Peninsula Experience (^_^)

Contrary to what you all might have thought, I did not stay in Peninsula Bangkok during my entire trip to Bangkok. For one, the location is far away from the shopping district.. on the opposite side of Chao Phraya river to be exact! It is possible to take Sky Train (Saphan Taksin station) to Pratunam but we didn't want to waste time taking trains. Secondly, I have set a budget for this trip (hey! I'm not filthy rich so budget is a must). After securing MAS tickets for only RM800 all-in, I booked Baiyoke Sky Hotel where we stayed for a few days.. it took us only 5-10 min walk to get to Platinum Mall. Here is the picture of Peninsula Hotel Bangkok which I took while taking their boat to the opposite side of river. This hotel stands majestically from where we are! Look closely at the hotel and you might actually notice that the hotel is iconically W-shaped designed.

After checking out of Baiyoke Hotel, we took taxi to Peninsula Bangkok which was located in a quieter Khlong San district. Upon reaching the hotel, memories from 8 years ago flashed back. As a matter of fact, this was actually my second time staying in this hotel. My first time was with Thule delegations back in September 2003. Thule's Asia Pacific Conference was held in Peninsula Bangkok and therefore I got the opportunity to stay in one of the top hotels in Bangkok. I could only remember that the room was exceptional and I had been telling Jenn so many times when we planned our Bangkok trip in June 2011.

Hotel staffs were very polite and courteous - if you are those who rate cus! tomer se rvice highly, you definitely won't be disappointed. They literally took care of everything from the moment you stepped out from taxi. Our bags were quickly whisked away to luggage room while we proceeded to the check-in counter.

Love the black Bentley Continental GT :)

Mighty lion statues guarding its entrance

I just love the ever colourful and vibrant orchids

Do not expect to see contemporary and modern designs inside the hotel. You could even see antique furnitures placed around the hotel lobby (such as this one). However, the hotel gave both of us cosy feeling...

Now this is their boat service that will take you to the opposite side of the river.. it's FOC by the way. It is also the only way to get across the river should you decide to take Sky Train. My advise is DO NOT take taxi as most likely you will get stuck in the traffic jam on Sap! han Taks in bridge linking both sides.

The room... ah yes! THE ROOM - how could I miss out? I wanted to settle for Deluxe room at the beginning but after realising that there was not much difference in term of rate in order to get the Balcony Room, I opted for the latter. The bed greeted us as soon as we entered the room - it was as good as Westin's Heavenly Bed. I could fall asleep easily on this bed.

View across the room from the bed.

2 separate basins for her and him - so I don't have to fight with Jenn who took her own sweet time to make-up and brush teeth/wash face.

For those who are always on the go and busy, they do have fax machine and high speed internet access in the room for you to use.

A little surprise from the management of Peninsula Bangkok - a box of chocolate! Yummy..

Breakfast at their Riverside Cafe is always an exciting affair. Part of the reason why I wanted to stay in Peninsula Bangkok was due to their breakfast affair! Why? I shall get to that part later...

They adopt an open kitchen concept right outside the cafe where the staffs prepare food on the spot to make sure that everything is fresh!

Jenn loves her Egg Benedict - I have yet to find another hotel that prepares this dish on the spot in Malaysia. Oh yes they do serve Egg Florentine too but we didn't manage to try that.

We did not manage to get a table inside the cafe - which was came as surprise for us as we never expect the breakfast crowd to be that many in this hotel (a sign of a very popular hotel despite its price tag). So I took some pictures - starting with pastry and bread section!

Their cold cut and salad section. They do have other sections that serve local Thai and Chinese dishes but I was not really looking forward to that.

My main objective is this - BACON! Crispy and piping hot bacon which is always replenished to ensure the patrons did not have to wait. During my stay in Baiyoke Sky Hotel, they could not make enough bacon to meet the demand from the breakfast crowd. I had to stand there for 5-10 minutes just to get the bacon!

My first plate of breakfast - loads of bacon, pork sausages, roasted potato wedges, grilled tomato and shitake mushroom.

Jenn opted for legs of ham (not those generic ham), waffles, scrambled egg and some salad

I couldn't stand the sight of the legs of ham - I helped myself to a second round shortly after!

Even the fruits tasted fresh from the market directly onto our table.

Signed Leo & Jenn from Peninsula Hotel Bangkok!

