Because BLINGS rhymes with...

LINGS :)


http://lingsnblings.blogspot.com

This is a pimp for our online boutique :)


We are reviewed at Shopping Critique!

Everything is handmade by Eiling and I. So if you're interested to buy a gift for someone or to bling up your life, do head on to our site at http://lingsnblings.blogspot.com. If we know you personally (ie. online/offline friends) we'll even throw in a 10% discount for you! At the moment, we have a range of pendants and earrings in our collection. I am also making cufflinks and wine markers as well.

/ends pimp

CNY Re-NIU-on Dinner

During those olden days, maybe about 8-10 years ago when grandma was still much healthier and stronger (and when we were still living in Ipoh), my sisters and I would be anticipating for CNY Reunion Dinner. Every year, we would be looking forward for the Chinese festive season as we would get to meet and play with our cousins from KL (though things change when you get older, like now) and CNY would also mean Good Food. Grandma would head the kitchen section and whip up awesome CNY dishes such as the obligatory Steamed Chicken, Braised Sea Cucumber, Mushrooms, Prawns, Roasted Pork Belly etc. But as years passed, so did her age and her health, we started eating out.



This year was a little special though as grandma didn't join us for Reunion Dinner as she headed back to Ipoh much earlier and those residing in KL didn't want to join the CNY Traffic Jam Frenzy and decided to stay on till Chor 1 to go back. Mom took on the position of Head of Kitchen this year, a position I suppose noone wants to assume given the stressful nature of the job eventhough it comes by only once a year.



My aunty took on the task to prepare a homemade Yee Sang. I know it's nothing big to shout about since every household probably is doing the same (Read: Recession, Global Economic Downturn, Gloomy 2009, Unemployment, No Money) but 2 thumbs up for the effort as every ingredient is grated so finely it is almost as good as bought. I love the abundance of crackers and the vibrant color! It makes all the gloominess of the economy fade away even if it's just for a moment...



In total, we had about 10 courses. All at one sitting. Or rather all at once in a Big Pot. Yes, you're right, Mom made Pun Choy this year. I don't think there's a suitable translation for this in English but literally translated, it means Big Bowl of Goodies. It was quite a blood and sweat painstaking effort to prepare this as evidenced by my mom taking 2 days to prepare all these. There were the obligatory Steamed Chicken, Prawns, Vege, Roasted Pork Belly, Sea Cucumber, Pig Skin with Fish Paste, Mushrooms, Abalone and Scallops. Most of the ingredients were braised and then topped it off with the steamed items. The gravy at the bottom was excellent and bursting with flavours to go with the rice. Everyone loved the Pun Choy and it was done at a good budget too.



Two big pots of this were polished and we even had another pot to spare which was prepared to be taken back to Ipoh for grandma to savour. Finally we have someone to takeover the Head of Kitchen position for CNY though I am doubtful Mom will assume the post next year as it is really taxing and tiring to prepare a feast for 14 mouths.



We had 2 bottles of French red wine to go with the dinner- Chateau Haut-Carmaillet (Haut-Médoc 2000) and Vosne Romanée 1999. Red Wine is the new Chinese Tea for Chinese meals now :D After the feast, my dad led the older kids to a new experience of smoking cigar-illos. These kids (actually it's just my 2 cousin brothers who's in college now) were asked to give smoking a try right in front of their mother's face. My dad, who was quite a smoker back then quit smoking in 1999 proudly breaking his 10 year 'no-smoking policy' and had his first cigar puff. My cousin brothers followed suit (much to the disappointment of their mother who said, "No wonder you all like to come here. Every year got new things to try out.") Back then when colored hair was the in-thing but we weren't allow to dye our hair in school, we taught them about it by buying brushed on hair color and that CNY all of us had pink, blue, blonde and red hair- it was quite a traumatizing LaLa sight.



Now with a feast and a puff, what's next? A drink and a friendly pre-CNY card game of course! ;-) We had the Macallan 12 Yrs which I got free from my liquor supplier at work. Truth to be told, the 12 Yrs wasn't that awesome- we found it not too smooth and palatable due to it's rather spicy note. But well, beggers can't be choosers.



We also opened a bottle of Absolut Citron and Absolut Blue from the Absolut Dream Team collection. Eiling made us some cocktails using lemon, 7 up, Ribena and shaking them up with the Absolut Shaker. Drinks were on the house that night. We should have charged RM30 per drink, on par with Skybar haha.



While the kids were busy indulging in some money-making activities, Mothers United (MU) were busy decorating cupcakes for somebody's Quarter of a Century Old Birthday.



Yes, she is OLD. It wasn't even her actual birthday but fortunate for her, she claims to be born on the First Day of Lunar New Year (Chinese birthday I think?) and always demand for extra ang pao, hence our ang pao collection can never match hers eventhough we have the same number of relatives! Such is the unfairness of the world...

