A Hidden Treasure : New China Pearl

New China Pearl is one of our favorite Dim Sum (Dim Sum reminds me of Spanish Tapas, as portions are small/appertizer size and maybe warm or cold) place that we'll go on the weekends with friends, or just the two of us. Both of us love this place as it does offer yummy quality Dim Sum and it's away from all the madness in Chinatown. We hate fighting for parking spots and also a little cheap to pay $10-15 for parking; just to eat Dim Sum!! This location is about 25-30 minutes from our place, in comparison to Chinatown which is about 40 minutes away.

This quaint little restaurant near the Woburn Mall, has somewhat the architecture of a Chinese Temple or Palace! =) . There are also Chinese Wooden Carvings that filled the main dining room giving it a more authentic feel of the Far East. Dim Sum Ladies will be pushing carts filled with various fresh Dim Sums around the dining area for the customers to pick whatever they fancy! Here're some pictures of our little feast last Saturday:

Their "Tau Foo Fah" (soy bean pudding) came in a large insulated bucket (also pushed around on a cart by one of the Dim Sum ladies) and is only "scooped up" when you order it to ensure that it's warm!

Service is not that bad, although price might be a wee bit more than eating in Chinatown; I still think it's worth dining here!! Give it a try and let me know what you think! =)

Notes: The best time to get here is between 11-11.30am (on weekends) to avoid the crowd and to get a parking spot in the property. If the lot is full, just park over at the mall next to it and walk over! A little exercise won't kill! =P . If you're not a Dim Sum person, the restaurant does offer regular Chinese Menu; I've yet to try anything other than Dim Sum though!

Yummy Surprise

Husband came home to find a little nice surprise at the door step today; Fedex had left a huge package and in it was a huge wicker basket filled with various delicious gourmet food. We got all excited we forgot to take pictures of the yummy surprise; gourmet cheese, crackers...etc..etc..It would be perfect if there was a bottle of wine that came with it... Hehe! Apparently, the gift basket was a X'mas gift (from his current employer) - I know Christmas was more than 30 days ago, but husband did not really start work till mid of January although he signed the contract around end of December! It's the thoughts that counts and I'm loving his new company as they make every effort to make sure that the employees are taken care of properly and all they need to do is work & concentrate on their projects! And anyone that gives husband and I food ... I Like!!**grin**

I am blogging from the tennis courts again on another snowy day! Rain or shine, husband will be there to practise with his teammates. =).

Well, for dinner I had a little switcheroo from our regular rice/asian dinner; need to have some variation to our weekly dinner menu!! I roasted some chicken legs, marinated with some lemon, herbs and truffle oil. The white truffle oil is a little pricey ($6 or 8 for a tiny bottle), but it's soooo good..... It even makes beef (which I don't usually take) taste yummy, and not beefy...hehe! Roasted some red skin potatoes and boiled some brussel sprouts to complete the whole meal ...

Saving the best for last, we had a small portion of "Tau Foo Fah" (soy bean pudding) served with ginger flavored syrup each that we "Ta Pau-ed" (ordered to go) from the Dim Sum place last Saturday. I will need to attempt to make my own "Tau Foo Fah" one day and serve it with some "Malaysian Gula Melaka" (Black Palm Sugar) / "Black Syrup" which I find a little more flavorful....... My brother's GF, Wan Qi gave me the recipe as well as the pudding cuddling powder recently.....and I have the soy beans at home.....so I would just need to find time to do all the hardwork and to make "Tau Foo Fah" from scratch!!

"Bak Kut Teh" Addicts

I admit that husband and I love (ok, very addicted to) "Bak Kut Teh"........We love it so much we have had it for dinner, once every week for 3 weeks now!!! We will turn surely end up with a "Bak Kut Teh" face if we have another big pot of the steamy herbal goodness! I usually cook it in a claypot, in an attempt to make it look as traditional as the ones we get back home in Malaysia! And between the two of us, we'll happily slurp the "Bak Kut Teh" down to the last spoonful of meat, mushroom, and drop of soup! Well, the main reason I made it again this week, was coz hubby wasn't satisfied with the one I made the prior week; he claimed that the soup wasn't as flavorful. I guess the A1 brand "Bak Kut Teh" sachets no longer thriumph our world of "Bak Kut Teh" ! =PYou can tell that this household of two can really eat when they emptied this plate of bite size spring rolls and the whole pot of "Bak Kut Teh"!! These were leftovers from the Super Bowl party last night and they were so so so so addictive, greedy me had to bring some home! Hehe! Refried them and served them for dinner too. My friend, Vanna did a good job with these as I can't stop eating them!!!

