CHEEKY LITTLE THING ..

APOLOGIES TO ALL AND SUNDRY ... I've been back nearly 3 weeks and have acclimatised, but apart from lying low because I caught a bad cold and the inevitable jetlag, even with melatonin, was just too lazy to blog.

HOWEVER last night I was invited to one of Penang's latest, and I just HAD to write about it because the food at the Cheeky Duck at the newly-opened Straits Quay in E&O Property's Sri Tanjung Pinang was excellent. Started by Hongky Paul Liu, who also runs an establishment of the same name in, of all places Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK, it is typical Hong Kong restaurant with exactly the same type of food and menu; from the front you can see the ducks, chicken and pork hanging in the window, just like in UK Chinatown restaurants. Even the same ambient smell of "ngor yong hoon" and cinnamon.

The place cost a lot to set up, and at 4000 sq ft is relatively big (and brave). It's fresh and bright, and I really hope they do well, although it was their first night it was packed and everything was a bit frantic but the words "controlled chaos" sprang to mind, especially as it was also raining outside. I'm amazed how busy they were; word sure spreads quick in Penang.

The roast pork is truly scrumptious, with just the right amount of fat, cooked to perfection which is soft and not stringy like it can often be here, and crunchy delicious crackling on top, served upright in squares and not the stingy little fingers that we get. It was awesome, and seriously, that is NOT a word I often use.

They've got things like an Asian Tapas list to go with the beers and wines, as the bar will be open till 2am after the restaurant shuts at 11pm. It's an interesting list of Cantonese delicacies: Marinated Duck's Tongue, Fried Cuttlefish, Garlic and Duck Kidney, Chicken Feet with White Wine ... hmmm ... my favourite is the Prawn Toast though.

As it was their first night it was a bit frantic but the words "controlled chaos" sprang to mind, especially as it was also raining outside. I'm amazed how busy they were; word sure spreads quick in Penang.

I can't wait to go back and try more dishes because I was TOO FULL of roast pork and other delish offerings to eat any more, but there's the wantan noodles, roast duck and plenty of other stuff to eat. Mmmmm ... However, they need to get a better grade of rice, and also their chilli oil, which is a very important part of Hong Kong food in UK and will be indispensable for locals, was tasteless and needs work on.

Overall though, they did well, considering most of their staff, with the exception of their chefs who were brought in specially from Hong Kong, are still very new and many are untrained.

I'll be writing about the many other new outlets in this place for a while yet I think.

BACK TO PP

WHEW ... we're BACK!

How wonderful to sleep on my own bed again ... bliss! Apart from jetlag and perpetual travel and many time changes, including one when the clocks went back in the States, sleeping in different beds of varying degrees of softness, using different pillows (I LURVE my shaped foam one, it's great for my neck) and being in different rooms really disorientates one - well, me, anyway, so sleep has not been great the past few weeks. So despite the fact that it was really one of the best vacations (busman's holiday really) I've ever had, it's really fantastic to be back home in good ole Penang again.

It's the first time I've ever literally gone round the world: we started from Penang to Spore, then BA to London, and after a month New York, Raleigh and Los Angeles, and back to Msia. The last stage was a killer: 14.5 hours to Taiwan with a 1.5 hr stopover in Taipei during which time we saw the AIRPORT and nothing else, then another 4.5 hour flight to KLIA, after which we caught the 2pm flight back to Penang.

During the time we travelled 5 different airlines, although the first can be discounted because it was Silkair to Spore, on a very short flight. However, British Airways could at best be described as basic and adequate, because to give them their due they did hand out little sleep packs with socks and toothbrush and toothpaste. The inflight entertainment was OK but no video games, and they did give free drinks all the way - but how much can one drink. There are just two meals now.

The US airlines were the worst, and this is recognised even by American themselves. There is no more free baggage allowance for travel within the US; each bag is charged at USD25. On board, you get a free soft drink if you're lucky; meals are only provided for flights over 5 hours long. Earphones are charged at USD2 each, and blankets USD8. Disgraceful, and don't even think of having an alcoholic drink! They cost the earth!

