Category: Food Porn

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The Blackwell Ox Inn, Carlton in Cleveland

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on The Blackwell Ox Inn, Carlton in Cleveland

Haven’t talk much about what we’ve eaten in the UK. Nothing much really, nothing fancy. Mostly we cooked at home. When we were on the road, we would also buy fresh produce so that we can cook in our Airbnb. The Blackwell Ox Inn(Carlton in Cleveland, Stokesley TS9 7DJ, United Kingdom) is one of the eateries we went when we were there. One day, we decided to have Thai food, that’s why we ended up here.


This is the place my sister will go if they want to have some Asian food. I’ve never been to Thailand so I have no idea how the actual Thai food would taste. However, I would say that the food here is not so bad. Very rich in flavour that would suit many general Asian palette, not very spicy which is suitable for the Caucasians. I don’t quite remember what we ordered too ;p The photo here is green curry.


Left: Tom Yum.
Right: No idea what’s this!! 😛 Hahaha… I guess it’s coconut soup.


Left: Red curry.
Right: Pad Thai was my least favourite. It’s just weird LOL!! Doesn’t look and taste like the Pad Thai I know. More like just normal fried noddle hahaha!

Okie dokie, I have no intention to talk much or review about the food. Just to post it for my own record. If you noticed, I blogged less about food these days. Well… For food I’ve been eating daily, they can be found in my Instagram, I post more food there than this blog because it’s faster and easier. Blog needs more work and time to come out with. Do follow my Instagram for more food and my generally my daily updates.

I still have quite a number of UK trip’s posts that is still pending… Gosh… Half year already! Osaka post not even started!! Trying to churn out as fast as I can now hahaha… January is almost ending… First month of 2019 almost gone… Time sure flies when you are having fun 😉

Driving All the Way - England, Food Porn, Going Places

Snowdonia National Park, Wales

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When we were in UK, we spent 2 days 2 nights at Wales. We did a road trip. The views along the way from England to Wales were quite nice but too bad when we reached Wales, it was already getting dark so I couldn’t take any photos of the surrounding. It’s surreal looking out to the sea where Ireland was just out there.


The next day, our main place to visit in Wales was Snowdonia National Park. It’s awesome that you don’t get tonnes of tourist from you-know-where, only a handful of them who are likely doing their studies around the UK education institutions or those independent travelers who are more responsible. It’s not a place for mass tourism, no, no, no… The place going to be ruined!

It was drizzling when we reached Snowdonia. There wasn’t any blue sky too. We were just hoping that the rain would stop. Good thing, it did stop.


Left: We went up to the summit of Mount Snowdon with Snowdon Mountain Railway. You can also opt to hike up the mountain but hahaha… Not me… No thanks. Only limited ticket issued daily, hence it is recommended to purchase it in advance online to secure your seats. You can check out their official website(http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/) for more details. The statements quoted here are also from the official website.

Right: Ceunant Mawr waterfall. I was sitting at the other end of the cabin, this is the best photo of the waterfall that I could take.

Since 1896 visitors have been travelling to Llanberis, to experience the unique rail journey to the Summit of the highest mountain in Wales and England. A true mountain and place of legend, come with us and see exactly why Snowdon Mountain Railway has been described as one of the most unique and wonderful railway journeys in the world. With stunning scenery and awe-inspiring views it’s all part of a great day out for you and your family in North Wales.

Here’s the views along the rail journey. Such a breathtaking and mesmerizing view.

Trains depart from Llanberis station and begin their climb 1085m to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, a journey experienced by some 12 million travellers since 1896. These ancient Snowdonian mountains, thrust upwards by volcanic forces 450 million years ago, once grew to heights of 10,000 metres. Over eons the wind and rain and successive ice ages have sculpted them to their current form; with Snowdon being the highest summit in England and Wales.


We opted for the Tradition Diesel Service. It’s been three centuries! The train can sit 74 passengers, 10 per compartment. Departures leave Llanberis every day from mid-March until the end of October on the hour and on the half hour. Journey time to the summit is one hour with a 30 minute stop over at the peak. We were there in July 2018. Gosh… Half year already and I’m still not done with all the posts -.-


Majestic!!


This is taken from the peak, the station is just below.


