Unforgettable Hakone
Hakone is a quite a popular destination with tourists in Japan due to its vicinity to Mt. Fuji and its lakes. In fact, the place we stayed in is a typical onsen that faces a lake and the mountain. But before we got to the ryokan, we made a few stops at typical touristy attractions along the way.
Lake Ashi, or Ashinoko (???) is one of the lakes around Mt. Fuji and a scenic cruise was part of the itinerary. The “cruise” was barely ten minutes long but the view was breathtaking.
We had bento lunch with chicken and udon around Lake Ashi. Tender chicken with stir fried cabbage and carrots was a good accompaniment to the fluffy rice. I have always loved the Japanese short grain rice. The fried fish was a tad cold but the hot udon warmed me up.
Another stop that we made was at Owakudani, which is famous for its kuro-tamago, or black eggs. Word has it that eating one can prolong one’s life by 7 years! Apart from the black coloured shell (due to the sulphur from the soil), it tasted no different than your regular hard boiled egg. Apart from the eggs, there are other snacks such as buns, fried fish cake etc being sold here.
We arrived at the ryokan in the evening and settled down in our rooms. During the day, the mattresses are rolled and kept away and at night, spread out for the guests. I love how the rooms were almost like a studio suite by itself, with a small seating area, complete with fridge and washing basin, and the room had tatami mats, dining table and chairs, telly etc.
Another must-do in Hakone is of course to try the onsen. In fact most ryokans here will have their own hot spring facilities. Ours was located indoors on the top floor, with a gorgeous view of Mt.Fuji during the day.
Usually dinner is served in your room at the ryokan. However we were a bigger group so we got a function room to ourselves. Dinner was also in the bento form, with many small dishes. We had a small hot pot with flat noodles and some vegetables, grilled fish, seaweed salad, squid, chawanmushi, tempura and sweets in the form of jelly and melon slice.
What’s a trip to Japan without having sashimi right? But as it was not included in our meal, it was an additional 11,000, which sounded a tad expensive initially. However our sashimi boat was fairly big and could feed 4pax, and had 12 types of fresh, raw seafood such as lobster, salmon, tuna, scallop, sea urchin, sweet prawn, prawn, squid, octopus etc. Very fresh and sweet, sashimi’s indeed not to be missed in Japan.
After our good meal, some telly, a dip into the hot spring, we had a good night’s sleep and awoke to…
this view of Mt.Fuji from our room window the next morning. It was particularly refreshing walking by the lake in the crisp morning air.
We had another simple Japanese breakfast before we set off. Rice with miso soup, grilled salmon, tamago, yasai salad and another green salad.
It was quite lovely taking this break at Hakone as one can experience all the Japanese culture we’ve come to know with the tatami sleeping arrangements, hot spring and food.
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Nyonya Restaurant, SS2
This is an old establishment that has been here for years and has undergone a facelift since I last ate there. Driving past the other day, decided to pop in again to see how the changes fare.
Clean lines in the interior.
This is the Gulai Tumis fish. The fish was cooked in this sour tamarind gravy with lady’s fingers (okra) and pineapple and garnished with laksa leaves, or more known as daun kesom. Piquant and slighly spicy, this dish can be addictive once paired with white rice.
We also tried the Beef rendang. Flavourful but the meat was not as tender as I would like it.
Ordered sayur paku or fiddlehead ferns which were stir-fried with succulent prawns. Crisp and fresh, enjoyed this too.
It’s comforting to know that this place’s food has remained consistent over the years. And they do have quite an array of other dishes to tickle anyone’s fancy.
Nyonya Restaurant ()
52, Jalan SS2/24,
47300 Petaling Jaya.
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Because Time Waits for No One
Friday 7 August 2009
Rewind 9 years
That was from my cousin. I immediately ran to his house, which was a few blocks away from mine.
That was the sweetest thing I have ever seen in my life.
. D24. No kampung. No thai.
It hurts me everytime to think about her departure. What really happened to her while no one was around at home, and the things that I would give up just to listen to her barking at the background whenever I call home or to see a running fur ball whenever I open the front gate.