We flew American Eagle to Raleigh from New York; they are a branch of American Airlines, on a plane so tiny that there was only one seat on one side and two on the other, and no space for hand luggage overhead so they had to take it away and return it to you on arrival. Service, as has already been mentioned, was minimal, and no attempt was made to make the passenger feel "warm", which surprises me because considering what a good reputation American restaurants have for their service ("Hi! My name is Randy, and I'll be your host/hostess for tonight. Let me run you through the specials yada yada yada" - so much so they are quite comical in a way) this is NOT emulated in their in-flight service, believe me!

As for the Raleigh-LA leg, American Airlines was just as poor. MAS is, by comparison, pretty good, but then they should be as they are one of the most expensive airlines by comparison. You also get free booze and meals, although even these have been cut down - they no longer offer a drink at the start of the flight now, only with the meal (count your lucky stars), and then only two meals despite the 14-hour journey.

HOWEVER I was very disappointed by the service given at the MAS LA check-in desk. Despite there being two empty rows in front of us we were given the worst possible seats on the plane, where the arm rests couldn't move. On a 14-hour flight it is a killer. They don't offer online check-in for this sector either. And beware people with hand luggage bigger than the stipulated maximum - you will be charged USD100 for it!

On top of that despite double-checking with the girl that the luggage WOULD be sent on to Penang, it was NOT, so we ended up returning to the house sans baggage. Thankfully it wasn't lost, just stuck in KLIA, and they did get it back to us before the end of the day.

Sir Walter?

Well we are almost on the last leg of this epic journey, and tomorrow we head off for the City of the Angels: Los Angeles, California, after which we will be boarding the flight which takes us straight back to KL and Penang. We've done SOOOooooo much, and there is SOOOOOoooo much to write about, and it's only been the tip of the iceberg!

It’s been a really fantastic trip, and sitting here in Raleigh, North Carolina (named after Queen Caroline) and looking back on it, even our time in UK seems a long time ago. London, Loughborough … even New York City. It has been wonderful to catch up with our old friends whom we worked out we had not seen for FIFTEEN years.

Old friend Steve H. drove us down to his gorgeous beach house (pix) in Emerald Isle which is off the southern coast of North Carolina, 2.5 hours from town, and it really should be classified a beach mansion it is so huge: on 3 floors, 5 bedrooms and two kitchens which are better kitted than mine. Everything is still enormous as they have so many resources still, including this guy we met in town who was 6’ 9” – I couldn’t resist asking to have a pix taken with him.

Raleigh has not changed that much since I first came here on a 3-month residency when I worked for IBM UK in 1987; it is still a sprawling city where space is no issue – there are just many more shopping malls which are HUGE – just to drive around the perimeter of the one in North Hills for example takes at least 10 minutes!!

I’ve of course had a BALL doing some retail therapy, but luggage space, let alone finance, ensures I keep well within budget. Like the UK, certain things are still very cheap here, especially now the pre-Christmas sales are on, with some items 80% off, but services are expensive. Janice has a cleaning service come in for about 6 hours a week for which she pays USD 120.00 which is about the average. Most of their labour is Mexican, and goods are made in China.

One day our friends took us to Wilson, NC, and we came across some cotton fields - never seen that in my life, city slicker that ah ahm. It was fascinating to see this stuff, and you can imagine how the black slaves used to labour in them ole cott'n fields which stretch for miles and miles. It's also fall harvest time and Halloween night was on Sunday, so plenty of pumpkins and creepy ghouls around.

Some BEAUTIFUL old houses around complete with suthern rocking chairs on the porch - straight out of Tom Sawyer.

However, the economy is bad, everyone here in the South hates Obama (Mid-term elections are on today which should show what a bad job they think he is doing) and property prices have tumbled. Of course compared to the east it is still expensive!

Mac’s enjoying his time playing golf with my friend's hubby Paul who is a very keen golfer with 10 handicap. And don’t even talk about the food – no wonder the average American is oversized there is such an abundance of everything here, and Southern food is fried and greasy - we even saw Krispy Kreme (donut) burgers at the State Fair here!

Heart attack stuff man, as they say. However I have to say after a month and a half of western food, I am DYING for some chinky food.

Tomorrow we head off to my cuz in Los Angeles, and on Monday 8^th we will be flying off in the evening to arrive in KL via Taipei at about 11 or 12pm Wed 10^th. Back home again.

