Happy Kitty Meal!

The kitty craze has started again. Although not as intense as that of one decade back, still when McDonald's started its launch of the Fairy Tale Hello Kitty today, there was a massive crowd at every McDonald's restaurant.

McDonald's also has a good business acumen in that to up the sales of its delivery, one of the kitty dolls (the nicest one in fact) is only available if you call for delivery, and not found in the stores. Hence, since yesterday, I believe there would be a sudden influx of people calling for delivery.

In any case, I managed to get the Wizard of Oz Hello Kitty doll, designed in the costume of the Cowardly Lion. When I went home, I called for delivery and got the Witchie Witch Hello Kitty! Since my colleague wanted, I ordered two set meals and got two dolls, one for me and one for her!

 The kitty comes in a cute box like this!

The "Cowardly Lion" from the Wizard of Oz

The little witchie witch

Actually I am looking forward to the Little Red Riding Hood and the last one - the black Skeleton kitty. Unfortunately I will be away so may not be able to get the Red Riding Hood, but I will try to get the Skeleton Kitty. That has limited edition, so I presume there will be another massive crowd in all McDonald's restaurants by then.

Interesting Restaurant Name

I went to a restaurant with an interesting name for dinner today. The name of the restaurant is called Rabbit Brand Seafood, serving, well, seafood.

 

Why did I say it is a restaurant with an interesting name? For a place called Rabbit, one would conjure up images of cute things and some place quaint right? Just like the White Rabbit with its Rabbit Hole.

 

However, this Rabbit serves dishes like Buddha Jumps Over The Wall, Abalone and Shark's Fin. For someone who refuses to eat any sharks' fin, obviously I did not order that, but I do understand there are still people who feel there is nothing wrong with shark's fin. To each their own.

 

What is great about this place is that these "luxurious" dishes are being sold at very affordable prices. For instance, a set consisting of Buddha Jumps Over The Wall, with rice and a dessert, plus free flow of tea, costs only S$10.15. An abalone set costs S$9.15. There are others that are all around the same price range.

 

Where can you get such affordable luxury food anywhere else? The food is good too. For a complete review, please refer to my food blog.

 

For those looking for cheap and good seafood like these, do give Rabbit a try. The place has been around for a very long time, although I only found it out recently.

New Chain That Sparked Off Controversy

Recently the Philippino fried chicken restaurant Jollibee opened its doors here. Many people are delighted as they thought finally that famous chicken is opening here. On the day of its opening, there was already a very long queue before the restaurant even opened its doors.

 

As it is relatively new here (although it already has chains in different parts of the region), the management is looking to hire staff. Immediately, an uproar came up and there was even a social media page denouncing the place and boycotting the restaurant.

 

What sparked off the controvery is that in the recruitment poster, the poster stated that it is looking to hire staff. However, it did not state what kind of staff they need, so people automatically assume that since it is a Philippino restaurant, they would only hire their own kind, ie Filippinos.

 

Hence the uproar because locals feel that since it is opening at our shores, they should hire locals and not their own kind. The thing is, no where in the poster states that they are only hiring Filippinos, which means all are welcome to apply. So why the uproar? Sometimes I really think our locals have nothing better to do than to create hate mail.

 

Due to this, the next day, another poster was put up, this time stating that it is hiring locals or permanent residents, with an emphasis. And that appeased everyone. Are our locals so regimented that unless it is totally stated down in black and white, otherwise they would take it as the gospel truth? Can they not read in between the lines and take initiative to enquire?

 

Because of this hype, suddenly the outlet became even more popular than before. I went there last Saturday for lunch, and the queue was so long! It took me almost two hours before I could make my order. Even though the chicken pieces were nice (refer to my review here), I would not wait in queue for so long again. Perhaps after all the hype has died down and there is no more queue, I would go and try again. Right now, all the other chicken places like KFC, Popeye's and Texas is more than sufficient.

T.G.I. Friday's!

