Monkey see, monkey do...

I was in Fraser's Hills today to do some butterfly shooting and also to visit a friend. As we were having our lunch on a rather quiet afternoon at Mr. Leong's restaurant, something caught our eyes: two monkeys stole a loaf of bread from an unattended shop near the entrance to Fraser's...

 quarrelling over the loot...

this tiny guy ran off with the loot...

 across the tarmac, this big guy was observing the whole thing and had a plot of his own...

 securing the perimeter...

 one more look...he was totally oblivious of our presence just maybe ten feet away from him...

Off to action - he managed to grab a packet of peanuts and scrambled into the bushes. A tiny juvenile followed him but was too inexperienced, dropping the packets and causing a ruckus. The owner came out and luck was out with the tiny juvenile...

Dinner to end the holidays!

These are pictures of a dinner experience that I arranged for some friends, and to "end" the holidays...back to the daily grind of existence. Believe it or not, most of the ingredients are sourced from my freezer and whatever that was available in my big frigo...

An all-white theme. Mi piace molto.

 Sauteed cold water mussels with roasted garlic and spring onions. Something to start the meal with...

 Little bites of cherry tomatoes and cheese.

 Smoked mackerel with rouille (spicy saffron-infused mayonnaise from the South of France) and pickled onions. Got the smoked mackerel from Schipol airport during my transfer the last flight from Paris. Thought it'll make a good cold starter.

Roasted red bell pepper soup with medaillon of lobster tail and fried leeks.

 Confit of chicken breast on a bed of purple potato mash, salad with cooking jus.

Salad with cheese...my way.

Fun with banana fritters: on a bed of coconut cream, chocolate ganache and coulis of red fruits (strawberries). The banana is the "Rastali", a fragrant local banana not easily found in supermarkets but abundant in the farmers' market in Raub (and dirt cheap too).

Culinaria mia

I frequently pass my holidays cooking and having friends over for the sharing of food because it is nice and a good way to foster relationships. Besides, the price of dining out these days practically pushes this activity indoors unless one has the means...So here are some from previous cook out chez moi more than a week ago...(8th August 2013).

 Risotto al funghi, with porcini base and oven roasted mix of mushrooms.

 Keep it simple: capellini with braised lamb and a touch of piment d'Espelette.

 A simple salad with a platter of cheese (Brie and Comte).

Perennial favourite: tiramisu

Views from Fraser's Hills

I recently spent a night in a bungalow at the Telekom Loop and was awed by the breathtaking views from the terrace facing the Klau Valley, especially at dawn...

Morning mist rising at the Klau Valley forms a sea of mist from afar, giving the illusion that the Benom Range is an island floating in the distant. The highest point is the Mount Benom at 2000M.

 The Western side of the loop was equally phenomenal with this view of the Main Range, the buildings in the mountains are Genting Highland.

 

A dinner with friends

Yesterday, with just 4 hours of preparations, I managed to pull off a 5-course dinner for some friends visiting after some impromptu decisions - I was thinking of showcasing some ingredients that I recently bought in France...

In a haste, I have forgotten to photograph the first - foie gras with toast and apricot jam reduction...

 Capellini with hearts of artichoke, highlighted with a light touch of piment d’Espelette and a sprinkle of air-dried caviar from Petrossian.

 Steamed fingerling potatoes with two flavour-infused butter: saucisse de Morteau ( a raw smoked French sausage from Morteau near the Swiss border at Villers-le-lac) and summer truffles.

 Chardonnay-braised spring lamb with garlic and herbes de Provence served on a bed of Tian of courgettes and tomatoes.

 Cherry tomatoes salad with honey-lemon dressing and a small cut of 12-month old Comte cheese.

Absinthe flavoured chocolate mousse and an infusion of verveine to finish...

Arnay-le-duc in Bourgogne

On the 13th July, I had the chance to witness a civil pact of a friend in a small town in Bourgogne called Arnay-le-duc, which was about an hour plus driving from Besançon where I was. Like all small towns and villages in France, they are often charming and has a "lived" character...

 Planted flower beds on the town's edge.

 A tiny back lane...

 The town square from the Tourism office...

 A quaint bistro...

 The Tourism office in the shape of a château...

 The town council building...

 A nice little grocer...

A café at the town center, bordered by the main road.

 An old-fashioned sports store, displaying wooden tennis racket...

Haystacks being prepared for the summer...

 Windmills for ecologic power source...

An old lorry transporting haystacks...