10.29.08
Sweet talking on Sunday.
Event: The Cuppacakes Show 04
Date: October 26, 2008 (Sunday)
Venue: Wondermilk Cafe, Damansara Utama
Gone were the rainy days and the sun is out brighter than ever. It was a public holiday the very next day, so what better way to spend a Sunday than to dress up in your Sunday’s best and to get yourself a sweet tooth with oodles and oodles of cupcakes.
When I first found out about The Cuppacakes Show, it reminded me so much of Frankie. The artistically cutesy things they would talk about, the weird and flowery fashion they would photograph, and any kind of ways to bring the arts and farts out in the next level. It was a piece of Australia that I enjoyed having but could not bring home with me to Malaysia. So, when I saw The Cuppacakes Show posters all about, I thought I would check it out. If not for nostalgia purposes, but just to have something to do on a Sunday.
I’m sorry. Starbucks? Coffee Bean? Pfft, that is so last season. Wondermilk Cafe is where all the hip Uptown boys and girls go to now. Like a rose on a pile of dung, it is a cosy little cafe erected in one of the shoplots lining the heart of Damansara Utama. The place is tastefully decorated with chalked drawings, personalised cardboard hangings, and orange lights filled the black ceiling like a metaphoric starlit sky that went well with the easygoing music along the lines of Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz and Belle & Sebastian.
Cute and artsy. How could I not love that place?
The place was already packed when I arrive at 2PM. Being a small cafe, it got a little hard to walk around inside. There was a line forming towards the counter and I was often mistaken to be queuing when I was just standing about listening to the acoustic performance. It felt weird too, standing in the middle and right in front of the performers. Like being on centre stage with a microphone in front of you and nothing to say. There were at least 10 people lugging around with their own DSLR cameras, finding the most artistic angles and snapping shots away. Some even came about with their own polaroid and lomo cameras. Definitely made me feel a little backward with the outdated camera I have in hand. But I guess if you just pretend to belong, you would actually blend in.
Nonetheless, The Cuppacakes Show was overflowing out of its small perimeter with goodies left, right and centre. Early birds got free cupcakes, and there was a Mingo Mingo ice cream van parked outside of the cafe, where everyone could go get their free soft ice creams of their choice. Each of us was given a lucky draw number too, and the lucky ones get to walk away with a box full of Wondermilk goodies. Unfortunately, Lady Luck has never been on my side. With four random numbers at hand, you would think I would at least get hit once. Heh.
Visitors could also get their own little cupcake tattoos plastered anywhere on them.
There was also a teeny weeny day market set up on the street, housing brand names like Tea & Sympathy, Suicide Pop, Shoplifters, Finders Keepers, Badgers and many more. There were outspoken T-shirts, stylish summer dresses, personalised light boxes, adorable postcards and other funky trinkets.
I am not really a fan of day markets, especially on a scorching day. I tried that in Brisbane’s South Bank Market shopping for Christmas presents and believe me, it was not a good experience. So, I only stopped by to have a looksie and was out before the heat could hit me.
There were also a good lineup of acoustic performances that lasted until the night. But I only managed to check out Poet Stories as they were the first to perform that day. She reminded me of lazy afternoons and summer dresses fluttering with the breeze by the beach. Her originals were of soothing and relaxing ones. Simple, nothing extravagant. It suited well with the theme of the day.
I guess I do not really have any problem with bands like that. But I would not say they are the best duo I have seen out there too. The guy’s rendition of Neon was average – partly because I was just listening to the song when I was heading there – but I would say it helps that you are good looking. And it was a turnoff when the girl admitted for only practising Lucky the night before and still messed up the lyrics a little. But hey, I thought it was still enjoyable music for a day like that. So, don’t take this too personally. I am not a full-time music critic either. Heh.
Other bands that performed that day were State of Affairs, Lightcraft, Funky Doryz and Kokokaina. I cannot say anything about them because I did not stay back to listen to them. I was outside when State of Affairs was performing, but let’s just say I heard wrong, yeah? Let’s just assume that. And leave it at that.
And of course, what would The Cuppacakes Show be without cupcakes?
