24 December 2006
We almost have Christmas under control now. It surely has been frantic. Got all my cards sent off in time for everyone to receive some time between Christmas and New Year. Ah well, the sentiment is there at least.
I'm trying to find a nice carol service to go to in East Dulwich somewhere. There's a lot of choice but no way of telling what would be a good traditional service to go to. I may just go across the street to the one opposite the house as it means I don't have to find my way back at midnight from anywhere too far distant. Southwark Cathedral's would be nice but I think it's oversubscribed and I'm not sure how I'd get home.
We spent two hours at the Citylink in Lower Sydenham yesterday picking up a parcel from BB's sister. It seemed none too organised there. When we left, there were people there who'd been waiting longer than we had.
The queue outside William Rose's butchers yesterday at 08:44 (when we went down to get our goose) was ridiculous. It stretched past 5 shops and down to the Linedancing Club building. BB reckons there were about 100 people, though I think that's a tad of an exaggeration. Nonetheless, East Dulwich was a festival of queuing at the greengrocers, the Cheese Block and ED Deli. We went to Sainsbury's and got an organic turkey instead.
Unfortunately, later in the day (around 15:00), I walked past William Rose after having queued at above mentioned stores for a good part of the afternoon, to find that there was no queue and there were bucketloads of happily raised geese in the window. Which just goes to show that putting things off till the last minute is not always such a bad thing.
I'm trying to find a nice carol service to go to in East Dulwich somewhere. There's a lot of choice but no way of telling what would be a good traditional service to go to. I may just go across the street to the one opposite the house as it means I don't have to find my way back at midnight from anywhere too far distant. Southwark Cathedral's would be nice but I think it's oversubscribed and I'm not sure how I'd get home.
We spent two hours at the Citylink in Lower Sydenham yesterday picking up a parcel from BB's sister. It seemed none too organised there. When we left, there were people there who'd been waiting longer than we had.
The queue outside William Rose's butchers yesterday at 08:44 (when we went down to get our goose) was ridiculous. It stretched past 5 shops and down to the Linedancing Club building. BB reckons there were about 100 people, though I think that's a tad of an exaggeration. Nonetheless, East Dulwich was a festival of queuing at the greengrocers, the Cheese Block and ED Deli. We went to Sainsbury's and got an organic turkey instead.
Unfortunately, later in the day (around 15:00), I walked past William Rose after having queued at above mentioned stores for a good part of the afternoon, to find that there was no queue and there were bucketloads of happily raised geese in the window. Which just goes to show that putting things off till the last minute is not always such a bad thing.
Labels: Christmas, east dulwich, food
13 December 2006
Oh man, talk about being worked like a dog. Although, I've never seen any dogs working particularly hard, so times have obviously changed since that saying came about.
We're right in the thick of end-of-year type things - Christmas hoohah, budgets, range planning and stuff plus all the normal day-to-day meetings, travel, getting offices refurbed and so forth. I'm going to fall down dead soon. All they'll find is a little skeleton in my office where I've disappeared behind a pile of packaging, samples and leftovers from lunch meetings.
Also had to run out of the office in the middle of everything to do a casting for some new ITV show which revolves around a bunch of celebrities (doesn't everything these days) being a jury for a mock murder trial. I went up to play a forensic scientist specialising in DNA profiling. The audition consisted of improvising around the case as outlined in the breakdown. Went well, but bloody hell! I had back story and everything, but they didn't delve that deep. Thank God.
Met my mate, A, for dinner about an hour and a half late as I couldn't get away from the office. We ate at this small tapas place called El Dorado near Vauxhall which I keep seeing from the 185 bus on Kennington Lane just before it turns towards the Oval. I think it might be South American. The food was really very good. We had Spanish sausage with fabadas (beans), grilled marinaded pork, some prawns in white wine and garlic, patatas bravas, beef with crispy fried green plantain, salad and rice. With drinks it all came to a modest £17.00 each including tip. I shall be trying to drum up some business for them in future as it was almost empty. Very strange, as the service was excellent and the food delicious. Perhaps, the restaurant lacked a little in ambience but it was perfectly pleasant in every way.