Anyway, mom made these cupcakes for her and I quite like the martini glass candle! Just perfect for an alcoholic like her on her birthday ;-D

The party ended just before 12am and we headed back to Ipoh the next day while also playing host to a special guest. More on how the first 3 days of CNY is spent on my next posts! For now, I am going to savour the remaining 4 days of holidays before crawling back to work.

There's No Free Lunch...

... But definitely FREE LIQUOR!


/cue for banana emoticon dancing


A bottle of Piper Heidsieck (worth RM100 dutyfree price) and Macallan 12 Yrs, Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (worth circa ±RM140) and a bottle of Otard Cognac (worth circa ±RM120) as CNY gifts from my liquor suppliers from work. I have been wanting to try the Macallan for ages and the wish has come true, without my own expense! OoOh and the Piper Heidsieck champagne too... which I was too shy to help myself to at the Golden Lounge. I'm planning to give away the Otard though when I go for house visiting and I have exactly a house in mind *wink*.



Anyway the above picture is a teaser for a forthcoming post on the family's current liquor collection. More pictures of our alcoholic hobby soon!

p/s: Nolah we're not that alcoholic... there's a difference between buying then keeping and buying then drinking ;)


Work is out! CNY is in! Happy Chinese New Year people! Start eating, drinking and gambling... but don't get too fat, wasted and poor!

/ends banana emoticon dancing

the SOCIAL @ Bangsar

Where would be the perfect place to meet up with friends you have not seen for a long time? Not wanting to go to a place I have been before, I settled for the social at Bangsar, just next to the famous Nirvana Maju banana leaf house.

the SOCIAL is a bar, restaurant and a poolroom. 3 venues in one place. But perhaps because it is 3 venues in one place, we found the restaurant tad too noisy for some decent conversations without having to repeat our words and/or raise our voices to be heard. Maybe it's because the table next to us was just too loud.


Shepherd's Pie- RM24
Minced lamb and carrots, topped with mashed potato
and cheese served with salad garnish

Mel had the Shepherd's Pie which we all thought was lasagne or something from the look of it.


the SOCIAL All-time Signature Dish- RM30
Aromatic Crispy Duck


Aromatic Crispy Duck
House speciality of crispy duck served with homemade
pancakes, sweet plum sauce, chilli oil and julienne of spring
onions and cucumber

Khian and I had the SOCIAL all-time signature dish, Aromatic Crispy Duck. When it arrived, I was quite impressed at the portion of meat and don't we all love whatever that goes with those paper-thin pancake. I think the dish is supposed to resemble those peking duck wraps except at the SOCIAL, they don't give you the crispy skin, instead tender duck meat were used. Another misconception between the dish name and the actual dish itself is there was nothing crispy about it!

Overall, tastewise, I think the dish is alright. There are about 8 pcs of pancake wrappings so it was quite filling for us.


the SOCIAL
57-59, Jalan Telawi Tiga,
Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2282 2260
www.thesocial.com.my

~

We found the SOCIAL getting a little noisy for us to indulge in some proper down memory lane conversations, so we headed to Ronnie Q's down the road for some drinks.


Mojito- RM25


Glenfiddich 12Y- RM15.90

While I found the Mojito served here a bit sourish (maybe they were too generous with lime juice) and has little taste of alcohol, our friend Khian managed to turn all red after her drink. Maybe she has over-indulged *wink wink* My glass of Glenfiddich 12Y was nothing fantastic as I think they offered me too much 'rocks' making the drink a little bit too diluted. I would like to try Bruichladdich next as according to my lady boss, it is one of the best single malt she has had before. And lucky for us (or maybe her) we just met up with a supplier of this very rare single malt whisky!


Ronnie Q The Pub
RA House, 32, Jalan Telawi Dua,
Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur.
Opens Tuesday-Sunday, 11am-12 midnight

[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.]

Flying High with MAS Golden Lounge

MAS Golden Lounge Satellite

2 weeks back, I was asked by my boss to have a field visit to KLIA, in her exact words, "to see what other people are doing". In my own interpretation it would be, "no need to go office and work, yay!"

I suppose one of the things that I enjoy being in the travel retail industry is having a pass to enter the insides of the airport freely, where most people would need a boarding pass and passport to do so. Although I do not have the privilege to own the real airport pass, having a "Pas Pelawat" does the trick too ;-)


First Class Lounge

So there I was in KLIA, armed with my camera. Eiling who was in KLIA that day promised me that she will bring me in to the exclusive Golden Lounge- where only First Class and Business Class passengers and the Very Very Important People are allowed access. The Golden Lounge is located at the Satellite Building (after stepping out from Aerotrain). Upon entering, there is a reception to greet you. Payphones and empty cubicles line along the way for you to make calls with a bit of privacy. Further inside, on the right side will be the special Platinum Lounge for the VVIPs and on the right is the lounge for Business Class passengers. Straight ahead, the largest lounge would be the First Class area (as shown above).


