Chef Iza Bakar

I'm sitting here in front of the lappy thinking of what to cook for dinner. It's always a challenge to answer, "What's for dinner?". Sigh.......

Now I know what my mom was complaining all this while. Having cooked for more than 30 years now must be a great torture to her. You will run out of ideas, especially an amateur like me. I tried my best to be really creative with the menu, but yet again..... headache.

BBMed hubster for an idea today. "You nak makan apa dinner harini?". His answer was "Apa-apa yang you masak pun cukup sedap untuk I". I wasn't sure how to react to that reply. Well, thank you. That really help. Duhhhhh!

Since I'm tired of eating my own cooking and I'm in no mood to cook, tonight's menu is Chinese fried rice with fried chicken. My time is up and the kitchen is calling. Chef Iza Bakar is signing off......

100% Malay but.............

100% Malay but half Japanese.....at taste bud :p

I love Japanese food, but unfortunately it's a bit too costly to be consumed on daily basis. So...as usual, at the end of every month ( to be specific, on or the week of pay day or other unusal occasion like bonus day), I'll pamper myself with the Japanese food. I like Japanese buffet like the one in Saisaki (I love the wide spread and can sit there the whole day), but it's not really convenient to get there. Lucky enough, there's a Sushi King across my office. So it is kinda monthly occasion for me and few others..

Let's SUSHI!

You gotta be careful when taking the wasabe in. You shouldn't talk because it might get into your nose and the feelings is OUCHHHHH!!!

My favourite, the prawn tempura on top of the sticky rice. Yummilicious!

Hmmm........serampang 4 mata nampaknya! hahahahaa

Done! Not quite right. Almost done!

Didn't I tell ya that I'm 100% Malay? Can't live, can't do without RICE! 

Adik manisss.....Mana mau pigi???

Do u ever wish life is as sweet as chocolate and as colourful as m&m? Well....maybe sometimes. But even if its not...you can always treat yourself with sweet things...

Looks familiar? Of course...its from Tutti Frutti. Froyo for health, ya'll! Ahaks! I'm kind of addicted to it. Love the fact that I can now enjoy something from the "dessert family" which is not sweet. You know...I'm not a sweet tooth person. My favourite flavour...vanilla and red velvet. Taken with loads of strawberries, cornflakes and longan. Yummehhh!

2 froyos to go....for me & Mr.Hubby! *yada...yada*

Date day

When you are married for almost 6 years...with a 3 years old child, you kinda lost the magic moment or worst case scenario...that magic feelings that you used to have for your partner.Your focus will somehow change and suddenly its all about mommyhood because the little ones needs more attention than the grown up. Most of the times, wives unconcsiously neglected the husbands. Especially for couples who don't have a maid. I don't think maid is an issue here if we have "babysitter" services in Malaysia. Problem is...we don't. Perhaps...we are being skeptical on strangers taking care of our children. Who doesn't? Even a stay home maid will put up Houdini act whenever they give up.

Of course kita boley mintak tolong kat parents kita. But its the culture and the way you always want to "jaga hati orang tua" and "tak syok bila tinggal anak sebab nak berseronok-seronok" that hold me back. We ended up being "one happy family wherever we go". Of course I love little diva to be us, but there are times when I just want to have that romantic "just the 2 of us" time alone.

So...coming to my previous post, Mr.Hubs and I spent the last Thursday in "young couple" style. We started  off with lunch at Delicious, Mid Valley.

Tranquility

We feel young and so in loveee. Weehooo

The ever yummylicious chilli cheese fries. My favourite!

Makan beradap. Macam pengantin tu. Hahahaha

Done with the first part of our date. Off to GSC Signature Gardens for our first movie date after God knows how long. The feelings was just overwhelming.

We wanted privacy, so we opted for GSC Signature Gardens rather than Mid Valley. And as a credit to our very own epic film, we paid RM23 for a ticket. Aha...Thats the price for our "privacy"

Mr.Hubs is all happy and ready to Meronging. Hahahaha

Done with Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa. 2 thumbs up to Malaysia's talented director, Yusry bdul Halim! Though the were times when the CGI being REALLY CGI,but overall...it was a local world class epic film. And of course, "Sedetik Lebih" by abang Nuar. Nuar...I lebiuuuuu!!! CAN'T HELP MYSELF. SORRY! has done justice to the film. Malaysia's best kept secret. Cheewahhhh!

