MERRY CHRISTMAS

Yippee!!! I’m going away for a Long….. holiday. Just a little break away from normality. Gonna be back sometimes next year so don’t miss me k. Hahaha! Anyway, have a very Joyous Christmas and Happy Holiday. Don’t be naughty when I’m gone. Bon Voyage!

HOT CHOCOLATE

Make your own hot chocolate. That’s what you get when you ordered the signature hot chocolate at Café Chino at Hilton Kuching. What you get basically are a mug of piping hot fresh milk accompany by a glass full of chocolate stick, an extra small cup of fresh milk and a cookie. It is all presented nicely on a rectangular serving plate waiting for you to make your own little experiment.

your set of hot chocolate making toy

You just have to dip the chocolate stick into the hot milk and let it melts. Slowly, you’ll see the white coloured milk turn into dark chocolate. It’s nice that they do this since you can control how chocolaty you want your hot chocolate to be.

just swirl your chocolate round and round

If you wan it to be mild, just add a little more milk or more chocolate if you want it rich. You can even ignore every step and eat the chocolate stick it self and drink the milk. That’s another way of enjoying you hot chocolate.

DRIVE COURTEOUSLY

I found Kuchings’ drivers annoying, inconsiderate and lazy. Why I said what I just said was because everywhere we turn or drive, we bound to bump into those drivers that fall into the categories that I’ve just mentioned. Let’s face it, who among us didn’t encounter a driver who suddenly turned to the left or right without prior notice by giving the proper signaling. They acted as if there’s no other cars on the road and as if the drivers behind them can read their mind when they are going to turn. If you simply lazy or ignorance to use your signal light provided to you in your car, please do us a favour and take it out since you are not going to use it. Might even save you some money next time if you wish to purchase a new car. Then there’s this group of drivers who drives as if the car is so heavy that it only can reaches 40 km/hr on the fast lane. Do they know that the purpose of the fast lane which by the way is the lane to the left is for FAST cars? Please don’t hog the road as if you are the only one using the road. I think if I go on about all the inconsiderate stuff the drivers do, I’ll bored you guys to death. I just want to remind all of you out there, please drive courteously and safely. Be a responsible driver.

PIKOM PC FAIR 2006

PIKOM PC Fair is here again to rob us poor and naïve souls of our hard earned monies. No matter how much we tried to avoid going to the fair, we still fail to resists the urged to see what’s new and what’s on offer. I was one of them unfortunately. What to do? Can’t resist the temptation to see what’s on offer and what’s new out there. The fair was held at its usual place which is Level 5 Permata Carpark.

PIKOM PC Fair 2006

People came out in full force for this fair. Cars were parked everywhere near to the venue and this makes the whole place jammed up with traffic. Just to show everyone how intolerant people of Kuching are. We managed to find a nice parking space inside the multi storey carpark. From my point of view, I think the organizer should either change their venue next year or the management of the venue should look into their facilities there. There were only 2 working lifts there and the pace for the lift was even slower than walking up the stairs. We opt for the stairs instead as not to become part of the packed sardines in the lift. The event itself was a success looking at the crowds at the fair.

look at the crowd!

The whole area was like a warehouse for gadgets ranging from multimedia speakers to little pen drives. Not forgetting your usual desktop computers and note books. Even little accessories for your desktop and note books are on display and sold here such as note book pouches, arm rest, cooler etc etc.

BENQ, TOSHIBA, PenDrive, HP, acer

I was hesitating to blow a hole in my wallet but the temptation just gave in that night. I bought a nice set of speaker that looks like a house décor itself for only RM99.00 and also a Micro SD memory card at RM56.00 for 1Gb.

speaker that i bought

this is where i bought my memory card, CHEAP!

That’s a really good bargain considering the quality of the product that I got. Next time if the PC fair is here again, please lock me up.

DURIAN

long live the KING!

