It would be a lie if I said I didn’t enjoy sun/beach holidays. I probably enjoy this kind of holidays more ever since living in the cold London and I do suffer from winter blues!

 

My sister picked us up from KL. We were then in Ipoh for a day before cruising further north to my hometown. The stopover in Ipoh allowed me to have the chance to eat one of their famous dishes - Ngah Choi Kai “芽菜雞” (Chicken with Beansprouts). It has been years since I last had this hawker’s dish!

 

Ipoh is another heaven for food. There are so many things that are yummy and popular that people travel all the way from other states (especially Kuala Lumpur) to Ipoh to buy its famous Egg Tarts “蛋撻”, Tau Fu Fa/Dou Hua “豆腐花”, and Yim Kok Kai “盐锔鸡” (salted chicken - the chicken is baked in salt in such a way the skin and meat is so delicious when you eat it and you will finished it all. Whole chicken are wrapped in “oil paper” and then baked in large woks filled with heated salt). Obviously my favourites are Egg Tarts and Tau Fu Fa. Ah, I didn’t forget to buy the famous Chicken Floss “雞絲” (could be pork).

 

I felt so pampered and lucky when I had my first bite of the freshly made Egg Tart. The pastry was so light; the egg mixture was soft that it melted as soon as I put into my mouth. How delicious! (Try those from Nam Heong Restaurant in Old Town Ipoh, they are extremely good!)

 

We had wonderful time in my hometown - practiced golf at one of the nicest courses nearby (Ah, I got hole in one … yeah right, in my dream!), had nice local food and most of all great homemade food. I have been wanting to have Steamboat (Shabu-Shabu equivalent) for a long time, so my mom specially made a steamboat feast one night! All I could say is that I got so much of cooking inspiration after eating all the good food!

Since we were so near to the paradise, how could we miss this golden opportunity? We spent 3 days 2 nights in Langkawi at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa. (Yeah, Westin again!) The hotel was previously called Sheraton Perdana. Just a few years ago, Starwood group bought over and refurbished everything and turned it into a paradise. ☺

I couldn’t explain more how great the service was at the Westin Langkawi. They made the customers feel the importance of their existence. The moment we stepped in to the spacious lobby, we could see the endless Andaman Sea, so turquoise and calm. At the Westin Langkawi, the design approach is a mix of Balinese, Thai, and Malaysian. Hence, make it really elegant and special.

Just a few minutes away by golf buggy was the Westen Heavenly Spa. Very well decorated and I think it’s fair to say it has good standard as The Datai Langkawi. I don’t need to elaborate on the deco, you can see it for yourself. That makes you want to stay there forever.

If you want to do nothing but just to relax and enjoy the sun as that you have been to Langkawi Island and done the touristic stuff, I’d advise the following:

1. Book a good hotel with spa facilities;
2. Obviously to have easy access to the beach;
3. To have breakfast included in your package (as you wouldn’t want to even step out from the hotel);
4. To have at least one buffet dinner included in your package;
5. Of course, don’t forget your swimwear and bring plenty of sunscreen.

 

First time to Langkawi Island? And plan to stay there for 3 days and 2 nights. You may want try the following:

Day 1
Rent a car/scooter to go around the Island. Check out some places of interest:

• Tanjung Rhu Beach - relaxed and soothing, perfect for a therapeutic getaway
• Visit The Datai Langakawi - probably book a massage at the Spa OR if you are a golfer, don’t miss playing at the 19-hole Datai golf course;
• Langkawi Cable Car ride;
• Waterfalls (Seven Wells Water and Temurun Waterfall);
• Enjoy the Sunset and Dinner at Bonton Resort & Restaurant.

Day 2

• Sun bathing at Pantai Cenang & Pantai Tengah and check out the shops around the area;OR
• Book a half day snorkeling tour to Pulau Payar;
• Learn to cook some delicious Malaysian dishes at the cooking class with Shuk (Cook with Shuk) in the evening at his charming Malay house.

Day 3

• Last minute soaking up the sun.
• Shopping in Kuah town.

Time passed so quickly and it was the time when we had to leave the legendary island unwillingly and wished that we could extend our stay. However, good things always end beautifully. We couldn’t wait for the next destination!

PS: Don’t forget to check out the 1 bedroom (approx £550) and 2 bedroom (approx £750) Villas at the Westin

……I looked at my watch and it was 5 minutes to 4:30pm. I stood up and went to the kitchen to grab the Kaya that I made. I left the office sharp at 4:30pm to make my way to the nearest Underground station to meet up Arnaud, then to King’s Cross where the Eurostar is now based. It was quicker than we thought it would take us to get to the station. In fact, we were more than 1 hour early. It was gonne be tight schedule, there’s no way to miss the connecting train to Caen, we prayed.

To our disappointment, Eurostar did it again. Stopped just 10-15 minutes before arriving at Gare du Nord. What happened?? Apparently, the station was too busy and there was no platform available! We had no choice but to wait patiently. I kept looking at my watch, 5 minutes passed by, another 10 minnutes passed by… I wasn’t optimistic at all as we had only 30 minutes after arrival to make our way to Gare St Lazare.

Finally, we had to face the fact that we missed the train. All the cars were all booked for the next few days, so, there wasn’t any options left to get to the destination on that night! We had to put up in a nearby hotel. Bug! It was an unexpected short stay in Paris!

