My love for you remains...

Today's post is mainly about egg tarts. For those who know me quite well, they may get a little fed up with me and my post. That's because I am always talking about egg tarts. I have been telling the same old egg tart story year in, year out since I fell seriously for it a decade ago. Till now, my love for it remains. Still as strong, and I am still mad about it as much. 

Being a serious weight watcher myself, I practically count the calories of every food I eat. And I particularly abstain from cakes and sweets which will silently add a pound or two on me whenever I get closer to them. You may think that I am a very disciplined person but in actual, I hardly am. I know that self-discipline can empower me to overcome any addiction to food but it is always easier to preach than practise. Sometimes, I just break my own rules and lose discipline when eating by allowing myself to overindulge in food. Certainly, I have to bear the inevitable consequence of binging on all the wrong foods - putting on weight. At the end of the day, a crash diet is the penalty I pay for exceeding the feed limit. 

Hence, I practise saying 'No' to all my favourite food, e.g. Fried Kuey Teow, chocolate cakes, ice cream, pies, pastries etc. I no longer get hooked on them now. However, one last food on earth which I find hard to resist is EGG TART. I fail to turn it away whenever it is present before me. To make things worse, I will rarely stop at one but two! So, what's so scary about wolfing down two egg tarts?

First, each Chinese pastry egg tart contains not less than 220 kilo calories. Filling my tummy with two means adding at least 440 kcal to my diet in just one meal. With an addition of 2 to 3 kcal from a cup of sugarless black coffee, my breakfast is almost as heavy as a complete lunch set for a growing teenager with high metabolic rate. Again, you may think that 443 kcal is nothing to you but do you know that getting rid of it is the toughest job ever? Running on a treadmill for 30 minutes at the speed of 4 miles per hour is only good enough to burn approximately 300 kcal. By then, you will be gasping for air and smelling like skunk as a result of sweating. 

In conclusion, the moral of the story on the last day of September is:

Think (the fat content) and count (the calories) before you eat, or you will end up looking rounder at the end of the day. 

How can I not love you when you control my heart?

教我如何不愛它?

My weekend breakfast set comprises:

2 pieces of Kampung Simee egg tarts = 2 X 220 kcal = 440 kcal

Sugarless black coffee  = 3 kcal

Total consumption = 443 kcal! 

To eat or not to eat, that's the question.

SAWAI COFFEE (澤井珈琲) Blue Mountain No. 1 Blend

Sawai Coffee adopts the newly invented method in coffee making by offering coffee enthusiasts with their new range of products - drip coffee. Ground coffee packed in foldable drip bags is sealed individually in aluminium packaging to retain its freshness and aroma. The Blue Mountain No.1 Blend comprises Arabica beans from Jamaica and Brazil respectively. Being the world's most desired coffee, the Jamaican blend is used to blend with others to enrich quality. The result is of course a full bodied flavour and as smooth as silk. Since Japan is the largest importer and investor of the Blue Mountain coffee, enjoying this drip coffee imported from Japan certainly gives more cups for my money. 

The Blue Mountain No.1 Blend

澤井藍山珈琲

Prawn Curry in a Loaf @ Soon Lee Taiping

Inspired by the Kampar's famous chicken curry bread, Soon Lee's restaurant's prawn curry in a loaf is a uniquely designed dish. The lightly sweetened bread is pillowy soft, with the sinfully rich and aromatic prawn curry wrapped in the loaf. To enjoy this tempting dish, you just need to peel off the bread and the 'hidden treasure' will fill the entire cavity of the bread. Despite having the curry baked inside the loaf, there is a less messy option whereby the curry filling and gravy are separated from the bread so that you can keep the remaining bread if you can't finish the whole thing at one go. The restaurant chef is very understanding and willing to attend to the special request of his diners as we all know bread soaked in curry will turn soggy in just a short while. Owing to this, finishing the bread is the only solution to it. 

