Nyonya in Netherlands

Wedding Planning

2012-01-20T18:05:00.000+01:00

I am enjoying most of it! I am so excited and I can't wait to get married already. Also, I'm terrified that it will be a total flop.

Invitations
I absolutely LOVE them. These are probably the most beautiful invitations I have ever seen. Yes, it was very expensive and yes, people will just throw them into the dustbin but they make me happy.

Dress
I bought my dress!! This was quite a journey. I went to about 4 stores (I went 3 times to the store where I bought the dress so I basically tried on dresses about 7 times haha). First dress was a total disaster. I thought I would never find the one. I'm not VERY short (although I AM short compared to a Dutch person. I am 5ft 3") but all the dresses had humungous ball gown skirts (and not just a bit but huge. Like so huge, the Dutchman would have to stand 1.5 metres away from me). And the styles they have here.... were just sort of thrashy and I wanted something elegant.

Finally, feeling guilty and thinking that I would never find the one, I settled on one which looked great on me but wasn't really my style. Of course I felt like sh*t after that, I felt almost embarassed that people would think that is something I would pick so I cancelled the dress a few days later. As I had already paid a significant deposit for the dress, I had to pick THE dress from the same store.

Anyway, I ended up in something I didn't expect but it gave the look I was aiming for (elegant, romantic, classic). Woohoo! I never thought I could ever get a Pronovias but after adjusting the budget a little bit (i.e. less money for flowers :( ), it was possible to get my dream dress. Yay!

Rings
Again, ended up being totally different from what we wanted but it was really comfortable and the rings were the only ones which actually didn't make our fingers look stupid. The one thing which was significantly underbudget;-)

Guests
Very happy with the turnout on my side. Sadly, most of Dutchman's friends are too poor and half his direct family will not be attending (afraid of flying, no money, babies). I feel sorry for him as this wedding shebang was his wish (I wanted to elope).

Venue
Slightly problematic. It is a high-end venue and expensive. However, because our wedding is relatively small and they are used to mad Russian millionnaires, our wedding basically does not generate a great amount of revenue (it is a lot to us but not them). Thus, we are small fry and treated as such.

Flowers
I want peonies but they are not available. Ah well. Not sure what the options are...

So many things to organize but in a way, it's quite fun having an almost free rein (except obviously budget restrictions) to plan an event;)

2011

2011-12-31T14:32:00.002+01:00

was a great year.

i) Got engaged
ii) Passed my internship with flying colours and then almost failing it because my boss felt slighted over my report (the comments were frankly nothing..something like "while I wish the internship could've been more challenging, I do not regret having chosen for this company". School laughed like mad about it and passed me anyway.
iii) Got a new member of the family (the cat)
iv) Dutchman got a new job
v) Parents' visit (last time was 3 years ago)
vi) Got legally married!

2012 will be challeging as I'll have a new job and will be navigating through life as an adult (job, etc.) but it could also be very fulfilling and I know I'll enjoy wedding planning, hunting for our first home and all that stuff;)

All the best for 2012!

Nyonya's Christmas/Sinterklaas Rock Road

2011-12-15T10:46:00.001+01:00

150g 70% dark chocolat, broken into small pieces
250g milk chocolate, broken into small pieces
175g butter, sliced
4tbs golden syrup
150g amaretti, crushed into various sizes
150g pepernoten , crushed into various sizes (I used mine whole as they were pretty small- the ones from the AH bakker)
150g pink & white marshmallows, cut into small pieces or just use mini marshmallows
100g glacé cherries
50g dried cranberries

1) Melt the chocolate and butter (bain marie). Add the syrup.

2) In the meantime, prepare your amaretti and pepernoten (basically just crushing them with a rolling pin). Please make sure that you don't crush it too finely- you want them to be in bits and pieces. Cut your marshmallows with scissors. Chop the cherries into smaller pieces (if preferred. I used mine whole).

3) When chocolate mixture has melted, mix to combine evenly.

4) Add the crushed pepernoten and amaretti into the chocolate and mix.

5) Then, add everything else.

6) Pour mixture into a (I used Pyrex) pan and leave it in the fridge to harden (about 2 hours). Slice with a strong, sharp knife and sprinkle icing sugar before serving.

P/S: I think the quality of the chocolate isn't very important in this case. I used Valrhona which is quite expensive (about 23 euro for this recipe) but couldn't taste the difference!

The Turkish Airlines Saga Continues....

2011-11-19T18:27:00.001+01:00

Turkish Airlines initially offered us 300 euro compensation (EU regulations= 600 euro) but we said we wanted 400 euro as the Danish passengers who were bumped off the flight as well, received 400 euros (yes, the 24 +hours we spent together means we had enough time to exchange contact details). Turkish Airlines called the Dutchman on Friday and confirmed. They asked when we could pick it up. We agreed on 3p.m. Saturday at Schiphol Airport.

So today, we left at 1.30p.m. to arrive there at 3p.m.. Guess what happened next?! Arrived at the counter and the Turkish Airlines employee says....

"We have no cash with us at the moment. Perhaps you should come back on a weekday as more people buy tickets then"

We were like WTF!?!?! We had an appointment at 3p.m. to collect the compensation! We drove 1.5 hours! We had to pay 8 euro for parking! We wasted our time! It's a Saturday, ffs!

This is seriously the shittiest airline of all time. Unbelievable.

Beef with Ginger & Spring Onions

2011-11-02T11:51:00.000+01:00

I was talking to some Asian ladies the other day and it struck me that Dutchman and I do not eat Asian food very often. We eat pasta, roast chicken, fish, steak, stews etc. instead. I love Asian food but it always seem kind off fiddly to get the taste right and fake Asian food is the most disgusting thing in the whole world( which is why I never buy the Westernized Asian pre-packaged stuff). Anyhoo, last night, I made beef with ginger and spring onions. This is a simple dish- the kind you eat at home at least once a week together with (in my family anyway) stir-fried greens, clear soup and fish.

Fresh ingredients
300g beef, sliced thinly
5 spring onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2-inches worth of ginger, sliced

Marinade
1 tbs Chinese oyster sauce
1 tbs ShaoXing wine (maybe a bit more, generous splash heh)
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp corn flour
some pepper

Sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce
1 tbs ShaoXing wine
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp corn flour
2-3 tbs water

1) First, marinade the beef for at least an hour. Combine the ingredients for the sauce before you start cooking.
2) Then, in a saucepan, saute the ginger in the hot oil until soft. If you like, you can also add the white part of the spring onion at this time.
3) When the beef is almost done, add the sauce and the green parts of the spring onions and cook until done. Do not overcook this or the beef will be tough. If you think that the sauce is too watery, you can add some cornflour.

Serve with white rice.

Never Fly With Turkish Airlines

2011-10-25T13:51:00.000+02:00

This matter has brought me out of my slumber.

A few months ago, we decided to take a chance on Turkish Airlines. In The Netherlands, Turkish Airlines is probably most famous for crashing next to a highway near Schiphol Airport but heck, it was the 2nd cheapest (cheapest was Egypt Air which sounded a bit dodgy to us) and we really only had to fly for 3 hours on an actual Turkish Airlines plane (codeshare).

That totally did NOT pay off. Our nightmare had just started. Checked in at Dusseldorf Airport and thought it was strange that we did not get our boarding passes for the Istanbul-KL leg (normally, they give all of it to you) but when we asked, the ground staff said that it is policy that we would get it there (LIAR! If you ever face this, don't even believe them!).

Well well..guess what happened! We arrived at Istanbul 3.5 hours before our flight to KL was scheduled to depart and immediately headed towards the counter within the transit hall. Turns out, there was a 'computer problem' so we weren't on the flight. I am not stupid - some of my family members work in the airline industry. This means they are overbooked (which they later admitted).

Was very nice the entire time (me, not them). Told them nicely tat we had booked and paid for these tickets months in advance and that it wasn't our problem if there was a problem with their system or not. Ground staff barely understood English. They told us to come back 1 hour before the flight to check. Fine, came back, was told that we were officially bumped off. Madly pissed as had a wedding to attend and shitloads to do upon arrival (tailor, hen's night etc.).

Assholes at counter then made us wait on the floor whilst they find a connecting flight. Well, assholes couldn't have been the most efficient people as it took them 4 freaking hours (literally) with us sitting on the floor and hanging at the counter (they kept saying "10 minutes, 10 minutes"). Finally, Dutchman and a Swede (who was also bumped off the same flight) barged into the private office, sat next to one of them and got a flight- apparently the only one left which was scheduled to leave at about midnight (to Shanghai and then to KL) so yes, that was a good 12+ hours doing nothing but WAITING for a flight. They did put us in the lounge but no real food (just some lousy dry bread). I freaking hate eating bread for dinner. It makes me feel like Oliver Twist.

Finally, got on the flight. An hour later, captain says someone on board has had a heart attack and we'll be returning to Istanbul. Fine, I guess that's not something they can help and probably cost them heaps of money as well. Plane grounded for 3-4 hours. Arrived in Shanghai, scheduled flight already departed but ground staff at Shanghai were EXCELLENT. They got someone to meet us in the arrivals hall, arranged priority check-in (for the next flight and passport controls) and everything. Got us on the next flight (Air Mauritius) to KL. Finally, we arrived in KL at like 4a.m. a day later (22 hours delay).

Now, this is the part which annoys the shit out of me. Yes, we were shit ass tired. Yes, we were crazily stressed (because missing and then not knowing when your next flight will be when you have shitloads to do when you arrive). Yes, we spent some extra money (calling people from the plane, midnight fares etc.). Yes, our holiday was ruined. Yes, the staff at Istanbul were useless, rude and dumb.

But MOST OF ALL, Turkish Airlines didn't want to compensate us and they were so SNEAKY about it. See, if they had told us about the delay at Dusseldorf (EU), we would have been entitled to 600 euro per person compensation (delay of more than 4 hours, EU Regulation) but they purposely dragged us to Istanbul because Istanbul's not part of the EU and they wouldn't have to compensate anything! And they call themselves "Europe's Best Airline" HAHAHAHA.

I am going to make it my mission to ensure that everyone knows what a shit airline Turkish Airlines is. I'm going to make sure no one I know ever flies on it again. Certainly, no one will want to -unless they don't care if they arrive as scheduled or not.

Wedding + Food Blog

2011-08-11T09:51:00.000+02:00

As much as I love food, wedding planning is what takes most of my time these days. Negotiating is something I am absolutely horrible at but I've learnt a lot the last few weeks. Thanks to tips from a former bride, we managed to get the location we wanted but thought we could not afford. I hadn't bothered to bargain because the difference was HUGE- we are talking like RM60 000 worth of venue hire charges which now has reduced to just a few thousand (like really little, not even 3k!) so ladies, don't forget to bargain! Unfortunately, I didn't get the prices I wanted for the rest (ie. same as her) but I just didn't feel like bouncing emails back and forth just for a few hundred here and there. Plus, I think she had more to bargain with- my wedding is about 15% smaller so that makes it fair, right? :-)

Weddings in Malaysia are cut throat. You book your venue a year in advance (more if it's a popular date), your make-up artist, your photographer, florist, band (if any) immediately after and you pay through your nose- much more than I would pay in The Netherlands. Heck, an unknown make-up artist in KL actually dared to quote me RM3000+ flight+ 2 nights accomodation+ RM600 outstation fee. Er.. hello?! RM4200 (1000 euro) for 4 hours worth of work (incl. waiting) is just mad. If I'd known make-up artists could make that much, I would've gone to some kind of beauty school instead of going to uni. The famous one actually gave me a very reasonable quote- much better than the newbies and semi-famous. Weird, right...

Back to food: not much happening on this front although I will be entertaining a small after-dinner party tomorrow. Must try to remember to take photos. Haven't actually made pastry cream since 2006 or so, so I desperately hope my tart will not have to be binned.

Had An Awesome Holiday

2011-08-03T16:11:00.000+02:00

There was a wedding, a centurion birthday and a massage-filled holiday in Bali. We ate- oh boy, did we eat! One thing about belonging to a food crazy family, you get dragged along to eat all the yummiest food within 100km from where you live. We had the most amazing non-halal Thai food, nasi lemak, Ipoh Sar Hor Fun and my beloved ikan bakar. In Bali, we had the infamous babi guling and overpriced seafood (280 euro for 4 people and it wasn't even good! Nor was it a fancy restaurant :( ).

The good thing about Bali is the amount of villas they have available for rent. We paid just 200 euro a night for a gorgeous 1-bedroom villa with a small private pool in Seminyak. Food here was awful but I wish we could live here forever!

Tegalalang Rice Paddies. Somewhat touristy but still VERY pretty!

Wedding Stuff: I tell you...my entire family is wedding-mad. All they talk about is the wedding. They are incredibly excited about it. At that time, I didn't even know where we were going to get married but they already wanted to know the theme/colours/etc. so that they can start making dresses or whatever! They've booked their flight tickets- even their accomodation (take note I'm only getting married in 11 months). I haven't even bought my own flight ticket to my own wedding LOL. Still, I am very happy they are excited - rather them be happy and excited than completely disinterested!

Oh and we changed our venue! Now, we're getting married in the venue of our dreams;-) I am so happy. Eek excited. Problem now is deciding on colours. Ugh I like everything.

I have been happier

2011-07-08T03:17:00.000+02:00

since the cat joined our family. She is easy to care for, dependent and just so sweet.

In 2 weeks, we will leave The Netherlands for a short 2-week holiday to Kuala Lumpur and Bali. Will be meeting plenty of people I haven't met for years. Dutchman can stock up on his button shirts. In fact, Dutchman wants to get his wedding suit made in Malaysia.

Our wedding is slowly shaping up. We have decided on a venue and theme but I cannot decide on the colour(s)! I like everything! Help, anyone?

Notification

2011-06-28T09:09:00.000+02:00

Hey guys,

I will try to update one of these days . I haven't been cooking/baking anything nice lately nor have I been out for dinner to new restaurants; just the regular ones which I've probably already covered at some point or other!

