What I Find Fascinating; Photography, Food and Travel blog!

A little hoot from the neighbourhood...

2012-01-31T12:21:00.000+08:00

Ingredients for my Kiwi macarons' filling...

Oh, wow.. I've been too busy lately to update my blog! How I wish I could continue on writing my Europe entries! After I launched Le Couette Macaron, I got extremely busy! Since I'm not into conducting this business on a full time basis, I do not have the luxury of spending much time in the kitchen. Therefore, I need to manage my time wisely.

I just can't believe that up till now, I have baked almost a thousand pieces of macarons! I'm so glad that my business partner has also been working just as hard like me

Anyway, many thanks to those who made orders on my macarons! Many more macarons are to be delivered soon! Glad to say that I really enjoy doing this! Thanks again for all of your support. Like Le Chouette Macaron FaceBook page to get more updates about my macarons!

Laduree, Le Chouette Macaron & Pierre Herme! :-O

Introducing Le Chouette Macaron!

2012-01-18T17:10:00.000+08:00

Hi guys, let me introduce my new baby, Le Chouette Macaron! I have officially registered Le Chouette Macaron, and created it's page on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-Chouette-Macaron/222542631162732

Meanwhile, Le Chouette Macaron's website is still under construction.

Remember my macaron contest last week? The person who had guessed the nearest correct answer was Jalina Jal! She won a box of 10 macarons, in two flavors. She collected her prize only last Sunday, I had baked her fresh ones! Just a beat after, I got tagged by her on Facebook - with a picture of her daughter holding the macarons. I liked the picture; both girl and macarons looked so adorable! ;)

Here is the picture by Jellyna Jal

Anyway, stay in touch with Le Chouette Macaron on Facebook to get more updates, or to place your orders, as well as stand a chance to win the monthly contest!

Welcoming 2012 - Macaron Contest!

2012-01-05T16:00:00.001+08:00

E. Dehillerin at rue Coquillière Paris...
If I had welcomed the new year in 2011 by baking a mango cheesecake, I have done something different in welcoming 2012 - I baked some macarons! Since taking up macaron baking lessons in Paris last autumn, I have yet to experiment with it at home due to the lack of time. So, to welcome the new year, I decided to bake some!

While in Paris, there was a day where I paid E. Dehillerin a visit right after the third cooking class. E. Dehillerin is a renowned distributor of high quality kitchenware and pastry utensils for both professional and hobbyist cooks. Wandering around this interesting shop had made me madly in love with it! It was first opened in 1820, and has successfully maintained its old charm and ambiance, making it totally different than most modern cookware shops we have today. In many ways, its natural and limited lighting and store arrangement style made me feel like I was in a kitchen museum!

They have everything that you could be looking for.

The staircase that leads to the underground level where you will find more delightful stuff...

I have a membership card, so I was entitled for store discounts! ;) Anyway, as suggested by my baking teacher, I had gone to this shop to get some cooking stuff, as well as some silicon sheets that they use in most famous macaron kitchens in Paris.

O.k, this is the silicon sheet I was talking about. There are similar types in Malaysia, but of different brands. Either these, or you may choose to use oil or silicon paper...

Before I set out to bake my macarons, I already have some ideas of the kind of ruffles or feet I would want my macarons to have. From all the macarons I have had in Paris, from Pierre Herme to Laduree to Fauchon, Paul, McCafe and other local pastry shops, my personal favourite style has to be that of Pierre Herme. Their macaron feet are non-uniform, and slightly out of shape - which I find rather artistic and interesting! The way I see it, macarons which are too perfectly or uniformly shaped are nice to look at, but lacks the rugged, "homemade" touch... So to be fair, I decided to bake in both styles! Just to get started, I browsed through all of the pictures I took in Paris. Here are some which I find inspiring...

Fauchon

BTW, I love their breads, too! And the casing for their large macarons was simple but nice...

Paul

McCafe

Street Pastry Shop

Laduree

Pierre Herme

Look at those uneven ruffles... Love it!

So, I set off baking my macarons using the two methods I've learned. I began with the French meringue style, to achieve ruffles a la Pierre Herme. Needless to say, I had to rely on some tricks to get the intended ruffles.

Finally! On the left - my macaron shells, fresh from the oven, inspired by a picture of Pierre Herme's macarons- Mogador Flavor(on the right) which I took at Jardin du Luxembourg.

The result! Exactly as I had wanted them!

Yesterday evening, I bake another batch, this time with the Italian meringue style... and I had also tried other tricks to get the uniform ruffles. I think they look just as good, but I was too tired to put in the fillings for some proper photography... Anyway, here they are!

I will post the final pictures once I am done with the filling... and have them photographed in the most flattering way....

Happy New Year to all of you!

Updated!
OK, I managed to take a few proper pictures of my pink macarons just now, I am running a small contest over at my FaceBook fan page. Visit the page to participate. Winner gets a box of my macarons. Happy guessing!

Brussels, Belgium

2011-12-31T08:00:00.000+08:00

Spending just one day in Brugges to explore its charm and beauty is definitely not enough. Brugges was a last-minute plan (if you can call it a "plan" at all!), and how I wish I had spent a few more days there to really take in all it had to offer. But as a traveller, I know there's always a "next trip", God willing.

Downtown Brussels...

From Brugges, we took the train back into Brussels, and checked straight into the Novotel Tour Noire, which was right in the city centre. That was to be our "home" for the next two nights in Brussels...

... which gave us two full days to explore bustling, "blistering barnacles" Brussels (that's how Haddock would've put it anyway! LOL!). Calling Brussels "awesome" is an understatement: its people were very friendly, there was niceties in the air, and have I told you they are famous for Belgian waffle? It's something to die for!

Yummylicious Liege Waffle! How did they make something so simple, yet tasting so delicious?

I was never a big fan of waffles, since those that I have had were either too soft, or tasted more like pancakes... until, of course, I tried the authentic Belgian waffles in Brugges and Brussels. Native waffles here are softer in the inside with crystallized beet sugar, and a crunchy, crispy exterior structure.They have two types of waffles, I have tried both of them with different toppings: fruits, cream, chocolate ganache, peanut butter, etc. but the plain ones, like the one above, were my favorite!

So far, I love Lowy's waffles the most, over other street shops'...

And this greeted me the second I entered Lowy... Ohh, love the smell of fresh breads!

Toppings you wish you had all the time in the world for...

Lucikly, the shop was just a few meters from our hotel.

I love the spacious room, and most importantly, the view out the bathroom window...

As usual I took lots of pictures. Let's see some of them...

Halal roasted pheasant and crispy fries, that's so yummy! And the staff at this restaurant were so kind, too... One of them warned us not to leave our cameras on the table while enjoying our meal. In Brussles, you will simply get robbed of whatever you leave on the table!

The Manneken Piss! We were lucky because our hotel was just a few blocks away, which allowed us to be there very early, before the tourist crowd. We practically had the whole place to ourselves!

Just love the morning rays...

The Grand Place

Probably the most stunning sight in Brussels is the Atomium... Best to see it at night when they lit it up with small dotty lights, making it look like a futuristic Christmas tree...

As if themed to the grand monument itself, everything around it seemed round in shape...

These are two of the earliest Godiva boutiques in the Grand Place area. Open since 1926...

Brussels being Brussels, the whole city smells of chocolate!

And what's the best way to sum up Brussels as a Belgian chocolate city? A Manneken Pis chocolate "fountain"!

United Colors of Benetton?

Pedal power... No wonder the city's air is still breatheable... *tengok apa tu bro? LOL

Where there are pastries and sweet-little-somethings, there's bound to be... macarons!

Paul Macaron? I only enjoy Paul in Paris, but Pierre Ledent's macarons are a must when in Brussels, just like Pierre Herme if you happen to be in Paris...

McDs in Belgium serve Segafredo coffee and Douwe Egberts espresso... I am impressed!

And their McD's interior is the classiest of all McD's I've visited.

Hey, that's Tintin!

On the way back to Paris, we had Greek mezze platter for lunch in the train. We bought them from a grocery shop in Brussels, and the fresh pink salad tasted exactly like what we had in Mykonos!

Some chocolates from Brugges and Brussels, too while we enjoy the scenery from Brussels to Paris.

Looking at the vast Belgian plains, my mind wandered off to the many more things we were going to do in Paris...

JEALOUS?

2011-12-21T17:20:00.000+08:00

Buckingham Palace

I blog about food, travel and beautiful places that fascinate me endlessly... However, initially unbeknownst to me, it has stirred envy in some people. I mean, they have actually said mean things about me, and got very jealous in negative ways.

Just last evening, as I was browsing through my travel pics to select some as requested by an European-based travel magazine, the pic you saw above caught my attention. So I thought it would be fun to share it on FaceBook. What was supposed to be a fun activity soon blown into an ugly scene - a so-called acquaintance who claimed to work for a local TV station made a personal attack on me, in public! Not just that, he went on to brag about his so-called "successful" life as a glamourous glitterati of local showbiz...

Seriously, I find it not only childish, it even scathes the image of both broadcast journalism, as well as that of the TV station he works for. That is just so pathetic, & I'm not going to feel sorry for his under-achieving career.

Anyway, on a lighter note, before I posted the "controversial" Buckingham Palace pose on FaceBook, I had posted these pictures below... However, I had not mentioned here that I am actually already home in Malaysia since last month.

Recovering from a fever, being home-bound on medical leave yesterday had made me feeling worse than the fever itself... Not wanting to bow to it, I decided to work it out in my small kitchen. Being occupied in the kitchen gave me much cheering up, and I ended up feeling great and happy with what I came up with! Yummmm....

Squid Spaghetti, with lots of garlic and Parmesan cheese for my lunch...

Chocolate Mud Cake with Starbucks' double espresso sauce, for tea time...

And my favorite Grilled Salmon with Baked Potatoes and Mango Salad, for dinner!

Hhmmm... how I wish I could update my blog more frequently!

