ENJOY! curated gifts from joy the baker

Ive been cooking up a little something for you! Its not brownies or cheesecake but I hope you like it all the same!

Its mail. Its cute surprises in your mailbox that are not bills or flyers. Its real-life gifts to yourself or for a friend! Let me explain how this works.

ENJOY! is a subscription gift program. Its a mystery gift delivered right to your door. Like a wine of the month club only better!

Every three months I pair up with a different cool, quirky company and hand select a unique little gift package for you. It could be a cool kitchen item. It could be something for you to carry in your purse. It could be a little something for your vanity. Whatever it is, its a new and exciting thing that arrives in your mailbox every three months. Were not talking freebies or samples were talking full-on awesome gifts!

ENJOY! subscriptions would be an awesome gift for you, a sweet holiday surprise for a friend or maybe you want to subtly forward this post to your significant other. Holiday gift, hint hint nudge nudge! Tell them that its way better than a wine of the month club. And if you sign up for this quarter, your gift will be there in time for the holidays!

ENJOY! gi! fts will be shipped in time for the holiday season. Surprise yourself! Surprise a friend! Surprise your wife! Heck, have someone order it for you and act surprised when it arrives.

Cost of subscription is $25 (shipped within the US) and $30 (shipped international), and each gift is worth more than the cost of subscription so its a deal and a treat all in one. I love it and I want you to love it too. Think of it as that little treat that helps keep you (and your friends) sane.

Subscription spaces are limited. Sign up! ENJOY!

US domestic.

International

Early Birthday Celebration @ Cilantro Restaurant & Wine Bar, MiCasa All Suite Hotel, Kuala Lumpur

My birthday celebration this year started one week before the actual day. I have to say, Hubby really spoilt me this year (Thanks Hubby!). We started off the celebration at Cilantro, a restaurant which we have been meaning to go to for dinner for a very very long time.

Beautiful red roses

We have tried their Executive Friday Luncheon sometime ago, and really enjoyed our meal here. Recently, Cilantro was also named as Malaysia's Top Restaurant in The Miele Guide so all the more reason to dine here. Service here is exemplary -- the waiting staff are very knowledgable (you can ask them anything about the menu or the dish preparation/ingredients and they will have the answer!) and friendly too.

Restaurant interior

Since we were the first guests at the rest! aurant t hat evening, we asked if we could see The Miele Guide trophy. Cilantro was ranked at No.6 this year under Asia's Top 20 Restaurants -- congrats!

Crystal trophy

Ahh.. the legendary truffle butter. You'll be silly to skip this.. so luxurious and decadent.

Amuse bouche -- scallop mousse topped with Avruga

We came with the intention of sampling the Chef's Degustation but some of the items did not appeal to us, so we decided to order from the a la carte menu instead. Other than the a la carte menu online, there was also a small section of Seasonal Specialty. We had a hard time choosing cos everything sounded so good! We both went for the 4-course Prix-Fixe Cilantro menu (2 appetizer, 1 main and 1 dessert for RM245++) and selection can be made from both a la carte and seasonal specialty menu.

We both agreed the star dish of the night was the Wagyu Tartare with Egg Mollet (! RM88). I t was a beautiful dish, both in terms of taste and presentation. The wagyu tartare was to be mixed with the egg mollet, wasabi mayonnaise, chives and sauteed seaweed before eaten with the crisp bread. Hubby definitely enjoyed this very much -- and I got a few bites too :)

My first appetizer was the Scallop with Zucchini Flower (RM88), the scallop was nicely cooked and the crispy seaweed added a nice texture to the dish. The zucchini flower oozed with melted cheese -- think Sage prepares the zucchini flowers in the same manner.

Hubby's second appetizer was the Unagi with Foie Gras with Mesclun (RM78). It wasnt exactly how we envisaged it to look like, but the taste was just awesome. The luscious foie was sandwiched between two pieces o! f unagi and then coated and fried. A great play on textures.