I have a new hobby/toy/ thing to love haha and I spend almost all my time caring for it;-) Meet my new baby:

Because this is a food blog, I should probably try to include something about food- even if it's not the kind humans consume. The cats eat Orijen, which consists of 80% meat (the best you can find). I do mix Royal Canin Kitten 36 because we still have 2 small bags left (the kitten definitely prefers this but it only has over 30% meat and grains-which is bad for your cat-). For wet, we feed a combination of Bozita, Animonda Carny and Carnibest (which was not a success but I think that's because the only flavour left at the store is the most unpopular amongst cats). For a snack/treat, they get Gimpet Baby Tabs, some dried chicken breasts (free, actually meant for dogs:-P ), some smelly kitty bits (which they love, also free), Gimpet Grass Bits and the occassional piece or two of raw chicken (their most favourite thing in the world!).

Salmon & Watercress Quiche

2011-06-07T14:10:00.000+02:00

Hello girls!

Exams start tomorrow. Ergo, this blog will be updated again;-)

Recipe (adapted from BBC Good Food, May 2011)

Pastry
350g plain flour
1tsp salt
140g cold butter,cubed
4 tbs cold water

Filling
1 bag/bunch watercress, chopped
200g smoked salmon, shredded to bite sized pieces
2 tbs dill
5 eggs
100ml full fat milk
250ml cream

1. Sift flour and salt and rub butter into the mixture until it looks like a crumble. Then, add the water until the dough sticks together into one big lump. Leave in fridge for 15 minutes.

2. Then, take the dough out and roll and line in ramekins/ cupcake tins/ disposable cupcake liners (or just 1 large tart tin) and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20 minutes in a 180C oven. Then, remove the baking beans and bake for another 5 minutes at 160C until golden. If you want a professional looking tart, trim your pastry now.

3. Spread the watercress and smoked salmon evenly on your pastry. Then, whisk the beaten eggs, dill, milk and cream together with some pepper. Don't bother adding salt into the mixture because the smoked salmon is salty enough!

4. Pour mixture into the pastry cases and bake (again, at 180C) for about 35 minutes (until top is golden brown and set).

---------

I'm not really a quiche person but this is great as picnic food or when you have to feed a mixed crowd.

Procrastinating Again

2011-05-09T18:02:00.000+02:00

3 big reports due this week. Another 2 a week later. And 1 the week after that. Exams at the end of this month. ARGH. I hate school. Working is less stressful.

That explains why I've been baking quite a bit again!

Gorgeous Weather

2011-05-01T15:23:00.000+02:00

-gorgeous, gergeous flowers! a present from the Dutchman-

Not spring-y at all! Instead, it's been summer in NL the last few weeks. We even had a barbecue on Easter Day. Last year, we were still wearing our winter coats.

Easter was relatively quiet for me. Honestly, I suffered through what could possibly have been the most boring dinner of all time with my in-laws. Most times, dinners and meetings are OK but sometimes..... this is one of those times. I could not wait to go home, I was yawning every 30 seconds or so. Tried not to do it so publically but I couldn't help it- it kept coming. :-( Later in the car, Dutchman and I looked at each other and said "Wow, that was boring!". Haha

Right, this is a food blog so I should probably tell you what we prepared for Easter. Food is one thing my in-laws and I don't agree on. My family..we love food. On festive occasions, the house almost bursts open with various dishes, cookies and drinks. My family is a big believer of "too much is better than not enough". My in-laws on the other hand don't really like cooking (for a crowd, which in our family means 10 people) so special occasions dinners tend to be very simple. Like this Easter, they actually wanted soup and bread for dinner. I'll be honest with you- I like soups but I HATE only soup for dinner. Luckily, Dutchman hates them even more than I do so he immediately veto-ed the idea and told his mum to have a barbecue as that is just as easy. Everyone brought something. I made some simple pork & chicken skewers and some store-bought chipolatas. I actually wanted to bring some proper meat (rack of lamb or a slab of steak) but Dutchman said that's 'showing off' (I only wanted to bring food I like.. food which you know..is Easter-ish! If it's just 'normal' food, it's not a special occasion, is it?). Oops.

Some things I prepared last week...

Getting Depressed

2011-04-25T10:09:00.000+02:00

I don't know what it is but The Netherlands gets me down. I've lived here for about 5 years now and I still don't like it. Sometimes I think it's OK and I definitely see the good sides but it's just so empty. It is so boring. I don't have a life, just an existence. I've never really felt like this about any other country before and the whole time, whether I'm in the bus or when out with people, I just want to shout "THIS IS A SHITHOLE, THIS IS A SHITHOLE AND I AM LIVING HERE ONLY BECAUSE MY BOYFRIEND IS DUTCH, NOT BECAUSE IT'S A BETTER LIFE!".

I just don't know what's else there is for us. And for me. It's like OK, general unhappiness and crabbiness but I have 'things' to do- finish school, get married, have babies, grow old. But what else? Dutchman is doing exceedingly well in his career now and he's such a kampung (village) boy who doesn't really want to move abroad. If we move elsewhere, same thing- only this time, I'm happy and he isn't.

What a dilemma;-) Hope I stop harping on this soon.

If

2011-04-21T17:48:00.002+02:00

you're wondering why it's been quiet here, it's because exam period is over and I don't have to study and therefore need to procrastinate by baking/cooking.

Fried Chicken

2011-04-13T17:15:00.000+02:00

I love KFC. I know it's bad for me but always go back for the hot & spicy chicken wings and sometimes the crispy strips. They are ALWAYS eaten with Malaysian/Indonesian garlic chilli sauce. The last year or so, I've only had them with "sambal asli" which is a kind of garlic chilli sauce, not as sweet as the usual ones and a definitely spicier.

Why I don't like KFC: it is somewhat expensive, the ques are long and service is ridiculously slow (if there are 3 people in front of you, expect to wait 30 minutes). Also, for some reason, this place always gets something wrong. They forgot my fries and/or coleslaw about half the time. Sometimes, I only get 5 chicken wings out of 6 or they'll forget to include cheese in Dutchman's burger. We'll discover these things after arriving home and I suppose it makes more sense to check our order upon receiving. Oh well.

-first recipe: my own-

To cut the long story short: I fried chicken twice (2 different recipes) last weekend and I can't believe how yummy and easy it was! I have bad memories from the nyonya fried chicken a few years ago when oil splattered every fucking where (ceiling, floor, walls, me) and I still have a burn on my arm sustained from that day. This time, it didn't splatter AT ALL. :-)

The first was one I made up myself based on what I had in the house at that time. The second is by Jamie Oliver. Honestly, I prefer mine because Jamie Oliver's was slightly "sour", probably because of the amount of lemon juice and buttermilk. It was however, more crunchy. All in all, I would make either again. I don't think I'll ever go back to KFC :-D

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

2011-04-04T18:39:00.000+02:00

225g butter
4 eggs
2 cups A/P flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp vanilla essence

1) Whisk flour, salt and baking powder.
2) In a separate bowl, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add eggs one at a time and cream for 1 minute after each egg. Add vanilla.
3) Fold in flour mixture into the wet mix.
4) Finally, fold the chocolate chips into the mix gently.
5) Bake for 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees

Recent Dinners

2011-04-04T13:41:00.000+02:00

Wedding Talk

2011-04-04T13:29:00.003+02:00

The wedding is only in 2012. In the 2nd quarter of 2012.

We are the ones getting married but other people seem to be so much more excited than we are. I don't get it and it's actually iritating me quite a bit.

I hate that some people invited themselves. I hate that some people are assuming they are invited. I hate the fact that both sets of our parents invited some random people we never met before (take into account, there will be a separate reception for my parents' acquaintances) or people whom we have met maybe once or twice. People don't seem to realize we have our own preferences and our own budget to balance.Every additional guest costs 100 euro. If it's a family of 5, it will be 500 euros. And it will be guests we don't know and it will spoil the atmosphere.

We want a small, intimate wedding with people we are close to and we want to indulge them. That would make us happy.

I have stated it very bluntly to my parents. Specific instructions etc. but my parents just disrespect me by saying "we'll pay for those extra people" . ARGH like WTF! It's not only about the money, it's a SMALL, INTIMATE wedding. How many times must I repeat myself. *sigh*

-flowers of the week-

Earl Gray Torte

2011-03-27T14:14:00.001+02:00

I am totally blown away by this cake. It is so light, yet so rich. It's like eating expensive chocolate with a hint of Earl Gray. The texture is amazing- it's like eating a cloud. This is not a cake a child would love but an adult would relish this with a nice strong cup of coffee or tea.

Adapted from BBC Good Food

200g unsalted butter, diced
140g ground almonds
250g 78% dark chocolate
6 eggs, separated
2 tea bags of Earl Gray Tea
200g caster sugar
100ml milk
1/4tsp salt

1) Microwave milk until almost boiling. Add tea leaves (cut the tea bags) and stir.
2) Melt the butter, chocolate and salt in a large bowl over a pan of simmering water.
3) When it has all melted, add the ground almonds and then the egg yolks and milk mixture.
4) In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and then add the sugar. Whisk for an additional minute or so. Then, turn on your oven and heat to 180 degrees celscious.
5) Finally, fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and pour mixture into baking tin.
6) Bake for about 30-35 minutes.
7) When completely cool, dust icing sugar and cocoa powder on top.

Dinner at Basiliek

2011-03-22T13:12:00.000+01:00

Basiliek is a cute restaurant, with 1 Michelin star, in the even cuter town of Hardewijk. As it partipates in a bi-annual event called "Restaurant Week", we were able to dine there for just 37.50 euro per person (3 courses, everything else to be paid separately). Of course, we took that opportunity! Basiliek was only our 4th visit to a starred restaurant and if I'll be honest, it was probably the worst (although it was NOT AT ALL bad) amongst the 3 starred places we dined in.

We started off with a glass of champagne and then moved on to the amusés which were quite tasty. I especially liked I enjoyed the amusés, especially the apple chips with a herring mouse (the green cones).

This was lovely. A boullion from eekhorrnsbrood (a kind of mushroom). Delicate tasting but just full of flavour. I could drink quite a few more of this one hehe.

First course: Tartare of mackeral with apple, yuzu and what-not. It was OK. Fresh, quite good but didn't blow my mind.

2nd Course: we paid an additional 10 euro p.p. for this. Razor clams with a garlic froth, spinach etc. This was really tasty but I think I ate more celery than clams.

Main: Braised beef. Very well-done. Considering it was braised, you wouldn't think it would still be rare and yet so tender. Would have liked slightly more vegetables though.

Palate cleanser: An Apple & Pear (plus probably some liquor) sorbet

Desser:Mango- 4 ways with coconut cream . Was OK. Not too heavy which is great.

Coffee & Friandises

This was OK. Friandises were nothing special. I was quite disappointed as the friandises we had at other starred restaurants were better (more innovative, not just mere chocolates). Also, it cost 9.50 euro p.p. for coffee and 5 pieces of chocolates/sweets.

All in all, not bad but I wasn't totally impressed. There were some issues with the service which I thought was not befitting for a Michelin starred restaurant. For example, they dripped olive oil on the table clothes (when pouring it , for the bread), they couldn't remember who ordered de-caf and who ordered normal coffee, my 2nd course as you can see was plated dreadfully (didn't wipe the plate and you call this a Michelin restaurant??) etc. Also, at times, they seemed somewhat money-minded, like the fact that friandises were included when not everyone wanted it (and was priced quite a bit as well.. The amazing friandises we had at another Michelin starred restaurant was just 6.90 euro), they poured champagne and wines were topped up (and charged for) even when you didn't want anymore.

Bill for the 2 of us : 186.80 euro (Dutchman did not drink)

Salsiccia & Savoy Cabbage

2011-03-14T22:24:00.000+01:00

This was SO good. It's technically a stew but really resembles a soup more. I ate so much of this last week. The broth is absolutely gorgeous. I used good salsiccia from the organic butcher. They were quite expensive (I paid about 10 euros for 500g) but it's well worth it, especially because I couldn't find Italian sausages anywhere else.

Recipe:

500g salsiccia, squeezed out of their skins. skins are to be discarded.
2 onions, 1 sliced, the other minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
325ml white white
150g canned/jarred haricots blanc (white beans)
1 savoy cabbage, chopped
1 liter chicken stock
500ml water
2 bay leaves
parmesan/gruyere/ old gouda cheese
1 small bunch parsley, chopped

1) Brown salsiccia in a pot. When done, transfer to a plate/any kind of container.
2) In the same pot, saute the minced onions and garlic and saute until all the lovely smells start to come out. This should take about 10 minutes. Don't do this on high heat, do it slowly to draw out all the juices.
3) Then, add the wine and beans and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
4) Add all the other ingredients (EXCEPT the cheese & parsley) and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 45 minutes.
5) Serve soup/stew with some cheese and parseley sprinkled on top.

I cannot recommend this recipe enough. I love it and will be making it many more times!

Potato & Leek Soup

2011-03-07T21:18:00.000+01:00

Simple but tasty! Eat it plain, sprinkle with cheese, top with creme fraiche or herbs. Yum either way.

Recipe:

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
1.5 l chicken stock
0.4kg potatos, cubed
0.5kg leeks, greens and bottom discarded, white part sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large onion, sliced

1) Saute carrots, onion, leeks, celery and garlic with olive oil for about 20 minutes over medium heat.
2) Pour stock, add potatoes and bring to a boil.
3) Then, simmer (covered) for about 30 -60 minutes.
4) When done, use handmixer to puree everything.
5) Season with salt & black pepper

Apple-Lemon Yoghurt Cake

2011-03-05T11:28:00.001+01:00

This is so easy and relatively healthy. GREAT texture. Dutchman loves this. He is not a cake person but he ate the entire loaf (minus 1 slice) within 2 days! While I love how this cake looks, how easy it is to make and the gorgeous texture, I found this cake lacking (I like my cakes rich so when there is no butter, it just falls flat). This would be perfect as a treat for your kids.

