Nancy Chong Butter Cakes @ Ipoh, Perak

Warning! There is a buttery sheen over the blog...as we hit up north for the quest of the best butter cake.


A good friend of mine, Su had kindly got her mother to bring back these legends down to the big city.


One has heard of the stories about this cake. More like urban legends such as how people can just eat through 2kg cake by themselves. Seems it is no myth as my friend Su tells me her parents can happily demolish a 1kg cake between the two of them.





One taste of the buttery sweetness and I can understand why.


The taste seems to remind me of my childhood days with its sweet taste and soft creamy buttery goodness.


Seems Mrs. Chong only believes in SCS butter that she ladles all over the crumbly cakes and the icing.


Everything about the cake reminds me of the 1970s when cakes like these were in vogue for birthdays. My mother was one of the faithful brigade of cooks who joined hands with famous teachers like Mrs. Fernandes to learn how to pipe roses like these.


Ah, those were the good old days.





In a way, I'm glad Mrs. Chong is far away in Ipoh so ordering these cakes are not possible all the time.


If it was, I'll be in a perpetual sugar high...


Nancy Cakes
23, Lebuh Lasam
Ipoh


Tel: 05-2544384/012-5277536


(You can also email orders lizang@streamyx.com The 1kg cakes are priced at RM50-RM55. We sampled the marble butter cake and almond one. Loved the almond version with bits of almond flakes. Best to call and order ahead. Nowadays, Mrs. Chong's daughter continues her legacy to make the cakes. For the full set of pictures, see my Flickr set).


*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur 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.

Al Tanoor @ Pavilion

It's been too long since our last full-blown Middle Eastern meal; this trip to Pavilion's Al Tanoor made us think that maybe we should make the effort more often.

Avengers Assemble! Shawarma-loving superheroes are likely to like this Hulk-sized serving of spit-grilled chicken wraps, filling and flavorsome.

Fattoush, the famed bread salad of mixed leaves and fried pita.Al Tanoor is owned by the respected Tarbush group of restaurants, which explains why everything here is well-executed.

Lamb burger, with a house-made, egg-topped patty that's tender and tasty.Our only complaint: while the food here is good, be warned that it can take over 15 minutes to be brought out, even when the outlet isn't full.

Muttabal, an eggplant-based dip with tahina, tomatoes and olive oil. Beautifully creamy and probably much healthier than, say, butter.

Warm, fluffy bread is provided with the muttabal, graced with a lovely lightness.

Makhlouba rice, with lightly spiced grains, simultaneously firm and moist, mixed with meat. A nice alternative to nasi biryani.

Al Tanoor's prices are excellent; this entire meal for two cost only slightly north of RM60. And there's still more to sample, from kibbeh to falafel, warak ainab to fatayer.

Al Tanoor by Tarbush,

Level 1, Pavilion, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Quick Lunch: Salad with tuna, sweetcorn, iceberg lettuce and poached egg with truffle oil

You may have noticed that I have been posting regularly under the "Quick Lunch" section, for healthy delicious lunch that you can prepare in under 15 minutes. As a mother of two, I am always on the go and I know that it's not always easy to find time to cook a long, elaborate lunch.

I made this relatively simple salad last week, but received several requests on Facebook and Instagram for the recipe. If you're planning to make this to bring to work as a packed lunch, then it is advisable to replace the poached egg with a boiled egg (hen's or quail's will both work). If you're planning on making salads or pasta regularly, then do buy a good bottle of extra virgin olive oil.

There is no rule as to what you can put in your salad. For this salad, I just put together a few things which I like eating such as sweetcorn, tuna and POACHED EGG! You can also add sundried tomatoes or other salad leaves as you please.

Salad with tuna, sweetcorn, iceberg lettuce and poached egg with truffle oil

Salad with tuna, sweetcorn, iceberg lettuce and poached egg with truffle oil
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5-10 minutes
Serves 2

1/2 can of sweetcorn (you can also use frozen sweetcorn)
2 eggs
1/2 can of tuna (I used tuna chunks in olive oil)
2-3 lettuce leaves, thinly sliced
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Truffle oil

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. Add sliced onions and cook until softened for about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove fro! m heat.< br>
2.At the same time, you can cook your poached or boiled egg.To poach an egg, fill a frying pan with 4cm barely simmering water. Break each egg into a cup and lower into the water. Cook for approximately 2 minutes (you will know it's cooked when the egg white has set). Use a slotted spoon to remove.

