A Whiff of Lemongrass

I’ve been tagged by Jason and cookies_cream, where, as the title of this post clearly states, I’m required to list out 5 things you don’t know about me.

Before I start off, I must vehemently state here that I do lead a normal life outside of cyberspace.Almost normal. Other than the 50 fish I killed, accidentally of course, in 1999. There wasn’t enough oxygen in my tank. Duh… Anyway, 5 things, you say?

One. I have obsessive-compulsive disorder, characterised by a compulsion to constantly straighten things. They say that in the 14th and 15th century, people who experienced this syndrome were possessed by the devil. Incidentally, in the early days of ignorance, people who were left-handed were also thought to be satanic. I guess I’ve been dealt a double whammy. Thanks a lot for the genes, mum and dad!! Two. I was first paid for my artwork when I was 14. I am still paid pittance for it. Three. My claim to fame was when I was in the selections for the national women’s chess team and lost to the national chess champion at that time, Audrey Wong, and subsequently I went into depression and my game went downhill from then on. My only consolation is that I met a lot of cute boys in the neighbouring school who were all members of the chess club. Four. I’m a girl who loves receiving flowers but not chocolates. I still have chocolates in my fridge from 2 years ago. No, there are no worms. Five. I cry at funerals, weddings and the movies. The one time I didn’t cry was when I watched The Red Kebaya. How to be moved by a Mat Salleh trying to speak malay?

Well, whaddaya know, I just listed out 5 things! Unfortunately, I can’t tag anyone else coz practically everyone I know has been tagged, so let’s not lose any sleep over this and have a margarita on me (send me the bill) to celebrate my first meme. Cheers!

Wishing you abundant blessings, bucketsful of love, endless plates of siew yoke and good health this New Year.

I come from Penang. Okay, so I spent only the first 9 years of my life there and my memories are restricted to eating flavoured toothpaste in kindergarten, playing hopscotch in primary school, eating koay teow th’ng at the market with mum, and swimming naked at the beach. But I still like to lay my claim over that island and all its wondrous food offerings.

Nowadays, I visit Penang once a year for my annual “makan” trip. The one dish I crave for constantly is the humble chee cheong fun.

You either love it or hate it. Chee cheong fun with prawn paste. Some are turned off by the strong fermented prawn smell. I, on the other hand, get delirious with pleasure.

Well, now I don’t have to travel all the way to Penang to fulfill my desires. I can get penang chee cheong fun less than 20km from where I live. That’s a marked improvement, I must say. I suppose there are a number of other restaurants in KL that serve this, but for now, Restaurant O & S will be a favourite. The chee cheong fun here is served with thick prawn paste and lots of fried shallots and sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Chilli is served on the side so you can control how spicy you want your meal to be.

The only problem with this restaurant is that it is so popular that finding a table at breakfast or lunch is hard work. There are a number of stalls serving a variety of food that will definitely satisfy one’s appetite, even if one is turned off by penang chee cheong fun (horrors!). Pretty Pui belongs to the Penang Chee Cheong Fun Hate Club so she ordered another favourite at this restaurant, asam laksa. I tried some of her soup which, despite having huge chunks of fish in it, tasted like the turmeric had not completely dissolved in it. But I’m willing to give this stall the benefit of doubt as I’ve tasted better asam laksa from this stall before.

We tried the prawn noodles, but we were not impressed. The thin soup lacked flavour.

Since our orders were rather small (translated: we’re gluttons), we also ordered a plate of yong tau foo to share. It wasn’t too bad, but I wouldn’t order it as a main course. I’d still go for the chee cheong fun! Call it an obsession!

O & S Restaurant
Paramount Garden, PJ