Participative dining

During the Wesak Day holidays, I organised a dinner at a friend's house. It was a 'participative dining' as I would call it as everyone chip in for the meal and someone gets to host it. I of course, got to be the chef.

the dining all prep up for dinner with fresh colourful roses

 another view

 taste teaser : capellini with garlic herb butter and fried tuna bits

 smoked salmon marinated with Dijon mustard, vinaigrette and dill

oven-baked chicken breast with avocado and freshly made mayonaise

purée of oven-baked capsicum and sauteed  prawns

first course - Vichysoisse accented with wild salmon caviar

main course - duck confit with roasted garlic sauce and zucchini in black olive tapenade

Fresh garden salad with truffle-infused oil, pine nuts and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Italian parmesan)

by request - Tiramisu in a bed of crème anglaise and strawberry coulis

Sungei Palas at the Cameron Highlands (encore)

Yesterday, we decided to visit the Cameron Highlands out of the blue, just to escape the heat from the midday sun...surprises of surprises, there weren't that many tourists around for a very good reason (after having thought about it for a while)...next week is exam week in school, which explains why parents stayed back with their children for their kiasu thing. That was good news for us, and from now on maybe tourists destinations only during exam week! Since it was already afternoon when we arrived, we headed straight to the Boh Tea Estate at Sungei Palas and what wonderful view greeted us - available terrace seats with full view of the rolling hills! After a nice long afternoon tea, we headed for the Mountain Strawberry farm to buy some organic vegetables (we bought some zucchini flowers from them the last time) but nothing much was in season so we just settled for a kilo of freshly pulled leeks from the garden. On the way down, I managed to stop for a minute or two to observe some birds and soon, sounds of distance rumbling of thunderstorm came and off we went...for a quick pit-stop at KEA farms to buy some flowers and veges, all under pouring rain!

Million dollars view not common in this place - no photo snapping groups of tourists and holidaying families hounding on you for tables and view for photos. They did come, about half-way through our tea...

One for madame...

and one for monsieur...

Green manicured tea hills are such soothing sights for the hot weather. The English really knew how to relieve themselves back in the old Malaya...

a shed in midst of tea plants

a nice aubergine-like flowering tree at the gardens of the tea house

at the exit

Fresh lime green of the young leaves

another view

and another

and another...

workers' quarters on the upper reaches of the plantation not often visited by tourists

stark contrasts between the minaret of the temple and the fresh green of the tea garden...

rolling hills of tea garden

storm in the distance

a barbet came out to play

vegetables at the farm

a bed of lichen

young cabbage

a battavia

bok choy

tomatoes

lycopodium on a bed of russet-coloured moss

mist rising after the rain at Bertam Valley

Arresting sights

Port Dickson

Last week, I was in Port Dickson (referred to as PD by locals) for a workshop a few days and we stayed in a hotel near Amiral's Cove. The weather was extremely warm and humid so I stayed mostly in the hotel (then the haze came on the second day). One evening, when the weather was fairer, I went for a walk on the sandy beach and snapped these photos. 

Still empty court for beach volleyball

The cove next to the marina

a patch of mangrove forest at the end of the plank walk (horrors - the entire bridge is really all weather moulded plastic planks resembling synthetic wood)

a tiny mud skipper (Balanophora spp.)

shimmering sunset

Add some colours to your salad

Capucine, or Nasturtium is a rather neglected flower in the garden and not much being used in the kitchen. If grown without pesticide, the flowers add an exotic taste and texture to the garden salad (yes, this flower is edible). It has a sweet and peppery flovour, a surprising taste from a flower - and the crushed dried seeds has a taste akin to black pepper...I last saw it growing 'wild' in Cameron Highlands in a watercress farm. Next time, I'll pick some for the table...

One Summer in Barcelona

I have these pictures long time in my computer and I always deferred posting them because I wasn't ready to talk about them but here they are, my one day visit to Barcelona back in 2006...

The fish-shaped dome of a building at the Olympic Complex

from inside the walkway...

tourists sunning themselves at the beach under the intense summer heat...

another view of the dome structure...

a nice circular building holding the medical facilities if memory serves me correctly...

View of a balcony in the old Barcelona. We walked through dark corridors like maze in the old city and came through here...

The Caixa Catalunya...Catalan Bank. The draft outside the street was so strong it blew off my panama and had me running down the street after it (I must have looked silly)...

still in the old inner city...

royal plaza I suppose (look at the next picture)...

the museum at the plaza...

roof of the intriguing Sagradia Familia, Gaudi's masterpiece still in construction...

from the bottom

a phallic-like building not far from the Sagradia Familia

nice looking apartments

the bull fighting ring

entrance to a metro station

outside the ring

a Miro-like sculpture at the park of the Olympic Complex

at the marina, towards the end of the day

people were still at the beach

sunset over the marina