Penang Food Adventures - Best Malaysian Fruit!

The months of May-July is always the season for some of the best fruits in Penang. The fruits in mention here is the durian, mangosteen, langsat and rambutan. Mace and Pin took us on a drive to Balik Pulau and on the way we stopped for a helping of durian since 3 out of 4 of us in the car were craving for the delicious fruit. Guess who the 1 person who wasn't? :) My dear husband of course. Unfortunately majority wins so he had to go along for the adventure.

We chose a lovely durian of the Ganja variety. Now for those who have had this variety before you would know that its extremely potent. We were warned by the vendor that after having the durian we are to not drink water for at least 10 minutes. If not, you would feel dizzy or a little light headed. Definitely not ideal for driving through the winding steep roads of Balik Pulau.

But boy was it a treat! Here is a picture of the man cutting up the durian for us. Opening the spiky fruit requires skill and strength in the wrists. This man was clearly very experienced with it.

The stall also sold mangosteens. I love mangosteens. In fact, sometimes I think I love mangosteens more than I love durians. Lovely sweet white flesh encased in a fibrous dark purple casing.

This is a picture of langsat. Also a fruit with soft white translucent flesh yet completely different in taste to the mangosteen. I cannot describe the flavours of these fruits. You have to try it to know it. So if you haven't before, the next time you catch sight of these on sale at a roadside vendor, make sure you stop to give it a try.

There were plenty of other durian varieties on sale at the stall. The durians at Balik Pulau are often cited as being the best in Malaysia. The stall is located at the Balik Pulau lookout called 'Anjung Indah'. It has a nice scenic view of the sea from the top of the hill and is a nice, relaxing stop to make. For better directions to this place, go here.

This was our yummy Ganja. I had only two pieces of the fruit and was very satisfied. One good durian is definitely better than having 10 average ones.

Now, can someone please import Penang durians to Australia? The Thai ones available here are incomparable in taste and texture.

cheryl

Penang Food Adventures - Old House Cafe

While passing Kimberley Street on my last trip back in Penang in July, I spotted this newly renovated place called the Old House Cafe. The owners of this place bought 5 units of pre war shop houses and restored the structure to its former glory before adding a touch of the antique with the use of heavy wooden doors with metal trimmings, old style tea tables, seats, benches and artwork.

Curiosity got better of me so I talked my parents into having lunch at this new establishment. The prices are a bit on the steep side for regular coffee shop fare but I suppose you are paying the difference for cleanliness, cool comfort and a nice ambience. This would be the place to take customers or visiting friends/relatives for a simple lunch or dinner.
The exterior of the cafe. It is very hard to miss as it is the only stretch of green in a line of pre war buildings.

I get the feeling that no expense was spared when the owner poured funds into this place.

We ordered 3 of their most well known dishes. The first being 'Har Mee' - A slightly spicy prawn based soup noodle served with a big prawn, a pork spare rib garnished with fried onion. The soup had a lovely flavour to it. I have never been a big fan of Har Mee so I refrain from making much comment about this.

Another of their famed dish is the Braised Meat Rice. It is pork, chicken and hard boiled egg slowly cooked in simmering soy sauce with the chinese five spice powder before being chopped and served with rice. This dish to my opinion is the most value for money one can get in this cafe. If I return, I will order this again for myself.

This dish here is ho..ho... the 'Tu Kar Chor' also known as Pig Trotters cooked in Black Vinegar. If done well this dish is divine. It is often known as the dish that ladies in confinement crave for.

The version served in this cafe is not too bad though I wish it had more fat meat in it rather than being purely lean meat. However it is quite good value for money as you can see the from big chunks of meat in the picture above. Satisfying but not jaw dropping.

I might return for another visit to this cafe on my next trip but it won't be on the 'must do' section of my list of things to eat.

Location: 145-153 Kimberley Street.

Opening hours: 12-3pm, 6-10.30pm. Closed Tuesday

cheryl

Penang Food Adventures - Hawker Food

It's been awhile since my trip back home to Penang and I have been meaning to post about all the wonderful food I indulged in during that time but I admit I have a bit of slacker with my updates no thanks to my busy home life. Yes my busy home life :) So I have decided to make amends and do all the food posts in one weekend.