We're right in the thick of end-of-year type things - Christmas hoohah, budgets, range planning and stuff plus all the normal day-to-day meetings, travel, getting offices refurbed and so forth. I'm going to fall down dead soon. All they'll find is a little skeleton in my office where I've disappeared behind a pile of packaging, samples and leftovers from lunch meetings.
Also had to run out of the office in the middle of everything to do a casting for some new ITV show which revolves around a bunch of celebrities (doesn't everything these days) being a jury for a mock murder trial. I went up to play a forensic scientist specialising in DNA profiling. The audition consisted of improvising around the case as outlined in the breakdown. Went well, but bloody hell! I had back story and everything, but they didn't delve that deep. Thank God.
Met my mate, A, for dinner about an hour and a half late as I couldn't get away from the office. We ate at this small tapas place called El Dorado near Vauxhall which I keep seeing from the 185 bus on Kennington Lane just before it turns towards the Oval. I think it might be South American. The food was really very good. We had Spanish sausage with fabadas (beans), grilled marinaded pork, some prawns in white wine and garlic, patatas bravas, beef with crispy fried green plantain, salad and rice. With drinks it all came to a modest £17.00 each including tip. I shall be trying to drum up some business for them in future as it was almost empty. Very strange, as the service was excellent and the food delicious. Perhaps, the restaurant lacked a little in ambience but it was perfectly pleasant in every way.
Labels: acting, food, restaurants, work
11 December 2006
Royal Mail has apparently given up trying to show any semblance of putting mail in the right mailboxes. Last week we received in one day, mail for next door, two doors down and about 100 houses down. At work, they have sworn blind that they delivered my new company credit card and it was signed for but mysteriously can't give us the name of who signed for it for 24 hours. Needless to say, no one in the company knows anything about it. And they wonder why people aren't posting things anymore.
Today, the Langham Hotel treated some of their London clients' PAs to a slap-up meal in the Memories Restaurant at the hotel. I was one of them. It was spectacular. Particularly because I wasn't paying.
We started with a complimentary Jerusalem artichoke cappucino. I had a mixed assiette of escargots with frogs legs fricassée to start. My main was a very beautiful monkfish with crayfish, pearl barley and a sheet of a ravioli type pasta. Dessert was a pineapple tarte with a coconut something or other and a lime sorbet. It was so pretty. I really wished I could have taken photographs but it would have been unseemly. The service was excellent if a tad leisurely. I don't get to eat like that often and I could definitely get used to it.
Today, the Langham Hotel treated some of their London clients' PAs to a slap-up meal in the Memories Restaurant at the hotel. I was one of them. It was spectacular. Particularly because I wasn't paying.
We started with a complimentary Jerusalem artichoke cappucino. I had a mixed assiette of escargots with frogs legs fricassée to start. My main was a very beautiful monkfish with crayfish, pearl barley and a sheet of a ravioli type pasta. Dessert was a pineapple tarte with a coconut something or other and a lime sorbet. It was so pretty. I really wished I could have taken photographs but it would have been unseemly. The service was excellent if a tad leisurely. I don't get to eat like that often and I could definitely get used to it.
Labels: food, restaurants
10 December 2006
Meat
Had a steak and chips from Black Cherry's newish menu yesterday. Medium, juicy and pink on the inside and slightly charred on the outside (the way I like it), perfectly seasoned. Came with a nicely dressed salad. Chips were okay. I've had better from them before. But on the whole, a pretty special steak, chips and salad.
If you are a bit of a greedy pig (as I am), probably better to go for the 'His' (10 oz) steak, rather than the 'Hers' (8 oz) steak.
It's been a good week for meat. I've found out that some enterprising person has started making Ngau Yoke Kon (or Chinese beef jerky) in the UK which can be purchased in select little packages from Chinatown. Pork is also available and they come in traditional 5-spice flavour or black pepper for that extra zing. I bought one of each - one for me and one for a friend. Ended up eating both packs. Whoops.
If you are a bit of a greedy pig (as I am), probably better to go for the 'His' (10 oz) steak, rather than the 'Hers' (8 oz) steak.
It's been a good week for meat. I've found out that some enterprising person has started making Ngau Yoke Kon (or Chinese beef jerky) in the UK which can be purchased in select little packages from Chinatown. Pork is also available and they come in traditional 5-spice flavour or black pepper for that extra zing. I bought one of each - one for me and one for a friend. Ended up eating both packs. Whoops.