Recipe
For the cake
1.5 cups plain flour
1 cup plain full fat yoghurt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
zest of one lemon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 large apple (I used Jonagold), chopped into 1cm blocks

For the glaze
juice of one lemon
powdered/icing/confectioner's sugar

Steps:
1. Sift flour, salt and baking powder.
2. In another bowl, beat everything else needed for the cake. Then, whisk the flour mixture gently into the wet ingredients (only until incorporated).
3. Fold apples in (again, do it gently).
4. Bake at 180 degrees celscius until done (about 50 minutes). If it browns too much, you can cover the cake with some foil while it bakes.
5. When cake is done and cool, pour glaze onto cake. To make glaze, mix icing sugar with lemon juice until thick.

What Would You Do

2011-02-23T13:10:00.000+01:00

if you live in country A but want the experience of living and working abroad ?

Country A
i) Great salary
ii) Great working conditions (30 hours a week but with a salary people in country B,C,D,E,F can only dream off, good employee rights & welfare)
iii) Boring

Country B/C/D/E (not talking about Malaysia here)
i) Bad to OK salary (good for those countries but no comparison with great salary in Country A)
ii) Bad to OK working conditions (40 hours or more, difficult to take weeks off in a row, worse employee welfare)
iii) Interesting (because it's new) culture
iv) May be closer to my family
v) Friendlier locals
vi) More representation of your ethnicity (so you don't stick out like a sore thumb all the time)

More Food Pictures

2011-02-18T12:22:00.000+01:00

I'll be honest here, guys... When I have nothing much to write but feel it's been a bit too long since my last entry, I'll post some photos of meals I've had. Most times, there are meals eaten at cafés or restaurants because I am terrible at taking photos after cooking. I really should find my camera again. It's probably in the spare room, might even still be in the suitcase haha.

The Proposal

2011-02-08T22:06:00.000+01:00

I guess I haven't actually told you about my engagement yet. It wasn't anything special and having lived together so long with marriage planned in 2012, it shouldn't be a surprise but I was anyway!

It was a very normal day, really. The Dutchman and I decided to have dinner (I made the reservation), he brought champagne from The Netherlands. We ate, conversation was OK but nothing special. If I were to be honest, I was wondering why he barely spoke and thought "pfft, this is kinda boring" :-P Dinner itself was yummy though.

Then, after that, he asked if I wanted a cocktail. I didn't really want to, it being not a particularly fun evening but said yes. We went to a gorgeous little house which is the cocktail bar next to the restaurant. It was dark and we were alone. No staff, very intimate, cute little place. After we got the drinks, the waiter turned on the music which coincidently was about being reunited again after a long-distance relationship. The Dutchman said "Nyonya, I have to ask you something". Now, this sounds ridiculously obvious and I considered it but didn't think this was it. I'd always expected him to ask me in the forest or something in the autumn (not my perfect proposal but it was his). Another guest came in so nothing was said for a while and when she left, Dutchman repeated "Nyonya, I have to ask you something", got down on his knees and presented the ring (which I couldn't see at all because it was so dark!);)

It was a pretty middle-of-the-road proposal but I was sort of crying and felt really happy hehehehe. Later, when I could actually see my ring, I thought it was really nice:D It's a ring I would pick myself. It's quite big though so it's in the process of getting resized.

We're both really looking forward to the wedding but a part of me is considering just eloping to Hawaii or something. Weddings are so expensive. After some asking about, the ceremony we want (very simple, the expensive part is the food & drinks), will cost 10 000 euro in Malaysia. In addition, my father wants a Chinese wedding dinner as well (another 10 000 euro but he'll pay for that). 20 000 euro for a wedding sounds like a crazy amount of money. I'd rather he saves that for his old age or go on holiday with it or something. Our ceremony on the other hand, is facing quite some opposition from my extended family because it's an hour flight from KL. Strangely enough, Dutchman's family are fine with flying 15 hours to get to it;-) For me, it's like I'm going to invite you because I like and value you but if you don't want to come, fine. My parents insist we should pay for accomodation for everyone. Considering that we are paying about RM400 p.p. for food and drinks and are actively refusing angpows and gifts, we thought it would be quite fair for guests to pay their own flight and other misc expenses (which would probably be less than the RM400 p.p.). *sigh*

Maybe we should just sail into the sunset and forget all those other people;)

Some Food Pictures

2011-02-07T16:47:00.000+01:00

An Update

2011-02-03T13:22:00.001+01:00

After 6 months abroad, I am back in The Netherlands.

Some random updates:
i) I drink beer now and actually like it.

ii) My internship was hideously boring but I really loved the place.

iii) After a few talks with my boss without any outcome, I concluded in my report that I do not regret my internship but did not really learn much. He was hopping mad, refused to sign my report and used liquid paper to change my appraisal (which was originally excellent but is now terrible). Luckily, I was smart enough to make copies of my time card and so forth. Do I regret it? No. I was already very diplomatic in my report and in my opinion, they didn't give a rat's ass about interns. This is quite common in Malaysia (which I also stated in my report) but as I had already informed them about my expectations and that of my school's prior to accepting the internship, they should've been prepared.

iv) I put on 8 kg. Everyone tells me I am "montel".

v) I am engaged! The Dutchman proposed last month and we will get married at the place where he proposed as well.

vi) My parents are driving me crazy with their wedding expectations. They do not care about us getting married at all. They just want their Chinese wedding dinner with 200 people I don't know. I already told them we are happy to turn up for that dinner they are hosting but now they want us to cancel our ceremony and only have that Chinese wedding dinner, which I think is ludicrous. I have balls of steel. I will survive this muahaha.

vii) I am looking for a part-time job as I only have classes 3 days a week this semester but I'm not looking too hard. This is bad. I should work, right? I'd really rather watch Criminal Minds and Boer Zoekt Vrouw.

viii) My brother asked his girlfriend of 5 years to marry him. She said no! Well, actually she said she's "not ready yet". He just asked me if we would mind if they got married in the same month as the Dutchman and I (as she said "maybe 2012"). Of course we mind!

x) Can't wait to start cooking again;-)

Back In NL!

2011-02-01T14:51:00.001+01:00

More to follow;)

Very Busy

2010-11-20T18:39:00.000+01:00

Working. 75 hours a week for free. Today is a half day. Work ends at 1. I left at 1445 and so many people asked me if I were off or like "oh, going home already?". Bloody annoying.

I am an unpaid intern ffs. So many people in higher positions work lesser than I do! Can't wait to leave ths stupid place.

What An Amazingly Busy but Fun Week!

2010-10-31T09:14:00.001+01:00

I love this place, I truly do! You work hard and you work long hours but you cherish and put all your free time to good use! You feel energized and rejuvenated after your one day off a week. You go to bed happy. You enjoy your conversations with your colleagues cum friends. You have good meals, wine, good company... everyday is a holiday (eventhough you spend AT LEAST 10 hours a day, 6 days a week working).

Last week, I was given a great opportunity. At least, I thought it was great. I still like it. Basically, I was given a full-time position in marketing as the former executive left and the new one is only arriving in a month. I'm loving the responsibility but not loving that I still have all the responsbilities of my previous position in addition to the new one. I had expected my previous department to stop handing me things, especially when I do not have te capability to do the tasks that they want me to do (ie computer programmes on my new computer). They expect me to walk all the way there to do some crappy tasks which they can do themselves. I find that extremely annoying but I guess that's part of life. I just tell myself that I'm leaving in 2 months. No use stressing about rubbish like that.

I am actually really dreading going back to The Netherlands. It's just such a dreary place, where there are so many different kinds of unsaid boundaries one must not cross, where meeting people is a chore with obligations but where work is much easier and where one's free time is respected.

Going to visit my parents next week. Looking forward to some proper shopping, a haircut and more good company!

New Post

2010-10-30T09:56:00.002+02:00

will be up when I find my cable!

Very busy at work but also busy having fun;)

Over a Month

2010-10-15T06:22:00.000+02:00

That's how long I've been working. The internship's OK, my colleagues are generally nice but I'm hoping for more responsibility.

Long hours but I generally leave once I finish my work after 5. I know some frown on that- they think I should stay back and be 'on call' but I think that is bloody stupid and in any event, I am only an unpaid intern. If there's something to do, I am willing to stay late (stayed til 11pm ) and come on Sundays (my one and only off day) but if there isn't, I just leave!

Despite the long hours, I feel more energized and relaxed compared to The Netherlands. Simply put, life is good in Malaysia. After work, some newly found friends/colleagues and I go out for dinner. We eat and chat with the occasional glass of wine whilst the sun sets with the sea breeze blowing and the sounds of the waves. On Sundays, we go to the beach, laze in our bikinis and catch up on our reading. People are friendly, easy going and simple. No need to over think or worry what's going on. I feel welcomed and accepted.

More food pictures coming up:

Buffet

Big Apple Doughnuts. I only like their glazed doughnuts to be honest but they don't have it anymore:-(

Biryani at the local Indian Muslim place

Steamboat (Chinese fondue) for 2 people

Flat Noodles in gravy. Love this with lots of bird's eye chilli

Prawn Dumplings

Rack of Lamb

Pineapple Tarte Tatin

Grilled Sirloin Steak

Til next time, girls!

Food

2010-10-07T11:38:00.000+02:00

Yummy flat noodles with prawns

Lousy (probably microwaves) spaghetti. This was actually pretty expensive...

Tasty chicken biryani and chicken masala. For Indian food in Malaysia, this is pretty expensive! RM70 for 2 people.

There is obviously something seriously wrong with pastas here haha. This one was completely tasteless!

Lamb chops. Lekker

One of the best Japanese food (of the non-bastardized variety)I've eaten in Malaysia. Unkaizan in Langkawi

Eating Out

2010-09-28T12:41:00.000+02:00

everyday is so expensive when you need to take a cab as well. Taxi fares are fixed and I spend RM16 a day just on the taxi, another RM10 for the food and perhaps RM4 on a drink. I get free WiFi. Alternatively, I can spend RM20 on the cab and perhaps RM5 for fried noodles+a drink but without WiFi. Thank goodness for my Dutch study grant. Initially I thought I would have a ball with my grant but due to the high cost of food, taxi and other miscellaneous items like bedspreads, cutlery and what-not, it pretty much leaves me with just enough to fly to KL once in a while.

Regarding the internship, it's going pretty well. My colleagues are nice and my boss is really quite encouraging and helpful with teaching me how things work. I must say that I really enjoy business lunches!!! I don't usually take pictures of these lunches though as I don't think that's very professional:-P I like the fact that I actually like what we are selling. So much more satisfying than selling stainless steel pipes or something;-)

Last week, I went to Langkawi with my parents. Langkawi is really so much prettier than I remembered. I always scoff when people go to Langkawi because come on, qua beaches and snorkelling, Langkawi is rubbish compared to the islands on the east coast. The nature in Langkawi is lovely, it's still relatively undeveloped, the locals are friendly and quite honest. It possesses a certain mystical charm, perhaps caused by limestone islands and the green water. I love that there are so many hornbills there, living literally outside our window. Monkeys are another common sight.

-pulau beras basah/ island of wet rice-

I think my parents had a pretty nice time as well and we're going again in January- this time with the Dutchman;-)

Whoops, what's a food blog without food?! I am just so bad at taking photos when we eat out. I eat out everyday but only have a couple pictures.

Oh right! I also know where Dutchman and I are going to get married now;-)

Travel Blog

2010-09-15T14:34:00.000+02:00

This is slowly becoming a travel blog!

I have NOT been cooking AT ALL. I'm currently doing my internship at a Fortune 500 company and accomodation provided by the company does not come with a kitchen. All meals are taken at the staff cafeteria (or out, most of us eat out twice a day despite the staff cafeteria being free...) . Food there is pretty bad, not a lot of variety and barely any vegetables. The internship itself is great and people are really nice.I'm out almost every evening because there is no Wi-Fi in the staff quarters and dongles don't work either due to the location (on a hill, reception is so bad you can only surf the net, no MSN/Skype).

Later ~

Hong Kong

2010-09-13T15:33:00.000+02:00

What an AWESOME city!

That's just somewhere the Dutchman and I can see ourselves living. Pretty good pay (ie. one which will not only buy you a comfortable life in that country but one which would mean something in euros), vibrant, clean, ALIVE. Similiar to Singapore but bigger, better and with nature.

The Dutchman has a friend living there so we spent a lot of time with him and his girlfriend. The first night, we went to this grimy place (which I later found out was Chungking mansions) where there was a pretty good Indian restaurant. It was probably not a place we would have found ourselves. Then, we went to party on the 29th floor of a hotel (I think the bar was called Azzuro) in Lan Kwai Fong which was awesome! Quite expensive but nice (great view from the rooftop). We didn't dance though as it was just way too crowded to do so. Again, something we wouldn't have done if Dutchman's friend didn't take us as we're not really into clubbing.

-Ngong Ping-

The next day, we decided to see some pink dolphins (again, recommended by Dutchman's buddy) near Tai O Island (west of Lantau Island). This took the entire day as we had to wait in line for over an hour for the cable car and it was stifling hot. Worse still, the stupid thing 'died' along the way (temp maintenance).

-really yummy roast goose, i'm salivating already!-

When we finally arrived at Ngong Ping, we had to get on the bus to Tai O (about 20 minutes?). Tai O is a quaint fishing village, not unlike Kuala Selangor or something. Very different from Hong Kong. BTW tourist sights are really quite cheap in HK. We went on a boat trip to look for dolphins and it was only 20 HKD (2 euro) per person! It was so cheap that we went twice when we didn't see pink dolphins the first time (we didn't see any the 2nd time too :-( )

It was just fun, walking around aimlessly, checking out the market, just spending time together. I was pretty much in a good mood the whole time we were in Hong Kong (except this one time at the mall ...but ok:-P )

-lots of dried seafood here, even a shark!-

We came across this man who was selling some little pancake thingies and there was this humungously long line so of course we had to try it! We were the 3rd last people to get a bag (only 10HKD/1 euro) before he finished his mixture. It was nice but nothing really amazing, in my opinion.

