Food Happenings

It has become a habit for most people lately to take pictures of their food and post it either on Facebook or Twitter or most commonly right now on Instagram. I certainly have no problem with that. But my uncle does!!! He came over to my house last week to drop off some souvenirs. He went backpacking over to Europe for a month with a couple of his friends. I commented on some of his photos while  he was there. He said at least it was better than my food photos. He said I should stop posting photos of the food I come across every time. What??? Yeah, he actually said that. Hahaha... Nevermind him, I'm still gonna post photos of the food I come across, mainly cause I love food. Oh, and I appreciate it too!!! So here goes. Sorry Acu... 

Happy Birthdays!!!

September alone, I had 3 people celebrating their birthdays. First it was Muhammad, next is Kak Nana and then it was Ieja and finally Sufia (soon on the 29th!!!). Oh and Muhammad Imran was born on the 10th Sept 2011!!! Now make that 5 in the familia.. Woohoo!!! Here are some photos taken during the birthday dinners. Love you all :)

We celebrated Muhammad's birthday at Jalan Eaton. Check out the cupcakes. Spongebob Squarepants!!!

Kak Nana's birthday, we went to Restoran Muhibbah in TTDI (sorry, no photos from my camera) and Chilis in KLCC for a late snack. Kak Nana got a cake from Chilis but no singers. Hmmm ...

Yesterday we went to Chilis KLCC again for Ieja's birthday dinner with the family. We had fun. I even asked them to sing as loud as possible for Ieja's cake. Huhu... And Cik Man, was super hungry til he broke the knife. He really did.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin to my family and friends. Not forgetting to all Muslims all over the world. How's your Raya been? Busy collecting money or busy eating? Okay, more like busy eating ANDlosing money. Hahaha.. Oh well, that's what the grown ups will experience everytime when it's Aidilfitri in Malaysia. We'll visit our realtives and then stuff ourselves with foods like rendang, ketupat, lontong, laksa etc. cause there's plenty of 'em. Couldn't let it waste riggghhhttt??? Haha more reason to eat eat eat!!! Then the lil' ones will queue to get the Duit Raya's.

It's fortunate that I get to spend my Raya with my loved ones this time of the year. I thank Allah S.W.T. for giving me the opportunity to experience one of the best Raya's I've had in a long long time. It's been a hectic Raya as well. Since my Mum is not feeling at her best, she decided to cook something simple; Lontong and Laksa Johor. She actually wanted to prepare Nasi Dagang, which consumes a lot of energy, time and money too. We had guests coming from all over and we also traveled to Meru, PJ, Putrajaya, Eaton etc to ber-Hari Raya. This coming week, our relatives from Singapore and Johor will be coming down to KL for Raya as well. Hope it's gonna be a great family reunion. Let me share with you some of my Hari Raya photos. Hope you all had a blistering one week of holiday and now, BACK TO WORK!!!

Here are some of the photos I snapped during Raya (1 of it is before). Enjoy!!!

*Somebody was excited with her bunga api*

*Me & my niece, Raeesa*

*My Mum's family*

*Another photo*

*My breakfast on 2nd day*

*Happy Birthday Muhammad*

*Muhammad blowing the candles*

*Muhammad posing with his father, Abang Shah*

*Kak Nana and her beloved BB*

*At my Sister's in Putrajaya*

*Baby Ashraf crawled to get his iPhone*

*Best Roti Jala in PJ*

Favourite Ramadhan Foods by MSN.com

With Plenty of the awesome foods of Ramadhan (and only a few hours before buka puasa), I thought a list of the most awesome Ramadhan foods out there would be great for the noobz and doodz looking to fill their tummies after a long day fasting/ or at work.

1. Nasi Dagang

Come too late to a bazaar and you’ll find that all the delicious Nasi Dagang is all gone. This dish, which mainly consists of rice cooked in coconut milk, complimented with fish curry, pickled veggies, and hard boiled eggs can be host to a variety of foods, whether it be fried chicken, Ikan Bakar, or roast beef for that matter. A must have at a Buka Puasa table.

2. Roti John

Easiest described as an omelette sandwich, Roti John stalls are often swamped. It’s no wonder too, with the bread pan-grilled with egg and topping of your choice (we like sardine, actually). Of course with the addition of sauces, Roti John is savoury, tasty, and ultimately irresistible and terbaaeeekkkkk.

3. Ikan Bakar

Ah, Ikan Bakar. The ubiquitous clouds hanging over the stall barbecue-ing this fishy delight is enough to alert you that you are in the presence of one of the treasure of the Ramadhan Bazaar. Grilled over a hot fire while wrapped in banana leaves and doused with sambal, Ikan Bakar is awesomeness at it’s finest.

4. Kuih-Muih

Assorted sweeties for the whole family, that’s what it is. There’s plenty of different types, so even the pickiest kid will definitely be satisfied. From Kuih Koci, Karipap, Kuih Lapis, Tepung Pelita, Onde-Onde, and so much more, it’s great to have something to wash down the often very rich Ramadhan foods.

5. Murtabak

Yes, I know you can get Murtabak at your local mamak store, but that doesn’t mean it’s not awesome. take a Roti, and stuff it with lots of savory meat, and you’re pretty much got a murtabak, but you’ve got to experience it for your own to know how great this dish it. Alternately, you can get the sweet cousin of the murtabak- Apam Balik.

6. Nasi Kukus with Ayam Goreng Rempah

Oh man, I can only attempt to describe this delicacy. Freshly steamed rice with pickled veggies, eaten together with none other than perfectly seasoned chicken, deep fried to golden perfection. If your mouth isn’t watering yet, I'm horrible at this writing thing.

