.

A series of home cooked dinner by my wife.

Deep fried Garoupa fish garnished with ginger/garlic oil/soy sauce.

Steamed home made Tengirri Papan fish balls seated on a bed on Chinese long cabbage and topped with garlic oil-was inspired by the springy Wolf Herring fish balls of Restoran Rasa Lain in Bercham, Ipoh.

Spinach in fish stock soup with duck's egg, chicken meat and wolf berries.

When Coriander Made It Into Our Ice Cream

It is hot. In the 100s hot.

I am counting down the days when we will be traveling to Vermont and later to the Basque Country. Meanwhile, we continue to eat cherries and all sorts of berries by the handful.

And then, there are ice creams and sorbets.



"Can you help me pick these green seeds from this cilantro plant?" I asked Jon a few weeks ago. "See the flowers? That means there will be no more cilantro leaves". "Is the cilantro dead?" he asked with a concerned look on his face. "No, not dead, but we will not be cooking with the leaves now. Instead we will use the seeds".

I love a beautiful flowering cilantro plant. So delicate and dainty.

We collected the green coriander seeds and laid them out to dry. I add them to anything these days.



Last week! , I rece ived a new book in the mail. A book dedicated to all things ice cream. Just what I crave at the moment.

Written by Jeni Britton Bauer, who owns Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream in Columbus, the book is photographed by Stacy Newgent whose work I have admired for a long time. I sat down with it over the weekend and bookmarked nearly every page.

Then I came across the coriander and raspberry ice cream.

Instant swoon.



Inspired by this flavor combination, I quickly began making my own version. Coriander-scented cheesecake ice cream with chunky raspberry sauce swirled all throughout.

I toasted the coriander seeds that Jon had helped me pick weeks before and steeped them in the milk. Subtle, but enough to make the cheesecake ice cream pop.

I couldn't stop licking the spatula.

Could you?



On Sunday, after we went swimming and while everyone relaxed, I cooked a batch of fruit en papillote (remember this one?) with vanilla bean, a touch of grated ginger, and lemon thyme.

Red and golden raspberries, frozen red currants, red velvet apricots, and rainier cherries. So light and fragrant.

Served the fruit with the coriander and raspberry swirl cheesecake ice cream.

A dollop of cream. Extra raspberry sauce on top.



And the leftovers? The leftovers were turned into milkshakes.

Miren approved.


Coriander and Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Ice Cream

Raspberry Sauce

2 cups (260 g) raspberries
3/4 cups (150 g) natural cane sugar

Place raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat until thick, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Coriander Cheesecake Ice Cream

2 tablespoons coriander seeds
3/4 cup (185 ml) whole milk
8 oz (225 g) cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz (225 g) crme friche
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbs (125 g) caster sugar

In a small skillet, toast the coriander seeds over medium high heat until fragrant. Coarsely crush them (do not turn them into a fine powder).

Combine the coriander and milk in a small sauce pan. Bring to a light simm! er, turn off the heat, and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes. Strain and discard the seeds.

In the food processor, pulse the cream cheese, crme friche, sugar, and milk together until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill for at least 1 hour.

Churn the ice cream in your machine according to manufacturers instructions. When it is finished, swirl in half of the raspberry sauce and reserve the rest as a topping. Freeze until solid.

Japanese Food @ Ju.Ne Japanese Restaurant, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur

"A new Japanese place?"... that piqued my curious little tummy.


At first glance, it is hard to spot this discreet little place. The confusing layers of unlabelled floors in the midst of construction seem to camouflage it so well.





Nevertheless, those familiar with this maze seem to have sniffed the place out as it was packed for lunch.


We turned up for dinnertime and was surprised to see patrons there even though it was only a few tables. Pretty good considering they are so well hidden from the naked eye.





Feeling a little lost around the menu, we felt a way through the menu.


First, it was the toufu avocado salad (RM19) - a refreshing mix of salad leaves, crunchy seaweed, smooth wakame sheets, avocado slices, tofu cubes - all tossed in a wasabi soy sauce dressing. The balance of the wasabi was just right to kick up our appetites.





