M&M

Last Sunday I did M&Ms in my photography project. The result was so-so and I had made a notation to re-shoot M&Ms when I had the opportunity. I was doing my grocery shopping at Giant yesterday and as I was queuing to pay, there by the counter were these two cute M&M figurines. It gave me an idea immediately. I bought them at RM9.90 each and also another bag of M&Ms for the shoot.

The storyboard... In my mind I wanted to capture the two figurines with a background of lights bokeh. Simple... except the lights for the bokeh. If I had a christmas tree at home with christmas lights then it wouldn't be an issue at all, alas I didn't. Then I looked out my balcony and there were all the lights that I needed.  Then came the next problem... elevating the 'scene' to the level of the lights. The scene had to be about 5 feet high. Nothing in my apartment was that high. So I improvised. I used my ironing board as the base and elevated it further with two chairs.

It was not an easy shoot. If I stood I would be too high. If I sat I would be too low. So it was very uncomfortable. I took a total of 52 shots in this project.

This was taken at f/3.5, 1/60, ISO800, flash fired. This came out the sharpest due to the fast shutter speed and smaller aperture assisted with the flash. However, the downside was that the background was darker.

This was taken at f/2.8, 1/30, ISO1600. I like this better but it is not as sharp as I would have liked thanks to my shaky hands and the slower shutter speed and even that, I had to boost the ISO to 1600 to get it at 1/30. I really need to get myself a tripod....

This was taken at f/1.8, 1/50, ISO800. This ended up slightly underexposed so I had to compensate in the editing process. I like the bokeh produced by the larger aperture... round. Again... the tripod would have helped.

So... next item to buy is the tripod... and it ain't cheap. The one that I have my eyes on is approximately RM1k... and that is why I still haven't got it yet... sigh...

Messed Up...

The past few days have been pretty messy. There was frustration. There was hurt... lots of it... I wished I could just take my heart out but alas I can't. There was anger. Some people just love to report half facts and get others worked up... really spoilt my days.

Anyway, thankfully I had planned to spoil myself last night and that kinda made up for everything for the time being. I bought myself tickets for Avatar-3D on Monday for last night, midnight. My last 3D movie was Jaws 3D... and I think I was about thirteen then. I decided on 3D for Avatar as I read somewhere that this would be a good movie to watch on 3D. To cut a long story short... I was happy as shit. Damn! It was so cool! Really cool... nowhere near what I remembered it to be. I was literally fascinated... switching views to see the difference... trying to touch certain things... and here comes the best part.... there was a scene with an explosion and  the debris flew towards the audience... I actually ducked! It was a good experience. Go try it... you won't regret.

This is a view that I should be seeing daily soon. I've always dreamed of having a beach-side house but I guess a beach-side workplace will have to suffice for now... really looking forward to it... get away from this place... away from everyone. Maybe I'll find peace there... maybe I'll just decide to sever all ties and start life all over again... maybe that's the best way since people can't move on... they just have to haunt you.

If the weather is good I'll go out for some photography tomorrow...

Going Bananas...

Following yesterday's picture, I thought I'd try something different today... and I decided on a banana... why a banana? Well... I did see something like this before done by a professional so I thought I'd try to replicate it and see how difficult it actually was to shoot it. As it turned out... it's pretty simple actually. Same methodology as the apple shot. Only difference is the depth of field and for this shot I used a flat surface instead. I used f/22 for this shot as I wanted the banana to be sharp throughout and I think a flat surface is nicer.

I decided on the shot late in the evening. So after dinner I went to a few 7-Eleven's to try and get a Montel banana as they were longer and cleaner... but unfortunately they had sold out all their bananas. I guess the preference generally is for long and clean bananas. So I had no choice but to buy a whole comb of kontot bananas from the little convenience store at my apartment block. Therefore I am stuck with a kontot banana. Pun fully intended. Hahahahaha...

I must say I really like the picture... clean.

Anyway... back to reality... I dunno... I find myself hating this place so much these days. This place as in KL generally. Sigh... maybe I'll elaborate on this tomorrow.

An Apple A Day...

...keeps the boredom at bay.

I decided to do some still life photography and this apple is my first subject. I must say that I am quite pleased with the result.

The set up is very simple. I cleared my bed... that is push the pillows aside... then polished the apple a bit and placed it on the bed. Used my 50mm prime lens set at f/1.8 and at 1/60sec exposure. Flashed pointed upwards to the ceiling for bounce effect. Voila!