I hope you had a happy life whilst staying with us.
Rest in peace, my girl.
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# 2 The Black Echoes
That irritating sound won’t stop.
It just won’t stop bothering me.
258 was the number of days that I have been counting.
There it goes … I heard the sound again, echoing in the tunnel.
I moved myself to the adjacent burrow. I can feel that it is coming towards my direction. Wait, something is not right here. From the back of my body.
……
Was I dead or did I just pass out in the dark? All I can feel is the numbness in my nerves.
I hate the sound of machine guns.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I grabbed the handle strongly, so strongly that I almost clutched myself to the seat right in front of me. The bus was rocking a hard way through the terribly uneven muddy path.
‘The absorber is worn out.’
Again, my head hit high into ceiling of the bus as it runs over a huge crater on the road.
We joined a day tour to Cu Chi and Cao Dai for less than USD 7. For that price, I certainly didn’t expect a long arse journey on the bus. I think my lungs, kidneys and stomachs sagged by 1.5cm after spending 5 hours travelling on the rocky road.
Our Bobby Chinn look-alike tour guide was very entertaining.
‘Miss, whe du yeu kam frum?’
‘Malaysia’.
‘Ohhh…de land famous for robbers!’
Astounded by his reply, I found out later that he means ‘rubber’. Certainly one of the most interesting remarks in this journey.
The journey throughout Cu Chi was a remarkable one. I was particularly amazed by their perseverance and determination. Imagine a bunch of Viet Cong soldiers living in the dark, humid and claustrophobia-inducing underground. The American troop described the conditions within the tunnel as ‘black echoes’.
We did try to explore one of the sections of the tunnel that has been expanded to accommodate taller/ larger sized tourists.
It ain’t fun.
I was a fool to believe that the tunnel has been enlarged to accommodate the big size us. *imagining walking around the tunnel freely like visiting museum liddat*
Half way crawling through the tunnel (I almost laid flat on the floor and creep towards the end), I was sweating and screaming in my heart…the tunnel seems to be never ending. How did the Viet Cong soldiers manage to survive in the tunnel for 20 over years when I find the dark claustrophobic atmosphere unbearable for mere 2 seconds?
I am a true brat spoiled by modernity.
After the exploration, I found something amusing. I really wanted to try that real thing. At least once. The guy recommended M16, so I bought 10 bullets (USD 17) for that.
It still ain’t fun lorrrrr.
I was a fool to believe that ear muff works. The NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) is close to ‘0’. The impact of the shot was so powerful that every shot leaves my ear drum with a numb (wee wung wung…wee wung wung…) feeling.
I’m glad that I insisted on trying out on our last day despite the fact that we were supposed to rush to the airport.
We ordered “The Legend” which was nothing like the ordinary Starbucks cappuccino. The coffee was really strong and bold, definitely one of the highlights of my trip. *Love*
Later on when we return to SG, we found out that there is actually a branch located at Liang Court, Clark Quay. *Double Love*
*
For now, I’m more than happy to return to my comfort zone, happily munching on my routine subway ham and egg, surfing dumb websites, and crossing the road without the fear of being smashed by 58 motorbikes into a slab of tomato paste in the middle of the road.
Bar none, I still love you, Saigon.
Yellow stars missing in sight …
-The end-
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Sulaiman’s Famous Cendol, Pudu.
During a recent walkabout around the Pudu market (???) area, we were brought to this stall in some alleyway off Jalan Pudu. Only after we were seated, we noted that many locals ordered their cendol in cantonese! Yup, the Indian uncle manning the stall speaks Cantonese. Heh.
The Cendol Kacang (RM1.10) is your usual plain cendol with a serving of kidney beans. The beans were soft and flavourful without being too mushy. And the cendol easily glides down one’s throat. The ratio of gula melaka and the coconut milk here is perfect, resulting in a refreshing, fragrant yet not too sweet dessert.
My favourite however, is the Cendol Jagung (RM1.20). Somehow the dollop of cream corn accentuates the flavours.
Great dessert during these hot days indeed. He also has Cendol Pulut, with glutinous rice and a special version .