Sears Buying Experience

After a couple days of delay and going to the Sears warehouse instead of the original store, we finally got our TVs. The script below show the aggravation we had to go through just to pick up our purchases. Eventhough we're now very happy with the action taken by the Store Manager, I decided to post this up since it was already in my draft; why waste it!

My friend Chris sent in a complaint letter to Sears HQ and after a few email exchanges; the Store Manager (John Hanley) personally called both Chris and us to inquire about the whole incident, apologized and even offered us a 10% off our purchases for the whole ordeal. I have to admit that we're thrilled with what Sears did to compensate for our grievances (discounts are always welcome) and of course the effort of the Store Manager to call us almost right away! I must say, Sears (unlike BestBuy) did prove to us that they are indeed "Dedicated To Provide A Superior Level Of Service!" THANK YOU SEARS, WE'LL BE BACK FOR MORE!!

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A SEARS BUYING EXPERIENCE.
The following incidents are actual experiences that transpired between Customer # 1 & 2 and SEARS....... I'm not trying to suggest anything, merely releasing my frustration dealing with incompetent employees.

Jan 18
Customer #1 : You're sure that TV will arrive on Jan 27 right? We don't want another Best Buy experience whereby we waited 3-4 weeks for a Washer & Dryer unit which we've paid for; and they never came!
Sears Employee #1 : Oh yeah, it will arrive on Jan 27. We are very good at delivering products; keeping to our dates.....won't be like Best buy.
Customer #1: OK, in that case - I'll get model x from you guys!
Customer #2: Yea, I'll get model y from you guys too. And for sure it will arrive Jan 27 if we place order today right?
Sears Employee #1: Yup!

Jan 26
Automated Calls to Customer #1 & 2, " Your shipment/merchandise is delayed and is expected to arrive Jan 29." Customer #1 called Sears, trying to get hold of the Electronics dept and got hung up on; TWICE as no one was avilable to answer the phone! Customer #1 finally got hold of General Customer Service

Customer #1 : I'm calling to check on the order XXXXXX.
GCS: It's showing, there will be a 2 days delay. Your merchandise will arrive on Jan 29.
Customer #1: Do you know why? Because we were guaranteed that it will not be delayed!
GCS: I'm sorry, I don't have that information. Let me transfer you to to someone in the Electronics dept to help you better.

Customer #1 again got hung up on, because no one in the Electronic dept care to pick up ringing phones! After trying 1-2 more times, finally got hold of someone.....

Customer #1: I'm calling to check on the status of order XXXXXX.
Sears Employee #2: Your order will arrive tomorrow, Jan 27.
Customer #1: Ok, well I just receive an automated call telling me that it's delayed for 2 days and will only arrive on Jan 29.
Sears Employee #2 : Oh, I'm not seeing that information. Your product should be here tomorrow. If not we will give you a call. Let me try to check your order on another system. Your order # again?
Customer #1: Order XXXXXX
Sears Employee #2: Yea, it's showing that it's 2 days delayed. The truck won't get here till Jan 29.
Customer #1: Ok, we've been promised that there will be no delay, that's why we got the TV from you guys. Now, are you sure it will arrive on Jan 29 , this time?
Sears Employee #2: Yea, I usually won't promised customer that. I don't know why the guy promised you a delivery of Jan 27. But, your merchandise should be here Jan 29. The first date Sears gives is usually off, and the new dates should be more accurate. If there's a delay again or if the merchandise is not in the store on Jan 29, we will give you a call.
Customer #1: Ok, then we'll see what happens! Hopefully no more delay!

Jan 28:
Customer #2: I'm calling to check on my order XXXXX.
Sears Employee #3: It will be here tomorrow, Jan 29.
Customer #2: You're sure right?
Sears Employee #3: Yes, if not we will give you a call! There's usually a 1-2 day delay window from the inital expected date!

Jan 29:
NO CALLS FROM SEARS to Customer #1 or Customer #2.............Yay! Merchandise must be here!!Customer #1 & 2 headed to Sears Merchandise Pick Up area, scanned the bar code, and waited.

Sears employee #4: Yea, your merchandise is still on the truck in Hudson , NH! We don't have your item! So you need to come back........etc..We'll call you when the merchandise gets into the store.

Customer #1 & 2 told the whole scenerio above to #4 and mentioned what a waste of time this was.