It’s been a great trip, but I think by then we will be quite quite ready to get back. Phew!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, so good they named it twice! OH IT's been a busy and exciting time!

WELL HOWDY! How're yall dwin today?

Yes, I'm here in the good old US of A, otherwise known as Amurka, as they say here in the Southern YOUnited States. To be precise, in Raleigh, North Carolina, famous for where the Wright Brothers did their inaugural flight and the history of aviation was born.

We've done so much, and eaten even more, as is evidenced by the ever-increasing waistline and tight jeans. The weather has been kind most times, unseasonably so, I am told, because the famous fall leaves have NOT turned to their usual glorious colours as they should have by now. BUT the past couple of nights have been quite chilly, and last night it was expected to be frosty and 40s (F).

However, the days are sunny and relatively warm at about low 70s, and we are having so much fun here. The US is still cheap to live in - sometime cheaper than Penang! - and here in Raleigh there is so much space that the city really sprawls. Shopping malls are HUMONGOUS, so large you have to drive around from one store to another. That, really, has been my only saving grace - the fact that I have been walking around browsing through all the GOODIES. And goodies there are indeed, wonderful things and knick knacks and CLOTHES ... phew. The only thing holding me back is not so much the money (although there's that to consider of course) but the fact that we are limited luggage allowance-wise. And of course Customs as well!

But let's start with when we arrived in The Big Apple aka New York a week ago - the queue to get through Immigration took over an hour, but we got there in the end, and took a cab in to Manhattan for a flat rate of USD45. By the time you add a tip (mandatory 10-20% here really, which is a bit of a shock for us out-of-towners who just aren't used to it) it's USD50. But the bus or subway in would have cost USD20 each anyway, so it was worth it for the extra USD20 to get us door to door.

We stayed at the Seton Hotel which is on E43rd and Lexington, an old fairly knackered place but at least it was ensuite and very near the theatre district, because we were going to see a show the next night. At USD240 a night, it was one of the cheapest we could get - and no consolation of course but NYC has the most expensive hotels in the world.

Early the next morning we took a walk to Times Square, to have a look around. It was busy, packed and full of bleeding tourists ... !!

The weather was COLD, so we rode the subway to Ground Zero, now a huge site undergoing massive reconstruction. There is a Memorial Centre which sells souvenirs and stuff to raise money for the project, which had photos and films about the terrible incident. It was all very sad and poignant. I bought a small fridge magnet just to add my little contribution!

As for the food, it was actually quite good (why else do you think the old weight is creeping up!!)

We found a small diner on the way to Times Square the next morning and ordered pancakes and bacon for breakfast - and would you believe it came with THREE thick (and fluffy) pancakes, and loads of maple syrup and cream cheese. Umm hmmm it was GOOD ... but filling and fattening. No wonder the average American is overweight, and quite a number of them are massively so. In Malaysia I have to wear L or XL - here I am classified petite, XS or size 4! Everything is disposable of course, from the crockery to the cutlery, cups and plates.

DINNER was at Sam's Place, on 132 E 39th St, a small friendly Italian restaurant just round the corner from the hotel, early as we had to get to the show.

It's run by Sam The Caesar Salad was probably one of the best I'd ever tasted, crunchy, sharp and sweet, and for mains they made me a gorgeous Prawns and Spag, my favourite, and Mac's Tortellini was excellent. They were SO good we gorged ourselves as you can see from the empty plate but hey at USD25 a plate, we had to!

PLOUGH PUB GRUB

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN A MONTH since we arrived in UK, and tomorrow we are heading off again - and in all that time I've barely posted anything, shame on me. It was partly due to sloth and partly lack of time as we've done so much during our time here. It has been wonderful, and I look forward to our next trip here although when that will be is another question.

As far as food is concerned, I've eaten for Penang and the world it seems like, and have put on countless kilos ... sigh ... so it's back to the Wii again for hours a day I think. Just can't eat anything without putting on weight nowadays, and worse with this chilly winter weather; one just wants to eat more. Of course all the reviews I've done whilst here haven't helped, and on top of that I've wanted to try various favourite places I used to love when I lived here.

And of course all the DRINK, especially English beer, which although a bit dull and watery - they will KILL me if they read this - is such a favourite here you just have to have it when you're down at the local.