Just merely looking at them has already given me a toothache. Jeebus.
But I suppose the highlight of the day would be the cupcake designing competition.
16 competitors. 4 cupcakes. 4 icings. And a mind full of inspiration.
The cupcakes were judged based on their creativity and design. And I have to say, some of them were really good. With all the trembling hands and honest mistakes, the cupcakes still came out top and – if I do say so myself – better than the ones available in Wondermilk Cafe. Heh.
There were four rounds with four competitors. And winners from each round proceed to the final round to compete against one another. In the end, VJ Marion Counter, who happened to be there with her 8TV crew, was the judge to determine the winner.
It was a tough choice. All four of them were wonderful. But in the end one prevailed. (Gee, that was cheesy, heh).
And the winner got a lomography camera. Awesome, eh?
Once upon a time I was sitting in Brisbane’s own cosy cafe Three Monkeys, questioning why Malaysia does not have something like this, and we are all resorted to commercialised cafes whenever we are looking for a nice place to chill with coffee. Little did I know while I was making comparisons, someone was already putting Wondermilk Cafe into action, building a hangout spot that speaks its own personality and characteristic.
It was a nice place to be in. I have a feeling it is a kind of event made by friends for friends, where everyone could get together, have a nice laugh and chill. There was a intimate bond there, and it felt nice to know that they could take it to better heights and share it with the public as well.
So, well done on The Cuppacakes Show, guys. Sorry I had to leave early. I was afraid I am going to go home with a sugar rush and a heck of a diabetes just by looking at all the pretty cupcakes.
Also seen on VM @ Travel Talk.
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+Wondermilk Shop & Cafe
41, ss21/1A
Damansara Uptown
Damansara Utama
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia
Opens Monday to Saturday @ 9AM-8PM, Sunday @ 10.30AM-8PM
T: +6 03 7725 8930
W: http://cuppacakes.blogspot.com
10.28.08
Less than 98 degrees.
The last time I saw Jeff Timmons and his fellow bandmates of 98 Degrees, it was almost 10 years ago at their album promo tour in Penang. I was at the second floor, crouched under someone’s legs just so I could take some shots of them with my old analog camera, which were not exactly the best pictures in the world either. When the concert was over, we had a hoorah at the front stage, where we were literally fighting over their posters, and I went home with a poster with a huge chunk of it torn off at the upper right corner.
Ah, those were the pop band crazed days. The late 1990s. Everywhere you look there was a new boy band or girl band popping up like mushrooms after rain, and following close behind their heels were a throng of girls with spine-curling screams at their good looks and short skirts. The bodyshakin’ 911, the Backstreet Boys who will never break your heart, the boys from N Sync who are tearin’ up your heart, the Spice Girls who tells you what they want, what they really, really want, and also the not so invisible men of 98 Degrees.
Admit it, you had one of those days yourself too. It would be a total sham if you consider yourself a music fan without going through that phase, no matter how short it was.
Fast forward to today, I have outgrown boy pop, as did the rest of my generation, though still enjoy it from time to time. And 98 Degrees have stopped being a band and gone on to do their individual projects, like most of the bands in their generation. The limelight was entirely on Nick Lachley and his publicised wedding life with Jessica Simpson, from the moment they said “I do” to the day they got a divorce.
A little left from the spotlight was Jeff Timmons, always standing a little behind Nick in the group posters, and singing second verses after Nick’s firsts. I never knew what Jeff Timmons was up to from the 98 Degrees hey days till now. So, when I found out TraXXFM was having a welcoming dinner for Jeff Timmons to join their road tour, the first question that popped into my head was, “Why the heck is he doing here?”
Meeting a musician is not really that fun and exciting unless it is someone you are really thrilled to be in the same room with. He may not be Ben Gibbard or Damien Rice, whom both I already have perfected questions dying to fire at them. I wanted to drill Jeff deep, give him a hard time with the whole boy band business, but alas, I did not have all the time in the world with him to ask him anything and everything. But as a journalist, it will always bring a sense of accomplishment in you when the interviewee patted your shoulder and said, “Great questions. Thanks for the interview.” Maybe he is being polite. Maybe he would take whatever attention he needs, seeing that he is not that popular anymore. But it is still a comforting sound for my part.