When I was a teenager, T.G.I Friday's was the restaurant to go for a date, or a gathering, or just a cool place to hang out. My classmates were all raving over the place. However, I did not have a chance to go there until I was seventeen.

The first time I went there it was with my then puppy love to celebrate my seventeenth birthday. I remember he ordered a mudpie for me, and dedicated a birthday song to me on the jukebox. T.G.I Friday's was at this chic placed called The Glass House then, and the ambience was really cosy and romantic especially at night with dim lighting.

 

The second time I went there was a few years later, ironically also to celebrate my birthday, this time with the big love of my life, or shall I say, the big love of my past. It was another mudpie and song dedication on the jukebox. Because we were still studying then, so places like these were considered a luxury. Hence we only went to T.G.I Friday's two more times before it closed down and exited the country for a long time.

 

Incidentally, when the restaurant closed down, it also closed a big chapter of my life. To me, T.G.I Friday's is synonymous with the ups and downs of my life, the happier times I had, and the sadness when it closed down and my most serious relationship ended.

 

A few years back, T.G.I Friday's returned to our shores. Somehow I did not feel that excited about it coming back, as compared to the uproar I felt when I found the restaurant closed down. When it came back, it opened a small outlet at a corner of a shopping mall, where unless one looks really carefully, one could hardly see the restaurant.

 

Recently, the restaurant moved to this newly revamped shopping mall near where I stay. Last Friday, I went there for dinner. After so many years, for some reason, the restaurant is no longer that appealing to me. It used to be a real treat if we could even go to T.G.I. Friday's, but now that I can actually afford it, I find that the place is not that cool anymore.

 

Perhaps because the structure is now somewhat like Hard Rock Cafe, like a classic American diner style, so I do not find it that unique. And the menu has changed a lot. The food served is more Western / Country style, with big pieces of steak (American cut) and barbecued ribs. And the mudpie I love so much is gone. I ordered a Jack Daniel's sirloin steak, American cut, which you can read about in my food blog here.

 

Still, it was a pretty cosy place. Although now that it is situated in a shopping mall, the ambience is not as good as when it was first situated in The Glass House. Years later, it is still a favourite haunt for kids, as I see so many teenagers having dinner there. What can I say? Kids nowadays are much richer than during my time!

 

It was not too bad an experience overall. I think I would like to go back there again, because the food is good, and for the price, the servings are pretty good! Hopefully I will have a chance to go there for dinner again!

First Attempt At Baking Macarons

I went for a macaron baking class last night, which I bought for a big discount via Groupon. I do not really have a chance to bake at home because I do not have a proper oven, so whenever there are any baking demonstrations, I always try to go as much as possible. I have tried cheesecakes, chocolate cakes, tiramisus, Christmas log cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, durian cakes, but never macarons. So this class came along at a right time.

The class was held at one of the training centres for civil servants. The kitchen is pretty well equipped. I really like the big mixer! The instructor happens to be the pastry chef at one of the restaurant schools, so she guided us step by step on how to bake the macarons. For the detailed recipe, please refer to my food blog.

 

One thing about the class is that, after the macarons have been piped into the respective trays and moulds, there was nothing else to do save to wait for the batter to set and then placed into the oven to bake. So there was about an hour of waiting time where there was nothing much to do. The instructor told us to go back to the classroom from the kitchen, but since everyone had nothing to do and being locals who do not bother talking to anyone else, we had about an hour's time of boredom, which I feel can be better utilised by letting us try our hand at some smaller recipes instead of sitting around and waiting.

 

Eventually the macarons were baked. Some of them were not baked properly yet so back to the oven they went. Those that were baked properly, we had to do the final step of spreading the cream and placing two macarons together to make a complete one.

 

The moulds my group used are pretty unique. There is the teddy bear shape, and the flower shape. In fact, the teddy bear turned out pretty good. Unfortunately, the round ones that we piped onto the trays did not turn out well.