BBC Good Food

2011-12-13T13:00:00.001+08:00

Do you remember my Baked Turkey entry? It's being featured in the latest edition of BBC GoodFood magazine!

Hahaha... Looks like even my army of toys are curious about it!

You can find it on page 11, but there's a minor mistake where they addressed me as a "her" rather than the obvious! LOL!

They have been so kind to send me this interesting book as a token of acknowledgement. As an ardent traveler,
I really love reading it!

Thanks, BBC! Well, what are you waiting for? Go and get a copy of the mag. lol!

Bruges & Brussels, Belgium

2011-12-06T14:20:00.000+08:00

Sandwich au saumon

That morning, before we boarded the Thalys train to Brussels, I got up extra early to make breakfast - Salmon Sandwich ( seen in the picture above ), a pot of cream of mushroom, along with some toast, topped with fried eggs!

We were to take the 6 AM train from Gare Du Nord in Paris, therefore needed to be at the station by 5.30 AM. With some time to kill, it was nice to enjoy some hot caffeine at Cote' Cafe, while waiting for departure.

The journey from Paris to Brussels took only an hour and 25 minutes... yet, long enough for me to enjoy the refreshing scenery en route!

Smooth sailing: Brussels' Midi terminal finally in sight!

As expected, we were welcomed by Tintin promotional posters as we reached Brussels Midi - a sign of what's in store for us in this beautiful city. BUT... we had not explored Brussels first... As planned, we switched to another train, this time headed for Venice of the North - Bruges! We spent a full day in Bruges, and only returned to Brussels later in the evening, where we spent the next two nights.

Scenic Bruges...

OMG! Bruges was so awesome! Only slightly over an hour from Brussels but this canal-rich city is so vastly different and really, really scenic! Only now do I understand why they call it "Venice of the North".

We had walked from the train station into the city center, exploring the city outskirts. Before we reached the lovely spots like what you see in the picture above, we cut through the city park, and bumped into a friendly municipal worker...

Struggling to express himself in basic English, he pointed out that the tree next to us has a very interesting and historical past. I felt honored, that he took the trouble to explain that Hitler had used this very tree as his lookout tower during the war!

Municipal worker explaining the history of this tree to my brother...

The 'Hitler Tree'

Thereon, we explored the city the entire day. I took zillions of pictures! I'm sharing some of them here... Enjoy!

Tintin!! *to be continued

Tintin Trip, Brussels!

2011-11-21T14:00:00.000+08:00

Me at The Tintin ( pronounced as 'Turnturn' in French) Shop in Covent Garden, London.

Finally my most-awaited movie of the year, The Adventures of Tintin is now showing at cinemas nationwide, yippie ! I'm sure many of you are as excited, too? More so, you senior citizen readers out there? ;P

Although I did not actually grow up during the Tintin era (*ahem!), I'm still a huge fan of his! I have to blame my brother who introduced me to reading Tintin comics and watching his DVDs many years ago.

I have already seen the film, and was it awesome! I would rate it 5 stars! How about you guys, have you seen it?

By the way, Tintin fever was so prominent in Paris: from children's apparels to brioche wrapers, to just about anything, all you will ever see is 'Turnturn!'. Not just that, the nicely-adorned bread loaves come with surprise Tintin stickers - there's no guarantee which character you will chance upon!

And a week before the movie was out, they released a special reproduction of the famous Tintin-in-his-reporter-trenchcoat figurine that comes with a detailed biodata and passport! In the weeks to follow, other characters like Thomson and Thompson, Captain Haddock, Madame Castafiore and the rest, will meet ardent collectors!

When we were in London, my brother and I accidentally bumped into The Tintin Shop in Convent Garden. I love the shop so much! But there's yet another shop, in Paris' Montmarte area which I grew to hate the most! Why? It has a huge number of Tintin collectibles - the largest I've ever seen so far! What really rubbed the envy in was, most of their collectibles are really rare and vintage! And costly, of course! LOL...

Some of the figurines my brother brought from the shop in Covent Garden.

The Tintin shop in Montmarte... They have a special section on Tintin at the back...

GAP Kids cashing in on the hype...

PITCH's special edition brioche that comes with various Tintin character stickers. *kembung hari2 makan roti ni :D

Even regular news weekly magazines like Le Point, carried Tintin on their front page.

Dave de Bruges' special edition chocolates...

Tintin promotional poster at a Paris bus stop...

The Tintin special reproduction set, complete with a figurine of the hero!

Have to go 'Tintin hunting' for more copies, since most shops have only one copy each. I bought two copies for myslef while my brother got two for himself too.

Another movie poster, this time at the entrance of an electrical shop in Paris...

A shop in the suburb Montmarte also offers a huge collection of old Tintin comics, but only in French...

So, as diehard Tintin fans, we made a special visit to Tintin's hometown... Where else but Brussels!

A huge Tintin billboard proudly standing in downtown Brussels...

*to be continued

Another Macaron Story: Pierre Hermé

2011-11-14T09:37:00.000+08:00

A French lady joked about swapping macarons. Hers were Laduree, mine were Pierre Herme! No way, Madam... Don't think I want to queue up for hours again ;)

As usual, whenever I visited Jardin du Luxembourg, a place compulsory for me to drop by would be Pierre Hermé! I went there a few days after my Macarons Class, I love afternoons at Jardin du Luxembourg. The garden is really full of distinctive character. A signature view of this garden is the congregation of veteran localites spending their evening playing chess, often with complete strangers who take them on for a game of mind challenge...

Anyway, back to the Pierre Hermé story: They used to trade under the same roof with Ladurée. Personally, I think both of them are now equally successful. If I were to compare them to fashion brands, Pierre Hermé is Hermes (long queues going for their Birkin bags are somewhat similar to those queuing up for macarons!), while Ladurée is Louis Vuitton (more accessible, with more points of sale). The most obvious difference is, Ladurée has its own line of merchandises! Not to be out-done, Pierre Hermé does so in another, classier way; for example, their current collaboration with artist Nicolas Vial in designing their latest macaron boxes!

A normal scene: The long queue at Pierre Hermé...

Hoping for some macarons, I joined the queue... And what else was there to do, except for snapping some interesting shots while waiting to be served?

Remember this "stylo" lady, with her Lego earrings from the previous entry? I actually spotted her while queuing up at Pierre Hermé.

Striking window display at Pierre Hermé.

Inside Pierre Hermé. Opsss... no pictures allowed!
But that didn't stop me from taking some! :D

On my way to the Jardin du Luxembourg...

Setting up some props for the photography session...
These are what I bought on that day!!

Yum! Yum!

Enjoying the evening's sights, while having my macarons!

Some pictures at Jardin du Luxembourg.

*Thanks to my travel partner for taking my pictures! ;)

Fashion photography; Paris

2011-10-31T16:00:00.000+08:00

It's fall in Europe, and it's the most exciting season, as I get to do much "fashion photography" on its streets. It's interesting, to see how people play with colours, layers, styling and what-have-you to express themselves, as well as showcasing their personality at the same time... Let's check out some street-runway shots, exclusively from yours truly!

Some believe stealing limelight!

Baking French Macarons!

2011-10-24T07:57:00.004+08:00

Laduree's macarons at 16, Rue Royale Paris... Took this picture a few days ago.

No, I'm not writing about Laduree macarons. I've done that before! ;) But I would like to write about this week's most interesting class! It's the French Macarons class! What is most special about it was, my teacher used to work in Laduree's kitchen here in Paris!

She's really experienced in baking and styling Laduree Macarons before she got married, and started teaching such classes. I just love how she shared with us, her culinary story and some secrets from the Laduree kitchen.

There she is, on the right. Luckily the class was conducted in English! Yippie! Glad, since my French is still nothing to be proud of :D

And that's me, working hard in the kitchen :)

Anyway, during the class, we were separated onto two groups. My group was assigned to bake a few trays of Vanilla & Pear garnish macarons in green pastle color, while the other group baked Praline' garnish macarons, in pastle purple color. Let's have the pictures tell the story!

I think my macaroons teacher was happy with what I have baked. I just can't wait to get home and start perfecting it! Au revoir!

Bonjour Paris!

2011-10-18T14:51:00.006+08:00

Yummylicious red velvet cupcake from the humming bird bakery... Morning, Paris!

I spent the whole of last week in London, after spent two days prior to that in Paris. Now I am back in Paris for about two weeks. I had so much fun in London, and will write its story later!

My small kitchen in my Paris apartment...

I touched down at Paris Charles de Gaulle last night, so I have yet to do my grocery... That explains the empty pantry in my apartment! For now, breakfast has to be the last red velvet cupcake I bought in Notting Hill, London... So yummy!

Some sneak peeks from my week in Loncon. More to come!

Anyway, I will be attending my cooking class later today in ille de Paris. Till then, see you guys!

Next Week...

2011-10-07T15:30:00.002+08:00

*Hope to see this every where next week!

It's my birthday today! And around this time next week, I would be getting ready to have breakfast, at my favorite cafe Carette in Paris ;). I am supposed to fly to the United States tonite, but my travel buddy had trouble renewing his visa. Just a while ago, he received a call from the embassy saying that his visa renewal has just been approved... on the eve of departure! Wow, that is way too late, and anyway, we have already made a destination change last Monday. Not having anywhere particular to visit at such short notice, I decided to choose Paris!

Quick update!

2011-10-04T09:30:00.000+08:00

Wow! It has been two months since the last entry! Only now have I managed to update this blog, and hopefully, I will be blogging frequently again as before! Anyway, I have been keeping myself occupied by making this video whenever I could steal time the past two months... It's a compilation of memorable moments from my summer vacation in Italy and Switzerland. I really love editing this video,now I can't wait to make more videos! Enjoy!

Mini Acrylic Painting

2011-07-28T14:50:00.000+08:00

Before

After. What do you think? is the painting awesome or not? ;)

Bellagio, Lake Como

2011-07-11T10:20:00.000+08:00

Enjoying the cruise...