From the station, just walk up the staircase and you will reach the peak! It was a wales of climb!! I meant the train hahaha… It was so cold up there! I’m at the summit at 1085m!!! First time in my life ‘climbed’ up a mountain this high. 😀 The highest mountain of England and Wales some more!


Couldn’t enjoy the view for too long, it’s only 30 minutes break, need to go to the wash room and get ready to board the train again. It’s too cold and windy up there too.

By the time we reached the station down there, it’s already 2.30pm. We took the ride up at around 11.45am, be sure to eat before you go up or bring some snacks with you. Also, make sure you are on time as they won’t wait for you. If you are late, there won’t be any space to fit you into the next train. So… BE ON TIME!


Down we go…


Time to look for lunch, it was one very late lunch. You can always have lunch at the train station itself but we decided to go for a bit of walk around the town to look for lunch.


No idea where to eat, we just venture into the unknown hahaha… We ended up at The Padarn Hotel at 3pm. It’s located at the foot of Snowdon, 100m from Padarn Lake and a 5 minute walk from the Snowdon Mountain Railway.

Here’s what we had at the restaurant. I would say the food was all right.


I don’t remember the actual names of the food, didn’t take photo of the menu. My guesses are grilled pork chop and obviously fish & chips.


Lastly, carbonara and chicken salad.

After very late lunch, it’s time for us to go back to our Airbnb to make our own dinner. We check-out the next day to head back to England.

Food Porn, Going Places, Welsh of Time - Wales

Remodelled McDonald’s Kuching Opening Ceremony

Posted on By sweet surrender 2 Comments on Remodelled McDonald’s Kuching Opening Ceremony

Fun facts:
1. McDonald’s Padungan is the first McDonald’s restaurant in Sarawak.
2. McDonald’s Padungan is the first McDonald’s restaurant in Sarawak to incorporate table service feature.
3. Customers can order meals via self-ordering kiosks (SOKs) and they could customize their meals.

11.11.2018 marked the 25th anniversary of McDonald’s Padungan. Opening ceremony of the remodelled McDonald’s was also on 11.11.2018.

Here’s the video of the opening ceremony:

On the day of the grand opening, there was also handover of school packs to local primary school children. This is an annual ‘Back-to-School’ programme spearheaded by McDonald’s Malaysia and Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in collaboration with Ministry of Education Malaysia.

880 primary school children from Sarawak will receive school packs in preparations for 2019 school year session. Each child will receive one set of school uniform, one pair of school shoes, and a school bag. The programme is aimed at providing 17,000 urban poor primary school children nationwide. Total expected value of contribution this year exceeds RM1.7 million.


McDonald’s Malaysia contributed more than RM 88,000 through ‘Back-to-School’ programme. Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Malaysia was established in 1990 as a non- profit organisation and is one of more than 300 RMHC Chapters worldwide. It aims to positively impact young lives in the areas of health, education and welfare through its four core programs – Ronald McDonald House (RMH), Ronald McDonald Sensory Room (RMSR), Gift of Smile (GOS), and “Back-to-School” programme. If you would like to know more, you can visit rmhc-malaysia.my

Have you been to the remodelled McDonald’s yet?

Food Porn, Public Events, Uniquely Kuching

Ayam Brand Healthy KIDS Food Festival 2018 (Sarawak)

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Ayam Brand Healthy KIDS Food Festival 2018 (Sarawak)

How well do you know your food? What is healthy? What is not?

I’m sure Ayam Brand is no stranger to all of you. I was at the Ayam Brand Healthy KIDS Food Festival 2018 to witness how the young ones learn about healthy diet by learning about their food and making their own food. This is the 11th year of Ayam Brand Community Care Campaign. Approximately 20,000 people from 482 charity organizations had benefited from it with 1,404,000 healthy and convenient meals served.


Four charity homes attended. Salvation Army Boy’s Home, Rumah Kanak-Kanak Toh Puan Hjh Norkiah Kuching, and PIBAKAT received 2 months’ supply of Ayam Brand products.

There were 4 activities for the kids to participate.

Left: ‘Yay or Nay’ was to let them know what is good and bad food.
Right: ‘Crossword’ allowed the kids to learn about the benefits of Omega 3 and DHA by looking for the words in the puzzle.


‘Healthy Plate’ required the children to works as a team to determine the quantity of different food groups in a balanced diet.