98 Degrees have been laying low since 2002, and you released a debut solo album, Whisper That Way, in 2004. The last time you visited Malaysia was in 1999, almost ten years ago. What prompted you to visit us now four years later?
I am planning to have a world tour in January 2009, so I decided to stop by Malaysia first to get things into gear before the New Year begins.
What is the purpose of your visit to Malaysia this time around?
Basically, this your is just for me to meet my fans. After being away for so long, I thought it would be nice to see them again in person. Other than that, I am looking forward to visit the places of interest in Malaysia. Before this, I do not know much about Malaysia, so hopefully, this trip will fill me in on the details. I am really excited about this tour.
Do you have any expectations from your fans in this trip?
No, not really. I am new on this solo-wagon, so I am open for any kinds of feedbacks from my fans. I will just wait and hear what they think of the songs in my solo album, and hopefully, with their comments I can grow more as a music artistes.
98 Degrees was big on being an a capella group. How is it like for you now that you don’t have your bandmates to back you up in performances?
Obviously, there is a big different in performing with a band, and solo. Last time, I have Nick, Drew and Justin backing me up, and sometimes I can afford to slack off a tiny bit. But now that I am solo, I just need to step up and do my all while performing. All eyes are on me and only me now, so I have to pay more attention so I do not screw up.
Are we going to expect 98 Degrees to make a comeback anytime soon? It’s sort of a “now or never” thing. I mean, Backstreet Boys, Take That, Spice Girls and even NKOTB has done it. N Sync has always said they would do it but look at them now, they have broken up anyway. So, what is the verdict for 98 Degrees in this whole comeback business?
We’re definitely coming back. I can’t put a date on it yet, but we have been talking about it on and off. I mean, just last weekend, I was on the phone with Nick and we were talking about putting the band together again. And I don’t think we’re waiting too long for it, because we all have our own projects to work on, but we are hoping to get back into the studio together to make a new record.
Is there going to be a slight change in your music by then?
I think so. I mean, music changes everyday and we can’t really stick to the same stuff all the time.
(Ah well, not that I’m holding my breath: musicians say that all the time and in the end, it’s still the same sound)
You were in a recent reality TV show called Manband. It’s basically a combination of four “has-beens” band members – himself, Chris of N Sync, Bryan of Colour Me Badd and Rich of LFO – coming together to make a new band, Sureshot, and revive the boyband era. How did you think that work out for you guys as a band member?
Well, to be honest, not much really. I mean, the show did well, but for us as a band, it didn’t really do much changes. Sureshot hasn’t done anything since that TV show, and even in the show some parts have been edited. Besides, we all have our own bands to go back to, so I didn’t really expect we would come together and do something serious anyway.
Are you guys really that desperate to revive the “boyband” in you guys? Is “boyband” really that dead for you?
I don’t think boybands are dead. I mean, look at The Jonas Brothers. As long as there’s a young crowd out there looking for music like that, that genre will never be dead. But for us, I think it’s way over and we should move on. I mean, back when 98 Degrees were still together, we were not actually a boyband either. We were already an older crowd and I wouldn’t say we were doing boyband stuff either. (Oh yes, you would). We did mostly ballads. So, we’re definitely through with jumping out of balloons on stage and all that. 98 Degrees have never done that, so I don’t think we’ll be doing that anytime soon.
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Jeff Timmons will be in Malaysia via TraXXFM from October 13, 2008 till October 24, 2008.
10.24.08
Get on your dancing shoes.
Event: Wade Robson Dance Workshop in Malaysia
Date: October 18, 2008 (Saturday) – October 19, 2008 (Sunday)
Venue: Celebrity Fitness, One Utama
If I had Speedy Parker’s magic juice with me and had used it to flip over to another world and met my Twinner, she would be an avid dancer working on a professional career, hunting out for any competitions and workshops and performances out there to bring her to the next step.