My second appetizer was from the Seasonal Specialty menu - Roasted Foie Gras with Poached Egg (RM88). It was a most pleasant surprise when the dish arrived with added bonus of autumn truffles (very generous amount of shavings too I must add). There is just something magical about runny egg yolk and truffles -- it just works. The foie served also came in a generous slab, so I was delighted :)

For mains, we both decided to try Chef Takashi's specialty, Grilled Blackmore Wagyu with Rucola Cress (RM148). Quite a simple dish, served with a side of mash potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Blackmore Wagyu cooked medium

For desserts, I had the Grand Marnier Souffle with Vanilla Ice Cream (RM38) while Hubby had the Caramelised Apple with Vanilla Ice Cream (RM38). There was a waiting time of 25 minutes for the souffle, so if you want this, do order it in advance. Unfortunately, the desserts for us didn't fare as well as the appetizers and desserts. Coffee/tea is included if you take the Prix-Fixe menus.

Tea while we wait for our desserts.

Grand Marnier Souffle with Vanilla Ice Cream

Caramelised apple with vanilla

*A! ll price s indicated are for dish if ordered from a la carte menu.


Verdict: Despite the desserts letdown, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. The food was immaculately prepared and service was top-notch. Definitely a great venue for a romantic meal.


Full set of photos available to view here.


Opening times: Lunch - available on Fridays only. (12.00pm -2.00pm)
Dinner - Monday to Saturday (6.00pm - 10.30pm)
Closed on Sundays.

Dress code: Smart casual.

Price: RM245++ for Cilantro Prix-Fixe menu.

Location: Cilantro Restaurant & Wine Bar, MiCasa All Suite Hotel, 368-B Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2179 8082

Website: http://www.cilantrokl.com/

GPS Coordinates: 3.162273,101.719548

Verve Restaurant @ Edward Street, Brisbane

There's something cool about this place which is situated in the basement of the Metro Arts building. Maybe it is just the whole experience of walking into a dimly lit underground area which feels cold and cool at the same time. Oh did I say cool again?


Well maybe it isn't that cool but it is cooling.


The Wife and I were feeling generous that day so we decided we will pick a nicer place for lunch instead of trying to find a place that will get me a meal for under $10.


Verve which is just opposite her office was an easy option.


The menu is a simple assortment of pasta and pizza; not exactly the most authentic Italian stuff but probably more Australian/American/Modern Italian if you know what I mean.

A special of the day was a cream based prawn pasta with sun dried tomatoes. I love pasta that is cooked al-dente and this was probably a minute too long in boiling water. Else, this tasted pretty good.

I think this was a seafood pizza but honestly I think for the same price, you can get a better one at Pizza Capers.

Overall, a decent place for a pasta or pizza and a beer but nothing that was really shining. Meals are almost AUD20 per person so not cheap for an everyday lunch unless you earn a bucket load of money.

Address and con! tact det ails:

Verdict: 3 stars out of 5 stars. If there's consolation, I reckon it should be a couple of degrees cooler than the blistering sun we have been getting in the last week and in the upcoming weeks.

A Visit to Chef Choi @ Jalan Ampang for Lunch

I have to meet someone at Jalan Ampang urgently and I found a suitable place with ample car park and that was Chef Choi Restaurant.

Looks like a quiet lunch hour here but ideal for my meeting. And service was good and very attentive indeed.Fried prawns & mango were delicious that my taste buds were so pleased with it.The Siew Mai is just normal nothing really special about it.Double boiled Ginseng Soup with Chicken was below my expectation maybe it was not completely ready for lunch probably would taste better during dinner.

Chef Chois Special Fried Noodles.

Maybe I should come back for dinner to savour more of Chef Choi's food.

Restoran Chef Choi
159 Jalan Ampang
50450 KL

Tel: 03-2163 5866
GPS : 3.159735,101.715419

Cameron Valley Tea & Roasters

Tea or coffee? The eternal dilemma; let's examine two recently opened outlets _ one steeped in cured leaves, the other brewing with roasted beans.

First up: Cameron Valley Tea is known for its tea house in Malaysia's central highlands, but this business run by Bharat Plantations now has a cozy cafe in Bangsar.

Order scones & feel like you've been whisked from Telawi to Tanah Rata? Alas, it's not that simple; these scones seem more bland than buttery, marred by a half-baked doughy strangeness.

The tea, though, is terrific; try the Masala tea ice cream float _ smoldering-hot tea, fragrant with sweet spices & topped with rich, comfortingly cold vanilla ice cream.

Cardamom tea smoothie. Its consistency is reminiscent of a milkshake instead of a smoothie,! but we' ll still lap up every last drop of its herbal loveliness.