The DIY booth let the children made their own nasi lemak with Ayam Brand Light Chili Tuna as sambal for the the dish. They will then overturn the cup onto the plate to make a nasi lemak pyramid. They would get points for their team if the nasi lemak did not crumble after a period of time set by the organizer.


Those waiting for their turn was given with colour pencils to colour.

It was a fruitful afternoon for the children. Hope that they will go back with extra knowledge and be able to make good choices on their food after these activities.

Food Porn, Public Events, Uniquely Kuching

Wine Goodness with A Touch of Gold

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Wine Goodness with A Touch of Gold

I came to appreciate wine when I lived in South Australia. I would visit wineries with my friends whenever we are free to taste various wines in South Australia. We would pair our wine with cheese, crackers, dried fruits, and so on. Whenever there’s gathering, there will be wine. Strangely, no one would get drunk for drinking wine, at least I’ve never experienced it. However, when there is whisky, gin, or other alcohol around, people will surely ended up drunk and wasted.

Was fortunate to be able to taste Wolf Blass wine last week. It’s from South Australia!! Taste like home… We tasted 6 types of wine.

Left to right: Gold Label Eden Valley Riesling 2015, Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2016, Gold Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2016.


Left to right: Gold Label Barossa Shiraz 2015, Grey Label Langhorne Creek Cabernet Shiraz 2013, Black Label Cabernet SHiraz Malbec 2006.


Which wine do you think goes well with the food below? Well… To me, there is no fast and hard rules for pairing wine and food. Some said if you are having white meat, you should go with white, while red meat should go with red. At the end of the day, it is all about your own liking. Everybody has taste and preference of their own. I’m not a wine expert. I’m more of a white person but sometimes I do go for red depending my mood rather than food.


Left: Appetizer, Chawan Mushi with Local Smoked Fish & Fragrant Shallot Oil went really well with Gold Label Eden Valley Riesling 2015 which brought out crisp and clean subtle blossom notes of the wine. Some how it cleansed my palate from the taste of smoked fish and shallot oil for the second course of the meal.

Right: Cream of Onion with Lobster Ravioli was great to pair with Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2016 in which the fine acidity helped in balanced out the taste of onion in the soup. I’m not a fan of onion hahaha! With this wine, some how it made the soup tasted better. The wine tasted sweeter and smoother too with this soup.


Left: Main course, Pan Seared Local Sea Bream Fillet with Lemongrass Butter Sauce served with Ratatouille Vegetables and Dauphinoise Potatoes, went well with Gold Label Barossa Shiraz 2015 or Gold Label Eden Valley Riesling 2015. Both red and white complemented the fish and its sides.

Right: Dessert, Gold Dusted Chocolate Brownie served with caramelized banana, was great to go with any white or red. I don’t know about you but chocolate and wine always go well together for me hahaha…

Which one would you choose for your next meal?

Do you know that Wolf Blass luxury and premium ranges made up of the Black, Grey and Gold Labels? Normally people here would just go for Yellow Label which is more affordable. Why don’t you try out the premium range next time?

Wine is meant to be enjoyed in small amount or in moderation. Don’t binge on it, it’s not meant to be drank this way and not meant to make you drunk. Each wine has its unique characters, you just need to find the one that suits you best, it’s a never ending discovery. To me, no wine is bad wine unless those gone bad due to improper storage hahaha…


Wolf Blass Chief Winemaker, Chris Hatcher, shared his knowledge of wine with us. He told us that Wolf Blass was named ‘Red Winemaker of the Year’ at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in London in 2016, making it a three-time winner for this accolade, having previously awarded the honour in 2008 and 2013.

ABOUT WOLF BLASS

Wolf Blass was established in the Barossa Valley in 1966 and has grown from a humble tin shed to become one of the world’s most successful and awarded wine brands. A recipient of more than 10,000 awards at national and international wine shows, the essence of Wolf Blass wines is exemplified through the passion of its custodians past and present as they continuously strive to produce wines of quality, character and consistency.


Look at the box! Would you like to get a hold of it? It consists of a bottle of award winning Gold Label Wolf Blass wine and a Bordeaux RIEDEL glass. Definitely good to get if you are shopping for gift or for your special occasion.

For those in Kuching, the gift pack is available from October to November 2018 at Cold Storage Kuching, Ta Kiong, Choice Premier 101, Niche Gourmet and Aeon Kuching Mall for a suggested retail price of RM139.90.

Food Porn, Uniquely Kuching