Happy Birthday, Dad! XOXO

Here’s wishing my dearest father a Happy Happy Birthday! I wish you’re able to actually taste this cupcake that I baked!! I miss you and I wish I’m able to celebrate your birthday with you!

Dad,

Not many can have a father
Who’s half as great as you.
Others might try, but they fall shy
You’re a top-notch father, it’s true.

So that’s why on your birthday,
I want to make sure you know,
I admire you sincerely and love you dearly,
And those feelings continue to grow.

By Karl and Joanna Fuchs

Sentosa Restaurant @ Flushing, NY

I’ve heard raving reviews from family and friends about this Malaysian restuarant in Flushing, NY. I’ve been told that they serve up yummy, authentic and cheap Malaysian dishes. I was at first skeptical as there’re times where one tells me the food at a certain place is awesome; I find it subpar. For instance, New Malaysia restaurant where some of my Malaysian friends told me their Malaysian food is pretty good there. I thought it wasn’t that great and did not taste that authentic…at least for the few dishes we ordered.

Anyways…… we ate at Sentosa Restaurant during my recent trip to NYC with my brother and his gf. Those two kids also said that the Malaysian food there is truly authentic! =) So, it became our agenda to eat there! I soon found out that in my past visits to Flushing, we’re actually never too far away from the restaurant. We arrived there around 4.30pm in the afternoon and they are already serving a few tables. The interior was quite tastefully decorated and definitely better looking than some of the restaurants in the area.

I skimmed through the menu and realized that while some of their noodle and rice dishes are indeed $1-2 cheaper than most Malaysian restaurants I’ve been too, their appetizers and drinks/desserts are about the same with most Malaysian restaurants, if not actually a few cents to a dollar more I think. They do however offer some dishes I can’t get in Boston.

My two “kids” (although they are only 5-6 years younger than I am) already knew what they wanted. Here’s what we ordered to eat. My brother and Qi ordered Coconut juice and Ice tea to accompany their dinner. I stuck with hot tea.

1) Penang Prawn Mee @ $6.50 (Penang/Malaysia’s famous noodle served in chef’s special shrimp broth with shrimp, pork and bean sprouts) (Bottom Left). Qi who was already craving for a steamy bowl of Penang Prawn Mee ordered this without much hesitation. I thought it looked a little smaller (maybe it’s just the size of the serving bowl) and chef did not put in a 100% in making the bowl of yummy noodles more presentable looking. I tasted the soup and it tasted pretty rich, “shrimpy” and definitely good. I think we could get the same quality stuff at the Penang Restaurant in Boston. Hubby who is the connoisseur of Penang Prawn Mee would be a better judge at it!

Too bad hubby wasn’t that to join us. I did order one for him to go which unfortunately did not make it to Boston. No, I didn’t finish it in the car. The soup part of the noodles were not packed properly and spilt. To be exact, they packed the soup in an insulated Styrofoam container with a flimsy cover and placed a heavy, sturdier container with the noodle part over it. The noodle container was so heavy that the soup container cover gave way. That goodness nothing leaked onto the car seat. No wonder the car smelled so good throughout the journey!!

2) Seafood Scramble Egg Chow Fun @ $7.50 (Pan fried flat rice noodle in a light brown egg sauce, topped with seafood and vegetables) (Bottom Right). Brother ordered this and it was surely tasty. The pan fried and slightly charred flat noodles reminded me of home. The whole plate of noodles and the sauce were spot on authentic. However, this is something that I can get in Boston as well. Even though the restaurant in Boston charges a bit more for this noodle, it’s equally good.

3) Java Mee @ $6.50 (Egg Noodle served in a sweet and spicy dried quid gravy with shrimp, shrimp pancake, potatoes and bean sprout) (Bottom). I ordered this and truly regretted it. I think authentic Java Mee is usually served with some slices of hard boiled egg which was not seen in mine. The gravy was such a let down; it was bland and tasted like it had been watered down. Plus it took the longest to arrive, if I’m not mistaken. I was surely disappointed and wished I had ordered something different. I barely finished half of the portion; I just lost my appetite. =(

Although we weren’t offered anything when I told our wait staff my Java Mee wasn’t delicious, the service overall was still pretty good. Our wait staff suggested for me to take home my Java Mee and have a dish of soy sauce (or was it ketchup) to eat my leftovers with. She claimed it’s good!

The one drawback of this place is….it’s a cash only restaurant (like many Chinatown restaurants). I will be back to try the other stuff on the menu..of which I can’t get in Boston. =)

Check out their website HERE and their menu HERE. Check them out in Flushing (near the Flushing Mall parking lot) :

3907 Prince St
Flushing, NY 11354
(718) 886-6331

My Magic Elves…….

…..who cooks and cleans… and all you need to do is feed them =) And I MISS THEM!!!! Haha! Do you have one for the holidays???

These Magic Elves are my brother and his gf, Qi who drove here from Buffalo during their winter break. They spent X’mas and New Years with us; about 2 whole weeks! When they were here, these lovely elves helped me clean my floors and dishes. The best part is that they “magically” clean dishes when we’re out! =) How cool is that!!?? I wish I have them here everyday!!