I've planned on writing this entry a long time ago and somehow, it kept slipping out of my mind! Anyway, the trip to Bellagio has to be one of my favourite outings during my tour of Italy. It will be a trip I shall remember for a long time...

I visited Bellagio with my brother - he being the more familiar one... Bellagio is considered the pearl of Lake Como. This old little town is positioned on a promontory where two branches of the lake meet. Interesting? Very.

We took a bus from Milan city to Lake Como. From there, we boarded a ferry to Bellagio. The journey from Milan city to Como took about an hour, the cruise from Como to Bellagio took a leisurely two hours.

On the highway... from Milan city to Como...

Finally... Reached Como town after an hour on the scenic route...

The Cathedral of Como...

The bus stopped us here at the town square, and we went on to buy the ferry tickets. I quickly fell in love with this town - it was exceptionally windy, since it's surrounded by the lakes.

We bought the ferry tickets without much hassle, and I managed to visit some local shops while waiting for the ferry... And just an hour later, we were already on the ferry, enjoying the expansive view of Lake Como en route to Bellagio.

The ferry ride to Bellagio took about two hours, as the passenger ferry needed to stop at every town jetty to pick up passengers along its way to Bellagio. Luckily, there was a cafe on board.

All ready to sail...

George Clooney’s villa on the left.

The outstanding Villa Balbianello... I love its garden setting...

Approaching the jetty of Isola Comacina...such a cute Island!

A cup of coffee, and home-made sandwiches... and a perfect setting...

Err... that's a HDcam, not a pair of binoculars...

Some just love the sun... it's after all, the height of summer!

Menaggio jetty...only one stop before Bellagio..

Finally... Bellagio! We just let ourselves get lost in this beautiful town, handsomely tucked among the hills... and emerged much later to have a great lunch!

A quieter part of town, but no lack of charm and serenity...

We had lunch at this restaurant - the Eurona, Bellagio... overlooking the magnificent lake. Here, they served a menu which reflects the summer cuisines of the lake district.

We had a seafood pasta each, and it was yummy beyond words!

We shared a freshly caught salmon trout in herbs. The trout was from Lake Como, and served with buttered rice. Tasty! It's crispy on the outside but tender and juicy inside. I read on the menu which says: “The cuisine of the Italian lake district is one of Italy’s best kept secrets”. Oh....kayyy!

After the satisfying lunch, we continued exploring the town. To me, the old town was an endless succession of shops! Clothing, accessories, jewelry, souvenirs and craft shops where you can find handmade items in olive-wood, mouth-blown glasswares, leather goods, paintings, watercolors, books and etc.

Aaaahhhh..... La bella vita! Such an adorable moment...

We spent several hours at Bellagio, and only late in the evening did we head back to Milan. While I was enjoying my gelato, I spotted someone familiar!

It's Mr Gurmit Singh, of course! "Mr. Phua Chu Kang" was also enjoying his gelato. We interrupted him for some photos, and he was cool to oblige! And to think we never bumped into him the many times we were in Singapore, and to bump into him in Bellagio!

On the way back to Milan we took a small ferry to Menaggio, just one stop from Bellagio, and managed to visit the glorious Villa Olmo which boasts of its beautiful park and expansive grounds. Luck was on our side: they were hosting an art exhibition which was open to the public. We visited the exhibition and sure enough, everything leads to the concession stand! So, we had some coffee outside the Villa Olmo before boarding the bus back to Milan city.

The grounds of Villa Olmo...

Overall, the trip to Bellagio was simply awesome! Lake Como offers a spectacular, and dynamic landscape while Bellagio tempts you with endless sophisticated shops. Personally, I still prefer Lake Maggiore and its flagship town Stresa.

Ristretto, Mont Kiara

2011-07-04T09:04:00.000+08:00

The night view of Ristretto...

I had some great dessert last night at Ristretto in Mont Kiara. I actually came across their Facebook fan page when I was browsing online for some good coffee in the Klang valley. I was quite surprised, since their coffee was really refined! I love their passionate latte art, too. It reminded me of the remarkable late art of Italy's finest and naturally native cafes.

First, I had their Lemon Tart, with a divinely crafted cup of cappuccino...

Ristretto's cappuccino, adorned with fern latte art (RM5) and their Lemon Tart (RM8).

And this is one of the cappuccinos I had in Italy

The ambiance at Ristretto made me crave for more... For second helping, I had the Brownies with another round of cappuccino. The minute I took in the sweetness of the Brownies with closed eyes, twinning it with my second cappuccino, my mind was quickly transported back to my Bondi Beach, Sydney cafe experience... minus the great Pacific sea smell... LOL Yes, Ristretto's cappuccino tasted really delicious: mild, as how a correctly crafted cappuccino should be, exactly how it was made at my favourite Bondi cafe, La Paris Go Cafe...

Ristretto's brownies, served with vanilla ice-cream (RM10)

The cappuccino and Brownies I had at La Paris Go Cafe, Bondi Beach.

Anyway, I made it to Ristretto quite late last evening... But I'll be back again some time soon, to try more coffees there!

Black Chicken Soup

2011-06-21T09:04:00.000+08:00

I made some black chicken soup last weekend, my first time experimenting it in the kitchen. Normally, I would use the usual white chicken. Herbal soup is quite a common remedy soup among the Chinese, and it usually contains various herbs and roots. So, to make my job easy, I have opted for the ready-to-boil packed herbs easily available at Jaya Grocer, Empire Shopping Centre :). In terms of taste, I still very much prefer the herbal soup with white chicken - it simply tastes better!

I know what's on your mind! LOL

Roast whole grouper fish

2011-05-26T09:20:00.000+08:00

Grouper fish...

Today is the last day of the MasterChef Malaysia audition. I just want to say sorry to those who encouraged me on to take part. I just didn't feel like attending it this year. If there's a Season Two next year, I might be up to it maybe? My apology once again!

Last weekend, I dropped by the Gardens Mid Valley mall. Whichever mall I go to, I must look for its bookstore. I always spend the longest time at the food and travel sections. I would flip through the pages of every magazine, in search of beautiful photographs of places and food. And every time I see something that is worthy of my liking, I would buy. I found this particular recipe while flipping through a magazine recently. It looked simple yet delicate to prepare.

The following day I woke up extra early to get the freshest fish from my neighbourhood market. Here it is my own version of Roast Whole Grouper fish, served with salsa romesco & buttered potatoes.

Inside the fish; add 1 garlic, basil leaf, and 2 slices of lemon.
On top; some salt, black pepper, some twigs of basil,drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.
*Bake the fish for 25 to 30 minutes

Fish print!

Paintings' Inspiration...

2011-05-20T14:13:00.003+08:00

One of the old buildings still standing proud in laid-back Muar...

A week before the past Mother's Day, I visited my lovely home town of Muar in the southern Malaysian state of Johor. But only this particular time that I got a shock when I crossed the Muar bridge - I was so shocked and surprised that famous Muar river has lost its charm! The water seems overly polluted, and gone is its vibrant greenish tone. All I could see now is a BROWN river! How sad! But luckily,.
one thing has not changed at all - the aura of this laid-back town. It's still very much alive... probably from the well-maintained old, colonial buildings that still exist there.

Anyway, most of my nephews and nieces were back at the family home on that vary weekend, too. What I soothed me was, they were really enjoying every moment they had at the kampung. Little Sofea was so conscious of the surroundings... Playing with her in the morning sun just gave me the inspiration for some upcoming paintings!

Sunday at Castello Sforzesco, Milan

2011-04-27T10:00:00.002+08:00

Castello Sforzesco is a castle in Milan, Italy, that used to be the seat and residence of the Duchy of Milan and one of the biggest citadels in Europe and now houses several of the city's museums and art collections.

The entrance....

Bandung, Indonesia 2011 and my Crab Pasta

2011-04-21T13:00:00.002+08:00

Just when you thought owls come out only at night.... LOL! Owls on sale, RP30 000 each..

Posing with our new shades...

Mum and I strolling along Cihampelas Street...

This year's trip was dedicated to my mum, with the itinerary entirely based on her interests. So most of the activities include shopping, eating and simply relaxing - it was awesome!. Bandung was great, just like my first visit in 2009. In fact, this time it was even better. I went to most of those "aunty's favourite" places! LOL!

Hotel

We stayed at the Aston Tropicana Cihampelas, located along the busy Cihampelas Street. Personally, the hotel is so strategically located - everything is just around the corner.

Enjoying the view of Cihampelas Street from the hotel window...

The street at 12 midnight... just as busy...

The breakfast buffet was awesome, with lots of choices and super friendly waiting staff. My most favourite from the buffet spread was the porridge. I had it almost every morning for starter - that's how yummy it was!

I rate this hotel "Excellent". Their staff were very helpful and friendly, while the hotel was generally very clean, and they threw in free shuttle transfers, too.

Food
I asked a friend in Bandung on how to differentiate halal food there. He said it's easy. Almost 95% of restaurants in Bandung are halal, unless u see a piggy sign at the shop entrance. So I put aside my health-conscious diet and went ahead to enjoy the food as much as I wanted! Here are some of my favourites...

Dinner at Sapu Lidi.

My favourite dish was Sapu Lidi's Nasi set and fish soup. Chicken grilled perfectly, tempe (fermented soy cake) fried exotically! I simply love the herbs-fried tempe!

Sapu Lidi from the outside. Luckily, it was just a 5-minute walk from our hotel. We walked into an empty restaurant only to find it packed to the brim half an hour later!

Cihampelas Walk.

Lovely tree at Cihempelas Walk. Below are some of my favourite dishes at Cihampelas Walk:

Nasi Bakar set. Luv the strong aroma of daun salam...

Nasi Ambeng Bali... extremely hot! Love it!

Srabi Polos... yum!

Otak-otak - so puffy!

Lamb Satay... these were perfectly grilled and so juicy! And the sauce was so heavenly!

One of my favourite spots at Cihampelas Walk.