Lots of pictures coming up with short comments on where to find these delectable yummies.


This is 'Koay Chiap' - A steaming bowl of flat rice pieces served in a fragrant broth (duck stock) topped with lovely chopped pieces of duck meat, a hard boiled egg (cooked in simmering soy sauce), chopped chives and sometimes coriander. I have returned time and time again to this same stall and this is the only place where I have Koay Chiap. The stall that serves this dish is located at Kimberley Street. Its a small unassuming stall by the roadside with a very quick stream of customers coming and going - only available late evening ~8pm.

This is 'Char Koay Teow' - Flat rice noodles fried up in a hot wok, tossed in the searing heat with fresh, crisp bean sprouts, fried pork fat bits and finished off with an egg. This is also on Kimberley St.

This is 'Yong Tau Foo' - This dish is clear soup dish of Hakka origin containing a variety of vegetables, fish balls, tofu, chili stuffed with fish paste and etc. This particular stall on Kimberley St is like no other Yong Tau Foo stall in Penang. This vendor sells his very satisfying fare from the back of his motorcycle where customers choose the ingredients they want and it is served hot to your table sans the broth. The Yong Tau Foo pieces is topped with fragrant lightly fried garlic oil, sweet sauce and chilli sauce on the side. If you want some of the broth, make a request for it and it will come separately in a smaller bowl.

Part of my food list also included a trip to Balik Pulau to have the infamous Laksa. The name of the coffeeshop is Nan Guang and its right across the street from a T junction, next to the Balik Pulau Market. I can't provide further details as it is located in a remote area of Penang.

The two ladies operating the laksa stall - open for lunch only up to 3pm.

Alex and I enjoying our food. And pardon the KFC on the table :) Mace and Pin had to stop off at KFC first for Alex because he can't have anything spicy so it was just me that enjoyed the laksa.

The hot bowl of 'Laksa' (the picture is of the Assam version) - A fish based soup rice noodle dish with lots of fish bits in the soup made with touches of tamarind, lemongrass and galangal. The noodles are usually garnished with sliced cucumber, pineapple, mint, onions and a dash of prawn paste. This dish has a very distinctive flavour and its not possible to describe it unless you've had it before.

This is 'Mee Goreng' - A spicy Malay noodle fried dish - yellow noodles (sometimes with koay teow) tossed over wok heat with tomato paste, chili, egg and topped with tofu pieces, sliced vegetable, potatoes and cuttlefish.

This is 'Claypot Chicken Rice' - Rice cooked in a claypot over charcoal fire, giving the dish a rustic, barbeque-like, distinctive flavour. Chicken pieces, salted fish, shittake mushrooms and chinese sausage is added to the rice while cooking and an egg is cracked atop the rice at the end stage of cooking. Chives are added as a garnish. This dish is often served with chopped up chillies in soy sauce on the side and in some places with dark soy sauce. This one here is located in a corner lot coffee shop in Pulau Tikus diagonally across the open space car park near the Pulau Tikus market. The owner of the coffee shop has lots of pictures and newspaper clippings hanging on the wall of his son who was a multi win badminton player. I can't remember the name of the shop. Anybody can?

I can't help posting another picture of the claypot chicken rice. Doesn't it look absolutely tempting?

This is 'Char Koay Teow' again except this is my favourite version of it. Mace and I call this the wet Char Koay Teow/ chinese carbonara :) It is creamy, spicy and an altogether different spin on Char Koay Teow. Though wet, this place lacks not in terms of wok heat. The secret of a good Char Koay Teow is in what we call 'wok hei' in other words the heat of the wok. This particular stall is located in Kampung Jawa, Bayan Lepas. It is the first shoplot in a row of shops. Open daily for breakfast and lunch.


On to my favourite beef noodle stall in Penang.

I often come here for my beef noodle soup. Its a husband and wife team that prepares the noodles. There is an option for rice instead of noodles to be had with the beef soup. They have so many orders going that often it is a wait of 20 minutes before you receive your order. This stall is located in a corner lot coffee shop called 2828 Cafe, on Perak Road right across the street from Salvation Army.


