Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Butter Mint Chicken FTW!

Stole this recipe from a Chinese magazine Mamo bought and totally forgot where I've dump it, hence I can't credit them here. Well my dish didn't turn out to look the same as the photo they have so nevermind lah... Tasted great though! So here we go peep~! 

What you need: 
Chicken thigh cut into small pieces/strips, butter, fresh mint leaves, fresh milk, cornflour salt and black pepper to taste

What to do:
1) In a bowl, marinate the chicken with salt and black pepper.
2) Mix them up with some cornflour for tender texture.
3) Now in a wok or pan, melt some butter. 
4) Throw the chicken in and fry till they are cooked.
5) Now add in the milk, just about a cup will do.
6) As the milk boil, add in the mint leaves and continue frying. Until the milk gravy got absorb into the chicken, you can turn off the fire and serve the dish!

Well, anything made with butter gotta be awesome! The fragrant of the butter and milk, although a little unhealthy, can never go wrong. The dish is creamy, flavourful and with a fresh and awesome twist of the mint added.
We had it with some other dishes on a night when I felt like cooking a real heavy Chinese dinner with three dishes and a soup! It's an interesting addition to the Chinese dinner though, since it has butter and milk, which isn't so common in Chinese cooking! :p
Anyway, another simple but delicious recipe for you to try! :)

Monday, April 28, 2014

Transcendence

Director: Wally Pfister
Cast: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany
Synopsis: Dr. Will Caster is a scientist who was killed by a group of anti-science-tech people but through his own research named 'Transcendence', he managed to 'survive' as an A.I system.
The Thumb-Up(s): Definitely a big thumb-up for casting a group of very good main actors and actresses who have manged to bring the 'watchability' of the movie up. Love the production design and cinematography which have manage to make the technology-driven future looks so impressive yet believable. It is also indeed quite an interesting and fresh storyline.
The Thumb-Down(s): A few logic failed and the slow pace of the movie might bore you. Also, sorry Kate Mara, I just don't think Bree suits you.
The Verdict: On a positive note, it's a unique storyline that makes you think and wonder a lot about technology and stuff. But on a negative note, I really hope Johnny Depp can choose his movies wisely.
2.5 out of 5

Friday, April 25, 2014

13 Unforgettable Experiences During My Work Trips

It's been almost two months since I returned from Taiwan and about three weeks from Singapore for work purposes. Words can't explain how tiring these work trips were. A LOT of makan-ing and A LOT OF walking, like serious walking! It doesn't help too to fall sick before and during the Taiwan trip...
Anyway, I'm a bit lazy to do a serious entry on the trips, so let's do it the Buzzfeed way (again)!

14 Unforgettable Experiences During My Work Trips

*Drum roll please~~~*

In Taiwan
1) These Awesome Beverage Packaging
Shirlexia holding the Mandheling Coffee that looks more like a moisturiser bottle!
For a few seconds I thought they were beauty products!
... Because Taiwanese Boleh!!!

2) Went to Kaohsiung (for the first time) by Train
Pleasant and speedy ride. Peaceful city.

3) Tried the World Cup-Winning Bread at Wu Bao Chun.
It was great, mostly because there were rum in it. Non-Halal stuff FTW maybe???

4) Witnessed Taiwanese in Long Qs just for Breads
Because again, Taiwanse boleh and I tak boleh. Me ain't bread lover that's why!!! ==|||

5) The Amazingly Yummy Kidney Meal. Slurp x 100000000000000000
DROOLING~~~
So excited I went blur!!! 
A dish so common in Taiwan while we can only have them during confinement month. Sigh... 
(My colleague just asked me to get pregnant fast just so I can eat more kidney. Siao man, siao... But that really will be fun, one day!)

6) Found and Ate the Same Beef Noodle We Had During our Last Trip
It was walking distance from our hotel and we only found out second last night of us in Taipei. It was one of our favourite food we tried back then and it is still as awesome as it is!!! Want proof? I had food poisoning before the trip and fell sick in Taiwan because of the cold weather and couldn't finish most of my meals but this beef noodles to me was 'mou man tai' to finish!!! *BIG HUGE GRIM~*

7) Must Do #OOTDs 
Polka Dots knitted top from Forever 21.
Mint top from Forever 21, pants from Zara, shoes with lace details from Rocha John Rocha by Debenhams.
Over coat from H&M, blue dress from Dorothy Perkins, stockings with ribbons prints possibly from Forever 21 and shoe from Rocha John Rocha by Debenhams.
Just because I wear absolutely different stuff in Taiwan because it was super pretty cold!!!

8) Went to a Supermarket and Stock'em Taiwanese Products up! 
Cos we love them and they are cheaper in Taiwan???

In Singapore
9) Oriole Coffee
Freshly roasted and brew to suit my liking. LOL!
Tasted extra good because I got the cuppa for free just by dropping a business card at their booth at the FHA 2014! :p

10) This Church's 'Smart' Marketing
Walked past the church everyday to get back to the hotel and I must say Jesus truly, is very up-to-date and tried His best to relate to youngsters nowadays.
Amen???

11) The Famous Katong Laksa
The cockles, prawns and fish cakes tasted so different too! Thank god I've got relative like Ah Ku to bring me to some local awesomeness!!! 