Labels: east dulwich, food, restaurants
8 December 2006
A tornado in London! I hope a tornado doesn't hit our little house. I'm pretty sure it hit right where my cousin, B, used to live in Kensal Rise. Bet she's glad she moved to York. Hope they don't still own the flat for investment.
Found dried beef, like Wing Heong makes it, in Chinatown yesterday. Hurray! My reward for having to walk from Selfridges to the gym for class because Regent Street had been closed down due to some emergency. That brought the whole of London to a standstill. Good thing the tube lines weren't flooded today.
All the trains going up North were cancelled too.
The London transport network is grinding to a halt.
Found dried beef, like Wing Heong makes it, in Chinatown yesterday. Hurray! My reward for having to walk from Selfridges to the gym for class because Regent Street had been closed down due to some emergency. That brought the whole of London to a standstill. Good thing the tube lines weren't flooded today.
All the trains going up North were cancelled too.
The London transport network is grinding to a halt.
Labels: food, transport, weather
7 December 2006
My Mandarin teacher brought out a whole bag of those little pieces of dried beef wrapped in paper yesterday that we used to eat when we were little. Now, instead of being wrapped in little bits of pink and white waxproof paper, they come in gold and red foil. We scoffed the lot. That led into an indepth discussion into EU law and how importing meat (even in tins) into the EU was illegal. She didn't seem to bothered, which is a good thing, as it means more dried meat product for me!
Labels: food, politics, restaurants
3 December 2006
Every single Clementine in my bumper pack from M&S has got just one pip. I'm torn between being amazed and being slightly disturbed by this.
BB has Zoolander on downstairs with Ben Stiller exhorting the world to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia and Hannah and her Sisters is on upstairs in the bedroom with Woody Allen obsessing about having a brain tumour. There's too much information floating around for my brain to process.
BB has Zoolander on downstairs with Ben Stiller exhorting the world to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia and Hannah and her Sisters is on upstairs in the bedroom with Woody Allen obsessing about having a brain tumour. There's too much information floating around for my brain to process.
Labels: food
Okay, what's up with this? Why can't you buy tinned dace and mui choi jee yook in Chinatown anymore? Spent yesterday evening trawling through the dwindling number of Chinese supermarkets in the area trying to find them but to no avail. I know about the EU meat import ban but I didn't think that applied to fish. Besides, you can still get sambal prawns in tins and luncheon meat imported from China. So what's happened to all the good tinned stuff? It better not be some stupid EU bloody thing - I mean how much mad cow or bird flu can you possibly get from a stewed to death, tinned meat/fish product?
It's just not right. First it was long yoke and now this.
It's just not right. First it was long yoke and now this.
Labels: food
2 December 2006
Blummin' 'eck! William Rose butchers on Lordship Lane have already closed their books for ordering your bird for Christmas. It's only just the beginning of December! Maybe that's what people have been queuing all year round for - their Christmas turkey order.
We're going to have go further afield. Apparently, they'll be selling Christmas fowl without having to place an order, but we will need a back-up plan methinks.
We're going to have go further afield. Apparently, they'll be selling Christmas fowl without having to place an order, but we will need a back-up plan methinks.
Labels: east dulwich, food
Jerk Rock on Lordship Lane doesn't really do itself justice. The cooking is excellent - there's no doubt about that. The only problem is when you go in, unless you look like you're from the West Indies, they look a bit incredulous that you should have deigned to enter. Then, they never have any of the things that make me drag myself out of the house or get off the bus early because I really want to eat it, despite it being on their menu.
I always go in hopefully longing to have either ackee saltfish or fried fish or escoveitch fish or even callaloo. But they never do. So I always slink off with mutton curry - which is excellent but it would be nice to have something I actually went there to have.
If you like any combination of jerk-based food or brown-stew based stuff they always seem to have that.
I always go in hopefully longing to have either ackee saltfish or fried fish or escoveitch fish or even callaloo. But they never do. So I always slink off with mutton curry - which is excellent but it would be nice to have something I actually went there to have.
If you like any combination of jerk-based food or brown-stew based stuff they always seem to have that.
