Just a quick post before I turn in. I must, I have to turn my sleeping hours around. Blogging has robbed me of my beauty sleep and the results are beginning to show...
I LOVE this time of the year. Christmas songs (nice but a little too nostalgic) are played everywhere except on the radio. Shame. That's how religion-tolerant we are. We won't get any Christmas songs aired until this weekend and even then it's rare and few. There's busyness everywhere. People are shopping, especially for the upcoming feasts because 3 days before Christmas is the MOST important Chinese festival, Dong Zhi, or Chinese Winter Festival. After Christmas there's the New Year celebrations. That's not the end because after that comes every Chinese' favorite, the Chinese New Year Festival. Work slows down, everyone is in a festive and hoilday mood. Did you know that Malaysia has one of the highest number of public holidays? 14 in all, just like Thailand, and one day more than the kiasu neighbor. 10 in Oz, 12 in The Philippines, 13 in the States (btw, it was good the fella got a shoe to his head. Almost.) But still no way comparable with Communist China which has 24 public holidays. But then I hear that's all you get, there's no annual leave. Vietnam is a work horse. They only have 5 public holidays. Brunei has only 7 but then the rest of the year they don't really work too, do they? Well, at least our founding fathers got one thing right.
But most of all, this time of the year, families are reunited as people come back from overseas. I know a couple of families whose members are spread over the world--USA, NZ, Oz--and they are all making their way back for the holiday season. Just today I met up with 2 friends who are back from Brisbane and Perth. Then this evening two families from Perth. Nearly all the students studying in Oz are back for the hols. The town is buzzing with the sudden explosion of young people with their fancy clothes, extended eyelashes and new hairdos (apparently beauty salons make the best $ now as people come back for 'overhauls') and accents (mostly Oz). Sabah is probably the state with the highest number of emigrants. People who left but whose hearts are still here.
I am in the midst of preparing for Christmas too, and my house is in shambles. I still haven't got out the Christmas decorations because my TV room is going through a renovation. But I am having a big party in my house tomorrow night, a pre-Christmas dinner and I'll be roasting my second turkey this year. The first was roasted in February because we were away in Melbourne last Christmas and a friend had given me a turkey, safely deposited in the supermarket. Be sure to check for my turkey post sometime this week because I really hope some of you will roast a turkey for the first time using my favorite recipe.
This afternoon I met up with old colleagues in BBQ House, Times Square. I have decided that Times Square is the best new building in KK. Except as someone pointed out, there's a lack of trees. They planted some silly palm trees that don't give any shade and within the compound there's not a single tree. Shame. I also wish they'd cover the middle of the square.
BBQ House (someone please tell them to come up with a more interesting name) is a new Korean restaurant. Very homey. As a friend pointed out, Koreans are very ethnocentric about their food. They don't seem adventurous about other cuisine. That's why except for two tables, every other table was taken up by Koreans.
I think I'll come back to BBQ House, especially for the little side dishes of kim chi, tofu, anchovies and the usual stuff. They were well-seasoned and very fresh and tasty. However, the menu is very limited. I was surprised especially to see that there weren't any soups because Korean cuisine is big on soups. Portion as usual in any Korean restaurants is pitiful. Samgubsal, Wey's favorite and a dish I had to cook for him once a week three years ago, resulting in him almost becoming obese, was RM23 before tax and there were less than ten tiny slices of very fatty pork. Wey wasn't impressed with their samgubsal; he said the Korean restaurant (our fav) in Api Api is better.
The 'free' side dishes (refillable) that come with your main order.
Meal set of hot pork slices plus a soup, side dishes and plain rice was RM18 ++.
Samgubsal, which is grilled belly pork slices, at RM23 was expensive because this is all you get. No sang choy or lettuce.
We had two orders of samgubsal and one order of chili pork slices plus 3 bowls of plain rice (very expensive at RM4 per bowl) for RM83.60. Don't expect a fancy Korean restaurant with delicious kalbi and grilled wagyu. Come here for a simple lunch.
