Weekend Breakfast

Home-cooked Vegetable Pasta

On most days I'm super tired to do anything after work. But on some days I feel like cooking some pasta and having some wine. :3

This year, I have resorted to an almost 70% veg diet -- mostly because I choose it.

I eat less (almost less than 10%) pork than I used to, I have learned to eat lean chicken meat (I used to hate the lean parts), and less fried stuff. But sometimes the fried stuff are inevitable!! =_= I also don't eat chicken skin anymore since a long time ago (oh, but you don't know how much I love the skin!).

But anyhow that's not really what I meant to blab about in this post.

I actually made some decent all-veg pasta. Aubergines, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Thyme, Basil, Black Olives, lots of Garlic.:D



Was absolutely gorgeous. :3

Cappuccino Thins

Because I loved the Ginger thins so much, I bought this to try.





Was surprised these actually tasted quite plain though. And did not taste like cappuccino at all.



I much prefer the ginger thins and its super fragrant cookie -- of cinammon, cloves, and ginger. Those, exactly.

...

On a different note,

The reason behind my not being able to post lately -- is because I decided to terminate my ISP subscription. It has served me well for some years but since last year it has just been terrible. The service too. I hate having to call every single minute/hour because they keep cutting off my connectivity. Yep, everytime I download, everytime I open a page. And everytime I call they stall and ask the same fucked up questions (very impertinent) that doesn't fix the problem. Service is super terrible and since the month end was coming I decided I didn't want it anymore.

Problem is I can't live without the internet....T_T

I'm leeching off my neighbour's wifi during the weekends.. but on the weekdays I have to borrow from my sis.x_X Her connection is quite slow.. but I know I shouldn't be complaining. Haha. :P (My 1 download should be finished by now but this one would need 2h15 more.T_T

Have also sacrificed playing KnS on my mobile. :O I've been addicted to this game for months but without internet anytime it's impossible to advance and get the bonuses. I'm Lv.80 (which is the cap for now), but equip still needs upgrades.

I haven't decided which provider to subscribe to for now.

Ferrero Duplo

The last of my choc stash from Milan.:P



I had to keep them all in the fridge because they melt easy.XD



They were so good.:3

Pocky Crush Matcha + Blendy Stick Matcha

Hello~~

Spent my weekend afternoon snacking on some Matcha (抹茶) goodies.

**

Bought this Pocky Crush Matcha from a Chinese supermarket (there was an influx of Japanese goods).





The biscuit inside is unlike a regular pocky stick.



It's coated with milk chocolate and flecks of matcha.

**

Coupled with Matcha Au Lait = LOVE.



This is AGF's Blendy Stick Matcha. Tastes really good. Would prefer it a little less sweeter than it is, but the flavour is quite nice otherwise. :3.

FOOD : Cookies Quartet, Hong Kong

Received this earlier today. The packaging is very nice. :3



The inside is carefully thought-out as well.



Included is a card and crochure with all of their products and description.





Beautifully arranged cookies. It smells very nice too.



The cookie with blueberry bits and a hint of cinnamon. Oh, I love cinnamon.



Cookie with "five kinds" of grains.



Cookie with sesame seeds.



There were also nut cookies, chocolate cookies, pistachio, egg, and the typical butter cookie which tastes really good! :D



If you happen to be in Hong Kong, I think this is worth a visit.



It's also the perfect gift for friends and family back home.:3



They are located on some of the better-known districts -- Causeway Bay, Kowloon, and TST. But here are some of their other branches.



***
Cookies Quartet @Hong Kong
www.cookiesquartet.com

1 for 1 Pizza deal.

You read that right.XD Pizza Hut came up with this limited offer of 2 family-sized pizzas for the price of one. Ate so much I didn't want to move. XD



We had the Roast Beef american-specialty-pizza (there were others too) // and Perpperoni pizza (which was the 2nd pizza but with only a few simple ones to choose from)









A laid back week for me, waiting for my Visa. Last week stressed me out so much.
Also, the termite people are scheduled to proof the house this coming weekend. I cannot wait for them to start. Really dreading what will become of my room if it drags on any longer.

FOOD : Crackers and Cheese : 'A Grand Day Out'

Spent my weekend afternoon watching Il Commissario Montalbano, an italian detective series, with some classic crackers and cheese.



Having Crackers and Cheese reminds me so much of one of my favourite animations, Wallace and Gromit. In one of the episodes, 'A Grand Day Out', they build a rocket to fly to the moon only to realize he's forgotten the crackers! He takes the crackers and returns just in time. Shortly after, they reached the moon and realized it was made of Cheese! So they set up a picnic blanket and cut up moon cheese to eat with the crackers.
The link to the wiki entry here.

No moon cheese for me but Australian-made cheese singles instead.



With it. some milktea. Normally I'd just have tea (without milk or sugar) but some days I like it sweet so milktea it is! :D (Also it is perfect for this neutral tasting, slightly salty cheese.)