Our last full day in HK was pretty uneventful. I told Dutchman's friend that I wanted to try dim sum at this place with 1 Michelin star (apparently the cheapest Michelin starred restaurant, priced at about 15 euros for 2 people) but I couldn't remember the name (Tim Ho Wan) so he made some calls and took us to Fook Lam Moon which was also nice (also 1 Michelin star) but not as cheap. Still fine though and the experience pretty much made up for it. It turns out that Fook Lam Moon is actually a celebrity hang out which I should've guessed the minute we saw the paparazzi hanging outside.

The food was pretty good. No regrets! I'm officially a dim sum convert! Bill was about 50 euros for 6/7 dim sum dishes.

Uh oh, gotta run. Cafe with Wi-Fi is about to close. Ta!

Pulau Lang Tengah

2010-09-12T12:26:00.001+02:00

Lang Tengah was once a very quiet, laid back island. So quiet that there were just 2 other couples other than ourselves.

-sari pacifica beach-

Not anymore. When we were there, the resort (D'Coconut Lagoon) was completely full with Dutch and Italian tourists. The coral in the area was in a sorry state, although this is probably attributed to global warming which caused cloral bleaching and led the Malaysian authorities to closing some of the islands within the marine protection zone such as Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Redang, Pulau Payar (which belongs to Langkawi), Pulau Tengol and so forth.

There were not as many colourful fish as before. I remember when we first went there in 2007, we saw such a huge variety. I saw colourful rays, brightly coloured fish, Nemo's, sharks and even a pod whale. Mind you, I didn't even dive, just snorkled off the beach. We still had a nice time though.

We swam, we snorkled, we drank heaps of cocktails and we talked. Lots. *sigh* I miss the Dutchman right now.

Honestly, don't really remember what the 4 of us did over there. Most days, we'd wake up, have breakfast and then snorkle for a bit. Then, we'd shower and just hang out til it was time to go to bed.

-seri nyonya in paradise-

Travel Tip: Don't go to D'Coconut, instead go to Sari Pacifica. While D'Coconut looks nice enough in pictures, it is dirty (yellow water in the bathroom, smelly toilet, bedbugs etc.) and just somehow.. not very professional (few staff, things not working properly etc.).

Fraser's Hill

2010-09-05T06:59:00.001+02:00

The MIL loves everything British- tea, pretty China plates, Laura Ashley and afternoon tea so we brought them to Fraser's Hill. We had wanted to go to Cameron Highlands. However, the bungalow there is under renovation and Cameron Highlands can be quite crowded. We didn't regret our decision to go to Fraser's Hill because it was so quiet and pretty. We were probably 1 of the 3 groups/couples there.

Our bungalow (photo taken from the HRH website)

The view from our bungalow. Gorgeous! Definitely NOT child-friendly though

Dahlias

No idea.

Jeriau Falls

We also had afternoon tea at Ye Olde Smokehouse but while the place is very charming, RM9 for a lousy cappuccino (half the size of Starbucks) is a bit much for a decaying place.

The bungalow also provides catering. For dinner, we had a 3-course meal (mushroom soup, chicken chop and strawberry pancakes, RM18 p.p.) and breakfast was 2 eggs and chicken sausages (RM8? p.p.).

HRH Bungalows also has other bungalows in Fraser's Hills in their portfolio. The one we stayed in cost RM1000 per night (weekends)/ RM500 (weekdays). It's quite old inside so don't expect anything fancy but I will say that I liked it very much. The view is worth it:-)

Dinner at Sage

2010-09-02T15:32:00.000+02:00

I took my parents and the bf to Sage for dinner as a thank you to my parents.

We all took the 3 course set (RM150 nett) and brought a good bottle of wine from home (corkage only RM30 or something).

I don't quite remember what we had as I didn't bother taking notes and it was quite an eventful month!

- amuse: something with clams and mushrooms. liked it quite a lot. not so popular which dutchman who hates mushrooms and who can barely tolerate shellfish-

- my starter, cappelini with scallops, prawns and other shellfish. not bad but quite filling-

-dad's starter: i really liked this. the abalone was really fresh-

-Wagyu carpaccio. Plain. No taste. Yuck. -

-smoked salmon. quite boring and too filling according to mum-

- my main: beef rossini and foie gras in a red wine sauce. Rich, but not really tasty somehow? but what do i expect from a RM150 dinner, right...)

-wagyu cheek, again just ok-

-both the dutchman and my dad ordered the lamb shank with couscous. this was very tender and quite yummy according to them-

- please don't ask me what this is. something tropical, something with passion fruit. 3 of us ordered this and mum ordered the hazelnut tarte (no picture)-

All in all, nothing special. Not even good. Never thought "Wow". Service was intrusive. They cleaned our plates before our entire party had finished. Will never go there again. Bill came to about RM680.

Pfft. What a waste of my money. Pah

Siem Reap

2010-08-31T11:24:00.000+02:00

Cambodia is so beautiful. And poor. Very poor.

-steamed, fluffy pancakes with palm sugar coconut filling-

The Dutchman and I had a great time there- despite my MIL complaining about the prices. Cambodia is cheap. Cheaper than Malaysia so that just annoyed me. It's like that in every country- if you eat in a nice place, it will be expensive.

- fish amok-

We decided to buy a package from the resort. It turned out to be a pretty good deal- we could have probably arranged it ourselves and saved some money but we really didn't feel like figuring everything by ourselves as Siem Reap was only a small part of our holiday and in any event, arranging for 4 completely different people can be a pain. We paid USD$300 per person for 4 days/3 nights. It included accomodation at Boutique Villa Sojourn which I can't recommend enough, breakfast, packed lunches, a few excursions, a driver (and a van), guide, a massage each and a few other small items.

The resort was pretty- we really wanted to stay there because it's quite small (only 10 villas) and costs a little more than average (ie. no screaming children in the pool- I don't hate children but I don't want them around me on a quiet, tranquil holiday unless they belong to me- or loud, iritating people).

Service is amazing but I would probably advise you not to bother with the massages. They don't have a spa so they had to call 2 ladies from their other resort who would massage you in your room. Well, these girls... my masseuse was terrible. I was in pain and trust me, I'm quite used to painful Asian massages. I was counting every second til she left because I'm too chicken shite to embarass her/them by saying omfg, this is the most awful massage ever! Not only did the massage itself suck, the girls constantly gossiped and laughed with each other, mine burped loudly a few times and worse still, sneezed on me. She also had a cold and sniffed constantly. I half-expected snot to drip on my back but luckily, nothing like that happened although I am pretty sure she wiped her nose with her hands and continued massaging after that;)

-outdoor shower. There's also an indoor shower and a double bath-

All the other resort staff were great though. Malaysians should really learn from them because they get paid a fraction of what Malaysians get (average: US$80/month) and yet, they don't feel entitled to all kinds of rubbish unlike similarly educated Malaysians (or Dutch people for that matter...). We visited a 5-star resort in Malaysia which is in the RM700/night (180 euro) range and the staff were not only inefficient, they also bitch about people. I find that unprofessional.

On the first day, we went for a private boat tour to watch the sunset at the Tonle Sap lake. We were provided with 2 bottles of wine, olives, cured meats, chicken satays, sweet potato chips and so forth. Along the way, we passed many floating houses. According to our driver, the people living here were originally from Vietnam. The kids were playing in the dirty water and everyone basically lived off the lake. There were goats/ducks in cages floating over the water. It was interesting to watch but I felt a little like an insensitive visitor at a zoo.

On the 2nd day, we visited Angkor Wat and Bayon (the Angkor pass is US$40 for 2 days). That's really more than enough as the temples were quite large and it was blazing hot. It's amazing how people back then managed to build such magnificent structures.

-Angkor Wat-

We got back at Sojourn at about 4pm. That sounds like a short day but we were quite tired with all that walking. We ordered some cocktails and chilled on our verandah til about 7. Then, we went to Amok restaurant in the center (it's a very small centre) for dinner. You know what so visually beautiful about Siem Reap? It's basically poor and this poverty is the cause of Siem Reap being different to what I'm used to. That means, no electricity (except in the very centre and as mentioned the centre is like 3 streets) and not having electricity means no ugly electricity poles and so forth. Most of the roads are still dirt roads, there are few cars (it's also not crowded), people still plant paddy with their bare hands and with the aid of water buffalos... Perhaps life is difficult for them but I won't deny it is bloody scenic for a tourist.

We woke up at 3a.m. the following day to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. It was pretty but honestly, it gets old after a while. There's only so much standing one can take and after one sees the orange rays, that's enough. No need to stare at the thing for an hour:-P

After that, we drove to Ta Phrom (where Angelina Jolie shot Tomb Raider). That was very popular with the Dutchman who took about 100 pictures of trees growing out of the ruins...

As gorgeous as all those temples were, at some point, they just started to look the same. Our final stop was Banteay Srei which is a 20-30 minute drive from Ta Phrom. Yes, that's YET another temple! Don't remember much of this place- just that there were some very persistant child peddlers. We were told to never buy anything from them as it encourages begging (and thus takes them away from school). All said and done though, in Siem Reap, the peddlers were a lot less persistant and iritating compared to places like Bangkok or Turkey so it was no sweat really.

Food in Cambodia is yum. Some of it was SLIGHTLY bland for me because I love my chillis but some like the porridge was pretty good. While the amok was OK, I didn't really like the chewiness of the freshwater catfish (tastewise, kinda boring as well but the Dutch PILs and bf loved it).

I would definitely go back to Cambodia again. 4 days is just not enough!

:(

2010-08-26T05:50:00.000+02:00

The Dutchman left for The Netherlands today. We had a fantastic time in Malaysia, Cambodia and Hong Kong. I'm staying back in Malaysia to complete my internship. We have never been apart for this long since 2005. Doing the internship here was my choice and I was pretty excited about it as I don't like The Netherlands (Malaysia wouldn't be where I would choose to reside forever as well) but now that my best friend and partner is gone, I just feel kind off useless, sad and lonely.

It's only 4.5 months til he visits me and I'll be quite busy once my internship begins so time should pass by rather quickly.

2010-08-09T02:54:00.001+02:00

having a great time in cambodia. update soon!

How I Prepare Steak

2010-07-28T13:05:00.000+02:00

Both the Dutchman and I love red meat. It's unhealthy but we don't care. When we go out, we generally order steak (if there's a choice between fish and beef). In general, fish in The Netherlands tend to be uhm.. un-fresh which is weird when The Netherlands does have a coast or maybe I'm just spoilt from all the still-gasping-when-you-buy-them fish in Malaysia.

We (or rather I) also cook steak quite often. There are generally 3 kinds of steak at the supermarket- normal, organic/biological and premium. The best place to buy meat is obviously the butcher's but it is most times, more expensive and as a foreign person, it is difficult to find a really good butcher's. I actually found a great one along Steenstraat but it's organic and very expensive. I once paid over 14 euros for 8 drumsticks (at the supermarket, they'd cost less than 3 euros). The cost makes it unfeasible for normal dinners.

The premium range was on sale last week and I bought a pack of entrecotes (2 pieces). Entrecote's are easily identified by the thick slab of fat. I'm no expert when it comes to cuts of beef so I googled. Apparently, entrecotes could be sirloins or rib-eyes but strangely, the supermarket actually has separate packaging for rib-eyes and sirloins so I have no clue exactly which cut the ones I bought are. All cost the same per kg (22.90 euro). Premium steaks (termed "biefstuk" or beef steaks are slightly cheaper). The premium steaks from this supermarket are ripened for at least 28 days.

To cook a steak, you need to pat them dry. Then, heat up your pan and add in a lot of butter. Let it melt and froth. It's ready to receive your steak when the butter has turned to a clear brown-ish colour and isn't sizzling (although the heat is turned up high).

Then, put in your steak and leave it on each side at high heat for 1-2 minutes per side.

Then,lower the heat for an additional 2 minutes on each side. This will give you medium steaks (this would obviously depend on how thick your steaks are).

I do not usually serve steak with gravy/ jus unless it's a bad cut of meat or if I accidently overcook it.

Lekker;)

Souvenirs

2010-07-27T18:07:00.002+02:00

Being typically Asian, I always ask friends and family what they want me to bring along when I go back to Malaysia. Initially, I would bring all sorts of rubbish as no one knew what they liked from The Netherlands. I brought rookworst (smoked sausages), cheese, cookies and of course, loads of chocolates. These days, my family and friends know exactly what they want. I always bring:

i) Milk chocolate peanut clusters (loads of them, about 1.5kg)
ii) Stroopwafels for friends (they love them. My family hates them. 20 packets which I kid you not, is 8kg!)
iii) Nuts for the family (bloody expensive, 4+ euros for a tiny box and I hate eating them. I buy about 1,5kg)
iv) Bonne Maman no-added-sugar jam for my diabetic uncles and dad (about 4-6 jars each time)
v) Martell Cordon Bleu XO for my dad (standard request but only if it's cheaper than the duty-free stores in Malaysia). Think my dad is collecting them for my brother's wedding or something.
vi) Small amount of chocolates (the family goes to Australia quite often so have loads of chocolate. Also, Malaysia sells pretty much the same brands as supermarkets in NL)
vii) Small amount of cookies (not this time though)
viii) 1-2 bottles of wine each time (usually rosé as that's harder to get back home). That said, truth be told, the Dutchman and I usually end up drinking all of it.

Luckily, all I ever need to wear in Malaysia is shorts, t-shirts and some bikinis....

What do you usually take home for your friends/family?

What I baked yesterday:

Carrot Bundt in the shape of a rose, topped with cream cheese icing

Anzac Cookies

2010-07-25T14:22:00.001+02:00

These cookies are seriously yummy, very easy to make and relatively healthy.

What you need (recipe from BBC Good Food):

100g butter
100g caster sugar (I use brown)
85g oats
85g dessicated coconut (unsweetened)
100g plain flour
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp bic. of soda,mixed with 2 tbs boiling water

Mix dry ingredients. Melt butter and add golden syrup and the baking soda mix. Add the wet mixture to the dry and voila! Bake at 160C (fan oven) for about 10 minutes.

Cheese Cake

2010-07-24T18:20:00.001+02:00

Baked this the other day and it's pretty good. It keeps well too as I only ate it for the first time yesterday (baked this on Monday oops:-P).

