The Press Room

As much as I like my street food, I also enjoy caving in to my cravings for delicious, sinful desserts. So it was after a long night out that Regina and I decided to check out The Pressroom in Bangsar Shopping Centre. For the longest time I have heard her rave about this restaurant and I finally understood why.

The first thing that strikes you as you walk in towards the entrance of The Press Room is its stunning gold and red backdrop. In fact, you can't help but feel that you are dining in a vintage-inspired European cafe that has been designed to impress. With its gorgeous interior design, I immediately took a liking for this joint.

Naturally, the main agenda was to pore over the menu and to choose our desserts which we finally did. I settled on a lemon meringue ice-cream which was refreshingly good on a hot night. The lemon sorbet was topped with a generous serving of almonds, whipped cream and other delicious ingredients. Regina on the other hand, ordered the Amandine which was a dreamy combination of almond ice cream topped with pistachio, hazelnut, butterscotch and whipped cream.

While I only had space for dessert that night, I will definitely return for another visit to check out the main dishes!

Soong Kee Beef Noodles

If there is one hawker dish that I can't resist, it would most probably be beef noodles! I chanced upon the original Soong Kee Beef Ball Mee restaurant at Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin a few years ago and I have enjoyed its food ever since! However, I can tell you one thing that it ain't easy to park in this part of town!

So when I read in the papers that Tan Sri Francis Yeoh had decided to coax his favourite hawker stalls to be part of the new Lot 10 Hutong food court I was naturally intrigued. Finally, an easier way to have my favourite dish. To convince established hawker vendors to leave the comforts of their own "territory" and have a stall in a fancy air-conditioned food court is certainly no easy feat and lucky for you and me, it has happened.

I managed to convince Regina to try a bowl of beef noodles with me which she gamely agreed! The Lot 10 stall has a special set at RM7.50 where one can enjoy a plate of vegetables, a bowl of noodles topped with their specially prepared minced pork (yes, how did pork suddenly enter the picture? only the owner knows), soup filled with beefy goodness (spare parts - beef tripe, beef balls, beef intestines,etc) and a glass of pandan red tea which i opted to have plain water instead (no pandan flavoured drinks for me, TQVM).

The noodles were just exactly as I remembered it, springy and dripping with delicious morsels of minced meat that has been marinated with dark soya sauce. The beef balls remain the main attraction and they go well with the stall's tangy chili sauce. Skill is definitely required in preparing these bouncy beef balls, from ensuring its freshness; tenderizing, mincing, marinating and finally in boiling them. Although I wasnt sure exactly what I was eating in the medley of spare parts in the bowl, I suppose I enjoyed the different textures (dont get all grossed out on me now).

As you can see from the pictures below, Regina is enjoying her bowl of noodles with much gusto, hehheh (Reg, don't kill me). So if u're ever in Lot 10, don't forget to check out this stall!

The Baptism of Baby Paul

I was recently asked to take photos of baby Paul Yeow's baptism by Choo Ki and I willingly obliged as this was my first time doing so! For those unaware, it is the Christian religious practice of baptising an infant to join the family of the church. This baptism ceremony is done amidst prayers by the congregation and by sprinking water on the infant's head.

It was an interesting ceremony and it was evident that Choo Ki and her husband were absolutely devoted to their firstborn. I have to admit that I was surprised by Paul's good temperament as he was completely unafraid of the many strangers staring at his cherubic cheeks and especially with me pointing a gigantic lens at his face! I have been duly informed by Choo Ki that he has been trained from the start to face the camera which is good! Below are the pictures that were taken during the baptism ceremony.

Richard Branson - The Autobiography

Once upon a time, not too long ago (or so I would like to believe), I used to have a voracious appetite for books. Fast forward to the future, I admit that my *ehem*, book-reading habit has dwindled a tad bit! But of course, every now and then, kind souls would lend me interesting books (Thank you Choo Ki!) which includes this Richard Branson autobiography, Chairman of the Virgin Group.

Aptly titled 'Losing My Virginity' (what else could he have possibly called it?), this book chronicles his childhood years and the experiences that have helped shaped his amazing entrepreneurial and savvy business skills.

I've only begun reading the first few chapters and already I'm hooked. He writes in a very personal manner, so it feels like he's right there next to you, telling you his story. (creepy, isn't it?)

I must also admit that I was quite intrigued by his cover shot for the book. It looks as if he's calmly standing alone, completely at ease with himself (who wouldn't be, with the knowledge that there are gazillions of money sitting in your bank account?) and facing the ocean with the salty breeze blowing right across his hair. A nice portrait shot I must say! Which makes me wonder if I had a chance to shoot a book cover for any famous celebrity, who would I like to shoot? Johnny Depp and Christian Bale! (Call me, I know you're reading this).

Essentially, I love reading about other people's lives, hence the instant preference for biographies. But of course, there are many that I have yet to read, so if there are any good recommendations, please let me know!

This also explains my rather unhealthy obsession with E! True Hollywood Stories. I have probably seen every other celebrity's life story (Please do not repeat the Britney Spears' episode, again. I probably know every ex-Mickey Mouse club member by now). Which reminds me, I need to subscribe to that new Biography channel in Astro! (No, I am not being paid for endorsing this!).

So anyway, I will probably be spending my nights reading this book and I'm guessing it's going to be one interesting ride.

PC & Family

When PC told me that she wanted to do a photo shoot of her family, I told her that I was more than happy to help her out. Her sister Pooi Mun had just returned from overseas so it was the perfect timing to do a shoot with the whole family before she left again.

So these pictures were taken over brunch at a nice, quiet restaurant as they tucked into their meals and enjoyed the relaxing environment. The 3 siblings gelled together really well and they definitely weren't shy to poke fun at each other! Their parents were also game enough to take photos with their 3 fun kids. It was definitely nice seeing the whole family enjoying each other's company.