There's more at my Flickr page. I'm thinking a banana next...

Another Sleepless Night

I thought that I'd sleep like a baby since I didn't sleep a wink at all on Sunday night but I was wrong. My mind was active again. I think I got about 2 hours of sleep. I am still very, very excited about my upcoming new job. I just finished and sent my assignment over.

Another view of Phase 1.

Sleepless Night

I had a sleepless night last night and I am so, so sleepy today. This excited botak's mind was on overdrive last night. I was thinking of the candidates for my core team, finance, policies, benefits, salary structure, etc. I am really, really excited about this. Need to find the time to do my assignment today. Here's an artist impression of what I'm all excited about.

This is Phase 1.

Penang - Day 2

Last night was not very different. I still haven't gotten used to the bed. Another sleepless night. Sigh...

The rest of the training was fine... right until the end. I knew that there would be some play with emotions at the end and I was prepared. Or, at least I thought I was...

The facilitator shared a story about a boy who wanted so much to tell his dad that he loved his dad but somehow couldn't bring himself to do it but instead said "Goodnight" to his dad only to lose his dad to an accident the following day. And that was all it took to have me sobbing away like a big baby. I was definitely the first to get all teary-eyed and I think I was the only male who did. I couldn't help it... it seems like yesterday that I lost my dad.

Anyway, Nancy the facilitator gave me a big hug after that. She knew... I've known Nancy for over 10 years now. In fact she was the one who interviewed me during the buy-over back then.

I decided to leave tomorrow as I didn't want to get caught in the jam at the bridge and also because I wanted to catch my 9:00 pm TV3 drama. That also meant it was best not to venture out for dinner. So, I took a quick walk to the nearby shopping center and bought my dinner.

My dinner... a dinner plate. I actually prefer the 'Original' but somehow today I thought I'd try this instead.

Ha, ha, ha... and this is my dessert of course...

Penang - Day 1

Day one in Penang. Had a sleepless night. It's usual for me due to the new bed and environment. In the little sleep that I got I dreamt of a centipede. I never did finish the dream as it was interrupted by an SMS at 0223 hours by someone who wanted to tell me how efficient I was. At that hour? Aiyoh... I didn't get a sound sleep after that. I tossed and turned all night and the next thing I know it was time to wake up.

The training was okay. I've been through many similar trainings. This one helped refresh my memory and also put things in perspective on how to apply things differently with the new generation of employees.

For dinner, the host took us to Northam Beach Café. It was a food court actually but it sure had a wide selection of cuisines. Japanese, Italian, Chinese, etc. There was halal food but mostly non-halal. We ordered all kinds of food and everyone wanted to pay.

This is the ABC with ice cream. This is the only thing I managed to pay for. It cost RM32.00 for 6 of these... 4 with ice cream and 2 without. Not cheap actually but it was good.

Then I ordered a betul-betul ho liao... prawn noodles. It was damn good. I was so tempted to order another bowl for myself but when I saw what the rest had ordered, I changed my mind. There was so much food and it would all have gone to waste.

Thai-day Sunday...

It's a Sunday. Busy day for me as usual. Grocery shopping, cleaning and cooking. I decided to do Thai today... Tom Yum, Mango Kerabu and Fried Fish.

When I got home I cleaned the kitchen. I even cleaned the refrigerator... and that's when it happened. Wham! I had cleaned the cabinets but mindless me left the cabinet door ajar. I then proceeded to clean the fridge. As soon as I was done I stood up. Wham! Bang! I saw stars... literally... the pain was excruciating. Tears welled in my eyes. Serves you right for being so careless...

Here it is... it was swollen too... and yes, it bled. And I had my hair cut after I knocked my head... thankfully, the barber noticed it and was gentle with that part.

Anyway, despite my throbbing head I managed to clean the apartment and change the sheets and then started cooking.

This is the Mango Kerabu. A very simple version. You can add other ingredients to it to make it taste better like peanuts, ikan bilis or even dried shrimps. It's entirely up to you. Here's the recipe...

1 large young mango

6 shallots

1 serai

6 cili padi

2 limes, juiced

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp sugar

Julienne the mango and set aside. Slice the cili padi, shallots and serai finely. How much you use is a matter of preference. You can add or lessen the quantity. In a large bowl add all the ingredients and toss. You may need to add more sugar to taste. If you like you can add some chopped cilantro.

