MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

WISHING EVERY ONE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

LET THERE BE HOPE, LOVE AND PEACE ON EARTH. HAVE A LOVELY DAY! 

"KAH HIONG NGIU CHAP" (BEEF PARTS)

Kah Hiong Ngiu Chap, located in the Kolam Centre at Hilltop is definitely one of the most famous "Ngiu Chap" (Beef parts) in Kota Kinabalu. I have not been to this place for quite some time and was surprised that their "Ngiu Chap" was still superb, maintaining their standard.    

A bowl of stewed rib meat is highly recommended. The soup was delicious and the meat was very tender.       

Konlou Mee - noodle mixed with "Kah Hiong" special sauce.  

 

Beef and meat ball soup. I like the "daikon" (white radish), which enhances the sweet taste of soup with beef balls, beef brisket, beef tripe and beef tendons.

In Kota kinabalu, this shop is highly recommended while another one is Kedai Kopi Loi Hin in Donggonnon, Penampang as published on my blog on 10March 2012

TARAP - FRUIT OF BORNEO

From Papar, we brought back a couple of  "Tarap", a native fruit of Borneo. They are about the same size and shape as durians.

Compared to the hard, thorny spines of the durian,"Tarap" has soft spines and it 's very easy to open - simple tear the spines apart and the fruits are nestled inside, attached loosely to the stem. 

The fruits are soft and creamy and taste like the sweet custard. The flesh is easily separated from the seed. 

These fruits are delicious and go very well as dessert after a meal.  As tarap is not found in any other country, many of our friends who migrated overseas, missed the "tarap". Whenever they return to Borneo for a visit, they will for for it. The best season to taste the fruit is between Novemebr and December each year.    

PAPAR - OF DURIAN & SATAY

An unplanned trip to Papar landed us in the durian paradise. The fruit market was full of durians on that Sunday afternoon. It's the "KING" peak season - durians from all over the countryside as far as Lawas in Sarawak!     

My favourite - extra creamy with a bit of bitterness! 

 Prices ranged from RM3.00 - RM8.00 per kg.

After the feast, my brother in-law recommended that we go for the popular "Kampong Satay" in town.  

    Satay with Ketupat (rice) and peanut sauce.

These seasoned, skewered and grilled meat were just delicious.

The Satay stall's boss was hard at work, busy grilling the satay for more customers.

It has been a very long time since I gave myself such a good treat with both durian and satay in one afternoon. As we were leaving, my brother and sister in-law were already talking about returning to Papar before the durian season ends.    

MOUNT COOT-THA, BRISBANE

One evening, just before sunset, we drove to Mount Coot-tha hoping to catch a bird's eyes view of the city. 

From the observation deck, we had the breathtaking panorama view of Brisbane City.

I noticed that there was some improvement in the restaurant and cafe areas since my last visit back in 2004. 

My daughter was trying out her new camera.

It's a good place to relax and end the day.  

The only disappointment was the lack of parking bays.

From Mt. Coot-tha, we headed to West End for a dinner at a renowned Thai restaurant.   

Our starters were Fish cakes and Papaya + fried shrimps salad.

 Followed by the traditional Tom Yam Goong. 

 Red Curry

Mango and glutinous rice for Dessert. 

It was a great evening - Fantastic views from Mount Coot-tha and a delicious Thai dinner.