Nasi Dagang @ Eiyda & Nik’s

i don’t really like nasi dagang, but in dubai – far from burger ramly, satay kajang or nasi lemak antarabangsa – any malaysian dish is to die for. also, especially since dubai’s beloved kelantanese couple abe nik and eiyda is hosting!

when they extend an invitation to their house, you know you’re getting a delicious nasi dagang dish. asli. no doubt. kat dubai ni, rumah diorang je bole dapat nasi dagang!

and this time around, i was so excited looking at the yummy delights set on the table : there’s the highly anticipated nasi dagang, there’s my favorite spaghetti, there’s even laksa, and on top of that, bihun sup!

it’s like a malaysian food-fest over at their house!

 

*pictures are from google – was too excited to snap any food pictures!

* * *

the makan-makan was actually to celebrate their children’s birthdays – 7 year old arieq, and 3 year old syarafina, who is as cute as a button!

 

this is khaleef with syarafina. so cute! amacam eiyda, bole? hihi.

 

the hostess eiyda (black tudung) preparing to cut the second cake for her only son, arieq who turned 7. khaleef was not in the picture because merajuk. after the kiddos sang happy birthday, he was the one who blew out all the candles! when everyone teased him, he nearly cried, merajuk and refused to be in any of the pictures!

 

bapak-bapak orang bergosip : abg affandy, abg zaim, mr. khairul, abg mahadi, abe nik on the couch, abe janggut ni tak kenal nama la, next is abg nazli, and abg botak ni pun tak perasan nama/rupa

 

me me me, kak riri, kak rozi with kak syida on the couch, kak su & kak ina : the babies are super cute! indeed makan-makan like this strengthen bonds of friendship as we gather over good food and loud laughters and noisy chattering!

* * *

thanks abe nik and eiyda for having us. it was a lovely lunch and we left with full tummy! tambah banyak kali tu! well, we don’t know how long will it be until the next nasi dagang!

Frozen Yoghurt : Yogen Früz vs Pinkberry

last weekend we went on a froyo frenzy!

froyo – the cute nick for ‘frozen yoghurt’, is a a frozen dessert made from, or containing yogurt or other dairy products. it is slightly more tart, rich in taste than ice cream, as well as lower in fat (due to the use of milk instead of cream).

see the magic word – LOW fat! hihi.

it was a froyo frenzy time for the family because we went to mirdiff city center and ate frozen yoghurt at one kiosk, went jalan-jalan, and then stopped by another frozen yoghurt place. ‘yogen fruz’ first, and then to ‘pinkberry’.

* * *

the ‘yogen fruz’ kiosk that we went to was very white, very cute. blue font with the signature smiley ‘ü’ in pink is difficult to ignore!

‘yogen fruz’ was founded by a couple of teenage canadian brothers, who started the company using money loaned from their dad. now it’s an international frozen yoghurt brand with hundreds of branches worldwide.

 

 

here they offer only two frozen yoghurt flavors – original and chocolate. choose from non-fat, low-fat and no-sugar-added.

the staff was very friendly. he explained the types of frozen yoghurt we could choose from, and gave few recommendations. i think he read my mind when he asked whether i wanted something sour – memang pun! hihi.

maybe he had a lot of female customers asking for the sour frozen yoghurt.

 

 

okay in yogen fruz, there’s ‘mix it’, and ‘top it’.

‘mix it’ - mix your frozen yoghurt with a choice of raspberry, blackberries, banana, kiwi, peaches, watermelon, mango – the list goes on! this is their signature frozen yoghurt - mixing it with fresh fruits.

choose a few fruits, and they’ll blend the frozen yoghurt with the fruit – ice blended concept, but with frozen yoghurt.

‘top it’ – toppings like sliced almond, cereal, grated chocolate, shredded coconut, fruity cheerios are all for your choosings. this is the usual fare – a swirl of frozen yoghurt and a sprinkle of toppings right on top.

 

 

we went for ‘mix it’. since we’re trying for the first time, we took the cheapest – which was 18dhs. we got a swirl of frozen yoghurt in a small cup, with a choice of only one fruit.

since i wanted something sour, the staff recommended mixing the frozen yoghurt with raspberry. so, white original-flavor yoghurt mixed with red raspberry – pink, sour, raspberry-flavoured frozen yoghurt!

