The day I turn a year older......

(Taken with my horrible 1.3MP camera phone)

I got a bouquet of flowers from my Slut!! My favourite gerberras and i love the yellow lillies. Lucky he smart, no roses!!! I hate roses.....I think they are boring!!! (unless he could splurge on the Champagne coloured ones) and white lillies.....Boring!!! *yawn*

I wonder when can I have sunflowers or tulips....:P
Anyway..... Not much a flower person, but it's nice to receive once in the blue moon actually....*grinz*





Bouquet in the vase....


On the day itself, we went to have dinner at Banquet at Bangsar Village 2. The name Banquet sound so 'cina' but the deco and the ambience is totally way beyond the red cloth table and the karaoke system. After few good reviews from the fellow food blogger, I decided to give this place a try.




I was quite mesmerise at the deco the 1st time I walk by this place.... hrmmm...white garden theme with fake miniature pine tree, more like a garden wedding theme.... but after 2nd and 3rd time, nahhh..... doesn't attract me anymore.



We started with the Wild Rocket salad with Parmigiano Cheese, sliced pear and served with roasted Pine Nuts and drizzled with Foie Gras reduction. For RM25 I find it a little on the expensive side for a small portion. Before that I only take Caesar Salad cuz I'm not a big fan of raw greens, but after trying out this...maybe I shall add Wild rocket to my salad list? Very Very minimal of the Foie Gras tho....hrmm. Taste wise, not too bad...




Was comtemplating between the Foie gras or the escargot, but since Slut never enjoy Foie Gras, I decided on the Escargot. Slut liked it very much but I find the taste abit.....weird and fake! Something is wrong somewhere.... maybe not fresh? But then isn't most of the escargot served in the restaurant here are canned ones? I'll still prefer having it straight from the shell.... the shiokness of scooping the flesh our from the shell..... Should have choosen the Foie Gras...:P




I order the duck confit, that weird of me cuz I felt ducky the whole day(I had the din kum duck @ Isthmus for lunch on the same day) After the starters, I sorta had doubt on their main but the duck turn out to be really good! I never like my food to be plain and sauce-less, but this dish proves me wrong. The duck confit is well marinated (did you know it's marinate with fats?) and the meat is so tender even after they have preserved it. I was expecting it to be like meat jerky but you can still feels the tenderness in the meat. A bit to the salty side (that explain the absent of the sauce) so whoever don't have high tolerance in salty food, plz skip this dish. It's deep fried...my gawd...damn fattening too!!!



Slut order the butter fish....and yes...I totaly agree with all the reviews... The fish is cook just right!! Not too cook and vice versa. The sauce really compliment the fish very well. The sauce taste kinda thai-ish.... sweet, sour... really really good.




I decided to try the tiramisu since it's well recommended by the foodies and for RM18 it totally worth every cents. The tiramisu is heavily drenched with Baileys/Kahlua!! Initially slut wanted to head over to Alexis for their signature Tiramisu, but tankfully we didn't. A bit the small, but the alcohol really kicks it!! The 1st tiramisu I've tasted with lots lots lots lots of alcohol...I mean from alcoholic (ok, ex alcoholic) me, it's really heavy.... no regrets!



Slut still hungry cuz he hasn't have enough his source of carbs (it mean meats!) we headed to Pudu Wai Sek Kai for their famous Fried Chicken. Yes.... Damn good...much better that KFC (cuz it taste similar to KFC too....)

A Lil Gifts for myself.....

Few days have been really sniff-ly for me cuz I'm down with fever, flu, sorethroat.... ARGHH!!!! Not good Not good cuz I can't eat spicy food!!! OK I have some fried fish with stuffed herbs, onion and lemongrass with lime mix which is super good.....Can't resist dude!!! I have this spicy food blood in me man!!! It really shocked my throat abit cuz I'm actually felling much better.....thanks to the Lemongrass mebbe? *in Denial*

My bro came got back from his holiday in Melbourne last week and he bought LOTS LOTS goodies!!! Plus my Fav M&M's Peanut Butter from Singapore Airports!!!!




Nerds, Tim Tams, Starburst, Freddo, Freddo Crunchie which supa good, Arnotts Bacon and Cheese Baked Biscuit (silver foil)..... I love australian made Chocolates!!!
If you see the below Kitkat, in red net next to Nerds.... There's this particular sweet called Suga

Suga

From small beginnings with one shop in Royal Arcade, Suga now has a mini-chain of made-on-site lolly shops. Come and watch the action as the lolly makers stretch, pull and twist the hot molten candy before your eyes, then chop it into jewel-sized bites. An amazing food-as-theatre experience.
Shop 20, Royal Arcade, 335 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Ph 03 9663 5654
taken from VisitMelbourne.com

I love this flavoured sweet, Hand made right in front of the store. Anyone going to Melbourne, get me a packet yea......




I'm surprise with the pressies my bro got me...(ok his gal fren was there to help him pick)... I liked the green top from Kookai cuz it really flatters my figure, and somehow it doesnt make me look fat. The bikini was just the RIGHT size, and it's FCUK dude( AUD 9.99!!!)!!! the kimono top was really fitting and hide my love handle very well from Cotton On, The brownish top a wee bit loose for me but still fit me nicely and the car tag is sooooo ME!

Thanks Bro!!!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

On my Bday, I decided to take a day off my teaching and head down to Mvalley for my fav pastime-Shopping!!! Met up with lovely Karen for Lunch @ Isthmus, Northpoint! I enjoyed the food very much and thats for the lovely lunch babe!

Karen ordered the set lunch that comes with the Mango and Jicama salad. I Liked it a lot! With a lil twist of Rojak sauce, I like the combination with the mango. Very very fusion!!



