About Squids and the Road not Taken

This ain't a blog post about cooking this particular seafood (yet), but I was referring to the tentacles, and wishing I had as many pairs of arms as it has over the past year!

A couple of things have changed, I chose a path less traveled by, and fingers crossed, hope this will make all the difference (and more cooking)!

Alive

Yes, I'm alive, despite almost half a year of disappearance....
It's been hectic workwise, and I do try to squeeze in as many cooking sessions as I can, lots of back log photos in my camera still to be posted...

And yes, I finally made my own Chicken Tikka Masala from scratch :) How's everyone doing by the way?

Dang, I feel like Beef with Chinese Broccoli noodles tonight...

Seasons Change

Last 2 months have been manic, admittedly haven't had much time to pursue my usual culinary endeavors. In crazy times like this, though easier said than done, but the best move forward is probably not to worry too much, cruise along and soak up as much experience you can as it probably only happen once in ones lifetime...

And yes I haven't forgot about cooking yet, and got a nice cookbook for present, which means more kitchen meddling projects to come, starting tomorrow. Have a few wish list of stuff that I want to start playing around a bit more, like improving pasta making, exploring and building a better spice rack, and making use of the oven more :)

Now, just time for some sleep to recuperate ...

Tao YOUR HEAD!

I think this is the best title I've came up with. Ever

Some may think my brain somehow only works for non-work related nonsense. But spending so much time and effort researching on woks and finally buying one called Tao that gives you a tao-thong (Cantonese for headache) is definitely crossing the line. So here is a little something that I'd love to share with you guys after buying KEN HOM'S WOK

Here's the beautiful signature on each wok handle:


Here's the related email which you may find entertaining:

From: Grace Lee <culinarycravings@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 22, 2008 at 12:10 AM
Subject: Ken Hom 36cm Non Stick Carbon Steel Hanging Wok - Xylan Coating
To: cust.serv@dkbrands.co.uk, cust.serv@williamlevene.com


Dear Customer Service team,

On 12 January 2008, I purchased one of your product: a Tao 36cm Non Stick Carbon Steel Hanging Wok from Debenhams Oxford Street, given that it is one of the few woks in the market that is Xylan-coated and comes in this size. It comes with a use and care instruction list which I carefully adhered to at all times.

However, even after the first use, it seems that the main selling point of your non stick carbon steel wok range is not at all living up to it's claim.

As quoted from your website (http://www.kenhom.com/tao/carbon_steel_woks.asp), "Our carbon steel woks are coated with Xylan® - a non-stick coating reinforced with particles that are virtually as hard as diamonds, for outstanding abrasion and scratch resistance - making TAO woks resilient and long-lasting.The coating incorporates silicone for easy cleaning, as it is of course dishwasher safe."

I certainly found it extremely difficult to clean after the first use, with the food sticking to the wok instantly, somewhat ironic for a non stick wok. Please find attached a picture of its current state, despite all the gentle soaping with sponge pads and usage of wooden utensils whilst cooking.

I am deeply disappointed with your product(s) and its unfounded claims, which misleads consumers and violates the UK consumer rights legislations (The Sale of Goods Act 1979 - as amended). I do have a proof of purchase and I would like to receive a full cash refund for this in order to purchase a new wok of my choice, as I have completely lost confidence in your range of cookwares.


Thank you very much.



Yours sincerely,
Grace Lee

Ba Back Real Soon!

5 weeks have just absolutely whizzed by, and terribly sorry to all my dear loyal readers for the month's disappearance as training have been absolutely busy. So to speak I just got back from the classroom, and it's nearly 1am now.

Yet, fear not, I've so much to show and so much to tell about this US trip, despite being in Princeton 90% of the time. I certainly did make the most out of the weekend road trips, without, hopefully, jeopardizing the exam performance of this regulation test I have to take by next week.

US is great, but still I can't wait to go back to London to settle down in a new place and finally get used to the new surroundings and worklife. Eeks, I'm feeling old man :P

Weekend in Washington!

This week has been real busy, with 9-5 lectures and constant homeworks. But it's all fun in the end when you get to know your friends (I prefer not to call them colleagues) much better. Plus we have an excellent corporate finance lecturer for 3 days, Mr Damodaran, which made the week much more pleasant than the accounting one.

