Friday, 26 May 2023 - The Quest For Breakfast

Today started like any other weekend morning, with the hubs and I excitedly planning to have breakfast at our favorite beef noodle stall in Petaling Street. As we arrived at our beloved beef noodle stall, the sight of a closed shutter greeted us once again. It was closed for the second time this week.  

Dismayed but not discouraged, we decided to explore other nearby eateries in hopes of finding a suitable alternative. Our first attempt ended in disappointment when we discovered that the other eatery was also yet to open. Nevertheless, we remained undeterred and set our sights on the vibrant streets of Bangsar.

With empty stomachs and a desire to try something different, we stumbled upon Baba Low's, an inviting restaurant known for its Nyonya cuisine. Curiosity piqued, we eagerly entered and prepared ourselves for a gastronomic journey. We ordered a variety of items from the menu, such as curry noodles, Mee Siam, Nasi Lemak with fried chicken, and Peranakan popiah, each representing the rich flavors of Nyonya cuisine.

Curry noodles, Peranakan popiah, Nasi Lemak with fried chicken and Mee Siam.

Expecting a taste reminiscent of the delightful dishes from hubs’ central kitchen, we found ourselves slightly disappointed. The food at Baba Low was passable but did not live up to our high expectations. While the flavors were there, they lacked the finesse and authenticity we were accustomed to. Nevertheless, we appreciated the opportunity to try something new and immerse ourselves in the cultural tapestry of Nyonya cuisine.

We decided to prolong our breakfast experience and sought refuge in a nearby café. A few doors away, we found a cozy establishment, offering an enticing array of coffees, cakes, and sandwiches. Intrigued, we ventured in, eager to satisfy our lingering cravings.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as we ordered our preferred choices—a piccolo and flat white coffee, accompanied by a delectable carrot cake. The moment we took our first sips and bites, we were met with satisfaction. The coffee was rich and invigorating, while the carrot cake was a delightful blend of moistness, textures, and sweetness.

Piccolo and flat white. I took several sips of Piccolo and loved the robustness and richness of the espresso, complemented by the subtle sweetness and creaminess of the steamed milk. But dang it, I think I'm going to be an insomniac tonight as I am still wide awake now (10.30pm)!

By the time we finished our coffee and cake, we found ourselves content and comfortably full. Regrettably, we had to bid adieu to the remaining item on our table: a toasted sandwich we had ordered but were too satiated to consume. Thankfully, the café kindly packed it up for us to take home. We saw it as a serendipitous treat for Cass to relish for her lunch when she comes home from school. 

 

Sandwich doggy-bagged home for Cass' lunch.

Tomorrow is the start of Cass’ week-long school holidays.  A week is too short for any trip and her mid-year exam will start shortly after the school holidays. So it's going to be crunch time for her with additional classes (online), homework, and revision.

Online Shopping Loot

Ever since the pandemic shut down the entire world more than 3 years ago, I've been hooked on online shopping. I still shop for most of my stuff online.  I buy stuff online every other day and that gives me a little pleasure and something to look forward to every day.

One of the greatest advantages of online shopping is the unmatched convenience it provides. With just a few clicks, I can browse through a vast array of products from different brands, compare prices, and read customer reviews to make informed decisions.  I find that most of the products sold online are cheaper than those sold at brick-and-mortar shops.  There are some products that I can't even find in physical shops but are widely available online.

These are some of the loot from my recent online shopping.

Organic flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds), organic sunflower seeds, and organic buckwheat seaweed cookies. 
Flaxseeds are a functional food with a host of health benefits, such as supporting heart health, brain health, lowering cholesterol levels, improving blood sugar, preventing constipation, and preventing cancer, among others.
I add a tablespoon of flaxseed meal and organic oats to my organic almond powder + dark chocolate drink every morning.

Vacuum-fried (VF) shiitaki mushroom crisps. These crisps are really delicious and addictive.  They're a healthier alternative to chips.  'VF technology' originated from NASA's space food technology.  VF vegetable crisps such as green radish, lady's fingers, beetroot, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and long beans are my current favorite snacks.