The Beef Soup with Rice. Beef balls, thinly sliced beef and tripe topped with parsley (you can request for no tripe) I prefer it with rice rather than the noodles.

There is a small unassuming coffee shop on Chulia Street that is very well known to have the best 'Siew Bak' - roasted pork belly and 'Char Siew Bak' - sweet barbequed pork in Penang. The stall also serves roast duck and 'cheong' - chinese mixed sausage but the pork is clearly the winner in the pack. The coffee shop is located on the ground floor of Sky Hotel, although called a hotel its more a motel and is diagonally across the street from a Fujifilm green signboard of another shop. This place opens for business at 11am and is well sold out by 1.30pm. That is the best kind of business to have. So be early if you want some of this delicious pork.

It is a family run business and here is a picture of the father holding a cleaver, masterfully chopping up servings of pork for the long list of customers.


Take a closer look at the goodies on offer... imagine all of that being sold in just 2.5 hours!


Each order of meat with rice comes with a simple vegetable and lean pork meat soup. This is lightly salted and very appetizing. It is the beginning of better things to come.



I was so excited when the meat arrived. Roasted Pork Belly on the left and Chinese Mixed Sausage on the right. It was simply presented, no garnishes, no artistic flair in the layout but hey ho... put a piece of that in your mouth and its ooohhh... transported to pork heaven.


This is the Sweet Barbequed Pork. Also tremendously good. The lightly black charred bits add an extra dimension to the taste of the pork. I must say though that after having all that pork, the oil content did get a little to me. However it was nothing that a good ice cold glass of lemon juice couldn't fix!

I'm glad we are going back to Penang for a holiday in 2 months. Penangites are very lucky to have so much good food available just at their doorstep. Now that I'm far away I truly appreciate the convenience of it all. With such great fare in so many locations its no wonder that Penang is often called a food haven.

More food talk coming up...




cheryl

My Current Favourite Advertisement

Making choices in this day and age seem to be a lot more complicated than it was 10 years ago. I'm not talking about moral dilemmas that often bring us into grey realms but something a lot more black and white like trying to buy a consumer product off the supermarket shelf.

Have you ever given thought as to how any different types of milk products there are on an average milk shelf at the store? The variety of names given to the simple milk is enough to confuse even a genius.

This is my current favourite ad.




I wonder how long the lady took to memorize her lines. Hats off to her for pulling it off! I rather enjoyed the bit where she casts a condescending look at the man's belly saying, " And only 2% fat."

Love the ad, bought the milk and still buying the milk :) Now when will they make a simplified ad like this for a smarter insurance ad?

cheryl

Hacked!

The biggest shock of the month happened yesterday to me when I was notified through several phone calls and sms-es about my Facebook (FB) account being hacked. I'm glad these friends of mine know me well enough to know I would NEVER post disgusting content on my webpages and subsequently took swift action to try reach me so I could fix the problem. I have a rather long list of contacts on my FB and such an incident would have such a massive ripple effect, it would not be pleasant.

This was the sequence of events.

For the past 2 weeks I have noticed that several Facebook accounts of my acquaintances had been hacked and the perpetrator puts up status updates promoting dieting pills/drugs on certain webpages. It was then I thought to myself, " Imagine if this happened to me, what would I have to do ensure my information on my laptop is safe?" Then I thought, " Nah, it won't happen to me. I don't download anything. I only check my emails, go on FB, update my blog and read other blogs. I should be safe." Talk about premonition and how wrong I was!

Yesterday 13 Nov, I was out for lunch and had left my mobile phone at home. I was at work first half of the morning and luckily, had the afternoon off. After lunch I returned home to find that my mobile was exploding with missed calls and sms-es. I checked the message and to my horror found out that my FB had been compromised and the perp had posted unlawful, disgusting content on my photo albums. I rushed to my laptop to log on and couldn't because the password had been changed.

