An Italian Memory

After years of having an email address, I took the time (ya, today..) to finally clear up some emails (more like over 20K worth of emails!!! yikes!) and like how decluttering do to you, you will stop by some things of sentimental value, and ponder if you want to throw it or in this sense, delete or not. 

2010 was the final year where most of us would communicate with each via email before the phone apps took over our lives. I stumbled upon an email which I wrote to my housemate back then describing my day trip to Florence from Rome in Italy. It was my first overseas solo trip in Europe and I picked Italy to start, thanks to the movie "Eat, Pray, Love". It was a big hit that time. 

Thanks to the email records, I'm being reminded how wonderful travelling is, without the social media that we have today. Hope you guys would enjoy reading the memento like I did. I can't even recall all the names of the places and things I did in Italy.

 

8th December 2010, 06:09

 

"finally, i can reply properly. the queue for the vatican museum and st peter's church wasn't so bad. first impression, the queue was like a trail following around of the wall or plaza. so, it's like a half moon queue in shape. think i spent about less than 40 minutes for the queue to get into vatican museum, and about less than 30 minutes for the queue to st peter's. the queue also, i thought for what, is for security scan only. haha.. just like airport. how exaggerating. but understandably, the collections are private therefore more security features in place. 

 

the sistine chapel is great, or should i say magnificent. michelangelo is magnificent. i don't know how he did his frescos on the ceiling but it was just brilliant. the chapel was dark and not much lightly apart from the vivid light from the tiny windows above the chapel. it was so crowded and hot! so many police in there too. i bought a christmas first day cover of the vatican at the post office. then, i sent a postcard to myself too. haha.. 

 

in florence today, i spent the most time shopping instead of sight seeing. i did what normal tourists to florence do - rub the snout of the Il Porcellini (the pig) at Mercato Nuovo (New Market, just after the Ponte Vecchio), and i went to see panaroma view of Florence at Michelangelo Plaza. i didn't climb up the 414 steps in the Duomo to get the city centre panaroma view of Florence. And I didn't get to see the real Perfect Man, David at the Gallery of the Academy because the ticketing office went on strike. Hence, it was closed. Bah! So, I ended up seeing two copies of David at Michelangelo Plaza and Plaza Del Signoria. I guess he is perfect because of his figure. The Italians believed a lot in la bella figura (the perfect cut of a figure). So, even if the thing that you buy is not something impressive in appearance, but they will always wrapped it impressively just to make you look and feel good. Haha.. i dunno how true the saying is but so far, all my purchases are in plastic bags. LOL!

 

i bought a small leather handbag at Central Market near San Lorenzo plaza. It costed me 17 euros. I made sure that it was genuine leather and made in italy. also, with the word florence/firenze printed outside the handbag. i had something with the name of the place that i buy my things. it just had to appear on them. hehe.. then, i got some leather bracelets, 6 for the price of 5. 1 euro each. got some keychains too, 1 euro each. not forgetting postcards (20 cent each) and michelango's bookmarks containing his works (at 50 cent) each. i didn't eat properly in florence because i dunno where to do so. so, ended up eating a giant wurstchel sausage with panini at santa croce german christmas market. 4.50 euros, kept me full until i came back to rome. hehe.. weather in florence isn't that great, but it was extremely hot and humid. i sweated so much today if compared to yesterday in rome. had to wash my jacket when i get back to newcastle.

 

as for tomorrow, i planned to go to villa borghese. just for a walk before meeting my new friend, Jun Jun, at Piazza del Popolo. we're going to old bridge at vatican city for gelato. apparently, it is the best in rome so far. well, the san crispino is not bad too since it is featured in eat pray love. :D just that it is a bit expensive. one scoop for 2.30 euros. where as the one at old bridge, 3 scoops for 2 euros. wahh, i was like -_-|||

 

but eating gelato by far, the most expensive place in florence. i kena conned d. i thought it was 3 euros. that fella in the end said 10 euros! what the.. that also for big cup 3 flavours with fruits summore. i only agreed to buy is bcos she said 3 flavours for 3 euros. who knows 10! zzz.. never eating gelato again in florence. and besides, korean drama cheat me by saying how nice florence is. it isn't as nice as Rome. or probably, i haven't been given a longer time to stay and visit other tuscan region outside of florence. i might return to florence or rome in the future. my mom has been envying me for some time already.