This is the Tom Yum. Plain looking as I was too lazy to chop cilantro for garnishing. Nak makan, bukan nak jual or enter a competition.

prawns
1 liter chicken stock
6 slices fresh galangal
2 serai, bruised
2 daun limau purut
10 cili padi
2 tomatoes, quartered
2 onions, quartered
4 limes, juiced
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp roasted chilli paste

In a pot bring your chicken stock to boil. Add the sliced galangal, serai, cili padi and onion. Tear the daun limau purut and add in. Add lime juice, fish sauce and roasted chili paste. Allow to boil for about 10 minutes or so for the flavours to infuse. Add tomatoes and allow to boil for a further 2 or 3 minutes. Add prawns, close lid and turn fire off. Done.

Adjust taste to your preference with lime juice and fish sauce. Lime juice for sourness and fish sauce for saltiness. Do not add more lime juice till after adding the tomatoes as the tomatoes will add to the sourness. Prawns has to be last and fire switched off immediately or it will be hard and overcooked. Oh... you can add other stuff in like oyster mushrooms, cauliflower and what not. Up to you lah.

Aglio e Olio

That's my dinner... it doesn't get any simpler than this when you're not having instant noodles. I'm getting hungry again as I type this. Just the thought of it makes me hungry. Such a simple dish yet so, so satisfying.

1. Cook your pasta according to the instructions on the packet. It's 6 minutes for this, vermicelli. However, I cooked it to 4 minutes and then cold shocked it in running tap water to stop it from cooking further. Then set it aside.

2. Chop some garlic (I used half a BULB) and cili padi (chili flakes if you prefer) and prepare 1 cup of chicken stock. I use Maggis' concentrated chicken stock where you add 1 tsp of the concentrated stock to 1 bowl of water.

3. Add olive oil generously to a pan. Heat should be moderate or the garlic will end up getting burnt and you'll end up with bitter sauce. Add the garlic and cili padi and saute till golden. If you have white wine, splash some in then add your chicken stock.

4. Add your pasta, cook for about 2 minutes or till your preferred doneness (and dryness) and season with crushed black pepper and salt. As you can see I like mine soaked in sauce.

Done. Bon Appetit.

Aww... Shucks...

It looked like it was going to pour this morning and since I had to vacate my apartment by the end of the month I decided I'd catch the gloomy morning scene before I lost the chance.

The phone rang at 8:33 am to the theme of Ironside. Only one person in my phone book with that ringtone... my boss. Alamak... not again... last week's argument was enough. I don't need another one. I've been having too many arguments with him in the last 8 months. Come to think of it, we've had more arguments in the past 8 months than over the last 10 years. I take the call and he asks if I am at work yet. Yes, I am... he's here too. Aiyoyoh... karavale, karavale... this is so unusual. I go to meet him and he asks that we adjourn to my office. That's even more strange. This is the first time he's been to my office.

Something's not right. He closes the door after he gets in. It was an hour session. He apologised for not guiding me properly since I took this challenge 8 months back. He must have heard or felt that I was serious when I said I was going to leave though he never touched on that topic. He explained many things which had to stay within the four walls of my office. There were emotional moments... him holding back his tears when I told him how shitty it is to be a senior management and to get your 10-year service cheque and letter from your own HR manager and the letter signed by the HR manager and not from the owner himself or Council. Of course he assumed responsibility for that failure. As usual... Well... to cut a long story short, he's managed to make me feel guilty. I tell you... this one man is the only thing binding me with this company.

Anyway... I have NOT changed my mind. He's got me mixed with my feelings and I MAY stay on but that certainly remains to be seen. I am still going ahead to recce the resort next month during Raya Haji and I called Mahmoud yesterday to ask him for leads on international postings. I'll be sending him my resume tomorrow.

Oh, by the way... in that discussion... I was told I now don't have to move from the apartment... damn... he sure knows how to go for the moral ground. His Sun Tzu is WAY superior to mine.

Naili's

I finished work pretty late today. I didn't feel like cooking as I was hungry so I thought I'd go out and have dinner. I fancied having something simple... maybe rice and a good soup. I thought of Naili's Place... the last time I was there they had a decent Sup Tulang. Just what I felt like having. So off I went... decided to go to the Ampang Point outlet figuring that it would be straight-forward if I took the AKLEH. Boy, was I wrong... for some reason there was a bottleneck getting off the AKLEH. I was stuck there for 30 minutes. My stomach rumbling away.