Three boxes of Rainbows sprouted seeds cookies.  These healthy cookies are made from sprouted wheat grains and seeds with no additives. 
The cookies arrived in badly dented boxes, no thanks to the rough handling of the courier service provider. Luckily the cookies were not crushed.

Aleev baking soda softener.  This softener is powered by natural ingredients such as baking soda and organic aloe vera and it's eco-friendly. 

My current favorite range of shower gel, shampoo, and lotion from Kundal.  I love the fruity and baby powder scents of their range of shampoos and shower gels.
Kundal products (made in Korea) feature natural ingredients that are gentle on the skin and hair. Korean beauty and personal care brands have a deep understanding of the benefits of natural extracts, such as botanical oils, fruit extracts, and plant-based ingredients. Kundal, an award-winning company leverages these ingredients, combined with advanced formulation techniques, to create products that are effective, nourishing, and suitable for various skin and hair types. 
 Kundal products are available at Guardian Pharmacy (online and at retail outlets).

Mother's Day 2023

Sunday, 14 May 2023

This year's Mother's Day lunch was with hubs and Cass only. Alycia was at her weekend part-time job and Sherilyn had a dance practice at home before dance class at the studio. She's currently practising for an upcoming dance competition.

Hubs asked where I wanted to eat and gave me suggestions but I couldn't agree with all his choices. He just drove us to Bangsar, a happening place with a legion of cafes and restaurants. I saw Haidilao and said I didn't mind another round of hotpot at Haidilao. But we were too early and the restaurant wasn't opened yet. So we went to Bangsar Village and chose Nutmeg, one of our favorite restaurants.

My pick - Veggie Benedict set. 

At its foundation lies a perfectly toasted slice of sourdough bread, offering a satisfying crunch and a subtle nutty aroma. The crust is gloriously crispy, giving way to a tender and airy interior that acts as a canvas for the culinary masterpiece that awaits.  Spread generously across the toasted bread is a velvety and vibrant green pea mash.  

On the side are two perfectly poached eggs, elegantly draped with a luscious hollandaise sauce. The eggs, with their silky and golden yolks, offer a luxurious richness that blends flawlessly with the creamy hollandaise.

Cauliflower and pumpkin salad. 
This salad is not only visually appealing but is also a tantalizing symphony of flavors. It has a delightful medley of flavors and textures with pieces of feta cheese. Its velvety texture creates a creamy interplay, making every forkful a delightful experience. 
  The delectable salad dressing complements the ingredients perfectly. Its delicate balance of tanginess and creaminess adds a delightful zing to each bite.

Cass chose a Snow White Veggie set as she had already eaten something at home and wasn't very hungry.  It's toasted sourdough with scrambled egg whites, grilled veggies and salad.

Mushroom Carbonara (very delish) with a side of two sunny side-ups (hubby's favorite). 
 The star of this dish is a medley of succulent mushrooms, sautéed to perfection. With their earthy and meaty essence, the mushrooms provide a robust foundation for the carbonara. This luscious sauce is a decadent amalgamation of grated Parmesan cheese, and hints of garlic and black pepper. Its silky texture enrobes the pasta, creating a luxurious mouthfeel that is truly irresistible. 

For dessert, I chose a hazelnut tart and hubs picked a mango & cheese slice cake.

Hubs also ordered a cup of macadamia nut brittle from Haagen Dazs from the stall at the concourse area, next to Nutmeg.

Full house at Nutmeg, a favorite haunt amongst locals and Caucasians.

Next up - we had tea and cake at Bisou Bake Shop, a little kiosk-style store owned by hubby's friend's wife. Decadent and beautifully decorated cupcakes, slab cake pieces, and cookies in a variety of flavors are for sale. 
I told hubs that I couldn't possibly stuff in more food, especially cakes, but hubs insisted that we had another round of celebration, this time with a candle on the cake 😆

 

Hubs bought a pack each of Mee Siam and Nasi Lemak (RM6.50 a pack each) to try, daintily wrapped in batik print wax papers.  We brought these home for dinner.

Later in the evening, Alycia brought home a slice of Pandan Gula Melaka slice cake from Front Room for me!

My favorite brownie cake from Brownies Bar from Sherilyn.