It's the Labour holiday weekend here, and planning to go to DC for a day or two to check out the White house and all that jazz. Gotta have to do that despite the mountain load of work thrown at your face. Can't come all the way to the States and work, right? :P Definitely a test of time management here, with family, friends, work and own commitments, all fighting and screaming for a fair share of time ...

Anyways, still haven't manage to locate anyone here who's got a USB cable for a TZ2, so hopefully my literary power would come into great use in terms of describing what I've been up to. :) Trust me, my backlog food posts are immense. So take this as an opportunity for you to get to know Grace for 3 weeks without mentioning much about food :P

Back from NYC!

Ahh, I'm finally back from New York! It's been a mad 9 days there going for training and trying to squeeze in as much time to sightsee, shop and of course eat :P

Literally just got back to Princeton, had a shower, unpacked and I'm online again finally :) Scary how dependent we are on technology these days...

Got loads of interesting stories to tell and pictures to show you all! Sadly I can't seem to find my USB cable to transfer my photo files :S I've gotta ask around some friends if they have the same model camera of Panasonic Lumix TZ2.

Fingers crossed I'm gonna get some positive feedback as pictures do paint a thousand words!

Be Right Back!

Dear all,

Graduation has come and passed, and now I'll be away for a week of holiday in Sweden! Have way too many backlog posts, will be right back soon by next week to update on Swedish food :)

My List

This is the final updated list of the Malaysian Blogger listing that I'd joined recently. Do take some time to visit each of them for their very own interesting content and unique writing style. :)

Once Upon A Time Money Making Blog Bubba Stuff Little Raymond's quaint melody Seraph Chronicles Route Brumeuse Coder's Talk Reggae And SKA Art Of ApOgEE THE VEGEMASTER LIFE Boonage Coretan Pengalaman Mat Silverhorsegunnysack BLUEAPPLE scribbles Diet & Detoxification Karma Kameleon Hsien's Dirty Little Secret The Rojak Blog keeyit My Life Online Fun Stuffs Donny's Bits Nicholas Chan's Blog dream of's DESIGN strike freedom 115 Truly Malaysia It's another new day Lisan's Scribbles Ramblings of a 22 years old The Towering Joe Life's a Breeze Life's Roller Coaster AceOne118 In His Time in His time The New Sanctuary a life full of surprises Sketches of Life Shannon's Old Space Pikey Dude SEO & Online Marketing Blog ShowMeMoneyBiz.com Snapshots kahpengBlog I am Who I am yung . silent whisper Simple Life One blog.One girl.One story The World Through My Eyes Why Malaysia? Etcetera~Etcetera Giddy Tigers Make Money Online: Exploring The Dark Side of Blogging Xilly's Blog Malaika Xiao Yu My Home Recipe SQKIKI�s Simple Tech Nukilan Jejari Azhad ITCHY HANDseng Just My Lil' Organic Life Oooh La La... Weird World of MerapuMan Fibre Art The World at My Fingertips Organic Income Organic Parade Shopping Flavor Daily postings of a chung ling student Something about LAI KennyP�s Technology Blog Women Mumbles KuKuJian.com Lyon & Wien Under The SUN Crumbs In Life SotongZai's Flow In the Ocean allthingspurple Christene's Kitchen toxicle.org [ Wood ] [ Earth ] [ Cheap ] [ Flight ] COMtech Ah Ling's blog Memoirs.:*CRoSs mY hE@Rt ~WoOLaLA~ vivivava Design My Mothering Corner Shoppingmum�s Home Office My Filling Station Shopping Mum All about Beauty Shoppingmum and Kids datotalrandommessy.grey Notes from my heart Joy Montessori wahlau's online hut Cedric�s Asylum mott�s mutterings Just My Thoughts delephant Incoherent Ramblings HOT STUFF Make Money Online with Malaysia Love AGLOCO MONTESSORIMUM.COM Funky Cookies Earn Money Online PabloPabla's Whatever Make Money with Blogging Paris Beaverbanks Free Links Giveaway Free Blogger Templates Blogsreview.Net Making a Living 5xmom How to be a Better Blogger My Women Stuff Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food Best Recipes Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget Daryl's Discovery Journey The fluff must go somewhere

