Category: Review It!

Review of anything under the sun except food.

A Trip to Kyoto (17-24 Apr) – Part 1

Posted on By sweet surrender 1 Comment on A Trip to Kyoto (17-24 Apr) – Part 1

It’s our first family trip to Japan. We flew to Osaka and spent most of our time in Kyoto. We started our journey early in the morning of 17th April from home to Kuching International Airport and flew to Kuala Lumpur International Airport with Malaysia Airlines for transit. Not for transit to Osaka, but to Ho Chi Minh, then to Osaka with Vietnam Airlines.

If we’re to take Malaysia Airlines or Air Asia, we would arrive on the same day. However, due to the expensive flight fares of our national/local airlines, we opted for a cheaper option with a longer time to reach Osaka. We only arrived in Osaka on the morning of 18th April.

Why Vietnam Airlines?

We bought Vietnam Airlines tickets to Osaka because it’s so much cheaper, as it happened to be on offer. It’s an average of less than RM1500 per pax for a return trip (KUL-SGN-KIX). There were 8 of us, 6 adults and 2 children. The cost would be quite high if we were to fly with our national/local airlines. It was between RM2300-3000 per pax because of peak season. Even Air Asia was more expensive than Malaysia Airlines after adding all the add-ons.

However, we bought Malaysia Airlines return tickets for Kuching-Kuala Lumpur. I redeemed my flight miles and topped up with cash. Aside from that, we had to stay a night in an airport hotel when we returned. Actually, we didn’t have to, but we’re just playing it safe in case there’s any delay with the flight back from Osaka to Kuala Lumpur and we miss our connecting flight to Kuching. Furthermore, there was no codeshare among them and flight tickets were booked separately.

We came in from 3 different locations and gathered at KLIA. Four drove from Ipoh to KLIA; one from Singapore to KLIA; and three from Kuching to KLIA. Even with that, the total average of our flight ticket and accommodation was less than RM2K per pax. Still a lot cheaper than flying with our national/local airlines. The only downside was the long travel time. We only got into our hotel room in Kyoto after 30 hours plus of commuting. Exhausting, but it’s OK.

Experience with Vietnam Airlines
Arrived in Osaka & Kyoto

Stay tuned for part 2.

Anyway, I’ve updated my trip until day 2 on my Instagram, you can check it out there.

Going Places, Land of the Rising Sun - Japan, Review It!

Tomahawk Cocktail Bar & Steakhouse in Yarm

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Tomahawk Cocktail Bar & Steakhouse in Yarm

Almost forgot to share this. We went to Tomahawk Cocktail Bar & Steakhouse in Yarm for dinner one of those evenings. It’s our first time dining here. It’s dubbed the best steakhouse in Yarm. Yes, it is not bad. At least the best steak I had so far in the UK. Price wise, well… For us Malaysians… If you go and convert to MYR… It’s really NOT CHEAP! Hahaha! Read my quick review below.

Anyway, one more post to go to complete this summer 2024 UK road trip post.

Driving All the Way - England, Food Porn, Going Places, Review It!

2 Easy Blended Rice Flour Recipes | Apam Nasi & Pak Tong Gou

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on 2 Easy Blended Rice Flour Recipes | Apam Nasi & Pak Tong Gou

It’s my first time making no-egg steamed cake with blended rice flour. There is no egg needed for this recipe. However, yeast that is active and the right temperature are very important. My room temperature was 30 degrees Celsius when I made these cakes.

1. Apam Nasi with Leftover Rice

Ingredients:
1 Cup cold leftover rice
1/2 to 3/4 Cup sugar (adjust the sweetness according to your liking)
1 1/2 Cup water
1 Cup rice flour
1 Cup plain flour
1 Tsp instant yeast
Cooking oil to grease the mould

Steps:

  1. Blend rice, sugar and water as smooth as you can in a food processor or blender.
  2. Pour in the rest of the ingredients (including the yeast, I forgot to put in and added later, it still worked) in a food processor or blender until smooth.
  3. Pour the batter into a bigger bowl and proof for 2 hours or until the batter doubles its size.
  4. Stir the batter to release the air.
  5. Fill in the mould with the batter. It’s OK to fill it to the brim. It won’t overflow.
  6. Boil the water in the steamer.
  7. Once the water is boiling, put the filled moulds into the steamer.
  8. Cover and steam for 10 minutes with high heat.
  9. Once cooked, remove from steamer and let it cool before removing from the mould.
  10. Serve.
2. Pak Tong Gou (White Sugar Steamed Cake)

Tray size: 16cm in diameter.

Ingredients:
[A]
75g sugar (can be reduced to 70g)
175ml water
Pandan leaf (optional)

[B]
130g rice flour
125ml water (room temperature)

[C]
1/2 tsp instant yeast
3/4 tbsp warm water

[D]
1/8 tsp cooking oil

Enough oil to grease the tray.

