d i n n e r @ e s p l a n a d e

Strongbow apple cider @ Harry's Bar
Here's Ivan's latest rave... Zappel with a tinge of alcohol! Muahaha... =P Makes me miss the wonderfully cool smooth and refreshing Apfelwein that we tasted on our first trip to Germany, in Frankfurt mmmm... Oh, to his delight, this particular Harry's at CHIJMES is apparently some Liverpool fan territory...

Bailey's Irish Cream Hot Cake @ The Cookie Museum
Was reading how some online bloggers were going googoogaga over this dessert, couldn't help myself but splurge a bit and try it at The Cookie Museum at the Esplanade.. =P Really one opulent tai-tai place decked out in victorian... Sadly the whipped cream topping the hot cake slipped off just as I was taking this photo sigh... The cake itself is nothing much to comment about, but the sauce at the bottom is quite amazing, I actually requested for spoons to scoop up every bit of decadence hee... However Ivan found that it contains a bit too many flavours though, such that it overpowers the cake totally oh well...

Pomegranate Ruby Tea @ The Cookie Museum
To wrap up a night of sinful gastronomy, we had some sips of this light tea. It smells really fruity and refreshing, but it's a bit erm too light for my taste... Let him sample the lavender cookies there too, I simply love 'em! But be warned, it takes some getting used to eating something you usually associate with solely smelling... ;)

J B t r i p

Mozarella cheese-baked black pepper sauce chicken chop @ Yew's Cafe
Drove into JB for a day-trip with Ji Gu and Auntie Shah.. Initially we were afraid that our favourite roasted duck stall would be closed on Thursdays, but when we reached, to our horror, the entire coffee shop was undergoing demolishment works! And upon querying shopowners in the vicinity, the roast duck shopowner still hasn't found a new place yet. Woe to us.. =S So we moved on to another town, but on the way, we passed by this area with a bowling alley which Ji Gu has been thinking of trying but haven't got to it yet. So off we went into that shopping mall establishment that comprises mainly the bowling alley and this Bistro-restaurant, Yew's Cafe. Generally, prices are higher than the usual Malaysian fare, but considering the chic restaurant ambience and quality of western food, it's still quite a steal (after converting to SGD of course, and comparing with restaurants in Singapore).

Lamb Shank @ Yew's Cafe
My order was the chicken chop above, was quite a generous portion, albeit the sauce being slightly on the salty side. Lots of melted mozarella cheese with black pepper sauce and sausages on top mmm... Would never have tried mozarella with black pepper sauce as the sauce might overpower the cheese, but I just felt like having both that day, so why not just have the combination? ;) Auntie Shah had the Lamb Shank, which came with quite an impressive presentation. It was done in a stew sauce and was rather tender, although sadly the tulang-looking bone was devoid of bone marrow. Came with a serving of vegetables and mashed potatoes.

Ji Gu & his Tuna Spaghetti @ Yew's Cafe
Forgot to take a photo of this first dish that was served before devouring it. =P Was really not bad, having the right consistency, i.e. not too soggy nor dry, with enough sauce to go around, although the only gripe would be the rather miserable amount of tuna that came with it.

Auntie Shah & her Lamb Shank @ Yew's Cafe
That's Auntie Shah getting all prepared to dig into her succulent lamb shank... ;) I would say it's quite nice place to head to if you're in the mood for some western cuisine in JB and a pleasant air-conditioned dining environment.

Iced Lemon Tea & Curry Puffs & Goreng Pisang
Next we sent the car for servicing. We were told to return in 20 min however when we did, the mechanic was still not done, so we were chased off to have some tea first. Walked around the shophouses there, checked out some home contractors for fun, and finally got some Goreng Pisang and Curry Puffs from a roadside stall (the kind which is set up behind their own van). Only 1RM for 4 curry puffs! And with really crispy skin and tasty curry potato or sardine filling! What more can one ask for mmm.. It was quite a sweltering afternoon so we headed to a nearby coffee shop for some iced lemon tea and chendol too.