A friend of mine sells Somay Bandung at the cafe at Rumah Mode... so I gave it a try... No regrets!!

The must-have Durian Coffee at Rumah Mode...

Fried chicken at Raja Nasi Padang...

Freshly fried kerepek tempe at Cihempelas Street

Another of my favourites - Banana Chips with cheese, and Spinach Chips.

Mum waiting to skype, as we enjoyed some hot muffins at Cihempelas Walk's Starbucks.
( I forgot to take the pictures of the muffins - gone too soon!)

Hair Cut

As usual, I must have my haircut at my vacation location. So during this trip, I had one at Rudy Hadisurwarno's. Service was great, and the hairdresser was genuinely nice. Plus, they charged me only Rp 30, 000.00 (about RM10) for the haircut and wash!

At the lobby after my haircut. Love it!

Pasar Baru

Before we left the hotel for Pasar Baru, mum said she didn't know what to buy there. But once there, she spent almost all her Rupiahs in 15 minutes! So cute!

Busy with her day's purchases from Pasar Baru to pack home. While accompanying my mum shopping at Pasar Baru, I bought some pretty Japanese cotton pieces as food photography props. So here we go... Presenting my Crab Pasta and Lala Tempoyak!

My crab pasta!

Same cotton piece used for a shot of my lala cili api with tempoyak. More cottons to come!

For the Crab Pasta:
1. Cook pasta in a large kettle of boiling water until al dente.
2. Drain well and place on a warm platter. Keep warm.
3. In heavy skillet over medium heat, place butter and oil. Add green onions, garlic, black pepper, bay leave and cream. Cook, stirring until mixture boils gently for 2 minutes.
4. Mix in lemon juice, crab meat and parsley. Cook, stirring just until crab is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over pasta. Lift and mix pasta gently with grilled cherry brinjal.

Master Chef Malaysia

2011-04-05T21:45:00.001+08:00

My homemade gelato + hot, black coffee.

Hi guys! It's been a long time since I last updated my blog. I have been rather busy again lately. Only today, did I find time to update it. First, let's start with this short entry! I am sure many of you would have heard about .
Master Chef coming to Malaysia! Many friends have urged me to take part in the show that will be aired sometime in October. I am a big fan of Master Chef, especially Junior Master Chef Australia. That said, I am still not sure if I am would try my luck... Mmmm.... For those thinking of taking part, you can download the entry form here: www.masterchefmalaysia.com.my

Yesterday, I made a home-made, not-quite-it affogato (gelato + hot, black coffee), with a dash of crushed hazelnut. Tasted quite great, actually... comparable to a real, regular affogato (which uses pressed espresso). Since I am not so busy now, I thought of investing some time in exploring the new ECM at home... and hopefully, make some real affogato. Have a nice day!

Bandung

2011-03-10T23:26:00.006+08:00

I just got back from a short 5-day trip to Bandung with my mom and brother. It's my second trip to Bandung, and still very much a fun place to explore. I will write more in the next entry, with lots of photos, too! Anyway, have a nice weekend ahead, guys!

*Stay tuned!

St. Moritz, Switzerland- Part Two

2011-02-23T07:20:00.001+08:00

(click here to read part one)
At departure time, we made our way to the train station and boarded the Bernina Express... and the fun began!

Crossing the Italy-Switzerland border...

Entering Switzerland...

A flowing river of crystal-clear mineral water!

Awe-struck with the sceneries...

One of the highligths of the Bernina train ride must be the elevation wind at the Brusio viaduct. This ingenious method of ascending the alps robbed everyone's attention, more so because of the gracious way the long train rolled up the ramp... Sit on the right side of the train to get the best view!

The Bernina Express ascending the Brusio viaduct...

A miniaturized village tucked quietly in the valleys of the Swiss Alps...

So close! The river running along the rail track at Le Prese Junction...

Since this was a touring ride, nobody seemed to be content by sitting put at their seat... The walkabout on board was necessary to relax your legs!

The Lagh da Palü glacier reservoir we saw upon exiting the Stablini Tunnel...

The Ospizio Bernina station. This is the highest station on the Bernina line...

Did I also mention that the big mass of ice was just so blinding!

Someone getting ready to disembark at the next station... for coffee...

Finally there!

The St. Moritz lake... In winter months, this lake makes way for winter sports...

The welcoming mural on an underpass.

The first sign that this is the playground of the rich and famous...

... and a Chopard store...

While St. Moritz is a winter crowd-puller, summer is the best time to see this town without having to weave through tourists carrying their ski gears!

Somehow, shopping seems to be a popular activity here!

Decision making at its most challenging... But then again, chocolates were cheap enough you won't bother choosing! One of each, please!

OK, the customary coffee at each stop is a must!

All in all, we spent about six hours on the alps. If the way up to St.Moritz from Tirano was by the Bernina Express, the way down by bus had given us a completely different experience. This alternative route back to Milan had feasted our eyes with some really awesome sceneries...

The route from St Moritz to Milan... the journey took about 4 hours to reach Milan!

St. Moritz Switzerland - Part One: Tirano

2011-02-16T11:40:00.003+08:00

The Bernina Express meandering the Swiss Alps...

The day after our day trip to Stresa,we had remained in Milan - to further explore this fashion capital. Only on the following day did we venture out of Milan, this time to the highest summit on the eastern Swiss Alps, St Moritz, Switzerland!

Since our hotel was only a few meters from the FS Centrale, early that morning we began the trip by taking a metro to the Ravioli station. Since it was summer, the weather was just pleasant that morning.

Buongiorno Milano!

From the Cairoli metro station, we took a bus to Tirano. Tirano is a small town in Valtellina, Italy, bordering Switzerland. The journey from Milan to Tirano took almost 2 hours, and offered some really nice panoramas of laid back, quaint valleys of northern Italy...

After one hour the bus made a pitstop for coffee...

The nice coffee we had here, with some oven-fresh marmalade croissants.

Vineyard...

A yellow apple orchard. Yellow apples are an iconic local produce here in Tirano. The magnificent sceneries brought us to Tirano town center in roughly an hour.

Tirano

On reaching this serene town, we bought the Bernina train ticket to St. Moritz. We had about two hours before the scheduled depature, so we did some exploration of the town. While I was busy visiting the pâtisseries and local markets, Mr Cafe Elsyium was busy on his coffee hunt. We met back later, at the cafe next to the Madonna di Tirano for coffee...

Madonna di Tirano...

Tirano's reknown stone slaps for roofing...

The Yellow Apple was so Yummy!

Yummylicious Coffee Yogurt!

That's the red Bernina Express that will bring us up the Swiss Alps to St. Moritz!
*To be continued

Meatballs spaghetti with roasted cherry tomatoes.

2011-02-07T09:14:00.001+08:00

2009 Delicious' Yee Sang

2010 Delicious' Yee Sang

Since one of my family members has Chinese roots, it's a tradition for us to have Yee Sang during our Chinese New Year gatherings. For the past two years we have had our Yee Sang at Delicious, since theirs was truly delicious! This year, we went back there to have our annual Yee Sang, but they aren't serving it this time around! Instead, they offer Peking duck, oh boy...

A day earlier, I dropped by Jaya grocer to get my weekly supplies, and bought some Chinese gourmet ingredients to be packed into a gift hamper... I think it's fun to make own hamper, instead of getting those readily-packed ones. This way, I get to choose only useful and relevant items, as each item must symbolize something good in Chinese traditions.

This is my angpow collection for day one of Chinese New Year. I find the one with the rabbit on it is so cute! On the second day, my brother requested that I make my signature meatballs spaghetti, with roasted cherry tomatoes. So, not wanting to disappoint him, I made it specially for him. It's so easy to prepare this dish but most importantly, it's nourishing!

Meatballs spaghetti with roasted cherry tomatoes.
All you need to do-

For the meatballs and roasted cherry tomatoes;
•Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius. Place the cherry tomatoes in an oven dish; set aside. In a bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, leek, meatballs and add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Coat the cherry tomatoes with this marinade. Roast the tomatoes and meatballs for about 20 minutes; keep warm on the side.

For the Pasta;
•Cook the spaghetti in a large volume of salted water. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss gently. Mixed well with a spoon full of chopped mint leaf, add a squeeze of lime juice and drizzle with honey and olive oil.

*You can add a generous amount of grated Parmesan before serve.

Fried Rice With Hijiki Seaweed

2011-02-02T16:48:00.002+08:00

I only take rice once a week; so on my "rice day" last week, I made this brown rice fried in Hijiki seaweed. I threw in some chicken meat and veggies - specifically, broccoli and baby carrots, and sesame oil to taste. I bought the dried Hijiki at a nearby Jusco supermarket. The seaweed can somehow make the rice a little sticky, so I had put in just a small portion of it. And for garnishing, I added a piece of seaweed snack, and a piece of Rocket just to make it look presentable! Not so? Oh well...

To all who celebrate the Chinese New Year, I wish u "Gong Xi Fa Chai"!!

Purple potato salad with baked turkey drumstick.

2011-02-02T10:00:00.001+08:00

Weekend means more time to cook!

Purple potato salad with baked turkey drumstick.
(*cooked this last weekend)

Potatoes from Jaya Grocery Empire mall

Lovely colors aren't they?

Purple Potato Salad

You need:

3/4 Purple Potatoes, steamed, peeled & cubed
...........................................................................................................................................................

1 yellow potato

...........................................................................................................................................................

Japanese cucumber, slice thinly

...........................................................................................................................................................

Pistachios (crushed)

...........................................................................................................................................................

a medium size yellow & red capcicum each, diced into small pieces

...........................................................................................................................................................

1 stalk celery, cut into small pieces
...........................................................................................................................................................

1 Teaspoon Cumin & 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
...........................................................................................................................................................

Fresh Lemon Juice & Crushed Pepper
...........................................................................................................................................................

