this was how i spent my weekend

On Saturday I had a nice lunch at Hush, Bangsar. It's a rather new place (at the old Society) next to Madam Kwan's. Ayu and I were actually going to have lunch at Souled Out but it was closed (they somehow have weird opening hours nowadays) so we headed out to Bangsar instead. Ordered the Salmon Teriyaki and Ayu ordered the Set Lunch - Thai Fried Rice, dessert and drinks. The Set Lunch was really affordable, it think it was for RM15++. And the food was quite good I'd say. Portions are just nice for us ladies. And oh talking about lay-dies, Hush has two days of Ladies Nites - Weds and Thurs. If only I were still in my partying days.. hehehe.

On Sunday, I went to pay my bills and did groceries at Cold Storage, Great Eastern. And cooked lunch. I miss having those sardines with loads of onions and garlic and cili padi. So I cooked just that. And my bibik bought some fried chicken from Pasar Keramat.

I missed Live Earth. Yunus broke the Astro remote and I'm just too darn lazy to change channels or even buy a new one. Damn.

The days went by quite fast. It was funny, I wasn't even having fun at all. But time flies anyway. I dread to go to work tomorrow, but at least that's the only place where the H won't be able to be in my face.

musings at marche movenpick

Spena & Fin, you guys look reaaaallyyy happy!

MORE PICTURES AT MY MULTIPLY!!!

Yet again, another makan-o-rama this time at Marche, The Curve. Spena, Hana, Rina, Fin, Dalina and our friend yang dah lama tak jumpa, Yus, were there. I arrived, not that hungry, but elated to see my friends ordering all the scrumptious food. I actually find Marche a bit overrated and overpriced. Nevertheless, the steaks, sauteed mushrooms and strawberry cheesecake were quite good. The beef would've tasted better if they'd taken their meat from Las Vacas though. (p/s: don't ever buy Indian beef cuz it's really NOT cow meat, it's BUFFALO meat ok. And they're not prepared in a hygienic environment!)

Dalina, as usual, the perpetual late-comer. Actually the purpose of us having this get-together is for Hana to update us on the "threesome" dinner but I think we ended up talking about the girls' August trip to Kota Kinabalu. Hana and Fin dah buat muka panic and poyo when they heard all the horror stories from Yus. Kan kan kan Rina?? Kan?

With her Cab Sav and romeo y julieta cigar... ;) After the KK trip conversation we were on more adult and serious issues like the Badawi administration (sizzling topic), politics, cronyism, nepotism, etc. Although the conversation can sometimes be quite frustrating and depict a rather bleak future for our next generation, it's good to know that we are share the same concerns! Now you know why I love hanging out with them - they're NOT AIRHEADS OR BIMBOS. We adjourned at about 11-ish when they actually start mopping the floors at Marche. Look forward to the next one!

Yus and Hana (sorry eh, side profile cuz you guys are sitting next to the camerawoman!)

Cheers Yus for taking the tab ;)

hola amigos

Had a really nice mexican lunch at Las Carretas today with the girls (suze, pretty, zztop and cuppacake), rocky babu and A Friend (muchas gracias for the treat!). As usual, was hogging the nachos and then the chicken wings. Didn't take any pictures, but cuppacake did snap a few (bila nak upload kat multiply ni? - cuppa dah upload here!).

Las Carretas is one of my favourite food haunts actually. When I was pregnant with Ali I absolutely crave the steaks there, they have one of the best barbecue sauces in town (at par with Celestial Steakhouse in Kelana Jaya) it tastes just like the barbecue sauces in the States - the authentic N'Orleans ones, y'all. It's probably made from scratch I think, didn't get to ask the chef :)

Highly recommended are the beef backribs, steaks but ultimate fave is the nachos!!!! Crispy tortillas topped with loads of cheese, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeno slices. And must add-on the minced beef.

Sinful, heavenly, utterly divine. It will have me dreaming in Mexican.

p/s: I actually forgot that tomorrow is my filing day at JAWI.

the domestic goddess

This weekend is all about home :) - cooking, cleaning, udpating my recipe scrap book, grocery shopping (more like hypermarket-hopping for me) and yes I do have my bibik around it's just... I feel like a cross between Martha Stewart and Nigella Lawson over the weekend and I better make full use of this person before she slips away!

Saturday morning is my usual Pasar Tani trip, bright and early. I love the Pasar Tani cuz it reminds me of the wet market back home in Batu Pahat. And those exotic ulams that I am so fascinated with, I so love them. And on the same day it's a trip to Giant, Cold Storage and then today to Carrefour. I just prefer to buy different things at different places. That's just me.

Made seafood spaghetti olio for lunch today. And I have a picture to prove it too. Might not look all that, but trust me, it's quite lip-smacking. Those interested in my recipes can click here (still nothing much, a work in progress). As usual made too much and my officemates wouldn't mind bearing the burden of eating leftovers tomorrow I think.

It's almost 7 now and I just wanna put my feet up and savour the rest of the Sunday. Going for a nightcap with Ayu later. I don't think I'll be doing this domestic goddess thing again next week. Vivacous vamp, maybe?

what i miss most...

Ayu and I were talking over a plate of sinful nachos (loaded with the works) at Las Carretas on the things we miss most when coming back home from overseas. Ayu was in Perth but I suppose it's the same darn thing the world over. Well for me, it's the convenience of cooking. I can whip up world class meals in a jiffy, thanks to...
1. Swanson's TV Dinners - the Hungry Man range is awesome, just pop one in the oven and I'm a happy puppy when the timer rings. Country Fried Steak's my fave.
2. The genius of Betty Crocker - Hamburger Helper's da bomb!!! Just add beef (or tuna or chicken) and voila - homecooked goodness, baby!

3. Bottled Sauces - from Prego to Leggo's to Pace to god knows what. Yeah it's available here but it's dirt cheap in the States that you can use them like there's no tomorrow. Excellent for my baked ziti, lasagne and good ole bolognese. (but I do make my sauces from scratch on good days ok!)
4. And if you want a nice, romantic candlelit dinner and to impress a loved one (ahem, ahem), there's always Williams Sonoma.
The shrine for my late night munchies...
5. If everything else fails, there's always Taco Bell, the cheapest (full meals for less than a dollar!) form of edible food during my college years. Who cares about the mystery meat? The tacos, burritos, quesadillas are sinfully addictive.

"Iye, saya katok. Nak buat macam mana, five years in the States, who can stand the fake vegetarian burgers and fish fillets."