The finished products

Still, it was a good experience. I have not baked for so long that I could not even remember how to fold in the icing sugar into the egg white and sugar mix! What a blunder! I think people were probably thinking I have never done any kitchen work in my life before!

 

I have not tasted the macarons yet, but I hope they taste alright at least. So now I know how to make macarons, I can start making them as and when I like, that is after I get a proper oven!

By the way, I also got a letter of appreciation for attending the class, as well as a discount card. So it is not that bad a deal after all!

A Disappearing Sight ...

Some time ago, I read about this place which I did not even realise exist, especially in a country like mine! I was immediately intrigued and have wanted to explore the place since then. Last Saturday, I finally had the opportunity to go to this old-fashioned zinc-roofed canteen. The place is situated right outside an army camp, and en route, one can pass by one of the last few remaining roundabouts left here, called Piccadilly Circus, probably in tribute to the colonial days.

 

I got down from the bus at the entrance and walked in, all the way up. Then I realise the bus actually brings me into the premises, right outside the main entrance of the camp itself, so I did not actually need to walk so far. Now I know. The canteen is situated behind the bus stop. There are several signs to indicate where the canteen is, so one would not get lost.

 The sign just after the bus stop, indicating the direction of the canteen

 

 Carpark right in front of the canteen

 

 The facade of the canteen

 

 Beyond this zinc wall is the coffee stall

 

 The seats outside the canteen

 

 Main entrance of the canteen

 

There are several stalls in the canteen, namely the main coffee stall that sells, well, coffee, tea, drinks and snacks, the Malay stall that sells their own specialty, and the Chinese stall that sells its own mixed rice specialty. I was hungry and the food from the Malay stall looks appetizing, so I bought a plate of fried vermicelli (dried mee siam), with fried egg and chicken wing, as well as a glass of iced milk tea. Delicious, and cheap too!

 



 Interior of the canteen

 

 My plate of fried vermicelli with egg and chicken wing. Cost me only S$1.70 for the whole set, very cheap in today's context.

 

 Giant iced milk tea at double the size and half the price as what is sold outside

 

 Exterior of the canteen

 

 More signs. If one still get lost, then one ought to kick himself.

 

Seeing the structure of the canteen, it kind of reminds me of Malaysia, as one does not see this kind of eatery anywhere anymore. Thank goodness for the numerous heritage blogs that keeps things like this alive and known!

 

All in all, the experience was not bad. Good food at a remarkable price. The only thing I feel uncomfortable about is that, save for the stall owners and workers, I was the only female customer. The rest of the customers are either army guys or construction workers. Hence when I went in and found a place, I could literally feel everyone's eyes one me, making me really uncomfortable!

 

Unfortunately, this last old-fashioned canteen will probably make way soon for the new aerospace hub that is already undergoing construction at the premises. When that happens, modern eateries will replace this, and it will be another sight of the past that will disappear from our shores for good. I only hope the authorities conserve this place, because this is one really good place for education and enjoyment about my country's past.

Eating And Shopping In Malacca

I reached Malacca close to midnight last Friday. Since the rest are staying at Hotel Equatorial, the bus dropped them off there and I had to alight together. It was a ten-minute walk to the hotel I booked, Courtyard @ Heeren (check my travel page for my experience), so I decided to take a cab instead of walking.

The cab brought me along Jonker Walk, the "Chinatown" of Malacca to the hotel. My first impression was that the stretch looked like some red light district with red lanterns and whatnot! But I like the style and feel of the place though. Since it was already so late there was nothing else to do but sleep.

The next day, we had to get up bright and early. The first itinerary is to wander around Jonker Walk. The place is not as big as I thought. We could go from the front to the back to the sides to the back alleys in just a couple of hours time.

I really like Jonker Walk because it is full of old quaint buildings with shops selling old and quaint stuff, reminscent of the retro era. Sometimes I really wonder why I like old and ancient things. Does it mean I am old and ancient myself? ;-P

One of the alleys of Jonker Walk

 A trishaw in Malacca

 This statue, and the next few, are found in a little garden in Jonker Walk, that houses the police post

 I love these clogs!