Instructions:

  1. Lightly boil ingredient [A].
  2. Mix ingredient [B] until no more dry flour is in sight.
  3. Mix mixture [A] and [B] until incorporated. (Make sure the pandan leaf is removed before pouring)
  4. Dilute ingredient [C].
  5. Pour mixture [C] into [AB] mixture and stir well.
  6. Cover and proof for 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours.
  7. After proofing, add 1/8 tsp cooking oil and stir well.
  8. Pour mixture into tray.
  9. Steam with high heat for 23-25 minutes.
  10. Leave to cool before removing from the mould.
  11. Enjoy!

Feel free to check out my YouTube channel and My Kitchen for more baking and cooking adventures.

Oh! In case you do have XiaoHongShu 小红书, feel free to follow me there at 艾艾倪 . The language I used on this platform is exclusively Chinese using Simplified Chinese.

By the way, I just started Lemon8, feel free to follow me there at Lovebellbelle. The language used here is a mixture of English and Malay.

I only share food & beverage-related topics in these accounts. Hope to see you there!

Food Porn, Review It!, Vlog

Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette Simple Review

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette Simple Review

Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow palette with 6 long-lasting, pigmented metallic, and matte eyeshadow colours. It claims to create a bold, dramatic eye makeup look inspired by NYC.

Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Chill Brunch Neutrals)

I recently bought Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Chill Brunch Neutrals) to replace Maybelline Color Sensational Diamond Shadow . The new eye shadow palette is not mini at all. I bought it because there’s 50% off (RM20+).

Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Chill Brunch Neutrals)

Then, I slightly regretted it because I just wanted a smaller sized, 3-4 colours eyeshadow palette. This is double the size I initially wanted 🤣 Blame the discount.

Anyway, I got the Chill Brunch Neutrals after having a hard time choosing. There were 2 more palettes (5th Avenue Sunset and Rooftop Bronze). I like them all. Very natural colours. It’s suitable for day and night use.

The Applicator
Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Chill Brunch Neutrals)

It comes with a brush and sponge tip but I hardly use them. I just use my finger. The warmth of the fingers are good enough to blended the colours on the lid. In fact, using the sponge tip or the brush is messy. The powder falls everywhere.

Colour Swatch

The eye shadow palette is quite pigmented and soft. It’s easy to apply and blend. There’s very minimal fallout. It lasted the whole day. The colour pay-off is good. You can refer to the photo. Only one swipe with my finger on my bare skin.

Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Chill Brunch Neutrals)

This one is under the standard day time indoor lighting.

Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Chill Brunch Neutrals)

While this one is under the sunlight.

Actual Application on the Eye Lids

The following is me using it on my eyelids. I was using my fingers as the applicator. I’m satisfied with how the colours turned out. I don’t remember which colour I used though hahaha! This is the best I can capture with my camera. It’s more intense in real life.

Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Chill Brunch Neutrals)

Most importantly, no discomfort using the eye shadow as I’ve experienced with other eye shadow that made my lid itchy and stung my waterline 🤦 Luckily it was a PR kit so I didn’t waste my money.

Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow Palette (Chill Brunch Neutrals)

I Guess Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow palette is going to be my go-to for the next few years 🤣

Get it here…

You can get Maybelline The City Mini Eyeshadow palettes from Maybelline official store on Shopee (https://invl.io/cll4x1n)

Girl Stuffs, Review It!

Quick Review PERIPERA Speedy Eyebrow Auto Pencil

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Quick Review PERIPERA Speedy Eyebrow Auto Pencil

For the past 10 years, I’ve been using Etude House Drawing Brow. I wanted to restock but it was out of stock and Watsons’ staff recommended me Peripera Speedy Eyebrow Auto Pencil instead as it’s the closest to what I’m looking for. It was on sale too. That’s how I ended up with it.

PERIPERA Speedy Eyebrow Auto Pencil

PERIPERA Speedy Eyebrow Auto Pencil

The 1.5mm tip (it looks big in the photo because it’s macro hahaha!) claims to provide precision. I wasn’t used to this type and it took more time for me to draw and fill my brow. Precision wise, I could do the same with Etude but with less time. It’s just a matter of getting used to the tip. Other than that, it has the same lasting power as Etude’s.

The soft spoolie allows you to brush the colour so that it would blend into your natural eyebrow. It’s the same as Etude’s. It does its work well.

PERIPERA Speedy Eyebrow Auto Pencil

The colour I’m using is gray brown. I even tried to use it as eyeliner 😝 the formula was much softer compare to Etude’s. It was OK if you’re looking to achieve faint line colour on your waterline. However, it is still not as soft as an eyeliner pencil. Hence, not quite recommended for that as you’ll need more force to get the colour pay-off.

Price wise, very affordable, less than RM15 (after discount). I do recommend this if you’re looking for an affordable eyebrow pencil that delivers and easy to use. You can get it here in PERIPERA official shop on Shopee (https://invl.io/cll4wx6) if you want

Girl Stuffs, Review It!