Leo's verdict - staying a night at this hotel cost at least RM700-800 for their Superior Room alone. FOr the Balcony room, all I can say is that I paid close to RM1k! My review on the hotel picked from tripadvisor site "This was actually my second time staying in Peninsula Bangkok, having stayed here once 8 years ago on business purpose. It was my first time that prompted me to stay here again for the second time, as I was very impressed by the level of service shown by this hotel. The level of service has not dropped but further improved to my delight!
I have written to the hotel (through the agent) that I would be celebrating my 5th anniversary with my wife this time, and we were delighted with the little surprise when we checked into our balcony room which overlooks the Chao Phraya river. Having said that, my wife was very happy & we had a wonderful time in this hotel. The food at Thiptara was exceptionally good and even though we didn't make any reservation that day, the staff let us to sit at the table directly next to the river since we were quite early (the next reservation was at 8pm). May I say that the breakfast at the Riverside Restaurant was equally good? I have yet to find another hotel that make Egg Benedict on the spot!
Location-wise it is located on the other side of the river but they make up with what I called the "Peninsula Experience". Boat service is provided to take you to the other side of river where BTS train station is located. Having stayed in city centre (another hotel) a few days earlier for shopping purpose, we decided to enjoy our last day in Bangkok being pampered by Peninsula Bangkok and definitel! y not di sappointed!"

Peninsula Hotel Bangkok
333 Charoennakorn Road, Klongsan
Bangkok 10600, Thailand
02-861 2888

Disclaimer:
1) I'm not paid to promote/endorse any particular event, restaurant or person in this blog. ALL are based on my unbiased personal opinion.
2) My reviews are based on my personal taste and preference and therefore may vary for others.

Peanut Butter Pie

This is a pie for Mikey. Its a peanut butter pie to honor Jennifer Perillos husband. He passed away suddenly from a heart attack. I dont know Jenny, but I have friends that do and I see her name in my twitter feed often.When I read her post about his passing and saw the outpouring of love and peanut butter pies from this wonderful community of food bloggers, I was overwhelmed.

It reminded me of the kindness of I am Baker when Amanda reached out through her blog and so many joined her to help others.

It reminded me of the kindness of all of you who helped with hope for me.

And now we can all come together to help Jennie heal.

Im really proud to be a part of such a caring community.

Heres a recipe from Pioneer Woman for Peanut Butter Pie with added Nutter Butters in the middle for good measure.

Or peruse this list of the dozens of pies from others who are thinking of Jennifer and her family tonight. Its is pretty amazing.

Make one to share with someone you love.

Also,heres Jennies inspiring post. You may want to grab a tissue.

Sweet Success: Pavlova

I put this pav into the oven and heard myself say: Please don't fall and please please don't weep. When 30 minutes had passed and there were no signs of weeping, I was quite hopeful that this time the pav would be a success. I was still prepared for it to deflate though. But the pav held its shape and did not spread out like my previous attempts and I knew the chance was good that I finally nailed my first successful pavlova.

It was a joyous moment when I took the pav out of the oven. It didn't sink and the crust was crispy so I was running around like I won the lottery.If I have to fault it, I think it tasted a bit too eggy at first bite. The crust could be thicker. I also wish that I had made two pavs instead of one for the same amount of ingredients so that there's more crust and so that I can stack the pavs with more fruits in each layer. The pav went so fast (it was my sister's birthday and my nieces loved the pav) that I couldn't get enough shots of it.



I'm not sure exactly what I did right but I did make a couple of big tweaks:

1) It is impossible to beat the sugar in by the spoonful slowly without over beating the whites because there was so much sugar to incorporate. By the time all the sugar is in, the egg whites are already beaten very stiff.

When Hub got me my Kenwood Major mixer 23 years ago, I spent one Saturday afternoon making about 6 sponge cakes. I WAS possessed. I just couldn't get the sponge right. Each cake went into the oven looking p! uffed an d light but came out flat and hard. After a couple of failures, the dog turned its head away when the failed cakes were thrown in his direction. And then the light bulb in my head suddenly lighted: the Major is a much more powerful machine than the Chef which I had been using prior to that. Could it be that the whites were over-beaten?

The answer was yes, and the next sponge cake I made was a success.

I figured that maybe it's the same thing with my pavs. So instead of beating the whites at full speed, I had the machine at half speed (4 on the dial) and that gave me more time to add the sugar by the spoonful. I stopped the machine when the whites looked like they had just reached the stiff peaks stage.