 Hainan Association, probably where my grandparents first started out

 One of the back alleys of Jonker Walk

 

Walking on, we came to Hotel Puri, which used to belong to Tan Kim Seng, one of the pioneering plantation owners from China. The hotel is still in the old-style authentic Peranakan architecture, and it is breathtaking on its own!

Hotel Puri, the other acclaimed hotel

 Staircase of Hotel Puri

 Courtyard of Hotel Puri

 The rooms on the second level of Hotel Puri

 The main hall of Hotel Puri

 There is even a grand piano!

 

After leaving Hotel Puri, we walked on and reached the oldest Chinese temple in Malacca. En route, I came across this little shop selling English Country style stuff, so I could not resist going in to take a look!



 Once you pass this buiding, veer left and walk down to the oldest temple

 I could not resist taking this old car that I really like!

 The oldest Chinese temple in Malacca

After that, it was time for lunch and we were brought to one of the places selling chicken rice balls.

 Hoe Kee Chicken Rice, situated at the beginning (or end?) of Jonker Walk

 The chicken rice balls are much smaller than I remembered. The ones my grandma used to make would be twice the size of one here!

After that, we went to the building next door to have the famous durian chendol for dessert, which really lived up to the hype.

 The entrance of the famous durian chendol

 The durian chendol comes in a package like this

After lunch, we were brought to The Stadthuys, before proceeding to the new shopping complexes Dataran Pahlawan, Mahkota Parade and Hatten Square for the rest of the afternoon. En route, we passed the Malacca River and the tall tower.

 Malacca River

 The Stadthys

Clock Tower at The Stadthuys

 An old fort next to the Malacca River

Compared to Jonker Walk, The Stadthuys and the rest of the historical part of Malacca, I am somehow disappointed with the new shopping complexes. I guess I prefer the older part of the city better than the newer part!

Besides, there is nothing much to see in the shopping complexes because I do not fancy many of the stuff, and those I do fancy, they can be found back home too. Still, we spent the rest of the time window shopping and snacking at A&W before needing to go to the Portuguese Settlement for dinner.

How I wish A&W can be brought back here!



 The signature A&W Rootbeer Float

 Entrance of Portuguese Settlement

 Hotel Lisbon at Portuguese Settlement

 Seafront at Portuguese Settlement

 

After dinner, we were brought back to Malacca River to spend the rest of the night in leisure. I went around The Stadthuys again to enjoy the night view, then went to eat Satay Celup for supper. The place I was recommended was super crowded with a very long queue, so I went to the place next door which was empty. But the food and variety was not that great too. Maybe that is why that place was empty and the one next door was filled to the brim!



 Windmill opposite Stadthuys

 Night view of The Stadthuys

 Old-fashioned mailbox

 Another old-fashioned mailbox

 Sauce for satay celup

 Satay Celup variety (that was about all the shop has)

 

After supper, I walked back to Jonker Walk via the riverfront to explore the Night Market.



It was very crowded at the Night Market, although there are quite a lot of stalls selling quite a lot of things. But since I was already so tired, I decided to just call it a night and did not explore the other end of the Night Market.

The following day, we were supposed to climb St Paul's Hill, but since it was raining, we were brought to another shopping mall near the Melaka Sentral bus station, called Aeon. Of course those shopaholics were happy to start shopping again, but I just explored a bit. Since there was still time before the bus picked us up to go back, I decided to catch a movie and went to watch "Cold War".

When I came out, it was just time for the bus to pick us up, so I boarded the bus and we went all the way back home, only stopping for dinner in a seafront floating restaurant in Johor before reaching the Causeway.

All in all, this Malacca trip had been pretty interesting, but it would have been more fruitful if I got to eat more of the great stuff like fried oyster omelette and carrot cake! Perhaps next time if I am ever in Malacca again, I would definitely try those food I did not try!