je suis juicy

having some sort of appliance infatuation with my new hurom slow juicer. when i was in los angeles last year, i was severely run down, anemic, and really unfit. i have a difficult time taking iron supplements (nasty combination of laziness, forgetfulness, and total nausea when ingesting), but i found that daily cold press extracted vegetable, root, and fruit juices were a palatable way of getting my essential nutrients and getting fit. ish.  pressed juicery snaked out my wallet innards,  whilst their juices...snaked out my innards. ew. 

unfortunately there isn't a juice bar on island that compares to the ones in LA, so after the major expense of the holidays i decided to invest in a good juicer, and i think i've got one in the hurom slow juicer. i really don't know much about juicers, but i do remember having one in the '90s that lasted maybe a week in my flat--i stopped using it because it was bulky, loud, had low output and was an absolute ***** to clean. i admit, the majority of my research was watching a bunch of youtube videos, but for the very short time i've had it (less than 24 hours, natch), i've been more than fascinated with it. it's compact, less than 10 pounds, the output has been more than adequate, and the best bit (besides fresh juice) is that it took less than 5 minutes to clean it properly. the first thing i tried out was a kale, fuji apple, ginger root and lemon combo, and it turned out great--far more vibrant than prepackaged juices, and instantly customizable to my tastes. and yay, kale. it is teh awesome. 

so, as i would like to do a little more blogging this year, you might find a bunch of strange extraction experiments on here soon. do you have a favourite juice combo? let me know in the comments below.  and happy new year!

old town at aurora resort.

old town chinese restaurant moved into the space where my childhood favourite, toh-ka-lin, used to be in the old okura hotel (now the aurora resort). the hotel itself is almost completely abandoned, and the semi-hideous, totally ill-conceived renovation makes the place look like “the shining”.

oh but anyway. the dim sum limited, but pretty good. maybe the best on island, although not quite up to par with the best of SGV.

 

old town chinese restaurant at aurora resort

aurora resort (old okura hotel), 

at the northern end of pale san vitores 

647.8200.

gimme pancakes!

roboppy knows. holy mabel syrup, batman! i waaaaaaaaaaaaant todd von bastiaan's pancake floor pillows with matching butter pat accent pillows. supposedly the set is "only" $600, but on unica home's site, it looks like they are $600 *each*. uh. maybe not. didn't need the carbs anyway....(via boing-boing)

VEGAN! BLACK! METAL! CHEF!!

tv dinner.

my addiction: AppleTV. i have season passes for "downton abbey," "top gear," and my new favourite cooking show, "dinner with the band" with chef sam mason.

i have to admit, i haven't really followed the career of chef mason because he looks like a relative of mine who i'd like to decapitate and stitch his head back on with an awl on a regular basis, so i've got irrational bias. i know i'm totally late to the party, but when i read about "dinner with the band" i knew it was worth checking out--indie music? good food? add a couple of fast cars in the mix and they woulda hit a trifecta, but two out of three is rarely ever bad, even if it is a meatloaf song.

if you haven't seen the show, the basic conceit is that a band shows up at chef mason's space, he cooks a meal and creates a cocktail that is somewhat tailored to the guests, and they play some music. zomg, the music! soooo good. great bands--most of whom i'd heard before, but i'm totally loving the ones i'd not known previously, in particular theophilus london and the devil makes three.

chef mason is a good host, really at ease in front of the camera. he's never at a loss for words, but still able to carry a conversation with the bands whilst prepping the meal. he's a bit no-nonsense, yeah, he's got that hipster thing going, but he's got a quick wit and easy going manner that appeals. and anyone who has a kick-ass waylon jennings tattoo is alright with me. then there's the food, which is far more interesting than i had anticipated, yet still executable by the average home cook. i watched six episodes in a row, and wanted to make everything.

luckily, i actually had most of the ingredients on hand to make the main part of meal from the murder city devils ep: midnight burritos at the mason kitchen.

chef mason said that this was his take on mission-style burritos. and then he said he'd never been to san francisco. um, it's kinda evident he's never had a mission burrito, which is a hulking, amalgamated behemoth. this is not. this is actually the antithesis of the mission burrito--healthier, lighter, of average proportion, and orderly.

chef mason lines up the ingredients in such a way that plucks at my OCD heartstrings, so of course i had to as well. the innards of the burrito contain chorizo, green cilantro rice, refried lentils, goat cheese, queso fresco, and watercress salsa verde. when i first heard the components, i was doubtful but damn if this isn't one fine burrito. (okay, if you call this a burrito in my 'hood, you'd get laughed out of town. so let's say this is one fine mexican-inspired wrap.)

the lentils are a particularly nice addition because they are so much lighter than the traditional refried beans. the goat cheese was an eye-opening, mouth-watering surprise--the sharpness and musty creaminess adds extra depth, and the watercress salsa verde is soooooo nice. the original recipe calls for fresh tomatillos, which unfortunately i didn't have, so i had to make do with some frozen roasted ones i chucked in the freezer mumblemumble months ago. still, the peppery spice of the watercress played well with the heated spice of the jalapeño, and the fresh herbiness works well with the roasted fruit (i'm guessing tomatillos are fruit). i look forward to whatever season brings in fresh tomatillos on island, because the original sauce is a beautiful, verdant, springy green, and i'm sure the salsa verde will just knock my socks off. if i wore socks.