The gigantic loaf is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Dad and Mum gave their thumbs up to this dish. 

Between having the curry baked together with the loaf and serving it outside the loaf, I opt for the latter. Come on la, there are only three of us, how are we going to finish the whole of it?

Being a 'rice bucket' himself, dad can never skip rice for a day, even with the huge bread loaf around.

Soon Lee Seafood Restaurant

7, Jalan Tokong,

34000 Taiping, Perak.

Malaysia.

Tel: +605-8076624, 8056625

Hardly any secrets...

My first visit to Secret Garden at Lorong Cheah Cheang Lim is definitely going to be my last visit as well. I do not want to pass negative comments on this high end  restaurant (???) which is trying to imitate the most prestigious fine-dining restaurant in Ipoh, Indulgence. At the back cover of their menu, they actually claimed that the best kept secret is about to be revealed here. I wonder where the secrets are... Only weakness and lousiness in all aspects of this restaurant have been made visible to everyone. If I have to pay through the nose for food and beverage which is utterly unacceptable, I will never ever come back for a second torture. To try or not to try, it's up to you.

Secret  Garden @ Ipoh

The menu

The interior of the restaurant

A simple setting

Iced Cappuccino @ RM12.90

Espresso @ RM8.90

Secret Club Sandwich @ RM18.90

Baguette with smoked salmon, olive and tobiko fillings

Ciabatta with tuna flakes filling

Poppy seed bread with egg and cheese fillings

Cross section of the club sandwich

Secret Garden Hotel

42, Lorong Cheah Cheang Lim 30350 Ipoh, Perak. Malaysia +605-241-0421

To Mummy with Love

It's Mummy's birthday again. This year is a bit different from the previous years. Instead of eating at the restaurants in Ipoh Garden, we drove all the way from Bercham to Menglembu to celebrate Mummy's birthday at the East Ocean Restaurant, which many claim serves better food than their sister restaurants. The whole family had a really good time enjoying the food and scraping the plate clean. Haha... the food was indeed much tastier than Ipoh Garden East's. There's hardly any complaints except for the service which was exceptionally slow and uncoordinated. In fact, we nearly yelled at the waitresses who were being disdainfully rude and unhelpful. On the contrary, the Ipoh Garden East outlet always wins our heart for their staff are always willing to attend to the request of their customers.

Mini Jumping Budddha Pot @ RM228

Loaded with generous amount of ingredients, each and everyone of us helped ourselves to at least 2 bowls of soup.  

This superior soup is made from abalone, fish maw, dried scallops, Chinese mushroom, sea cucumber, top shells and Chinese ham.

Flavourful and tender abalone is everybody's favourite.

The Four Season Platter - Birds Homecoming @ RM80

百鳥歸巢 

Shrimp and salted egg yolk balls

鹹蛋黃蝦球

Sauteed Shark's Fin with Crab Meat and Eggs

炒桂花翅

I can't name this. Anyway, it is mainly made of fish.

Wok-braised signature Hakka noodles @ RM16.00

招牌炒客家面

Tropical fruit platter @ RM18.00

生果拼盤

Time to sing the Birthday song ~~~ Happy Birthday to Mummy!

MENGLEMBU EAST OCEAN RESTAURANT

No 1-7, Hala Perusahaan Menglembu 17,
31450 Menglembu, Perak,

Malaysia.
Telephone : 605-282 9457

Curried Risotto

Risotto is also known as Italian rice. This type of rice has a rounded shape as compared to the normal oblong shape of most rice. Many Malaysians have heard of risotto and eaten it at Italian restaurants, without knowing how to make their own at home. Cooking risotto till soft is a common mistake made because we are so used to eating rice that is cooked the local way --- soft~~

To obtain the correct consistency and texture of risotto, the rice should be only 60% cooked. This leaves the rice with a more chewy texture which the Italians proudly calls it al dente... 

Japanese style curried risotto

Add a cube of Japanese curry into the cooker and stir it with the risotto until the rice is completely cooked.