The following day, just before Alycia left for uni in the morning, she hurriedly prepped some pancakes to surprise me while I went for my morning exercise.

Homemade pancakes from the girl who never likes cooking or baking.  💓

The pancakes were surprisingly very good - soft, fluffy and tasty. There are still some in the fridge and I air-fry one for breakfast every day.

Haru Our Cheeky Kitty

Haru loves to find new places inside the house, to hide. Most times she will come out of hiding when I shake her biscuit jar or mention "biscuit" or "chicken", her favorite foods. 

Early this week, this cheeky kitty ignored my calls for her.   Both Cass and I went around the house searching for her, for about 10 minutes, at all her usual hiding spots, but she was no where to be found.  I went to the refuse chamber outside our unit to look for her, I checked the emergency stairs outside our unit, the two balconies, under the beds, but she was no where to be found. We were convinced that Haru had sneaked out of the house and gone forever. 

That feeling I had felt familiar. It was the sick feeling whenever I lost sight of my girls at the shopping mall when they were younger.  That few seconds of loosing sight of them and yelling out to them, only to get no answer from them.  That horrible sick feeling in the stomach and head just thinking that they were kidnapped or lost forever.  Speaking of which, Sherilyn used to like hiding inside racks of clothes at the shopping mall to scare the living daylights out of me when she was younger.  That mischievous brat! 😂

One of Haru's favorite hiding spots - behind the living room curtain.

Another new favorite hiding spot - under Cass' bed

Yet another new hiding spot - on the bookshelf. She kind of camo herself with the shelf because of her color.

Naughty fella always causes me panic attacks but love her to bits.

Sunday Eats ~ Lunch at Saemaeul BBQ Korean Restaurant and Desserts at Bu Tian

Seoul Korea, our favorite Korean restaurant was still closed, so we went to Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park, a place with a legion of eateries to hunt for a Korean BBQ restaurant.  We chose Saemaeul as someone in the car commented that the food is good but another sister commented otherwise. We went to this restaurant anyway as it was already late and everyone was hungry.

We ordered a BBQ set consisting of beef, pork, and octopus, a seafood pancake, Jajangmyeon, Naengmyeon (Cold Noodles), a Korean bento rice box, seaweed rice balls (Jumeokbap), and kimchi soup.  

The BBQ pork and beef had too many veins, which made it difficult for us to swallow and enjoy them.  The octopus tasted strange (which must be from the marinade sauces) and had an overpowering chemical smell to it, which was unpleasant.  The Jajangmyeon was also disappointing and it was left almost untouched.  

After waiting forever for the handmade seaweed rice balls to be grilled, they finally came at the end of the meal. And again, we were disappointed with how insipid they tasted.

The Banchan (appetizers) were satisfactory, but not as good as those from Seoul Korea restaurant. 

I must say that Sherilyn can cook a much better Korean meal than what we had today.

All of us left feeling disappointed despite paying over RM300 for the meal.  

In spite of the underwhelming lunch, we ended our meal on a high note by visiting Bu Tian, a cafe that specializes in matcha desserts and beverages. The scrumptious desserts at Bu Tian are made using high-quality matcha from Niko Neko, which gives them a unique and delicious flavor.

The matcha drinks at Bu Tian were also exceptional and everyone thoroughly enjoyed them. The matcha green tea and Chinese tea were sui generis.  It was the first time that I drank tea served in this manner.  Both the matcha and Chinese tea were served to us in a medium size transparent glass cup.  Each set of tea was accompanied by a smaller transparent flower-shaped cup, along with a metal glass holder and a leaf-shaped sieve with bits of tea on top.

And the correct way of drinking the tea to enjoy the flavor and aroma of the tea to its max is by pouring the tea from the medium-sized cup into the smaller flower-shaped cup through the leaf-shaped sieve with bits of tea on the sieve. This presentation was not only unique but also Instagram-worthy.  The aroma of both the tea, especially the matcha green tea is superb.

While the lunch at Saemaeul was mediocre and did not meet our expectations, the desserts and matcha beverages at Bu Tian more than made up for it. We left the cafe with a sense of satisfaction and contentment, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for quality matcha desserts and beverages.

BBQ pork and beef, seafood pancake and Korean bento rice box (served in a metal lunch box).