Lobster in 'Champion sauce' @ Jade Restaurant
Following that, we dropped by the kampong house and did a bit of cleaning up and had a wonderfully cold bath (no time to wash the car though sadly). Refreshed, we embarked on an hour-plus journey up to Pengarang for some seafood dinner! The previous time they were there with one of my cousins, they noticed that almost all the tables had ordered a plate of lobsters, so it's time to check 'em out! They come in three sizes and respective prices, and the waitress recommended their 'Champion sauce' that's of chicken broth base and has lots of wolfberry sweetness mmm... Mouthwatering huh? ;) Finger-licking goodness that was finished down to the last bits in their legs and all..

Steamed Fish @ Jade Restaurant
They also had two types of fish swimming around in their tanks. If I didn't remember wrongly, we had the garoupa, steamed in Hong Kong style (whatever that means haha). Really fresh, and not the least bit lor gor (referring to being more tough and not easily broken apart). Lovely delicious seafood dinner that was worth the trip up! =) Sweet ending to a relaxing pigging-out trip in JB hee...

h i g h l a n d e r c o f f e e

Macadamia Coffee Latte @ Highlander Coffee
Met Soon at Highlander Coffee, which is a cafe that also offers Barista workshops situated along Kampong Bahru Road, for a chit chat before he flies back to Germany this Sunday. Got to know this place through his intro cos he works around there. They serve really good coffee at reasonable prices (i.e. less than Starbucks etc) and provide free wireless internet for surfing too. And best of all, they actually bother to do coffee art! =D Ain't that a pretty twin heart on my coffee? ;) Their beverages come served with a caramel cookie too, been eyeing this brand of cookies ever since I went a'hunting for the tea-time caramel cookies which I used to pig out on in Germany (good stuff for dumping into your drinks hee)! Might go get some myself when I'm not feeling too fat (or when temptation just takes over)...

So much has happened in the slightly-less-than-a-year that passed... So many things in life are so transient.. At least there are memories to hold on to, but sometimes mine seem to be fading... Really glad to get to catch up with him this round he's back, but somehow keep getting this nostalgic removed feeling, like a reminder that my life less than a year ago was so different from what it is now and probably in the future too...

g r a d u a t i o n m a s s

CSS had Graduation/Exam Mass on the last day of semester before the start of reading week. Had blessings, some song singing, video presentations, lots of hugging and photo-taking... Generally quite emo... Somehow this last day of sem seems even more significant to me as I won't even be going back to campus for exams anymore... Yes yes, I'll explain this for the umpteenth time and risk getting shot at again -- I've managed to cram enough modules in all the previous sems and chose all non-examinable modules for this sem hee.. Quite 先苦后甜 huh... But at least I've got the peace of mind that if anything screws up in the earlier sems I can always salvage it later on without having to delay graduation... Glad all that planning paid off, really have to give thanks to God for it!

Dinner was provided after mass, with more fellowship and laughter... Will so miss everyone, from those whom I've known ever since I first stepped into CSS in Yr1 to those whom I've only started to get to know in the past year.. But I suppose it doesn't just end there, there'll always be the many gatherings during the hols and can always go back for campus mass when I've got the time, and might meet some at church etc... Simply am at a loss of words to describe how much journeying and growing with this community has enriched me.. Love all you guys!

s e l f m a d e

Chocolate and Banana Ice Cream cake with Chocolate Ganache Glazing
Been trying my hand out at making Ice Cream cakes (mainly to make one for my darling's bday hee). Quite fun to try out different variations of ingredients and proportions, my first one was quite disastrous haha... You won't believe how much unhealthy stuff goes into each bit of it though, they'll so be my downfall sigh... =P

Instant noodles passing off as a pasta dish
Yes, horror of horrors, I'm actually missing the generic pasta meals I used to dish up in Germany. So cooked this for lunch one day, with instant noodles instead of pasta. Minus the fresh mushrooms too. Argh I miss the fresh mushrooms that I used to always have stock of in my fridge...