Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Little Chef Diary : Vanilla Cupcakes

This recipe is just simple, fast yet quick to bake. It comes with buttercream icing and I did my first try on my piping. Honestly, it looked like poo and I was too ashamed to post it here. Furthermore, this buttercream icing was far too sweet.

Vanilla Cupcakes ( from Something Sweet - Cakes, Bakes, Desserts by Food Lovers )
Ingredients: ( I made half of this portion )
175g butter
175g sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs beaten
175g self-raising flour

Method:
1. Heat the oven to 180*c. Place paper cases in a 12-hole bun tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the eggs, beating well.
4. Sift in the flour and gently fold into the mixture until combined.
5. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 20 minutes until golden and risen.


Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Johor Trip May 2012

Ajisai Japanese Restaurant 味彩日本料理屋
Ajisai definitely worth a try as a fine Japanese cuisine restaurant. I will give it a thumbs-up with a rating of 10/10! We visited Ajisai so frequent till one of the Chinese worker know my dad's name and they even knew we don't stay in Johor. Ajisai is usually full house so my dad used to make a booking before we reach there. You will like to have your meal at the the second floor where they have a private room with a traditional short table and you will need to sit on the cushions on the floor. Obviously a good dining experiece!

Edamame bean (served for free) *MY FAVOURITE BEAN*

Appetizer : Spinach Bacon Salad with fried garlic *yummy*

Salmon Roll ( 8 pieces )

Soft Shell Crab Roll ( 8 pieces )

Cha Soba ( chilled green tea noodles )

Raw salmon rice set ( served with salad, pickled vegetable, steamed rice, cawanmushi  and fruit slice ) 

Other dishes which worth trying :
  • Asparagus bacon roll
  • Saba shioyaki ( it comes in a set too which is worth to try with the side dishes - Saba Shioyaki Set )
  • Mango sushi roll

Address : No.63, Jalan Kuning 2, Taman Pelangi, 80400 JB, Johor
(refer to  http://www.malaysia.com/directory/restaurants/restaurants/johor/Ajisai_Japanese_Restaurant_Sdn._Bhd._204523.html )
Contact Number : 073315458 

Ajisai Japanese Restaurant Sdn. Bhd.

No. 63, Jalan Kuning 2, Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru, Johor, 80400
 +60 (0)7 331-5458 


Read more: http://www.malaysia.com/directory/restaurants/restaurants/johor/Ajisai_Japanese_Restaurant_Sdn._Bhd._204523.html#ixzz2Cq4uZJop

Ajisai Japanese Restaurant Sdn. Bhd.

No. 63, Jalan Kuning 2, Taman Pelangi, Johor Bahru, Johor, 80400
 +60 (0)7 331-5458 


Read more: http://www.malaysia.com/directory/restaurants/restaurants/johor/Ajisai_Japanese_Restaurant_Sdn._Bhd._204523.html#ixzz2Cq4uZJop

Johor Trip May 2012

Oh well, Johor has been my second home ever since my dad starts working here. It's great experience to have two homes to stay in :D I will visit Johor at least once a year, especially during holidays. I love staying here, right in my dad's condo with the bird's eye view of Johor and to enjoy the cool breezy air early in the morning and at night.
* I know it was kinda late for me to update my blog on this now but there are lots I will like to share on.

八哩半大家发鸭肉

 We came across this shop in a food guide book and my dad said he went to that place before so we decided to give it a try. It was well known as a old shop under the shady canopy of the tree, and most importantly their braised duck is the most popular dish.

It took us quite some time to get our way to the shop although dad said he knew his way ( my typical daddy).

We ordered :
braised duck, braised pork offal ( I will never eat this though my mum loves it ), braised egg ( my favourite braised dish ), pickled cabbage
*The meal comes along with a big bowl of herbal soup for you share. You can also opt for steamed rice or hor fun in soup

Address:1B, Jalan Skudai Batu 8 1/2 (Lee Pineapple), Skudai 81300 Johor Bahru (国光小学后面)
Operating Hours: 0830am - 1600pm
Off Day: Every Month 初一 
Reference -  http://homeofjbfood.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-post_27.html

Danga Bay, Johor Bahru
Danga Bay has a pretty nice view of the sea. The day when I visited it was cloudy and the chilly wind was brushing against my face. If you can swim across the sea, you can reach Singapore. HAHA

At night, there's a fun fare next to it but the price is quite expensive compared to those normal fun fare you can find in small town. However, you can try taking a walk there after dinner :)


















Johor Premium Outlet (JPO)
For me, JPO dooesn't worth going with all the branded stuff. The only shops I love are Padini, Vincci and Cotton On :) Mind you that Vincci is selling really outdated and filthy accessories now although they are giving 70% discount. I was so disappointed on my last visit few days back.





Crepe2U
 Crepe2U has set up their stall at many shopping malls in Johor like Sutera Mall and JB City Square. Their crepes are fairly reasonable and worth trying with their wide range of sweet or savory crepes.


To be continued.......

Monday, November 12, 2012

Friend-ship

Friendship is just made up of two simple yet meaningful words: friend+ship. Having a bunch of best friends is like going through a sailing in a ship. You will have the ups and downs, as well as some unpredictable hurdles. But these are the ones which teach us to appreciate our friendship and place an importance in it. Friends are always part of our lives and the memorable moment with them will burried deep down in my hear forever. The remininscing moment is unforgettable.

