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fundamentally-flawed
Fundamentally-flawed is Lee Sihan. 22 going on 23, she is a dessert enthusiast, |
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about this blog
This blog was opened by Sihan to accomodate her mindless musings and daily rantings.Do enjoy your stay here, and don't take what's not yours! contact her
Feel free to drop her an email at frost.bound[at]gmail[dot]com
affiliates
Yeeling Jennie Fengyi Lihui Audrey Lin Sui Vic Jiahui Timothy Wenliang a.k.a Nick Claire Evangeline Gun Kiat Sze Fei Nicole Jiachien Yan'an Oda my punk kid Rina Vicki Maya Kathleen Siangping Brad a.k.a Lady Iron Chef Yu Fen Weili Awards
recommended reads
Otto Ristorante Jaan par André Universal Bar and Restaurant Tetsu Ember Hibiki Double Bay Wild Rocket Marmalade Pantry Riders' Cafe
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Design: doughnutcrazyIcon: morphine_kissed |
dining @ the cabana the address dubai mall
Someone pass me a swimsuit and I would most definitely take a dive into that gorgeous swimming pool. Without any qualms. Despite the temperatures dipping early in the evening and the strong breeze parading the open grounds, Trust me.. any mortal with the capability of threading water probably cldn't resist the temptation. Dinner today, was at the cabana @ The Address Dubai Mall. Furnished with large ratten chairs and plush nautical stylized cushions, I feel into a deep trance upon being seated. Shifting from a laidback zone to an overly comfortable condition with eyelids drooping and all. Blame it on the gentle breeze.  The menu featured the usual poolside fare. All around the table, repeated orders of fish and chips were called out, along with my less conventional, grilled tiger prawns plus a hoegarden on the side. As quickly as we ordered, the food reached the tables at lightning speed. Everyone gave a quizzical look at the outstanding fish and chips.. didn't that look more like frozen fish sticks served in a bento box more than anything else? oh well.. the tiger prawns however fared much better apart from the measly serving and lack of creativity with the side dishes. I... wasn't entertained. Then I said a silent prayer of gratitude for my hoegarden. *phew*   After some heated debates at the table, we adjourned to the dinner host's hotel room at the address for a some after drinks and fruits. Note to self, the chardonnay from the art series by Leeuwin Esatate is just brilliant! light, with that touch of floral notes... thanks Auntie Gina for the wonderful recommendation!  With 3 weeks of living in Dubai under my swollen belt, my living quarters (literally portion of the living room) has become quite a disaster zone. On certain days, I sleep with my cupcakes; on better days, I retire on a bed spotted with crumbs that have accidentally blown off the kitchen counter top. Well, I've got my dream.. it's almost as if I'm living in a kitchen. Waking up every morning, a new battle to fight, including the powerful z monster who usually strikes in the afternoon along with the tormenting blows of sunlight instilling a major headache on the drive by. Shrouded in a cloud of flour, our creations, bundts, cupcakes and dreamy chocolate confections find their way around the city. We enter humongous villas, listen to the droning advice of local women who admire our 'clean' and 'strange' dream. Advice, suggestions and more orders later... it all seems to be a bit mystified. Catering large scale now and opening a cafe later, how exactly does that work out to be consistent? Confusion reigns but I know we'll get it sorted someway or another. encountering a bundt crisis now... Can't seem to find out the problem.. *sigh* Making plans just to stop the aching Chasing thoughts from a million miles away Hypnotized as another dawn is breaking I rehearse the words I want to say There's one love in a lifetime Our two hearts of a kind These three reasons you'll be mine For when five and six are through Seven days without you, Seven days without you Labels: restaurants, travelling Ping Pong: Dim sum in the middle east
as much as I acclaim to be a food nomad in certain instances. Sometimes, one can't help but cave in to the desperate beckoning of my yearns. Seeking familiarity and comfort in chinese food in a land where sand ploughs the landscapes and thin needles of buildings protrud the skies, deemed fit in such a situation. And I did so just 2 days after touching down on the barren gold fields... kudos to that. heh.  Ping pong dim sum was our weapon of choice. Lame name in check. Sounds more like a gimmick than anything else. Stepping into the dimly lit facade, I was taken aback by the cold and stark surroundings. A suppresed warmness usually provided by the company of delicious dim sum. With a modern approach on chinese decor and black furniture filling the empty spaces, I loathed it. Feeling ever the bit out of place in the empty restaurant, vacanted even at lunch time. The presence of ang mohs trodding out of the kitchen didn't help to elevate the situation either...  