This thrust me into full panic mode because my log on email account on FB (Gmail) shares the same password as my Gmail account itself. What this means (if you havent linked the two together) is that if I reset the password on my FB, I still could not get to that new password because the idiot had also changed my password on the email account that the new password was sent to. To that effect, I would not be able to remove the content off FB as quick as I would like and my good name would have been tarnished for a long time. The quicker the content was removed, the fewer the people that would have seen it.

The wheels on my brain started turning and I recalled the backup email account that I used for my Gmail. I have a different password there so I had to reset the password on Gmail, get the new password from the other email account and from there sign into Gmail, change the password, get the new password for FB, sign into FB and change my password there. From there, the content was deleted.

The idiot who hacked my account also accepted a long list of pending friend requests, 30 to be exact, many of whom I wasn't keen on accepting in the first place. I do not know what other changes he had made to my account while he had it in his control and I didn't have time to look fully into it last night. I am glad to say however that he only had the FB account pliable in his hands for 1hour 20 minutes before I regained control and changed the password.

I am really glad that I got the notification from friends about the situation at 2pm and also the fact that it happened on a day that I had half a day off. Another key point was that I had plans to leave the house for a girls afternoon/evening out at 3pm. If the situation were any different, I would not have known about the breach and the trouble caused would have been more significant. It took me all but 20 minutes to fix the issue, leaving me with only 5 minutes to spare before I had to go out for the night. So I thank God it was all in good timing. Any other day... the incident would be 'anxiety attack' worthy.

However when I returned that night, I got another message from a friend that my Friendster account had been compromised as well. My Friendster account has been dormant for 2.5 years. The existence of that account did not cross my mind earlier in the day and when reading that message, I slapped my head a couple of times saying,"Cheryl you fool... it had the same password. You set it up during your days as a student! How can you forget??"

After fixing that up, I was hell bent on finding out how this happened to me. As mentioned before, I do not download music or videos or much off the web. And my password is very strong and is 10 alpha numeric characters long. To get my password, it had to be a keystroke logger with a backdoor. So how could it be that a keystroke logger could have attached itself to my system?

I put on Sherlock Holmes cap and started tracking the source of the hack. Breadcrumb by breadcrumb, page by page, the picture started becoming clear to me. The source of the hack turned out to be an old student email account in University of Canberra which ceased to be operational since I left the uni. That was 6 years ago! It was not to my knowledge that details of email account would still be kept by the university. It is my assumption that details of the address book were still kept in that account and it was through it that my email accounts were compromised. Who know's what other information in my student folder has been compromised as well! Prayer is now necessary that the info is not misused in any other way. It would not be good to have a fake Cheryl going around with my ID.

So do not be naive like me, assuming that your student details are kept safe by your university or that they would delete unnecessary student information after your departure. If it could happen to me after 6 years, it could happen to anyone even after 10.

I am relieved that it was not spyware on my laptop that opened a door for the hack. Because if so, I would be very worried about my bank details as I had just completed a transfer of funds that morning itself. I would also be very concerned about how much info has been leaked through my laptop to the hacker (as I have all sorts of personal info stored on the HD) not knowing how long the back door has been there.

In short, the sequence of the hack was this.

Uni email - Yahoo - Friendster- Gmail - Facebook

And in conclusion, if you received any email from me from those accounts on the 13th November 2009, they are NOT me. It must have been some idiots idea of a Friday the 13th prank.

Very angry, I am.


cheryl

Just another Saturday...

It has been a while since I posted on this blog. Cheryl normally has better things to say than I do but I thought this time I better say it first before Cheryl tries to make the story more interesting. :-)

Yesterday, Cheryl and I, along with 9 others from work took part in paint balling. It is an experience Cheryl is happy to be able to tick off her list ... We went paintballing behind the airport at Fairbairn Pines. It is a very large field with many set up and I think the company that runs it has come a long way. The last time I went, their main office was not much bigger than a shipping container. Now, it's huge!