12) The Old Friends Gathering
Selfie that needs two hands? Failed lo...
Never felt any tired chatting and gossiping with them! 

13) The Cousin Sisters' Selfiesssss
Did I give them my phone willingly or did they hijack my phone plus Instagram?
And those captions they used! Those tongue... So hot? WHEEEEERRRT?

Well that's all from me.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND YOU GUYS! :D

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Pork Ramen Lunch @ Ippudo, Pavilion, KL

So the BIL suggested that we have lunch at Ippudo in Pavilion, KL one weekend. Ippudo has been here for quite a while but that was really the first time we stepped foot into the Japanese restaurant that is also very well-known for their Ramen, which is one of my favourite Japanese dishes. Well, best of all, this is a non-Halal restaurant, which means you get pork broth Ramen YAY! Total goodness of course!!!

The restaurant is done with a modern design with cozy environment. Service was satisfying too. Their menu is of course mainly on their Ramen but there are several side dishes and rice dishes that you can order too. One thing that is very unique is that you get to choose the hardness of your Ramen noodles, from soft till very hard. Basically for each flavour, you get to choose to have it with just the egg, just the pork or with the egg, pork and everything else.
We ordered this as a starter...
Avocado & Shrimp Wasabi Mayo, RM13.
Half Cut Pork Bun, RM7.
*Sorry I think we were very hungry, hence didn't bother to take a nicer photo of the bun. LOL!
Love the Avocado & Shrimp Wasabi Mayo a lot not only because the shrimps and avocado were very fresh but also because the wasabi mayo gave the already refreshingly chilled ingredients another twist. The Pork Bun was okay, although not fantastic.

And then the Ramen...
Shiromaru Chashu, RM26.
Shiromaru Special, RM34.
Akamaru Special, RM36.
Karaka Special, RM36.
SIL and I both had the Shiromaru, hers with the pork (Shiromaru Chashu) and mine with the combo of everything (Shiromaru Special) while Deardo had the Akamaru Special (with miso paste) and BIL had the Karaka Special (spicy). After trying all, I think I still prefer my Shiromaru as it offers a nice taste of the original pork broth. While I think the soup is a little bit too salty to my liking, that's probably the only complain I have on their Ramen. As I choose my Ramen to be cooked the normal style, they were very springy and chewy, more like the texture of spaghetti you see, and that always score for me!
Super heart the springy noodles!!!
So with the two appetisers, four bowls of Ramen, a Tropical Island drink (RM11) and Green Tea for three (RM3), plus the service charge and government tax, we ended up paying RM196.05 for the lunch. That's actually quite a pricey lunch if you ask me. I do however think the Ramen is one-of-a-kind but I really still prefer Menya Musashi for its thick and flavourful soup, and the price is slightly cheaper too!
Well, just personal opinion cos the BIL obviously prefer it here at Ippudo, so you can go on and try both and be the judge! *wink~* They are also at The Gardens and BSC!

Ippudo KL
Lot C4.07.00,
Connection Level 4,
Pavilion KL
168, Jalan Bukit Bintang,
55100 KL.
Tel: 03-2110 6233

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Sunday Brunch @ Touche Pastries & More, Seksyen 17 PJ

Went to Touche upon BIL's recommendation. The little cafe-bakery serves hot food including breakfast (which unfortunately ends at 11am so we totally missed it), mains such as steaks and pasta and offers a wide range of pastries and cakes as desserts. 
The interior design of the cafe seems interesting, a lot of raw material used. It is a very small cafe though hence sitting capacity is pretty limited but the cozy ambiance made it up for the lack of space.

Since we already missed breakfast, here are the mains we ordered...
Mix Grilled Time (what a name by the way), RM24.90.
Grilled Lamb Steak, RM24.90.
Grilled Fish.
In general, the Mix Grilled Time and Grilled Lamb Steak are above average as meats are fresh and are very well-grilled. But I don't like how they use just the same gravy for almost all of their dishes. I mean, how hard is it to make black pepper sauce? Could it be something already pre-made? I think for a cafe to show its standard, that should change. Something a bit more creative or sophisticated will do. The Grilled Fish (without the gravy) was pretty satisfying, juicy and not overcooked. The wedges that comes with it were really unforgettable too! 
Since BIL has full of praises for their croissant I tried and it is indeed very delicious! Crispy on the outside, and fine and thin layers with nice and not-too-over-the-top butter flavour on the inside, the croissant is by far one of the best I have tried in KL. Well, it is really not easy to find nice croissant here so this is really of top quality! :)
Croissant, RM3.80.
Matcha Sesame Tarte, RM10.
Cappuccino, RM8.
Cafe Latte, RM7.50.
I didn't find the Matcha Sesame Tarte very outstanding, but that's probably because I'm not used to the texture. Pooofff... Don't ask me, I'm not a dessert person! Coffee was not bad, although not fantastic. 
I'm still very disappointed that I didn't get to try their breakfasts! They all look good!!!
For the four of us, four drinks, four mains, two croissant and a dessert, the brunch cost as around RM170 and that was not too bad a price at all. While the hot food are not bad, the pastries seem to be the stars at Touche so if you are a fan of pastries and cakes, here's a place you mustn't miss! :)

Touche Pastries & More
No.7, Jalan SS17/57,
46400 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Tel: 03-7734 3192