Does it make me less Malaysian if I don’t go crazy or eat Durian as what the whole nation is going ga…ga… about each time the King of Fruits make it appearances. I can’t remember when was the last time I even remotely touch or taste this exquisite fruit. All I can recall was how bad I vomited after I had my BIG share of the King long…long… time ago. I think it was from that experience I started to have a love and hate relationship with the King. Each time when people asked me do I like the King, I politely replied “I don fancy it but I don’t hate it.” I guess my reply somehow makes me less Malaysian. Well, let’s just say that I and the King have an understanding not to cross our path in life.

MR. HO's FINE FOODS

Mr. Ho's Fine Foods at ground floor Crown Square

Guess what just landed in this little place called Kuching? Mr. Ho’s Fine Foods! Yippee!!! At last we have a decent gourmet deli in our side of the town and we got to taste what’s the rave all about their famous roast PORK! They just opened an outlet here at Crown Square just opposite Hock Lee Centre. The whole Crown Square was just renovated to up grade their shopping mall and that is why you can see nice shops opening in there. Mr. Ho’s Fine Foods comprises of its famous deli and gourmet grocery shop. You can get imported and local cold cuts like sandwich ham, honey glazed ham, lamb rack, ribs, sausages and salamis.

fresh meat!

They are freshly flown from KL and customer gets to choose which part they like from the display counter. It’s just like those butcher shop you see at overseas. You can also get your craving for REAL sandwiches here from their deli. Imagining REAL ham and other condiments in between two slices of bread served to you fresh with a nice cup of hot tea or coffee. Other than that, you can get their famous roast pork and roast honey ham from their deli counter. Even though I don’t really fancy my meat with all the fat, I was surprise how delicious the roast pork is. The skin is crispy with a little fat in between the skin and the lean meat. The lady there told us it goes well with beer and I couldn’t agree more.

roast pork

Incidentally, they have a bar there which is going to be operational soon once they got the right staff to serve those thirsty beer guzzlers.

a nice place to unwind at the terrace

Coming back to its core business, you can also get imported jams, cheese, cookies, preserved fruits and even caviar.

well stocked grocery store

They also stock an impressive wine and beer selection in their well organized and spacious shop.

nice selection of wine

Next time when you happen to be in that area, drop by to Mr. Ho’s Fine Foods and you’ll be glad to do that. Now, I have to go make myself some sandwiches.

TANG REN

This is a follow up to my previous post “Zhi Wei”. After the hearty meal, we thought of what better way to finish off a meal than a nice dessert. I think GOD must have knew what we wanted and granted us our wish right there. We stepped out from Zhi Wei and were greeted with a new dessert shop just next door. How cliché! Tang Ren Dessert House is basically a traditional Chinese dessert shop selling hot and cold stuff.

Tang Ren dessert house

The interior looks basic with wooden tables and chairs, just like the shop next door. Pictures of their dessert decorated the red painted wall. Other than that, it was quite bare for a shop. I think what they want to convey here is that; don’t judge a book by its cover which meant their house special, DESSERT!

simple decor

Since we had our share of drinks next door, we skipped the herbal drinks section and go straight to the dessert section. We ordered mango pudding, lychee pudding with soy milk, sweet glutinous rice ball in soy milk and black glutinous rice with coconut milk.

hmm.... what to have??

The pudding was the cold dessert while the later two was hot stuff. The pudding was a refreshing dessert that is smooth and sweet with the fresh fruits juices. The sweet glutinous rice ball was stuff with peanut sauce, black sesame sauce or red bean paste and cooked in soy milk. A nice warm dessert that is not so sweet to makes you want a second helping. The black glutinous rice in coconut milk is a rich dessert that is fragrant with the smell of the coconut milk.

black glutinous rice, lychee pudding, glutinous rice ball, mango pudding

Other than what we ordered, they also have toast and Nyonya delicacies. The prices are very reasonable from RM1.80 for herbal drinks to RM3.00 for the hot or cold desserts. The Chinese believes that certain desserts can reduce the body heat on a hot day and keep the body warm on a cold night. They also believe that some desserts have medication benefits to our body. Let’s enjoy our dessert and have no guilt next time.