 

the taste? let’s just say that if you want something low-fat, deliciously SOUR and cold – this is the super-perfect dessert. sedap sangat! mr. khairul and i were already talking about a second visit, and maybe next time we’ll mix it with kiwi jadi hijau or mango jadi kuning!

my only complain was that the portion is too little for something so delicious…

 

* * *

after a round of walk around mirdiff city center, we found another frozen yoghurt place called ‘pinkberry’. we went crazy and decided to stop again for a cup!

‘pinkberry’ is another cute hang-out. the walls are transparent except for green polka-dots along the eye-level. the chairs were also green and white, and the place decorated with green plants. really funky yet greeny – i like it!

 

 

 

did i tell you that i LOVE the chairs? i would love to have these at my home! and look at the huge white vase-thingy in the middle of the cafe? total cuteness! if you notice, the flooring is also gorgeous. little beads of batu sungai – memang lawa sangat.

the whole look of the place gives the illusion and feel of enjoying your cup of frozen yoghurt at a very fancy green garden!

 

 

‘pinkberry’ is another international brand, and offers 3-4 flavor of frozen yoghurt. pick a cup-size, pick your toppings – and you’re good to go!

you can also get 'fruit parfait’ and smoothies from pinkberry.

 

 

well, the standard toppings of any frozen yoghurt stand i guess – choices of colorful fruits, or others like nuts, cookies and cereal. gummibears too!

one topping caught my eye – pomogrenate seeds. wah. but too exotic to put in my yoghurt on the first try! maybe next time lah! hihi.

 

 

as usual, we picked the cheapest at 22dhs (well, 12dhs is the cheapest actually but that’s JUST the yoghurt without any toppings). this one comes with a tall swirl of white, original frozen yoghurt, with a choice of 4 toppings.

mr. khairul picked strawberry, kiwi and 2 portions of mango. lovely!

 

 

the taste? what’s not to love – frozen yoghurt, nice. fresh fruits, nice. i like that it’s NOT that sweet, just fresh taste combined with sweetness of mango, sour strawberry and delicious kiwi.

sedap lah! and i don’t need to tell you how my boys LOVE frozen yoghurt…

 

 

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back in malaysia, i’ve tried froyo at tutti frutti, also an international brandname. i went to the ttdi branch. a very frun experience because you get to MAKE your own combo of froyo-toppings. click here for my review.

let’s compare and contrast, shall we? between tutti fruti, yogen fruz and pinkberry!

 

  

yogen fruz :

• only 2 flavors of froyo – original and chocolate
• cheapest is 16dhs
• small portion
• can only choose one topping (more toppings, more expensive)
• signature froyo is ‘MIX IT’ – blend froyo with your choice of fruit
• delicious!

 

pinkberry :

• 4 flavors of froyo – original, chocolate, promagrenate and something i can’t remember
• cheapest is 22dhs with toppings (w/o is 12dhs)
• big portion
• can choose 4 toppings
• delicious!

 

tutti frutti :

• TONS of flavors, and they change every now and then – original, vanilla, chocolate, honey dew, lychee – the list is endless!
• self-service – you press for your own froyo, you take the spoon and pick your own toppings and even chocolate syrup
• cheapest is… take less, pay less – because you only pay for what you take. after you take, you weigh and pay according to the weight
• so portion is up to you!
• delicious, because it’s YOUR own froyo + toppings creation!

 

if you ask me, my fav between the three is tutti frutti – because it has so many different flavors of frozen yoghurt, and you can take as many flavors as you want. just take a little bit of everything so that it won’t be too heavy (since you pay for its weight).

but the point is – frozen yoghurt memang sangat sedap! and bak kata my adik bongsu – tak muak!

 

* * *

all i can say is, if you LOVE ice-cream and had never tried frozen yoghurt, you better do so! you’ll love this one, and probably would change to froyo entirely! frozen yoghurt is after all, said to be a healthier choice than ice-cream!

there’s one more froyo spot that we noticed in mirdiff city center with a funny name - ‘snog’! definitely trying that one next!