Sulaiman’s Famous Cendol & Rojak
Mobile Stall next to Restoran R.S.S Maju,
Pudu Market Alleyway (Jalan Pasar?)
Pudu, K.Lumpur.
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Tales of the Unexpected from Saigon
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#1: Untold Secrets of the Message Room
‘Shhh…be quiet…you don’t want to wake them up…let me show you the way.’
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I didn’t dwell myself too long in that B-grade horror flick as I walk through the underground tunnel of the Reunification Palace.
Oh by the way, I was at Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) for 3 days. Thanks to the free air tickets from the lucky dip.
The first, second, third and fourth floor didn’t excite me. There were numbers of meeting rooms, conference rooms and dining rooms of different themes, a place previously resided by the presidents.
We were just wandering around the Palace and stumbled upon one eery staircase that leads to the dark underground. That really intrigued my interest.
The young boy is definitely not from our hallucination but he was really everywhere. Everywhere that we went. He loves blocking our way, interrupting at the background when we were shooting photos and looking at Hairy with a creepy smile.
‘Sekali you see him in one of the black & white pictures hung on the wall’ said Hairy with a blank look.
How interesting.
We dropped by Ben Thanh Market (we call it the ‘Beh Tahan Market’) and zoomed straight into the food section.
Tell me about pracitising food hygiene, there were a few dead cockroaches lying under my seat.
To eat or not to eat? Gulp…There goes my first bowl of pork knuckle noodles in Vietnam and L-S (diarrhea) on the very next day.
At night, we strolled along the night market street and the dai chow stalls came into sight. Born to be gluttons, we settled for another round of food.
Can you believe that a bottle of Saigon beer costs only 90 cents (10,000 dong)?
But that 90 cents can only give you a taste of gassy plain water. I stopped at one bottle.
Photo credit to the legendary Hairy from .
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Berkeley – Chez Panisse
In less than 30 minutes, one can take the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from SF to Berkeley, in the East Bay region. There, you can visit my alma mater and enjoy great food. There are many many good restaurants around but I only have one meal and I chose to go to Chez Panisse.
Opened by a lady, Alice Waters, who has always been an advocate for sound and sustainable agriculture, the restaurant still remains committed to that believe today. The restaurant started out serving only one fix prix menu that changes daily. That has not changed either, but a more casual cafe opened much later, to offer an alternative to the restaurant. Located upstairs, the cafe offers à la carte menu for both lunch and dinner.
Tasty.
The tart on first sight, looked so rustic and homemade. I know it sounds strange, but it exuded warmth and love. The shell was very thin and partly soft, partly crunchy. I looked at the pinkish rhubarb and could not believe something so pretty could be oh-so-sour. Luckily we had the ice cream on the side. On its own, it was sweet and tasted like a big, frozen orange creamsicle. It complemented the rhubarb very nicely.
Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709-1516
Reservations taken up to 1 month in advance.
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Bak Kut Teh @ Gurney Plaza ( RO KU CHA WANG)
- The Shop-
Cuisine: Chinese
Non Halal
Location: Level 4, Gurney Plaza, Penang
RM15-20 per person
Rou Gu Cha is better known as Bak Kut Teh” in Penang. We were having lunch in Queensbay GP since we are kinda bored by those fast food .. and we decided to try something new.
- the menu -
The restaurant offers a variety of Bak Kut Teh from pork to chicken and even vegetarian (Yes, you heard me right – a vegetarian “Bak Kut” teh with a touch of spice). And from Bak Kut Teh with soup to dry ones.
We found something different and we ordered a dry Bak Kut Teh (Gan Rou Gu Cha) @RM12.90+ per set and a soup variety one which is the normal Bak Kut Teh @13.90+
-Ginger and the chilly paddy -
- Fried dim su- fishball -
- the set of ro ku cha -
Sets comes with steam rice, seasonal bean sprouts, dim sum, herbal jelly and chinese tea. Gan Rou Gu Cha has pork ribs, streaky pork, cartilage, meat ball, mushroom, beancurd stick, cuttlefish, lady finger, dried chili, vegetables. Hong Jiu Rou Gu Cha has pork ribs, streaky pork, cartilage, hock, meat ball, mushroom, beancurd stick, traditional beancurd and vegetables.
