Lunch @ The Ship, Pertama Complex, Kuala Lumpur

Lunch @ The Ship, Pertama Complex, Kuala Lumpur

 

A few days ago we were pondering where to have lunch and our son YS suggested that we dine at The Ship restaurant which serves western fare. Actually, it was the second time we were having lunch at this restaurant chain. The first being at their outlet at Jalan Bukit Bintang and now at the Pertama Complex, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Overall we were very satisfied with the food.

The baked onion soup

 

The mango and prawn salad

The chicken chambertin

 

The chicken Maryland

The chicken chop

 

The banana split

Panyu :The Honeybee Farm 番禺：蜜蜂养殖示范场

Panyu : The Honeybee Farm 番禺：蜜蜂养殖示范场

( 15th February 2013 )


At the farm we were taught how to test if the honey is the real McCoy. First, place a tablespoonful of honey on a plate. Then add enough water to cover the honey and start moving in a circular motion, if the honey dissolves easily then it is not the real stuff. Pure honey does not dissolve readily, in fact, after some twirling you can see patterns like honeycomb formed by the partially dissolved honey.

Another thing, pure honey does not attract ants because they are put off by the scent of flowers present in the honey. One more thing about honey, it will lose its potency if mishandled. This is what you must do when consuming honey. Always use a porcelain spoon and porcelain cup/bowl when drinking honey. You must always use water at room temperature and not hot water. Never use metal spoons and containers and remember never to keep honey in the refrigerator.

The sign outside the honeybee farm

A frame with honeycomb

 A wooden hive with honeybees moving in and out of the entrance

A honeycomb

 A wooden pot for extracting honey by placing the wooden frame with honeycomb in it and spinning it. 

A bottle of royal jelly purchased at the farm

Curry Leaves Lamb Chop 咖哩叶羊扒

Curry Leaves Lamb Chop 咖哩叶羊扒

 Ready to serve lamb chops with potato wedges, tomato slices and pear or Fuji apple

Ingredients

10 pieces of lamb chop
3 onions (cut into rings)
30g curry leaves
a tomato (cut into thin slices)
6 medium-sized potatoes (cut into wedges and deep-fry)
3 medium-sized pears or Fuji apples

Marinade Ingredients

6 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp hsao hsing wine
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp pepper
1 tsp salt
50g shallot (pound to pulp and squeeze out the juice)
50g ginger ( pound to pulp and squeeze out the juice) 

Mix the above ingredients thoroughly and marinate the lamb chop.

 Deep-fried potato wedges

 Curry leaves

 Lamb chops being deep-fried in a wok with onion rings and curry leaves

Instructions

 

1. Use a fork to prick the lamb chop then marinate it in the marinade for 2 hours, flipping it every 30 minutes.
2. Heat enough oil in a wok and over low fire deep-fry the lamb together with some onion rings and curry leaves. I prefer my chops well done. Cooking time is about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Arrange on a plate.

Lunch at Desa Aman (Second visit) 太平村

Lunch at Desa Aman (Second visit) 太平村

A few days ago our eldest son and daughter took their annual leave and flew back to Kuala Lumpur and we decided to have lunch at Desa Aman, Sg. Buloh as they so miss the food in K.L. and they specifically asked to have it there. Below are some of the favourite dishes which they looked forward to. We were really satisfied with the food.

Chicken curry encased in a loaf of bread （面包鸡）

Steamed tilapia, this dish is something that we never fail to order

Stir-fried lotus root with assorted vegetables

The deep-fried tofu

Panyu Eel Rice 番禺黄鳝饭

Panyu Eel Rice 番禺黄鳝饭

( 15th February 2013 )


The eel rice at Panyu was one of the highlights of this package tour. Thus, we all waited in anticipation of this much-talked-about eel rice. It was served in a large clay pot with tiny pieces of eel. Yip, the tour guide told us that one is supposed to eat the crust at the bottom which is reputed to be the best ! So to ensure that everyone of us got to taste the crust, we dug up the crust and mixed it up evenly to ensure the even distribution for all. 

Well, the eel rice was not the first dish served to us. We had to settle for white rice and other dishes while we waited.

Soup of eel bones boiled with wild vegetables is believed to be able to regulate the temperature of the human body.

Roast duck

Soup of clams and radish

The much awaited eel rice.

The flavour was good but we could hardly see the eel pieces which were so tiny.

As for the crust, there were mixed reactions. Some liked the crusty bite to the rice while others preferred the softer rice without the crust

Stewed pig intestines

Pumpkin and assorted vegetables

Mixed vegetables on a bed of rice crust - unique and quite nice

Spiced tofu

Eggplant or brinjal which appeared on our table at almost every meal !

I suppose it is because it is in season

Eggs fried with bitter gourd

Plain leafy greens

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this meal an 8.

 The famous restaurant where eel rice is served.

The restaurant displays pictures of many famous people who patronised it in the past. I only recognise the guy in the centre. He appeared on TV in the programme "Yan can cook"

Pork Ribs and Watercress Soup 西洋菜排骨汤

Pork Ribs and Watercress Soup 西洋菜排骨汤

 

Ingredients

350g pork ribs
500g watercress
30g dried oysters
loh hon kor 1/4 of a medium-sized fruit
2 litres of water

Seasoning

1tsp salt

Instructions

 

1. Wash the pork ribs, dried oysters and watercress.
2. In a pot add 2 litres of water, then place the pork ribs, dried oysters and watercress and over low fire boil for 1 to 1/1/2 hours.
3. Add salt to taste.


N.B. According to a well placed source from a top-notch hotel, the watercress is to be boiled till soft but at home we prefer it to be not too soft as we enjoy munching on the fibrous stems.

 Top left: loh hon kor;  Top right: honey date; Bottom row: dried oysters

 A bunch of watercress

 Pork ribs

 

Panyu : Yu Yin Garden 番禺: 余荫山房

Panyu : Yu Yin Garden 番禺: 余荫山房

( 15th February 2013 )

This morning we were given a very brief tour of Guangzhou's Yue Xiu Park, just a very small part of the garden where the five-goat statue is situated. 

From there, the coach took us to Panyu. The first stop was at Yu Yin Garden to see the restored mansion of a high official who lived during the Manchu dynasty. 

Sign pointing to Yu Yin garden
 

 Self-explanatory
 

Two supposedly gold ingots at the entrance
 

Two supposedly golden pigs at the entrance

The massive door from the roof top to the floor. The door is divided into two sections.

The top section was opened only during festivals or to receive VIPs. 

The bottom section is opened for daily use and one has to stoop in order to enter from the bottom section. This way one is forced to bow to the ancestral alter which was placed strategically in the hall at the opposite end of this massive door

The emperor's decree

Self-explanatory

Half of the plaque

The other half of the plaque

This is referring to the wooden plaque above. A normal plaque has the writings carved into the wood but this plaque has the writing embossed on the wood which means more work for the master carver.

The courtyard of the mansion

This is about the frosted glass windows mentioned below

Self-explanatory

The said mirror

Imported frosted glass windows from Europe

More imported frosted glass windows

Self-explanatory

This screen is made from the shell of clams

The entrance to the high official's mansion