Just opposite the cinema, we hit straight to The Red Box. Yeayyy! Happy hour!

Show time. Jyyeahhhh!

Introducing my own FT!

Nuar!!!!! I loveeeeee youuuuu!!!! Agak-agak lagu apa ni??

Lagu apa lagi??? SEDETIK LEBIH la. Kata baru lepas tengok Merong Mahawangsa kannnnn. That song was on replay mode. Mr.Hubby feeling giler nyanyi lagu ni. I lagi suka. Boley tengok muka abang Nuar banyak2 kali. Hooyeahhhh!

And finally.....of course.....kesayangan gue....Afgan! Mana mungkin gue lupakan lo! Nggakkk bisa deh, kerna cintaku BUKAN CINTA BIASA. Sayang bangettttt.

We went back home feeling content.We had great fun and felt just like our courting days again. So...to the married couples out there, try hard to make time for you and your partner because its crucial to keep the partnership spirit alive.

Happy Kid = Happy meal

Im glad to witness how F&B's businesses have evolved in their roles as not only providing normal services & product to people but also carrying their social responsibility towards bringing family together and also creating comfortable, fun and happy ambience while enjoying the food.

In case you are wondering what I'm mumbling about....its about how restaurants and food outlets have become more family oriented, especially for families with infants and toddlers. As a mom of 3 years old, I am very selective in my restaurants choices. You know how uneasy and chaotic it could be having a kid around while trying to enjoy your meal at the same time.

Since ada Iman Nadyne ni, makan kat luar ni dah tak jadi berapa relax. Macam mana situation pun...tetap mencabar. If makanan dia sampai dulu pun, bila dia dah habis makan....dia akan buat perangai. If makanan dia sampai lambat ....lagi teruk la kan. You cannot imagine how I have to keep her entertained throughout our patronage. But thank God, it is not as hard as before anymore.

Banyak dah food outlets yang ada special corner for the kiddos, like IKEA, most McDonalds and some KFCs. Actually....it doesn't take much to entertain the kids. Like in case of Iman Nadyne, a cute plate and cup is enough to keep her busy throughout. Speaking of which, she had a good time during our lunch at Absolute Thai today. Besides good food, I really feel that this personalized service goes a long way.



I couldn't agree more with the tag line! Very personalized. Its everywhere...



Look at how proud she is! She enjoys eating on that plate and the alphabets on the plate kept her entertained. She had fun figuring out which alpahabet belongs to who...Like "J" for daddy Joe!

Little Miss Sunshine's pandan chicken.

A must have Thai food.... mommy's thick TomYam soup

Me and my favourite Thai Ice Tea. Special nya air ni sebab guna gula merah



Happy Iman = Happy mommy = Happy US!



My 30th Birthday Biggest Surprise

Just when I thought my 30th birthday has come to an end, I was blown away by the biggest surprise arranged by boo-boo,baby sister and talented brother. Wow!! Being 30 is really special FABULOUS. I have never been this surprised before. Seriously!

Pandai organizer2 ni....depa buat surprise party I masa weekdays. Manalah I nak sangka yang those closest to my heart will turn up. Yela, most of them were working. Dengan jam lagi, ada anak kat umah lagi....I was touched. To all of you....I love you all so much and I really appreciate it. Even if this is my last birthday celebration, I won't regret....

So, the crime scene was @Aliyaa Restaurant, Damansara Heights. The setting of the place was really nice but a bit too dark that night. Kuciwa la jugak cos takder banyak sangat gambar yang best since the so-called photographer tak berapa nak boleh harap. Phone pulak tak bley nak capture gambar elok2 dalam gelap. Terus teringat kat what my photographer friend, Bob, posted in his FB, "Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught is captured forever..it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything. - Aaron Siskind". Deep huh! Well, for my case, maybe it was not nicely captured on the camera, but it was...in my HEART. Ha....siapa lagi deep?hehehhehe. Jangan....I ni kan pujangga modern. Mana boley kalah. hihihih.

p/s: I should either carry my own camera everywhere I go....or carry a phone with a really good camera. Blackberry torch perhaps? **wink**

My 30th birthday

"Happy eday to mommy....happy eday to mommy....happy eday to mommy.....happy eday to mommy". It was such a proud moment to have been given the opportunity to hear my only baby girl's rendition of birthday song. Cute sangat...Ishh, mommy Iman ni masuk bakul angkat sendiri pulok. BUt seriously, it was:)
Semalam birthday I, for those yang tak tau. It was my 30th. Dah 3-series dah I. hukhukhuk.I love my 20s so much. But Im sure there is a better future from today onwards. A better,mature and wiser me...Inshaallah.