3. If using frozen sweetcorn, then pour boiling water over the sweetcorn and leave for a few minutes to defrost. Drain water and place in a bowl with the butter. Mix well.

4. Toss the lettuce with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

5. To assemble, place lettuce, followed by fried onions, sweetcorn, tuna and finally top with poached egg. Drizzle with some truffle oil.

Light, simple and delicious

Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Its open!

I was in Singapore earlier in May for a trip by Marina Bay Sands and was privileged to visit the Harry Potter Exhibition on the very first day of it opening followed by a behind the scenes tour of Gardens by the Bay.

That was barely 1 month ago and just yesterday, Gardens on the Bay is open to the public!

Amazing isnt it?
Heres a look of it when it was still in the works .

Can you imagine how it looked now?
I need to make a trip to Sg again to see the completed Gardens by the Bay myself!

Here are some details:

ACCESSIBILITY

• By MRT: Bayfront station
• By bus: SBS 400
• Parking facilities are available.
• Bay South Garden is linked to the Marina Bay Sands by the Garden Bay Bridge.

***

For a bigger map, go here:http://www.gardensbythebay.org.sg/visitor-information/gardens-map.php

Note:
Im currently in Taiwan and post will be updated with more details once Im back in the hotel tonight! Any burning questions? Leave me a comment!

So, anyone wants to join me in July?

Teaser:Inside The Flower Dome!

The majestic Marina Bay Sands Towers where I stayed during my trip.

Waku Waku @ Mid Valley

Waku-Waku: Round Two. Earlier entry: June 8, 2012.

Waku-Waku's menu might not seem very wide, but there's enough for multiple visits. Among the hits: skewered chicken (RM9.90++), surprisingly juicy (thigh meat, maybe?), topped with a mix of mayo and sambal that sounds incongruous but tastes ... well, tasty!

Salmon sashimi with green butter mayo and a gorgeously crisp salad (RM15.90++).

Beef hamburg with cheese, egg and potatoes. What can we say? This is what comfort food means for us personally: something sufficiently meaty to sink our teeth into, with carbs and egg to complement the effort.

Oh, that plate comes with pickles and leaves to clock in at RM21.90++.

Lam Mee Jepun (RM9.90++) _ wheat noodles with chicken roll in thick broth. Udon? Seems so; we're not fans of udon or lam mee, so the odds were naturally stacked against us loving this.

Chicken omelet rice with gravy (RM12.90++). It is what it is. And it's not bad _ the egg's as fluffy as the grains, while the gravy is thick and savory,

Kids may enjoy the black sesame tea blended with vanilla ice cream (RM9.90++).

Genmai Cha _ roasted rice tea (RM2.90++).

Sweet Olive flower tea (RM8.90++, for two).

Waku Waku,
Level 3, Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2284-1172

chopped salad with feta, lime and mint

Im sorry, guys, but I get really boring in the summer. Like, hey-isnt-it-nice-when-the-sun-shines boring. Or, let-me-tell-you-about-that-time-I-got-the-apartment-painted boring.

Okay fine, Ill tell you anyway. Remember when I told you that on our Vacation From Parenting I had an ambitious to-do list but my husband was quite certain wed be better off doing as little as possible? Well, Alex: 1, Deb: 0 and here it is encrypted on the permanent record of the internet. As it turns out, having to take your entire apartment apart to allow for painters is totally not fun at all. Sometimes theres a communication breakdown that leads to you coming home right as theyre finishing up to find that your apartment had been painted the wrong color. Sometimes, in the same week, your bathtub is suspiciously filled with plaster, your door handle breaks and leaves you locked out of your apartment for an eternity, your air conditioning dies, and 48 hours after the painters had left, not a single piece of furniture got ambitious enough to move itself back into position, which means that youll probably be doing that for the remainder of your so-called vacation. Really, Deb [ins! ert slow clap here] next time your husband suggest you do nothing but sleep, socialize and relax for a week, perhaps you might just not argue.

