So Creative-Lah @ Flingstones Cafe, SS15 Subang Jaya

Hey guys, my apologies for not updating much. Work is getting busier and there is zero chance of me blogging at home now with a baby around so yah... Life as a working mum that is!

While I'm getting used to being a mum, I'm slowly catching up on my cafe-hopping activities so early last month we checked into Flingstones Cafe, a non-halal cafe located just opposite Taylor's College in SS15, Subang.

The cafe looks not less like any hipster cafes in town, very rugged with some vintagy settings.
What's more interesting is their very cool names for their food, drinks and cakes! So freaking cute! The menu is quite full-on with some very creative use of pork in their dishes. So we picked our choices!

Green Pea Soup, RM10.

Chu Yao Char Angel Hair, RM18.

B.E.L.T, RM15.

The Big Bang Breakfast, RM25.

Let's start with the very hearty Green Pea Soup, very light but got its flavour up with some awesome bacon bits - super yummy! The Chu Yao Char Angel Hair (so literal lol) was pretty nice although I think it would taste nicer with a thicker type of pasta and a little more liquid but the use of the thick Chu Yao Cha and bacon bits win big time for the dish. Big love for the B.E.L.T too - nicely fried bacon plus a nice fried egg and the yummy side salad, so satisfying! Their Big Bang Breakfast (love that name though) was quite decent, although not fantastic. Personally think the scrambled egg can be better.

Cappuccino, RM10.

Earl Grey Lavender, RM9.

The coffee was a bit too bland to our liking. So yes, we did enjoy the food more than the coffee.

Our beautiful brunch spread!

We paid RM87 for that big fat brunch and I think that's pretty affordable considering the amount of food we loaded into our tummy!

Look who was with us at brunch the other day!

So nice ambiance and hot food, shall be back for more food and cakes with cute names! :)

Flingstones Cafe,
24, SS15/8,
47500 Subang Jaya,
Selangor.
Tel: 03-5879 9468

Awesome Ramen @ Kamikaze Ramen, 1 Mont Kiara

After I was officially done with my confinement month, one of the first foods I wanted to eat was some nice Ramen, and I mean those real ones with thick broth, not those with soya sauce soup base okay!

But to beat the weekend jam and the fuss of looking for car park space, we decided to head to 1 Mont Kiara (which is by the way, not easy to find parking anymore) to try Menya Kamikaze.

A glance at the very simple looking restaurant, you'll find the cashier, the tattooed staff at the kitchen and majority of the tables are Japanese. Those are definitely good sign that the Ramen must authentic and 'Japanese-approved'. And that L-shape sitting area around the kitchen pretty much reminds me of how the Japanese would typically eat their Ramen in Japan!

Deep Fried Prawns, RM 6.

Gyoza, RM10 (6 pcs).

Before the Ramen came, we had some appetizers. Big love for the deep fried baby prawns, tasted very light but has a very crispy texture. Not a big fan of the oily deep fried gyoza (still prefer pan-fried) but the pork fillings inside were very juicy and yummy! Both very satisfying and affordable too, I must say.

Original Pork Soup Chasu Ramen, RM26.

Black Garlic Spicy Pork Soup Chasu Ramen, RM27.

Deardo and FIL had the original pork soup Chasu Ramen which has Steamed Pork Belly, Steamed Pork Shoulder, an egg and spring onion. The thick pork broth is of top class, while the thin ramen are very springy and has a nice chewy texture, almost like an al dente pasta. The pork are are all very well done too - tender and flavourful. Being the adventurous one, I tried the Black Garlic Spicy Pork Soup Chasu Ramen, which has the same ingredients, only the difference in terms of flavour. The flavour is a little heavier, very thick with just a hint of spiciness, very nice! Not to mention the portion is also quite huge!

The father-and-son.

And the other son who was only sleeping soundly for a few minutes. ==|||

And the mummy enjoying her time-out and the bowl of awesome ramen!

Together with three cups of tea, GST and service charge, we paid RM118.95, which I reckon still considered quite reasonable compared to some other well-known Menyas in town.
Overall, while I don't think the appertizers are too fantastic, the Ramen are definitely above average. Definitely going back again, perhaps to try their famous spicy ramen!

