My Joyous Account of Christmas at FLOR

You must be wondering how was Christmas at FLOR.

Christmas began with cutting strawberries, mountains of them, until our hands became itchy from its mild acidity.

Christmas meant no sleep, no rest, no facial expression to my three chefs.

Well, the only facial expression they can pull off during Christmas is smugness.

My cuter and overall more pleasant sales assistants, who despite their sweet exterior hides a fearsome drive to work and work, sell and sell.

The banquet on Christmas Eve, beautifully prepared by my mother and Aida.

The girls at FLOR.

Robin's family who came to join us.

My brother's best mate.

My lovable mother.

A Merry Christmas to you all.

Chocolate

Chocolate, bittersweet, is like life; it depends on how you look at it.

I guess it is insecurity behind my rebellious thoughts.. haha... run away! hide! fly away if you grew wings!

Irresponsible little girl.

I was a child. I still am. Please be patient with me while I'm growing up.

Sorry for any inconveniences that I may have caused.

好想这样就跑到一个无人知的地方。。

反正没有被需要， 也没有得到，

所以就算了。

是时候走了。

A real treat by Chef

Fish Nabe: A birthday treat from Chef.

[I wonder is it possible to be a gourmand at 21? A random house dictionary tells me a gourmand is who is of often indiscriminately and 21 years and one day old what am I? I'm still finding out, but I can tell you, I'd love a good meal anytime.]

As a 21 birthday treat, Chef brought me to Miz Restaurant for a surprise dinner. Our dinner wasn't on the menu. It was a request from Chef to Mizu-san (the restaurant's executive chef). A request that would require a medium-large fish, a really fresh medium-large fish from Japan.

I was excited.

Appetizer: Fish liver with spiced radish, dashi-tamago and lightly pickled octopus.

Read: Fish liver. This is my first time eating one...Do you have any idea how enormous the fish has to be to possess a liver that big?? And how should I describe it.. You know how a foie gras taste like? This is smoother in texture, firmer in shape and lighter in taste with no fishy odour attached to it, which frankly is quite amazing. Currently my second favourite liver dish after duck.

Sashimi of the body of the fish. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to recall the name of this fish.. I was too high on sake and umeshu to remember tiny details like that. What I do remember is this sashimi is really sweet. And unlike other white fish which flesh can sometimes be a bit soft and mushy, this sashimi is tender yet firm, allowing us to chew on it fully to comprehend its sweetness before washing it down with more sake.

Fish nabe's accompanying vegetables: lettuce, mushrooms, Japanese negi, sliken tofu and shirataki noodles.

After the sashimi was gone by about half, the claypot of fish head (and tail) soup, deeply flavoured with dashi and soy sauce, arrives. Chef and Ami proceeds to throw in vegetables like familiar pros, negi first, tofu next, followed by lettuce and mushrooms.. On went the lid, we ate more sashimi while waiting for the soup to reboil.

Steam emits from the steam hole of the lid, we know it is ready. Now for the principal act: Chopsticks poised with a raw slice of fish dangling off its tip, dip into the the boiling broth for two seconds exactly, put the medium-rare fish into your mouth and chew with exaggerated adagio. There, a taste of heaven.

Udon comes after all the fish and vegetables are gone to fill our stomachs to its maximum capacity. I like this part the best. The broth is sweet and thick with aroma, the result of boiling fish head and vegetables for prolonged period. Coupled with plain udon. Perfect.

Thank you Chef and Ami chan for this exquisite dinner!

Even when we were bloated, stuffed, bellies swollen with fish, soup, udon and sake, a dinner like this is not complete without dessert. We had black sesame ice-cream, amen.
End.

苏丹

苏丹。头

苏丹。尾

苏丹，你好吗？

End.

Grace's Hospitality

Strange isn't it? How friends whom you grew up with, played truant and endured punishments with, can seem so foreign and distant after you have left the nest of your childhood. Yet some people whom you met briefly, shared a workplace for a short term can show much concern for you and your well-being, who keep in contact even after long periods of absence. It is that simple "Long time no see. How are you doing?", that simple question that requires no effort at all, yet is the hardest to convey with sincerity, hardest to show from the bottom of your heart that you really care. I am lucky to know one of such person who asks "How are you doing???" all the time. She is Grace.

Grace, our former Glacé comrade, invited FLOR team over to her place for dinner. It was a home-cooked feast.