Why not? I have always thought dancing is a wonderful past time. It would be awesome to pursue it as a professional career. You go out there, strut a few moves dancing as a backup for a famous pop act, who cannot really sing to save his/her life, maybe you get notice and you move on to more serious dancing, teach a few classes in a famous dance studio, choreograph a few sketches for popular dance TV shows, have your own TV show, then start a tour just promoting how good a dancer you are. And some time along the way, you win some awards, which you never thought could ever happen for a choreographer.
My sister is a dancer herself, so I think it is only fair that there is some dancing blood in me. I may not be as creative as she is when it comes to dance moves, but at least I look good dancing about in Euphoria and Zouk, when I am under alcoholic influence. But alas, in the meantime, I just have to settle with watching luckier ones competing for the top spot in TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars, criticising the dancers as if I know what the hell I am talking about.
When I heard that Wade Robson is stopping by Malaysia for a dance workshop, I could not believe my ears. The Wade Robson. (Yes, there comes a time you know you have made it when you start having an article in front of your name, which make you the one and only, the Alpha and the Omega). The same guy whom I used to watch in MTV’s Making the Video episodes as he helped N Sync and Britney Spears get into shape for their music videos. The same guy whose choreographs I tried to copy meticulously by merely watching music videos and behind-the-scenes over and over again. (Trust me, you do not want to know why I did that).
The signature bom-bom-pahs he always made while teaching his dance moves. The only person’s choreograph that I approve for singers who need fancy dance moves to make it work, because his moves filled in every beat of the song. No pauses to bop heads or cheesy open arms poses to fill in the gap. The dancers are constantly moving from one step to the next, non-stop. For a choreographer, I just love his work.
So, it felt like God just dropped a pair of sparkling red dancing shoes in our presence when Wade rocked up our Malaysian shores. I do not know why. Maybe it has something to do with seeing him back when pop groups were a hit again in the late 1990s. Maybe it has something to do with seeing him on SYTYCD, all clean and unshaved, with his awesome Ramalama choreograph. Everything seemed so far away then. I had to see him in person. It is like those “people you want to meet before you die” kind of thing.
There was no fanfare or a crowd of girls screaming for him and pulling at his shirt when he arrived at the press conference. Everything was quite. Tame. With those pop bands’ phenomenal and unexplainable success back then, you would think someone would know a tinge of who he is. But surprisingly, he is quite anonymous.
There were less than ten of us that day. I was expecting to fight for a chance to ask my questions like I did at the MTV Asia Awards, but instead, it was only me and another girl. I even had time to take photos and ask him questions. But of course, it was partly because they have kept everything so hush-hush about this workshop that only the real dancing enthusiasts know what is coming up. So, I sort of liked the intimacy around the whole thing.
It was amazing to see him in person and only just two feet away from me. It was surreal. I felt like a fangirl and he a superstar. I just could not believe that I was in the same room as he is. I could not pull my eyes away from him as he looked straight at me while answering my questions, and I had to try to be nonchalant as I looked away from his finishing smile, when really, I felt a little giggly inside. My journalistic self was thinking, “holy crap, Wade Robson just answered my questions”. When I shook his hand and then took a picture with him, it was only after the snap of the camera that I asked myself, “was that his hand on my waist?” Heh.
I grew up missing out on those crazy times when we were younger and we had to scream our way through concerts and backstage passes to meet celebrities in the flesh, so do excuse me as I try to quench my deprived childhood while doing everything in a more adult way.
Wade was quite a nice guy. Although he was not as crazy as I had seen him with the celebrities he used to work with. The only time he cracked a joke was when Dina went “Oh my God, I just touched Wade Robson!” and he said jokingly, “Oh, stop it.”
Throughout the conference, it felt like he was not really in the limelight, even though it was his face that was splashed all over the posters and flyers. It seemed like everyone would like to shine the light entirely on him, but did not really know how. Perhaps they did not know him that well to do that. Perhaps they did not want his presence to overshadow the workshop. But he seemed to be taking the workshop quite seriously, like we were there for a business meeting and he was pitching in his plans for the Malaysian dancers.