Oreo Citrus Cheesecake (Recipe: Seri Nyonya)
20 Oreo cookies (= 40 pieces of cocoa cookies), icing scraped off and cookies crushed
70g butter
600g cream cheese
200g creme fraiche
1 tbs vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 tbs plain flour
200ml light brown caster sugar
1 orange, sliced thinly
5 tbs marmalade
2 tbs boiling water

(Pre-heat gas oven to 160C if necessary)

1. Melt butter. When butter has melted, add the cookies and mix. Line pan with baking paper, press the mixture into a loaf pan and chill in fridge.
2. Then, beat cheese, creame fraiche, vanilla and sugar until combined. Add the eggs one by one and mix.
3. Fold in the flour and pour mix into your loaf pan.
4. Bake at 160C for 10 minutes before reducing the temperature to 100C for a further 80 minutes. There will be a slight wobble but that's fine. When cake has cooled, chill it in the fridge.
5. When you want to serve, arrange the orange slices on the cake. Mix marmalade with the boiling water (add more water if necessary but you want a nice, thick syrupy sauce) and pour it over the orange slices.

Price Tag Shock

2010-07-20T18:31:00.000+02:00

The Dutchman and I plan on getting married in 2012 (if I were to be completely honest, I am feeling so lazy and I feel that a wedding is going to be so pointless although I AM looking forward to the pretty dress and party...) . Yes, 2012 is ages away but we have to give our Dutch friends and family 1 year notice so that they can save and go to Malaysia for our wedding. We would have to save for the wedding and finally, in Malaysia, wedding venues get booked up pretty quickly.

Due to us not wanting a typical Chinese wedding dinner,we will have to foot the bill ourselves (at Chinese weddings, the couple will get "angpows"- packets filled with money). My parents will probably throw a Chinese wedding dinner for their friends and family so I think it's only fair they keep all the money for that as well.

We thought +- RM50 000 (+- 10 000 euro, depending on the exchange rate. This figure includes the dress, decoration, food, wine.. basically everything besides the flights + accomodation) would be enough for a maximum of 50 people. But no, it would cost a lot more than that in a hotel in Langkawi. Who would've thought Malaysia would be so expensive?! If it were up to the Dutchman, we'd have a Dutch-style wedding with soup, deep fried snacks and everyone drinking out of a plastic cup, but that is just something I CANNOT stand. I wouldn't even throw a birthday party with just Unox or Honig soup.. Ugh.

Dinner at this hotel will be RM400 per person. No drinks. No wine. Decoration : from RM8500 on wards. Worse still, they require you to book 8 rooms for minimum of 2 nights. One night is at least RM2000 per room. Unfortunately, we don't have any rich friends or family so doubt anyone will want to do that.

OK, I guess this one's out of the window for now.

2 more weeks

2010-07-19T14:36:00.000+02:00

We lost the final match but the Dutch team deserved it. They played terribly and I found it a very boring match. I didn't watch it at Museumplein so didn't bother taking pictures!

I don't have school anymore and I worked for the last time (in NL) last week so I am truly free til next week! Can't wait for our vacation next week. Not really looking forward to the separation with Dutchman at the end of August but also quite excited about my internship.

Unfortunately, there will be no pictures of food we had last week because I just updated my iPhone without backing up and all my pictures since my last back up disappeared. Very lazy about cooking so we'd have lots of lousy deliveries (Food delivery services are very limited in Arnhem- they all sell pizza and crap like shoarma) and also a dinner at the Fushion Food Cafe. Starter was OK but the mains were very disappointing. We both had beef (Dutchman had steak with chorizos and I had Creole-style Tournado's) and his in particular was very, very tough. I just couldn't stop laughing because I had a bite and had to chew on that piece of meat for 20 minutes. Ridiculous. Plus, it wasn't exactly cheap as well- 70 euros for 2 mains and 2 starters.

Dutchman's not very busy this week so I'm guessing we'll be drinking lots of rosé at the park and barbecuing on the balcony. Might as well have a nice time- this is pretty much the only private time we are going to have this year because our trip to Malaysia, Cambodia and Hong Kong will be accompanied by in-laws, parents or friends.

Hup Holland Hup

2010-07-10T17:24:00.002+02:00

World Cup finals tomorrow and what better to commemorate than this:

Carrot Cupcakes with (watery-did not add water btw) Cream Cheese Icing

with tulips;)

A very simple dinner - Sausage and Broadbean Pie

Hope we'll win the world cup for the first time tomorrow! Everyone is so excited here;-)

Give Up

2010-07-09T15:25:00.003+02:00

I give up. Forget the bikini.

Bought a swimsuit today.

Flowers of the week

We Are In The Finals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-06T23:15:00.000+02:00

Woooooooohoooo! We won ! HUP HOLLAND HUP!

Made a nice dinner earlier, very simple but also fun, pretty and tasty. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures- was to embarassed whipping out the camera to take photos of the food I made in front of my guests...

Dinner:
Tacos accompanied by salsa, guacamole, cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos etc.
Insalata Caprese (this is my stand-by, pretty, 'impressive-looking' salad)
Dutch salad (bought from the supermarket, like it quite a lot as I love pickles)

To Drink:
Rosé

Dessert:
Nigella Lawson's Slut Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jelly (which was OK, had a bit of trouble with the setting, will probably not make it again. It was really quite expensive , 15 euros, and to be honest, didn't taste all that amazing).

Next celebration:
Sunday when Holland wins the world cup:p

This Heat

2010-07-03T14:18:00.001+02:00

is killing me.

Bikini Challenge- Part 3

2010-06-29T19:14:00.000+02:00

As mentioned a few weeks ago, I failed miserably and thought ah to f*ck with it!

However...... I just tried on my bikinis and I will need to do something about all that extra flab or my mother-in-law is going to end up looking heaps better than me 0_0

From tomorrow onwards:

i) All-bran cereal for breakfast
ii) Rye bread/ ham/ smth boring for lunch
iii) Salmon or smth for dinner
iv) Snacks will be cherry tomatoes or similar

Ugh. I effing hate limiting myself.

The World Cup and Sunny Weather

2010-06-28T16:11:00.001+02:00

= not a lot of cooking. We get a lot of takeaways, barbecues (about 4 times last week!), drink copious amounts of rosé and the occasional dinner out for me (girlfriends and what-not).

I am pretty excited about our holiday next month. We just CANNOT wait anymore. The Dutchman in particularly is feeling quite stressed over work and needs a holiday. I am technically, already on holiday. No more school, although I still work part-time (but that's only for 5-20 hours a week and even that is over next week!). Speaking of work, I introduced a classmate to my employers and I am somewhat torn about it. I want them to have childcare during the 6 months I'm away but I also want a job when I come back! I have been with one family for almost 3 years, have a great relationship with the little girl and am also paid exceedingly well. Now, I'm giving this away to my classmate. I guess I'm just being selfish. If it works out for them and they choose to keep my classmate, it just means I'm not good enough and that would ultimately be my fault so can't blame anyone!

Roast Chicken Breasts

Back to the Holland-Slovakia match, bye!

HUP HOLLAND HUP

Dinner at the Fushion Food Bar in Arnhem

Bread with a garlic dip and crushed pistachios

Starter: Vitello Tonato (disappointing)

Rack of Lamb with Middle Eastern Spices with couscous and Lebanese Ketchup (this was my favourite)

American Carrot Cake (again, quite disappointing. Even the one from Starbucks is loads better!)

Dinner with the Girls

2010-06-20T15:22:00.000+02:00

at... *drum roll* Humphrey's AGAIN.

I am so bored with that place but the price is unbeatable. Food was a disappointment this time. However, the fault is ours as we were late and had an hour to chomp down 3 courses (in NL, dinners out take the whole evening). We kept badgering them to bring the food, as our boat was to due to leave at 7.30p.m.

Starter- Carpaccio

Main- leg of lam with glazed carrots

Dessert: Marinated Pineapple with Limoncello Sabayon

Happy!

2010-06-11T20:06:00.015+02:00

I'm going to do my internship at a Fortune 500 company back home:) Very happy!

We did not have a paper today so to celebrate the weekend, I threw a little tea party after a paper yesterday for a few girlfriends.

Strawberry Tart

Yummy Greek Yoghurt Tart (both the strawberry and this tarts are from de Bijenkorf)

Farmer's apple pie for the unadventurous ones (in the end, no one wanted this one!)

In a Bind

2010-06-07T13:55:00.000+02:00

I have an offer from a company in Australia. The company is tiny. It will not look good on my CV and I am not really interested. However, the place it is situated in, is absolutely gorgeous. My school is pushing me to take this one as it will fulfill my one-semester abroad requirement plus it's one of their usual clients.

I have 2 offers in Malaysia, both are internationally recognized. However, one pays nothing and the other is not a definite offer just yet. Money is not a problem as interns usually get paid RM200-RM800 per month which is nothing in euro. My student grant will cover my stay in Malaysia. The problem is: doing my internship in Malaysia means I will have to go abroad (probably somewhere boring like Belgium) next year and I am hoping for a really big company like IBM, Shell or Unilever (getting those companies mean staying in Malaysia would be worth it). That said, I only started applying there today as I was concentrating on other countries. I doubt I'll receive a reply by tomorrow.

I need to give the Australian company a definite offer by tomorrow at the very latest. :-(

I have nothing but the leftovers because of this last-minute administrative issue. The other students applied in December and all the good ones are gone already.

Please let me get a good internship:/

O Mundo in Wageningen

2010-06-06T20:59:00.001+02:00

Dutchman surprised me with some gorgeous flowers this week

There's this new uhm.. event (for lack of better word) called Dining With The Stars. It basically allows you to dine at a Michelin star restaurant for about 1/2 the price of a usual meal there. Dinner at a 1-star Michelin restaurant will cost just 50 euro p.p (without drinks) for a 5-course meal from June 7th-June 13th. Initially, we reserved a table at Het Koetshuis. However, June 7th-13th is exam week for me so I thought I'd better cancel!

To make it up, we decided to have dinner at another Michelin star restaurant. O Mundo in Wageningen is very reasonably priced (52.50 euro p.p for 5 courses so almost the same price as the discounted dinners. A normal meal at a Michelin star restaurant is 80-120 euro) and not too faraway from home.

Pre-dinner (aperitif: rosé cava)

Amuse #1: truly my favourite out of everything we had, such a simple ingredient but SO amazing: a cherry tomato with a hard glaze, black sesame seeds and who knows what. I really should take notes next time.

A posh take on the kroket: made from Iberico pig

Smoked salmon ( I think) with quail eggs, poffertje and some really yummy vegetables. The green lump on the left is guacamole, the yellow bit on the right is parsnip puree and the orange/yellowish sauce in the middle is some kind of onion thing (my favourite).

Second course: a shrimp mousse with who knows what. It tasted good. The prawns were definitely fresh. Served with a German riesling (I think)

Cod with a nut crust, very yummy vegetables. This was nice but boring. Plus, we were quite sick of seafood by then.

Main: Duck with some kind of duck pastry, black lentils, glazed carrots and a butter mustard sauce. Beautifully done. Paired with a really fragrant Portugese red wine which I really enjoyed.

Pre-dessert: coffee creme brulee. Very good. Best creme brulee I ever had.

Dessert: Local raspberries with riesling cream, cruesli, and riesling ice cream.

Coffee & Sweets

Total bill: 175 euro (Dutchman did not drink wine, only the 1 glass of cava before dinner)

All in all: a great dinner but I prefer the Schultenhues because the Schultenhues is more innovative. O Mundo on the other hand just makes simple dishes with premium ingredients. Service at O Mundo was less stiff which is nice. However, it's also less polished (for example, the waitress took away out pre-dinner snacks which were still more than half-full without asking). Would I go there again? Probably. It is reasonably priced (compared to other Michelin restaurants) and the food is tasty enough. This would be a good place to take someone who isn't into weird-sounding combinations.

Dining Out

2010-05-31T15:19:00.000+02:00

I love dining out. Although I keep telling myself to save money, we still do it at least once a week.

Last week, we went out for Thai, shrimps and on Friday, we had dinner at a Malaysian restaurant in Amsterdam. The restaurant, Wau, is situated in Chinatown, within walking distance from the central station.

The food was... absolutely atrocious. I don't think I have EVER tasted such terrible nasi lemak before. Nasi Lemak is probably Malaysia's national dish. It is simple, cheap (in Malaysia, you probably pay between 50 cents- RM5) and not too difficult to make (it doesn't have to prepare just before serving, can be done in the morning and serve it all day long).

I missed nasi lemak and while the 17.50 euro price tag was certainly too much for something with almost no meat, cheese or anything 'expensive', I was ready to pay for it, provided it tasted normal.

It did not. It's truly the worst nasi lemak I have ever eaten in my entire life. The sambal was the major disappointment. It was oily, incredibly salty and tasted like it had come out from the jar. The achar was OK but as everyone knows, the rice and the sambal are the most essential things in nasi lemak.

The Dutchman had rendang. Don't know how it tasted because I was too traumatized by then. The satays we ordered for starters was OK. Not really authentic but tasty.

The weird thing is the people running the restaurants ARE Malaysians so why is the food so bad?? I would be so embarassed serving food like that to customers. An embarassment to the country ( after all, Malaysia's famous for its food). Ugh. Service was not good too. I heard them bitching about some other customers as I was close to the counter.

I will never go there again. I'm not even sure if I want to put myself through the experience of going to a Malaysian restaurant ever again....

Fail!

2010-05-25T21:00:00.000+02:00

Well, well 2 weeks since that Bikini Challenge post and I haven't lost a single kilo because my diet lasted all of 3 days. Great. Have to start again. Don't even know if there's time to lose 3-4 kilos before August.

I LOVE this. I effing love this. I could eat this everyday. The garlic, the bird's eye chillis, the fish sauce mmmm. Gai Pad Grapauw (Thai Chicken with Holy Basil) with brown basmati rice (so called healthy lah).

First strawberries of the season. I love summer

Marinated some Angus steak for the barbecue. We had 4 barbecues in 4 consecutive days. You celebrate the small things when you live in NL!