 

the other girl, Xiao Wang, left for London this evening. Jun Jun is leaving tomoro night for Milan. She works there. Both of them are going back to China in December. ok for now, until tomorrow."

DIY Fruit Yu Sheng (Prosperity Salad toss)

Firstly, a very Happy Chinese New Year and 恭喜发财 to all my readers and FB page followers! It has been a very pleasant and peaceful celebration so far. Tonight, it's the 8th day of the Chinese lunar calendar where the Hokkien lang will celebrate their new year with loads and loads of roast pigs and fireworks display. Goodbye sleep! Haha.. 

Also, a very Happy belated birthday everyone~! The 7th day of the Chinese lunar calendar signifies the celebration of people's birthday or 人日 (ren ri). One of the traditional and customary thing to do on this day is to 捞起魚生 ("lou hei yu sang" or literally translated "toss up raw fish") or fondly known as "lou sang". When writing this post, I got to know through Google that this "lou sang" or "yu sheng" (鱼生) practice is not Chinese but Malaysian (eh?). 

Anyway, it is an auspicious toss to encourage and welcome good luck and wealth to everyone. The higher the toss, the better the luck and wealth would be for the year. But what ticks me off by doing this is the mess that it brings (whatever you are tossing will be outside of the plate and on the floor if it is vigorously and enthusiastically tossed) and most of the time, unfinished. Not everyone fancies finishing "yu sheng" as it comprises mainly of artificial coloured pickles, vegetables and crackers especially those available in the supermarkets. 

I have yet to toss any "yu sheng" this year. I've got raised eyebrows reactions from friends who heard this and it would be customary ignorant to not toss "yu sheng" on the 7th day of the lunar month when the year of the fire Rooster starts today (4th February 2017 is the official first day of spring 立春 "li chun"). So, I decided to make a version that is tummy friendly and suitable to my family's taste - I made my first DIY fruit "yu sheng". 

Fruit yu sheng is very easy to do and you can pick and choose the fruits and/or vegetables you like for it. My taste bud is not receptive of raw salmon fillets so to replace that, I used mandarin oranges instead. I removed all the fibres for better presentation. As for the sauce which will make the tossing easier and serves a purpose, I prepared a honey and lemon dressing instead of plum sauce. The recipe for my DIY fruit "yu sheng" is after the photograph. Happy tossing! 

Here's my version

Alyssa' DIY fruit "yu sheng" (DIY prosperity fruit salad toss")

1 mango, *julienne to thin strips

1 lokam (mandarin orange), peeled to individual sac and removed the fibre strands

1 red apple, *julienne to thin strips then soaked in a bowl of salty water (to prevent oxidisation) 

1 green apple (*prepare the same way as the red apple)

1 big pink water guava, julienne to thin strips

1/2 carrot, *julienne to thin strips

*you may use a grater to get the thin strips consistency

2 tablespoons of Spanish pomegranate bulbs (fresh or frozen)

A pinch or two of white sesame seeds as garnishing

Prosperity sauce

6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of honey (I used a total of 3 tablespoons instead as the olive oil is overpowering)

a pinch of mixed spice powder

1 teaspoon of sugar

a pinch of salt

(I adapted the recipe from Jamie Oliver's honey and lemon juice dressing.)

Preparation

1. Prepare the fruit and assemble on a plate as you like it. 

2. Mixed all the ingredients in the Prosperity sauce well. Then pour on the "yu sheng" depending on liking. I used a spoon to dress the salad so that it would not be too much sauce on them. You may also use rojak sauce instead with some roasted chopped peanuts. 

This blog is now live on Facebook!

Dear readers,

I've finally made this blog live on Facebook on 28th December 2016. Thanks to everyone who has given me the encouragement and support. I will do my best to make the blog as interesting and long lasting (haha!) as possible.

It takes an adventurous appetite for good food, wanderlust travels and eternal happiness.

Here's the link to my page on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/eattravelmerry/

Boat Noodle, Sunway Carnival Mall @ Seberang Jaya

Boat noodles originates from Thailand and if you are in Victory Monument in Bangkok, there are plenty of boat noodles restaurant to choose from. My personal favourite is the one where the staffs wore orange shirts. That is the original or most popular restaurant serving boat noodles in Bangkok to go for. Boat noodles are actually noodles served in bowls by sellers on boats along the river. But this has been modernised and we now have them served in air-conditioned restaurant in shopping malls. So, unlike what my friend had in mind, the noodles are not served in boat shaped noodles. There are few variants to the original dish when it comes to its broth - usually pork based with pork blood or clear and light soy sauce. 