Unfortunately, his workshop was a closed set. In order to be a part of it, one would need to pay RM250. For a hour and half session. Crazy, really. But judging that he is an international choreographer, it would not come cheap. Besides, I would say it is quite a steal and a great opportunity. It is not every day God is so kind, especially to us on this side of the Earth. It would be awesome to be able to learn a few steps from him.
Whatever it was, it was truly a wonderful experience to be in the same room as Wade Robson. How many people could actually say that? To take a glimpse of that guy, you would need to pay a crazy amount. But hey, if you have missed out this time, cross your fingers because while he was here testing the Malaysian dance market, he might consider swinging by again with something bigger and more official if he sees fit. So. Hold your breath and remember where you keep your best dancing shoes.
All this talk about how awesome he is without actually seeing his stuff is nothing at all. So, here be a video of his Emmy award-winning choreograph for Roisin Murphy’s Ramalama (Bang Bang) in the second season of SYTYCD. Probably the latest piece from him that I know of and like. And I thought the song was marvellous.
Also seen on VM @ Travel Talk.
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The Wade Robson Dance Workshop will be on October 18 and 19, 2008 at the 1 Utama Celebrity Fitness.
10.18.08
El encantar de príncipe.
It is never too early to plan a Christmas Eve or Christmas dinner. Besides, it is already October. December will be around soon in the blink of an eye. Crystal Jade is way ahead on this planning. Three months ahead, to be exact. With a brand new instalment to their some 80 outlets family chain, Amuleto, it was probably the perfect opportunity to play dress up (with your food) this Christmas and New Year.
Amuleto (which means ‘amulet’ in Spanish), is only two months’ old, but already they have gained recognition and liking from everyone around the Mid Valley City. With its tasteful red interior design, peppered with flowery glass table tops, it is a cosy destination for a meal, whether you are with a partner, family, friends, or even your entire office staff.
Diners will be treated to new sets of menu this coming holiday season to end the year and start a new one on the right note. Or in this case, the right taste. Here are some of the dishes to get you anticipating in your pool of drool.
As a starter, there is the Prawn Bisque soup.
While Keith, the General Manager of the Crystal Jade dynasty, was giving me a brief rundown on the restaurant, I could not help getting sidetrack by the alluring smell of the soup. The aroma of the prawns in this soup is overwhelming; it just keeps on drawing me to look and it and saying, “hurry up and try me already!” Heh. So I did. And, I thought it was quite an unusual dish, because usually in restaurants like this, you would not find prawns in your soup till the main course, or maybe never unless you order some seafood related platter. So it was quite a good and original touch blending East and West in this first dish.
For appetisers, you an also opt for the Hot & Cold Combination Platter.
Garlic prawn, Boxing Chicken and Baby octopus – a little threesome to reawaken your tastebuds for something bigger later on. I have never been a fan of platters, especially for appetisers. I have a small appetite and I believe in saving my space until the real food comes along. So, if I have to have a starter, a soup would do just fine for me already. Besides, I am not a fan of baby octopuses either. But hey, each to his own.
Ah, Christmas would not be complete without a turkey sitting on your dining table. During my family’s Christmas party every year, I have to wrestle with close to a hundred guests to have a few slices of turkey after being kept away from it for 364 days. And sometimes, I am left staring at the empty bone structure with my dad, sweaty from all the shredding, shrugging at me. Boo. So, how nice it would be to have a plate of turkey all to yourself this Christmas?
The Roast Turkey Breast comes with homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce. Now, when I say homemade, it is really homemade. Keith mentioned a little bad news that the culinary industry failed to get into the country the usual ingredients to make the stuffing. So, when the world does not give you lemons, you grow a lemon tree and get some. In this case, the chef whipped up his own version of stuffing. I cannot say it is the best stuffing in town, because it tastes nothing like the ones I am used to. It is made out of breadcrumbs, and there is just something missing. So. No go for the stuffing, but the turkey is nice. Dipped it for a little sweetness in the cranberry sauce, it feels like Christmas has arrived early for this girl.
Other than that, one can also try out the Yakitori Salmon Steak with mashed potato and tempura kangkung ( I never thought I’d see the day when I combine Japanese and Malay together heh).