2) I have a cool oven so this time, the oven was preheated to 200 C and reduced to 130 C when the pav was put inside. It baked at that temperature for 1 hour after which the heat was reduced to 120 C for another hour, just to be sure the inside was dried out.

3) I added cream of tartar, just to help the egg whites rise and stay stiff. I also added twice the amount of corn starch to helpstabilise thewhites. I don't think that these two ingredients made much difference because most recipes do not call for cream of tartar and that much corn starch.

I am now sure that my previous attempts failed because the egg whites were over beaten and couldn't hold their shape for the duration of the baking time. The weeping, I think, was the result of a cool oven as some of you have pointed out. I think the pav needs a hot temperature initially to set the sugar and stop it from seeping out of the meringue.

I was very encouraged by this post by Wendy who lives in Malaysia too. Her pav looks beautiful and crusty, so humidity is not the problem. All pav recipes are nearly the same but I like Wendy's recipe which calls for slightly less sugar, 50 gm for each egg white. Here's my r! ecipe ad apted from Wendy's:

Pavlova
4 large egg whites, room temperature
200 gm castor sugar
2 T cornstarch (Wendy used 1 T)
1 t white vinegar
1 t pure vanilla extract

Topping: 1 1/2 to 2 cups dairy cream and tart fruits such as berries.

1. Oven at 200 C (each oven is different; adjust accordingly). Put a piece of baking paper on a tray. You can draw a circle of about 8"/20 cm on the paper but I didn't bother.

2. Beat the egg whites until very foamy. Add sugar by the spoonful. If you are using the Kenwood Major mixer, set the speed at 4 on the dial.

3. When all the sugar is added, the whites should be quite stiff. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the whites, beat for 5 seconds, add the vinegar and the vanilla, beat another 5 seconds or fold with a rubber spatula.

4. Working quickly, shape the meringue on the baking paper, making a slight rim around the pav*.

5. Put the tray with the pav into the oven, close the oven door and decrease the temp to 130 C (I would use 140 C next time to get a thicker crust). Bake 1 hour then lower the temp to 120 C and bake another hour.

6. Switch off the heat, leave the oven door slightly ajar and let the pav cool thoroughly before removing from the oven. I cut the baking paper around the pav; didn't try to remove it.

7. Whip the dairy cream, spread it on top of the pav and decorate with fruits, preferably berries. When serving, remember to slice the base between the pav and the paper so that you don't serve the paper along with the pav.

*What I'll do differently next time is make two lower layers of meringue because then I'll get more crust and also more fruit can be added to cut the sweetness.

Simply Cooking: Japanese ground chicken rice

Recently, I have this unbelievable enthusiasm towards my university essays. It is not that I do not have any interest towards my essays in the previous years. It is just that it is at its peak now. I do not know where this incredible energy came from. Back then, I just cannot wait to finish reading and writing a dissertation, regardless of how long or short is it. Now, I take my time to sift through my readings and put more effort intoanalyzinga 30 paged journal than just reading the abstract, introduction and discussion.

It must be either the vitamin D talking or my strong determination to score a 90. I know it is impossible to score a 90, especially if you're coming from the arts but I believe that I can. I mean, I have scored 100 out of 100 for history, calculus and 90 plus for all three sciences during the very last years of my school. I even scored a 19 out of 20 for a rather difficult college essay on Freud and Jung, and 90 plus for literature and advanced math.

Often, people wonder why I can score that much. Looking back, I can understand why. Back then, I would really put 100 percent of my heart into work. I would be so gung ho about studying. As years progressed along, I started to wane a little because everything became so much difficult. However, if one keeps doing difficult things, the difficult things become easy to grasp concepts. With this in mind, I am motivated again. Also, I think my intake of Vitamin D has something to do with this because I am not only motivated in my work but also motivated to battle my acne and motivated to become someone who can give something back to the society one day.

They don't call it the happy pill for no reason.

Speaking about giving something back, I would like to share this incredibly easy to prepare Japanese ground chicken rice. I've nicked this off Christine's Recipes again! Her style and approach towards cooking is a little like my mo! m's. So, you'll be seeing a lot of her in my blog. Hehe. I think I have used her recipes a number of times.

