Shattered Lenses, Elmo Cookies and World Breastfeeding Week

Sometimes I think I'm just a few steps away from becoming like my parents. You know when you were a kid, you'd snicker at them looking around for their glasses everywhere when it was just right in front of them?

Last night I turned the lights off ready for bed, recalling that I was looking for something but couldn't quite remember what it was ... until I heard the snapping and crunching of that something. With a sinking feeling, I turned on the lights and found what I was looking for.

My glasses :( I completely shattered the right lens though thankfully the frame is still intact.

So while waiting for the lens to be replaced and not wanting to wear contacts at home, I'm squinting at the laptop screen. I've heard that Monet painted the way he did because of his failing eyesight. I think, however, my manager would be less than impressed if I were to submit a report full of wonky Excel numbers in for him to review.

Look what I found at Cold Storage! Elmo crackers (though Bubs calls them cooookies) - they were a huge hit with him and he was so pleased at going "elmooo" "big birdddd" whenever he ate one. They had a few other varieties of Sesame Street snacks so I might stop by and get some for him.

The Adventist Hospital is a strong advocate of breastfeeding and they have the nicest lactation consultants. 2 years ago, Hubs and I were at our wits end - we'd just brought Bubs back and even though he was latching on directly, he wasn't pooping and we weren't sure if he was even getting any milk down at all. We drove to the Adventist Hospital and even though we weren't patients there, the lactation consultant was amazing. She guided us patiently, listened to all our worries even though I was a basket case at that point and gave lots of useful tips.

So when they organised the annual World Breastfeeding Week recently, Hubs, Bubs and I were more than happy to show up to extend our support. There were so many families with young children and also stalls dedicated to babywearing, breast pumps, breastfeeding peer groups. I totally loved the buzz there!

Penang Favourites: Balik Pulau Laksa and 888 Hokkien Mee

You can take the girl out from Penang but you can never take Penang out from the girl ;) I LOVE Penang food with all my heart and nothing comes close to my personal favourites: assam laksa and Hokkien mee.

Let me get this straight - there is only one type of Penang Hokkien mee: rice noodles and egg noodles topped with meat garnishing, a boiled egg, bean sprouts and kangkung served in a prawn soup base. None of that stir fried noodles and just because the noodle is yellow, it doesn't automatically make that dish Hokkien noodles.

One of the best Hokkien mee in Penang is the 888 Hokkien Mee at Presgrave Street or better known as Sah Tiau Lor (3rd Road). It has been so popular that they opened a second franchise at Bayan Baru, opposite Sunshine Square.

Business is brisk even though finding parking there is a complete nightmare, especially during rush hour traffic. They start selling from 5.30pm until midnight, making it a popular haunt for late nighters looking for a hot, steaming bowl of noodles and are closed on Thursdays.

The soup is fantabulous! Sweet and rich with a heavy prawn-pork base, you can opt to top up with extras such as fish balls, siew bak and even pork ribs for a more filling meal.

The Balik Pulau assam laksa is a hidden gem tucked away in a little, nondescript coffee shop. Look closer a little and you'll notice all the tables are full of customers eating with great gusto bowlfuls of the delicious noodles.

For a laksa fan like me, this has to be the holy grail of laksas! Again, when I say assam laksa, I mean rice noodles soaked in a strong, tamarind-spiked fish soup garnished with fresh pineapple, cucumber, onions, lettuce, mint and banana flowers.

What makes this stall extra special is that in addition to assam laksa, it also offers the lesser known siam laksa which is creamier with coconut milk added. It is sweeter and milder. Since I couldn't decide between the two equally yummy choices, I just saved the hassle by eating two bowls ;)

Happy Merdeka!

Happy National Day to everyone! Has everyone been enjoying this long weekend?

To avoid the dreaded day-before-long-weekend traffic jams, our boss let us go back earlier to work from home. In between juggling reports and replying mails since Hubs was at MIL's place with Bubs, I whipped up this garlic thyme roast chicken.

It looks a lot more complicated than it actually is. Because I like to Live Dangerously, butter was used. Liberally.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, stuff garlic, butter and fresh thyme under the skin. Sprinkle more garlic, thyme over the chicken and for more artery clogging goodness, add butter over the chicken. Trust me on this one.

And because I didn't want to blog up Bub's baby arteries, for the sweet potato coins, I used olive oil Sweet potato is my latest obsession and easy as chips (pun intended) to prepare. I peel them and slice then as thinly as I can get them to be. At first I tried using a veggie peeler to slice them but got fed up so went back to hacking them with a knife.

