FLY via Subang to Hat Yai with Firefly Airlines!

Many thanks to Firefly Airlines again Im in Thailand, Hatyai for a 3D2N break!

The last Ive been to Hatyai was nearly a decade back, and my memories of the province are vague at best. I do remember cheap delicious food and crazy shopping sessions though!
Today, 17th August 2012, Firefly commenced its 4 weekly services between Subang, KL and Hat Yat in the southern Gulf Coast of Thailand. Its inaugural flight FY3614, of which I was flying in, took off with almost 100% passenger load!

We were given a bustling welcome, as expected of Thai hospitality with greetings of flower garlands and gift bags. The firefly aircraft was also given the traditional aviation industry welcome of water-spraying guard of honour.

This inaugural flight follows closely behind Fireflys 2 other new routes between Kota-Bharu Singapore and Penang-Koh Samui launched just last week. Kudos for the steady ! growth F irefly!
In conjunction with todays inaugural flight celebrations, Firefly will be offering an incredible all-in-one way deal that starts from RM99 for this new destination.
Booking period is from now to 26th August 2012, for travel from 24th August to 31st October 2012.

Fireflys Head of Marketing and Communicatiosn, Ms. Angelina said Malaysians are attracted to Hat Yai for its extensive shopping options and a vast variety of authentic Thai food. Hat Yai is also the gateway to Satun and Trang provinces, which are popular island destinations in the southern coast of Thailand. The distance and traveling time makes It ideal for a quick getaway.

When queried by the local Thai media, Angelina responded rather confidently the reasons why she thinks this route would be successful where other airlines have failed.
For one, productivity and maintenance of the chosen aircraft is low (the ATR 72 -500), thus cost is well managed. Its a 72 seater, a smaller craft so the potential for hitting optimum/full capacity is higher and lowers the risk of running a loss.

Aircraft safety is also a concern taken into consideration here, with the aircraft designed with some technical safety factors.
Timing of the flights is also convenient, especially for those in business. Proprietors of dry products and wet goods between both countries will find the timing ideal. Via prior research, it was also discovered that many Hat Yai bound tourist takes the bus, which translate into long hours and uncomfortable journey if compared to an hour and 20 minutes flight.

Last but not least, Firefly and the Hat Yai Province Authority as well as the TOT (Tourism of Thailand) has taken measures to ensure safety of everyone in Hat Yai.

BELOW: Hat Yai International Airport.

Flight Schedule

Hat Yai (HDY) Subang (SZB)

Commencement: 17 August 2012

Flight No

Route

Departure

Arrival

Flight Time

Days

FY 3614SZB-HDY9.50 am10.10 am1 hour 20 minMon, Wed, Fri, SunFY 3615HDY SZB10.30 am1.00 pm1 hour 30 minMon, Wed, Fri, Sun

Ticket purchases can be made from Fireflys website (www.fireflyz.com.my), mobile application, airport and city ticketing offices, call-centre and through travel agents.

So, anyone has anything to anywhere to recommend to me since now Im in Hat Yai?? Leave me a comment please!

Never Mine

Quirky names attract us to eateries like honey does a bear (or something like that).

Never Mine at Changkat Bukit Bintang is more of a watering hole than a restaurant, but customers can order Thai food from Baan 26 next door, including crispy duck coated in a nutty sesame sauce with rice vermicelli.

Pan-grilled spring rolls, packed with plump prawns. Never Mine took over from Cin Cin, a champagne lounge that opened in April last year and closed several months later. A pity to have lost Cin Cin, since it served tasty oysters, foie gras and other tidbits.

Curry squid with egg. All perfectly fine, but since customers can have these at Baan 26, there's no compelling reason to visit Never Mine.

Lime-st eamed prawns. Viciously spicy; way too much chili in this one for us.

Swiss absinthe makers get protected status for fabled spirit

I cooked: Japanese Hamburg steak (Hambgu)

"Mummy, I want to eat burger".

When little girl asks, little girl gets.

Hambgu with runny egg

I found a great recipe for hambgu,Japanese-style burger patties on No Recipes.Hambgu, also known as hamburg steak is made with minced beef and filled with onions and garlic and seasoned with soy sauce and ketchup. It is a popular bento lunch box addition in Japan.

Marc of No Recipes also adds silken tofu to the patties, which gives it moisture and richness. I basically followed most of his recipe, except that I substituted the panko with a mixture of fresh breadcrumbs (see Step 1) and crackers and red wine with beef stock (I rarely cook with wine if I'm giving it to the kids).

I made 6 big patties for the adults and 3 mini ones for the kids and gosh, we finished it all ... no problems at all! Hubby and my dad had 2 portions each, and I could see that they would have liked more.. if there was any left ;P I served it with some fresh cherry tomatoes, carrots as well as pickled cucumber, rice and a sunny-side up egg (with a runny yolk, of course).

The patties were moist, juicy and tender... so you can slice it effortlessly with a fork. The sauce was very flavorful with a tangy-sweet flavour. I'm already getting requests to make this again for lunch sometime soon.

Hamburg Steak (Hambgu)

Recipe adapted from No Recipes
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Makes 6-8 (depending on how big you make your patties)

Ingredients

1 large egg

1 small onion, finely diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

450g minced beef

170g silken tofu

1 cup mixture of fresh breadcrumb and crushed crackers (2 slices bread and 5 crackers)

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp parsley, minced

1 tsp light soy sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp cooking oil

For the sauce

1/2 cup beef stock (I just used diluted OXO cubes, you can use dry red wine if you prefer)

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp tonkatsu sauce (I substituted with Worchestershire sauce)

1 tbso demi-glace (couldn't find this in KL so omitted)

1. In a frying pan over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and saut half the onions until golden brown and caramelized. Allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Combine the beef! , tofu, sautd onions, raw onions, garlic, fresh breadcrumbs and crackers, egg, ketchup, oyster sauce, parsley, soy sauce and black pepper in a large bowl. Put some disposable gloves on and knead the mixture together until it is uniform in color and texture.

3. Add a little bit more oil to the frying pan that you fried the onions in and place over medium heat. Because the patties are on the soft side, you'll want to form them and add them directly to the pan. The patties should be around 1" thick.

4. Fry them until they've formed a dark brown crust on one side, about 1 1/2 minutes then use a spatula to carefully flip them over and brown the other side. Unless you have a very large pan, you won't be able to do them all at once, so fry 4 at a time and transfer them to a plate when they're browned on both sides. Don't worry if they're not cooked all the way through as they will finish cooking in the sauce.

5.After you've fried all the patties, drain off any excess oil (but don't wash the pan as the brown stuff is what will give your sauce flavor). Add the beef stock (or red wine) and boil until it's reduced by about half in volume. Add the ketchup, water, Worchestershire sauce, and demi-glace (if using) and stir to combine.

6. Place the patties back into the pan, cover, and cook for 7 minutes, flipping them over once in the middle. Cook uncovered for another 3 minutes to thicken the sauce a little. Serve with rice, pasta or boiled potatoes and top with a sunny side egg.

You can check out my other burger recipes here - beef burger, pork burger and lamb burger.