Like any recipe that goes through me, I leave a little of myself in it. So don't be surprised if you find something different. Of course, you can still use the original recipe.


Golden rice
Recipe: Japanese ground chicken rice

Ingredients:

A:
3 bowls of leftover rice

B:
400 grammes of chicken breast mine
A pinch of white pepper
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of mirin

C:
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 inch of ginger, grated
2 tablespoons of olive oil + 2 drops of sesame oil
A dash of cooking sake
2 tablespoons of light Japanese soy sauce
A cup of frozen peas

D:
1 spring onion, finely chopped
A pinch of pepper


Top shot.
Instructions:

1. Mix ingredients B together in a bowl. Cling wrap and set aside for 1 hour in room temperature. You can prepare this overnight and leave it in the fridge but remember to bring it out to room temperature 1 hour before cooking.

2. Heat up pan on medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is hot, add in ginger. Stir until fragrant. Add in the marinated chicken. Stir for 10-15 minutes or until cooked. Set aside.

3. Using the same pan, add remaining olive and sesame oil. When oil is hot, add in garlic. Stir until fragrant. Add in rice. Stir on high heat until the rice turns slightly golden. It will take around! 10 minu tes.

4. Add in chicken and frozen peas. As the rice is dried out from the stir-frying, the rice will absorb the marinade from the chicken. When no more gravy can be seen settling at the bottom of the pan, add soy sauce and cooking sake. Stir for another 5 minutes.

5. Turn off heat and serve on a plate. Enjoy it with quick omelette and Japanese pickles. Hehe.



I hope you guys enjoy this recipe. If you find the taste a little bland, feel free to add more soy sauce to the chicken but it should not be too bland. I actually prefer topping the end product with tonkotsu sauce. I use Bulldog brand. It's slightly sweet and sour, which reminds me of the foie gras fried rice I had in the Han Room.

A new house for Mimi's Dining Room!

I have finally moved my dining room to my very own http://www.choiyen.com/.

Cheers!

Homemade Cake Batter Ice Cream

Did you know that August is the most popular month to have a birthday?

If my math is correct it must have to do with the holidays (9 months before). And as you know, I'm obsessed with birthday cake flavored anything.

The best, which you see everywhere now, is cake batter ice cream/birthday cake ice cream/party cake ice cream. Once I bought an ice cream maker which parroted the sound of a dump truck scraping off the gravel on the street at a slow pace. Which is why I gave up on making ice cream. But then I came across an easy recipe for it and immediately converted it into cake batter.

The result is actually not bad! A little bit on the icy side but still good. Yes there are eggs in it, the reason the Cold Stone one was recalled, but hey, cake batter already kinda tastes like salmonella.

Homemade Cake Batter Ice Cream

What you need:

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon cake mix

1/4 cup sprinkles

crumbs of a cupcake

What you do:

In a bowl with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until pale yellow. Add the heavy cream and cake mix, beating at a high speed until soft peaks form. Then quickly stir or fold in sprinkles and crumbs. Spread in a tupperware container and freeze for 4 hours.

Weepy Pavs

Hi. I'm Terri, a food blogger and a self-appointed food writer but I am NOT able to make a pavlova. That's right,I can make a 4-tier wedding cake and pizzas so good that you think only a pizzaiola can but I can't make a silly pavlova.

Years ago, I tried making pavs and both times they collapsed dramatically towards the end of the baking time. One hour after baking, right on the dot, the pavs sank in the oven right before my eyes. Twice. Those attempts traumatized me enough to not try making macarons, another meringue dessert. A couple of months ago, at the request of my niece, I made my third pav. Like the first two, the third pav was also dramatic to the end. Instead of collapsing, it wept a ring of sugar syrup around itself. It was also 1/2 the original height. I told myself that I'll never make a pav again. I don't like meringue in the first place and how good can a pav taste anyway. It's just egg whites, sugar and air.

Then a few days ago I had lunch at a friend's house and L brought out a kiwi pav. I was unconvinced at first look because it was rather flat and the color was tan, not white. I shoved a spoonful of the pav into my mouth. Light crusty bite. Soft center. I liked it. No, I loved it. I begged L for the recipe but unfortunately she couldn't recall which recipe she used out of the hundreds that are on the Net. I understand because it happens to me too. I copy recipes and forget to note the source and loose them. At our age, my friends and I are at the point where we often stop mid-sentence "Now what was I saying??" Sometimes I suspect that my friends are testing me. Usually somebody else answers before I do.