Steps:

1. Steam the potatoes till fork tender & cool & cut them into cubes.
...........................................................................................................................................................
2.Heat olive oil in a pan until just warm. Add the cumin seeds. As the seeds sizzle add the salt, paprika,
cubed potatoes and at high heat give them a quick toss for a minute and switch off the heat.
...........................................................................................................................................................
3.Add the sliced cucumber, capcicum, celery, & pistachios to the potatoes. Drizzle the rest of the oil.
Sprinkle some crushed red pepper and finish it off with some fresh lemon juice.

...........................................................................................................................................................
4.Serve warm or at room temperature.

...........................................................................................................................................................

Isola Bella, Stresa Italy

2011-01-21T07:30:00.005+08:00

Isola Bella is barely a five-minute water taxi-ride from Isola Pescatori. The island is amazingly gorgeous, with its own beautiful charm... No wonder why the late Princess Diana loved holidaying here. Don't expect her posters everywhere here though...

The jetty where the water taxi dropped us off...
and picked us up in three hours. So, we had three hours to explore the island.

Right after I disembarked from the taxi, I saw this beautiful view of Isola Pescatori...

I love this area - the front "lawn" of the Palazzo. It has lots of trees and very windy, too.

This island is tranquil enough for that solitude, me-moment...

At high tide, you lose any sense of where the shoreline was!

As usual, we just nosily ventured into every nook and corner... And as expected, summer offered visitors the best of souvenir stalls and shops.

And we decided to crown our visit with a tour of the Palazzo Borromeo! The late Princess Diana was said to be a regular overnighting guest here...

My first impression of this grand mansion was deja vu of my visit to the Palace of Versailles. But unlike Versailles, they were pretty strict about taking photos in this palace... Yet, I still managed to snap a few sneak-peeks ^^

We ventured on to the inner Borromeo crypt... and witnessed its collection of somewhat ghastly-looking dolls and statuettes.

This is the grotto, fully lined with sea shells... and this (grotesque!) area led us into the palazzo's garden...

The staircases on the left and right led us to the grand, main garden...

The first view, as we stepped into the garden...

... And an albino peacock suddenly appeared, as if to greet us...

We had enough time to chill around in this garden, taking in its remarkable view... Given that this was at the height of summer, the lack of visitors meant only one thing: This place is still an untold secret which only very few knew about!

The Teatro All'aperto, once used to hold plays and parties...

One of the many allegoric statues...

Stresa and the mainland can be seen clearly from the higher terrace of the garden...

Roses... roses.... and more roses.... some of which beautifully creeping up the garden wall...

Losing our sense of time, we just realized that we had spent almost three hours here... so we had to make a quick exit from the garden and head for the jetty...

We went through some small alleys enroute to the jetty, and bumped into quite a number of gorgeous cats!

Salem???

Lucky for us, the taxi has yet to arrive...

After our little exploration, we boarded the water taxi, leaving Isola Bella... Overall, the visit was more than worth all the money we spent on it... The island was so amazingly pretty! I wouldn't mind coming back here again in future...

We reached Stresa town after the 15-minute water taxi ride... Feeling famished, we went searching for a long over-due lunch.

Choices were aplenty here in Stresa...

We both had pizza on our mind, so we chose Cafe Torino, although there seemed to be a crowd - which could only mean they serve good food!

Seafood pizza for me, while Mr Cafe Elysium opted for vegetarian... How's the pizza? Hey, this is Italy... of course it was awesome!

Local Stresa coffee... so yummy!

After the fantastic meal, we did some shopping around town and it so occupied my mind, I forgot to snap much pictures!

Finally, and reluctantly, we left Stresa town and walked to its train station. Believe it or not, it was already 8 PM! I didn't realize it was already "night", since in summer months, the sky is day bright even at 8 PM! We had to catch the last train at 9 PM, and there were only a few passengers taking the same train... While passing by the other stations, they were mostly deserted! Oh well, maybe Italians were busy having their dinner ;)

It has been such a tiring day in Stresa! We reached Milan at almost 10 PM... but such a great exploration demands that I visit Stresa again one day!

Welcoming 2011

2011-01-04T08:10:00.002+08:00

If I had baked Kuih tepung pelita in jar last year to welcome the new year, this year I had baked something different - a mango cheesecake. And just yesterday, I happily baked an upside-down cranberry cake... (will blog about the cranberry cake in another entry).

Anyway, last year has been such a great year for me - everything went well, and I hope it would be even better this year. I hope it's still not too late to wish you guys a Happy New Year! Here's a toast to all of you for a wonderful new year ahead, with delicious, delicious foods!

Mango buds... Pretty, aren't they?

Click here if you want to try this recipe. I replaced the blueberry with mango.

Isola dei Pescatori, Stresa, Italy

2010-12-28T10:19:00.001+08:00

Oh wow...It's the end of the year already! Yet, I've already planned next year's trips! *excited* But I have yet to finish writing the whole story of this year's vacation destinations. Need to hurry up....so, here we go:

After about 15 minutes on the water taxi, we finally reached Isola Pescatori, otherwise known as "Fishermen’s Island". It was said that about 50 people live on this island. We quickly went on to explore this rustic and interesting island; and the view from this island was fantastic! Here are some pictures taken on the island...

The mainland, with the alps in the background...

The weather was so perfect - sunny and windy. But at times, it got too cold for a summer midday. Then again, this place is surrounded by the snowy alps...

We poked our nose into every nook and corner, enjoying the island to the fullest!

This is NOT a seashore! Who'd expect a lake to get so choppy?

A narrow alley, so full of character... Let's look what they have to offer inside...

The fishermen's village dwelling....

Local, home-made candies!

Local coffee? Like... SERIOUSLY?

No guessing who made a detour here...

Interesting! Local outlets offering something for everyone - perishable grocers, cafes and gift-shops... even boutiques selling local handicraft products...

Most of the alleys on this island offer beautiful scenes! This one opens out to the Lago Maggiore...

Their traditional occupation of fishing still exists, and actively so...

All in all, we spent about two hours exploring Pescatori. We find it such a lovely, unspoiled island!
I had had a really great time exploring Pescatori...
Thereon, we boarded our chartered water taxi again... this time, to Pescatori's sister island - Isola Bella. Taking the more economical ferry would mean having to wait for the others!

That's the ferry I meant in the previous entry ...

It's arrivederci Isola Pescatori for now!
It took us about 5 minutes by water taxi to reach Isola Bella... Will write about this magnificent island in the next entry!

*View of Isola Pescatori from Isola Bella...

A Berries Chocolate Cake for My Petit Guest

2010-12-13T14:13:00.000+08:00

I had a petit guest over at my place last week...She was visiting with her parents. So, as a treat, I had baked her a berries chocolate cake. She loves and enjoys being photographed but she won't share the limelight! She will stretch out her hand to fend off anyone trying to pose beside her! Eccentric? Maybe...

Peek-a-boo!

Look at those little fingers picking up the berries... such immaculate grace...

Little Miss Demure enjoying some private time in the guest bedroom...

After freshening up, petit guest was ready to enjoy her cake...

While petit guest enjoys her muffin and cake, to bake them, you'll need:

Berries Chocolate Cake

You need:

1 cup of all-purpose flour
...........................................................................................................................................................

3 eggs

...........................................................................................................................................................

2/3 cup of brown sugar

...........................................................................................................................................................

1/2 cup of plain yogurt

...........................................................................................................................................................

1/2 cup of olive oil

...........................................................................................................................................................

1/3 cornstrach

...........................................................................................................................................................

1/2 cup dark chocolate fudge
...........................................................................................................................................................

chocolate chips
...........................................................................................................................................................

Some berries
...........................................................................................................................................................

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven at 360F
...........................................................................................................................................................
2. In a large bowl, beat Eggs & brown sugar, add olive oil , yogurt, flour, cornstarch& mix well
...........................................................................................................................................................
3. Add baking powder & Chocolate fudge. Mix well

...........................................................................................................................................................
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes
...........................................................................................................................................................
6. Let the cake cool and spread some extra chocolate fudge. Arrange some berries on it.

Lake Maggiore

2010-12-10T17:50:00.001+08:00

Lago Maggiore

I'll skip the story of our third day in Milan for now... Will do that in the next entry.
Anyway, it's a pointless if you don't visit the lakes district, when you are in Milan. So, on the fourth day, we made a day trip to the beautiful Lake Maggiore!

We did not opt for a tour group, so we had all the opportunities and time to explore the lake and its surrounding areas at a leisurely pace. It was Mr Cafe Elysium's second visit, but my first.

Located on the south side of the Alps, Lago Maggiore is the second largest lake in Italy, but the largest in southern Switzerland. There are some famous islands (or isola in Italian) nestled in this lake - Isola Madre, Isola Bella and the Isola dei Pescatori. Collectively, they are called the Borromean Islands.

So, we left the hotel at the crack of dawn, to catch the first train from Milano Centrale FS to Stresa. We managed to have a quick breakfast at the hotel, and packed some snack from the train station kiosks, since the journey would take almost two hours.

Milano Centrale FS
... Look at the clear, blue sky! The weather was so fabulous that day - it was so gloomy and rainy just a day before.

Bought the train tickets from this kiosk. Thankfully, it was a super-friendly kiosk...

While waiting for the train, we packed some snacks, and had these yummylicious frozen cappuccino!

And as usual, Mr Cafe Elysium went on his coffee hunt...

Drop me a coin... Summer is making way for the cold shivers...

That's the train, behind me, that would take us to Stresa.

After traveling for almost two hours, we reached Stresa!

From this quaint train station, we had to walk only 15 minutes to reach Stresa's town center where Lake Maggiore is located. As we strolled, we took in the breath-taking views of the journey, taking pictures of what caught our fancy...

Spiral chimney? One would wonder if this is merely for cosmetic appearance, or if there is any practical function to it!

A glimpse of Lake Maggiore...

Scenes around Stresa....

We opted for the water taxi to get to the islands, since the ferries seemed to be jam-packed. Furthermore, a water taxi gets you there faster and with lesser fuss. The adrenaline rush ticks as we ride the waves in the water taxi!