... Read the rest of chopped salad with feta, lime and mint on smittenkitchen.com

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Dim sum @ Di Wei Chinese Restaurant, Empire Hotel Subang

Both my children love dim sum very much. They often ask us to bring them for dim sum every weekend.

During our weekend getaway at Empire Hotel Subang, we took them for dim sum at Di Wei Chinese Restaurant. We've eaten there once for dinner and enjoyed the food. The restaurant was fairly busy on a Saturday afternoon, but service was good. Upon arrival, the waiting staff kindly brought 2 cute cutlery set for the kids, which they liked very much.

Vietnam style fried salad roll

Hehe both of them wanted to take photo with their cute plates!

Complimentary appetizer - cucumber and pineapple in a spicy dressing

There is quite a good variety of porky and non-porky dim sum items here. You can also order a la carte if you want, at the moment they have a Peking duck promotion which runs til August, whereby you can get a whole duck for RM39.90++. We saw lots of people ordering it but because we are dining in a small group, we decided to forego this and just go with the dim! sum.

I did all the ordering, choosing some of our regular dim sum items such as har gao (steamed prawn dumpling), siew mai (steamed pork dumpling) and steamed scallop dumpling for the benefit of the kids as well as some of the more unique sounding items from the menu.

The steamed prawn dumpling had a nice translucent skin, this time I didn't take so long photographing the photo hence the skin didn't feel so sticky. The prawn was big and juicy. Both the steamed scallop dumpling and siew mai was also good, and Baby C loved it cos it is topped with lots of roe.

Steamed prawn dumpling with water chestnut (RM10 for 3 pcs)

Steamed fresh scallop dumpling (RM12 for 3 pcs)

Steamed pork dumpling with crab roe (RM10 for 4 pcs)

We also enjoyed the deep fried prawn dumpling, again nice juicy prawns and the wasabi sauce wasn't overpowering. The steamed pork ribs was also good, the meat was tender complemented by a sweet-spicy sauce. Usually I try not to order xiao long bao from any restaurants other than Din Tai Fungas they are usually quite poorly made, however the xiao long bao (steamed Shan! ghainese dumpling) here at Di Wei was surprisingly very good. The translucent skin was not too thick and did not break when we lifted it up to eat. Inside, the pork was juicy and filled with a flavorful broth. Bravo - another place to get my XLB fix in future.

Deep fried prawn dumpling with wasabi sauce (RM10 for 3 pcs)

Steamed Shanghainese dumpling (RM9 for 3 pcs)

Steamed pork ribs with chilli sauce (RM8)

The only item I didn't enjoy was the steamed cheong fun as the rolls were slightly too thick and stodgy and the prawns were minced up too finely. One that I loved was the Vietnam style fried salad roll, which contains no meat at all and just a cold "salad" filling. I felt it went really well with the "hot" deep fried crunchy skin. The salad had a slightly sweet dressing. Definitely unique. The deep fried salted meat dumpling was also very good - I like the slightly chewy glutinous rice texture of this, plus the sweet crust and salty meat filling was a good combination.

Steamed cheong fun with prawn (RM9)

Vietnam style fried salad roll (RM12 for 3 pcs)- very unique

Deep fried salted meat dumpling (RM8 for 3 pcs)

On to desserts, we had the steamed mini custard bun which a oozy salted egg yolk filling as well as egg tarts. We also enjoyed the chilled light cream of sago with seasonal mango topped with ice cream, which came with some homemade "green" jelly that Baby D kept looking for in his glass. LOL.

Steamed mini custard bun with salted egg yolk (RM6 for 3pcs)

Home baked egg tart (RM9 for 3 pcs)

Dessert time = happy time :)

Chilled light cream of sago with seasonal mango topped with ice cream (RM10)

"More, more.. green jelly"

Peking duck promo

Verdict: Dim sum here is good, I certainly don't mind coming back if I'm in the vicinity.

Click here for my previous review of Di Wei. Click here to read our review of Empire Hotel Subang.


Opening t! imes: Mo n - Fri 11.00pm -3.00pm, 6pm-10pm; Sat-Sun and PH 10.30am - 3.00pm, 6pm - 10pm.

Service: Good.

Location: Di Wei Chinese Restaurat, Empire Hotel Subang, Level 1, Jalan SS16/1, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: 03- 5565 1388

GPS Coordinates: 3.082033, 101.583200