Sears employee #4: I don't know who told you that. Sears never calls to tell you that merchandise is delayed. We will ONLY call you to let you know merchandise is here and for you to pick up.

Customer # 1 & 2 stunned by yet another different answer. Requested for the manager - waited almost forever for the manager to show up. She actually showed up once, and somehow disappeared again. When she finally reappeared, she doesn't know what's going on...etc..etc....and has ZERO Customer service

Manager: I do apologize for the delay.There was a storm yesterday.....etc....etc.....
Customer #1 & 2: Yes, we know about the storm. But your employees have been telling us different stories and excuses everytime.

Somehow, Sears Employee #5 showed up and the Manager disappeared; vanished into thin air!**Poof** Like Magic! Haha....Customer #1& 2 again have retold the story and #5's answer was like #4's answers. By this time, unrelated Customer #3 who was also here to pick up his merchandise had called 30 minutes prior and was told to come pick it up. He was then told, his merchandise was in store, but not unloaded and will not be till Friday!!!!!!!

Sears Employee #5: The merchandise should be here tomorrow, since it's already in Hudson, NH - just a couple miles away. We will call you when the merchanise is here, unloaded and ready for you guys to pick up.
Customer #1 & 2: OK, what time will they call? It won't be 8-9pm at night, right? Coz customer #2 lives in RI. We've been clearing our schedule to anticipate the merchandise. Will you be here tomorrow?
Sears Employee #5: I can't guarantee what time they call, but it won't be 8-9pm at night... I won't be here tomorrow. #4 and manager will not be here too. Let me get a copy of your receipt, and I'll leave a note and try to have someone call you guys.
Customer #1 & 2: Ok......Is there a number that we can call to check up on the order? A direct line?
Sears Employee #5: Yup, here's the number xxx-xxx-xxx...

Customer #1 forgot what happens next, except leaving the store - FUMING! STRIKE ONE for SEARS!=P

Hello February!

What a way to start February with my whole day packed with different agendas......and my day starting between 3.30 - 4.00am when husband and I dreadfully dragged ourselves out of bed, down into the living room. WE ARE VERY VERY DETERMINED TO WATCH THE AUSSIE OPEN FINALS, a match between 2 of the best players and rivals in the world of tennis; Roger Federer VS Rafael Nadal .............. Game was needless to say A-W-E-S-O-M-E but unfortunately, my dear Federer lost to Nadal in 5 sets after more than 4 hours of playing! Kudos to Nadal for putting up a sensational performance and game! I got all teary eyed during the trophy presentation when Federer was weeping and choking up; it was so emotional, so heartbreaking to see him so dolorous! =( BooHoo!! With this lost, hopefully he will focus on trying to win the French Open on clay courts next - something Federer hasn't been able to do as Nadal is VERY dominant on Clay Courts! Well, husband (altho I caught him with his eyes shut sooooo many times) and I witnessed the whole thing on TV over 1-2 cuppa "Malaysian Joe".......... I started multi-tasking halfway thru the match, making my mini sandwich bites (for Chris' Super Bowl Party) while watching the nail biting Aussie Open Finals!It was probably 8-ish in the the morning when the whole excitement was over. We took about 90 minutes worth of valuable quick nap before getting ready for agenda #2 - to the Smith's residence for some live soccer match on TV - Liverpool VS Chelsea (not Man U as hubby said and I blogged!!). Should have stayed home a sleep a little longer! Well, I guess it wasn't that bad since Seyda made us some yummilicious egg panini for brunch!

After the soccer match, we headed down to RI for the Super Bowl Party (Agenda #3) and I brought my Mini Smoked Salmon Bites and Mini Vegetarian Bites adorned with "Football" picks!

I wasn't very into this year's Super Bowl as the home team; New England Patriots and my other favorite team; Chicago Bears are not in the finals ......... So, I was at the party basically for food/drinks and hoping I win some money from the Super Bowl squares (no luck this year)......... I just sat at the table where all the food were within my reach and kept popping them into my mouth, washing every other mouthful down with ice cold beer! Ohhhhhh...... I tried a shot of Honey Dew flavored Vodka ..... it was so refreshingly delicious, I could just down the whole bottle if I have not known the alcohol content! =) Need to get my hands on a bottle of those next time!! I'm feeling soooo guilty right now for gobbling down everything in sight earlier! Serves me right for having no control whenever I see FOOD! By the way, sorry for the lack of pictures from the party - as I said....I was way to busy eating!! Aaaaah well, just need to skip lunches for the next 5 days!