Nyonya Sayang?

Peranakan food is one of those myth that been floating around when you visit either Penang or Melaka. This is especially so among our Singaporean visitors whose eyes begin to lit with the mention of Peranakan food. It is supposed to be a fusion of old Chinese and local Malay cuisine, creating a eclectic mix of the exotic. Or so we thought.

Peranakan is an endearing term of the Baba and Nyonyas, assimilated Chinese who came and settled in Tanah Melayu during the Sultanate times. A romantic era, and they live by their adopted custom. Some of them can't even speak a word of Mandarin and could be seen in sarong and kebaya. They also often speak pristine Malay. Our original "Malaysia as the Second Home" initiative I supposed.

So one to expect something magical when it comes to their food. But unfortunately, over the years, the Peranakan cuisine had been exploited. We were dined at one such restaurant in Bandar Melaka last weekend, Nyonya Sayang. It was so bad that one of our Singaporean colleague actually stood up and proclaimed, "this is not food". Rather hatch but I must say that I agree with him. The food was poor. We should have suspected it upon seeing how deserted the restaurant was when our bus arrived.

One of these days, I should really look around for a real Peranakan meal. Maybe then, I might appreciate what the fuss is all about .....

In the meantime, avoid Nyonya Sayang at all cost .....

Guilty!

It wouldn't be a trip to Penang without the customary binge on laksa, cendol, nasi kandar and the likes. I was guilty of that, even though the purpose of coming back this time was for the funeral.

We had a late lunch after all was settled. Nasi kandar, cendol, and of course soon to be laksa ...... help!

Stuck in the Rain

Had been stuck at a Mamak stall across the hospital for the past hour. It had been raining heavily since I got here, and there was no sign of it relenting. To make matter worse, therein meant there would be no Astro. No football. Sigh!

A New Recipe

So, what's for dinner? Nothing special as we were still recovering from the Singapore trip and the boys were still grumpy from their first day back to school after a long break.

Irfan was happy to have his presents but we decided to have cake this weekend instead. Unfortunately, I'll be on call on Sunday.

Out of the blue, Anita decided to try a new recipe. It was fish cooked in the oven and some spinach. It turned out great, although the gravy was a bit lumpy. Can't complain really.

Who Wants Pancake?

After we took turn having breakfast at the main cafe, it was the boys' turn to have some breakfast. What did they want? Pancakes.

And they were gorgeous. The maple syrup that went with them was just heavenly. And guess who finished them up in the end? Puan Anita ....