Like the pubs and their good old pub grub, for example, although most of them have gone "upmarket" and it's no longer the old "Sausages and Chips" or "Fish 'n Chips" or "Chicken and Chips", everything eaten with a great big blob of tomato sauce. No, most are much more sophisticated now, and even the ones which protest that they are still traditional offer much more exciting meals like The Plough in Effingham, Surrey.

It's a lovely old place, popular with the "wrinklies" (I think I was the youngest person there - that's an indication of how old the general population is!) because they serve good food in quiet, serene surroundings.

The Beef Pie was excellent as you can see from the empty plate, and all served in more attractive ways now rather than just plonked on a plate with CHIPS.

I also love the way they just write up what's on offer on the board - no need to print up expensive menus, and they can change it at the drop of a hat or in this case a swipe of the duster. And that also means the clients get to sample different food, especially regulars who eat there all the time.

However the Sticky Toffee Pudding, one of the most traditional English desserts you can find, was disappointing, dry with an overpowering taste of toffee. I suspect it was brought in although they denied it.

LEICESTER CITY - MUCHO POINTS!

We've been here just over two weeks now and although we have still another 12 days or so to go I feel, sadly, like I'm coming to the end of our stay here in Old Blighty. It's been a wonderful trip so far, and unlike other trips here the past few years, I've really enjoyed it.

We travelled a lot before ensconcing ourselves here at a good friend's in Chiswick, London W4: arrived in Surrey, travelled to Loughborough, then we stayed in Leicester for two nights, as it was somewhere I've never been to before - the Midlands have always been passed through and never somewhere I really wanted to stay at! But Leicester was interesting, historical and old, although it peed down at times and was quite chilly (wimp, remember?) We even managed a quick visit to one of its many museums.

This famous football city has another claim to fame: their market is one of the oldest in the country, dating back as far as 1200s, and it is also supposed to be the largest covered one in Europe.

It IS pretty big, and what's even more wonderful is there is so much life, despite the cold. The vendors consist of all races: Indians - it apparently has one of the highest concentrations of Asians in the UK and won the Curry Competition in 2007 - English, Chinese and all kinds of other Europeans. Everyone's selling different types of interesting foodstuff including of course their famous Red Leicester cheese.

They all shout out their wares, "Just a POUND! All these bananas for just a POUND!" ... just like in the film Oliver! or My Fair Lady, and the produce is REALLY cheap - honestly, I bought TEN huge peaches which I thought might not be good but turned out to be gorgeous, ripe and juicy, for just ONE POUND. That's less than FIVE RINGGIT mate and worth every sen - or penny, as the case might be.

People complain the UK is expensive and yes, services and utilities are - gas, for example, has gone up 200% from ten years ago when I lived here, and accommodation of course is tres expensive - I certainly couldn't afford a flat here now, let alone a house. But other things are really quite cheap especially if you shop right like in markets and not Harrods for example! They have something called a "Pound Shop" where you can get things for 1 pound - and it's stuff which sells even next door for two, three, four or even five times that amount. I love browsing in places like that, cheapskate that I am.

I love it all, but that's probably cos I know I'll be going back soon and escaping the cold ... !!!

Of course whilst we were there I had to have a curry so we visited one near the hotel before the theatre - I'd managed to get 2 tickets to the dress rehearsal for "Hot Stuff", a musical which is similar to Mama Mia with songs from the 80s for just TWO QUID each. It was the Haveli, recommended by hotel, which was OK but not as good as one we had in Loughborough.

We also had the new Kingfisher beer which had been specially invented to go with Indian food, and I could see why - it was thirst-quenching and refreshing without being too bitter, with a slightly fruity aftertaste which suited the spices.

After that we walked to The Curve Theatre where we had the best-value show in town - it was excellent.

Although I'd not go back there again probably, I had a fantastic time in Leicester.

DELICIOUS PRAWN PASTA

SO HERE WE ARE OOP NORTH now, having driven up a couple of days ago to the university town of Loughborough, which is just outside Leicester in the Midlands.

England lived up to its reputation and it P'ed down practically all day yesterday. It was cold, wet and miserable. However, today was quite sunny and crisp. We checked into the unassuming and unpretentious little Cedars Hotel on the A6, at the edge of Loughborough University Town.