Looks lovely. I also love how it complements the gold plate. (Did you know i got the plate at a flea market for only 10(local currency), which is about 20yen/0,15euros. *A* It's really amazing, the things you find at flea markets! However, being at a flea market where you don't speak the language is a little difficult because I don't even know how/where to begin to haggle.:P Then again I enjoy checking out the goods.:D)



Anyway, today was our highschool homecoming which I didn't attend. I totally forgot about it until I turned on my laptop and checked facebook. (I turn off facebook notifications on my phone because I find it a little pesky...n_n) Turns out a lot of people went, and not much has changed. I'd have enjoyed going there, yes; but I only spend 54 days a year at our weekend home and it's the only time I have for myself. :3 (I sometimes find it difficult to explain this to people.) Other than that, I prefer to spend time with friends rather than acquaintances. (Partly, I am convincing myself I made the right decision not to attend, but it is also partly true. 85% of the people there I hardly talk to -- even back in school.)



But, that is that. XD

This was the VHS cover of Wallace and Gromit.


(photo credit: wiki)

Mine was the 2-CD VCD version which I watched on our Windows95 comp! (It feels so ancient!!)
I remember buying it from HMV Hong Kong because it wasn't available in my country. We used to visit Hong Kong (Dad's hometown) every year a long time ago to visit relatives. Now we hardly visit and I miss it. It is so much more diverse than here, the culture, the shops, the fashion, and you're bound to find the things you're looking for. XP

(i.e. collector cards, figures @WanChai, fake branded goods with quality @NorthPoint, Very yummy cookies in sanrio lunchboxes @Mannings/Watsons, Manga, Fashion Magazines @Newsstands everywhere -- and there's the annual expo, where they give out a lot of freebies *A* Well, you have to pay a minimal amount to enter. But, one things that I miss most is the food. xlb, chee cheong fun, satay, charsiu, stinky tofu, and those egg waffles from street vendors!) -- The list goes on forever and I think I should make another post for this!!

`A plouche!! :X

Food :: Banana Squares

So... While cleaning the cupboard I found a box of cake mix I bought earlier this year (that was so many months ago. Haha).

I decided to make some Banana squares.



It's actually an oven-toaster mix so it was quite easy to make.



I mashed some bananas. added the cake mix, and 1 medium-sized egg.



The crunchies you see on top aren't nuts. I actually don't like nuts. ^_^ But I wanted to add some texture so I added crushed cereals (I used my favourite -- Kellogg's Special K)



I actually like how it turned out. :D The only thing that I didn't like about this mix was that it was a little sweet.XD

I have previously tried this with pumpkins and it came out very nice too.

I think I will try carrots next. :D (And maybe put them in mini cupcake cups.)

---Ohhh, and not to forget, I added a hint of cinnamon because I love it. *A* (Did you know I used to hate the taste of cinnamon as a kid? But I absolutely love it now. It smells wonderful and adds such a beautiful flavour to everything.:D)

Food Review :: Komoro Japanese Dining

This evening we decided to come back to that Japanese restaurant we went to a couple of weeks back.^_~



The food is very nice. Mostly fried stuff, so it is quite filling.

This time we ordered the Ebi Tempura bento.



I had the Tendon.



I feel so guilty eating so many deep-fried stuff. But it's not like I eat this everyday anyway. XP



There was 1pc of ebi tempura and the rest was a bunch of vegetables. Carrots, Okra, and some leeks.. I think they were leeks. And onions.
It would have been nice if they included squash or Kabocha.



And then for sides we ordered some Gyoza.



This, I think, is one of the best things on their menu! I just have to say -- their Gyoza tastes amazing. The inside is filled with vegetables, and the wrap had a soft but firm texture.

This was what made us decide to come back to this place! XD



***
Komoro Japanese Dining @S.Lazaro

Overall:
Food 8/10
Service 7/10
Presentation 8/10

*Averagely-priced Japanese food place serving authentic-tasting food. The tempura in my opinion was quite ordinary but their Gyoza is highly recommended! ^_~

Food Review :: KimN'Chi - Cheap Korean Fastfood

Today I woke up at noon! I used to be an early riser but having started working I now realize how much I value my extra sleeping hours. XD

So we decided to try a Korean fast food place from the food hall in the shopping centre.

This was their version of the korean equivalent for japanese bento (I couldn't remember what it was called).



This was omu-raise and some rice noodles. It was quite nice but didn't taste korean at all. It tasted local but good nonetheless. Was also very filling --- with all the rice and noodles it's to be expected I guess.XD



Friend Dumplings were nice but ordinary. The wrap was crispy and the filling soft. But I couldn't quite figure out what it was filled with.:P



Chicken Barbecue -- very tender and tasted sweet and barbecue--ey. Very local-tasting and not Korean but yummy.



Dumpling Ramyon. Was awful. They used cheap local instant noodle packs. XD The soup base was nice however.



My meal. Is it a lot? I had quite an appetite that day and wanted to try everything.



Their kind of Bento!



Side dishes, local dilis, egg rolls, and crab sticks (and a rolled-up vegetable leaf) on skewers.



...

For a fast-food at a food hall it wasn't very cheap. But considering how expensive Korean-related dishes are here, it wasn't so bad. The taste caters to local palate and did not taste authentically Korean; but it was quite yummy.



***

KimN'Chi @Food Choices G4

Overall:
Food 7/10
Service 6/10 *The staff were not very kind at Glorietta branch, and I much preferred the staff at Galleria branch.
Presentation 7/10