Cucur Ikan Bilis to start off. Love this... most people take it with the Thai Chilli sauce but I prefer it plain. It was gone in a mere minutes as I was so hungry.

My Sup Tulang. It's a very big bowl for RM8.00 and it had a lot of... yeah... bones... hahaha... and meat attached to the bones. I dunno... is it me or what but this didn't taste as good as the last time. But seriously, RM8.00 for this compared to the Cucur Ikan Bilis at RM6.00.

This is a SMALL Tom Yum at RM15.00. Okay it has squid and the bowl is a wee bit bigger than the Sup Tulang... but at almost double the price to justify 6 prawns? I dunno... something wrong with my values I think. Anyway, it was pretty decent Tom Yum for a paste-based soup. Good with steamed white rice.

Between the two soups, for this visit I prefer the Tom Yum. The Cucur Ikan Bilis is consistent.

Intai-Intai to Kunang-Kunang

I woke up early again today. Made my coffee and decided to watch my DVDs. I managed to finish Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and also Quantum of Solace. Brunch was sausages, burgers and drummets again. Then I did some cleaning and lazed around a bit.

By 3:30 pm, I was hungry again and decided to go out and have some sushi... yes Ampang Point again. By the time I got to Ampang Point it was 4:30 pm. Had my usual fare and then I decided to check out what was at CapSquare. There wasn't much to see there. I was in and out of that place in less than 30 minutes. I had my camera with me with just my 50 mm lens. I didn't feel like bringing the 55-250 mm zoom lens along as I didn't think there would be much use of it. I managed to snap a couple of shots without spending too much time looking for an appropriate angle. Here they are... nothing fancy... just straight forward and thoughtless shots.

A shot of the Petronas Twin Towers is a must... gee, I'm so Malaysian now. Just like how each and every local movie or drama MUST HAVE a Petronas Twin Tower background scene. Hahaha... and if you look at the left, that's proof that I was there.... as if I need to prove this to anyone. Hahaha...

Then there's the KL Tower... this is not so popular these days. I have some ideas for this but it will have to wait till I get a sturdy tripod.

Got myself a coffee at Starbuck's and left. Drove around a bit and was just about to head home when I thought of a place that I read about. It's called Intai-Intai... supposedly a well-kept secret. It's located somewhere along Jalan Ulu-Kelang. I came from Jalan Ampang and as I drove slowly on the left lane looking for signs of this restaurant I noticed the traffic building on the opposite direction. As I drove further down towards Setapak I realised that it is probably located on the opposite direction but since the traffic looked bad I decided not to make a U-turn. So I just drove on. I see the Muzium Orang Asli signboard so often and today I just decided to follow it and see where it was located.

I drive and drive following the signboard and the next thing I knew I was driving on Route 68. It took me all the way to Genting-Sempah. This route is no joke... kinda eerie and looks like a good place to dump dead bodies if you know what I mean. Winding like the Tapah route to Cameron Highlands and narrow too. I drove pretty slow since I was not familiar with the route. I arrived at Genting-Sempah just after 7:00 pm. Made a quick run to the washroom and quickly made my way back to KL.

I was starving by now so I decided to head on to Kunang-Kunang since it was the nearest place I could think of. I got to know of this place back when I used to plough the Karak highway regularly when I worked in Kuantan. Everytime I stopped to refuel at Shell, northbound on MRR2 just before you turn off to Karak Highway I would notice this restaurant as I pulled out of the petrol station. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and I stopped there one day and checked it out. It was oklah... garden a la feed-the-mosquitoes-while-you-dine concept. Just a note though which I think needs to be mentioned just in case. Not that I am a racist or anything... but in the few times I have been there I only saw Malays. So, if you're not comfortable then up to you lah. For me, I hantam je.... I kan Muhibbah?

Laksa Kedah... I think it was RM8.90++. It was very good the last time I was here but today, kurang sikit.

This is the Nasi Lemak Rendang Daging which I think was RM4.00++. No... I think it was RM4.00 extra for the rendang. A bit too much sliced serai in the rendang and a bit too much cardamom in my opinion.

The other side of the platter for a better view of the condiments. The ikan bilis was nice...