ZHI WEI

Ever tried Hakka food before? For me, I think all the different Chinese community delicacies are the same. Hehehe! I meant they have the same style of cooking and almost identical taste. Maybe it’s just me or my ignorance taste bud. Well, I went to this Hakka restaurant located at Ang Cheng Ho road opposite Grand Continental Hotel.

non pretentious place

It’s just a simple restaurant without all the fancy Chinese restaurant décor normally we saw. It looks more like an ordinary café than a restaurant. Wooden chairs and tables were well placed in the restaurant to give comfort to dinners who dine there.

simple and nice

From the crowd in the restaurant, I presume the food must be good. Ordering food from the menu was made easier with the help of photos of each food item displayed nicely in their huge menu.

easy to read menu

The price was reasonable ranging from RM3.00 for a simple noodle to RM15.00 for prawns and other sea food. The food was mainly home style cooking that makes you feel eating mama’s cooking at home. We ordered stir fried vegetables, Chinese style pork chop, ‘Fu Yong’ egg and Japanese tofu in hot sauce. I wouldn’t say the food was fantastic but it was just nice to makes you feel at home.

"Fu Yong" egg, Japanese tofu in hot sauce, Chinese style pork chop, stir fried vegetables

goes well with rice, the soup is on the house

freashing drink after a hearty meal

The whole meal was made even more fulfilling with the company around. So next time if you want some home cook meal with reasonable pricing, Zhi Wei is the place to go to satisfy your hunger for mama’s cooking.

the mess we made after the meal

WORLD AIDS DAY

Let us all remember today those who suffered and died from Aids throughout the world. Let's not neglect or afraid of those who suffered from Aids. They need our care and sympathy. Remember that it's never too late to be safe than sorry.

PROCESSION

What a hectic week for me. Being working like a poor slave the whole week and that’s the reason for my absence from blogging. Finally finished my project and thought of sharing something I saw on my way back from work two days ago. There’s a small procession going on just near to the place I lived. The whole road was jammed up because of the people passing by for the procession. Apparently, the whole thing was to celebrate the opening of a new Taoist temple just in front of the place I lived. There’s the usual lion dance, people carrying giant joss stick and colorful flags.

lion dance

colourful flags

The thing that caught my attention is the people who have long steel rod pierce through their cheeks just like those you see during Thaipusam celebration.

izzit painful?

looks painful to me

Couldn’t take any nice shoots because I was grounded in my car. Nevertheless, enjoy this.

CASA DAVIDE

Buon giorno! From Japan we flew to Italy, we drive actually. Went to this new Italian restaurant located at Jalan Padungan. It’s kinda new to the neighborhood of hip restaurant and pub recently sprouting up along the China Town of Kuching.

welcome to David's home

The meaning of Casa Davide is David’s home since the owner’s name is David. It’s a little nice quiet restaurant with dimly lit lighting and Italian inspired painting adored the wall.

the lamp just feel negleted being in the corner of the room

Everything was going well when a group of dinners brought some “siew mai” into the premise. What makes it even more annoying was they talk as they owned the whole place. Such a let down since we wanted to enjoy a nice quiet dinner. We ordered what Italians are famous for, pizza and pasta. The pizzas are prepared freshly and cooked in a traditional clay oven you always seen at an Italian restaurant. The best part about the pizza is, it comes with four types of cheese toppings and it’s the thin crust type. We ordered the chef’s special pasta which is a baked with fresh seafood. Different from the normal fare we have at Pizza Hut or any so called Italian restaurant. Not too creamy or rich too make you bloat or feel sick of it.

appertiser

cream of wild mushroom

four cheese pizza

baked pasta

Overall, it was a nice dinner except for the group of ANNOYING people. Bon Appetit!