Labels: east dulwich, food, restaurants
30 November 2006
Gourmet Burger Kitchen has set up in East Dulwich and opened to great hordes of buggie-wielding yummy mummies. We eagerly went along early one Saturday for BB to have a burger fix a couple of weeks ago and within 15 mins of sitting down were surrounded by small children of different shapes and sizes - but, interestingly, not colours.
The space is not very conducive to hanging around and enjoying your tasty burger. It's all hard surfaces and very echoey, which amplifies all the screaming and squawking from said children.
The burger choice is astounding, however. There are surely about 20 variations on the humble burger - beef, chicken, lamb and vegetarian options abound. We went for the classic burger. But there are still more options, do you want it with or without bun, what kind of sauce do you require, any extra toppings, what kind of fries, what colour do you want your plate (well, not really). TOO MUCH CHOOSING OF THINGS! Still, I guess people like variety.
Anyway - verdict is, burgers are very tasty but we both had gyppy stomachs afterwards and I felt a bit sick and was on the loo a lot. Probably best to ask for your burger to be well done as they were a bit pink when done medium, so the meat probably wasn't all that fresh.
The space is not very conducive to hanging around and enjoying your tasty burger. It's all hard surfaces and very echoey, which amplifies all the screaming and squawking from said children.
The burger choice is astounding, however. There are surely about 20 variations on the humble burger - beef, chicken, lamb and vegetarian options abound. We went for the classic burger. But there are still more options, do you want it with or without bun, what kind of sauce do you require, any extra toppings, what kind of fries, what colour do you want your plate (well, not really). TOO MUCH CHOOSING OF THINGS! Still, I guess people like variety.
Anyway - verdict is, burgers are very tasty but we both had gyppy stomachs afterwards and I felt a bit sick and was on the loo a lot. Probably best to ask for your burger to be well done as they were a bit pink when done medium, so the meat probably wasn't all that fresh.
Labels: east dulwich, food, restaurants
22 September 2006
At the audition, as suspected, it turns out the part is tiny, only Chinese-speaking (and not much of that) and only appears in one scene. They didn't have a script and just told us the plotline. Then came the killer question, "Are you interested in doing the part?" And, honestly, I said, "No..." (with a lot of other spiel as well). They seemed not too displeased about it and said that I wasn't the only one. However, they did say that if it transfers to the West End they might recast - so, fingers crossed, I may get to do it after all.
On another note, I see that there is a swish, massive indoor climbing centre in One Utama called Camp 5. That's exciting. They do courses and everything. Must mosey on down there next time I'm home.
Am starting preparations for cooking dinner on Saturday night for BB's friends, but I've lost my rendang recipe....! Aaargh....! All I know is that it involves copious amounts of dried chillies, lemongrass, shallots, galangal, coconut milk and grated coconut, turmeric and meat. Quantities be darned.
On another note, I see that there is a swish, massive indoor climbing centre in One Utama called Camp 5. That's exciting. They do courses and everything. Must mosey on down there next time I'm home.
Am starting preparations for cooking dinner on Saturday night for BB's friends, but I've lost my rendang recipe....! Aaargh....! All I know is that it involves copious amounts of dried chillies, lemongrass, shallots, galangal, coconut milk and grated coconut, turmeric and meat. Quantities be darned.
Labels: acting, food, Malaysia
28 August 2006
Tried out the much lauded Dragon Castle yesterday in celebration of our 3-year engagement day. It's in a most insalubrious blue building on the Walworth Road, but no matter, because once inside you can't see where you are. The decor is contemporary Chinese, without the Chineseness washed out of it, so still gold tablecloths and big Chinese good luck phrases everywhere coupled with shiny grey floors and lots of wood. Looks a bit like a set out of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
We had dim sum. And it was good. All the bog standard stuff - siu mai, har gau etc plus tripe and sago/yam dessert for me and turnip cake for BB. They didn't laugh at my Chinese, the service was quick and efficient and it was pretty cheap. All very auspicious and we will, no doubt, be back for the hotpot dishes that have been written about by Giles Coren and Jay Rayner of the broadsheets. Unfortunately, there was definitely MSG in the tripe, so I felt a bit funny afterwards which is a shame as it was indeed mightily enhanced in the taste department.