And the Magic Elves even made hubby and I one delicious Malaysian meal of Nasi Lemak all with the anchovies, sambal, eggs, cucumber, peanuts and Red Honeyed Chicken (Ayam Masak Merah Madu). Credits goes to Qi for doing most of the tedious work in preparing and cooking dinner for us! I will duplicate the delicious chicken one day and post the recipe here! =) Thanks for cooking this finger licking, yummuilicious meal………..when are u guys coming back here again?? Haha!!

Sightseeing Rome – October 9, 2009

Ok, so this post is a bit overdue. I took way too many pictures…and right now have a hard time of choosing just a few to share with you!! =) Here are part of the pictures I took of Rome on Oct 9.. I have probably forgotten some of the stuff I saw, but thank goodness I’ve documented some of them in a photo album on my Facebook account! =).

1) Colosseum (Bottom Left). Construction of the Colossum began around 70-72 AD. Wikipedia has a good and lengthy information on the history of Colosseum, so read them there. =) Buy tickets to Colosseum at Palatine Hill (on the way to Colosseum). Line is much shorter! Ticket should be about Euro 9, but there was a special exhibition on the Forum grounds. So, ticket was about Euro 12 for the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Roman Forum and the special exhibition. Worth every penny!

2) Inside the Colosseum (Bottom Right). This is where the gladiators FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! There are also galleries displaying artifacts and sculptures from the Roman times inside the Colosseum.

3) Arc de Constantino (Arch of Constantine) (Bottom Left). Erected to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge on October 28, 312.

4) View of Roman Forum (from Palatine Hill) (Bottom Right). I can’t imagine how huge and grand the place was at that time!

5) Arc of Titus (Bottom Left). Apparently this arch was the inspiration for the the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France.

6) Temple of Antoninus and Faustina (Bottom Right). Best preserved building in the Roman Forum. This temple was built in 141 A.D. and most of it is still standing strong.

7) Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano (Church of the Most Holy Name of Mary) at the Trajan Forum and the Colona Traiana (Trojan's Column) (Bottom Left).

8) “Drunk” Street Performer near the Pantheon (Bottom RIght). He’s really good and he matches the real trash can next to him! We thought he was a sculpture, until someone drop him some money and he acted groggy and drunk!

9) Pantheon (Bottom Left). This was built as a Temple of the Gods of Ancient Rome. The Pantheon’s dome is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. The best thing is, it’s FREE for all to visit! =)

10) Oculus in the Pantheon (Bottom Right). This is the only source for light in the interior. It serves as a cooling and ventilation “system” for the Pantheon. During rainfall, the drainage system below the floor is capable to handle rain that falls through the oculus.

11) Piazza Navona (Bottom Left). This square is filled with fountains and features Bernini’s Fountain of Four Rivers. There’s also an Egyptian Obelisks as well as Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. This place is busy both during the day and night.

12) Castel St. Angelo (Bottom Right). This building was built as a Mausoleum for Roman Emperor Hadrian and his family and was later used as a fortress and a castle. Now it’s a museum and cost you Euro 10. We did not think it was that worth it for the money we paid to see this old fortress. The Euro 12 we paid for the Colosseum (plus Palatine Hill and Roman Forum) is so much more bang for the buck!

13) Some of the statues that greet you as you walk across the TIber towards the Castel St. Angelo. Picture on the left is Angel with Nails and picture on the right is Angel with Lance.

If you’ve watched Angels and Demons, the movie based on Dan Brown’s book…you’ll see some familiar places in this post and probably the next post on Vatican City. =)

Second part of this day is spent at the Vatican City………… and I'm saving that for another post! =)

Tomato Bruschetta

Brushcetta which originates from central Italy is traditionally grilled bread rubbed with garlic, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with some salt and pepper. These days, when Brushcetta is brought up, chopped tomatoes over grilled bread comes in mind. When you go to restaurants, you’re most likely getting grilled bread topped with chopped tomatoes when you order Bruschetta.

I’m not a big fan of raw tomatoes but for my New Year’s Eve dinner I was desperate for some other greens besides the asparagus I was serving with the entree. I did serve up some stuffed mushrooms and although it’s considered a vegetable, I wanted something else. =)

So, I thought I should attempt to make some Bruschetta using some grape tomatoes instead of the regular plump tomatoes. I think raw Grape Tomatoes are a little more pleasant to my palate. =). I was pretty pleased with the outcome of my Tomato Bruschetta. I love the slightly sweet, slightly tangy taste from the combination of the Balsamic Vinegar and sugar. The chopped Basil Leaves gives the tomato mixture another level of depth and aroma. This is a great way to introduce raw tomatoes to my diet! =)

TOMATO BRUSCHETTA RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 5 Oz Grape Tomatoes, Quartered 
• 3-4 Basil Leaves, Chopped
• 1 Tsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Clove Garlic, Minced
• 1-1/2 Tsp Sugar
• 2-1/2 Tsp Olive Oil, Divided
• 1/8 Tsp Salt
• 1/8 Tsp Pepper
• 10-12 Pieces French Loaf (1/2” Thick)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400F. Brush 1-1/2 Tsp of Olive Oil on the French Loaf slices and let them toast for about 5-10 minutes. In the mean time, mix the first 8 ingredients (and the remaining 1 Tsp of Olive Oil) into a bowl and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. Remove bread slices from oven, let it cool before piling the tomatoes mixture on each toasts. Scoop some of the juices onto the tomatoes as well.