Kitchen Experiments Elliottwave Signal Internet-Crazy Blog Newopps Blog Make Money Online Review Center Little Penang iFlicks Healing tips and home remedies Ornamental Fish Grasp! Seize! Get hold of it! Life Snapshot Mental Freedom, Por Favor Eat. Live. Be Merry! Funny Junk Addicting Flash Games Pictures Video Clips mott�s island Clinke Bidding Directory Blog Easy Home Cooking FrenzRSS.com Pink Poison Store Show Me Health Biz The Undeniable Beauty - Revamped An Anonymous Journal Cyberpartygal Blank Canvas She Rambles On charcamayne Money Online | Adsense Money | Tips For Adsense Belajar Cara Membuat Blog Wordpress Usahawan Internet Peluang Perniagaaan Internet iNicholas Made In Penang Syaf The Geek snapshots of life with Cheng Leng iCalvyn.com Blogging Through Depression & Life Trying to Save Money novatech personal playground Little World Of Thoughts Sumber Dekorasi & Laman Anda Menarik.com INSIDE MY MIND Sleepy As Usual blogs">thoughts ---> blogs Share Everything In Life Value Bookshop�s Reading Notes Tips and Tricks to Happy Parenting BERSAMA MEMBINA KEJAYAAN THE BITCH CLUB datotalrandommessy.grey Artmaker BlogWawasan.com life is beautiful Adino Online Penang Homes Physical-e A Mom's Diary Health Freak Mommy mrdefinite.com - It�s hot Tracking Movies SquareCookies MonkeyWong Voice of a Glass Doll Online Article Directory Bambang Wise Life Advice Kaklong Online Portal Down Memory Lanes Sleeping Princess Online Bisnes Forex Marketing Blog project010 ProTechWang.Com Bleargh Pigeon Card Pianologist KCLau�s Money Tips The Great Swifty Speaketh Mr & Mrs. Imran If fate allow our destinies to meet From chopstix to steak knives Where's My Noose? Duke Amiene Rev Mum & Kids In Wonderland Yum-Yum Cuisine Software, Web Development and Technology just another ordinary story Mummy In Vain's Little World How To Solve Your Question F�LLi�g L��V�S add this to my life Free Encyclopedia High Paying Keywords try-test arshad's photojourney EvelynHolic RajaBLog.info Lovelymummy's Bay My Yummy Cruise Home Sweet Home Lovely Mummy OnlineBisnes Malay Blog Purest of e2wen MyAnimes MySpace Blog Badruzamani.Org Parenting Life Forum Newbie Bisnes Internet & Blogger Mohd Sufian A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words hcfoo's blog Culinary Cravings The Sanctuary Welcome To cHrIstInA_YY's Pink World Defying Destiny Dead Boredom Seeking Freedom Travelogue An amazing & adventurous journey Erin Nurjenna [B][E][A][U][T][I][F][U][L] Fluffy's Day Off My Fairy-Tale

Last TRIPOS ever

WiiPeDidOooOooOOo!

It's over. Finally
Very surreal and it only began to sink in Tripos is REALLY over (forever) a few hours later ...

Nevertheless, I can hardly imagine a life not being a student anymore!

No, this is not a post about quarterlife crisis :P

Imagine all your life you've been just going to school, handing in homework, slacking off, skipping classes, juggling squash balls, drawing smiley faces in exams (out of desperation to write something), and only working your butt off when necessary ... Now this is ending so soon, ironically when it's probably your childhood dream come true of not having to study LOL

Anyways, let's divert the sentimental emotions to our beloved topic of food, yea? Better allocation of resources and energy (oh, you economist) :)

Post exam celebration lunch was at d'Arry's Wine Shop in the center of the Cambridge town. This is what British cuisine is all about, despite it's understated reputation of only beans on toast and fish and chips.

d'Arry's reinterprets British cuisine with a refreshing twist. It brings simple British favourites like Fish & Chips, Shepherds Pie, and the basic chips to a whole new level. The decor is quite unique, offering the dining in or al fresco (outdoors) option, but I prefer the indoors with the cozy tables and cute candle light holders made out of wine bottles. It boasts a large wine collection, which I have not tried unfortunately.

I was feeling adventurous and tried the 'Spinach, Mushroom and Blue Cheese Crepe Wrap' (£5.50), which is spinach sautéed with mushrooms wrapped in a crepe with Gorgonzola. It was served with thick cut chips (which I absolutely loved!) with a light salad and salsa as sides. It was pretty light although the cheese was strong, counter balanced with some good ol' chips fried till brown and crispy. I like how the way they stack it up too.


