Lima Blas, Jalan Mesui

We came across the most charming and vintage restaurant the other day while exploring the hidden roads of KL. The boo loves his nyonya food so he was very excited, and I was more excited by the photographic opportunities that I could get with the vintage setup. The décor was made up of old-school things like tiffin carriers, typewriters, steel fans, and rusted window panes. The décor is so well put-together and curated that even TimeOutKL named it as one of their 5 choice places for wedding photography. As for food, my favourite of the day was the sambal petai prawn, it’s the best I’ve come across so far! Price is a little on the high side but the food is good and the head chef is really friendly.

Lima Blas
15 Jalan Mesui, Off Jalan Nagasari,
50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Soaking up the sun on Santa Monica Beach

Beaches always leave the most lasting impressions on me during my travels and Santa Monica is no different. The pier on Santa Monica was charming and whimsy (its a 100-year old landmark!), with a tiny roller coaster and Ferris wheel which we took of course.

We took the roller coaster twice and it looked deceiving; we thought it would be a mild ride but turned out it wasn’t mild at all. The Ferris wheel was such a tourist thing to do, but it let us have a better view of the city and the sea, and it was my very first time on a Ferris wheel. The clam chowder was one of the best we had on the trip (somehow all clam chowders taste amazing there and I may have mentioned this before) but other seafood was forgettable. There was also a Bubba Gump there serving food priced the same as back in KL but in USD instead so we didn’t bother going for that.

My only regret was not being able to walk on the beach  on account of wearing fur boots on the day we visited.

Recently | Freezing the rain, a photo-study of sorts

It’s been raining a lot in KL these few weeks and I’ve become obsessed with freezing rain with my camera. I wanted to see the individual drops of rain static in mid-air, and the shapes and textures they made when they splashed on the ground.

I like to think that these photos let a drop of rain that otherwise would have evaporated away in mere minutes, live indefinitely. :)

Blueberry and Lime Muffins

Muffins are my go-to when I’m feeling lazy and just want to make something simple yet hearty. I always take my muffins to work since essentially they are a little bit like a quickbread. I found this recipe for Blueberry and Lime Muffins and I was intrigued by using lime zest (haven’t used lime in baking before hehe) with blueberries.

Blueberry-Lime Muffins
My Baking Addiction

YIELD: 12 muffins

1 cup sugar
zest of two limes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
coarse sugar, optional

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper muffin liners.
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and lime zest. Mix with clean fingertips until sugar is moistened and fragrant. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
4. In large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thoroughly incorporated. Continue beating while slowly pouring in the oil. Add in vanilla.
5. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Gently fold in blueberries. Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups and if desired, top with a sprinkling of coarse sugar.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.

My naked limes!

Everybody loved this for a change, and my mum actually said it was the best thing I’ve ever made so far. Which kinda makes me feel like everything I’ve made so far is crap.
Anyway, these are definitely worth trying out on a baking weekend. They are moist (thanks to the sour cream), have a kick (thanks to the lime zest), are super easy to make and so healthy for breakfast! You can skip the topping sugar if you don’t like your baked goods to be too sweet.

On another note, I’ve recently discovered wholemeal flour and I super love the texture. Next round I’m going to try substituting some of the all-purpose flour for some wholemeal flour instead and see how it turns out. :)