Anyway, we were given the rules of paintball before starting. Many I noticed hadn't done paintball before and were quite worried about being shot. (If the ball explodes on impact doesn't hurt as much!) By the end of the first game, everyone started feeling the pain. Some, multiple times too (Thanks Matt...) but it was turning out to be more intense a game than I anticipated. As part of the package, we were given 200 paintballs, but I think most of us used it up in about 2 - 2.5 games. Just goes to show how intense it got. Many bought 500 paintballs as refill and we used them all!! We had to, no one could keep them. If I remember correctly (correct me if I am wrong guys), we had 7 - 8 games before we called it a day. In between games people started having colourful overalls as a result of being shot. Some had bruises to boot (yeah, shoot me in the knuckle) and some had lumps as a result of being shot at in the head not just once but twice, at the same spot too! (How you guys managed to shoot Dave's lump is beyond me).

Teams were divided, pitting the rest of the lab vs Specimen Reception. By the end of it, I think it was pretty even, especially since we won the flag grab ones... (Way to go Dave the Terminator!). Even one of the refs took part since we were short in manpower... (It was 5 people vs 6). The most annoying game, which we lost twice in was the shuffle game. Avoiding being shot was hard in that game. The best game, flag grab with the 'protect the fort game'.

The last game was the 'shoot at anyone till you run out of paintballs or can't withstand the pain' game. This was the ultimate game of the day which I knew that if I took part I would be nursing a lot more wounds and bruised ego. It was fun to see people just letting loose on other people...

At the end of the day, I came out well - nursing about 5 wounds. Cheryl on the other hand, got about 3 on her right leg, a nice shot in the bottom, few on her left arm and one major bruise on her left knuckle. With the colourful suit Carmen had, I reckon that she and Cheryl tops the list of having most wounds to nurse. Dave Kaylock and I on the other hand also get the joy of nursing head wounds. The pictures are in the link below... All in all, it was a just another Saturday, with more heart pounding excitement. :)

Oh Oh, before I forget... I need to set the record straight (before Cheryl does). During one of the matches I got shot and had to leave the game. As I was walking out with my gun in the air, who shoots me? MY WIFE. Yes, that's right. Cheryl, my beloved wife shot me (and it hurt too). I do my best to protect her during the day and how does she return the favour? By SHOOTING ME. What kind of a deal is that?

Hope you guys who took part in the game enjoy the shots and the day out. It was a fun Saturday and yeah, we should plan something in a few months or so... Keep this competitive nature going :P To the rest of the lab who didn't go... You missed out on a fair bit of fun and excitement.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=119363&id=684642862&l=999d58eb75

Cheers for now,

Alex.

Sydney: Dinner at Assiette

Picture from Assiette website

To be brief and to the point: So we were at Assiette for dinner last night. This place comes as a recommendation from Alex's sister and it was a very good choice.

Firstly, the restaurant has a simple elegance to it and a lovely ambience.
Secondly, the staff really do a good job of being friendly, informative and attentive.
Thirdly, the food is definitely the cream of the crop and the plating of each course is so artful you lose yourself for a minute or so staring at the handiwork before you remember to eat.

The owner-chef Warren Turnbull is a Kiwi and his restaurant has been awarded 2 chefs hat in the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide 2010. We had starters, mains, desserts and a bottle of red to complete our meal. However we are very keen to return again for the degustation menu. We had a little time constraint (we had another reservation at Tony Bilson's for dessert later in the evening - it's The Sydney International Food and Wine Festival this week) and as such had to forgo the degustation menu. More details on the menu here at the restaurant's website.

And now for the pictures.

Our amuse bouche - Butternut soup with parsley oil

Cured Wagyu beef with white asparagus, artichoke, summer truffle and crispy quail egg

Squid ink and prawn raviolo with sauteed squid and sauce vierge

Assiette of quail with macaroni cheese, bacon, succotash and sweetcorn puree

Roasted cutlets and breast of lamb with Provencale vegetables, olive powder and pomme fondant


Panfried barramundi with chickpeas, chorizo, mussels and bouillabaisse vinaigrette


This was served as a pre-dessert to cleanse our palates - Granny Smith Jelly

I don't remember the exact description of this dessert - oops!
Vanilla pannacotta blood orange sorbet


Again, I don't recall the exact description of this dessert but the sorbet was absolutely delicious! Strawberry champagne cheesecake, puree and sorbet

Our happy faces

We must, must go back for the degustation menu sometime. The next special occasion maybe...

cheryl

Miracle Baby Survives Accident

For those who missed the news about this freak accident that took place in Melbourne on Thursday, here is a video link of the incident that was recorded by a camera installed on the platform of the track.