Ironically, I have received many 30th birthday wishes from friends and families. I really felt special and loved by many. Alhamdulillah. Terharu sangat2. Even my dad wished my 3 times and kissed me. Hurmmm......Lain macam pulak rasa. My dad jarang buat macam tu. Dia jenis yang tak berapa kisah sangat pasal birthday2 ni. Dia kata masa dia dulu takda pun birthday2 ni. Yela......dulu tu zaman bila bah??? Kesian abah.Due to that,me and my sibblings organize a special outing or dinner for his birthday every year. Biar dia merasa celebrate birthday selagi dia ada umur kan:)
So,pagi semalam kat office, I didn'r really celebrate it. Tapi lunch time, adik angkat I yang sebelah I dalam gambar kat atas ni, treated me lunch. Thanks Iman! Sama macam nama anak I kan?hahahahhaa. Tapi, I bukan letak nama "Iman Nadyne" sebab budak ni. Coincidently,I memang suka nama IMAN (FAITH). I think its a good name. Sebab kan orang cakap.. nama kita tu doa. Tiap2 hari sebut Iman, inshaallah....my girl will grow up berIMAN.


Tapi 1 thing yang sama pasal "Iman" kat atas ni dengan "Iman Nadyne" is dua-dua orang ni pelawak habis. Kadang2 boring gaks. Kat office Iman. Kat umah Iman. Tapi depa 2 orang ni la yang banyak buat I ketawa pecah perut. Tengok je la muka dia kat atas ni.............memang muka pak lawak betui.




So, sempena adik I belanja ni, I belasah oriental chicken chop for my birthday lunch. Fabulous!!

Sebelah malam pulak, I went for dinner with hubby and little Iman @ Wadi Hadramawt,Jalan Ampang. Its a Yemen restaurant,catering delicious arab food. Sedap sangat....sampai Iman Nadyne makan banyak gilerrr "Chicken Mendi". Iman memang sama selera macam daddy dia. They love middle east food. Mommy dia tak berapa suka......tapi layannnnn sebab sedap sangat. Mommy, as usual, takkan lepaskan peluang makan "kambing". So, mommy pun belasah "lamb kebab".

YUMMAYYYYY!! The place is very cosy and sebab tak berapa ramai orang lagi masa kitaorang makan tu, Iman buat restoran tu macam rumah dia sendiri la...siap tonggeng2 lagi.

Tengok la hubby I. Sampai no meja pun nak pilih 30 jugak. Ishh....tak payah ingatkan I sangat la pasal nombor tu. I ingatttt selalu.........Anyway, thanks yang for the treat. I loved the food to bit!!

I can't thank everyone enough for the wishes and prayers on my 30th birthday. I really appreciate it.

Aktiviti Ahad

After a very longgggg Saturday, all I wish to do is to have a very peaceful and relaxing Sunday with my family.Baju pun dah berlambak tunggu turn nak masuk washing machine. So, plan I nak basuh baju2 yang banyak tu la.Ingatkan plan I on, rupanya tak jugak.

Pagi2 mak mertua I dah call husband I...entah pasal apa . Yang I tau, I dengar hujung2 je, macam lalat hurung makanan. "ngengengengengengenge"... non-stop. Lantaklah, malas nak masuk campur. As long as tak kacau I....sudah. Berangan la I nak rehat.Rupanya...lepas dia abis cakap phone tu,dia ajak I pegi umah atuk dia kat Laman Seri,Shah Alam for breakfast and sempena atuk sedara hubby from Singapore yang dah nak balik on that day. Entah napa, I malas giler nak pegi. Maybe sebab I dah ada plan sendiri. Tapi...end up I pegi jugak.Nak payung emas la katakan. Hahahahahahahaha