I LOVE this time of the year. Christmas songs (nice but a little too nostalgic) are played everywhere except on the radio. Shame. That's how religion-tolerant we are. We won't get any Christmas songs aired until this weekend and even then it's rare and few. There's busyness everywhere. People are shopping, especially for the upcoming feasts because 3 days before Christmas is the MOST important Chinese festival, Dong Zhi, or Chinese Winter Festival. After Christmas there's the New Year celebrations. That's not the end because after that comes every Chinese' favorite, the Chinese New Year Festival. Work slows down, everyone is in a festive and hoilday mood. Did you know that Malaysia has one of the highest number of public holidays? 14 in all, just like Thailand, and one day more than the kiasu neighbor. 10 in Oz, 12 in The Philippines, 13 in the States (btw, it was good the fella got a shoe to his head. Almost.) But still no way comparable with Communist China which has 24 public holidays. But then I hear that's all you get, there's no annual leave. Vietnam is a work horse. They only have 5 public holidays. Brunei has only 7 but then the rest of the year they don't really work too, do they? Well, at least our founding fathers got one thing right.
But most of all, this time of the year, families are reunited as people come back from overseas. I know a couple of families whose members are spread over the world--USA, NZ, Oz--and they are all making their way back for the holiday season. Just today I met up with 2 friends who are back from Brisbane and Perth. Then this evening two families from Perth. Nearly all the students studying in Oz are back for the hols. The town is buzzing with the sudden explosion of young people with their fancy clothes, extended eyelashes and new hairdos (apparently beauty salons make the best $ now as people come back for 'overhauls') and accents (mostly Oz). Sabah is probably the state with the highest number of emigrants. People who left but whose hearts are still here.
I am in the midst of preparing for Christmas too, and my house is in shambles. I still haven't got out the Christmas decorations because my TV room is going through a renovation. But I am having a big party in my house tomorrow night, a pre-Christmas dinner and I'll be roasting my second turkey this year. The first was roasted in February because we were away in Melbourne last Christmas and a friend had given me a turkey, safely deposited in the supermarket. Be sure to check for my turkey post sometime this week because I really hope some of you will roast a turkey for the first time using my favorite recipe.
This afternoon I met up with old colleagues in BBQ House, Times Square. I have decided that Times Square is the best new building in KK. Except as someone pointed out, there's a lack of trees. They planted some silly palm trees that don't give any shade and within the compound there's not a single tree. Shame. I also wish they'd cover the middle of the square.
BBQ House (someone please tell them to come up with a more interesting name) is a new Korean restaurant. Very homey. As a friend pointed out, Koreans are very ethnocentric about their food. They don't seem adventurous about other cuisine. That's why except for two tables, every other table was taken up by Koreans.
I think I'll come back to BBQ House, especially for the little side dishes of kim chi, tofu, anchovies and the usual stuff. They were well-seasoned and very fresh and tasty. However, the menu is very limited. I was surprised especially to see that there weren't any soups because Korean cuisine is big on soups. Portion as usual in any Korean restaurants is pitiful. Samgubsal, Wey's favorite and a dish I had to cook for him once a week three years ago, resulting in him almost becoming obese, was RM23 before tax and there were less than ten tiny slices of very fatty pork. Wey wasn't impressed with their samgubsal; he said the Korean restaurant (our fav) in Api Api is better.
The 'free' side dishes (refillable) that come with your main order.
Meal set of hot pork slices plus a soup, side dishes and plain rice was RM18 ++.
Samgubsal, which is grilled belly pork slices, at RM23 was expensive because this is all you get. No sang choy or lettuce.
We had two orders of samgubsal and one order of chili pork slices plus 3 bowls of plain rice (very expensive at RM4 per bowl) for RM83.60. Don't expect a fancy Korean restaurant with delicious kalbi and grilled wagyu. Come here for a simple lunch.
i like your pics terri, mine seem to always be washed out by the flash. unless taken in natural sunlight i am never happy with the results, even after i photoshop or acdsee them.
