fig & olive

sorry for the lack of food updates. been extremely busy with assignments!

anyway, few days ago, i had a meet up with 2 of my close friends from high school and i suggested fig & olive since its a relatively new place and all three of us hadnt try out the place (p/s: and also cos elaine threatened to close down my blog if i recommend a bad place!)

*fig & olive is a mediterranean cuisine restaurant.

fig & olive is having a rm29.90 set meal promotion. there are 4 sets to choose from-

1. grilled dory mushroom pasta
2. figo cyprus steak
3. olio andalusia skewer
4. zafirah zaytoon steak

+ starters (soup of the day)
+ dessert (sliced fresh fruits)
+ drinks (orange, guava or lime juice)

guava & orange juice

mushroom soup

zafira zaytoon steak (ala carte @ rm23.50)
beef steak with olive herbs, potato cilantro and fresh salad

grilled dory mushroom pasta- (ala carte @ rm23.50)
grilled dory with herbs, creamy mushroom, tomato pasta and fresh salad

figo cyprus steak (ala carte @ rm22.50)
beef steak with fig herbs, tomato pasta and fresh salad

sliced watermelon and papaya

food portion was great and we found the price to be reasonable. taste wise, it was a really different flavour from the usual steaks and fish at tgif or other western joints. there were no doubt some disappointments though. for instance, we requested for medium-rare for our steaks but it came like its well done. eejuen commented that the fish had a little fishy taste though i found it to be ok. the soup was just slightly warm, would have been better if it was hot. also the salad... now, im not a fan of salad so i found the salad to be really bitter and let's just say i left it as it was after a bite :/

mediterranean cuisine involves using alot of olives and herbs & spices and also dates. i dont usually take olives but i found it to be quite flavourful when coupled with the steak, and i like the oregano/rosemary (??) herbs & spices used.

its hidden in a very reclusive place along the marrakesh street. when we were there, there was only a table occupied. and during the duration we were there, only two tables including ours were occupied even though it was dinner time. i foresee that it'll end up gulung tikar very soon if business doesn't improve, which is rather sad as we found the food were quite ok and reasonably priced.

i think i will definitely come back for more!

cheers!
... back to assignments :(


fig & olive
lg2-122a lower ground 2,
marrakesh sunway pyramid (new wing),
46150 petaling jaya.
tel: 03-74920955
www.figolive.com

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

a non update to get you updated...

Lydia Shum aka fei jeh
1945-2008

wong ka kui
1962-1993

leslie cheung
1956-2003

anita mui
1963-2003

i've been super obsessed with dead people recently.

that being said, no i cant see dead people. i'm just super obsessed with knowing more about dead celebrities- lydia shum aka fei jeh, leslie cheung, anita mui, and wong ka kui of beyond.

that includes their background, their history in hk showbiz, what caused their deaths etc.

youtube has been my bestest friend offering me comfort in the songs and videos of those laid to rest. if it wasnt for youtube, i wouldnt have know how awesome and great these singers were that will put edison and twins cantopop to shame.

seriously.



i cried watching these veterans perform. i know i can be alil' emotional even at people whom i only see on tv. you can say i grew up watching these people on tv, so when they leave... i feel a great sense of lost. as they are a part of my childhood.

i'm gonna go buy myself beyond's the ultimate story album. canto music has never sounded this good...


sighs. ka kui from beyond, leslie, anita, lydia shum... why you all die so early. hk showbiz needs all of you.

who's your fav veteran singer? which song from beyond do you like the most? do you miss fei jeh's signature laugh? and leslie and anita's distinctive singing?

i know i do :(

the present

i remember reading this from a forwarded email years back, but came across in again at jeee's blog. it wont take long to read and at the end of the story, i hope we all change for the better.

#

It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking..


Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room' s only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.


Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.


The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.
Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.


One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind' s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'


Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can' t buy.

'Today is a gift, that is why it is called The Present ...'

#

pusat makanan sun hor lok

this will be my final entry on the food i had during my 3 days stay in ipoh over the cny holidays.

hidden in this eatery place is a stall that sells teh most awesomest greatest most fabulous pork noodles ive ever eaten in my entire life. ive been craving and wanting to eat it sooooo badly eversince i left ipohland. but can you picture my reaction when i was finally there, just 2cm away from the stall wanting to place my order... IT WAS CLOSED!!

2 mins earlier i was pretty overjoyed and excited (shuddup. i get excited at the thought of my fav food).