We were so hungry that we could almost faint! In the city like Paris, I bet there’s no chance to suffer from hunger as restaurants and brasseries are everywhere. There were a few just down the road. We walked past a few and finally decided to go into one of the brasseries. It didn’t take long to scan through the menu, we both opted for the Specialties of the brasseries. I ordered Bouillabaisse and for Arnaud it was Tagliatelle with smoked Salmon & Crayfish! Yum… they were good!

We strolled back to the hotel and were both too tired by now. Time to hit the sack.

Another start for the next day. Finally, we made sure we were on the train to our destination, no more time to waste! It was a mere 2 hours journey. All I could remember was I slept through the journey. Yes, I was that tired!

The moment I stepped out from the train, I could feel the chill down to my spine! Aww, it was so cold!

It was nearly time for lunch when we reached. A homemade food was ready on the table to welcome us. I feel that I am always spoilt with good food. There are always new surprises on the table that makes me say ‘wow’! My stay is always pleasant and comfortable in Caen. There are shops that I will not miss whenever I visit Caen.

Christmas Eve arrived without much of my notice. I thought I just reached this lovely place yesterday! I always thought Christmas dinner was very much associated with Turkey, well the traditional way I suppose. Our Christmas dinner was full of seafood, and more seafood. Ah, I had Escargots by the way. A lot of people dislike this, but I think it’s such a typical French dish that you should probably try once (for the lifetime) even if you are not an Escargots eater! There was only one meat dish. Well, Foie Gras is never a miss during this day. Not to mention a good selection of cheeses! It never ends without la buche de Noel too!

As soon as it was 00:00, everyone gathered by the table and started to open the presents. This was the most exciting moment I would say. However, we knew what we were getting anyway! So, there won’t be a case where we end up disliking our presents

It was another early morning the next day as we had to leave for Le Mans. Le Mans is the place where it’s famous for its Rillettes and 24 heures du Mans. This time, I tried Cherry & Duck Pâté, with traditional raisins bread, what could I say but excellent combination! Another of my favourite is saucisson à l’ail. If you are also a fan of Charcuterie, you’ll know what I’m talking about!

Another Christmas dinner with more food. It was really a feast! We really enjoyed every moment of it - more champagne, more wine, more oysters, salmon, foie gras… etc.

Overall, our stay in France was another great one even though it was too short. So much to remember and looking back all the photos makes me feel like I was there again. Now that Christmas is over, what’s next? Well, it’s to welcome year 2008. I believe there are many more to come in the upcoming years.

Yeah… I have been slacking… so badly. Well, it’s difficult to be back to the routine after a short break in…… FRANCE.

We have been invited for a wedding. It was another wonderful occasion! If you guys are reading this post, Seb & Claire, again, thank you for the invitation! (Seb, I was too busy taking pictures of both you and your lovely wife, thus I had forgotten to take some shots of the food! Seb, J’etais trop occupe a prendre des photos de toi et de ta charmante femme que j’en ai oublie de photographier les plats du diner!) Here are some pictures taken during the wedding.

However short the trip was, I always feel privileged to be able to eat the classic and authentic French food by Arnaud’s mom. Not to mention how tasty and spot-on the food constantly is. She is always the source of inspiration.

This time to France, she made one of my favourite dishes, Ratatouille, served with stuffed Escalopes in creme sauce. The taste? Unbelievably delicious!! I will definitely make this at home.

:: Day 3 - Brussels - London ::

Of course that’s not all! I still have more to tell. Very long-winded as usual. Anyway, the last day in Brussels. How fast was that? I thought I had just arrived! We woke up early as we wanted to make the most of it on this last day of our trip.

 

A not to be missed trip is to the Comic Strip Museum. Here, you can see the history of a very typical art form in Belgium. In the museum, you can find all the history of the comic strip production. There are two that I think I am familiar with, Tintin and The Smurfs. I think my sister used to read Tintin. She is a fan of the comic and I am the total opposite, I don’t really like it. I like to watch cartoons on the TV that’s why I know The Smurfs and really love them!

 

Next stop was The Chocolate Museum, Musee de Chocolat. This is where we catched all the best actions of chocolate making. The whole process isn’t simple at all and looks really time consuming. It takes time to make but less than 1 second to eat! I love chocolates but to a certain extend, only good chocolates. I don’t like chocolates that are too sweet, so Cadbury, Mars bars, Sneakers … etc are not something that I will buy to snack. Good chocolates are chocolates with high percentage of Cacao, that’s what I like, bitter sweet.

 

Our train to London was at about 4pm so left us a few hours to enjoy a bit more of the Belgian beers and the last minute of chocolates & beers shopping. Last but not least, our last lunch in Brussels. This time, it’s back to ‘t Kelderke. This restaurant is not spectacularly good but the location is strategic, it’s just at The Grand Place. So, this time, apart from the mussels, we shared Tete de veau, Calf’s head cooked in Tomato sauce - a typical French dish. I know it sounds a bit gross for some people but I really enjoyed this dish, tastes really good!

 

So, shopping was done, sort of. I bought some Speculoos - the traditional Belgian biscuits. I really love them. Apart from Speculoos, I bought a box of very unusual Earl Grey biscuits from Dandoy - a biscuiterie at The Grand Place. Ah, not to forget some bonbons from Les Berlandises. I bought some different flavours of sweets - figs, coconut, orange, raspberries, strawberries.. etc

It seemed the last day in Brussels was really sweet, wasn’t it? That’s why it makes this whole trip so sweet yet short. Brussels (or rather Belgium), I’ll be back!