Another dish we tried was 'Bacon and Barbeque Chicken' (£8.95), which is chicken breast wrapped in bacon, BBQ sauce and melted Cheddar cheese, served with chunky chips and lightly steamed sugar snaps and green beans. Great balance in terms of flavours, I suspect a hint of pineapple juice in with the BBQ sauce, tasting slightly like sweet sour sauce but with a tinge of cheesy goodness, all baked till perfection.


d'Arry's strongly promote their home made puds (short for puddings) all over the restaurant signboards and menu, so we decided to check it out, ordering the 'Double Chocolate Brownie with mixed berry compote and white chocolate sauce, topped with Vanilla Ice Cream' (£4.95).

True to its name, it lived up to it's expectations. One phrase to describe it -- out of this world! The brownie was generous and warm, filled with bitter sweet chocolate and ooze the aroma of good quality cocoa, buried under a melting scoop of Vanilla ice cream, dressed in the mixed berry compote which consists of blue and black berries. Impressed with the effort at flavour mixing, as the slightly sour compote balances the sweetness of the brownie and ice cream, whilst slight bitterness of the choc came into play as well.

It's a nice place to go for a meal. But given that it's pricier than the average restaurants, save it for special occasions :)


Time for a good rest and hibernation to recuperate. Though I never believed in sleep debts ...

d'Arrys
2 - 4 King Street
Cambridge
CB1 1LN
United Kingdom

Exam Season

Sorry for the lack of posts!

It's my exam week, will be right back once its over on Monday.
On another note, the weather is finally starting to get sensible by next week, which is a good thing :)
Wish me luck!

Celebrity Chef in Cambridge

Nation's flamboyant celebrity chef is in town ...

Check it out!

LOL

Tastes heavenly...

Discovered this melt-in-your-mouth dark choc when I got it as a lovely present. I suppose it's good for exam destress hehe :P. The best part of it is not the chocolate itself (though it's amazingly bitter sweet, my type :D )- it's the back cover, if you'd click the picture below to know what I mean...

Definitely lifted me to heaven :)

MY List

MY LIST

Calling all bloggers!

I've decided to join MY LIST, a campaign to gather all Malaysian blogs under the banner of unity and creating a huge bookmark. The list is expanding every minute and it ends on 31st May before there is an official list out of blog links. If you're keen to join, just check this out and follow the very simple instructions. :)

My List Participants

Erin Nurjenna [B][E][A][U][T][I][F][U][L] Fluffy's Day Off My Fairy-Tale Once Upon A Time Money Making Blog Bubba Stuff Little Raymond's quaint melody Seraph Chronicles Route Brumeuse Coder's Talk Reggae And SKA Art Of ApOgEE THE VEGEMASTER LIFE Boonage Coretan Pengalaman Mat Silverhorsegunnysack BLUEAPPLE scribbles Diet & Detoxification Karma Kameleon Hsien's Dirty Little Secret The Rojak Blog keeyit My Life Online Fun Stuffs Donny's Bits Nicholas Chan's Blog dream of's DESIGN strike freedom 115 Truly Malaysia It's another new day Lisan's Scribbles Ramblings of a 22 years old The Towering Joe Life's a Breeze Life's Roller Coaster AceOne118 In His Time in His time The New Sanctuary a life full of surprises Sketches of Life Shannon's Old Space Pikey Dude SEO & Online Marketing Blog ShowMeMoneyBiz.com Snapshots kahpengBlog I am Who I am yung . silent whisper Simple Life One blog.One girl.One story The World Through My Eyes Why Malaysia? Etcetera~Etcetera Giddy Tigers Make Money Online: Exploring The Dark Side of Blogging Xilly's Blog Malaika Xiao Yu My Home Recipe SQKIKI’s Simple Tech Nukilan Jejari Azhad ITCHY HANDseng Just My Lil' Organic Life Oooh La La... Weird World of MerapuMan Fibre Art The World at My Fingertips Organic Income Organic Parade Shopping Flavor Daily postings of a chung ling student Something about LAI KennyP’s Technology Blog Women Mumbles KuKuJian.com Lyon & Wien Under The SUN Crumbs In Life SotongZai's Flow In the Ocean allthingspurple Christene's Kitchen toxicle.org [ Wood ] [ Earth ] [ Cheap ] [ Flight ] COMtech Ah Ling's blog http://judychow.blogspot.com/ ~WoOLaLA~ vivivava Design My Mothering Corner Shoppingmum’s Home Office My Filling Station Shopping Mum All about Beauty Shoppingmum and Kids datotalrandommessy.grey Notes from my heart Joy Montessori wahlau's online hut Cedric’s Asylum mott’s mutterings Just My Thoughts delephant Incoherent Ramblings HOT STUFF Make Money Online with Malaysia Love AGLOCO MONTESSORIMUM.COM Funky Cookies Earn Money Online PabloPabla's Whatever Make Money with Blogging Paris Beaverbanks Free Links Giveaway Free Blogger Templates Blogsreview.Net Making a Living 5xmom How to be a Better Blogger My Women Stuff Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food Best Recipes Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget Daryl's Discovery Journey The fluff must go somewhere