2 mins later, i was sulking and whining with my sisters :(

so we had to settle for something else which was not even in our TOP 50 PLACES/FOOD TO EAT IN IPOH.

the dim sum stall was experiencing brisk business as famous dim sum places such as foh san and ming court were closed. the dim sum fares didnt fare too well though.

char siu bao, fish balls, some fried things

other stalls were also having good business even though their food is not that nice... chinese new year mah, everywhere is closed so everyone had to settle for whatever and whereever that is opened.

wantan mee

tai kah lok beats this hands, feet, fingers, toes DOWN!

curry mee

the total bill for breakfast amounted to over rm100, and by ipoh standard (price and taste) it was clearly a cut-throat chinese new year breakfast. whattodooo... if only pork noodles stall was opened... :/

anyway, despite all the unyummy food, this was a clear winner on that morning.

gingko barley- rm2

my fav tong sui!! unlike the ones ive tasted in kl (here and here), this tastes much better. less diluted, more gingko, more barley, and even the color looks more original too!

i want my pork noodles...........

pusat makanan sun hor lok
persiaran greenhill,
30450 ipoh.
(opposite gold vision cake house)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

funny mountain tau foo fah

mention 'tau foo fah' in ipoh and instantly locals will direct you to funny mountain. no, the stall is not located at a mountain that is funny. yes, its a funny name but if you see the amount of loyal tau foo fah lovers lining and waiting for their fix of tau foo fah, its not that funny anymore. these people are making serious money out of just soybeans! they have the last laugh.

it took me to be away from this land of good food to realize the existence of this yummylicious tau foo fah shop. nevertheless, its certainly better be late than never!

this smaller-than-your-bathroom shop has been attracting scores of crowd from in and outside of ipoh. at only 80 cents per bowl, it's truly a cheap thrill. its hard to believe for many that these days there are still good food we can buy with less than a dollar.

armed with a tau foo fah scoop, these boys are pretty fast in getting orders and delivering them... right up to your car window. yes, drive thru service is available here for those who don't want to leave their air cond comfort zone (ipoh can be pretty hot, so hot i also cant understand why).

the smoothness is evident even from pictures. and it tasted absolutely [insert awesome adjectives]. best eaten when it is still warm as the smoothness of the tau foo fah just slides down your throat. absolutely no strength or energy needed :) heavenly indeed!!

funny mountain certainly sets a very high standard for the tau foo fah trade... truly an 'eat it to believe it'... only in ipoh :)

funny mountain tau foo fah
jalan dato tahwil azar, ipoh.

(near foh san dim sum)

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]

happy valentines 2008

pictures i received from a forwarded email. everything looks too precious to be put in the mouth , eh?

HAPPY VALENTINES!!

<3

kedai kopi let's rock @ ipoh

if you ask me what are the 3 things i am most craving for at the moment from my hometown, ipoh (land of good food), these tops my list:

# Pork noodles @ Pusat Makanan Sun Hor Lok, Greentown
# Hor fun (dry) & fishballs @ Restoran Let's Rock/Tai Kah Lok, Pasir Putih

# Chicken & prawn ipoh kueh teow @ Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri

fishballs, tofu, fishcakes, fu pei, meatballs, wantons

we practically grew up eating noodles, fishballs and drinking teh from tai kah lok. i remember mom used to ta pau these for breakfast on weekends or we would come here for breakfast on sundays with dad. this place remains very nostalgic and memorable to us.

for a good few years now we havent had any tai kah lok, so on 3rd day of cny, we decided to NOT join the foh san dim sum crowd but came here instead. i think we made a wise and yummy decision.

signature hor fun kon loh

the obligatory must haves

the fishballs etc are priced at 50 cents per piece. last time, it was only bout 30 cents. shows how much time has changed... but the taste is stillsogoooooood and ingredients used are absolutely fresh.

the taste of the hor fun is really very distinctive. of all the dry hor fun ive eaten, tai kah lok's still tastes the best! and it's so recognizable that if you were to blindfold me, i would still managed to tell you which is tai kah lok's hor fun kon loh.

so so so so good... *sighs*

p/s: tai kah lok also made it into flavours magazine Perak good food guide (march-april 2006 edition).


kedai kopi let's rock (tai kah lok)
661, new pasir putih,
jln pasir putih, ipoh.
opens 7-11am; 4.30-9pm
closed on wednesdays

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]