And would you believe it, I had one of the best meals ever.

MANY MOONS AGO, I had a prawn and pasta dish which I consider the best I've ever eaten. It was in San Francisco, and I just HAD to finish the whole plate it was THAT good. Since then, that has been the benchmark against which I judge pasta dishes, particularly prawn and pasta dishes, and, sad to say, not one has come up to scratch. This one though came pretty close to it.

To be fair I had warned the manager that I would be blogging about it, so the chef was rather prepared for it. However, as I have had pretty abysmal meals despite the proprietors knowing about my visit, this was not really a criteria.

I ordered their Prawn, Garlic and Chilli Pasta - and it was really truly magnificent. Spicy but tasty, and full of large prawns. It was an alio olio so no tomatoes were involved, and the spiciness was introduced in the form of finely-chopped Scotch Bonnet chillies, one of the hottest in the world, even hotter than Thai chilli padi I think.

For just 9.95 pounds, it was excellent value, and I would honestly go back there just to eat that! Well done chef, and a 9/10 for it; as you can see, I devoured the lot ... with a bit of help from the rest of course!

UNFORTUNATELY the rest of the meal was not so brilliant; Mac's steak was tough and overcooked despite having asked for it medium done - 4/10 for that - and and No2 Son's lamb was mediocre, probably a 6.

I was also slightly disappointed to find out that the Sticky Toffee Pudding was bought in and not made in house, although it was quite tasty. Bang goes the diet - how on earth I ever thought I could try and be a bit abstemious during this trip the food has just been too much and too good, no wonder there are so many fat Brits! - and it's back to the treadmill when we get back for sure!!

BLIMEY, IT'S BACK TO BLIGHTY

HERE WE ARE BACK IN OLD BLIGHTY once again ... we flew here by British Airways and the word I can use to summarise the experience was ADEQUATE. Service and amenities were basic, food was just OK. They were not the cheapest airline nor were they the most expensive either, and they got us here safely and on time which was some 5am on Friday morning so not much to complain about there BUT I have to say have flown better airlines before.

The first thing about the UK is it's BLUDDY freezing! Ai yo, despite the fact they did have a good summer (yea thanks for constantly telling me that friends!), and that the sun does occasionally peep out from behind the massive grey clouds, during which time it does warm up slightly, overall it is cold, damp and dismal. It rained practically all afternoon the day we arrived, and in the evening it gets even worse, as temperatures plunge to 5 or 8C. I tell you, going to the loo is like sitting on a block of ice doing your business. Now I understand why people wear those jumpsuits with a panel at the back that you "undo" to go to the toilet ... LOL.

HOWEVER there are nice things about being back here. Like wot, you ask. Well as it was so early when we landed, we got to Surrey in record time as the M25, although fairly busy, was moving - it's not known as the "World's Biggest Car Park" for no reason! So we decided to drive by old favourite Tesco to check out if it was open and at 730am - it was, yay, hooray!

In we popped to get a few things ... hah! Ended up with 90 quids' worth of shopping including biscuits, wine and beer, bits and bobs and SIM cards for our Malaysian phones. They cost just 99p (RM4.80) with just 20p worth of time on it but there is a special offer on at the moment and if you top up (online, via sms or call them) you get 3x the value so if you top up 20 quid then you get 60 pounds in value. Worth it of course to a canny Penangite like MOI ...

After due formalities were over like greetings and "How ARE you?" and "How NICE to see you again" that kind of stuff, settling into bro-and-sis-in-law's place and giving out prezzies - the jumper, although a tad large, was admired with suitable oohing and aahing, as was my due ... ahem ... (joking lah), we set off again - this time to London itself, and the first ever Malaysia Night to be held in Trafalgar Square. But that's another story.

Suffice it to say that the trip up by British Rail was uneventful if expensive - something like 12 pounds for a return to Waterloo, and another fiver to get me to Charing Cross by Underground on the Bakerloo Line, which used to be the oldest and most knackered line with really dark and seedy old trains but is now modern and bright. I've always loved the way they advertise on the platforms.

Ahhh ... despite the cold and expense, it's GOOD to be back!