I know you’ll be having fun watching the finals in Austria. Here’s to you, and to your favourite team!
(And if Spain loses, at least you still have me. :-D)
To my my husband, my partner and my best friend…Happy Birthday. (Miss ya)
Like most double-income married couples with no kids, our Saturday mornings are spent at home, with breakfast either on the patio or in front of the TV, while the part-time maid cleans the house. Our usual argument would be about who had to stay at home. “I wanna go to the gym.” “No way, dude. Last week, I took care of the maid. It’s your turn.” “But I stayed with her for four weeks in a row last month when you said you had to work weekends at the office.” “That doesn’t count. Work’s work. Work doesn’t equal play. 3 Work weekends off = 1 Gym weekend off. I have 2 more work weekends to redeem.”
Never argue with a woman. Especially if she knows how to count with her fingers. Especially if she has all twelve of them.
Breakfast on a Saturday morning with half of the Just Heavenly duo is such a pleasure. Part of the pleasure is in escaping the responsibilities of staying at home on a sunny Saturday morning, and the other part is in hearing Nigel’s loud booming laughter reverberate through the cafe.
Chawan had just opened a few days earlier (at time of writing, it has been open for over 2 weeks), and we were curious to try this place having seen it being used as a meeting point for the last BN team campaigning for the losing candidate. I like the interior -grey walls and bare stones encased in galvanised wire netting, surrounded by steel and cement structures. Situated at a corner lot, the idea of keeping the cafe open with lots of air is a great one as it appears more welcoming. So one inhales the fumes from the passing vehicles along the busy Bangsar stretch, but at least the illusion of wind is there, albeit a manufactured one.
Food is typically Malaysian fare. The nasi lemak bungkus served before 11am is great despite its RM3 pricetag for a simple packet without any frills. The nasi kunyit served with thick chicken curry is delicious, but it would be better if they served it with more curry. Nigel doused the Ipoh koay teow in soy sauce before he ate it. Soy sauce is the boon for many types of food to make the food more palateable. It tasted fine after the special treatment, of course, but I probably wouldn’t try it the next time. The rice dishes looked a lot more tastier. I liked the keropok lekor, but it was a teensy bit too soft. Do try the mango juice….thick and pulpy. There is also an amazing variety of local coffees; the Kemaman coffee is one of their bestsellers. At the end of the day, flavours were good, but there were little deficiencies in other areas – texture, quantity, value-for-money. There were also some initial teething problems which I hope they have sorted out. Waiting half an hour for a packet of nasi lemak bungkus just doesn’t cut it. Judging by the crowds that throng this place, I suppose they’ve improved. Having said that, I thought the staff who served us were great. They were all friendly, courteous and knowledgeable, and these traits go a long way. Would I go to Chawan again? Without a doubt.
As for my Saturday mornings in the near future, I shall be putting in my share of work when the hubby goes off to Austria for the Euro 2008 finals while I’m stuck at home taking care of the maid. It’s a fair world after all.
Also see masak-masak.
Chawan (at the former Devi’s Corner), Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar (opposite Bangsar Village). Open daily from 8am till late.
Food pictures:
Nasi lemak bungkus
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Nasi kunyit with chicken curry
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Ipoh koay teow
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Keropok lekor
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Interior
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Customers at Chawan
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It is the season of the coming and going of friends.
A brief weekend of girlish giggles over insightful, whimsical, intellectual, playful Readings at Seksan’s, where she read her poems to an attentive crowd, shortly after he read his lovestruck lovelorn writings.
He brought a delicious butter cake that sang of sunshine and laughter. It was warm and rich, kissed with rosemary syrup and a hint of sea salt. We ate it after Readings, under the trees, under the setting sun.
We dined at Chiaroscuro. Not to be confused with churrascaria (a brazilian steakhouse), this is an Italian tratorria which means light and dark, referring mostly to the decor, with simply done up walls in grey and tableware in white in muted lighting all around. We were served thick cut bread to dip into little bowls of sundried tomatoes in olive oil.
The key to a good salad is fresh and good quality ingredients. The greek style salad with capsicum, onion, cucumber, fresh tomatoes and fennel with the most wonderful fluffy feta cheese was delicious.
The fresh whitebait polpette had the appearance of fritters rather than meatballs. The balsamic reduction with its lovely syrupy consistency elevated this dish to higher level. The thinly sliced bresaola, with its salty taste from the curing of the meat, tasted lovely with the grilled mushroom, mixed salad and smoked cheese. The dish was drizzled with lemon olive oil.
Other than the balsamic vinegar reduction, nothing masked the robust flavour of the pork tenderloin. The spring chicken was roasted well, but lacked saltiness, an easily rectifiable deficiency. The carpaccio was matched with rather strong ingredients, but they complemented each other rather well.
From a poem entitled “Lost Seasons of the Sun and Rain” by Pey Colborne, read at Readings at Seksan’s on May 24, 2008.
Chiaroscuro
Ground Floor, 38 Bidara, (Behind Istana Hotel)
30 Jalan Bedara,
50200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2144 8006
Also see The Zest of Life.