This is my favourite drink for this place... Watermelon Lychee. Totally refreshing and generous with their lychees too. The damage for those two dishes, my drink and a mango puree was RM32.00.

Bueno

This is my latest indulgence... Kinder Bueno. I had seen the ad on TV many times before but never did try it until lately when I was in Ipoh and was craving for a snack and this was the only thing left so I tried it. I am now hooked on it. Like I said before, I can't stop till I finish everything... and when I finished everything, I ended up being hyper and unable to sleep.

Oh... it's my late father's birthday today... Happy Birthday Dad... I miss you. :(

Cumulus

I got home and took a peek out the balcony and saw this. I was intrigued and fascinated at what I saw. Cumulus... that's all I remember from school. Which cumulus? I don't know. I'm intrigued and fascinated at it's density. It just looks so 'garang'...

A closer look at the clouds... I think it is a cumulus congestus.

Beef Rendang

I got home early today to cook some rendang. I acquired a recipe from Hari Raya and decided to try it out. Did I mention that I love rendang? Heh, heh, heh... ada faham kah? Anyways, back to the recipe. You'll need the following:-

1kg beef, I used topside

2 small packets curry powder for meat or chicken, Adabi

1 inch galangal

10 serai

20 dried chilli, soaked

1 bulb garlic

20 shallots

1 inch young ginger

1 inch turmeric

500 ml water

2 pieces asam keping

1 daun kunyit, finely shredded

2 packets coconut milk

1 packet kerisik

seasoning

Some of the ingredients used. For those who don't know, starting clockwise at the top is serai (lemongrass), kunyit (turmeric), young ginger, lengkuas (galangal), shallots and garlic. Daun kunyit (turmeric leaf) and onion on top.

First of all, slice or cube your beef depending on how you like it. Keep in mind shrinkage over the long cooking process. My guess is almost 40% shrinkage. So if you slice it too small and thin then it would literally 'dissolve' by the end of it. Then marinate the beef with some seasoning and half the curry powder for at least 30 minutes.

Then proceed to peel and prepare the ground ingredients. I'd recommend you split it into two batches, the galangal and serai separate from the others. I'd also recommend that you slice the galangal and serai or even chop it up before blending. Two reasons for this... to preserve your blender's blade and to ensure that it is grounded fine. Obviously you'll need some water to blend the ingredients and that's where you can use the 500 ml of water.

Heat some oil in a large pot or wok, enough to sauté the ground ingredients. When the oil is smoking, add the ground ingredients and remaining curry powder and sauté till fragrant, about 15 minutes. Add the beef and when it begins to simmer add the asam keping, daun kunyit and coconut milk. Allow to simmer gently over a low fire till meat is tender and the mixture thick. I cooked mine for about 3 hours. Remember to stir occasionally to avoid the mixture from sticking and burning to the base. How thick the rendang should be is a matter of preference. Some like it very dry and some like it runny. Add the kerisik in the last 10 minutes of cooking and season to taste. When you've cooked often enough you tend to know how much seasoning is needed and when cooking braised dishes like this I prefer to add my seasoning in the beginning allowing room for 'fine-tuning' add the end. This way the meat will be more flavourful.

If you're too lazy to peel shallots then you can just replace them with large onions which is why there is a large onion there in the picture as I added that in.

This is the end result... slightly runny for me. Alamak, I am hungry already from this blog.

My Daily Cup

Everyone has their daily ritual. I know Lian’s was being gloomy for the first hour of her day… ha, ha, ha… don’t know if she still is. Would be bad if she still is as the weather where she’s residing in now is just as gloomy all year round. Hah!

My ritual is *ahem* visiting Bank Negara every morning but that is after I have my daily cup. My daily cup is extremely important as it makes the visit to the bank ‘smoother’ and it also prevents me from getting a severe headache. My daily cup is essentially coffee... not just coffee but strong coffee. The recipe is basically the same but the coffee I use varies depending on what’s on sale at the supermarket. My recipe is:

1 packet 3-in-1 instant coffee

1 packet Anlene milk

1 teaspoon instant coffee

1 teaspoon condensed milk

Pop the milk in the microwave for 2 minutes, add all other ingredients and some hot water and ‘tarik’ for about 10 times.

This is my daily cup... a nice 'tarik-ed' cup of deliciously strong coffee. And I have it in this same mug every single day. Got this mug back in 1997 as the pre-opening team. How time flies...