Pop them into the oven while I get back to more work.

After a while, the whole place smelt heavenly and just when Hubs and Bubs got back, I smugly served them this. To quote a certain furry red monster, ta-daaaa!

I did my duty to boost the retail economy by getting this pair of shoes. Being on a Strict Budget, I contemplated over them for a few days, decided that these were a Necessity and promptly bought them.

Did anyone in Penang go to the Big Bad Wolf book sale at Times Square? There were books galore and surprisingly, not as crowded as I expected it to be, or maybe we were just early. Spotted many childrens' classics (Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, anyone?), whole collections of Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, popular fiction like Lisa See and Sophie Kinsella to cookbooks by Gordon Ramsey and Nigella Lawson, it was all an eclectic mix.

I ended up lugging back these. I am crazy over picture books and keep telling Hubs that these are for Bubs but I'm usually the one curled up in bed, reading them and oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the illustrations. Of all the bargains I got, I was the proudest of the Wonderful World of Dr. Seuss collection, marked down from RM500 to RM199 with an additional 10% off for members, score! I didn't grow up with Dr. Seuss but look forward to introducing these to Bubs when he's a little bigger.

Last day for the Big Bad Wolf book sale is tomorrow - opens from 10am to 10pm at Times Square Penang. Be prepared for lotsa bargains ;)

Indulgence Ipoh

It took a lot of convincing on my part to get Hubs to drive to Indulgence in Ipoh all the way from Taiping. While planning our trip, Hubs asked what did I want to eat in Taiping. Our conversation went a little like this:

Hubs: Let's Google & see what food Taiping is famous for.
Me: Indulgence in Ipoh.
Hubs: That's like a bloody hour's drive away!
Me: Indulgence in Ipoh.
Hubs: How about that famous chicken and beansprout rice place in Ipoh then?
Me: Indulgence!

 So no prizes for guessing where we ended up driving to after our lil trip to the Taiping Zoo ;) Thankfully Bubs fell asleep through the hour's drive. This marks our 3rd trip to Indulgence and for someone that hates long distance driving with a passion, it's a lot saying that the 2 hour drive from Penang to Ipoh is worth it just to be able to dine there.

Indulgence is both a restaurant and beautiful boutique hotel located in a quiet, unassuming white bungalow. Proprietress extraordinaire and culinary magician, Julie Song, is very much hands on and can often be seen bustling around in the kitchen. I've seen customers asking to speak to the chef and she comes out to explain and make recommendations from her menu, charming, understated and humble, exactly what Indulgence is all about.

The brilliantly creative and sheer genius of the dishes offered in the ever changing menu is what makes us returning customers. Think choices like ricotta pancakes stuffed with fresh figs, open lasagne with blueberries, sardines and drizzled with truffle oil, where else can you find such gems?

Huge fan of the splashes of blue, white and greens throughout the eating area with an eclectic mix of furniture and bric brac. For a place that serve fine dining quality, we found the wait staff to be really friendly, down to earth and not a single bit snooty unlike other establishments we've been to.

The front portion is dedicated towards bring-home-gourmet-goodies such as imported paella mix, fresh cherries for sale at RM12 per 100gm, arborio rice and of course, delectables produced by Indulgence, such as lemon curd, oven dried tomatoes and hibiscus pesto. Ready made desserts ranging from lamingtons, macarons, tiramisu, creme brulee, canele, are also on display if you need to further tempt your taste buds. This place is a dieter's nightmare!

The food is nothing short of fantastic. Complimentary bread and butter are served before the main courses arrive. We ordered the lamb and onion pizza (RM39) and the wait staff was kind enough to request the kitchen to separate out the chilli flakes because Bubs can't handle anything too spicy. We also had a portion of the lamb, chestnut, bean and parmesan pasta (RM39) .

Indulgence serves an amazing array of dolci (desserts) and this where I've to stress, the sweets from the menu are purely works of art - they cost as much as mains and forget about portion sizes, this petite creations are meant to delight your senses (camera and wallet too). Hubs nearly had a heart attack when he saw the prices and the portions served ;)

Unforgiving (RM39) is a choux "tree" served with small scoops of gelato, strawberries, blueberries, and for an added touch of whimsy, sprinkled with edible flowers dusted with icing sugar. Hubs and Bubs refused to even touch the flowers so I ate all of them, muahaha. In case you were wondering, they did not taste a single bit floral at all, more of a green, leafy fresh taste.