We had dim sum. And it was good. All the bog standard stuff - siu mai, har gau etc plus tripe and sago/yam dessert for me and turnip cake for BB. They didn't laugh at my Chinese, the service was quick and efficient and it was pretty cheap. All very auspicious and we will, no doubt, be back for the hotpot dishes that have been written about by Giles Coren and Jay Rayner of the broadsheets. Unfortunately, there was definitely MSG in the tripe, so I felt a bit funny afterwards which is a shame as it was indeed mightily enhanced in the taste department.
Labels: food, restaurants
5 August 2006
It's been a very busy week - working till 19:00 most nights as everyone had deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. Had to take Sei Ee to Waterloo station at 04.30 in the morning on Wednesday, then worked till 19:30. Am just recovering now.
Never mind - today is Chilli Crab day in Brick Lane, so I'm off to have lots of crab and other hawker food stuff with a big bunch of friends. Hurrah!
Never mind - today is Chilli Crab day in Brick Lane, so I'm off to have lots of crab and other hawker food stuff with a big bunch of friends. Hurrah!
25 July 2006
It is inevitable. Everyday the other secretary at work does something which results in great panic, frantic ringing round of people to reschedule things and making us both feel stressed for several hours before it all gets sorted out again. It's like watching a car crash about to happen. Whilst we get on alright, the errors she keeps making are driving me bonkers.
Can't wait to go on hols. I'm re-reading the The Dark is Rising series of books. They are very good indeed. It's been so long since I read them that I can't remember what happens next which is also good.
BB's mum's birthday do was fun. We had a nice meal at the Café Kintore which was roast duck with a soy orange dressing, beef fillet with bearnaise, chips & green beans and a strawberry pavlova. Nearly missed the plane back because BB misread the arrival time as the departure time when he checked us in online and then only noticed the mistake an hour before the actual departure time. I was rudely awakened by my post-prandial nap with, "AAAhhhh! The plane leaves in an hour. The gates close in 50 mins!" We hadn't packed or anything. Luckily, BB's family live 15 mins from the airport. Phewww.
Can't wait to go on hols. I'm re-reading the The Dark is Rising series of books. They are very good indeed. It's been so long since I read them that I can't remember what happens next which is also good.
BB's mum's birthday do was fun. We had a nice meal at the Café Kintore which was roast duck with a soy orange dressing, beef fillet with bearnaise, chips & green beans and a strawberry pavlova. Nearly missed the plane back because BB misread the arrival time as the departure time when he checked us in online and then only noticed the mistake an hour before the actual departure time. I was rudely awakened by my post-prandial nap with, "AAAhhhh! The plane leaves in an hour. The gates close in 50 mins!" We hadn't packed or anything. Luckily, BB's family live 15 mins from the airport. Phewww.
Labels: books, food, restaurants, work
4 July 2006
It's sooooo HOT! My boss skedaddled and worked from the airconditioned comfort of her own home, whilst leaving me to swelter in the non-airconditioned hell that was the office. That's not good for building up morale, I don't think.
That was a double negative I know but you get the point.
Managed to escape the office for 10 mins to get lunch, whereupon the skies opened and got caught in a flash thunderstorm. Sheesh.
Am making kedgeree for dinner. Never made it before, but happen to have all the ingredients in the house, so why not? Quite like the thought of it, with nice fresh asparagus tips on the side.
That was a double negative I know but you get the point.
Managed to escape the office for 10 mins to get lunch, whereupon the skies opened and got caught in a flash thunderstorm. Sheesh.
Am making kedgeree for dinner. Never made it before, but happen to have all the ingredients in the house, so why not? Quite like the thought of it, with nice fresh asparagus tips on the side.
3 June 2006
Laid Off
What a lot has happened since I got back to work. Thursday seemed uneventful. Spent much of the day catching up on e-mails, folk & gossip & the sample sale.
Then at about 16:00 got hauled into the boss' office to be told that, due to budgetary cuts, am being given the boot (as is my fellow temp, E, and other sundry hangers-on). Not really much of a surprise, except that I sort of expected it to happen a few months ago.