I thought it was quite interesting to deep fried kangkung. Alas, I am no fan of tempura, let alone vegetable, so, I would just have to take Keith and I-Mae’s word on how good it is. Besides that, the salmon meat is grilled to the right timing – not too soft till it’s falling off your fork, yet not too hard till it feels like you are chewing lead. Same goes for the mashed potato too. A pretty typical Japanese dish, dressed in Westernisation, I must say.
For dessert, there is the Christmas and New Year Bread Pudding, another dish not to be omitted during the sanctity of the festive season.
I thought it was quite a big chunk of pudding, after what we have eaten before. But it was a tasty dessert. Sticky texture coated with homemade custard, and tiny bursts of sweetness from the raisins. Keith was quite an excited man as he started adding all those Christmas decorations on the side. I thought they were quite cute. Heh. But I dared not tried any of those extra sugar, because I might just die from all the sweetness. A pretty nice way to end a meal, if I do say so.
But. You know what would be the perfect way to end a meal?
Why, a Chocolate Fondue, of course. Totally unrelated to the Christmas and New Year menus, but would probably be a sin to just overlook it.
Served with grapes, oranges, kiwis, strawberries (Yay!), bread and balls of ice cream, dipped in your choice of dark or white chocolate. I-Mae and I were happy, happy girls as we wrapped up our late lunch that day.
Surprisingly, I found myself going for the white chocolate instead. For some reason, the chocolate in Malaysia just freezes up too fast. The other time, I was in Marche and I decided to go for a bowl of chocolate-coated strawberries for dessert and I found myself digging through a mine field with strawberries as diamonds.
The chocolate fondue is an all-time favourite on the Amuleto menu. So, if you do not know where else to go for a fondue – they have a cheese fondue too – you would know now. Boys, better find a better hiding place because I would bet you your ladies are going to be dragging you to this spot every other week just for the fondue.
Like the amulet charm, Amuleto is quite a prince charming in the form of a restaurant. However, I would not say the food is anything out of this world. Quite a typical menu actually, when it comes to restaurants like these. I thought it is just another fancy spot to add to the list of fine dine splurging. But I guess the originality lies in the interior decor and how the restaurant brings out the best in their food. After the menue preview, I thought Amuleto did a pretty good run on standing out.
It’s Crystal Jade, after all, a family tree of 16 dining concepts and 80 outlets across Asia. (Heck, even Keith’s business card opens up to three folds). I would not be surprised if they open up a mamak stall at the back street of KLCC.
Also seen on VM @ Travel Talk.
* El encantar de príncipe is Spanish for ‘prince charming’.
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Amuleto by Crystal Jade
Lot G.E.015
Mid Valley Mega Mall
Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra
59200 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Opens Sunday to Thursday @ 10AM-11.30PM; Friday, Saturday, Eve of Holiday @ 10AM-1AM
T: +6 03 2287 4128
10.11.08
Sugar, spice and everything… strange?
Borned and bred a Penangite, I have always thought Sarawakian food looks a little, well, funky. Which made it all the more intriguing to me. When the time finally came for me to go across the South China Sea and try them out myself, I could not wait. Immediately, I got in touch with Mike, my one and only Sarawakian friend, and got him to take me around hunting for food.
The schedule was tight for this trip, so we delved straight into it practically the moment I landed in Kuching. We headed off towards Jalan Ang Cheng Ho, where the Top1 Food Court is, and where Mike claimed is where the best Sarawak Laksa and Kolok Mee is at. I shall let the locals argue over this.
Growing up wrinkling my nose at the catastrophe that is the Penang Assam Laksa – yes, how un-Penangite of me - and raising a questionable eyebrow at the Curry Laksa commonly served in Kuala Lumpur, imagine my surprise when they placed a bowl of Sarawak Laksa in front of me. From the sour tamarind and rough rice noodles, to the spicy coconut-based soup and tofu puffs, I was invited to try out a whole new breed of the Laksa family tree.