- the soup style ru ku cha-
- Mee Style Bak Kut Teh-
Other than that, Anna ordered the Mee Ro Gu Cha.. which is kinda special . According to her, the mee is reall nice as well is yummy
-Dry Style Bak Kut Teh-
-The shop ( front view) -
Taste:4/5
Price: RM 48 for 3
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California – COI Restaurant (San Francisco)
The concept of Coi sounds all righteous and good.
“best ingredients we can find in our area: cultivated plants grown from heirloom seeds; wild-harvested leaves, flowers, barks and roots; local fish, seaweeds and coastal grasses; pastured meat, poultry and eggs from small farmers. These are the flavors of place.“
I was sold and went all out to make a reservation on Opentable.com until I got a confirmation and heaved a sigh of relief.
Maybe it was a combination of factors – the recommendation and the anticipation, that made this meal a major disappointment.
I won’t go into details too much, but in general, I thought the food might have appeared interest and pleasant to the eye, some of them did taste pretty decent while some of them just don’t make sense. Above all, I could not stand the pretentious wait staff, with their no-smiles-i’m-better-than-you attitude. There was no need to seem so high-handed. I know they are probably nice people outside the restaurant. So the friend and I tried to loosen them up a bit by going a couple notches up the decibel scale.
The restaurant was in a low-ceiling room that made me feel like I was in a upscale cave. All the tables were full (about 24 pax in total) and more than 50% were Asians. Just a note, I don’t want to imply anything. So anyway, we got the tasting menu, which was the only menu, at US$125 per pax (excluding tax and tip) without wine pairing. What did we eat?
Scented with Coi essential oils (sage, pepper, and some flowers)
Honeymilk in a gel
Pink Grapefruit
ginger, tarragon, black pepper
early season asparagus, flowers and herbs
Vadovan gastrique, preserved lemon, wild arugula
fennel in different forms
glazed, young carrots, burnt breadcrumbs, almonds, wood sorrel
steamed tofu mousseline, yuba, fresh seaweeds, mushroom dashi
wild mushrooms, oxalis flowers
slow roasted farro, erbette chard, brown butter parmesan sauce
toast, spring lettuces
Hazalnut and cocoa textures
Olive Oil Shortcake
strawberry rhubarb, lemon balm, long pepper
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That 3 Days in an Island
Different from what the title would imply, I’m not writing a hopelessly romantic getaway post. In fact, the trip was initiated by a not so amorous reason – to clear Fishy’s annual leave for the first quarter of 2009.
Hokkaido was in the list.
Koh Samui looks not too bad either.
Infomercial break: Visit , a newly established boutique resort by my company in Koh Samui 
Whatever it is, the plan was to fully utilise our passports and travel out of Singapore. Ding dong here and there, after all the cost and time factor consideration, we ended up here…
Bintan Island.
An Indonesian Island that is blardy near to Singapore and is the well-known beach holiday travelling spot for Singaporeans, something akin to Malaysian travelling to Port Dickson.
The island has become so popular among Singaporeans that all prices are denoted in Singapore dollars. And nothing is cheap here.
Lunch was in the resort beside a muddy pool.
Trying to be adventurous, I picked some funny looking fruits from the buffet spread counter, thought it would have tasted something like lychee. But yiaks…the flesh was so hard and it tasted like one semi-sweetened garlic. To date, I still have no idea what is the name of this fruit. Shit, or was it only a plastic display.
I mean the colourful bikinis that we brought.
For that 3 days we took the risk to ride on the ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) or known as the quad-bike.
The ride was a rough and tough one, across the muddy pool, sandy pathway, up the hill, down the stream, and the whole vehicle was so hard to navigate that I almost crashed myself right into a tree. .
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The evening was spent on the beach attempting beachy jumps.
Oh, and we saw an island swam us by…
The holiday was not too bad after all, albeit abit commercialised as the whole island is dedicated to earn monies out of Singaporeans.
I had fun.
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