Menya Kamikaze
Lot 1-2, First Floor,
1 Mont Kiara,
1, Jalan Kiara,
Mont Kiara,
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-6211 9499

I've Popped... In the Most Unglam Way Possible

So yes, while you are still reading my scheduled posts on my blog, I've actually popped and it happened in one of the most dramatic ways possible, like you know, women in TVB dramas giving birth. 

To begin the story, we have to go back to 23rd April where we visited our doctor for our check-up. She said I was only about 1cm dilated so she did something 'down there' to sort of try to open up my cervix a little. Because I was having pregnancy high BP, her suggestion was to have me check-into the hospital on 28th (Tuesday) and induce me so latest I'll deliver would be on 29th (Wednesday), instead of my earlier due date, which was supposed to be 8th May.

So Deardo and I started doing some last minute preparations to welcome our little bundle of joy. We also went out quite a lot, knowing that I'll be confined for a month after delivering the baby.

On Saturday (25th April) morning, instead of some brownish blood discharge (which was supposed to be normal after what the doctor has done the other day), I noticed there were fresh blood on my panty liner, together with some transparent-looking stuff. I've heard about this being 'the show' so I quickly Google it up and phew~ It says normally for first-time mum, the mucus plug coming out means you might have to wait a week or up to a month to deliver! So I was like okay baby isn't coming, just yet.

That evening we made a spontaneous decision to go down to Sungei Wang, a place we know we might not want to bring a baby to when he is out. We were going to choose a new G-Shock for Deardo since his birthday falls in May. But before that, we stopped by one of our favourite restaurants, Hong Kong's Food Culture for some yummy Fried Beef Noodles.

Beef Noodles FTW!!!

While I was eating, I constantly feel discharge coming out of me. I still thought it was normal discharge until we finished and started walking towards Sungei Wang. By then I could feel my thighs were rubbing each other with water... I told Deardo maybe my water bag has broken??? He was like hai mai gah??? To be safe, I went to the ladies and once I take off my underwear, water just flow freely down my legs... OMG MY WATER BAG REALLY DID BREAK!!!

Hey that's me, trying to hold on to the water that are still flowing down... :S

Freaked out, we quickly, but also slowly (hahaha I don't know if you understand this lol) made our way back to the car (yeap, no G-Shock today my dear husband) where the only thing we can use for me to sit on was a recycle bag. We drove all the way home, took an important shower, washed my hair and checked into the hospital at about 11pm.

Deardo wanted to capture almost every moment so this is when we arrived at the hospital...

First check, I was only about 3cm dilated so we knew it would be next day that we will meet our baby boy. We refused to take Epidural because Deardo has heard story from colleague that it has side effect - backache. But being the useless self, by 2am ish the pain was too unbearable I begged Deardo to just let me take the Epidural. Gosh those nurses could hear me screaming from outside the room okay!

Before the pain kicks in, I'm assuming since I looked so happy still. 

So after the Epidural I felt much better but the entire night (or morning) we didn't get to sleep much since the midwives and nurses kept coming in to check on me from time-to-time. At least I wasn't feeling much of the contraction pain anymore...

Fast forward to 8 something in the morning where I started pushing (or should I say we since Deardo was sort of involved in the whole process?), and by 9.20am our baby boy finally came into our world! But honestly, because of the numbness at my lower body I didn't even realise our baby is already here so when they put him on my tummy and told me hey baby is here I went huh? Oh! There he is! Later when they handed him over and asked me to kiss baby, I was also like huh? Oh ok, then kissed him on his forehead... LOL! I think I was just too tired and numb to react to it. So unlike a lot of you new mums out there, I didn't really shed any tear. Deardo instead was in tears haha...

Mummy and baby's first photo together! :D

Papa kissing baby passionately. :D

So there, from a family of two, we now have a new member and it's our son, Rayden Wong! :)

First family wefie yo!!!