Well, I was sort of pleased as the politics and so forth has got so cruddy that I was pretty fed-up and didn't much want to stay on. Went to the gym that evening, got in conversation with someone there and told her my day. She said, 'Oh, what do you do?' and I said something about administrator, PA, blah, blah. She said, 'Oh, we're looking for a temp PA where I work.' She works somewhere where I've quite fancied working for a while - Google. So she gives me her card and I've sent her my CV and fingers crossed I might be working somewhere pretty cool before two weeks are out.
So, then I ask my ex-boss for a reference and she says, 'Sure, I'll give you a reference but I've got an opening for a temp PA also. Are you interested?'!!! Well, of course! So there's another opening.
And then, as I posted my CV online on an internet job search site, an agency phoned up to register me. And, E's partner is looking for temp DTP operators at her place paying a hefty sum. So, all looks very promising indeed.
In the meantime, I've tried making Meen Mooli (Goan fish curry) from a recipe I saw on a documentary on the plane back from Malaysia and daal. Found out that the local organic Indian shop sells onion paratha and fresh curry leaves which is extraordinarily useful. It turned out pretty well thought the daal was rather thick and tasted better the next day.
Also, been sleeping a lot.
Then at about 16:00 got hauled into the boss' office to be told that, due to budgetary cuts, am being given the boot (as is my fellow temp, E, and other sundry hangers-on). Not really much of a surprise, except that I sort of expected it to happen a few months ago.
Well, I was sort of pleased as the politics and so forth has got so cruddy that I was pretty fed-up and didn't much want to stay on. Went to the gym that evening, got in conversation with someone there and told her my day. She said, 'Oh, what do you do?' and I said something about administrator, PA, blah, blah. She said, 'Oh, we're looking for a temp PA where I work.' She works somewhere where I've quite fancied working for a while - Google. So she gives me her card and I've sent her my CV and fingers crossed I might be working somewhere pretty cool before two weeks are out.
So, then I ask my ex-boss for a reference and she says, 'Sure, I'll give you a reference but I've got an opening for a temp PA also. Are you interested?'!!! Well, of course! So there's another opening.
And then, as I posted my CV online on an internet job search site, an agency phoned up to register me. And, E's partner is looking for temp DTP operators at her place paying a hefty sum. So, all looks very promising indeed.
In the meantime, I've tried making Meen Mooli (Goan fish curry) from a recipe I saw on a documentary on the plane back from Malaysia and daal. Found out that the local organic Indian shop sells onion paratha and fresh curry leaves which is extraordinarily useful. It turned out pretty well thought the daal was rather thick and tasted better the next day.
Also, been sleeping a lot.
27 May 2006
Home
It rained heavily for 5 hours straight yesterday. Where does all the water come from? And where does it all go? It's a mystery.
Dad suddenly had a fixation for KFC so we all went off to have the Colonel's finger lickin' best. It's still beyond me why they don't do mashed potato in the UK KFCs.
Lunch yesterday was Ampang Yong Tow Foo. The place had mysteriously moved and no longer had a disused mining pool beside it. Mum says it never had a pool but I think we're just going to a different place from where we used to go. It's a funny thing the old memory - now neither of us are sure that we're remembering things quite right.
Then we went to KLCC. The approach was via a long underground tunnel that started miles away from the twin towers. It was very strange. We ended up in the deepest recesses of the KLCC carpark. Big blister bumped the car on the way out and is now mortified as the front bumper is a bit out of shape. I hate underground/multilevel carparks - I only ever scrape our car when I'm in one. They're too narrow by far.
Dad suddenly had a fixation for KFC so we all went off to have the Colonel's finger lickin' best. It's still beyond me why they don't do mashed potato in the UK KFCs.
Lunch yesterday was Ampang Yong Tow Foo. The place had mysteriously moved and no longer had a disused mining pool beside it. Mum says it never had a pool but I think we're just going to a different place from where we used to go. It's a funny thing the old memory - now neither of us are sure that we're remembering things quite right.
Then we went to KLCC. The approach was via a long underground tunnel that started miles away from the twin towers. It was very strange. We ended up in the deepest recesses of the KLCC carpark. Big blister bumped the car on the way out and is now mortified as the front bumper is a bit out of shape. I hate underground/multilevel carparks - I only ever scrape our car when I'm in one. They're too narrow by far.
26 May 2006
Stormy Weather
We had a big storm last night. Heaps of forked lightning and protracted rain showers making all internet connection impossible. It was very impressive but not enough to distract me from the dull television viewing available.