The Isthmus platter was pretty good too. The blue dumpling was simply flavourful and I enjoyed the deep fried avocado (with some sauce which I forgot, mix with wasabi i think) The salmon roll thingy was not too bad and Karen had the oyster shot with vodka. Sorry, I don't have the exquisite taste for oyster...what a shame huh!



I ordered the Din Kum duck with fried soba. The The duck was really good!!! Full boost of flavour and tender which the fried soba is so ala chinese.... so home cooked! Just like how my mom will stirfry her vege/meat with simple soya sauce with lots lots of garlic, and that's how it taste like. Pretty interesting concept! (I'm so gonna try to stirfry soba soon) Spot the portebello mushrooms... and the cranberry sauce do compliment the duck very much.



I'm not a big fan of Olio Oglio cuz being a typical Msian, I like my food to boost in flavour and I hate food which taste blend. For pasta, I'm always the white cream person (Carbonara being my top list) but somehow this Olio Oglio Fettucine with 3 mushroom that Karen ordered from the Set Lunch taste so different from the other olio oglio i've tasted. Suspected cooked with pesto, I actually enjoyed eating this. I think they 'asianise', not as blend as I thought.


A truly enjoyable meal. A big shoutout of thanks to Karen once again! *grinz*

Some shopping I did in Mvalley......



I'm sucker for Zara esp their current sales. Not sure how much I've spend on their sales but I jus love their high end design and their cutting which flatters my body more than MNG. Their designs are oh so much more classier the the store next door too. This just only 30% of my splurge in Zara so far during their sales.... :P



Never a Guess fan cuz I find a bit too Lians, but since they are having 40% their bags and this particular design attracts me, I decided to get my hand on it. I saw another much more simpler black made with leather but it's whopping RM600 after discount!!??? I'll never pay so much for a GUess dude!!!



Since it's been raining lately and I can't get my fix of sun tan, I got this Stila Shimmer Dry Oil to give me oil-free fake tan look with hint of shimmer.



To compliment the sun kiss look, I totally fell in love with this Bobbi Brown Surf and Sand Eye Palette. Shimmer Indulgenze!!!

One year Older, One more wrinkle....

Birthday come and goes.... and they say as you grow older, the wiser you are. As for me , I believe I grow wiser cuz I've experienced all the shits, trials and tribulation for the past 27 years that make me a smarter and more street wise person. I would say I thank GOD for all his goodness that he gave me in my past 27 years, that at least I still have my families and love ones around me and nothing drastic has actually happen that totally change my life. I'm still the same 'ol Irene that everyone know...just that probably I'm tad bit wiser I supposed...... *grinz*

My early 20's, I always celebrate my birthday with a bang! Alcohol, boozes.... I never reach home SOBER! Everyone you call FRENS are invited to my big bash.... People that I met once or twice also I consider as frens. As years goes by.... some frens just disappear, grew apart... betrayal...that actually make me think twice...who are my true frens?

As I grow older, you actually keep some frens where you actually think they are worth keeping. Birthday bash getting smaller, hitting the club with a small group without booking a table became a norm. You appreciate small group gathering for a meal more than big group getting each other drunk. Staying sober during your birthday is actually quite fun.

As for this year, Lunches, Dinners..... and probably a small party session at Velvet with close frens.... by just hitting the bar.

so Velvet this Saturday......... BYO

xoxoxoxoxoxox

I had my pre b'day dinner with my Slut @ Prime, Le Meridien.



Since both of us taking red meat we decided on Wirra Wirra 2004 Church Block which I find it too bitter for my liking. The pictures are abit blur cuz I used my 1.3MP camera phone since my camera was with my bro in Melbourne.







Complimentary bread. The have the spicy and non spicy version with 3 type of homemade butter. Garlic butter, unsalted and some bbq flavour. I love freshly baked bread esp homemade one... soft and goes well with the butter. My favourite will be the spicy bread with the bbq butter. So Mexicana!!!




Clam chowder with pacific clam. I find this soup a little too thick...like drinking carbonara sauce. I like the pacific clam...That gave me an idea tha I should slice pacific clam to my Campbell Clam Chowder for more flavour and ingredient...:P



Rocket salad with portobello mushrooms top with cheese and truffles. I love mushromms!!! This salad is yummy with the right tanginess in the sauce.



Our side order..... It's extra cost and we thought it would be served together in our steak plate but no.....its on seperate bowl!!! That explain the double mash. The mash is blend to the finest and not even a trace of solid potato. Just like eating baby food.... One with corn and another with some truffle sauce. I still like the mash from Max! (polenta mash) and Rib Shop.
The one on the right is portobello mushrooms.



Almost forgot to snap the the steaks as we were salivating on it when it being served on the table. :P That explain the half eaten steaks.

The menu came with so many different kind of steaks...The most expensive will be the Wagyu beef . 200 days I think.... ranging around RM200+++
There is cheapest being 80 days, then 120 days, 200 days......grass fed, grains fed.... I decided on the filet mignon New Zealand 120 days grain fed which apparently more tender. Slut chose Ribeye 120 days too. Mine was medium and Slut chose medium rare....and I actually like it medium rare!!! hrmmm....my taste in steaks are getting rarer and rarer...:P
Slut ribeye is abit blur...so I didn't load it up.



As for sauces, I chose the Bernaise sauce which I don't like it. A bit of coconuty taste which is very weird with my steak. Slut chose the truffle sauce with red wine which I say is pretty decent and goes very well with the steak.

The total bill came out RM500++ But thanks to my Starwood card.... I only paid RM330ish plus... 50% off for food and 20% off for wine. A pretty good experience..... with pretty decent steak. do give it a try.