Well, more about that name slightly later when I have more strength to blog. Till then, here are some earlier photos of Rayden to brighten up your day. :p

Seriously Nice Curry Chee Cheong Fun @ Restoran Yap Hup Kee, KL

This is a place where Deardo frequents quite a lot on weekdays with his colleagues for lunch in KL city. So one fine afternoon he brought me there too just to introduce the shop to me and to show me why he and his colleagues love going there for lunch. 

First of all, it's actually quite a clean and air-conditioned small restaurant, when I thought it must have been a lousy and old kopitiam. The most impressive part though, must be the spread of Yong Tofu they offer. Apart from the usual types of Yong Tofu, they also have stuffed Kacang Botol, stuffed long beans, etc just to name a few. They also made their own fish balls, which is a very huge plus point for me! :)

You can have your Yong Tofu with noodles of any kind (from Wanton Mee to Hakka Mee), or Chee Cheongs Fun with dried shrimp or curry. Plus there are pig stomach, dumplings etc to order as sides too. You just need to pick your Yong Tufu, make your other orders and sit down and wait for your food to arrive!

Fresh and crispy deep fried items. 

Loving all the unique Yong Tofu like long beans and Kacang Botol!

Obviously, their homemade Yong Tofu are a class above - tasted really fresh, homey and yummy too. They separate the deep fried ones and the non-deep fried ones so you still get the deep fried items hot and crispy. I'm quite impressed.

Curry Chee Cheong Fun that has really kaw curry gravy! 

But the most impressive dish has to be the Curry Chee Cheong Fun. The Chee Cheong Fun were super smooth, curry gravy was probably the thickest among all other Curry Chee Cheong Fun I've had before and it has this super nice fragrance thanks to the dried shrimps that was sprinkled on top of the dish. Ohhhhh... So delicious we ordered another one to share! :p

Happy diners! :)

I don't know exactly how much it cost us per item since they didn't bother giving us a bill anyway. But the Yong Tofu (at least about 12 pieces), 3 bowls of Chee Cheong Fun and three drinks (pregnant woman was feeling hot) costs us about RM24, which is still quite reasonable for a lunch for two in KL city. Really wouldn't mind going back again! :)

Restoran Yap Hup Kee
45, Jalan Brunei Barat,
Off Jalan Pudu,
55100 KL
Tel: 03-2148 9220

My Favourite Beef Rice Bowl is Back @ Yoshinoya Hanamaru, Mid Valley

I have always been a die-heart Yoshinoya fan after I first tried their rice bowl many many years ago when they first existed in KL in Mid Valley and KLCC's food court. Unfortunately they closed down so it became a must for me to go have their famous rice bowl every time I travel to Singapore or Taiwan. In Taiwan especially, they are still one of the very famous fast food-style Japanese rice bowl restaurants.

So imagine the excitement when I found out they have made a comeback to Malaysia at Mid Valley!

Deardo brought me there just days after they opened to have dinner! This time around, they are under one same roof with another Udon brand, which makes the whole place named Yoshinoya Hanamaru (Hanamaru for the Udon brand).

It looks like a mini Japanese food court, where you can order either from the Udon or the rice bowl counters (self-service) then there is also a counter for drinks where you can purchase your drinks from. I'm quite glad there seems to be quite a huge crowd = I won't see it closing down anytime soon! Yay! :D
Deardo and I went separate ways since I couldn't care much about whatever diet plan and went for the rice while he went for the Udon...

Beef & Vegetable Bowl RM11.80 + RM7.90 for a Set B.

Beef & Vegetables Bowl yaw~!

A closer look at the Chicken Karage,

Beef is Yoshinoya's signature ingredients so I went for the beef and vegetable combo. It was still the same taste that I used to know - light, hearty, nice and chewy thin beef slices. The only difference here is the vegetables which have evolved from zucchini to cabbage and broccoli. Can't really blame them, zucchini are not cheap in Malaysia. The Chicken Karage that comes with the sides are pretty good too, hot and crunchy still, although not the best Karage I've tried.

Curry Udon, RM10.

Chicken Tempura, RM4, Kakiage, RM3, Ebi Tempura, RM5.

