italian.job.2

this weekend you have friends over for an italian dinner.

extra virgin olive oil, pesto, fungi pesto and cranberry jelly. most of the condiments are your loot from italy except the cranberry jelly is from finland

the assorted meat again mostly your haul from italy except the spicy chorizo is your acquisition from bilbao in the summer.

extra old and aged stinky parmesen, brie and il mora lactose free cheese

prosciutto wrap potato wedge with sage, oven roast and glaze with marple syrup and apple vinegar

pancetta wrap wing with sticky date marinate, this was a hit

flan bourguignon with a slice of gruyere cheese you hauled from zurich and then left it in the freezer for months.this flan used up half of the gruyere cheese ^^

classical italian meat balls.  all of you were so full that you didn't even serve the procini pasta that you intended to serve. so you fast forward to dessert...

lactose free lemon curd cupcake with meringue topping, courtesy from a friend

and a surprise "petit fours" from the talented baker, a plate of nyonya delight, pulut tai tai, ubi bingkar (casava cake) and serimuka.  taste of home...

you opened 3 bottles tonight and the highlight is really this bottle of margaux from 2005. it taste so good, full of characters, strong and this will stay long in your taste bud...
although most courses are italian but the dinner is a mix of french (wine), swiss (flan), malaysian (sweet kuih). it's a fun night with good company and you're glad that you could share some of your loot with these friends too.

a.date.with.geisha

a quick date with geisha. it's an temporary exhibition in leiden.  most of the exhibition is in photography and video but there're massive collection of kimono.  each geisha has at least twelve kimono that they wear according to the calendar year.  kimono normally embodied with the motifs of flowers according to the season.
you love your time here. it's like rekindle your love and passion for japan once again. most things are educative but they're not new to you.  you wish to pay another visit to japan again after visiting this exhibition.  let's hope your dream comes true next year.

italian.job.1

a good way to wind down to weekend.  he invited a couple over for an italian dinner.

 you had high expectation on this bottle of nuits saint george wine

 but the wine turned out to be a disappointment as it's lack of character, nose and after note.  it's not a bad wine but probably not worth the amount you paid for.  food wise, italian flare with extra virgin olive oil, truffle oil and balsamic vinegar to go with some olive toasts, along with assorted cheese and cold cut

 your didn't snap any photo for the primi that you served, so the secondi was a pasta dish with spicy chorizo and aubergine. this was good, a bit of spiciness from the chorizo does the trick

zampone di modena that you hauled from parma, this is a specialty from modena and it has a texture of spam or luncheon meat.  normally the italian eat this during the new year and it's eaten with lentil.  the texture is interesting and a tad too salty too you, but other than that you could eat this again (another small slice).
it's a dinner for four and with a couple that you haven't seen for almost 8 years.

stay.put.week

 chinese snow pear with white fungus

 genoise roll with chestnut puree

hearty autumn soup

the joy of working from home, you're able to vist the weekly market and cook healthier meal during weekdays, even though you're generally swap with work but at least you can still follow your weekly gym routine.  so all in all, despite of the never ending workload, this is indeed a golden week to eat healthy and remain active. and you're thankful!

gifts.from.japan

so thrilled to receive these goodies from a dear friend who just came back from japan. and the bonus are two packs of rendang paste.

back.from.the.market

back from the market with...
it's been a long time since you last visited the weekly market at your neighborhood.  it's only 4c when you set out to the market this morning. winter has creep in silently.  you need to put on a thicker jacket and your gloves soon.

at the market, you're delighted to find some dragon fruits and chinese pears, while the rest of the acquisitions are more or less expected at this time of the year.  while most fruits will be eaten just the way they are, you're going to turn:

• chinese pear into a sweet soup with white fungus.
• carrot and mieraap is going to turn into your favorite dish of ju hu char or chai kueh.
• white radish into cantonese style radish cake
• avocado in salad or guacamole as these are good fat that fills you up
• beetroot into power juice
• leftover carrot will turn into western hearty soup
• aubergine will be grilled will parmesen cheese, a simple dish you learnt from parma
• butternut squash will either go in the soup or dish, it's versatile anyway...

you made mental note while you're in the market, now if you find sometime to cook these up... it's good to be home and stay put for a week.

truffleholic.2

another confession of truffleholic, this truffle butter is so good and aromatic.  you just spread a thin layer on a slice of bread and the earthy truffle aroma fills the air...
simple food, so good. so thankful.

cova.milano

this was from friday when you're in milan...

you know cova a long time ago. it's a classy cafe located at pacific place, hong kong and you patronized the cafe frequently enough to leave an impression.
but this is the original establishment (while hong kong's cova is a franchised one) located at the exclusive shopping street.

you walked all the way here for a lunch experience. you opt a creamy cheesy risotto with pear. this was good and the photo probably won't do the justice of the taste

and finished off with an espresso, you did attempt for a dessert but it will be too much after the risotto, so the cova complimentary dark chocolate will do...

outside at the window, you spotted this chestnut cake, so autumnal and as much as you would like to have a bite of it, this is for your eyes only...

::eataly::

stepping yourself here is like a alice in wonderland experience. this is your second encounter with eataly, the first was in bologna where you visited the place briefly for lunch during your summer vacation.
you decided to pay a visit when in the establishment in milan when you know one exists and not too far from where you stay...  you love everything you see, touch and smell in this place, the array of pasta is beyond your imagination.
the cheese and cured meat is also comprehensible.  the assorted pannetone and christmas goodies are beyond description (lost in translation). obviously you spent the whole afternoon here, first browsing leisurely and then decided what to grab while considering your baggage size. the highlight of the visit is of course the pannetone flavor gelato.
if you have another overlay in milan, you will come back again.

that said, this is part of your loot from italy this week, partially from parma and eataly. the rest went missing in the air as your baggage didn't arrive with you last night. the airline has found them and finally delivered to you in the mid afternoon.

dreamy.corso.como

this place is rather popular and ranking high on the must visit place/shop in most tourist guide, you came here for a quick visit since it's quite to the other shop that you really interested in.

well, it's dreamy, pretty and cozy establishment with shops, cafes, gallery all in one place.

you visited the gallery that hosts a photography exhibition by a korean photographer.

the cafe is cozy but it's just too early to sit down for a sip

so you went to the shop. everything is kinky, fancy and expensive as per luxury design items

the book shop is worth browsing though with all the interesting magazine and one of a kind publications.

 the outlook from the bookshop

 and you went up to the root top garden briefly. you have the entire place for yourself

 while in solitude, you could imagine this place must be alive and kicking the warmer months. and you won't mind sipping your cocktails or a glass of wine here too...

you love the concept, particularly the roof top garden, a genius idea to create such a oasis in the city center. and you find this artificial grave stone rather epic displaying in a few places in the designer shops. you couldn't quite figure out the exact message the shop trying to convey, but for you, this is the end of this story and your visit.