My preferred variation is Nescafé Gold 3-in-1 with a teaspoon of Nescafé Gold and the alternative would be Nescafé 3-in-1 Rich with a teaspoon of Nescafé Classic. Obviously the preferred variation is more expensive. The Gold range seldom has offers whilst the Rich type often has offers where you get 5 sticks extra… so since it is already cheaper and you then get 5 sticks extra it becomes a no-brainer, No?

Anlene is the milk of choice due to the extra calcium but I limit myself to no more than 2 cups of milk a day as I have the opinion that milk is a carcinogen. I read an article somewhere and I just believed it. This is not scientifically proven but... hey... what have I to lose?

When I have brewed coffee then it is different…. I take it black, no sugar. Ummppphhhh!

McDeluxe?

I was at Ampang Park and was deciding what to have for dinner when I came across this. I found it quite amusing... McDeluxe... heh, heh, heh... and open 24 hours too. I wonder if they have anything other than McChicken, if you know what I mean... ha, ha, ha...

Anyways... back to dinner... it was either Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa or Manhattan's Fish Market. I finally decided on MFM since I've never tried it although the smell of the nasi lemak just next door was really inviting.

Manhattan Fish n Chips. There is a choice between Dory, Pollock or Cod fish. I opted for the Pollock which is RM16.90++. It was okay, nothing to shout about. The fries sucked... they were dry.

This is the Flaming Platter for One. It has a catch of the day, pan-fried and their 'award winning' flaming prawns served with buttered rice. They have a nice gimmick of flaming the prawns in front of you with a hand-held burner. I wonder who gave them the award for their prawns? It was just so-so... for RM27.90 I guess it is reasonable but the combination is bad. Way too creamy for me. Cream on the prawns, cream on the fish and buttered rice. I think I'll puke if I had to finish it. I just don't fancy creamy food. Oh, did I mention that the fries sucked? Heh, heh, heh...

I don't see myself going back there again...

Daging Masak Kicap & Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day so I decided to clear the freezer. I had prawns, beef and chicken drumsticks in the freezer. A quick rummage through the refrigerator and I decided on the menu. It was to be Spicy Prawns, Daging Masak Kicap and Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi.

The Spicy Prawns. This is definitely a better picture compared to the previous one. Recipe is here...

Ayam Masak Lemak Cili Padi. I don't know what the authentic version is like but this is my adaptation from my memory based on what my mom taught me.

1 inch kunyit

15 cili padi

1 garlic

10 shallots

1 asam keping

1 serai

1 daun limau purut

1 cube chicken stock

1 tomato, quartered

1 nos coconut milk

Blend the ingredients. Bring the ingredients to boil with about 500ml of water and the chicken stock. Throw in the asam keping, serai, daun limau purut and chicken. Simmer till chicken is cooked. Add tomatoes then add coconut milk. Bring fire to a gentle simmer to avoid the coconut milk from curdling. Season to taste with salt and you're done.

Daging Masak Kicap. Again this is my adaptation done the Chinese way...

Marinade

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp osyter sauce

1 tsp corn starch

pepper

1 dry chili

1 bulb garlic (whole, skin on)

1 star anise

2 cm cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 large onion, quartered

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar or to taste

Slice the beef and marinate for about 30 minutes.

Heat some oil in a pot. Stir-fry the beef in very hot oil to seal the meat. Add about 500ml of water and add all remaining ingredients except sugar. Simmer till beef is tender adding water along the way if it is too thick. Add sugar to taste and you're done.

By the way... the garlic is thrown in whole for taste. If you peel it, very likely it will break up through the cooking process. The garlic is damn layan like this... syiok... kind of like roasted garlic.

Hokkaido

It's Ayu's birthday today and since the birthday girls just loves crabs I took her to Hokkaido as this is the nearest pork-free Chinese restaurant that I know of. The menu was simple. Dry Chilli Crabs and Steamed Sea Bass with Supreme Soy Sauce.

The Dry Chilli Crabs is a signature dish at Hokkaido. Actually, I think it is Kam Heong Crabs but since they have a predominantly Malay clientele it probably 'evolved' to Dry Chilli Crabs for simplicity.

A closer look at the crabs and if it's not close enough click on it... if you don't already know. It is literally finger licking good.

The Steamed Sea Bass with Supreme Soy Sauce. It was nice and so was mine. Confirm... mine is 'restaurant quality'...