Next, it was one of the picks from the hand written daily specials. We were leaning towards the alluring sound of their homemade deep fried beef mince patty. It must have been good stuff as they had sold it out. Drats! Looks like we need to return to try it.


Instead we were steered towards thegyu miso yaki (RM22) - steak marinated in a sweet tasting sauce with a melt-in-the-mouth texture and a nice grilled crispy edges. On the side was a dollop of mild tasting yellow miso to add as a dip. Reminds me a little of my French lamb rack from Cilantro that came with a hatcho (deep red) miso for flavour.





I was gunning for the prawns with lotus root but the waiter suggested the hotate iso yaki (RM12) - grilled scallop with two types of mushrooms: enoki and hon shimeji. The broth is sweet but I did feel the scallop was a wee overcooked being a little less succulent.





The big misdemeanor was our simple salmon maki (RM15). The! seaweed roll with julienne cucumbers and salmon sashimi was laden with wasabi that had both of us blowing our heads apart. Completely mind blowing stuff that would wake up any stuffed nose. Believe me, we won't be ordering this again.


They're a little uninventive with makis as the other variety available is filled with minced tuna or negitoro. What we did spy were their specialty of nabe aka the Japanese version of steamboat that they had specially inbuild induction hobs at each table. They also serve claypot rice.


We reckon we'll return again as the food is simple fare that we like but we'll definitely be avoiding their makis for the time being. Incidentally, they are also having a special promotion for June, complimentary ice cream (vanilla, goma or matcha) for dessert. We sampled the goma and matcha, which were pretty good stand-bys to beat the heat. Incidentally, it's name has some reference to trees or wood as it's motif is a large shady tree.


Ju.ne Japanese Restaurant
Block A4, Level G2
Unit 4A-G2-3A
Solaris Dutamas
No. 1 Jalan Dutamas 1
Kuala Lumpur


Tel: 03 - 6207 9923


(Pork Free. Open from Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Closed on Sundays. Located further up Old Town White Coffee and below Nathalie's Gourmet Studio. More pictures in the Flickr set.)


*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; change! s may oc cur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Chit-Chatting about Gobo Traders Hotel KL

Chit-Chatting about Gobo Traders Hotel KL

All-day dining has been taken to a whole new level

The dark horse has emerged. Gobo Chit Chat. And its good. Oh, sooooo good

Whenever I hear the word buffet, I cringe. Lacklustre food thats been sitting out all day, either simmering to the point of overcooked-ness, or left to thaw and warm up to the point of being inedible.

Many hotels in KL offer a wide variety of dishes, trying miserably and failing to replicate authentic Indian, Chinese, Malay and Western dishes. Yes, I give credit to a few all-day dining outlets in hotels manage to successfully satisfy guests with both quality and quantity. But, I must say, none have impressed me quite as much as Gobo Chit Chat.

On a regular day, this hidden gem on the 5th floor of Traders Hotel KL will blow you away with its wide selection of contemporary Western and Asian Cuisine.

We worked on improving food stations and spent time to ensure our guests at Gobo Chi Chat go away with a great sense of having been on a great culinary experience, said Executive Chef, Chiew Chee Mun.

Using only the choicest ingredients, this new generation all-day dining outlet allows for chit-chat and banter, amidst a chic and stylish, yet unpretentious atmosphere.

I am here today to tell you about their Friday night promotion BEEF & REEF.

A funky new way of saying Surf & Turf, this dining experience offers you all the basics you would get on any other day, with the added bonus of a beef carving station and an assortment of cold, and fresh seafood cooked to your liking.

Ill just go straight into the spread. It was almost overwhelming, to the point that I looked more than I ate.

The buffet, that is. Not the crabs

SALAD BAR

Caesar Salad, Mushroom Salad, Pan-seared Tuna Nicoise, Prawn Ceviche with Orange reduction, Glass Noodles with seafood, Thai style Papaya Salad, freshly picked garden greens of Mesclun, Endives, Wild Rocket.

Choose from: French dressing, lemon Vinaigrette, Basil Pesto, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, aged Balsamic Vinegar, Thousand Island dressing.

First impressions always count, and the Salad Bar made a hefty impression on me.