here's the band:

who freakin' rock it out. and here's another link to the recipes. i wish i had enough tomatillos to make the agua verde cocktail, but there's time enough for that.

my notes:
--i used frozen pre-roasted tomatillos in the salsa.
--the chorizo is a local product, and pretty freaking awesome. i used the chicken chorizo, which didn't produce a lot of oil, so for the lentils, i drained off some of the 'rizo juice and added a small glug of olive oil.
--i used regular lentils and didn't mash them down that much as i was looking for more texture.
--even though there are a zillion components, it is actually not that complicated. from start to finish, i had all the components made and the burritos assembled in just about an hour.

"dinner with the band" is on IFC, or by download on itunes.

statement of facts.

1. food. i have a love/hate, love/indifference relationship with it.
2. blogging. see above.
3. i like you. i really do. which is why i am going to try to shift the current hate/indifference mode to L-O-V-E, and embrace the foodie and blogger within.
4. there are too many food franchises coming to the island, i hope all the new folk on island will not stick to the frozen, salinated mass-marketed option. so this year i will try to blog about more local restaurants and what can be offered on a non-microwaved basis.
5. i might actually cook this year.
6. i like guys in suits. especially if they are adroit and adept at what they do.

just sayin'.

these are the contents of my fridge, so as you can see, there might be an easing-in period. see you soon.

waving, not drowning.

hallo! yes, you! i'm blogging at my LA blog for the moment, see you there!

sigur raw

golden bounty

it's the first time that the decade(s?) old mango tree has given out a worthy crop--pure gold, really, it has earned its keep as the giving tree. we still don't know exactly what variety it is, but i can say that the fruit are very large (some are more than a pound each), fibrous, but very, very sweet and juicy. i'm not sure i care, really. and i was thinking of posting some recipes, but for now we are just eating them out of hand, sometimes straight off the tree--warm and fragrant, juices dripping down our forearms, sticky and sweet.

lost restaurants

when i was a kid, on special weekends we used to go to the cliff hotel in agaña heights to eat at the red carpet restaurant. i honestly don't remember much about it except that the hotel was indeed on a cliff so it had a spectacular island and ocean view, and living up to its name, it did have red carpet. i also remember two specific items from the menu. one was a clubhouse sandwich, which, as a kid, i thought was the deeeluxe-superduper-bee's-knees with its triple stack of toasted bread and fillings, cut into quarters and skewered with a frilly toothpick; running a very close second in superduperness was their french dip/steak sandwich that was little more than juicy slices of beef piled on top of a garlic-butter-slathered-and-toasted bun.

red carpet restaurant is gone; i can recreate the sandwiches, but without the restaurant experience, they just aren't the same, no matter how delicious. holland bakery had the best italian herbed hamburger you'd ever have in a warehouse, house of wong had the kind of filipino-ized americanized chinese food i adored--lurid orange sweet and sour pork, eggy fried rice, shrimp camarones wrapped in bacon, hototai soup, all served on melamine platters with stamped tin utensils. m's steak house in dededo had those red glowing heat lamps keeping warm loaves of homemade pumpernickel bread wrapped in a starched white fabric napkin, and pats of butter in a stone urn topped with ice chips to keep them cool. salzburg chalet would have lovely little thin squares of chocolate, wrapped in postcard scenes of europe, at the end of every meal. there was a smorgasbord/buffet in sinajana called the crow's nest (and at some point, the captain's table) that had a penchant for molded gelatins and aspic--lime gelatin and salmon mousse shaped like a leaping fish, lemon gelatin with ham salad loaves, red gelatin and fruit cocktail rings with a cottage cheese center. okay, maybe that wasn't so delicious, but the memories are still as evocative.

there are so many restaurants that have come and gone--some missed, some completely forgotten. guam diner found an old glimpses of guam article about restaurant options on guam in 1973 that's worth looking at if you are are old as methuselah (or, rather, as old as i am), and don't get me started on all the places in los angeles i miss.

so what about you? is there some place that no longer exists except in the fondness of your heart?

what's in your freezer?

mine's a little full at the moment.

hot day.

tax day, taxing day, had to take a little respite from the heat and chaos at mt. lam lam sno n ice cream shop. hope you managed to eke out a treat for yourself today!

orange you glad...?

all wrapped up (in yarn and fur)

hiya! i had a weird summer vacation from blogging, how about you? sorry i've stayed away, but real life keeps getting in the way. i hope to blog regularly again soon. i don't think you care about what i've been up to, but the main thing that has kept me from blogging here is that i'm on a diet. whoo! and a boring (but sensible) one at that. it's actually quite simple: avoid processed foods, and do any sort of exercise. i promise to blog any interesting and non-processy recipes, but right now i'm happy with not thinking about food prep. i've replaced baking with knitting, so if you are on ravelry, look me up!