Tonight's dinner: Jamie Oliver's "Fiery Dan Dan Noodles"

On a more personal front, I am no longer going to Prague. It's a long story, not a dramatic one, simply an administrative issue which may turn out for the best. With some luck, I may actually graduate 6 months early!

The bad news is: I have to look for an internship in a foreign country (i.e. I would need a work permit :-( ) before May 31st. I sent out 30-40 applications but haven't had an interview yet. No one would want to hire a foreign intern on such short notice and I don't even know if I still have enough time for the visa application process (min. 6 weeks). However, all is not lost. If I can't find anything in a foreign country, I'll just have to do my internship in Malaysia or The Netherlands (do not need a visa for both) and spend the last 6 months of my degree in another country. I would love to go abroad next semester though!

Project Deadlines
Internship Search
3 presentations
Exams
All within the next 2 weeks.

Wish me luck. I'm going to need lots of it ;-)

Foodlovers Festival 2010

2010-05-17T12:46:00.000+02:00

I dragged the Dutchman to the Foodlover's Festival in the Betuwe region on Saturday. I had bought some tickets for 24 euro (normal price 40 euro) and thought it sounded like something I would have enjoyed.

There were workshops, yummy fine food, wine, market stands, balsamico from Modena and so forth. Mind you, the only thing included in the entry ticket is a very small glass of prosecco. Everything else costs extra. Dutchman was not hungry so I spared him the torture of watching me eat by only picking one dish. I chose a lovely lamb stew with couscous and who knows what. It was 5 euro,tiny and very yummy!

More pictures of the event:

Was it nice? Yes.
Would I pay the 20 euro p.p entry fee again? No. It was really nothing more than a market(not even a big one) and you still had to spend quite a bit on the tastings. I'd probably estimate about 30 euro p.p (excluding the entry fee) to have a reasonable amount of dishes (say 2 meats, 1 fish, 1 dessert and 2 glasses of wine. Portions are tiny, as can be expected from the 5 euro price tag).

Bikini Challenge - Part 1

2010-05-10T20:13:00.002+02:00

2 months til I have to prance around in a bikini.

That means no more huge meals (I eat a lot), no more comfort food (at least not as much) and no more snacking (except healthy items like cherry tomatoes).

I started this 'diet' yesterday and while I probably eat the same as what normal people eat now, I feel so deprived :-( I miss my cakes, cookies and big, fat sandwiches oozing with cheese and yummy sauces. I miss eating til I'm completely and totally full, but hey, as they say French women never get fat because they know when to stop *hates them already*.

Anyhoo, my point is, there will probably not be very many yummy food pictures in the next 2 months. Instead you may or may not see tomatoes, cucumbers, dark Frisian rye bread (which is really yummy btw), plain salmon and what-not. Sure, I could cook more elaborate, yet healthy meals but I guess this is all in the mind. I can't be bothered cooking anything unless I really like it:-(

I guess this just has to be done;-) I have piled on the pounds in the last 2-3 years and I am at the porky side of normal at the moment. My tummy bothers me and my sides omfg, annoys the shite out of me. Right.

Current weight: 53.7kg (I'm short and have an apple-shaped body)
Target: as much as I can lose, 50kg would be OK. Would be nice to be 48kg.

Must be good. Must not eat packet of Bugles hidden in bottom drawer. Sucks to love food so much:-P

Bruges

2010-05-03T16:33:00.000+02:00

We're back from Bruges!

Funny how the lovely weather ended the very minute we arrived there. It's been well over 20 degrees the last week but eversince April 30th, it's been downright cold. It's something like 7 degrees here in Arnhem now but my heater's turned off because we promised not to turn on the heater from May 1st;-) Blankets work fine..

Anyway, let's get on with the Bruges trip report!

Due to the 30 degree weather on Thursday, the trains were delayed which caused me to be delayed and caused some of Dutchman's colleagues to be delayed which also caused Dutchman's meeting to be delayed etc. The delay meant we couldn't have dinner at Den Gouden Harynck (1 Michelin star restaurant which I was really looking forward to :-( ). We arrived in Bruges at around 8.30, checked in at the Kempinski and immediately went out to look for food.

Strangely, restaurants in Bruges close at 10p.m. (don't know if this is a daily occurance or only on weekdays)! A few restaurants turned us away (kitchen closes at 9p.m.) but we finally found a typically Flemish restaurant, probably catered to tourists but it was nice anyway. I had some yummy lamp chops and Dutchman had some typical Flemish dinner (a beer stew?).

We were dead tired and went back to the hotel immediately after dinner to rest/sleep/shower.

Next day:
We did not have breakfast in the hotel as it is not included in our stay. We thought 60 euro (30 euro each per breakfast) for breakfast is a bit much so we went out and had a lovely breakfast at this place called Café Au Lait. The bread was so good and the cappuccino was probably the best we've ever had. The whipped cream was so solid, it was like ice cream. Yum yum. And guess what? That amazing breakfast with eggs, bread, cold cuts, cheese, spreads, juice, coffee and other misc items cost us only 25 euro;-) Don't need a 60 euro breakfast for sure!

After breakfast, we went to check out the sights.

Brugge is an old city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tourism is a big industry here but the locals are very welcoming and so much more polite than the average Dutch person. Here, they actually stop cycling when someone is taking a photo so as not to ruin it. A Dutch person (esp. in Amsterdam;-) ) would probably just whizz pass and probably ring his bell angrily because this dumbass tourist is on his bike path;-)

We wanted to go on a ride on one those carriages because we have never done that before but there weren't very many carriages! After a while, we decided to sit at a cafe at the market square instead. The sun was shining so of course, that means blonde beer for us. Of course, me being Malaysian means I have to eat everywhere I sit, so yeah, that means mussels with beer & cream for me as well.... BTW, must add that Belgian frites aren't all that special (granted, we only had 3 servings of those throughout our stay). Dutch fries are so much better;-)

More walking after that. Bought lots of special Belgian beers for friends. Dumped them at home. Was pretty exhausted by then! Went for dinner but happened across a carnival and had quite a bit of fun with some machines and rides. haha very cheesy but was probably the most we'd laughed for some time!

We decided to have a simple dinner (frites), walked back to the hotel and collapsed in exhaustion on the bed;-) Funny, we didn't even walk all that much so there's obviously something wrong with our stamina! We didn't even hang out at a Belgian pub as planned, we were just content to read a book (me) and watch TV (him).

All in all, Bruges was nice. It's a pretty city but to be honest, it's really not all that different from any old Dutch city (Bruges is only 2-3 hours drive away after all) so not all that special for me. Language-wise pretty much the same too (Flemish and Dutch are like Malay and Indonesian, maybe even less different because I cannot understand Indonesians all the time and the Dutch and Flemish understand each other fine).

I love holidays :-)

One More Day

2010-04-28T11:43:00.000+02:00

of work/school before we go on a short holiday tomorrow!

Below: this week's flowers (tulips). They're gorgeous, imho;)

Last week, I went to an international dinner potluck with my research group mates. There was Turkish, Dutch, Ugandan, German and a few other dishes. My contribution was Bihun Siam. Of course, I stinged on the chillis but it still tasted fine.

Tamarind Prawns

Last week's flowers

Dinner at Humphrey's

2010-04-23T15:00:00.000+02:00

Had dinner at Humphrey's again. Humphrey's is a franchise where you can order 3 courses (there are about 6 options per course) for just 23 euro or so. Very reasonable and the quality is not bad. We've been to restaurants (Smaak comes to mind!) where a 3-course meals costs 45 euro and tastes (wayyy too much salt) bad plus leaves you hungry.

Humphrey's is somewhere we go when we take people out as the decor is quite nice (it's by the river) and the margin of error is small, it's cheap and no one ever complains about the food there.

Here's what I had the last time:

Crunchy Scampi Prawns, antiboise and balsamic syrup

Entrecoté with endive mash and an English chimmy compote (whatever that is...)

Citrus Tartlette with orange sauce and curd

One Grumpy Nyonya

2010-04-18T16:45:00.004+02:00

The sun is shining and I should be happy but I really couldn't care less. In fact, I find it annoying because I'm obliged to do all kinds of 'sunny' things like go for walks, bike rides, barbecues and so forth.

The local ice cream parlour is filled to the brim with people stuffing their faces with ice cream. Seriously. Couldn't even walk anymore. I went at 4pm sharp (that's when they open on Sundays) to the local supermarket (opening on Sundays is a very recent development. This is the only supermarket which is open every Sunday) and it was like attending a Greenday concert. We literally had to line up to enter the supermarket. The line at the cashier reached all the way to the back of the store. I did manage to get some readymade barbecued meat though;-)

I really shouldn't be so grumpy. I should be grateful and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, right?

3 Dinners

2010-04-14T16:40:00.000+02:00

Cheesy Broccoli Bake with Minced Beef

Sirloin Steak

Cream cheese Pasta

Weekend almost over

2010-04-11T16:13:00.001+02:00

I am not looking forward to going back to school tomorrow. I love weekends. I love not having to do anything. love watching movies or having series marathons. I love Sunday breakfasts, lazing in bed, catching up on my reading. Back to the daily grind tomorrow!

Orange Vanilla Cupcakes

Something I'm sort of busy with is looking for an internship. It's still ages away (February) but the majority of my peers have chosen to do practical training before the study abroad so it's sort of infectious. I'm just finding out the possibilies so if anyone knows of some cool international companies in NL, please give me a shout! So far, I have about 5 companies on my list (haven't actually applied. February's still too far ahead). I'm hoping for a marketing/sales/management internship in a large international company, preferably one with a branch in Malaysia/Singapore. Oh right, and if possible one offering an allowance since I'd have to quit my part-time job to be a full-time intern!Am I too picky?

Dinner

Easter

2010-04-06T17:14:00.001+02:00

Easter was relatively quiet for me. Celebrated with half the family on Sunday and lazed Monday away. Nothing special food-wise too! Barely cooked the last few days and no plans to cook tonight or tomorrow either.

I met the Dutchman's grandparents and found them very sweet. I am SO glad I'm no longer the dumb,mute person I was when I first arrived. While it is still difficult for me to speak in grammatically correct Dutch and/or to banter properly, I can state my opinions, comment on random things (koetjes kalfjes crap!),ask questions..even argue! Yay. Definitely better than dying in agony at a "Circle Party", pretending to be interested and then being so tired after an hour that you just shut down like a computer.

Lots of flowers this week (for ourselves and as gifts to family)

Phew

2010-04-02T23:56:00.000+02:00

We spent the entire day spring cleaning. I can actually walk in my bedroom again!

Had some people over for dinner but completely forgot to take pictures.

We basically got a 'gourmet' meat set from the supermarket, made a potato gratin, 2 kinds of salads and boiled peas. "Gourmetten" is a really popular here. It's basically like a Korean barbecue- only that it's on a grill plate. Everyone helps with the 'cooking'. Simple, which I'm thankful for after the 5 hours or so we spent scrubbing the place down.

A special project I have:
I went to the local wine shop and bought a 20 euro bottle of wine. It's a 2006 Saint Emilion Grand Cru (I don't know anything about wines). I'm going to keep it for 8 years and see what happens;)

What else:
We just booked our summer holiday (Malaysia, Cambodia and Hong Kong)! 4 weeks of bliss! So much to look forward to. Summer vacation, study abroad in Prague, parents coming over in December, us going there for Chinese New Year 2011.... ;)

Spaghetti with Smoked Mackerel and Old Amsterdam

2010-03-30T20:14:00.000+02:00

I found this recipe in a Dutch magazine (Allerhande from the AH). This is a recipe from a Dutch 3 Michelin star chef ( Jonnie Boer, De Librije). It's not something he serves in the restaurant but something they cook at home regularly. I thought this was a very simple, 'pure' tasting spaghetti (cheap as well). My cat definitely went crazy because of it!

Recipe (serves 4)
1 large-ish smoked mackerel (350g)
300g spaghetti
20g fresh parsley, leaves finely chopped (throw away stems)
4 large 'trostomaten' (photo here: Trostomaat ), deseed and chopped finely
2 limes
1 clove garlic,finely chopped
2 shallots,finely chopped
2 small leeks, finely sliced
pepper to taste
olive oil
Old Amsterdam (or any old Gouda) to taste

1) Boil the spaghetti until al denté. When done, let some cold water run over them so as to stop the cooking process.
2) Scrape the meat off the fish. Get rid of the skin, bones, head and tail.
3) Sauté the shallots, garlic and leeks in some olive oil for around 4 minutes. Then add the spaghetti, pepper and the juice of 1 lime. Mix for 1-2 minutes.
4) Then, add the mackerel flakes, chopped tomatos and parsley. Stir again.
5) Serve with Old Amsterdam cheese and a quater of a lemon.

This is quite a plain-tasting pasta dish so the Old Amsterdam cheese will help:)

Bobotie

2010-03-29T22:02:00.000+02:00

Bobotie is a minced beef oven dish with Malay influence from South Africa. I was introduced to it by Dutchman, who often cooks this (out of a Knorr packet) when it's his turn in the kitchen.This time, I thought I'd make it "from scratch".

Recipe

500g mince beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
200ml milk
2 slices brown bread (without crusts)
45g powdered English oxtail soup
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 tablespoon apricot jam
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon mustard
handful of raisins
large knob of butter

1) Soak the bread in 70ml of the milk.
2) Sauté the onion with the butter until soft. Then, add the mince, bread, ginger and curry powder.
3) When the mince is almost done, add raisins and the jam. Mix and then add the powdered English Oxtail soup. After around 5 minutes, season with pepper to taste.
4) Whilst waiting, use a fork to mix the egg and the leftover milk. Add mustard, turmeric, salt and pepper (to taste). Throw half of the mixture into the mince(turn off the heat before that) and mix.
5) Scoop the mince into an oven dish and flatten it. Try to make it as even as possible and pour the leftover egg mixture on top. Finally, put it in a 180 C oven for about 30 minutes.

I served it with basmati rice.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

2010-03-27T20:27:00.001+01:00

Yum yum yum! Calling it "Butternut Squash Lasagna" is probably false advertising -there's barely any butternut squash in there heh.