Taking our seats at the back of the restaurant where the large windows allowed us to bask a little in the sun, whilst in the frigid cold of the mall, we quickly peruse the menu and ordered. The menu, with the usual dim sum items not printed in chinese made it all a little tedious to comprehend; but we made do.  The food, was nothing more than mediocre. With lamb being a inferior replacement to the staple of pork in many of the items. Yet I do admit that chomping down on lamb buns did have a certain novelty factor to it. Coupled with stickers on each basket, perhaps for most of the non-chinese staff in service, I thought that was a brilliant and fun idea initially, only to ditch that thought after turning the corner later on my way out and noticing the anal structuring of the kitchen; each stove and each burner labeled with similar tags to restrict the cooking of each item to a certain area.   To cut to the chase, aside from the soft shell crab and the prawn on toast, the other items fell a mile shot of expectations. *ouch* The tea was amazing.. served in a rather unconventional long glass that did nothing to cool down the voracious liquid to a drinkable temperature.Still, it's presentation made for a rather interesting entrance. Kept me amused... for awhile, till my thirst got the better of me.   So much for dim sum in the middle east huh? well.. stay tuned cause I've got a much better recommendation install! Dubai Mall, Food Court Dubai P1 LG UAE Telephone: +971 (0) 43399088 website: http://pingpongdimsum.ae/ to the bear who holds a solo picture of us in his wallet, i miss you. Labels: restaurants, travelling Lemons Are Not Red
and no, we do not do PR. several amendments and slight decision makings later, we derieved a little name for our holding corporation. with our first show on the roads this saturday, hoping to score more public awareness amongst a group of high flying ladies. Meantime, many more absorption of skittish conversations over dinners, empty glasses of liquor. Elaborate dinner menus headed by pea soup with homemade onion bread and completed with humble chai latte from our own pots and a slice of freshly baked carrot cake. Many revelations made along the way, mostly about faith and my christian belief. To my dearest cousin: don't struggle any longer, the fight with logic is long waged, and in the end, the winner is evident. You may have many questions that are left hanging, and in actual fact, there are no answers to them, mainly because God doesn't have to. He answers to no man. Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14;1-3 Thoughts of Tuesday's Child
As i stutter back and forth between writing the words 'just another random post people..' and a gruesome "I'm not dead" reminder, I realise how seldom I have taken the effort to write a proper posting. One with genuine thoughts, normal day-to-day crossroads encountered and perhaps a little silliness thrown in. I truly admire those with the magical language able to captivate the imagination and perhaps short-spanned attention of the readers as they dive into the most mundane of activities, but all done with a little perspective. I lack that skill, hiding behind the cover of run-of-the-mill photography and luscious foods, and if I actually did push this upsetting amount of meticulous planning away, I was just an empty facade. How did I realize this? I'm stranded in the most exciting adventure with no words to describe it. Why? easy, left my darned camera cable back home. Talk about escapism... Now I wish that darned blister infection would just go away. To my dearest Auntie, whom I didn't manage to catch online just now. here's the low down on the little bacteria infestation that have decidingly taken a liking to my God-forsaken foot. So it began with a simple blister that grew and grew forming another boil that combined forces over the course of 2 days. Before you knew it, the welt puffed up with an amazing amount of juices that we happily squeezed out before clipping the dead skin away. Just when we thought all things are well, the whelt protested, evolving a buzzing red tinge akin to the buttocks of Japanese Macque; Now, I was in serious pain by then. Chuffing down a painkiller at night, I winced and whined myself to sleep. Finally, I gave in and saw a pharmacist the next evening after a insane day out and running around the dubai flea market. "Many infected", he said, with a knowing sway of his head from side to side. 'Like I didn't knew that already,' I thought to myself. Now, my bactroban cream and antibiotics are my best friends. haha. On a random note, I think I am in love with french toast. *beams*
my sweet tooth nirvana
My Sweet Tooth Nirvana
 Green Tea Souffle Roll with azuki red beans  fresh waffles.  Vanilla Bean pound cake with an occupation of vanilla beans seeds taking the offensive with every bite. Moist and oh so aromatic if I should say so myself. 