in other news, smoo, the family dog for the past 11 years (see above in her coconut murderous mode or see her here in cute mode) is at the vet's for the second time in as many weeks. she has a malignant tumour and they are checking to see if it has spread. if you are so inclined, send a good thought or two her way towards a successful recovery.

ps--i've had to turn on comment moderation for a little while because the spammers had invaded good and proper. i'm trying to clear up the garbage, so bear with me for awhile until the situation has gotten under control. thank you, salamat, dangkulo y si yu'os ma'ase!

noodleknit.

yes, i know you are meant to learn more about san francisco, but truthfully, this is much, much more interesting.

also? have brought chopsticks on plane to knit when knitting needles were banned. you get some odd stares but it works.

i left my blog in san francisco.

hello poppets! i havena forgotten you, but i have forgotten to blog. i am, alas, no longer in san francisco, but i probably have a few words to say about it. stay tuned for the inevitable ferry building marketplace post, and maybe another one, too....

lax to sfo.

**just a note: i would have normally have put this on my los angeles blog, but a lot of you are world travellers, so you might be interested in this post. i do talk about food eventually :)

i haven't been to san francisco in eons, so i thought it was about time. the last few times i did go, i drove, but with gas prices being what they are--along with the fact that i was going alone--made me decide to fly instead. also, virgin america airlines was offering a promo rate of $39 each way. sold! i later found i could pay $15 extra for a bulkhead or for an exit row seat; then when i got to the airport, they asked if i'd like to upgrade to a first class seat for $50. i would like, thankyewverramuch, but because i had paid for the legroom upgrade, my first class seat only cost another $35. whoo! $89 each way still ended up cheaper than what i would have spent on gas, so i was happy.

the flight was delayed for a sucktastic three hours; in the time i spent travelling to the airport, checking in and waiting i could already have been in sf had i driven. no matter--any irritations were melted away when i got on board: mood lighting! chillout music! happy flight attendants! apologetic captain dressed all in black! also, comfy leather seats with power outlets so i could charge my phone in flight (not just in first class, too).

and the best part? a coolicious touch screen at every seat with on demand movies, videos, live satellite television, 3000+ mp3s, games, chat rooms, and seat-to-seat chat.

how crazy awesome is that?! although, on a 50-minute flight, not many people are interested in chatting. emailing, texting, and books/articles to read are forthcoming.

if you are hungry or thirsty, you can use the touch screen to order food and drink, then pay using a credit/debit card (no cash is accepted). i forgot to check that category, but i know archer farms snacks are available. in first class, there was a little lunchbox on offer, which held three little containers and a whole lotta cutlery.

there was a soba salad with a sesame dressing, panna cotta with a pecan praline sauce, and balsamico-braised shiitake mushrooms. it may not look exciting, but all three were very good, the soba salad in particular (actually, it might be the best soba salad i've had, not that i've had many). small, but filling.

i've read a few reviews about virgin, none of them particularly good, but i had a great time, and thought it was definitely worth the price. i'm fairly certain the $39 was a temporary promotion, but as long as the prices remain competitive, i will definitely consider taking virgin again. i would, however, like to try a longer flight next time.

sfo

and now for a different kind of fish food.

kenko fish spa therapy, my new favourite place in the whole hyoooniverse. here you sit in relaxed, simple splendour--all sunny and calm in the day, all moody and calm at night--with your legs immersed in warm waters up to your knees, like summertime on a dock of a country pond.

only you are in the middle of a kicka** shopping mall, in the heart of the golden triangle tourist and entertainment center of kuala lumpur.

and there are hundreds of tiny fish eating off the worst of your dead skin and callouses. wha-!!!

yeeeheeee! once you realize they are not there to eat you alive (although, seriously, at first you have to wonder, as they can be quite voracious), it is a very pleasant (dare i say mirthful?) experience. ticklish, tickly, nibbly, fish-lippy kisses. there are two sides to choose from--one has smaller fish, the other has much larger ones. however, the little fish can be more aggressive than the big ones, but um, you might just want to start with the smaller mouths just the same.

the fish--garra ruffa, more commonly known as doctor fish, more comically known as reddish log suckers--are native to the central and middle eastern parts of europe and western asia, and have long been bred and used in turkish spas as therapy for psoriasis sufferers as the fish eat the affected or dead skin, leaving new, healthier skin to grow. it isn't considered treatment, but i have to say as someone with mild psoriasis, my feet and skin have never felt better. true, a really good scrubdown is all that is really necessary, but a half hour as feeding fodder for the fishies is a far more entertaining option.

i recommend going in the morning, as there can be quite a crowd in the afternoon and nighttime. the water is changed out and ionized at night, so i figure the pools must be cleaner at in the a.m. (although you are required to clean and scrub your feet before entering the spa area--still), and the fish are definitely hungrier. you have been advised.

kenko reflexology and fish spa
pavilion,
168 jalan bukit bintang, lot 5.01.09 (5th floor, near gsc cinemas)
kl(039802) malaysia
tel: 603.2141.6651.

open 10am to 10pm, daily

malaysia, truly asia.

i'm going to kuala lumpur in a week or so; i've read dozens of malaysian food blogs, but pretty much nothing else. any suggestions? i'll be there for five days.