With the humidity myth dispelled (it has been extra humid the last 2 weeks) by L, I knew I had to make a pav again. I typed "Why does my pavlova weep?" on my computer and spent an afternoon reading all the comments, including those on forums. Fully informed, I set to work with my newly-repaired mixer (yes, thanks to Yi's friend Kimm! ei who b rought the parts back last week) and the meringue was beautiful.


Satiny. Glossy. Stiff. Higher, puffier and moredramaticthan Rosmah's bouffant.


Half an hour into the baking (170 C preheat, down to 130 C during baking), the same thing happened again. Tell me about the sinking feeling! I baked the pavs on wire racks because I wanted the hot air to circulate. Big mistake because the melted sugar made a mess.


I wanted to make a layered pav, two layers of meringue and two layers of fruit and cream. Could I still use this sticky mess?


NO. The pavs were heavy and sticky and yukky.

Why do meringues weep? Based on what I read, meringue weeps because:

1. It is overbaked. But I baked my pavs for 1 hour and 20 minutes at 130 C, then switched off the heat and let them cool in the oven. The recommended time is 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours in all the recipes.

2. It is underbaked. I suspect this is the answer because my pav was heavy and sticky inside. But I stuck to the instructions!

3. The sugar must ! be fine, added to the whites by the spoonful and fully dissolved. I did use castor sugar, added the sugar one spoonful at a time and tested the meringue with my fingers.

4. Too much sugar. I did reduce sugar the first 3 times but this time I didn't.

5. Too little sugar. No way. I used 1/4 cup per egg white, as recommended by every successful pavlova maker.

6. Eggs are too fresh; best results are with eggs 1 week old. Huh? As long as the egg whites are beaten to the stiff peaks stage they should be good?

I am going crazy. I know I am because I'm going to make my 5th attempt. And I'll keep attempting until I get a perfect pavlova. It has to be high, crusty not hard outside, light creamy color not tan and the middle has to be tender not soft and sticky or hard and dry. Wish me luck. If I don't get it right tomorrow, this blog'll never move on.

Al-Jazeerah (Jakarta Restaurant Arabic)

Al-Jazeerah is among the best Arabic restaurants in Jakarta in the mid-range price category. It is located in Jalan Raden Saleh, about 200 meters South from Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM), and it is a popular hangout spot for Middle Easterners in the city. Apart from the restaurant, you also have a take-away kebab stand and a busy shisha caf (called Arabian Tent Cafe, a bit weird, it seemed to me that an abnormal proportion of girls were inside).

In the restaurant, you have a large function room, to be avoided for dining, and a smaller one in the back. It doesn't look great but it is comfortable and clean. They also have a giant screen with Arabic channels. The night I visited, there was about 10 other customers, and all of them looked foreign, most likely Arab. The air-c! on was v ery strong and blowing everywhere in the room unfortunately, and it made me leave as soon as I was done eating.

For appetizer, I ordered Tabouleh (Rp26,000) and for my main course Mandi Laham (Rp70,000), a dish originally from Yemen with Basmati rice and marinated pieces of lamb. I enjoyed both a lot, especially after mixing everything together, and adding the slightly spicy sauce. It doesn't not seem like very complicated food, but all the ingredients were fresh and perfectly cooked.
Tabouleh (Rp26,000++)Mandi Laham (Rp70,000++)

Overall: Recommended restaurant if you are looking for a good place to eat for Rp120,000 per person. Since it doesn't look beautiful or particularly authentic, do not come for the atmosphere. If you go into the "Arabian Tent Caf", please let me know your impressions about it...

Opening hours:
Everyday from 11.30am to 3pm (last order 2.30pm) and from 6.30pm to 2am.
On Sunday and Holiday it opens at 8.30am.

Al Jazeerah
Jalan Raden Saleh No.58,
Jakarta 10336, Indonesia

Phone number: +62-21 3146 108 / 391 4444
Fax: +62-21 3160 182!
Webs ite: http://www.aljazeerahinjakarta.com/
Facebook: Al-Jazeerah

Note: 50 meters from Al-Jazeerah, on Jalan Raden Saleh, they are building a new Arabic restaurant with the same owner, same Chef and same management called Al Bahar-Al Ahmar restaurant. I will review it when it opens.