TOMOE

“Ogenki desu ka.” I felt like revisiting the Memoirs of Geisha one night, so I head down to one of the many Japanese restaurants in town for my dinner. The place is situated at Jalan Mendu behind what used to be Spiderweb pub. The name Tomoe means turning or circular, referring to the motion of earth. It’s a small family Japanese restaurant that serves traditional Japanese fare like sashimi, sushi, tempayaki and other delicacies. The interior is simple yet cozy. Nothing in it really resembles a typical Japanese restaurant except for the sushi counter.

sushi counter

We ordered some set meal which comes with rice, soup and fresh fruits and also some sushi as side dishes.

set meal

The sushi here are prepared fresh by the Japanese chef and one bite, you’ll be asking for more. All the ingredients used for the sushi are fresh and only the best. With each bite, you can taste the freshness of the salmon or prawn that is wrapped around with the rice and other condiments.

what's left of the sushi platter when we finished with it

We also sample some of the tempura dishes and not forgetting the miso soup. The meal just makes you feel like you’re having a nice home cook meal in Japan. After a nice hot meal, what better way is to wash everything down with a nice hot cuppa of Japanese green tea.

tempura set meal

It’s a very worthy place to go considering the price that it comes with. Not as expensive as the other Japanese restaurant in town yet as delicious as those prepared in Japanese home. So until next time, “ki o tsukete and dewa mata”

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY

a frozen christmas tree

Christmas came early this year. Well… theoretically speaking, that’s what happens in Kuching. Everywhere you turn now in the city, you’ll see Christmas tree and Frostie the snowman greeting you with a jolly smile. All this gave me a sudden jolt in the brain juice. I GOT TO SPEND AGAIN! Well, I have to start buying Christmas present or at least start to think of what to buy. That’s the most difficult part actually, thinking……. Hmm…….. For anyone who wants to give me a Christmas present, please do so. I’m glad to receive it. Hehehe! “bei pai seh” (no shame…)

even wall lights are not spared from christmas spirit

PEOPLE

Life is full of up and down, just like sweet and sour taste when had everyday. Human beings have been identified as a very complex and mysterious creature among all living things known. Until today, we still can’t really explain why we have all this emotions and why we acted the way we act. Very intriguing indeed. That’s why we have people who think they are more superior to the rest. They think what ever they do is far better than others and look down or ignore those below their level. They even go to the extend of making the lives of other miserable in order to get what they want. Some even claimed to be a very religious person and what he preached is higher than the rest. These people are actually the lost souls searching for a reason to cover or make up for whatever they lack or lost. It’s a pity that they use the wrong method to be a better human being. Just hope they will eventually realized that we are all created equal in this world and if they still continue to be the person who they are, let’s stomp them like insects! Just kidding! Let us pray and hope they will find the light to be a better person.

BESTBERRY

There’s a new kid in town among the restaurant and café crowd. The place is tucked away in the far corner of the new shop houses near Pertanak Market. It’s at the opposite end of Kaya & Toast. Look carefully at the signboard because the name is not the prominent feature of the signboard. In fact, the colour black is the main character of the signboard.

cosy place

nice and airy

They specialized in Hong Kong style food and beverages like ramen (instant noodle), porridge, snow ice, sweet desserts, ice fruits and also some local delights like nasi lemak and chicken rendang.

drinks to soothe you down

chicken rendang

ramen mee

chicken masala with toast

Environment wise, the place is airy and decorated with simple stools and tables to makes one self feel comfortable and wants to linger on for a while. What really stand out here are their ice fruits. It’s basically a fruit cut into half and all it's juicy part scoop out. It is filled back with your choice of tropical fruits like pineapple, watermelon, papaya and honeydew on top of a bed of ice and milk. It’s better if you got some one to share it with you because the serving is half of the real fruit it self.

honey dew platter

watermelon platter

Some of the other interesting items in the menu are only going to be available in December, thus making me to go back there again to try it out. All in all, it’s a good place to have a nice simple meal and chill out over a tall glass of orange tea with friends. Enjoy!