Anyway, this little humble dish invaded Penang just a couple of years ago on the island side at Summerton, Bayan Baru (near Queensbay Mall) and recently, it is now opened in EAT at Level 2 of Sunway Carnival Mall in Seberang Jaya. Yay for home turf! Good news to my Muslim friends, it is halal! Double YAY! 

Common condiments for boat noodles for chilli lovers.  

 The other side of the menu

 This is actually the whole menu. 

Noodles or rice as mains and they have other side dishes and desserts, too. 

 The kitchen where the noodles are made. 

 The drinks counter and cashier. There is an order form on each table and you just have to fill up your own order and hand it to the waiting staffs. FYI, the service is a bit slow. From order to meal on table, it took around 15-20 mins during my visit. 

 Signature side dish - grilled chicken meatballs. RM3.90

Seriously?

 The rest of our order. 

 The drinks are by Chill Chill and you can actually bring home the container if you can't finish it or just as a souvenir. There is a lid and the cashier can give you a little plastic carrier for the drinks. 

Iced Lemon Tea RM6.90 and drink of the day RM3.90. The drink of the day was lemongrass tea. 

The Chill Chill Agenda.  

   We had a late breakfast so wasn't prepared to have more than 2 bowls each. We ordered one of each of broth - Pathumthani and Ayutthaya. RM1.90 each. 

 Ayutthaya broth - strong herbal taste. 

 Pathumthani, lighter soy sauce broth. I prefer this one. 

As a customary end to our meal, we stack 'em bowls up and take a photo. 

As we live, there is a long queue outside of the restaurant. Good thing about this place is that it can cater to big groups. I don't think you can RSVP in advance. 

I would recommend it for first timers and also light eaters. For more information, check out their Facebook page here or its website here. 

Doraku Japanese Restaurant, Sunway Perdana @ Seberang Jaya

Yet another Japanese restaurant in Sunway Perdana (now there are 3 including Sushi Zento and Japin, which recently reopened) and this new establishment offers a more diverse menu of Japanese and Korean dishes. It was opened formally on 14th July 2016 and I took the opportunity to check out their food the very next day with friends and the following Monday with my family. Both occasions were lunch time and the set lunch menu has yet to be introduced. 

First impression upon entering, the ambience is very warm reminiscence of a fishing village. All the wood work and decorations make you feel like you are dining adventurously. The owner put a lot of effort and money into decorating this restaurant that there is also a white wedding kimono hanging on the wall. Luxuriously done. This restaurant comprised of 2 shop office units at ground floor and it accommodates big groups, too. Best to RSVP if you are coming in a big group to avoid disappointment. 

Then we proceeded with the menu. As it is new, my friends and I arrived about 10 minutes before 1pm just before the peak hour for lunch. So, getting seats for 4 was no problem. Promptly greeted by the staffs at the entrance and seated almost immediately. The menu is thick, extensive and it can take some time to decide what to eat. Colourful, descriptive but exorbitant prices. After we have placed the order, I looked at the menu from cover to cover, am amazed with its extensive selection of sushi, sashimi and overpriced set menus. Fans of sashimi may love this place.  

Collagen ramen??

It got me curious. What is collagen ramen? It is a rich broth made from free-range chicken down to its bones. I ordered it and my friends ordered other dishes that has cheese in them. 

 Seafood Doria - RM23.00, one of Doraku's signature dish

Cheese and curry don? 

 My Collagen Ramen

I am actually very impressed with it. 

At RM21.00 a bowl and it has lots of vegetables comprising of cabbages, carrots and bamboo shoots. It is worth every penny and it is huge! Enough to be shared with 2 persons. The broth is amazing! I felt so pampered after eating this. Generous portion of pork meat, too and they might want to go easy with the seasoning for the hard boiled egg. It is a bit salty. I rate this bowl of ramen 8/10. 

When we ordered earlier, the staff did advise that not many people could take the cheese dishes as it is heavy which is true to one of my friends. So, it depends on what you fancy eating that day at the restaurant. We did not get drinks and had only plain water (refillable). That too is at RM1.50 per person which is ridiculous but looking at the amount of effort put in to the restaurant, it didn't bothered us much. Do order green tea instead. It is also priced at RM1.50 too. I was flabbergasted when I saw the bill on Monday when I revisited the restaurant with my family.