Ramadhan Treats in Town = $$$

Salam Ramadhan to my fellow Muslims around the world. It's the beginning of an exciting month for all Muslims around the world. I'm just one of those looking forward for this month, and at the end of it we get to celebrate the month of Syawal or to Malaysians, known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Here's the part where all of us like to do when it's Ramadhan, the Ramadhan Bazar. Yep, we like to look and buy the tasty foods/drinks just to treat ourselves or rather satisfy our goodself with those foods/drinks. Here's the down part and most of us do not like to hear. We tend to waste the food. Buy, buy, buy...

Another thing that I personnaly think is absolutely ridiculous is the price of Berbuka Puasa in hotels around KL. Simply ridiculous. The prices keeps on increasing year after year and it keep getting ridiculous year after year as well. No doubt the foods being served are good and tasteful but for the price of what we're being charged at, it's definitely not worth the money. Let me give you ONE example:

Paya Serai, Hilton PJ

During this month of devotion, Paya Serai will be offering a scrumptious spread just for your eating pleasure. They are going to set up their very own bazaar ramadhan, where they will not only have over 100 local specialties but also stalls that will be cooking various delicacies from Roti Chanai, Ikan Bakar to roasted lamb and a variety of tempura. Be sure you don't miss out on the early bird special since the prices increase every subsequent week.

When & Where: 7.00pm- 10.30pm, 1 August - 29 August 2011 @Paya Serai Restaurant, Hilton PJ.

Cover: First three days of Ramadhan, RM79++ per adult, RM49++ for child below 12 years of age. The week after, RM119++ per adult and RM60++ per child and the following week is, RM129++ per adult and RM70++ per child.

Let's think for a second. Is it worth paying hundreds of Ringgit's just for Berbuka Puasa??? Ok fine, the first 3 days is RM79++ only. It is only worth the money if you're staying up til it's 10pm or above. This Ramadhan month is the time for us to perform our prayers as the rewards are enormous and doubled by Allah S.W.T. It's a shame if we do not perform the Solat Terawikh during this holy month.

I'm not trying to say that I'm a holy person or a perfect human being. I hope that we all at least have the thought of not wasting foods and our money as it could serve a larger purpose in life.

Penang Asam Laksa Ranked No. 7

It doesn't matter if you live to eat, or eat to live Penang's famed asam laksa is one of the dishes worth traversing the world for, according to a CNN International food survey.
Under its CNNGo guide to lifestyle, shopping, hotels and restaurants, Malaysia's popular dish is also seventh among the world's 50 most delicious food. CNNGo describes the dish as “poached, flaked mackerel, tamarind, chili, mint, lemongrass, onion, pineapple an addictive spicy-sour fish broth with noodles.” It added that the Penang asam laksa was especially great when fused with ginger “that'll have your nose running before the spoon even hits your lips.”
Two popular Singaporean dishes (that's also part of our staple diet in Malaysia) have made it to CNNGo's list as well. At no. 45 is the national dish of Singapore, chicken rice. 'Whenever you're not actually in Singapore eating chicken rice, you're thinking of it,' the website says. Placing higher at no. 35 is Singapore's infamous chilli crab, which the website describes as a 'spicy, sloppy, meaty specialty' that is a must-try when visiting Singapore.
Thailand's Massaman curry tops the list, and is described as the 'king of all foods', with its 'spicy, sweet and savoury' flavours.



Back From A Short Break

Hello peeps!!! I'm back after a month off from blogging. Grew tired of it after

Bandung 2011. Just wanted to take a break and focus on my work.

Going thru a busy period since most companies end their financial year between

March - May. Now is the time for all to look for opportunities, especially after getting their bonuses. Ask 'em out for lunch or dinner!!!

It's already April. The greatest month of all!!! Why??? Cause it's MY birthday!!! Huhu.. Although, haven't been celebrating it for years I tell ya. If there's a dinner or cake, it'll mostly be for my nieces and nephews. Nothing much. I'm used to it I guess.

Pretty sad isn't it? Oh well, I'm C.O.O.L. with it. Haha..

Today my office had birthday lunch with our Boss, who is flying back to New Zealand after 2 weeks in Malaysia. He's been generous enough to take us all for birthday lunch. Another colleague of mine is celebrating her birthday in April too!!! Only 2 days later than mine. We went to Saisaki Japanese Buffet Restaurant at Wisma UOA, Jalan Pinang.

Food was tremendous. All you can eat. It's actually a mix of sushi and fusion foods.

It's suitable for non-sushi lovers as well. Plenty of food y'all.

Food - 8/10; Price - RM40++/person; senior citizen - 50% off (must produce IC); birthday boy/girl - FREE (must produce IC); Atmosphere - 7/10

Bandung 2011 - Day 5 (Goodbye Bandung, Hello KL)

Our stay in Bandung was coming to an end. I was quite sad to leave as I really loved staying there. Food was simply awesome, company was great, people there was so friendly and lots more. Couldn't describe it. A special thanks to my Bandung Family for having us over there. I can't wait to be back and see you all again soon. To my Eaton Family, can't wait for more trips with you all. Perth is just around the corner. Woohoo!!! 

Before we head back home, I was still craving for ONE particular food. BASO!!! Finally, I manage to eat the ONE and ONLY best Baso in Bandung. I was so busy that I didn't had the chance to eat it. There's plenty of Baso in Bandung but it's with this fella, it's just soOoOo gOoOoD. If I ever  go to Bandung, I'll definitely gonna have his Baso. Check out the photos. 

*Baso Aba was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G*

It was time to head back home. We said our goodbye's to our Bandung family. Oh, I had some check-in problem at the airport, which I'm not gonna write it here. Pretty embarrassing I'd say. Heh.. 

*Ieja & Dada*

*Cik Man*

*Kak Nana was so far away*

*I'm home*