The very awe-inspiring Isola Bella...

This is the Isola dei Pescatori... and yes, we visited this island first!

Click here to read my entries about:

Isola Dei Pescatori

Isola Bella

Pomegranate Pavlova

2010-12-01T12:00:00.000+08:00

Speaking of pavlova, my favorite is those available at Delicious - the Berrylicious Chocolate Pavlova to be exact. I love its sourish taste, and its pinkish - caramelish colour. I've been wondering all along, what gave it that color I'm sure it's not from the food colouring agent, no? That's the reason why I find their pavlova tastes slightly better than others, too.

But one day, while I was on the FaceBook via my BlackBerry, Delicious uploaded their pavlova recipe on their fan page. It was their sacred pavlova recipe! How cool! Only then I got the answer! They added some balsamic vinegar to get that sourish taste and colour! Few days later, I decided to bake my own pavlova. So I went through their page again, but.... the recipe was gone! I should've copied the recipe on spot! I will, next time.

With no good, reliable guide, I went ahead and made my own version pavlova, the Pomegranate Pavlova!

My Pomegranate Pavlova with strawberries

For the base:
•Preheat the oven to 160 degree Celsius.
Beat 2 egg whites with a pinch of salt until peak, add some balsamic vinegar and fold it slowly. Add 200 grams of confection sugar and mix the batter slowly. Bake for one hour. Left to cool in the oven with the door open.

Top:
Spread with butter cream + a teaspoon of lemon juice , arrange some pomegranate & strawberries.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and the best Gelato in Milan.

2010-11-29T09:00:00.000+08:00

So, we spent a few hours at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele before we continued strolling Milan. I love the bookshop on the Galleria's ground floor - their book selection was massive! What goes well with books? Coffee! By tea time, we found ourselves seated at the terrace of Zucca inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Their super good coffee glued us to the seat, spending sometime people watching!

GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE
The top floor houses the one and only seven-star hotel in continental Europe, the 'Town House Milano'.

Zucca Milano! Zucca is Italian for pumpkin.

Duomo di Milano, the most spectacular icon of Milan. We hiked up to its roof the following day. The view from up there was simply breathtaking. Will write about it in an upcoming entry.

We continue strolling the city but I received a call from Malpensa Airport, saying that the missing luggage has already arrived at the airport! So we decided to head for the airport to pick it up at 6PM.

GELATO!

While strolling the streets, I lost count of the amount of gelato I had chowed down! In the week prior to Milan, I had my gelato rendezvous in Mykonos. Having had so much gelato there still didn't stop me from more gelato hunting in Milan. It was the height of summer, so gelato was the hottest item in town!

CHoCoLAT
Ranking top on my list of best gelato shops in Milan was Chocolat Cafe! Their ice cream were simply fantastic! Chocolat was located at Via Boccaccio 9, tucked between the Metro stations of Cardona FNM & Conciliazione.

Tips: Their chocolate ice-cream is the best! strong,bitter,creamy & powerfull. Enjoy it alone or mixed with the "Green Gold" Bronte, the famous pistachio from Sicily.

Upside Down Apple Cake

2010-11-22T09:34:00.000+08:00

Tidying up the refrigerator, I realised there were some apples which weren't really so fresh anymore. So I baked an upside down apple cake, with olive oil,walnuts, flaxedseed and cinnamon! Enjoy the pictures!

Strolling Milan

2010-11-15T07:30:00.000+08:00

Fresh vegetables and fruits in the morning...

On the second day, I woke up a little earlier... Breakfast at the hotel was merely hard breads & cereals, so we took a stroll out to the nearest McDonald's to have something hot. Since Milan was huge, we decided to dedicate the whole day to just wander around the city, or for two days if need be...

The shop next to our hotel...

I had some fries and a fish burger. Interestingly, they also offered artichoke sauce as well as asiago cheese, as part of their local McD's "Taste of Italy" promo campaign.

Most importantly, true to their distinct fine taste in culinary tradition, Italy's McD's serves fine coffee! Only now, could I say "I'm loving it"!

From this McDonald's, we walked on to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the mother of all shopping malls in Milan. Here are some pictures taken on our way to the Galleria.

BikeMi! The bicycle rental service. Love the bicycle's colour.

So pretty!

Without realizing it, we stumbled upon what we weren't looking for - the Bikkembergs store on Manzoni! That's the store with those light green and teal columns in the pic below...

Bikkembergs are hard to come by back home, so I guess I need to pick up a few things before I can peacefully enjoy the rest of Milan!

Via Monte Napoleone is an elegant street in Milan

Milan city is so shopper-friendly, with shops lining every street... and it's not uncommon to simply wander off not knowing which direction you were heading in, and before you knew it, you're already in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele!

*To be continued

What's cooking today ; Grilled Sting Ray in milky herb gravy

2010-11-08T07:30:00.000+08:00

Before I continue my Milan entries, let's see what I had just now. Cooked this dish last weekend and it was so yummy! So, I had another round yesterday, and thought it would be lovely to share the recipe here.

This recipe originated via my mum's Javanese roots.. Mum had always used cat fish every time she cooks this and it tastes better! But if you have difficulty getting cat fish, the best substitute would be string ray, just as in my case.

I had used four chunks of sting ray. Add two tablespoons of tamarind paste.

Marinate the sting ray in tamarind paste for 30 minutes - this helps in reducing the unpleasant, fish smell of the sting ray. More importantly, this also tenderizes the sting ray.

Subsequently, clean the sting ray again - washing off the remnants of tamarind. Then, add two tablespoons of fish oil, and sprinkle some turmeric powder, and leave it for a while. While that is being done, you need to now prepare the paste for its gravy. Dash two cloves of garlic, five small onions, six Thai chillies, an inch of fresh turmeric (or a spoon of turmeric powder) and an inch of kencur root (aromatic ginger) Fry the paste in a pot with two spoons of cooking oil. Once the aroma rises, add a cup of light coconut milk and bring to boil. Reduce the fire intensity, and add thick coconut milk. Leave it to cook for a few minutes. Turn off the fire and add in some slices of kencur leaves. Now, the gravy is done.

Pan grill the sting ray but do not over cook. Once done, place the grilled sting ray in a bowl and pour the gravy over it.

There you have it - it's ready to be served!

Ciao Milano!

2010-11-03T09:20:00.001+08:00

Close to touch-down at Malpensa Aiport Milan. I love this view! My guess is, that must be Stresa. Or could it be Bellagio?

Malpensa Airport - Italian football players, Antonio Di Natale, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Claudio Marchisio, Federico Marchetti and Domenico Criscito are the new faces of the Dolce&Gabbana Underwear advertising campaign 2010.

Anyway, we reached Malpensa Airport Milan at around 6PM, after being delayed for close to four hours coming in from Athens! The worse thing was, one of our suitcases went missing! Damn! All the souvenirs and new clothes were in that suitcase! That marked a bad start to our Milan tour. Luckily, the airline's ground staff were very helpful. They had made things easy for us. The very next day, we received a call from them, informing us that the suitcase has been traced to Manchester!

Had this lovely Lavanzza coffee at the airport before taking the shuttle to Milan city... The marmalade croissants were so tasty! They took my mind off the lost suitcase quite a bit... It was the height of summer and the weather couldn't have been better. So the shuttle journey into Milan city was really pleasant.

After about one hour, we finally reached Milan city. At first glance, Milan did not impress me at all. But I do believe that each city has its own character - with that in mind, I just couldn't wait to explore Milan!

Milano Centrale FS

The shuttle dropped us at the Milano Centrale FS station ( Stazione F.S Centrale). En. Arip was smart to have booked our room at a hotel merely a few meters from this very important station. I was told that it's the second-largest station in Italy, in terms of size and traffic volume - it handles about 600 trains per day! Conveniently, the station is also serviced by two metro lines, too. Built in 1938, it boasts of a spectacular vaulted roof with generous room for a high human traffic flow. We very so awe-struck that we spent some time exploring the wide expanse of its interior. To me, the interior is amazingly spacious and grand, it's almost like the whole of Versailles converted into a railway station!

Each entrance has this same vestibular feel. Can you spot En Arip playing with his reflections on the right?lol

Cantik kelopak mata orang hilang ni...

The train station's first floor.

We checked-in to the hotel and quickly went out to dinner. Just a few steps from the hotel, we found this lovely pink-lit restaurant and I had my first, authentic Italian pizza here! LOL!

My vegetarian pizza was so yummy! Its crust was so perfect!

Once back at the hotel I was totally flat! It has been a long day! From a delayed flight, to missing luggage, I chose to just rest in the hotel room and catch an episode of Italia's Next Top Model before hitting the sack!

*To be continued

Blueberry Cheesecake

2010-10-25T12:30:00.001+08:00

Someone's birthday is just around the corner, so to make it more meaningful, I baked birthday celebrant a Blueberry Cheesecake yesterday. It was my first try, and it turned out nicely! Decorating the cake? Now, that is my favourite part... I simply love food styling!

Oh this is so delicious!
Anyway, thanks to my FaceBook friend who shared this recipe with me!

Blueberry Cheesecake

You need:

250 grams of cream cheese
...........................................................................................................................................................

1 cup of plain yoghurt

...........................................................................................................................................................

two tablespoons of custard flour

...........................................................................................................................................................

three spoons of water

...........................................................................................................................................................

three eggs

...........................................................................................................................................................

100 grams of custor sugar
...........................................................................................................................................................

175 grams of biscuits
...........................................................................................................................................................

50 grams melted butter
...........................................................................................................................................................

Steps:

1. Mix A
Mix melted butter with crushed biscuit and stamp tight in a 15cm cake base.
Bake for 15 minutes & allow for cooling.
...........................................................................................................................................................
2.Mix B
Beat egg-white until fluffy.
...........................................................................................................................................................
3.In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with dissolved custard flour in water, egg yolks, yoghurt and sugar.