Japanese curry has a natural thickening agent so it is not necessary to sprinkle the risotto with cheese.

Viennese Blend and Chinese Petit Fours

The CBTL creates its distinctive Viennese Blend by using the Vienna-style roasting which results in a deep brown and medium dark roast. Delicately nuanced with a hint of chocolate, the blend is mellow and smooth. 

CBTL Viennese Blend

Dark and Distinctive

A satisfying balance and depth.

The Chinese petit fours 

美點雙輝 

Egg tart & sesame rice ball @ RM1.10 each

(蛋撻和煎堆)

Chinese Pastries in Taiping

Kum Loong dim sum restaurant is the one and only place in Taiping selling varieties of Chinese pastries. This place is known for its traditional dim sum and pastries among the old timers. Over the decades, not much changes are seen but their loyal followers are still making a beeline for those out-of-date morsels which turn the younger generations away when it comes to eating dim sum in Taiping. Since I belong to the younger group, naturally, eating dim sum here would be a no-no (afraid of being seen by the others of my age...('.'-^)

While I am trying hard to persuade Choy Kee to set up a stall or branch in Taiping, my cravings for Chinese pastries are growing stronger. I haven't any choice but to eat at Kum Loong loh... what to do...

Egg tarts & fried glutinous rice balls @ RM1.10 each (available only on Sundays)

蛋撻 & 煎堆

Baked barbecued pork buns & kaya puff @ RM1.10 each (available daily from 5 p.m. onwards)

燒包 & 咖映角

Fermented soy bean curd puff @ RM1.10 (available only on Sundays)

南乳酥

Kum Loong Dim Sum Restaurant

(opposite RHB bank)

Kota Road,

Taiping, Perak. 

Malaysia.

Chicken, Mushroom and Onion Puff

Due to the hectic working life, I can hardly find time for baking on weekdays. While I am struggling in coping with my new and challenging post, I wholeheartedly wish I could have an afternoon to spare for my favourite hobby - baking. Yesterday, I arrived home earlier than usual and the workload was not as taxing as before, so I put aside my books and laptop for a couple of hours, preparing the ingredients I need for 3 humble puffs.

Homemade Chicken, Mushroom and Onion Puffs

The pastry puffs up like a pouch, making it look even more tempting.

The puff is diagonally cut, showing the flakiness of the pastry but at the same time unveiling its weakness as a big hollow is seen within the cavity. The stingy Pam made too little filling for the puff. lol

Gardenia Waffle: I finally found all the flavours!

Mum yelled at the top of her voice while holding a packet of Gardenia waffle in her hand. 

"Not again!!! You have been eating waffle daily for more than a week!"

As she was slowly unloading goods one after another from the heavily stuffed shopping bag, she did not realise that she was going to discover the most horrifying scene. One, two, three, four and FIVE! 

"Lei saw jor ah?" (in Cantonese) 

[Translation: Are you crazy?]

"You bought five packets of waffle?" 

"Yes, mum! At last, I managed to find all the five flavours, doesn't it sound exciting to you?"

"I rest my case...".  =.= (mum was speechless)

You're all mine! *wink

A complete set of all five flavours (from left):

Maple Wholemeal, Blueberry, Banana, Classic Cinnamon and Fresh Egg Vanilla.

Surf and Turf @ Segafredo

Go Italian at Segafredo when you order any breakfast set ranges from RM7.00 to RM13.00. All the breakfast sets served here come in enormous portion so it is worth every single cent and moment dropping in for an Italian style breakfast. The most interesting thing about their breakfast is the special house blend which costs only RM1.50 with the breakfast set purchased. 

Surf and Turf Sandwich @ RM7.00

Coffee of the day @ RM1.50 (with every order of any breakfast set)

Segafredo Zanetti Espresso

170-G-40, Gurney Plaza,

Gurney Drive,

10250 Penang, Malaysia.

Tel: +604-2265253