Rock Concert, Anyone? Guns N’ Roses?

at the time of writing, mr. khairul is probably banging his head to the tune of ‘knockin on heaven’s door’ at yas arena, abu dhabi. yeap, guns n’ roses in concert tonight!

for weeks, all i can hear from his notebook were clips upon clips of guns n roses videos on youtube. he was so excited about it, especially since he had seen the guys in action while in the states, almost 8-9 years ago. he would hum, sing (badly, i must add! hihi) and oh no – make guitar-playing action with his fingers.

yes, this is a father of three. sheesh.

never knew i had married a mat rock!

 

 

me, i’m more of a theatre kind of person. suka sangat tengok teater. the first big theatre show that i watched was way back in 1995 – the staging of shakespeare’s ‘twelfth night’ by the instant cafe theatre at carcosa seri negara. click here for my theatre tales.

i watched a lot of theatre during my college years (zaman bujang hihi), circa 1997 – 2002, i even caught a few theatre performances while in melbourne. after marriage with kiddos, we had to find time to drop them at my aunt’s place to be able to watch a decent show!

i have yet to catch any theatre show here in dubai, which is a shame because dubai is such a cultural place. also, it’s kinda frowned-upon if you bring 3 boys – all under the age of 5 – to a shakespeare’s play!

concert?

small gigs featuring so-called real rap groups tu biase lah masa remaja dulu. haha. yo! yo! and small showcases at planet hollywood with anuar zain, innuendo, VE – yes – but the only big concert i’ve been to was that ‘tangan’ concert in genting – remember the concert, anyone? the big concert featured many big names including sheila majid, backstreet boys, innuendo, anuar zain, and also my beloved group of all time; boyz II men. man, that was a heckuva concert. just look at the line-up!

(thanks honey, for the memories – boyz II men LIVE!)

so which ones do you prefer? CONCERT or THEATER SHOWS? *wink*

* * *

mr. khairul went along with 4 other dudes from dubai, and meeting up with another 10-15 dudes from abu dhabi. semua bapak-bapak budak.

rock punya pasal! *enjoice*!

Nasi Padang @ Sari Nusa, Dubai

indonesian food is the closest thing to malay food here in dubai. we’ve tried betawi restaurant not too long ago, and now, ‘sari nusa’, carrying the tag, ‘the best indonesian cuisine’. were they right on the mark? a mysterious ‘foodie’ dropped a comment the posting on betawi restaurant and suggested we try this place.

 

 

located in satwa, it’s in the same row as ‘noodle bowl’, a popular chinese restaurant among malaysians – why? one of its chef is a malaysian from ipoh, perak! read my review on ‘noodle bowl’ here.

it’s bold, red signage ‘SARI NUSA’ will be hard to miss. however, it’s located along the main road, so it’s hard to find a parking space right in front or opposite. so just make your way to the back of the building for more parking space.

* * *

comparatively speaking, it’s way more spacious than betawi restaurant. for us with a stroller and 2 boisterous boys, it was certainly more comfortable. there were no curtains, so it was very bright inside –but i love it! though i wonder how hot it can go during the summer days…

 

 

 

there were large lovely paintings of kampung scenes (village) with tha paddy fields, wooden houses and fishermen. there were also green plants at the corners and a big tv up on the wall.

overall, a clean, comfy family-friendly place to eat in.

* * *

the food at betawi restaurant is delicious, but sari nusa actually provided the real nasi padang.

well, nasi padang is actually steamed rice, served with a few different dishes (lauk). while the nasi padang at betawi do come with a few different lauk, but the choice stops there. you can’t choose your lauk. it comes in a set on a plate, with the steamed rice. sedap, tapi takde pilihan.

at sari nusa?

 

 

but in sari nusa – well, you need only look at the menu to see how many lauk they offer! and this is just the first page. now THIS is what they call nasi padang – steamed rice with a LOT of different lauk which we can choose from.

well, actually we don’t need to look at the menu. like any typical nasi bungkus stall or restaurant in malaysia, the lauk or dishes were all lined up in metal containers at one side of the restaurant. we only need to pick up a plate, scoop some rice and add whatever lauk that takes our fancy.