 Today 12.11.2012 is a day I will like to remember forever and thus the date will abe kept in my blog. There two deals between my friend and I.
1. First, my best friend forever gave me a fine glass Eiffel Tower with some message in it. I made a promise that I will only read it ten years later on 12.11.2022. It symbolises the friendship between us.

2. Secondly, we bought t shirt of the same design but in different colour. We made a deal to keep it till ten years later. The craziest thing we had ever done together. I wonder how it will be if we wore it again ten years later.

<3 bits="bits" every="every" friends="friends" moment="moment" my="my" of="of" p="p" the="the" with="with">

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Blogshop :)

I started my new blogshop - www.dhands-on.blogspot.com so feel free to visit :) email me if you are interested.  Thanks!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Phuket Trip Day 1

Day 1 @ Phuket Town

We took an early flight from KL to Phuket which departed approximately at 8:30am. The flight distance is short so it only took us 2 hours to reach our destination and finally the plane landed ^^

From Phuket International Airport to Phuket Town, there are a few types of public transportation as your choice. For mini bus service, it's 150Baht per person while taxi usually costs 500Baht for one trip. At first, we wanted to take the airport bus which is the cheapest of all but we weren't really sure of the price as there is no counter or information centre. We only saw the bus schedule in sight. So we decided to take the taxi. The taxi driver did not have a meter reading in his taxi ( dont be surprise with that ) You can hire them by bargaining the before you hop on the taxi. It cost us 550Baht.


Our stay in Phuket Town is at The Emotion Place ( search it on Google or Agoda ). It is within walking distance to the shoppping malls like Central Festival Phuket and Big C as well as the weekend market. There is a 7-11 shop few doors away. It is where you can find the classic type of carbonated drinks such as Coke and Fanta in glass bottle at 10 Baht. I dont think you can find this type of bottle in Malaysia for only MYR 1. The hostel and guesthouse which I stay in is simple and cosy, unlike those five stars hotels which are decorated so grandly as if you are in a ballroom. We have our basic necessities in every room such as the refrigeratior, tv, air conditioner and a small separated space with basin ( I guess you can keep your food there ). If you are looking for any day drips to the islands any famous tourist places like the Fantasea, you can get it from the hotel but the price us at least 1000 over Baht per person.

After taking a rest at the hostel, we headed to Phuket Town area where you find local specialties and souveniers. There are handmade handicrafts, T-shirts, Indonesia made batik cloth, art pieces and many more. As it is more of tourist palace, the price are marked higher up and it doesn't worth the money some times especially clothings. However, the price of the food is still reasonable and most importantly mouth-licking good :D We ate twice at two different restaurant to try different types of food. We had pork satay and some fried noodles at our first stop at a local restaurant. The pork satay costs us 50Baht only. At our second stop, I had stir fried noodles with seafood in soy sauce for 45Baht. Although it looks more like Chinese style food instead of Thai food, but it worth eating as you have seafood like two medium size prawns and lots of sotong ( squid ). These restaurants in Phuket do serve unlimited free water with ice.

At weekend night there's one thing you definitely cannot miss out! It is the Weekend Night Market. Make sure you brought stacks of money notes #just kidding :P For teens especially girls, I can conclude that you will SHOP TILL YOU DROP. Oh gosh. Look at the varities of trendy tops, shorts, flats, sandals, handbag and the accessories which are so cheap! As a price guide (from what I saw), here's the usual price you shall get :

Tops ( some dresses too ) - 100Baht ONLY
You may not get the latest on trend ( Korean style ) clothing but you will not feel left out too with the tops. Their trend here in Thailand is is quite similar with Malaysia trend, but of course incomparable with Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea (definitely).

Shorts - 100Baht ONLY
Most stalls sell the Korean style shorts now with really good quality and cutting. It is free size but it is not too small and it fits everyone. There do have casual shorts in many sizes too. My mum grabbed four different colours shorts :)

Shoes :
Slippers and Sandals - 100Baht only
You can have FitFlops too. Lol. But it looks quite fake. They even have VKI slippers which I saw in 1U.

Flats and Heels -120-150Baht
It is cheap but I find their quality slightly lower :( dont expect too much at this price

Accessories - 10Baht
You can get everything you need, from hair accessories, earrings ( two pairs ) to little bits of unique souveniers. There is only one advice - buy as many as you can so that you wont regret.

Last but not least, FOOD. Have you dinner here by trying all types of  local delicacies, drinks and desserts. Try their fried fish cake ( 8 for 20Baht ). It is slightly spicy but it is yummy. If you opt for pastry and breads, they have it here too. I bought eclairs for 5Baht for one tiny piece ( it is slightly larger than our 50cents coin )  For drinks, there are always blended food drinks, especially blended orange juice. There are also cocktails of your coice.

If you plan to visit the Weekend Market, do wear thin clothings as it is really hot and you will get sweaty too.

I will definitely be back here again. It is a nice place to visit or shall I call it a SHOPPING PARADISE ? <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p">
*updated on 29/9/12*

Pork Satay ( deserves a thumbs-up :D )


Fried noodles

A teapot of FOC ice water is usually prepared at every table 

Cute little metal mugs

These are served at every table but I have no idea what are these and we didn't try it

A variety of local food can be found here!

To be continued......