Its a habit for me, to start of every meal with a salad or soup, and the range of fresh, quality and beautifully presented dishes here was very pleasing to both the eye, and the tastebuds.

SOUPS

Lobster Bisque, Sea Cucumber Soup, Miso ! Soup

I didnt have the space for any of those soups, but I did try the Creamy Tomato soup from the Vegetarian Section.

A pleasant consistency, slightly tangy, with a hint of crme fraiche for richness.

HORS DOEUVRES

Prawn and Mango Salad, Yellow Capsicum Soup with Crab meat, Cherry tomato and Truffle soup with tuna, Oyster & Bloody Mary, Balsamic & Watermelon with Feta.

SMOKED FISH

Smoked Salmon, Salmon Gravlax, Smoked Kingfish, Crusted Tuna

Condiments: Sour Cream, Capers, Salmon Roe, Parsley, lemon Wedges, Avocado Salsa, Tomato Salsa, Chive Crepes, Toasted Ciabatta

Fresh, fresh, fresh! And just the right temperature, beautiful when accompanied with the homemade dressings and salsas.

JAPANESE COUNTER

Fresh Sashimi of Salmon, Tuna, Sea bass, Octopus, Squid, Scallops, variety of handrolls, sushi and maki rolls and selection of Tempura

Thats just the appetizers Are you ready for mains yet?

ASIAN

Tiger Prawns with butter sauce, Pan-seared Scallops with Chef Tonys special sauce, fried Oyster Omelette, Seafood fried Rice, Lamb Kofta, Cocconut Curry, Prawn Vindaloo, Chapatti, Chicken with spicy pineapple sauce, Pomfret with fermented Durian sauce, Paprika Mussels, Beef & Chicken Satay

And, after that, if you can fit it in, the stars of the evening.Here comes the REEF

FRESH SEAFOOD

Tiger Prawns, Fresh Water Prawns, Flower Crabs, Green lipped Mussels, Pacific Oysters, Baby Lobsters, Slipper Lobsters.

BBQ STATION

Fresh Water Prawns, Slipper Lobsters, Salmon Fillets, Stingray Portuguese Style, Baked Spring Bay Mussels, Baked Baby Squid.

Oh, the choice. I mean, really, I just zoned in on the crabs.

The cold seafood was tasty enough on its own, but needed that little extra help from the Tamarind and chilli sauces at your disposal.

We were spoilt with crab claws lightly grilled with a tasty seasoning of salt, soya and chilli. Sometimes, the best seafood comes cooked with no fuss. I have to say that some of the claws were a little overcooked, because I had trouble getting the flesh out of the shell. Apart from that, no complaints! Seafood good enough to rival any decent seafood restaurant.

Here comes the BEEF

CARVINGS

Prime Australian Beef Ribs, Yorkshire Pudding, Greens, BBQ Sauce, Salmon Wellington

There was also a Western section, that featured crab cakes, shrimps, tuna, cheesy cauliflower and baked tenderloin.

Oh, and a section for freshly made noodles, with choice of soups, a Pasta Station, a Dim Sum Station

But seriously? I could barely LOOK at the desserts, let alone squeeze in some of my favourite smelly cheeses..

CHEESE ASSORTMENT

Bleu dauvergne, Camambert, Cheddar, Goats Cheese

Where else in KL, in a beautiful setting, can you get all that, on a Friday night, for the astounding price of RM 98++???

Its nuts, I tell you. Go on, get chit-chatting away! Make those plans for your next free Friday night. Gobo Chit Chat at Traders Hotel KL. It deserves a reminder on your phone. My advice skip those desserts and leave room for Beef & Reef!

Thank you Theresa for the gracious invite, and for spoiling us rotten. And thanks to the fantastic team at Gobo Chit Chat for the wonderful experience..

And to my astounding company, Fatboybakes and Dilly for being delightful eating buddies! Nothing like getting our hands dirty!

CONTACT

GOBO CHIT CHAT

(Pork Free/Smoke Free)

TRADERS HOTEL KL

Kuala Lumpur City Centre
50088
Malaysia
T: (60 3) 2332 9888
F: (60 3) 2332 2666

W: www.shangri-la.com

T: 03 2332 9888