The garden was fumigated for mosquitoes yesterday with some manure smelling stuff which meant we had to keep all the windows shut for a few hours. There were insects of all sorts beating themselves against the glass trying to get away from the fumes. In revenge, last night, the mosquitoes (who had apparently got away unscathed) descended en masse and attacked me mercilessly. So much for mosquito spraying then.
Dinner at Sam Yau was Fukien mien, Gong Fu chow mai fun, ham choi tau foo tong and sweet potato leaves. The cooking was not up to their usual standard. The soup was most odd - sour, but in the wrong way and the mai fun seemed to be mainly hor fun instead.
On the other hand, had an excellent curry mee for lunch at Sam Yau in its daytime incarnation. It had see ham, tau foo pok, squid, fish cake finely sliced and mint - all important in the quintessential curry mee. The curry stock was good too.
The garden was fumigated for mosquitoes yesterday with some manure smelling stuff which meant we had to keep all the windows shut for a few hours. There were insects of all sorts beating themselves against the glass trying to get away from the fumes. In revenge, last night, the mosquitoes (who had apparently got away unscathed) descended en masse and attacked me mercilessly. So much for mosquito spraying then.
Dinner at Sam Yau was Fukien mien, Gong Fu chow mai fun, ham choi tau foo tong and sweet potato leaves. The cooking was not up to their usual standard. The soup was most odd - sour, but in the wrong way and the mai fun seemed to be mainly hor fun instead.
On the other hand, had an excellent curry mee for lunch at Sam Yau in its daytime incarnation. It had see ham, tau foo pok, squid, fish cake finely sliced and mint - all important in the quintessential curry mee. The curry stock was good too.
Labels: food, restaurants, weather
23 May 2006
Rainy HK day
Last day of Hong Kong. Am staying at sis' place which is up in the clouds. We have only caught fleeting glimpses of Hong Kong through the mist all weekend. It's rained almost the whole time. Somehow we've managed to catch the only three days that HK has had rain in ages and it's going to be sunny tomorrow when we've gone.
Spent most of Sunday playing with the kids. L's piano is pretty good and we played some duets. Played a lot of Monopoly with S and L until even they got bored.
Yesterday we shopped till we dropped. HK and Kowloon were absolutely heaving despite the torrential rain. I don't remember there being quite so many people the last few times I've come. What with all the rain and shoving, it was really quite unpleasant but it was all made up by getting lots of good booty. Managed to get two pairs of Merrells for about a third cheaper than in London and there was heaps more choice. Nice sandally ones for the summer, so my toes can be free and trainers to replace the smelly, tatty ones I've had for the last 5 years.
Then Shanghai Tang for nice pressies. Nice shop, still expensive in Hong Kong (though not as much as London). Bought a new Mahjong thing (don't know how we'll get it to Malaysia as it's bigger than the suitcase), Seven Swords on VCD (not bootleg), hand warmer things (for wintery days at home) and went to Yau Ma Tei for BB's army gear stuff.
Got back to N & C's, pooped, to yummy roti canai, leftover mutton curry and homemade spinach curry and daal. Mmmm!
Spent most of Sunday playing with the kids. L's piano is pretty good and we played some duets. Played a lot of Monopoly with S and L until even they got bored.
Yesterday we shopped till we dropped. HK and Kowloon were absolutely heaving despite the torrential rain. I don't remember there being quite so many people the last few times I've come. What with all the rain and shoving, it was really quite unpleasant but it was all made up by getting lots of good booty. Managed to get two pairs of Merrells for about a third cheaper than in London and there was heaps more choice. Nice sandally ones for the summer, so my toes can be free and trainers to replace the smelly, tatty ones I've had for the last 5 years.
Then Shanghai Tang for nice pressies. Nice shop, still expensive in Hong Kong (though not as much as London). Bought a new Mahjong thing (don't know how we'll get it to Malaysia as it's bigger than the suitcase), Seven Swords on VCD (not bootleg), hand warmer things (for wintery days at home) and went to Yau Ma Tei for BB's army gear stuff.
Got back to N & C's, pooped, to yummy roti canai, leftover mutton curry and homemade spinach curry and daal. Mmmm!
Labels: food, shopping, travel
