: : Fotolog of Kuching : :
Another pet project. Scenery of Kuching. We’ll see how long this one will last. 🙂
: : Hotel Grand Continental ~ Part II : :
I have never seen so many red dishes at a lunch buffet before. The pictures below were taken on Thursday noon time. Everything was red to denote that it’s spicy. Do not be fooled into thinking that a red coloured dish in Asia is made with tomato sauce. Although the base of any chilli sauce is still tomato, the red sauces are usually very spicy. Check the name tags at the bottom of the buffet dish before digging in!
Ayam panggang @ grilled chicken. I think what they did was grill the chicken first and then later added on the sauce. The sauce is most likely made from chilli sauce with some added spices to make it taste spicy.
Assam fish : a sour curry dish that is very popular. The usual dish is normally cooked with a BIIIIIIIIIGGGGGG fish head but can also be cooked with the whole fish. One of my favourites. Problem with fish dishes in buffet containers is that it’s very seldom a neat presentation. Still, it tasted real good.
Telur pedas @ spicy egg : a local favourite for many. The egg is hard boiled first and then later coated lightly with batter and deep fried. The spicy sauce made from chilli sauce and some green peas, carrots, corn and long beans were poured over the egg. Simple to do and very delicious.
Terung & long beans : Brinjal that is stir-fried with long beans. Personally, I do not like brinjal because it’s very soft. My collegues did and dug into this buffet dish eagerly. And yep, the red sauce is in abundance today!
Another red dish! Tauhu @ soya bean cubes deep fried first and later cooked with other vegetables. In this picture, they added in shredded mushrooms and loads of leek.
Beef rendang : a type of curry cooked without kunyit @ tumeric for the yellow coloring. It’s a dry type of curry but taste very delicious. It’s not easy to made as the beef has to be cooked for some time to soften it up. It has coconut inside it which makes it taste better. Not exactly red, I know but not the dark brown color that I’m familiar with.
Stir-fried kailan @ Chinese mustard in oyster sauce. So, two dishes that were not red. Phew! Anyway, I did not eat everything as there were just too much to eat. Ended up eating the salads and dessert more!
Cheerio!
: : Hotel Grand Continental ~ Part II : :
I have never seen so many red dishes at a lunch buffet before. The pictures below were taken on Thursday noon time. Everything was red to denote that it’s spicy. Do not be fooled into thinking that a red coloured dish in Asia is made with tomato sauce. Although the base of any chilli sauce is still tomato, the red sauces are usually very spicy. Check the name tags at the bottom of the buffet dish before digging in!
Ayam panggang @ grilled chicken. I think what they did was grill the chicken first and then later added on the sauce. The sauce is most likely made from chilli sauce with some added spices to make it taste spicy.
Assam fish : a sour curry dish that is very popular. The usual dish is normally cooked with a BIIIIIIIIIGGGGGG fish head but can also be cooked with the whole fish. One of my favourites. Problem with fish dishes in buffet containers is that it’s very seldom a neat presentation. Still, it tasted real good.
Telur pedas @ spicy egg : a local favourite for many. The egg is hard boiled first and then later coated lightly with batter and deep fried. The spicy sauce made from chilli sauce and some green peas, carrots, corn and long beans were poured over the egg. Simple to do and very delicious.
Terung & long beans : Brinjal that is stir-fried with long beans. Personally, I do not like brinjal because it’s very soft. My collegues did and dug into this buffet dish eagerly. And yep, the red sauce is in abundance today!
Another red dish! Tauhu @ soya bean cubes deep fried first and later cooked with other vegetables. In this picture, they added in shredded mushrooms and loads of leek.
Beef rendang : a type of curry cooked without kunyit @ tumeric for the yellow coloring. It’s a dry type of curry but taste very delicious. It’s not easy to made as the beef has to be cooked for some time to soften it up. It has coconut inside it which makes it taste better. Not exactly red, I know but not the dark brown color that I’m familiar with.
Stir-fried kailan @ Chinese mustard in oyster sauce. So, two dishes that were not red. Phew! Anyway, I did not eat everything as there were just too much to eat. Ended up eating the salads and dessert more!
Cheerio!
: : Birthday Cake : :
Note that I’m putting up actual conversations.
3:25 p.m. Hotel Grand Continental
Melvin : We’re going out to celebrate Maylin’s birthday. Planning to go to a Japanese/Korean restaurant. Ex-Dea Ba Ru at Green Road. Located at BDC.