The young mother had just let go of the stationary pram for 2 seconds to adjust her pants before a gust of wind pushed the pram over the edge of the platform. She had broken no rules, she wasn't standing on the edge nor had she stepped over the yellow warning line. The weather has been rather unpredictable of late with strong winds and occasional rain causing spring to feel more like winter and it was on a cold, windy day that this happened. The baby was really blessed to have survived. I myself watched the video in shock. I can only imagine the horror the mother and the onlookers must have felt.



This video serves as a shocking reminder to all parents about how easily an accident can happen. Never take little things for granted. Lesson learned: Always use the parking brake on a pram. ALWAYS.


cheryl

Quirky Names

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - Shakespeare

I think Shakespeare had it right when he wrote that line in Romeo & Juliet. Sometimes I look at an apple and wonder who first called it that or why red is red, blue is blue and so on so forth.

A name expresses individuality and identifies one person from another but don't you think the whole naming a kid something special is overrated? Parents agonize for weeks prior to birth over what to name their kids only to have the kid hate their name when they grow up. Or even worse have the carefully thought out name made into the butt of school yard joke and sick rhyme. (This happens a LOT with chinese names).

We have all heard of the names celebrities come up with for their newborns. Here's a few and their fathers ..

Kal-El Coppola - Nicholas Cage
Moon Unit, Dweezil, Diva Muffin - Frank Zappa
Pilot Inspektor - Jason Lee
Poppy Honey - Jamie Oliver
Rufus Tiger, Tiger Lily, Lola Daisy - Roger Taylor
Shiloh Nouvel - Brad Pitt
Tallulah - Bruce Willis
Willow Camille Reign - Will Smith

But I think I have the winner. The one that tops the list above.

A father named his daughter A-A.

Yes, it is not a typing error. Her name is A-A.

Its the pinnacle of creativity. I think this would stump even the most experienced teacher in school. How would you call out this student on the first day of school?

Her name is pronounced A-dash-a.

In other words, it is Adasha spelt with a punctuation mark (-) in the middle.

I think there is a very big possibility she will change her name later in life. What do you reckon?

cheryl

Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia left me absolutely astounded. This one gets my vote for the best movie of 2009. I loved how Meryl Streep and Amy Adams brought the characters to life, each with so much individuality yet so very easy for the viewers to identify with. This movie is bound to strike a cord with any woman who cooks.

I went in expecting it to be a good show and came out wow-ed because of the fantastic job the leading ladies did with their roles. The first 15 minutes are magic. It captivates you and holds your attention right to the end. As I watched the movie, several thoughts crossed my mind and there are 3 things I am certain of.

1. This show is bound to inspire many ladies (possibly even some men) to renew their interest in cooking - cooking books/old recipes and especially, the Boeuf Burguignon!

2. This show will also inspire many to take up some form of food blogging as done by Julie Powell in 2002. Since then there has been an explosion of food bloggers everywhere and I think this show may just cause another food blog quake.

3. The sale of Julie Powell's book and Julia Child's recipe book is going to sky rocket.

I was so very impressed by the show that the first thing I did when I got home was to google for Julie Powell's blog, the one that brought on the printing of her book and subsequently the making of this movie. Secretly I thought that they might have closed the blog down as it has been 5 years since her last post. However to my joy and delight, its still up! Here is the link for it below.

The Julie/Julia Project

This link brings you right back to her earliest entry.Click here if its her last entry that you want to read.

If you haven't watched the show, do go watch it. I have spoken so much about it that the hubby is insisting I have to take him see it. I usually don't like watching the same movie twice and even less so when I have to pay to do it. However I make an exception for this movie. (I went to see this movie on a Girls Night In - organised by the Cancer Council. So hubby was not allowed to make it)

So here I am signing off on this entry by mimicking Julia Child in saying..... 'Bon Appetit!' ... to your watching the movie and to any cooking endeavours you may embark on after watching the movie. :)

cheryl