The verdict: tea triumphs in terms of taste! And it boasts so many health benefits too.

Nevertheless, let's give coffee a chance _ Roasters by Plan B, inside Ben's Independent Grocer, is buzzing with caffeine-seekers taking a break from shopping at Publika.

Cappuccino, piccolo latte & ristretto, all admirably aromatic.

Cameron Valley Tea by the Bharat Group,

28, Jalan Telawi 5, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-2202-2155

Roasters by Plan B,

Ben's Independent Grocer, Publika Shopping Gallery, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.

On the Turkey's Black Sea Coast, Autumn's Bounty

No doubt about it, we are very, very behind. Behind in posting from our autumnal travels in Turkey and from our rainy season time in Chiang Mai. And in posting from Hanoi, and Kelantan before that, and from Taiwan before that.

Where have the last five and a half months gone?

It's almost Thanksgiving (we'll be spending it in Chiang Mai, where we find ourselves once again). To make up for our absence, we're offering a great recipe for Turkey Day leftovers, and a story and slideshow to go along with it. Autumn's abundance on show in markets on Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, and comfort food from Sinop: islama, an over-the-top dish of butter and broth-soaked lavash (or yufka) topped with turkey (or chicken) and crushed walnuts.

Jump to the story and slideshow, our latest for food and wine website Zester Daily, here.

(And it's still a great dish, even if Thanksgiving isn't in your near future.)

Yi Copying AWW

thought my daughter's post today was interesting so I got her permission to re-post it here. She's working in shanghai and loving it.

NOV 16, 2011

"Huh? Wei Wei Who?"

If you've been following the news lately, or working in a creative industry, you cannot NOT know who Ai Weiwei is! Weiwei was recently namedArtview's most powerful personin the art world, and is also inTIME magazine's Top 100 people of 2011. Which is why I was really surprised when I mentioned his name to friends back in Australia, only to get a 'huh?' response when I rambled on about his recent issues with the Communist Party of China. And when I accused them for living under a rock, the response was, "Hah...you're becoming too Chinese...who knows what's going on there?!" SIGH! That seems to be what everyone's been telling me when I go on about stuff going on around here!

Now, if you're clueless about who he is, I'll be nice and tell you a bit about him. :)

Weiwei is an artist, photographer, and curator, best known for designing the Beijing Olympics Bird's Nest Stadium, a collaboration with Swiss starchitects Herzog and DeMeuron. In the art world, he is highly respected, but to the Chinese authorities, he means trouble. Through his artworks, Weiwei has spoken out against human rights abuses in China, criticising symbols of elitism and authority in the CPC.

One of his most controversial artworks, "Dropping the Urn", shows photos of Weiwei smashing a priceless Han Dynasty urn. I'm not sure how you'd intepret it, but when asked,Weiwei said he did this on a whim, 'to show how gravity works'. Whoah. I can't help but wonder how he was like as a kid. His mother must have had a very hard time!

Another famous piece by Weiwei is his installation in the Tate Museum in London, 'Sunflower Seeds'.

At first glance it doesn't look like much - but take a closer look and you might notice that these are not actual seeds; they are hand-painted replicas made of porcelain. Weiwei gathered 1,600 people toto individually hand-makeone hundred million seeds,to speak about the mass-production, 'Made in China' phenomenon taking place today.

While I admire and applaud Weiwei's artistic efforts and wit and for his courage to stand up against the Chinese authorities, I've also heard stuff from architect friends who have met and worked with him who said he's a pretty rude and arrogant fella, and that they're not surprised that he's irked the CPC.

I was inspired last weekend to do a portrait of Weiwei. Initially the idea was to just do a small A4 sized portrait of him, but then I thought I'd bring my materials out to the little lanes of mylongtang, and! do a po rtrait of him in public...what an attention-seeker, huh? But that's what Ai Weiwei is essentially! Oh, and guess what medium I used? No, not paint - that's so BOH-RING...! I collected 100,000/7kgs ofsunflower seeds, and this is what I did:

My curious neighbour came over to check out what I was up to!

...and more curious people gathered around! Eventually, someone said, 'Hey! That's that Beijing artist...Ai Weiwei!' WHEW! At least someone could tell!

Mark my words, this dude's gonna be a Chinese icon in due time... I bet you'll see his face printed on mugs and t-shirts soon!