Recipe

1 butternut squash, chopped into 1cm cubes
1 chicken breast, sliced/chopped into small pieces
lasagna sheets, fresh or dried
100g Parmagiano Reggiano cheese
500g spinach
generous sprinkling of nutmeg
knob of butter
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

For the tomato sauce
if you live in Holland, the Grand Italia Sugocasa Erbe will do. Just add 1 chopped onion and 1 garlic clove. If not:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons sugar
small bunch basil leaves, optional
salt & pepper to taste

Bechamel sauce
Again, the Grand Italia Bechamel sauce is fine. To make your own:

1/2 liter full cream milk (volle melk in Dutch)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 pepercorns
50g butter
50g plain flour

1) Toss the squash and chicken with some olive oil and put them into a pre-warmed oven (180 C) for about 30 minutes.

2) In the meantime, make the tomato sauce. If you have access to Grand Italia's Sugocasa Erbe (BTW, I am NOT advertising for Grand Italia- that's just the brand I usually use when I'm lazy), heat up the sauce together with 1 onion, chopped and 1 garlic clove, chopped. Leave it to simmer for around 15 minutes.

If you're making the sauce from scratch, saute onion until soft in some olive oil. Then, add the celery and garlic. Finally, add the tomatoes and sugar and leave it to simmer for about 30 minutes. When done, you can add as much salt & pepper as you want.

3) Wash spinach and throw them into a wok (no oil. I use the wok because 500g of fresh spinach will not fit any of my saucepans). Toss them around so that all the leaves will be in contact with the heat. When all the leaves have wilted (about 5 minutes), turn off the heat. Leave it to cool for about 20 minutes or until they're cool enough to touch.

When they are, squeeze the spinach (there will be lots of water) and chopp finely. Toss the spinach with the melted butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

4) Again, the Bechamel sauce by Grand Italia is good enough. If you want to make your own, mix the milk, peppercorns, bay leave and onion in a pan and bring it to a boil Turn off the heat and leave it for 5 minutes. Then strain the mixture into another pan. Add the flour and butter and whisk over gentle heat. You should have a smooth, thick sauce.

5) To assemble, start with half of the chicken+butternut squash mixture (bottom layer). Then add 1/2 of the tomato sauce mixture, followed by some lasagna sheets (to make one single but large layer). Next is the Bechamel sauce and on top of that, 1/2 of the spinach. Grate half the cheese.

After that, put another layer of lasagna sheets, butternut squash+chicken, tomato sauce and then lasagna sheets again. Finally, spread the leftover Bechamel sauce and cover with the other half of the cheese (also grated).

6) Bake at 200 C for 30-35 minutes

Enjoy!

Study?

2010-03-27T17:06:00.000+01:00

Not me!

I'm a procrastinator at heart. Have exams this week and as usual, I'm doing everything but studying. I haven't lifted up a book, much less actually actually going through it. And I should.

But of course, it's me. So I'm cooking, baking, shopping, having countless Law&Order and Ghost Whisperer marathons.

Flowers of the week: tulips again. Different variety (more petals)

Weather's not so good again. Which is fine. We've been drinking too much rosé and I don't think that's very healthy. On another note, there's something wrong with my iPhone (or the cable) so I have to live without my best friend for 2 weeks. TWO weeks is a long time to not have portable internet. No more Pigrush, no more being lost (Google Maps), no more convenient weather checking whilst dressing. I miss it:(

The apple pie I baked today! Dutchman (a.k.a. Apple Pie Expert) gave it the thumbs-up. Crust was a little difficult to work it and I didn't have enough (or so I thought) so it was very thin. I was pretty sure it'd collapse but the thing just grew and grew during the baking process and it's quite sturdy now.

Til next time, bye!

I Love Spring

2010-03-24T20:56:00.000+01:00

Blueberry Muffins, ugly but tasty. Don't think my European friends are all that familiar with blueberry muffins because 2 of them asked (on separate occasions) if there was marijuana inside (before they ate them)...

Had the oddest (for me anyway) 2-hour drinking session with my friend and 2 teachers yesterday. My friend and I stopped by the college pub for a drink after a meeting and one of our teachers asked if he could join us. The other came later. I think that's the difference with Malaysia. Malaysian teachers would never join us for a beer (generally, teachers aren't even encouraged to smoke in front of students and have such frank non-school related subjects.. I mean , it even included sex (not in a gross way). Anyway, my friend and I had quite a good time and we finished off with bad sushi at the local fake Japanese All-You-Can-Eat joint.

Had dinner out with the Dutchman today to 'celebrate'(ok, honestly I was just too lazy to cook la) the first day we're eating al fresco in Holland this year. We were too lazy to walk far so we decided to try Cafe Mahler at the Velperplein. It's really reasonable! Our bill was only 31 euro!!

Zeewolf (kind of fish, have no idea what it's called in English) with Shiitake sauce on a bed of roast vegetables. Frites on the side

Dutchman ordered Chicken Saté

Spring

2010-03-22T20:28:00.000+01:00

Tulips- one of my favourite flowers

Rodekool Schotel (Red cabbage casserole)

Tonight's dinner

The Netherlands & Immigration

2010-03-22T16:02:00.000+01:00

After the European Court ruled that the Dutch Immigration policies are not in line with the EU Constitution, the Dutch government recently lowered the requirements. While I do support it (after all, the law is the law and Holland has to comply as a member of the EU), a part of me wishes the requirements were higher.

The Dutch partner bears most of the burden during the application process. Prior to the recent change, the Dutch partner would need:

i) to earn a minimum of around €1550 nett (this is around €2100 gross) per month. This is 120% of the minimum wage and while it is not a lot of money, this pretty much excludes anyone without a degree, fresh graduates, teachers, nurses and so on.

ii) a minimum one year working contract on the date of application. This is a bigger problem. Permanent contracts are harder to get here, due to the strict Dutch employment laws which make it very difficult for a permanent employee to get fired. Also, this excludes freelancers, businessmen and so forth (even if they make €30 000 a month). That said, anyone who can prove they have earned the €1550 every single month for the last 3 years can still apply for the visa.

iii) and a few other minor documents, declarations (must guarantee to support partner and is liable for damages caused by partner up to a maximum of X). The 2 requirements above are the major hurdles for some couples.

Dutchman and I were lucky that he got a job with the necessary salary and a permanent contract, straight out of college. Our application was approved in 4 weeks (which was a major surprise for us as 4 weeks back then was considered very, very short).

Now that the rules have changed, I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. Yes, I believe families have a right to be together. Yes, it is sad when a parent is separated from the kids, just because he/she does not fulfill the requirements. A very selfish part of me liked the requirements because I hate being lumped together with all the other uneducated immigrants (because I get so annoyed when Dutch people patronize me with this , that it is so easy to get a foreign partner here and that all these foreign partners go on welfare etc.). Also, I believe that the minimum wage (around €1400 before taxes) is just not enough to support a family. Even €1550 nett is not a lot. That said, there are families (fully Dutch, foreign or partly Dutch) surviving on that.

Yes, this entire post does not make sense. I did say I have mixed feelings!

Bruges

2010-03-22T09:57:00.001+01:00

Dutchman surprised me with a present yesterday. He's going to take me to Bruges in April. He says he's not a romantic person but wanted to do things like that once in a while because I deserve it *melts inside*.

Photo of Bruges taken from: Bed & Breakfast Guider Benelux

That's our hotel: Kempinski Hotel Dukes Palace

*Photo taken from Independent.co.uk

Can't wait!

The Mysterious Case of My Missing Boots

2010-03-18T10:02:00.000+01:00

Spring is here and I thought I would have a special spring outfit for today. I'd been looking for some casual brown boots to match my new bag.

It was hard looking for a pair I actualy wanted to wear- the quality was either too low or the price was too high. Finally, I settled on a pair from Esprit, which were retailing at 50% off (winter is over after all).

I ordered it over a week ago and it was due to arrive on Monday or Tuesday, but it never did. So yesterday, I entered the code into TNT track&trace, only to see that it HAD been delivered 0_0. Not dropped off, not TRIED to deliver but no one was home, but simply "The package has been delivered". Then, I checked the signature and it was received by someone called "JAN".

Who the fuck is Jan? Where the fuck are my boots?! Worse, WHY do I have to fix this mess?! And if I don't pay within 14 days, who knows if the company will send the debt collecting agency to me (happens quite often here) which is going to be a real pain in the arse to clear up (calling = a long wait and every minute costs like 1 euro- not to mention having to scream at those people who won't believe you because they face a lot of iritating people everyday).

I called up TNT who were nice enough and they said that my package should have never been delivered to my neighbour (if they DID deliver to my neighbour, they should have left a note in my mailbox but I never got anything) as it has to be signed by only ME. They said they would launch an 'investigation' (sounds cooler than it is, of course heh) and call me back within 4 hours. I just got a call from someone a few minutes ago saying that they have launched an investigation and that they would get back to me as soon as they know something.

Let's see if my boots turn up soon and that this tiny administrative mess over a pathetic pair of boots will be solved soon...

Easy Banana Pudding

2010-03-14T13:58:00.000+01:00

Adapted from BBC Good Food, UK Edition, April 2010

100g unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, large (great when you have leftover bananas like I did!)
2 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
120g light brown sugar
100g self-raising flour
2 tbsp milk

1. Microwave the butter until melted (about 50 seconds, 900w).
2. When melted, add 1 and a half bananas and mash it into the butter. Then, add the sugar, flour, vanilla, eggs, cinnamon and milk. Mix well.
3. Top the pudding with slices from the leftover 1/2 banana.
4. Microwave at 900w for about 10 minutes.

Serve warm, with ice cream (I used rum & raisin) and icing sugar (optional).

Home?

2010-03-12T17:40:00.002+01:00

The longer I live here, the more unsure I am about calling this not-so-new country, my home. I didn't think so for the first 2 years and then in my 3rd year, I thought hmm..well, it could be after a while... 4 years on and I have decided that I'm done.

There's nothing wrong with The Netherlands. I like how easygoing working life is, I enjoy being an employee here and I admire how much help the unemployed, the physically/mentally challenged and poor people receive from the government. Tertiary education is made available to everyone (pretty much for free as tuition is 1600 euros per year but student receive a minimum of 250 euro per month) and pressure to succeed is so much lesser than back home.

Yet...

This is not my home. I have come to the conclusion that at the end of the day, it's the people who matter. People surrounding me in Malaysia are so nice to me. I don't know and I can't explain why but everytime I go back, I realize it again. The Dutchman agrees (they are nice to him too). Here, while I do have friends (both Dutch and foreign- Dutchman and I have separate friends) and a 'family' (ie. Dutchman's), it doesn't feel 'natural'. Thing is, this probably isn't their fault. They are nice enough. I think it's just a case of being used to 'better'.

Maybe I'm just tired of feeling patronized upon ( many Dutch people always think my life here is so much better because I'm from a 3rd world country). Or maybe, I'm a capitalist at heart. It's difficult to be motivated when the rewards are so little. Maybe I'm just bored and am itching to move to a different country.

Maybe I just miss my life back home (temporarily).

Maybe the grass is just greener on the other side of the fence.

It could also be a case of PMS.

In any event, I can't do much until I graduate. Dutchman (who loves everything Dutch and at one point, wanted to live here forever and ever) says he wants to live in Malaysia as well (he initiated the discussion!). Obviously this is something we'll have to think through and we'll only do it if the right opportunities are available. After all, moving to Malaysia will probably mean a pretty large paycut (euro-RM) and while we don't mind that, we would like to have a better quality life there (if not, what's the point of moving) so we either have to win the lottery or get really good jobs! Luckily, the Dutchman has some pretty niche skills so that shouldn't be too hard.

In the meantime, Prague will be a nice distraction;)

Dinner at a Michelin Star Restaurant

2010-03-07T22:13:00.000+01:00

We had a lovely dinner at the Schultenhues last week. We went there for the first time last year and while the food was better then, the atmosphere was a little strained. This time, they seem to have toned down the "pfaffness" and the fact that we were a table of 6 probably helped as well!

Despite taking pictures of every course, about half of my pictures are missing -probably because I used a different iPhone app which required me to actively save a picture as opposed to the normal "Camera" app which saves every photo you take automatically!

We started with beautifully made amusé s- squid and mushroom macarons, kroepoe of carrot and sauerkraut and onion madelaines (aperitifs were cava and wines. Later realized I should've ordered champagne since the Moet was cheap. The Dom Perignon was retailing at 30 euro per flute). Then, we were served a foamy sort of horseradish on a small bed of beetroot.

First course

Freshwater Eel (Paling) ,2 ways. Photo above is the terrine with lardo. The 2nd picture wasn't saved- that was a perfectly round tomato-ey eel. Very pretty, very fresh and yummy.

Second Course

Red Mullet with I don't know what (really should take notes next time!). It was tasty. (Accompanied by Saumur Loire)

Third Course (main)

Wild Duck from the National Park with some beeroot-ish sides. Again, very tasty and pretty looking. We ate it with a "Arco di Giovi merlot & corvina",which went very well with the duck.

Dessert

This is only half of the dessert! The other picture disappeared as well:/ Dessert was a lemon melisse soufflé with a lemony vanilla sorbet and some pistachio-y uhm creation.

All in all, the dinner was good and not too expensive (150 euro per couple). The food last year was much better (was also more fitting to spring) but it wasn't bad at all this time. Our guests were very happy and would like to go there again. The only disappointment was not getting any "friandises" with our coffee/tea. On our last visit there, we'd received a beautiful and very interesting array of friandises. That was one of my favourite parts of the meal ( honestly, we had no idea what we were supposed to do with those things but we slowly figured it out and it was definitely different yet delicious). We thought the lack of anything to go with the coffee wasn't quite fitting for a Michelin star restaurant but hey, can't complain he.

Busy Again

2010-03-04T20:31:00.000+01:00

It's weird. I'm not usually this busy but I am somehow, inundated with homework, assignments, meetings and work this semester.

Last week's flowers (purple and white tulips)

Banana Muffins

Lasagna

This week's flowers (narcissus). They don't look very nice in the picture but they really brighten up your home.