 

 

choose from an assortment of spicy gravy (which they call gulai), many types of chicken, fish or beef dishes and fried foodstuff too like pergedil – potato nugget – fried mashed potato with vege in flour.

for malaysians in dubai who miss nasi bungkus, these lauk are heaven-sent!

one tip – if you come in groups or even a pair, it’s cheaper to scoop some lauk and put separately in a bowl or plate, rather than taking a lauk in your own personal plate with the rice. sharing is caring, ok! hihi.

 

 

 

finally this was what mr. khairul scooped for us – everything looked so inviting, and taste as delicious! the right amount of spice, the right amount of taste.

 

this is ayam rendang. normally i dislike eating rendang with plain rice. i mean, i LOVE our malay rendang with lemang and such, but not with rice. but the indonesian rendang is slightly different in taste, and texture as well. it’s like a thick ayam masak merah. delicious!

 

this is gulai ayam.  the gravy is not thick – a little spicy, a little sweet. just nice.

 

this is sayur nangka. this is my first time ever eating this dish. i’m really not a fan of fruit-turn-savoury-lauk like pajeri nenas, or sayur betik but this is really good.

 

 

 pergedil (potato nugget?) and sambal hijau. don’t be a hero and lump a whole lot of that spicy sambal with your rice. you’ll be pumping the whole niagara falls into your throat – the green sambal is super spicy, but that’s what makes it such an appetizing condiment.

 

for drinks, we had my favorite drink cincau – which was disappointingly too sweet! khaleef ordered orange juice which tasted like any other regular orange juice. verdict – should’ve just settled for bottled plain water instead!

 

 

overall, i would say that my lunching experience at sari nusa was A plus! the lauk was fresh even though it’s pre-cooked, the ambiance was comfy and bright, the space large enough for kahfi to run around, the staff friendly and the price affordable and so worth it.

betawi restaurant offers one dish set of nasi padang comprise of steamed rice and a few lauk on a plate. delicious, but you have no choice over the lauk. so for a real taste of nasi padang with a much wider choice in lauk, i suggest you try sari nusa instead.

we would definitely come again!

Expats in Dubai, Register ID Already?

i don’t have an ID card, and the due date is 31st december!

people, if you’re over 15 year old living in dubai – pay attention. go to a typing center, pre-register, wait for sms, and complete your registration – you got yourself an ID. so far i only have a health card (excellent for getting free/cheap service at government clinics/hospitals).

click here for list of any 700 typing centers around the country.

however, interestingly enough, EIDA (emirates identity authority) revealed that :

1. by july 2010, around 6 million expats have not registered (gile ramai!)
2. all probably could not be registered by 31st december due date (termasuk la aku kot hihi)
3. *most* emiratis had already registered (you mean, you can’t get your own ppl to register?)
4. no decision yet to take action against those who have not yet registered

hmm.

HOW : anyway, registration for ID seemed simple enough – in two steps :

1. do a pre-registration process at any certified typing center (fill in application form, scan documents & pay fee)
2. receive appointment via sms to complete registration at EIDA centers (fingerprinting, photographing & signature)

so basically you got to pre-register, then wait for an appointment to complete the registration. your card will be couriered to you within a month. tapi banyak kerja kan kena pergi 2 tempat.

WHAT DO YOU NEED? for us residents and expats in dubai, prepare these items :

• original valid passport.
• valid residency permit.
• only for children below 15 years old: colored passport-size photo with light blue background.
• registration fees: AED 100 per year.
• service fees: AED 70.

EXTRA : important notes :

• registration fees of children below 15 (all nationalities) is AED 50 in addition to AED 70 as service fees.
• the customer is not required to attend to the typing center himself, (so mr. khairul can register for me here) but he/she must visit the registration center him/herself to finalize ID registration procedures (photographing + fingerprinting).
• people over 15 must bring the typing center receipt together with the original passport.
• the customer must wear the official uniform of his/her homeland (so baju melayu and baju kurung?)

 

more on this featured in gulfnews, click here. also, this straightforward clear-cut Q&A on ID, click here.

on the other hand, it’s stated in gulfnews that, “for those expatriates who have obtained the ID card, there is little need to produce it as most government services do not require it.”

hmm. any malaysians in dubai dah buat ID?