The Sarawak Laksa tastes neither sour, nor spicy. In fact, it could be the grey area of the two other Laksa dishes. Sarawak Laksa uses rice vermicelli, or mee hoon. I took me awhile to accept big prawns and chicken as toppings for Laksa, but I am more than happy to obliged because those are what I am familiar with. Heh. So yes, Sarawak Laksa, over Assam Laksa any day.
Kolok Mee is a household pride for the locals in Kuching city. To me, it is kind of like Wan Tan Mee, minus the dark sauce; Kolok Mee is served up either plain or with char siew sauce. It is like a breath of fresh air for my tastebud on this, if my tongue can breathe at all. All this while, the dark sauce for Wan Tan Mee gets too heavy for the pallete, which is why I only eat it once in a while. So, it is a welcoming weight when the char siew sauce – light and sweet – hits the tongue. Compare to the one served plainly, which feels like something is missing, it is like welcoming a new guest that becomes an immediate favourite to your house.
Next, we headed off to the Sarawak Warriors Monument Park at Jalan Taman Budaya, where the quaint old shack called Summer House is. It was scorching that day, and it was nice to sit down amongst the trees and hear the soft ruffles around us, complementing the cemetery nearby as I tried out a plate of Belacan Mee Hoon.
I was expecting a serving of fried mee hoon, but what came was drowned in a languid bowl of soup with shreds of cucumber and squid, a generous dressing of prawn paste sauce, and sprinkled peanut crumbs. Probably because of the cucumbers and squids, but the dish just kept on reminding me of Rojak, where the two ingredients are always included, despite one being served in soup while the other in heavy sauce.
It is a refreshing start with every bite of the cucumber strips, as it cleanses the palette so that you feel the sweetness hit you full on every time. There is nothing spicy about this dish, despite its given name. For someone like me who cannot really take spicy food without groping for a glass of iced water in between every mouthful, it is definitely the kind of dish I would opt for.
Much to Mike’s dismay, the three places serving Manok Pansoh that he decided to go were closed that day. And he would not rest till he found some place with that dish on the menu. Luckily, just when we were about to give up for the evening, we ran into a shy restaurant at the back street of the hotel I was staying in. And just like that, we were having Iban food for dinner.
Visiting Sarawak without trying out the Iban delicacies is like walking around with a detached arm. One of the famous dishes is Manok Pansoh, which means “chicken in bamboo” in Iban. The chicken meat is cut into pieces and stuffed into a hollow bamboo tube mixed with mushrooms, lemongrass and tapioca leaves. Then, the bamboo tubes are cooked over an open fire, allowing the bamboo to preserve the taste and fragrance of the ingredients inside.
I didn’t find this dish really special because it tasted like any other chicken dishes I had. In fact, the lemongrass smell (I think) was overwhelming so it did no good to me. Yet, I would say this is a recommended dish for those who are just about to step into the wild side of Iban’s food spread; with ingredients everyone can relate to, yet cooked in an authentic style of the Iban culture. Because things will start to get a little more unusual by the minute as we proceed down the table.
See, the thing was Mike told the waiter to “bring out whatever Iban dish you have”. And how was I to know the Ulat Mulong was one of them. I was literally taken aback when the waitress placed it on the table. And everytime I looked at it, it ran chills down my spine, as if the worms came alive and started wriggling under my skin.
All the same, I still want to try it out. So, I gathered a big gulp of courage and cleared my mind that what I am about to put into my mouth is a worm, before I scooped the smallest one on the plate, buried it under a mouthful of rice, and – after another deep breath – stuffed it into my mouth. And chewed.
They said it tastes like chicken and they arere right, minus the usual meat texture I have grown familiar with. However, it is hard to pretend further when you started biting down on crunchy parts of the worm. And lying to yourself that it is a fried chicken will not do much help either.
And that was the only sago worm I tried for the night. And probably ever. Gosh. The things I do for work.
Alas, those were the only dishes I tried while I was in Sarawak that day. And I know judging from the size of the state, I have probably just wriggled the tip of my toe at the humongous pond. But I have a good feeling I will be heading back there soon enough. And I hope the next time, I will get to try out more.