This lucky cat will bless you each time you walk in and out of the restaurant! Haha..  

Ok. So fast forward Monday. It was a good start last Friday to the restaurant with my friends and colleagues that I decided to bring my mom and sister to check it out too. We ordered to share unlike last week when we each ordered individually. 

 Mabo Ramen - RM19.00. It is exactly like mabo tofu except there is ramen in them. It was a bit of a disappointment noting how big bowl the collagen ramen was on Friday. This is definitely not enough for sharing. 

 Kurobuta Katsuni - RM31.00. 

A very good deep fried pork cutlet soaked in omelette and soy sauce concoction while being kept boiling/simmering until you've finish it. The sauce is a nice compliment to the bland ochazuke (below). 

Salmon ochazuke - RM25.00. 

It is basically rice with tea. I don't think I've seen this anywhere else in Penang (maybe there is but I didn't get to try them). It may not be pleasant to people who enjoy strong flavoured food. But, this is a good and healthy options for people who cannot take too much salt and fat. Subtle to taste and very healthy. 

There is not much publicity about this restaurant yet except for this one which I found through Google shared by FlashnGo Ken's Facebook page here and the post is in Chinese. It has all the necessary contact information you need for the restaurant. To ease reference, Doraku is in between Al Nur Nasi Kandar and PTPTN office at Sunway Perdana Commercial Centre, Seberang Jaya. 

Service charge of 10% and GST of 6% applies. There is a few hours break in between lunch and dinner service. Opens at 11.30am til 3pm and reopens by 6pm til 10pm. You will need to use MPSP's parking coupons on Mondays to Saturdays, 9am-9pm. Sunway Perdana or Bandar Sunway as a whole as this business area is infamous for hardworking council officers issuing parking summonses at an hourly interval.  

Cake Time Penang & Butterworth

Penangites love inventive ideas especially when it comes to food and beverages. Food trucks are not unusual overseas as it is widely accepted and in fact the most convenient way of getting food. You don't have to worry about making reservations or even not having any seats. 

So, when homemade cakes are sold in food trucks, Penangites went bonkers. I heard so many good reviews about Cake Time Penang and now they have crossed over to mainland Penang, Cake Time Butterworth, we now get to eat cakes at designated time and place almost everyday on each side of Penang. The cakes are not available on Mondays so do follow Cake Time Penang or Butterworth Facebook page to get their latest updates on their business location all over Penang. They are always on the move everyday. 

On their inaugural first day on mainland Penang, they parked and sold their homemade cakes beside new Chaw Choon Dim Sum Restaurant along Jalan Ong Yi How. I was very excited to be one of the first few early birds to "pong chan" them. It was not even 10am.

 A variety of cakes, spoilt for choices. However, they are famous for their cotton cheesecake which didn't cross my mind at that point.  

 Cakes of the day - opera (left) and dark brownie (right). Dark Brownie was salty to my liking so I didn't enjoy it very much. Opera, on the other hand, was very nice. Cake is very soft to touch and not sweet at all. The coffee taste is strong in this cake. 

I should have taken photo of the other side of the card. LOL. Anyway, each truck has numbers and each truck has different contact numbers to the person in charge. So, on the mainland side, 2 trucks numbered 3 and 4 are based in mainland and will rotate in locations. Each truck serves and sells different flavours of cake from one another. Well only different in a few flavours of the day.

Few weeks after my first visit to the truck at Butterworth, today I finally get to try more cakes at their location in Taman Sri Rambai in Bukit Mertajam. Apparently they stationed here every Wednesday mornings. To celebrate the durian season, they have durian cheese cake for a limited period of time. Trust me, it is worth the purchase but you must bear durian breath for a good few hours.  

Flavours of the day. Savoury and sweet. You name it. 

You will be surprised to know that chicken floss and cake do work very well. Highly recommended.  

I'll try the Parmesan Cheese Cake next time. 

Their Japanese Cotton Cheesecake is really light and subtle to taste.  

 Durian Cheese Cake. Tasted exactly like durian dodol. I am serious. 

Favourite.  Chicken Floss cake. 

And, a very unique and cake, Vanilla Milky Cranberry. 

Best part of all, it is only RM10 a tub. You can purchase as many as you like or even pre-order them if you know their location in advance so that you need not queue to buy cakes when you arrive. 

You can also read more about Cake Time Penang in Chinese here.