Buffet spread

There is an eating area where a buffet spread is ready for consumption. Here are what the buffet spread has to offer:


Clockwise from Top (L-R):
Assorted Malay Kuih, Assorted Desserts, Assorted Fresh Fruits,
Xmas House made from Fidani Chocolate, Hot Soup, Assorted Sandwiches


Salad Bar

Then there is also a salad bar for those who can't live without greens!


Appetizers

And some appetizers. There's the Coriander Ginger Fried Shrimp, Garlic Bruschetta with Roasted Tomato and Morrocan Fartoush Salad.


Assorted Cheeses, Plain & Fruits Yogurt

For those who love dairy.


Liquor Bar

And a liquor bar offering free flow of booze for the alcoholics or those who are deprived of booze on the plane (eh but I think if you're travelling First Class, they do offer you liquor on board right?). Johnnie Walker? Check! Chivas? Check! Absolut? Check! Jack Daniels? Check! Bombay Sapphire? Check! Grey Goose Vodka, Bacardi...



Assorted chilled wines for your unlimited consumption.



... Piper Heidsieck champagne included!


Ice cream Cakes, Non-alcoholic beverages

For those who prefer nothing alcoholic, there is always the soft drinks, lassi and juices chiller to fulfill your needs. Like me, I think many of you are more drawn to the liquor corner eh... If you prefer hot beverages like a cuppa cappucino or hot chocolate, you can always order it through the staff.

Oh there's also ice cream cakes, eat all you want and eat all you can! Not Baskin Robbins though but I don't think they will compromise quality when you're in a place called The Golden Lounge!


Fish Porridge

There was a menu on the table which lists the items available for breakfast and lunch. I wanted to have the Taiwan Beef Noodles but it was only available for lunch, so I had to settle for the Fish Porridge in the breakfast menu. Nothing fantastic but having fish porridge for breakfast in an international airport for free is quite a luxury to me already.


Coriander Ginger Fried Shrimp

Again nothing fantastic, though I really love the presentation of it!



Decided to make a move when my tummy's full and it was back to my assignment of the day- "seeing what other people are doing" instead of spending the day hanging out at the Golden Lounge! Tq E for the priceless visit, a place where I can only dream of!

On an unrelated note,



If you're traveling, do remember to stop by this shop just right after immigration and bag scanning. It is no doubt one of the best airport liquor shop in Malaysia! Note the creative use of martini glasses stacked on top of each other to create a very "glassy" perception.

Not only RIB-licious... @ Tony Roma's

Complimentary bun w garlic butter spread

Shamelessly I have to admit, I have never been to Tony Roma's. Yes, glare at me if you want but despite having read so much about it (most commented on the ridiculousness of TR Malaysia's 'halal' ribs), I wasn't too enthusiastic about it. But! Finally we managed to make a visit to a TR outlet at Sunway Pyramid few weeks back.

Walking into the restaurant, one can't help but to relate American food joints like TGIF, Itallianies and Chilli's to Tony Roma's. The familiar and default long benches and long tables for family gatherings and parties, the drinks bar, the way you're being greeted by the restaurant crews, the menu... and perhaps the pricing too ;-)


Half Loaf Onion Rings- RM12.90
Giant hand-cut Spanish onions, breaded, deep fried
and served with in house BBQ dipping sauce

I suppose this is a MUST HAVE item on the menu seeing that 9 out of 10 reviews I read had this on their tables. We ordered a Half Loaf option, just enough for 2 persons. The Onion Rings was pleasantly delicious. You could taste the onions in thick cuts, unlike other places where the batter overrule the onions or onions so thinly sliced that it taste more like fried rings w/o the onions.


Rib Dinner Combo- RM49.90
2 pcs ribs, grilled prawns kebab, pesto salad and mashed potatoes

We opted for the rib combo as it will be a better option to try some other things as well as the ribs. First off, The Ribs. What can I say... Though much criticized for being halal, the beef ribs is just as good as their porky counterpart. Smoky and grilled to perfection- the meat falls tenderly off the bones. Couple it with TR's Smoky BBQ Sauce, it was delicious! Please don't even try their other sauces (Honey, Original) as they taste bad and it will only destroy your perfect ribs.


Grilled prawn dipped in melted butter

The grilled prawns were very tangy and generous in size. It also comes with a little cup of melted butter and lemon for dipping. Squeeze the lemon juice over the melted butter and you're good to go to savour those lovely grilled prawns.

We opted for the pesto salad and mashed potatoes as sides. I love the mashed potatoes as it has some bits of skin inside, rather different from most mashed potatoes I've eaten. As for the pesto salad, well I've never been quite a fan of salad, so...


Empty plates: testament to good food... yumm yumm

Needless to say, we polished everything off! I even licked the bones clean :D

TR in my opinion deserves a comeback, not too soon but surely will.


Tony Roma's
LG1.43, Sunway Pyramid.
Tel: 03-7492 1188
(Old wing, facing skating rink)
www.tonyromas.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.]