Imagine (RM32) - I wanted to break out into the John Lennon classic, is small crepe pieces with a centre of fresh pear chunks, chestnut chocolate puree and topped with fresh figs. The chestnut chocolate sounded a bit odd but I was surprised at how the chestnuts add an almost smokey taste and its richness cut down the sweetness of the chocolate.

Since Bubs and I have an insatiable sweet tooth, we ordered MORE desserts from the ready made ones on display. Trust me, it was soooo hard to narrow our choices down to just 2 tiny morsels - a single berry macaron and a canele. The macaron (RM6.50) was out of this world, just the right amount of tartness and sweetness balanced with filled with a light cream centre studded with fresh blueberries. Canele is a French dessert (RM6.50), I was really excited to find it served at Indulgence - I love the caramelised, thick crust and the simple custard filling in it - the flavour reminded me a bit like apom, clean, simple eggs, milk and sugar with a touch of vanilla.


Can't wait for more trips to Indulgence Ipoh *hearts*

Indulgence Restaurant and Living

14, Jalan Raja Di Hilir, 30350 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

Tel No : 605-255 7051

Let's Go to the Zoo

There are lots of things to do and the chicken is finger licking good ... Each time I think of the zoo, that old school Kentucky Fried Chicken (none of that new fangled KFC abbreviation) jingle plays in my mind. Hubs and I haven't been to the zoo in ages and since Bubs is recognising some animals, we thought it'd be fun for him to see some exotic ones. The closest zoo here is the Taiping Zoo, the oldest one in Malaysia, and is about an hour's drive away.

Patience is not one of Bub's virtues and I was tempted to ply him with alcohol so he'd pass out we fully charged his iPod for him to keep him occupied in the backseat. We had a 10 minute stop at a rest area for him to stretch his little legs and to get a quick breakfast before continuing the drive. Surprisingly, Bubs was contented and didn't kick up a fuss throughout the drive until we reached Taiping Zoo. After carefully rubbing sunblock all over ourselves (which turned out to be a good decision because there were uncovered areas where the sun was really strong) and stepping past the gates: we were there!

There was a strong, heady scent of musk mingled with wet leaves throughout the zoo, if you're unfamiliar to animals, your nose would be wrinkling up at the smell. The grounds were huge with a lot of winding, sun dappled paths and scattered around were tall, leafy trees that provided shady areas visitors seeking a brief respite. We spotted a small group of monkeys wandering around and picking up trash from the bins. It felt a little surreal. 

Long, arduous walks call for serious measures. In addition to liberal dosing of sunblock, we came prepared with appropriate footwear: Crocs for Bubs and me and Tevas for Hubs. Adel told us that the pathways were wide and stroller-friendly so we brought along Bub's stroller which we used probably less than 10 times since we first got it. 

Bubs seemed more excited with his stroller (which he hardly gets to sit in since most of the places we go to in Penang are un-stroller friendly) and clambered up and down in it. He said "stroller" repeatedly and even got out to help us push it around for a while. Who knew all it took to keep him happy was a simple trip with his stroller ;) At steep paths going downhill, we'd warn "Bubs, hold tight" and he'd immediately grip the sides until we descended.

It was a really good walk though we sweated buckets from the stifling heat. We spotted some of Bub's more distant relations, LOL.

The zebras had a curious barking laugh that made him jump. For some reason, I kept thinking of the poor zebra in the book Life of Pi and half expected to see a hyena close by.

An hour of walking non stop and dodging the ever present trams made us all fatigued and we stopped for a very much welcomed ice cream break. Everyone else had the same idea and Hubs had to queue for some time to pay for the ice cream - you could make a fortune there selling icy cool treats! Bubs had the time of his life pushing the empty stroller about in his snazzy orange Crocs in between greedy mouthfuls of ice cream.

 After a short rest, we trudged on. This giraffe was decidedly the most friendly of all the animals we saw. It came close by to us and stuck its head over the fence, watching us curiously with its long, lash fringed eyes. A visitor offered his palm up to the giraffe and hurriedly pulled away when a long strand of giraffe saliva dribbled out. Bubs started feeling hungry as it was close to his lunch time and we gave him biscuits. 

By the time we reached the elephants which signaled the end of the zoo, we were exhausted, sweat drenched and hungry as the cafe was closed and there was no food to be found around apart from potato chips and fizzy drinks. It was a good thing we packed a hot lunch in a Thermos for Bubs and after feeding him, we wet a small towel with water and cleaned him a little. In hindsight,I should have brought a spare change of clothes :( 

Anyhow, Bubs fell asleep the moment Hubs started driving towards our next destination for lunch ...