After dinner, came the surprise (which is no surprise at all cause I chanced upon it in the fridge): my birthday cake.

Women.

Men.

Chef and Ami-chan.

Thank you, Grace.

End.

My September Dream- Hong Kong

My dream from Taiwan continued into Hong Kong. The stubby buildings, cross-word puzzle landscape transformed into a high density, noisy, sky-less space. There are so many things going on at the same time, so many colours and smells that it is slightly terrifying. It is already my fifth time here, and yet I still can't get used to the hustle and bustle of this face-paced city.

Welcome to Hong Kong.

I will let the pictures speak for itself.

One of my childhood favourites, for breakfast.

糖醋排骨，菜饭套餐, Vinegar pork ribs and vegetable rice. I love how they put xiao bai cai into the rice with a little bit of oil to moisten it.

Afternoon tea: 巧手姜汁炖鲜奶, Ginger Milk Custard.

Highlight of the trip: 周杰倫超時代演唱會!!!

I like this big screen. Very creative.

Yahoo!

Supper

猪肠粉（芝麻花生酱），我的最爱！

水果红豆B仔凉粉

Macau Restaurant for quintessential Hong Kong breakfast.

公仔面午餐肉套餐. Which is in fact instant noodles..

葡國蛋塔. Portuguese egg tart, best I have tried. Pastry is well-baked and crispy, egg custard is really smooth.

End.

Jay chou concert rocks!

My September Dream- Taiwan

I took a little break, a five day trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong. It was like a dream, a blur. Even two days after I returned, I could not wake from it. It was as if I had a film over my eyes, and through the film, I kept seeing foodshops, shopping havens, design hotels- walking, shopping, walking, eating.

Time to wake.

Wake up.

"I'm up."

I'm recounting my September dream- Part One: Taiwan.

My mum and I arrived at a very hot Taiwan. It was summer. I would have preferred Spring and Autumn, perfect temperature for shopping and eating. Nevertheless, I am grateful to be even allowed to go for a holiday. Thank you mum, thank you FLOR.

So we arrived in time for dinner at a Japanese restaurant called 欣葉. It was a "Oh it looks good, so let's check it out" kind of thing. We glimpsed it on our way to the hotel, and quickly got the address down then took a cab back out to look for it. We didn't even know what kind of Japanese cuisine they serve, therefore we got a surprise when we got to the dining room- it was buffet-style washoku 和食. Normally I wouldn't choose to have buffet if I can help it. But this was high-quality (of a la carte standard), detailed and wide variety. They had sashimi cut-to-order, nicely grilled fish, a wide array of appetisers, tempura etc. I ate till I can't eat anymore and went back to the hotel to sleep on my bloated stomach.

That was day 1 in Taiwan.

Day 2, we started with one of the best European coffee in Taiwan: Wilbeck Cafe, which only serves coffee, nothing else. Cute eh? Funny how all good coffees seem to originate from hole-in-the-wall places. Wilbeck is no different.

When I was there, just outside the cafe, a young man was sorting, throwing out bad green coffee beans by hand, then roasting them in this small industrial roasting machine. They don't have much roasted coffee bean for sale, most of the blends are still green, which goes to show how fresh their coffee is.

One for shots, one for milk. Can I assume that this cafe is manned by young people? Young men passionate in the art of coffee making- really rare.

Latte. Bittersweet, a hint of chocolate, ultra smooth with no sugar added. The feeling I get when I drink Wilbeck coffee can be described as the familiar rush of happiness when chocolate melts in your mouth. It is all in that "hmmmmmm...." that comes after.

Me holding onto my trophy cup.

Followed by a long afternoon of shopping which I will not bore you with.

Night: Shida Night Market 師大夜市. Yes, more shopping but not without dinner first. I came here the first time I was in Taiwan and I made a promise to come back again. It is the most popular luwei 滷味 stall in Shida. This stall serves massive numbers each night, most of it customers are students from the university next to the market.

It works like this. You choose your ingredients: pig's intestines, tofu, duck meat, fried pig's skin, noodle of sorts, then the lady will chop them up and dump them all into this boiling pot of herbal soup. This pot of soup, infused with all the previous customers' selection, is flavourful and fragrant. When your share is cooked, the lady will dump it all on a large plate, squirt some sauce, chili and pickles onto it and pass the steaming plate to you. You then carry your plate like a prize to the tables behind.

And that concludes my Taiwan leg of the trip. I shall tuck into my 滷味...

End.