Sampai kat umah atuk , I terus aim breakfast yang sangattt menyelerakan. Ada beehun goreng and home made vege popia. Tengah I makan dengan berseleranya, satu incident berlaku kat meja makan tu, which I don't think I'm ready to share here. Tersentap gaks la I yang tengah makan dengan seronok sekali ni. In short, that incident has hurt me very badly, because I still can't stop thinking about it till now. I felt unwanted. Maybe AKU BUKAN YANG TERPILIH. I dont know how is thing going to be after this, but one thing Im sure, thing is never going to be the same again. There's a big hole in my heart to fill. Those WORDS really killed me. I sedar sekarang yang no matter how much I've done, it is never going to be good enough for that someone. I wish I was never involved in all these mess.. 

So, after all the crying....I received a call from my brother inviting me to Bagan Lalang fo a seafood galore. With my family, of course. Alhamdulillah...ALLAH heard my grieve.Seriously....the invitation was right on time, as I need to go somewhere peaceful to ease my mind. A blessing in disguise, isn't it? I enjoyed every bit of my seafood dinner by the sea with my family.


Summary of what has happened on Sunday:
1)Baju2 kotor semua I anta pegi laundry. hahahahaha. Malas giler.
2)I was hurt by something said by someone. Its okay. I'd rather know what people think about me now...before its too late.
3)I have learned that it is not easy to please everyone in the world. What the heck? Life is too short to bother about everything. But, the cut is too deep to be ignored, that I'm sure.
4)I jumpa Hotel Golden Palm Tree kat Bagan Lalang yang sangatttttt CHANTEEKKKKK untuk my 5th wedding anniversary this December. I dah google and found out that the promotional rate is RM580 per nite. Pergghhhhhhhhhhh.

Long...long Saturday

It was a really hectic and long weekend for me. But a very productive one with my loved ones. Ni pun dah mengantuk and penat sangat2. So, I'm gonna make it very short. Even though I'm not good at that:))

My Saturday starts at 10am. Keluar rumah lambat pun jalan jam macam nak gilerrr....Erghhhh!!!Tension. Bila dah tension, tambah plak dengan cuaca yang extraordinary panas lately ni, darah pun naik cepat....and end up perut pun lapar. Since we didn't take breakfast, we have decided to hit straight to "Cengkih" for an early lunch.


Hmm...this is my favourite part. Talking about food. "Cengkih" ni is a restaurant most probably owned by a Johorian, since they offer a large variety of authentic Johor dishes. I makan nasi ambang. Hubby pulak excited giler case dia jumpa "sotong masak hitam" yang menjadi POOJAAN hatiNYA.hahhahhah.
Cerita pasal sotong masak hitam ni, biar I cerita kenapa nama dia masak hitam instead of masak kicap, even warna and rupa dia sama je.The difference is, sotong masak hitam is actually cooked using the squid's ink itself, rather than the soy sause. Tu yang specialnya dish ni.

Abis makan, terus pusing2 kat TTDI surveying for Iman Nadyne's new day care. Tapi, tak jumpa la pulok. Ermm....takda solution lagi la to my budget adjustment ni. Takpe...nanti mommy and daddy cari lagi ye sayang:(

Lepas dah penat pusing2 kat TTDI, I terus gi IKEA plak. Punyalah ramai makhluk ALLAH kat sana....pening kepala. Nak gerak pun susah. Tapi, dah memang rezeki kitaorang. Masuk je terus dapat parking. Patutla ramai, ada banyak items on sale and lower price kononnya. Aman tenteram la jugak kitaorang cari barang kat IKEA sebab budak Iman tu tido sepanjang2 jalan. Kalau tidak....sure dia sibuk nak try semua sofa and katil yang ada kat situ and tak nak bergerak.

Dah sebab terlalu jam and sesak kat semua tempat yang I pergi, maka.....semuanya selesai nak dekat pkul 7pm. I cakap kat hubby, better kita terus dinner kat luar sebelum balik umah, so that boley terus rehat nanti. So, we ended up having dinner at Damansara Uptown. I baham sotong gerung tepung POOJAAN hatiku sampai 2 pinggan nyah. Muahahahahha. Ganas gilerrr. Penat and lapar punya pasal.

Hmmm....macam tula Sabtu I yang panjang dan memenatkan. Tapi I happy because spending Q-time with my family is all I wanna do:)