ReplyDeletei think korean is my new favorite cuisine. bangkok has dozens of them due to the large expat korean community here. some of the best are situated in an area appropriately called little korea, or korea town at sukhumvit soi 12's sukhumvit plaza (a short walk from asoke bts station).
my other fav is the kongju at the pathumwan princess, mbk centre, bangkok. i spent 10 days in korea a few years back with a korean friend and after that experience i can say the konju is spot on korean cuisine. they have an awesome version of dak-kang-jung that they garnish with fried garlic slices and crispy-fried chili pods. yum!
kimchi rules, and like you say, most places give you all you can eat. further, it is one of the healthiest foods you could eat. the chef who trained me says that if you eat some sort of pickled veg everyday you will be healthier in the long run. being an austrian, he prefers sauerkraut.
Hmmm... it seemed to me that your camera has the slight wide angle feel. Is this your new D90 or the previous lumix?
ReplyDeleteKimchi, yes! I used to stuffed my fridge with so much of these that we eat it like one would eat chips, which btw is a lot lot more healthier. But one day I decided that too much kim chi gave the fridge a lil bit of the funny smell, I stopped making it. Come to think of it, its been quite awhile... maybe a year plus. Maybe I could start making it again and hopefully my fridge has enough space to accomodate it all as I need to do more groceries now since I have new housemates moving in.
For korean stuffs, I think their bibimbop and their steamboat are wonderful. Maybe I should ask my friend out for some korean food soon... :p
Oh yeah, remember to blog a little on the christmas carol or event in your church, if they has one at all.
Wahh..turkey! Just couldn't wait to feast my eyes with it. Enjoy the party and happy cooking!
ReplyDeletethe servings r shrinking over the mths..same with the KL korean bbq..
ReplyDeleteapparently they r damn conscious when it comes to making profits..and will increase prices or cut portions to make sure they make enough money..
whoah, shud I consider this as a lavish food or ordinary?
ReplyDeleteBut, of course it is very inviting. Your photo is clean too.
I tried Korean food once (recomended by friends and wifey), too bad it did not fit me well. Maybe, I ordered wrong dish ^.^
Looking at ur photo makes me feel like to go and try agian lol
lunch guy:i know, i have same problems too. i don't like the effects of flash (too flat) but i usually cook for dinner n by then the sun's down n my lens just can't perform so well. i find tt the best time is around 10 in d mrng n 3 in the aftrnn, n in a room where the light is not direct.i've also been taught to use a reflector of some sort (smtimes i use the lid of a pot or a shiny cake board).
ReplyDeletekorean cuisine is d most understated cuisine. most ppl i know just don't like it. when i was with the korean dev bank for 3 weeks, i ate korean as much as i could but many of my asian coursemates ate instant noodles all the time! shame, bc they missed out.
yes, kimchi is often said to have cleansing effects. i know a friend who lost tons by eating kimchi only. n i have never seen a fat korean woman. boys i have but tt bc he eats western food like burgers :0
johanathan: no, i still haven't got d replacemt!
uy make kimchi? wow! prob with me here is i usually make too much n kim chi doesn't keep so long.could u put a large plastic over ur glass container to reduce the stink?
ok, will see about d church carols
pp: more to come. i need to bake again next week
joe: but many of d ingredients r local...many too much profit.
val: have an open mind n u'll discover korean food is truly one of the best. they don't have much variety tho.
Hi Terri, I usually keep the kimchi in a "air-tight" container but I guess the fermentation process of the kimchi continues in that container thus causing pressure in it, which resulted in air escaping... My mum used to keep them in those recycled glass nescaffe bottle but I find it a lil bit heavy on the fridge as my fridge compartment holder is a bit "koyak" already.
ReplyDelete