Cavalock and The Serious Raid at Legoland

Thank gawd for friends with cars, we get to visit joints in faraway hideaways on elevated highlands like Dempsey Hill. Japanese cafe Henri Charpentier was the venue of an after-dinner rendezvous and it was our first time there. Classy decor, great service and an enticing baked selection. Clockwise we had the lemon tart, mille-crepe, strawberry shortcake and mont blanc. All the desserts were as gratifying as hyped up to be and we were already making plans to return for lunch soon.

Their French signature flaming crepe suzette was good but I ain't exactly a Grand Marnier fan, bit too tangy for me. If you had enough of hipster cafes, then this is a relaxing alternative place to hang out or maybe impress a date. We are definitely looking forward to exploring the rest of the menu some day (two words!).

At last, I crossed the border to Legoland Tijuana Johor Bahru but this is not like any other Legoland Malaysia guide, this is how to get in without buying the entry fee and go on a madcap 45-minute shopping spree. Yes, I'm talking bout a serious freakin' raid!

So here's the deal if you just want to shop at Legoland and not visit the theme park. You need to pay a 155 ringgit deposit which you'll get back when you spend 100 ringgit or more, yeah I said 'when' instead of 'if' cos we all know what's gonna happen. And you'll have only 45 minutes to do your shopping.

Right now they have the Chinese New Year Lego sheep/goat/ram figure promo but only if you buy certain sets or themes like Ninjago. I bought a buncha Star Wars sets so I didn't get it but I got packs of Lego ang pows instead. :(. Price wise it's almost the same as what we are paying here and if you factor in transport charges and the hassle of carrying the big boxes on the buses like I did, then I would strongly suggest you just get it in Singapore. BUT if you can get some kind discount then it's worth a trip. :)

Their build-a-minifigure selection is pretty good. I managed to build nine different ones and could have easily made a dozen. It's almost as good as the one I went to in NYC Times Square IMHO. Cheaper too if you consider the current exchange rate! Their pick-a-brick wall looks a lot better than any wall we have here. Now 45 minutes ain't a lot of time cos if you plan to pick bricks and build those cute little minifigures, you won't have time for much shopping.

There you go, if you are a Lego collector, there ought to be something at Legoland Malaysia that you can't find back home in Singapore or cheaper in JB than at our local stores. Good luck!

Cavalock and The Super-Hero Cookie Creation

The first bake order of the year from our tiny apartment kitchen is out! So we had an order for a friend's 5 or maybe 6-year-old boy's birthday party. We asked him for his cookie choice of comic book characters and among those he picked, there was Cyclops from the X-Men. Now if you are a comic-book fan, you would understand when I ask, "Seriously? Cyclops?!? You really want Cyclops butter cookies?!?". Well, he also picked Wonder Woman which I believe is for the little girls coming to his party. Yah, I know it ain't the kinda gender representation we like to see but that's what the kid asked for.

A look at a tray of very rare Scarlet Spider cookies before they all become Spider-Man! I always get a blast whenever we get an order for comic-book cookies like last year's the Avengers and Batman.

So I told myself I hope to get more writing done this year and the crazy thing is I am but just not on this blog. My writing therapy has me churning out a couple stories that I hope to self-publish one day. In the meantime, I have also busy with mixing and matching the new official Lego minifigures Series 13. And no, this little scene wasn't created cos of any new ban on public drinking. ;)

Cavalock and The Gyoza Gaiety

I have been to their restaurant at Neil Road years ago when I was still part of a productive workforce, but I guess a busy office work life back then left me with no time to blog bout it. Anyway, I was able to drop by Jing Hua Xiao Chi's Orchard Road outlet at the classy Palais Renaissance earlier this week for lunch. And I hereby declare they got the best damn gyoza I have tasted in a freakin' long time. These pan-fried mixed seafood and pork dumplings are simply irresistible. The skin is crispy and the fillings delicious. My only regret was picking the small serving of just six, so do yourself a favour and order the ten-piece serving.

Another dish you don't normally find elsewhere is their popular Osmanthus flower soup with glutinous rice ball dessert. Its got a sweet floral flavour and the rice balls come with fillings of black sesame, lotus seed with walnut, peanut and red bean paste. Not as sweet as I thought it would be but the floral scent definitely comes out strong.

So hey, it's only the first half of January and I have already been to Tijuana Johor Bahru twice this year! Well, the first incursion was actually on New Year's Day for a friend's wedding. With the current conversion rate, it's a great time to go shopping for Chinese New Year snacks and stuff. Got a box of some of the best pineapple tarts we ever tasted from Lavender Bakery at their City Square outlet, just across the Causeway, for only about S$10 for 32 pieces.

But if Chinese New Year goodies ain't your thing then check this out. Where else around here can you find Uniqlo t-shirts this cheap?!? Definitely not in Singapore. Alright, you may or may not like the designs on sale that day but still, it's a great buy for any Uniqlo t-shirt.

Cavalock and The Return of The Ronin Chef

First I believe was Wasabi Tei at Far East Plaza, then Chikuwa Tei along Mohammed Sultan Road, followed by Mitsuba at Central and now it's Kaiware at Tripleone Somerset. Yup, it seems like the same couple behind the first three Japanese restaurants are now at their new Somerset joint. He's like some wandering ronin chef! Stealthily moving from restaurant to restaurant! In case you are wondering, the sashimi here is just as thick and fresh as always. They also got a different daily special menu, saw it but wasn't impressed by it. I'll just stick to my aka-carte chirashi sushi the next time I'm there.

It took me awhile to figure out what to do for my first post of the year. Now what better way to start a new year than with a calendar? So here's a desk calendar from 1966 that I found in the old family home and guess what, it's still in excellent condition. It's a collection of real big fancy ass houses by developer CDL back in 1966. A rare retro peek into the homes of rich locals and expats.