Wena : Okay. After my training, I bring the cake.
Melvin : Okay but she is allergic to chocolate and orange so make sure the cake doesn’t have those ingredients in it.
Wena : Okay.
7:00 p.m. Sunflower Deli
Wena : Is there any chocolate in the fruit flan?
Cashier : No, just fruits and blueberries and just the sponge cake.
Wena : Okay, I’ll take it.
Cashier : How many candles do you want?
Wena : Errr… I know she’s over 20 years old but dunno her age lah. Just give me 2 candles.
Cashier : Okay.
7:05 p.m. In the car outside Sunflower Deli.
Realised that I saw something orange in color. Is it orange? Oh oh… better check with baker again. So, rushed out of the car and went back into the bakery.
Wena : Sorry ah but is there any oranges in the cake?
Cashier : No, it’s peaches.
Wena : Phew!
8:00 p.m. At Green Road
Wena : (calling Melvin on handphone) Wei! Dea Ba Ru close shop lah. Where is the place again?
Melvin : Opppss! Miscommunication. They’ve moved to BDC, next to Crystal Jade restaurant.
Wena : Aik! Ok ok. Am on my way there.
8:10 p.m. Arrived at restaurant
Wena : Sorry sorry I’m late.
Melvin, Maylin : No worries.
9:15 p.m. After dinner
Wena : Hmm… wanna go to coffee master and eat the cake there? But dunno whether can bring cake there or not?
Melvin, Maylin : Well, can try.
9:30 p.m. Coffee Master
Marvin : Excuse me but can we eat the cake here?
Waitress : Sorry but you will have to eat it outside.
Maylin : Brainstorming time! Another place?
Marvin : SoHo?
Wena : Okay.
9:35 p.m. Outside Coffee Master
Min Yen met up with us and we all went to SoHo.
9:40 p.m. SoHo
Wena : Finally!
Birthday song. Birthday girl blows out the candle. 5 people eating 2/3 of the cake.
10:10 p.m.
Wena : Wah! Full lah! But how to finish the cake? Cake box thrown away liaw!
Min Yen : Eh! Where is Jackson ah? Can ask him to finish the cake?
Maylin : Ooppps!
Wena : Oh oh. Lemme call him. Forgot to invite him.
Wena : (Calls Jackson) Wei, we are celebrating Maylin’s bday and got leftover cake. Wanna join us?
Jackson : Can but after movie lah. Will meet up with you guys at SoHo at 11.30 p.m.
Phew! The cake issue settled. A delicious fruit flan coated with fresh cream. Yum!
Happy Birthday Maylin!
: : Hotel Grand Continental ~ Part I : :
Sort of an easy day today as I was attending a training session at Hotel Grand Continental. The buffet lunch was great! Took a lot of pictures so it’s going to be in parts. So, for today, it’s going to be pictures from the salad bar!
The salad comprises of cut honeydew and raisins mixed with mayonnaise, cucumbers and crabsticks. One of the more popular salads that seems to be the ‘in’ thing at chinese restaurants around Asia for the past 4-5 years. The love affair between mayonnaise and the Chinese diner.
A beautiful coleslaw.
This is the local version for a condiment that goes extremely well with anything. It’s basically ikan billis @ fried juvenile (!) anchovies with peanuts and in some soy sauce, chilli powder and sugar.
Now, onto the local version of fresh salad. From bottom left, clockwise : fresh tauhu, pineapple, cucumber and guava. To be eaten with rojak sauce.
Some more fresh vegetable. From bottom left, clockwise : lady’s finger @ okra, long beans, coriander leaves and kacang botol @ four angled beans. Center : not sure. Could be cucumber or some mango. These will be eaten with sambal belachan @ spicy belachan sauce.
Some sauces to go with the ulam. Usually, ulam is eaten with sambal belachan which is in the bowl on the right. On the left is the rojak sauce that goes great with fruits, tauhu and cucumber. It’s a thick spicy sauce mixed with soy sauce and chopped peanuts. It looks pretty ugly but the taste is just short of amazing! Try it one day.
More pics tomorrow! Have another two more days of training to go to at this hotel.
Nite nite!
: : Tis the season : :
For DURIANS!
Granny ordered some durians from one of the ladies nearby whose family has a farm in Bau. She was so excited to get them.
Small but sweet! To her that is.
Me, I can’t stand the taste and smell of durian. Too pungent.