posh nosh in flip flops
Posh Nosh in Flip Flops  Dining at the the Royal Copenhagen Tea lounge was a considerably spontaneous decision on our part. And as we shuffled across the marbled floor to join the steadily growing queue of impatient customers, feeling rather out of place in our casual clothing admist the glitz and glamor of the surrounding retail shops, our minds were put at ease seeing the other shoddily dressed customers. More so by the young boys still in prams with legs wide open in a less than classy slumber.
As we took our seats, it took us a while to grow accustomed to the fine finishings around the dining area. The smorgasbord of exquisite cutlery perched perilously on the walls above unsuspecting diners, the fine china plates with delicate prints used for our foods and so on. Peeking at the platters of food being carried to the neighbouring tables, temptation quickly took the leash and we were quick to decide on her majesty tea set ($29.90 ++) for 2.
First to come with the set was the quiche du jour which was the onion and leek quiche. This was outstanding and it took the liberty of destroying all the revolting recollections I have had of quiche. Words such as 'cold','eggy' vanished into thin air, only to be replaced by a tyranny of poetic adjectives which manifested themselves in the form of 'ooos' and 'ahhs'  The open face sandwich served as part of the savoury deal of the high tea set featured two mini sandwiches; each drowned in a sea of rich fillings. The shrimp sandwich was delightful with the lingering creaminess of mayonaise and the gentle nuances of saltiness provided by the robustily red caviar followed by a gentle heat of the paprika sauces. The other sandwich on the other hand dealt a poorer hand with the fluffy egg wrapped with smoked salmon proving unmemorable.  Chasing closely behind were the choice of cake (from the gorgeous display in the front) and 2 scones with jam, butter and cream. Served up with our tea and coffee, one can't help but feel as though it's desserts after a mini savoury treat.  Probably familiar to those who have visited the Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge, the blueberry cheesecake was the Pièce de résistance. Creamy with a chance of tanginess, this glorious confection speckled with blueberries throughout and then enveloped with a thick blueberry compote was one of the better cheesecakes I've had in the longest time. Period.  Did I mention how much I love the blue printed porcelain cups used to serve our coffee and tea in. Incredibly quaint.  The only hiccup that occured with the service was our forgotten order of scones which took an overbearing 15 mins after the cake to arrive, and only after a gentle reminder to the staff. Hey, I admit to being an impatient person.. but it's the infamous scones we're talking about here. No grudges beared though since observation proved that the cafe was a scene of hyper bustling activity for the better of the afternoon. The scones of course turned out great, with a tender crumb and warm thoroughly. Perfect when washed down with a cup of english tea. So next time you're in the vicinity and craving for some good english high tea, do give the Royal Copenhagen a go. But word of caution, do take note of the snaking queues on weekends. 
Labels: cakes, desserts, food, high tea, restaurants Just another manic monday
Just another Manic Monday  Our little sanctuary for the afternoon. Shaded from the char-grill effects of the raging sun and the hustle of the lunch crowd.  The story behind my second visit despite the displeasing first; simply the blackboard perched outside the shop front with the words '1-1 dessert on Mondays'. With lips still greasy from the dim sum feasting, I couldn't resist the seductive efforts of these words playing in my head, with that, I dragged the boyfriend across the stoned patio through the cool glass doors of the facade. Tea time it would be then.  slurping on his pretty in pink drink, the beestung. A strawberry yogurt granita.  Once again, the granny smith and aloe vera crumble. Not quite how I remembered it on my previous visit; the new version had retained a tighter and crispier crumb that maintained its structure for the longest time despite the steady incoming attacks from the thawing scoop of vanilla ice cream and the moist apple and aloe vera mixture below.  The Lava, a chocolate molten lava cake. standard wise, this would be stuck between the grades 'awesome' and 'mediocre'. Still, a rather good rendition of the classic served conveniently in a martini glass to avoid the pesky leaks of chocolate goodness all over the plate.  Mykii 17d lorong liput holland village t +65 6468 2838 Labels: desserts, food, restaurants you are what you buy..