BBQ octopus and garlic. This was left almost untouched.

Banchan. 

BBQ Seaweed rice balls (Jumeokbap)

Our exquisite and delectable desserts at Bu Tian.  

Japanese Tea Sandwich Cookie Box - this is SO SO good. One bite and I was in a dessert coma 😁

Tripe Matcha sliced cake. SO SO good too, and I was in a triple dessert coma!

Tiramisu tart - oh so yummy but I felt a tad giddy after just two bites, coz of the alcohol in the cake. I am that hopeless when it comes to imbibing.

I want to try them all!

So tempted to try the Moon Tart Set. Bet they're just as delicious but the price!

Sherilyn's matcha latte - love the taste of the matcha from Niko Neko.

My favorite matcha green tea - so sui generis and am utterly in love with the aroma of the tea. 

My first time drinking green tea in this fashion.

Very spacious cafe but not many tables, thus the long queue outside.

Bu Tian is located on the first floor.

Bu Tian

16-1, Jalan Indrahana 1, Kuchai Lama,

Kuala Lumpur, 58200

Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia

Tel: 01133206680

How Bad Is It To Eat Chicken Skin?

Today I steamed bone-in chicken thighs and blanched Siew Bok Choy for dinner.  The chicken thighs were kampung (village) chicken, with thick yellow skin.  I marinated the chicken with some salt, oyster sauce, and Chinese cooking wine. I also threw in some ginger slices and wolfberries.  Sherilyn loved the chicken thighs so much that she ate two whole thighs!  

I later found out that this girl even devoured the greasy chicken skin from both the chicken thighs. All of them! And this is something that I've always disapproved of. I've always advised the girls to discard chicken skin when they eat chicken as it's greasy, high in calories, and unhealthy. 

This made me wonder - is chicken skin really that bad for your health? 

Let's explore the pros and cons of eating chicken skin.

Chicken skin is a delicious and often irresistible part of a chicken dish, but there are mixed opinions about how healthy it is to eat. Some people avoid eating chicken skin altogether, while others relish it as the best part of a chicken meal.

According to Insider, most of the fat in chicken skin is the healthy, unsaturated kind, beneficial to your heart.  According to the Harvard School of Public Health, unsaturated fat can be associated with lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure.  

Tonight's dinner of steamed village chicken

Pros of Eating Chicken Skin

Flavor: Chicken skin is a rich source of flavor and can make a chicken dish more enjoyable to eat. The skin adds a crispy texture to the dish, and when seasoned and cooked properly, it can add a depth of flavor that is difficult to replicate.

Nutrition: Chicken skin is a good source of protein and healthy fats. It contains vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that can help protect your body from damage caused by free radicals. Chicken skin also contains niacin, which is important for maintaining healthy skin, nerves, and digestion.

Cons of Eating Chicken Skin

High in Calories: Chicken skin is high in calories and saturated fat. A 3.5-ounce serving of chicken skin contains approximately 475 calories and 44 grams of fat, with 14 grams being saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat can increase your cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease.

May Contain Harmful Substances: Chicken skin may contain harmful substances such as antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. These substances are used in commercial chicken farming to promote growth and prevent diseases, and they can accumulate in the chicken skin. Consuming these substances can lead to health problems, including antibiotic resistance and hormonal imbalances.

How Bad Is It To Eat Chicken Skin?

Eating chicken skin in moderation is generally not bad for your health. If you are watching your calorie and fat intake, it is best to remove the skin before cooking. However, if you enjoy the taste and texture of chicken skin, you can eat it in moderation as part of a healthy diet. The key is to balance your intake of chicken skin with other healthy foods that are low in calories and fat. Don't forget to include lots of colorful vegetables and fruits in your daily diet.

In conclusion, eating chicken skin can add flavor and nutrition to your meal, but it is also high in calories and saturated fat. If you are trying to maintain a healthy diet, it is best to limit your intake of chicken skin and remove it before cooking. However, if you enjoy the taste and texture of chicken skin, you can eat it in moderation as part of a balanced diet. Remember to always choose high-quality chicken from reputable sources to avoid harmful substances and promote good health.