It's gettin' hot here

Weather is gonna breach 20C end of this week, woohoo!
Can't wait for exams to be over :S

Dissing dissertation

Yay!

I've finally finished my first draft of my dissertation! What a painful week it has been rushing against time for it... At least now I have some life back and of course much more sleep :D

Finally my delayed posts on Porto would be up next ...

**Updated 5 hours later**

Gargh, just had some feedback on the first draft, have to do quite a bit of amendments...

Finally the weather is starting to behave the way it should be this time of the year, makes walking to library slightly more pleasant :P Don't get me wrong, I actually much prefer the less hectic holiday revision time that the 7 essay a week days ...

End of Term

End of term!!!

It's finally here :) But also means madness n rush for dissertation begins. Until I sort out my room and life. LOL

Be right back, have a backload of posts coming up!

Colorful Yee Sang

Happy Chap Goh Mei everyone!

May the year of the pig bring lots of luck by oink-ing all the bad omens away! :D

(& please de-clog my brain for the remaining 2 weeks ... )

Junk Foods

MmmMMmm, despite the name conjuring up a sense of guilt :P, what's your favorite?
Com'on, sharing is caring ;)

Well, 'telinga biscuit' is mine. Always fall for it no matter how hard I resist.

It's not found on Wikipedia, so please be patient while I try illustrate/explain what I mean.
Telinga is the word for ear in the Malay language, and it's called so simply because the biscuit is ear-shaped. I don't really know what and how it is made, and perhaps won't want to find out anyways just in case it destroys my love for it :P All I can say that it's savory, and if you look closely enough, you can see little black pigments which I believe is some sort of spice (5 spice powder? Not sure). It tastes slightly sweet and salty at the same time, and is extremely crunchy, its main selling point. It's way beyond boring popcorns mann

Sneakily, there is a stash of this precious commodity brought to the UK, and thankfully, out of my sight (& mind), or else it'd have disappeared in seconds ...

Here is a picture of it:

Goggling it online landed me on this awesome biscuit manufacturer's site, which produces all the types of cookies and biscuits so typically found back home in Malaysia, missing the CNY atmosphere there. Though I don't really agree with the concept of mass production of food (especially if it's within your own ability to make it or at least attempt to, given the time), this site gives an idea of the mass array of biscuits in Msia, though there are many non standard Westernized variations there as well. Surprisingly, the telinga biscuit here is different from the one I mentioned, it's called 'biskut kerang' (shell biscuit) instead.

It's Chap Goh Mei soon this weekend, and of course nearer towards holiday and end of term! PHew, can't wait to sit down and heal the essay-o-phobia and start working frantically against time for my dissertation!

Craving for WTH

Just to clarify, it's Wah Tan Hor (Yin yong?) that I meant :)
It's one of my all time favorite orders at hawker stalls ('tai chow') which does various sorts of fried noodles. Man, now that reminds me of another dish that I miss.

Must be the CNY season, when you are stuck in the room as a permanent essay lab rat, churning essays to feed the greedy supervisors, when you think you deserve all the holiday in the world...

So yes, I manage to get fresh rice noodles (kuey teow) from Chinatown in a recent trip to London and make something up that tastes similar :)

This is a picture of the C&R version of it that I took some time ago, looks very inviting:

This is my version, slightly dry as the kuey teow seems to be absorbing the gravy despite having loads to begin with! Had it with fishballs, pak choy, squids, mussells and some prawns too! Too bad there's not much eggy sauce left , but still made me happy all the same, cravings satisfied!Ack, all these still doesn't help that 14 essays are waiting for me to be done. :S Man, I'm super whiny today :P Hopefully Music & Lyrics can cheer me up tomorrow night!