[recollections of a recent supermarket visit] oh darn it... why is the woman in the front taking such a long time to check out? Inching my inquisitive self forward, I took a peek into her healthily packed basket. Literally, it was a feast for health nuts.. 7 packets of the same wholewheat sesame cracker. In my mind, my evil convictions that perhaps wholesome products claiming to be good for you were in fact stripped of any of it's self acclaimed health benefits. Why would she need so many anyway? As I re-adjusted the tiny sweltering on my shorts, my eyes trailed to the floor. What the... There were 14 more replicates of the same product already bagged neatly in the largest Cold Storage plastic bag. Was she buying all the products on the shelf for a reason? Big party I guess? These would probably make wonderful hor-devours with a bit of cream cheese and smoked salmon with fresh dill on it. oh gosh, I digress. Slowly, I came to attention of the other possessions the other shoppers around me had laid claim of. A large bottle of house brand apple juice snuggled tightly in the arms of a young teenage boy, a clever move defying the dark marketing magic of the mcdonalds just opposite the counter. A punnet of luscious red strawberries and a bottle of white wine. A young caucasian couple, very much in love, yet still trying ignite the burning white coals of passion. A young working adult male, with a carton of eggs in tow, perhaps a quick solution to his after-work hunger pangs or perhaps his curious attempt at a protein rich diet. What did I have? Sugar and butter. That was it, along with the fundamentals of the egg ruling, I could easily have produced a cake of sorts which of course I was intending to do (speaking of which, I've got a butter walnut pound cake fresh out of the oven) Guess that was it, you could tell a lot about a person from what she/he purchases even at a supermarket. Maybe they should even have character analysis exercises through grocery shopping... Yellow fingers
Cooking Cross Culturally(CCC): Indian Night!  Garam Masala, cumin powder, coriander powder and tumeric. Reciting the names of the bottles off my recently expanded spice rack, I realised that visiting the spice souk in Dubai probably imposed a sound impact on me. Taking in deep drawls of the potent air mixed with the tantalizing aroma of spices of vivid rainbow colors set in clear drawers as we strolled thru the narrow pathways; I was most certain that cuisine nothing short of the description, ravishing, could be made out of these amazing spices. Outfitted with an armful of bottles and a few recipes for Indian grills and butter chicken; I set out to create a Indian feast for the family. Sure.. it did take my procrastinating self long to get down to it; but at least I got the job done in the end didn't I? *Smirks* Many oil-splatterings and consequential yelps later, the food was ready to be served. On the menu, butter chicken, tandoori fish, vegetable seekh patties served with garlic and herb naan and spiced rice. Crowned off with the jewel of wines, my exclusive rosemount 'O' that I had sucessfully lugged home from the airport. A slightly sparkling white with pronounced fruity notes to balance out the heat from the dishes; perfect in my opinion. And as the family sat down at the table savouring the food, we contemplated and debated the next cooking cross culture (ccc). Thai or Japanese? Tough choice... what say you guys?  Tandoori Fish 500g of any firm fish (cod/snapper) 1 tsp tumeric powder 50ml natural yogurt 1 tbsp garlic paste 1 tbsp ginger paste 1/2 tsp black pepper salt, to taste oil, for basting
 Your love drives me.
It is almost the 25th month of our relationship. Though I admit to be a person who craves novelty ever so often, being with you is like a breath of fresh air everytime. Permeating my senses and filling my heart with the curious desire to live. That night you kissed me goodnight and said,' I can't believe that I'm still kissing you after two years.' I returned you with a puzzled look, resolved to the fate that perhaps you found the routine albeit a little boring. 'and.. I still can't stop wanting to.' at that instance, you could hear the sound of my heart melting. Labels: love |