...........................................................................................................................................................
5. Bake for 45 minutes.
...........................................................................................................................................................
6.Leave to cool and decorate as desired!.

Bye-bye Greece & Ciao Italia!

2010-10-22T16:00:00.007+08:00

Overall my summer trip to the Aegean islands in Greece was a remarkable one... It was really satisfying... I would rate it 5 out of 5. We spent 8 days there. At first I thought that duration would be too long... but it turned out to be just nice! Not realizing it, I took thousands of pictures there alone! It shows how much I like the islands, and how picturesque they have been.

There were so much activities we've managed to take on while on the islands - from fishing to coffee hunting on ATVs. During the last day, we decided to only spend the day by the hotel pool, to enjoy the magnificent view of the islands from the hill where the hotel was located.

Flight out to Athens was at 11AM. From there, we took another flight to Italy! It's bye-bye Greece & Ciao Italia! Enjoy the pictures below!

* You can click on "Greece" on the right side panel to read all entries about my Greece trip.

Ciao Italia!!!

Mykonos windmills

2010-10-14T10:05:00.002+08:00

Lone windmill

Built by the Venetians in the 16th century and till the early 20th century, they were used to grind wheat but now, some of them have been turned into jewellery shops and pubs. Today, there are 16 windmills on Mykonos which remain the trademark of this island. It's to Mykonos what Eiffel is, to Paris...

Main windmills

I love the fact that they can be seen from every point of the Chora, and they happen to be the first things you see when your ship sail into the harbour... Fortunately, our hotel was just next to the main windmills - six of them, situated on a hill overlooking the Aegean and Little Venice.... They were huge! Here are some pictures of them!(taken on my Olympus E510)

A topless windmill!

The jar from heaven!

2010-10-12T11:19:00.001+08:00

YOU EITHER LOVE IT, OR HATE IT! It's that simple... To me, it's like a jar from heaven!. I love it in my plain porridge, Yorkshire pudding, mee bandung Muar, gravy, cheesy scrambled eggs, on a Marmite toast and many more options! *my mouth is drooling now LOL! What would be your preference?

Again, I had Marmite toast for breakfast this morning!

Simply spread lots and lots of Marmite on your bread ^^

Arrange some onion, tomato & cheese on it, and toast in the oven!

Oopssss! There I was, licking my sticky finger while waiting for the toast...

Once ready, spread more Marmite on it and sprinkle some mozzarella cheese. And walla! My breakfast is ready!

Having Marmite toast while reading the daily newpaper in my favourite corner? La Dolce vita - such a good thing to start the day!

Super Paradise Beach, Mykonos Greece

2010-10-08T14:15:00.004+08:00

From Platis Gialos, we took the boat to Super Paradise Beach. In between, the boat stopped at another beach - the Paradise Beach... This beach was quite small, and we could've spent some time here if we wanted, but I've chose not to, since I didn't want another long wait for the next boat... They dropped some people here and continued the journey to Super Paradise Beach. After 15 minutes, we finally reached our destination!

I love Super Paradise Beach!, The beach was awesome! I just love its warm, blue water, the pool next to the bar, and the olive trees that added some character to the entire beach. They even have a scuba diving school.

From morning till night, endless parties took place on this Hedonistic heaven, with famous DJs from all over the world. One can see unlimited fun, endless dancing and jiving under the sun, and lots and lots of booze... and everyone seemed to be in en-massed ecstasy!

No matter how much I've seen before, travel really opens my eyes: There are things which are beyond your mind's comprehension... You cannot expect the world to be safe for you. Rather, you must make sure you are strong enough so that you can be safe out there!

Enjoying the scenery on the boat...

Paradise Beach

Paradise Beach

Here we are, at Super Paradise Beach!

The nudist area... No!!! I haven't taken any nude pics to upload here ^^

The family-friendly area...

Love the fig tree by the beach!

Platis Gialos Beach, Mykonos

2010-09-24T15:07:00.004+08:00

The chora...

Platis Gialos (pronounced Yialos) is in distance, 4km from Mykonos town (chora). There was a day we headed for Super Paradise beach, but we have to get to this beach first since all boats to the other beaches only depart from here. From the chora we took a bus to this beautiful beach, taking only 10 minutes. Here we bought the onward tickets to Super Paradise! Here are some pictures taken at Platis Gialos!

From the hotel, it was just a short stroll to the chora bus stop... *in this picture, Mr Cafe Elysium

The ticketing counter at the bus stop...

And after 10 minute in the air-conditioned bus, we reached the Platis Gialos...

There were various luxurious hotels and mini markets here, only a few steps from the beach... But most holidaymakers still prefer staying in the chora area...

Platis Gialos beach! Love the golden sand and its beautiful crystal-clear sea water.

Algae?

We had a drink, and relaxed on the beach for several hours... lying idly on the sunbed while waiting the for boat for Super Paradise!

On the other side of the beach..

They have lovely shops too! And my favourite Scandal ice cream were everywhere! Ice cream in the sun..who doesn't like it?

Personally, Platis Gialos is the third best beach to my liking in Mykonos!

The boat ticket to Super Paradise beach... Will write about the beach in the next entry!

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir dan Batin..

2010-09-15T16:50:00.001+08:00

My Raya fares better this year... Last year, we celebrated Raya without dad for the first time; and it was hard for everyone in my family to adjust themselves. But not this year...Alhamdulillah.

This year we received shocking news that my cousin Norisham was believed to be murdered along with Dato Sosilawati and two others, as reported in major newspapers nationwide... It just made me wonder: What kind of people we have in this world nowadays?

Anyway, it's not too late for me to wish you guys who celebrate Hari Raya, a Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin!

Grilled Grape-stuffed Chicken

2010-09-01T09:33:00.003+08:00

This is the entry on my Grilled Chicken as promised a while ago. For this recipe, I experimented with grapes! The result? It turned out just like I wanted. I love the sourish smell of the grilled grapes, as I carve the chicken before serving it. Below are the steps how I prepared my Grilled Grape-stuffed Chicken.

Clean a whole chicken. Soak it in a bowl of water, and throw in several slices of orange and a few pinches of fine salt. Let the bird soak for at least 30 minutes.

These are the ingredients you'll need for the stuffing: A handful of green grapes, three whole garlics, a lemon, two pieces of bay leaf, and some dried rosemary.

Cut the lemon in two, and stuff it into the chicken with the other ingredients.

Seal the chicken, and sprinkle with some olive oil, rosemary and salt. Grill for four to five hours in low heat.

Once ready, glaze the chicken with some honey, and put it back in the oven for at least 15 minutes until its skin turns really crispy! Now, your chicken is ready to be served! Bon apetit!

Mykonos at night

2010-08-23T10:00:00.001+08:00

I have tonnes of pictures of Mykonos at night time. Would love to share some of them here... Most shops in Mykonos close at 11PM, but party until early next morning. But closing time for restaurants and cafes was midnight... To those who love shopping, shopping at night in Mykonos is better than Paris, Milan & St. Moritz!

Sunset...

The church of Panagia at night...

Taken from Little venice... mari menyusuri lorong2 sempit di Mykonos;

From Hilfiger to Hermes, u name it!

Greek Cheese!

My fave restaurant for dinner...

Great service, nice ambiance & good greek food! the most I like is their stuffed Artichokes (the orange plate in the picture)

Grilled fresh Sardine...yumm! Overall night life in Mykonos keeps everyone awake!

On the Street, Via della Moscova....Milano

2010-08-20T10:57:00.005+08:00

Luv that white Vespa! *More Vespas to come!

On the Street... Via Piazza dei Mercanti, Milano

2010-08-10T12:16:00.003+08:00

Lovely jeans!

My Mykonos haircut

2010-08-06T06:57:00.001+08:00

Some people love having their hair cut before travelling... But I prefer to have mine at the destination of my visit. To me, by having my hair cut during the vacation is an activity that connects me to their people and culture... I am not one who would go to a modern hair saloon. Rather, I prefer the traditional barber shop.

When I was in Mykonos, I had my haircut at midnight!. The barber runs his shop with his son, with the son serving young customers while he serves the older ones.

The son was so cool to share many things and tips while he cut my hair. I noticed that he used a kind of weird triple-layer comb to trim my hair - something which I have never seen before. I had asked him to cut my hair to the most current, hottest style in Mykonos ^_^

I had asked Mr Cafe Elysium to take care my DSLR while I get my hair cut, and he took all of these pictures below. Thanks bro!

That's the weird triple-layer comb!

On the Street... at Duomo di Milano

2010-08-05T08:27:00.001+08:00

The stride of the owner of Cafe Elysium.

Me! LOL

Gelato, under the Greek sun!

2010-07-30T07:15:00.000+08:00

Still about Mykonos :) Actually, I have a few more entries on Mykonos. To those who are new to my blog, you can read the previous entries on Mykonos by clicking the link on the right-hand side panel. Just click on "Greece"!

Anyway, as I travel, I will always make sure I try gelato, or a local ice-cream of the country I visit. When I was in Mykonos, there was a shop selling homemade gelato made from fresh Greek milk! And it tastes so fantastic... Really fantastic! Luckily, the shop was just a few meters from our hotel!

The church of Panagia in Mykonos... It's situated not far from the ice-cream shop. Anyway, its dome reminds me of gelato - served in a chilled cup!

Anyway, this is the shop! Pagoto Mania, and those store-front seats were always full! I had always wanted to sit right there instead of having my gelato to-go but one must be really patient to get the chance! The idea of having my gelato there and enjoying the view of the busy street was cool to me. And luckily, there was a day when that very seat was available! Finally! * En Arip seated on the right was busy having his gelato...

This is the interior of the shop. The counter boy said they have over 24 different flavours available and recommended the best as below. But personally, I love the Nutela & Bounty the most!

Tempting huh? Imagine BEING there!

Since it was summer, everyone was out just to enjoy their gelato! Such a nice sight, to see almost everyone holding their gelato or ice-cream on the street!