The Curry Udon comes with springy Udon noodles with thick curry gravy with not only potato and carrot cubes, but also pieces of chicken, At RM10, that's quite a steal if compared to other existing Udon places in town. We also tried some Tempura but I think they were really quite a disappointment.

So happy to finally have Yoshinoya again! :)

Overall, I really still enjoy my Yoshinoya rice bowl a lot and will definitely go back again just for that bowl of awesome beef rice bowl! If you haven't try it, then you should!

*Prices are based on receipt before 1st April.

Yoshinoya Hanamaru 
Lot T-015b, Level 3,
Mid Valley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra,
59200 KL

Embrace Your Imperfection

I was contemplating whether or not to share this because I'm actually a little paiseh to share this because I looked damn fat (those triple chins gaaaaahhhh...) and cried in the video... But then I thought since there were some real hard work from Karen, and from Deardo and myself done for this video shoot, plus a great message the video has, I think it's only fair to share. :)

So what happened was Karen told me about this project she is assisting to do. The idea isn't new at all, I've seen some other brands doing the same type of videos but the theme this time around is 'Embrace your Imperfection'. She was having problem looking for a loving couple who can speak good English to be featured in the video and of course I was all willing to help but it took some effort to persuade Deardo to do the shoot, which I think he didn't regret doing it at all at the end of the day.

Deardo did his interview a day before me without me at the shoot of course. Here are some snapshots Karen sent to me during his interview...

The Director briefing Deardo while the make-up artist put make-up on him... 

Looking cool on screen?

Definitely a first time for him! :p

He was being such a good sport okay. With make-up and all. Hehe...

Then the next day it was my turn, without Deardo around too of course.

Thank god they had make-up artist! 

Hahaha, definitely not the first time for me though! :p

So I was asked a few questions about myself and mostly the insecurities I have about myself. If you work or have worked in video production like me, you'll know the full interview was longer and then was very much edited for the final product. 

If you know me well, my biggest worries are: 1) to get back on the wheels so that I can drive my future son around safely and 2) what will happen to me, our lives and my family's lives when I decide to become a SAHM one day and these are serious problems! I was also asked what do I think are my weaknesses e.g. too straight forward, etc but those were cut out.

I personally think he looks quite 'video-genic'! 

That's the pregnant aunty crying her heart out. :S

Then they showed me Deardo's interview which you can see in the video too. But there were things that he said earlier too which didn't make it to the final cut, like he actually loves the fact that I'm straight forward and confident cos he doesn't like girls who are timid and just hide behind him. That really made me tear up already because for all you know, we know each other too well and for all you know. my husband loves me for the qualities that some may find annoying. :) Of course, he knows all the worries I have and said things like 'let's walk the journey together' and 'even if one day he isn't around my son will be with me'... (I scolded him for saying such nonsense) He was already tearing up in the video, so what do you expect from me? More tears of course!!! 

I was actually more surprised with the fact that Deardo can be so open in telling the entire world how much he loves me and how he will 'walk the journey' with me. :)

Then he made a surprise appearance (seriously I didn't know he was coming), and I was in more tears! Terrible lar this pregnancy hormone I tell you... :S

Here's the cute and touching video...

Like you can see at the end of the video, I mentioned I always know Deardo will be there for me telling me not to worry but I still worry.

And like the message that the video was trying to convey, no one is perfect and I always know that. As much as you see me being most of the time a cheerful and tough woman, there are worries and weaknesses in me that I always worry about. I'm eager though, to take on the challenges lying ahead of me. First thing on my list is of course to drive. I swear this is the first thing I want to accomplish cos there isn't any ways out of this since I need to drive my boy to school, to tuition, activities, classes or even emergencies. So wish me luck guys! :)

Both Deardo and I are very thankful of Karen who wanted us to be in this project so badly because she knows the outcome of the video will make us realise how much we love and appreciate each other and probably also convey a message to my family back home too. So XOXO Karen! :D

P/S: Nope, I'm not a Marketing Manager. They simply put so I let it slide lar. Marketing yes, Manager nope. :p