I should probably do some homework now instead of blogging further...

Yes, even MORE pictures!

2010-02-28T14:36:00.001+01:00

I'm kinda bummed out because despite earning practically nothing last year, I still somehow owe the Tax Office over 500 euros. Meh. Perhaps it's just really financially smarter to just not have a part-time job at all.

On a different matter, Dutchman and I had dinner with a couple yesterday. Dutchman used to play in the sandbox with the guy. They kept in touch over the years and prior to having his latest girlfriend (he's had about 7 since Dutchman and I met!), he came over for dinner or whatever about 3 times a week. I don't mind when he comes over but I really don't enjoy going out with them.

I feel like a bad person saying this but they are different. I don't think he completed high school and they are poor. This means that it's always awkward if we go to restaurants and such. Not only that, I have a constant sense of guilt. I feel it is insensitive to for example, say stuff like "pictures are so much better with the new camera" (or even to mention anything new we'd bought at all!) or that I am looking for an apartment for my study abroad in Prague etc. When we do go out for dinner, we often pay for part of their meals (desserts/starters/coffee/drinks whatever. We do not mind doing this). because they always gripe about having no money (this I find weird because even if they live on welfare which is at least 1600 euro nett a month, they probably spend max 600 euros incl. everything for their home which leaves 1000 euros to spend on everything else which is still quite a lot- certainly much more than what an average student would have!). Then, at the restaurant, they would always declare loudly they would order the cheapest thing on the menu. They're usually the ones who initiate dinner too and the restaurants we go to are only average restaurants; nothing expensive. I guess I just don't understand it. In any event, I told Dutchman that I don't mind if they want to have coffee or whatever at our place but would be nice for them and us if we never went out for anything which requires money again haha.

Right, back to pictures -this time, from my old camera!

Ochien - Oyster Omelette

Yummy Kon Lo Mee along Jalan Bunga Raya

Seafood Tom Yam Mihun from one of the many "kopitiams"

Black Pepper Chicken (sauce not included) at the same kopitiam

4 Seasons

Shark's Fin Soup (not politically correct anymore but is still very yummy. I would be quite happy to drink the soup without the fins though)

Steamed Garoupa with Garlic and Soy Sauce

A Chicken Dish

Bad picture of fatty pork stew with Mantou buns

Shrimps with Oats

Forgot to take pictures of the broccoli with abalone and dessert

That's Dutchman's favourite dinner in Malaysia - Steamboat. He especially liked the beef and lamb (picture not included)

Ate them with chappatis/rotis/puris/tosai etc for breakfast almost every morning! My favourite is fish curry though (picture not shown). I miss Indian breakfasts (well, I guess REAL Indian people probably eat a little healthier and blander breakfasts-i.e. chappatis and dhall or smth). Dutchman ordered roti telur (egg roti) most of the time. He was astounded by the huge variety of Mamak rotis (roti canai, roti milo, roti planta, roti telor, roti bawang, roti bom etc.).

Update

2010-02-24T09:47:00.000+01:00

* I am going to live in Prague, Czech Republic for about 4 months later this year
* Parents might be visiting us in The Netherlands again at the end of 2010
* School is hideously boring
* I have a new babysitting job, in addition to my old one. Both are awesome.

Now, back to food pictures!

Stir-fried shrimps. No one sitting at my table like shrimps so I had the whole thing to myself

Homemade pickles, Asam Pedas, Itik Tim, Sitr-fried vegetables, Steamed Pomfret (cut off,right)

Sambal belacan, braised turnips (salad leaves to wrap)

Seh Bak (also dish for sombre occasions)

Something with Shiitake mushrooms. Am not a big fan of shiitakes so didn't bother with it

Pork trotters (I think)

Pong Teh

No Buah Keluak this time because they couldn't remember where they kept the buah keluak;)

Food, Glorious Food

2010-02-22T10:54:00.002+01:00

I ate SO much during our holiday. When our Dutch relatives asked us what we did, we couldn't really answer because we didn't do anything much! We didn't visit anywhere exotic and did anything cool like jungle trekking or caving. We just spent time with family and ate. All the time. We ate from the time we woke up right til we went to bed at 3/4a.m. We'd have breakfast, follow my parents while they ran errands and it would be time for us to have lunch (usually at some Kopitiam or other). Then, we'd laze at a mall or at home til it was dinnertime. After dinner, we'd head to my aunt's for some poker (Chinese New Year so everyone gambles), snacking all the way til about 3a.m.. Of course, by 3a.m., we'd be hungry and go have a teh tarik and mamak mee goreng/tandoori chicken.... It's no wonder I put on 2kg in just 9 days.

Oh yeah! First, let me tell you about our surprise! We grabbed a cab from KLIA and arrived at the house but no one, except the maids, was home! Kakak let us in, said parents went out for breakfast so we waited til they came home. No one screamed when they saw us (which we expected because my family's just not like that) but they were happy. Typical Asian style of showing happiness (aiyah," why you waste money to come back"... and similiar to me but they'd tell everyone that their daughter came home for CNY).

Kuih Bangkit (homemade) at grand-uncles house

Chinese New Year was great- less busy than usual but nice anyway. It's funny how many people have died since I moved over 4 years ago. Normally, we'd visit about 8-10 houses but this year, we only went to 3 homes.

Jonker Walk at night

I did not help much with food preparations this time as we were somewhat jet-lagged and Dutchman is from a rather strict Christian family.

New Year's Eve prayers (ancestors). Nyonya style (much more elaborate than the modern Chinese). Learnt something new from my aunt. Pong Teh (quintessential Nyonya dish) is actually not for celebration but is a food for more sober occassions (mourning, prayers etc.).

Gotta go to school. Rest will follow!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

2010-02-21T16:12:00.000+01:00

May the year of the tiger bring you lots of happiness!

Just arrived home today. Report of trip will be posted later.

Last Post

2010-02-10T21:07:00.000+01:00

before I leave. Very, very excited;)

Banana cake I baked yesterday with leftovers

Spaghetti with whatever's left in the fridge

Things are looking up again!

2010-02-09T09:24:00.000+01:00

Holiday soon, lots of other things to look forward to!

Angus beef steak

Where I do most of my blogging

Flowers of the week

Appletaart

Some Food

2010-02-07T17:19:00.000+01:00

We FINALLY bought a better camera (Canon EOS 1000d) but all the pictures posted here was taken with my 6-year old Olympus FE-5500 and a lamp (better light. The pictures would be absolutely HORRIBLE otherwise as that digicam is truly terrible- other compact digicams are much better).

Gorgeous butter cake I bought from the bakery. It was so light-like eating a butter vanilla flavoured marshmallow

The best pork I've EVER had. I'm not a big fan of pork but this one was awesome. Better yet, it was cheap! It (pork tenderloin) was on sale at the supermarket. It was already marinated and I didn't expect much- it being from a supermarket and all but it was really good. Tender, flavourful..I was really happy with it.

Honey Chiffon Cake I baked. Great texture but I didn't like the flavour. It was all cinnamony (no surprise considering the recipe contained cinnamon) whilst I wanted a simple, vanilla-ish honey cake (kind of like a kasutera). This was a bit too grown up for me.

Chicken risotto

Bummed Out

2010-02-07T11:54:00.000+01:00

Everyone lives abroad. It's harder getting people to come together for an event. To maximize attendance, there should be only one big event a year.

Dutchman and I planned on getting married in 2011 but we hadn't really set a date nor have we reserved anything (was considering doing everything after summer this year). Now, my cousin has reserved 2011 (she did discuss this with me and I gave in because after all, she has a proper reason and I don't really mind waiting another year as marrying next year means I'd still be a student).

Now, my brother will probably get married in 2012, which leaves me with 2013. Horrid sounding year. Ugh. Not to mention ages away. I'm grumpy because Dutchman said 2012 is too long already but yet, he didn't want to officially 'book' for 2011 (nothing is fixed until invitations/reservations/official engagement notifications for family members etc. ,right), so I can't blame my brother and cousin for going ahead.

Annoyed. Annoyed. Annoyed.

Has it been quiet or what...

2010-02-01T20:42:00.000+01:00

I've been busy- projects, life, cleaning up my pigsty after weeks of living in filth, meeting acquaintances and what-not. I haven't even had time to cook last week. We ate out every single day which totally blew my weekly food budget but at least, my well-rounded tummy was happy :-D

What else:
i) This company called Dining City organizes Restaurant Week twice a year and we take part as often as we can. This time, the in-laws and I had already agreed to reserve spots at a Michelin star restaurant in the city so I've been stalking the website religiously. Today, they published a code which would allow members to reserve early (the good restaurants are snapped up almost immediately) and I came across it just 2 minutes after it went online so I snagged us 10 spots :-D

ii) Parents have zero clue. I feel so naughty.

iii) I really should start concentrating on school.

iv) I like kids but don't want any til I'm ready.

v) We probably aren't getting married til 2012 because my cousin's just announced her 2011 wedding!

2 more weeks to Spring Holiday

2010-01-25T14:12:00.000+01:00

I'm counting the days. I cannot wait for our holiday:-D

Flowers of the week

Apple cake a.k.a. Giant Disappointment. I followed the recipe (from Good Food magazine) and I already had my doubts after seeing how much apple chunks I had in my bowl. The cake looked nice enough but when I tried to turn it over, it fell apart (could be my fault) but the insides were like ... a rosti. An apple rosti! What a waste of my grain fed organic eggs -Size L-, my apples ,my pecan nuts and the washing up I had to do

after! Grrr

Rogan Josh

Chicken Madras (sorry about the grains of rice heh!)

Spago's Chocolate Chiffon Cake

2010-01-19T12:42:00.000+01:00

I love chiffon cakes. I grew up eating Pandan flavoured chiffon cake from the 'pasar malam' (night market). Never made them though as I did not have a chiffon cake pan (I do now, Mum brought her old pan in July) and it seemed a little fiddly (cream of tartare which I can only buy from speciality shops. Finally found one in Utrecht), but I would think of it all the time. The texture is gorgeous, I love the airy-ness and would also ,just for fun, squish them before putting it into my big gob.

No fresh pandan here and I've heard that pandan essence is disgusting. Initially, I wanted a vanilla/fruit flavoured chiffon cake but whilst researching, I kept coming across praise for this chocolate chiffon cake so I decided to make that instead!

The verdict? A nice, moist chocolate cake but... not the chiffon cake, I'm looking for. If you're Malaysian, you might know what I'm talking about! This cake doesn't keep well so try to eat it on that day itself/day after.

Recipe here

Bistro de Bok

2010-01-17T17:33:00.000+01:00

Last Friday, the Dutchman and I had dinner at one of our favourite restaurants in the city. A few years ago, we were on a mission to try every restaurant in Arnhem but we seem to be failing! Once we found a few places we really liked, we just started sticking to those choices. In general, we tend to go to Bistro de Bok for meat, Mona's for shrimps, Humphrey's for when we want a cheap meal in a pretty-ish setting (3-course meal there is only 23 euros or something!), Proeflokaal de Waag for its ambience, Rung Thai (for Thai food obviously!) and Kwong Chow when we feel like Cantonese. We still go to different restaurants when it comes to expensive meals though (but this doesn't happen very often so the Mission Try All Restaurants is progressing very slowly).

Bistro de Bok is casual, very 'brown', quaint and the meat is excellent. Wine is cheap (1 liter for about 18 euro), service is great (not in-your-face, very easy-going but efficient) and it's not a place you have to whisper because it's always lively with conversation.Bistro de Bok is Dutchman's favourite restaurant (one of my favourites as well. I feel the desserts are lacking). While it is not the cheapest (a 3-course meal for 2 with wine will cost about 100 euro), the quality of meat (especially the beef and game) is well worth the price.

Free bread

Carpaccio

Lamb Chops

Bok Spies (probably mixed grill?)

Exams

2010-01-13T09:59:00.000+01:00

No fun, I tell you. I haven't done anything yet. Yesterday, I sat on the couch with my unopened Law textbook at my feet for 3 effing hours, playing "Words With Friends". At this rate, I'm going to fail which I musn't unless I want to wave goodbye to my semester abroad!

Oven-baked Salmon Pasta

Black Pepper Steak with Creamed Leaks and Garlic Potatoes

Red Cabbage Pie

Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Just Pictures

2010-01-11T17:17:00.000+01:00

Snert/ Ertwensoep

Nasi Goreng

Chicken Schnitzel

These 3 meals all cost less than 3 euro for 2 ! Unbelievable;)

Beef Stew

2010-01-08T11:45:00.001+01:00

Europe is facing a rather severe winter this year. It is 11.19a.m. and -7 degrees here in Arnhem.

When it's cold, there's nothing more comforting than a pot of beef stew. The smell envelopes you like a hug an when you're done eating, it's like a hug from the inside.

This is a very easy stew but it's really tasty! I generally make 2 kinds of stews. The one I made yesterday is sort of Dutch (with French origins). What I really like about it is the vinegar-ish bite. It's really good. I bastardized it anyway by adding some carrots and leeks (only because all these vegetables were on the verge of rotting in my fridge) but it tasted good anyway. It's normally served with braised red cabbage.

Bastardized Haché

500g stewing beef, chopped into 1-inch blocks

2 large onions, sliced

4 carrots, chopped into about 4-6 parts

1 fat leek, sliced into rings
3 tablespoons winevinegar

200ml beef bouillon
3 bayleaves
4 cloves

1 small slice of gingerbread cake, crumbled
salt, pepper

Rub the meat with the salt and pepper and leave for 30 minutes (or overnight or whatever). Then, brown the meat in butter. After about a minute, add the onions, carrots and leek. When soft, add the cloves, bayleaves, TWO tablespoons of vinegar and the bouillon. Leave it to simmer with lid close for about 3 hours. The meat should be very tender.

When done, sprinkle the gingerbread cake (this is too thicken and deepen the flavour of the gravy). Add the last tablespoon of vinegar before serving.

Usually eaten with mashed/boiled potatoes and braised red cabbage

My other fool-proof stew recipe is by Jamie Oliver (the Guiness one!). Will post the recipe when I make it next time!

Flowers of the week