And next door to this shop was a mini Carrefour. I just luv the thought of seeing a Carrefour set in a small, old building... This Carrefour is their idea of a neighbourhood sundry shop, serving a small community. But even in Paris, serving a small community doesn't warrant a small Carrefour! So, this is really interesting!

And here, I found a nice ice-cream brand - Scandal! To me that's a bit of a naughty marketing strategy for the brand. Not to mention, sounding a bit catchy too... But what really, really caught my attention while browsing for my ice-cream was its flavours!

Chocolate orgy, anyone?

For a thirst-quenching, instant relief, I love its passion fruit ice-cream below. Such a chilling thrill, for a hot sunny day! It's from Algida or Wall's as it is known in most Asian countries. Overall, the Greek milk ice-cream is still the best!

On the Street... Centrale FS, Milano

2010-07-28T08:29:00.006+08:00

Saw this guy as I strolled past Milan's Stazione Centrale (Centrale FS).
I just love his denim jacket!

Lemon Jelly with Homemade Orange Marmalade

2010-07-27T08:45:00.000+08:00

That’s what I like best: putting final touches to make my jelly agar-agar look presentable... I still remember, during Hari Raya back in my hometown in Muar, Johore, mum have always served jelly or "lengkong" in Javanese language, as dessert during marhaban. She will usually ask me to help her in the kitchen, cutting the jelly onto plates. It was a highly stressful job, since I always ended up breaking the jelly! That's when I asked her to start serving jelly in small cups instead... fuhh...

A fruit wonderland!

Anyway, during my recent trip to Greece, I really enjoyed the oranges there. They were huge and really sweet! I must also mention that fruits were cheap there. For example, 2 Euros could get you 10 oranges!

Just the right mix: fruits in a Mediterranean setting!

Remember the camomile from my Greek herbs entry earlier? This time, I have soaked the orange flesh in the water for 30 minutes with the camomile before boiling it. The result: It gives out a woody aroma and a bit of apple flavour to my orange marmalade. Once ready, I served my homemade orange marmalade on my lemon jelly!

As garnishing for my jelly, I made some sweet orange strips. I had cooked some orange skin in honey and brown sugar.

Once the jelly is well set, keep it refrigerated. Simply arrange the orange marmalade on its top, along with the orange strips before serving. Sprinkle some camomile buds as additional decor.

Another round, maybe?

On the Street... Via Piazza dei Mercanti, Milano

2010-07-25T19:15:00.003+08:00

Delos Island of Mykonos (Part Two)

2010-07-23T15:49:00.004+08:00

If u missed Part One, you can read it by clicking here.

We reached the island after almost an hour and a half on the sea. It was that long a journey! Anyway, Delos had a position as a holy sanctuary for a millennium before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis in the island, and now only ten people are living in this Island. I'm actually not into history, although I had always scored A for my art history studies during my University days! LOL! But to have a chance to visit and see with my very own eyes, some of what I've studied in Greek history? Why not?

So, we started to explore and learn the history of Delos... Here are some of the pictures from the trip...

A wildflower by the entrance...

The island is hilly and barren, but has really great views...

The Terrace of the Lions...

Dedicated to Apollo by the people of Naxos shortly before 600 BC. Had originally nine to twelve squatting, snarling marble guardian lions along the Sacred Way, one is inserted over the main gate to the Venetian Arsenal.

The lions create a monumental avenue comparable to Egyptian avenues of sphinxes. (There is a Greek sphinx in the Delos Museum.) Today only seven of the original lions remain.

Oh little kitty, are you one of the Lions? LOL!

Greek Phallus...

Yes, it's a penis statue! The Greeks called it Phallus. I overheard from a tourist guide, and he said; "There was a time when all babies died after delivery. And the Greek people started to worship the phallus, hoping that their men will bear better genes..." errr...

After a long walk, we were lucky to come across a small cafe on a little hill! We had a fresh Greek orange juice, with some tuna sandwiches. The weather was so good, making having a juice in the hot sun, looking out to the blue Aegean Sea an awesome experience. After the thirst-quenching juice, we continued with our exploration.

Archaeological Museum of Delos

They have a small museum on this island... But they had put up a notice stating that the museum was closed... I was a bit disappointed, but we continued to explore the rest of the island. An hour or so later, we passed by the museum again, and guess what? It was open! LOL! So we went in, to see some really awesome artifacts.

And after the walking and climbing, we had a really enjoyable time on the island of Delos. After spending about half a day here, I was totally flat out during the boat ride back to civilisation... When I woke up from my short nap, we were almost reaching Mykonos harbour...

Piz Buin

2010-07-20T15:17:00.003+08:00

There was a day when I was eager to stay in the sun, so I decided to sunbathe at Mykonos' Super Paradise beach. It was reputed to be the most popular beach in Mykonos! I will write about how to get there, soon. Anyway, if you are a tanning lover, simply grab this lotion below as soon as you see it on the racks! I got my bronze-tan just 30 minutes after applying it!

On the Street... Mykonos, Greece

2010-07-17T23:28:00.005+08:00

On the street, Santorini Greece

2010-07-16T20:13:00.006+08:00

This is one of my favourite pictures of senior citizens in Greece...

Street kids... Santorini, Greece

2010-07-15T15:40:00.004+08:00

Stumbled upon them while they went begging by the street...

So carefree and innocent

Love his alluring yet naive eyes

Greek Herbs

2010-07-14T12:42:00.007+08:00

Herbs are cheap in Mykonos, especially their local ones. I was so happy to go on my herb-hunting mission, going from shop to shop - just to get something of everything for my kitchen! Anyway, a large pack of dried Vanilla beans costs only €2 Cheap?

Greek Chamomile

Chamomile, pronounced as "kam-a-meel" is actually called "earth-apple", as it has a distinct apple-like scent. I have learned from the shop owner how to prepare it in Greek style. Will try that later, and share it here!

Picture of the Day - Cat in Italy

2010-07-13T14:25:00.006+08:00

Begining today, I shall be updating my blog on a daily basis, with uploads of "Picture of the Day", to fill the slots between main entries! cool?

Took this shot on the Isola Pescatori in Stresa, Italy... Would it look better if the cat had looked at the camera?

The island of Delos, Greece (Part One)

2010-07-12T09:26:00.001+08:00

There was a day when we took a day-trip from Mykonos to the Island of Delos! Delos is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece.

For this Part One, I'll let the pictures do all the talking! UNESCO inscribed Delos on the World Heritage List, citing it as the "exceptionally extensive and rich" archaeological site which "conveys the image of a great cosmopolitan Mediterranean port...

To be continued...

Suisse Cafe, Mykonos

2010-07-05T07:20:00.004+08:00

Facade of Suisse Cafe

Everything about Suisse Cafe is sweet - from its deco, service, to food and the ambiance - I feel completely at home! Giselle the owner runs her cafe on her own. Yes, ALL alone! Isn't that so inspiring? Although breakfast was provided at the hotel, nothing stopped me from visiting her cafe a few days for breakfast. It's just that spending time at Giselle's cafe provided all the calm and serenity a morning must begin with... It was just so relaxing!

Anyway, let's take a closer look at Giselle's cafe...

I love the coffee here, since she proudly serves the Milan-based Nespresso coffee...

Took this picture when I was waiting for my breakfast the other day. I love everything about the colour and presentation...

This little place really stirred my curiosity... I'll let the pictures do the talking!

En Arip snooped around, too and caught me so occupied with one of Giselle's magazines...

Of all the things Giselle serves, I love her Cheese and Herbs Crepes. She used five types of traditional Greek cheeses... The best part that I love is the inviting aroma from the feta cheese...

And this is Giselle! She was like a long lost friend, always eager to share a lot about her cafe... And I just wish that I have the chance to run a cafe just like hers! You can read more about Giselle and her coffee at this entry on En Arip's blog, Cafe Elysium...

This is another peek into Giselle's world...

Mykonos - The Cute & ColourfuI Island

2010-07-01T07:08:00.003+08:00

Common view of the colorful Mykonos alleys...

The whole Mykonos island was so colourful! I luv the contrasts! The vibrant colour of the timber railings, doors, windows with their signature white walls and their trademark patterns on their pathways.

"We couldn't stop taking pictures, could we?"
asked the next door French lady over her balcony. Another happy traveller!

"Oh yes! I a took thousand pictures everyday! Every corner is so picturesque!" I replied.

I love the way Mykonians maximize the usage of space and their showcase windows. Anyway, let's go for a walk around the alleys!

Notice the smart patterns on their pathway?

Almost all of their main alleys are lined with quaint little shops...

As if having small little dainty shops weren't cute enough, these Mykonos entrepreneurs were also very clever and creative in arranging their displays...

It's very interesting to note that Mykonians were quite good at handiwork... Combining clever use of modern, colorful trimmings and conventional knick-knacks, how can one not fall for such handy and unique gifts?

That's En Arip buying yet another snack...

Rummaging thru some irresistible ornaments...

Entrance to The Piano Bar which opens out to the magnificent sunset of Little Venice...

Morning scene at the chora's elementary school...

A colourful mural on the school wall...

Mykonos is a considerably barren land with very little vegetation... but the bland tone of its barren land is often offset by the vibrant and vivid colours of its people and their lives...

Via Monte Napoleone, Milano

2010-06-28T15:12:00.005+08:00

Flower shop & high fashion on the street...

Mykonos entries will be continued soon...
Have a great Monday everyone!

Mykonos - Door Knockers

2010-06-24T14:50:00.008+08:00

Right now, I'm composing my next entry but it's taking a little longer to get done! Since I have tonnes of pictures to choose from, I got stuck all the time! Yeah.. I am left slightly blurred as to which get uploaded here...

My travel partner, En Arip has also updated his blog about Mykonos! I believe everyone has different views when looking at something... There are things that fascinate me, but maybe not others. And vice-versa!

En Arip has just written about Mykonos' door knockers! By the way, picture above is taken from his blog...

If you are interested to see his point of view about Mykonos you can visit:
www.cafe-elysium.blogspot.com